Industry and Workforce Attraction and Retention in Wythe County

Overview:

Wythe County wants to understand why companies locate where they do and what the county can do to be more competitive. The county faces the same challenges as other rural counties – declining population, poor broadband coverage, drug addiction, and a high poverty rate. To address these issues, they would like to increase their job opportunities. Located in southwestern Virginia, with a population around 29,000, the Executive Director of the county's Joint Industrial Development Authority (JIDA), wants to identify factors that would improve Wythe's attractiveness to companies. The Virginia Cooperative Extension agent and Virginia Tech researchers are investigating factors that affect Wythe's ability to attract companies, as well as the benefits and costs of the Wythe industrial park.