Here at VECTEC, we welcomed 2008 with a number of exciting new initiatives, partnerships and economic development programs designed to promote e-commerce throughout Virginia.

We wish to thank Governor Kaine for his support of VECTEC by including funding for us in Christopher Newport University’s budget over the next two years.

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Fort Monroe Reuse Planning Process Now Online
New Website Created To Enhance Public Involvement

For nearly 200 years, the moated stone fortress at Fort Monroe has stood sentry in Hampton Roads’ Chesapeake Bay. The military role of the 570-acre national landmark site dates back even farther to the early 1600s when Captain John Smith chose this site to erect a fort to defend Jamestown’s colonial settlement.

Built between 1819 and 1834, Fort Monroe is one of Army’s oldest active military installations and the largest stone fort ever built in America. In 2011, it will join ranks with the fort’s retired generals when the Army officially closes the base.

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The Competitive Edge: Market Research Keeps it Sharp
by Nancy Jones, CTDI Research Analyst

In today’s global marketplace, establishing and maintaining your competitive edge can be a real challenge. As the number of small businesses continues to explode nationwide, competition has grown dramatically in every market and industry. Successful businesses are those that access and make good use of market research.

VECTEC’s Center for Technical Data & Information (CTDI) provides Virginia’s small to medium-sized businesses with affordable and accurate market research. CTDI relies on leading business information resources such as Hoovers, Dun & Bradstreets, Lexis Nexis, professional organizations, and government databases.

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2008 e-Commerce Short Courses

VECTEC’s educational offerings continue to grow in both course content and the regions we are able to serve. From January through early April of this year, VECTEC hosted 25 e-commerce short courses that attracted 262 participants from across the state including Hampton Roads, Petersburg, Danville, the Eastern Shore, Southside and Southwest Virginia.

Currently, 30 courses are scheduled throughout the Commonwealth, with a number of additional courses under consideration.

>> See Upcoming Course Topics

Welcome to Our New Clients

VECTEC has been pleased to welcome the following companies to our team since December 2007. We encourage everyone to visit our new members' websites once they have been completed.

• Advanced Secondary Treatment
• Blue Cat on the New
• Blue Ridge Crossroads EDA
• Carroll County
• The Center for Public Policy
• Coastal Mailboxes
• Cruising Rally Association
• Fort Monroe Federal Area Development Authority
• Galax First Baptist Church
• Hales Electrical
• Hammer Time Marine
• Hampton Roads Center for Civic Engagement (HRCCE)
• Highlands Log Structures
• Ladybug Junction
• Maranatha Consultants, Inc.
• Pageco Innovations
• Peninsula Fine Arts Center
• Peninsula Printing, Inc.
• Prime Choice Foods
• Russell County Chamber of Commerce
• Simmons Equipment
• Southwest Culinary & Hospitality
• The SpinnerBait
• Terra Tech Engineering
• Tradewinds
• Waterside Motor Inn
• The World Prayer Foundation
• Worldwide Distribution (content development)
• Wyatt Insurance

VECTEC Guest Book

VECTEC continues to cultivate partnerships with business and political leaders from across the state to support economic growth in the Commonwealth. Over the winter and early spring, we were honored to welcome the following guests to our offices:

• Viola Baskerville, Secretary of Administration for the Commonwealth of Virginia
• Richard Sliwoski, Director of the Commonwealth’s Department of General Services
• Samuel Hayes III, Director of the Virginia Department of Minority Business Enterprise
• Serwa Lee and Joe Svetina of the Virginia Department of Business Assistance
• Amy Bull, Project Manager for Wallops Research Park, a workforce development initiative on Virginia’s Eastern Shore
• Tricia Wilson, Department of Development for the City of Newport News
• Michelle DeWitt, Economic Development Manager for the City of Williamsburg
• John Tarley, Williamsburg Economic Development Authority
• Ken Carr, Dick Garretson, Paul Luchsinger, Lillian Saimre, Lee Schmidt, and Alan Wonsowski of the Williamsburg Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE)
• Carla Brittle, Management/Resouce Administrator for James City County
• Mark Kilduff, Director, and Rodney Hathaway, Economic Development Authority for New Kent County
• Russell Seymour, Director, and Jennifer Mihalcoe, Economic Development Department of Spotsylvania Country
• Joy Corprew, Warsaw Small Business Development Center (SBDC) of the Rappahannock Region
• Mark Di Vincenzo, Business Writers Group
• Scott Ehrenfried, Cherry Auto Inc.       
• Cathy Williams, Business Diversity Manager, and Bill Klekar, Ferguson Enterprises
• Ann Hutchens, Hidenwood Pharmacy
• Jennie Dotts, Old House Authority

We would like to extend our gratitude to all of our visitors for taking time out of their busy schedules to visit VECTEC and learn more about our efforts to support Virginia businesses through e-commerce training, development and implementation.

If you have any suggestions for content for the E-Newsletter, please feel free to contact Jennifer Maurer, Connections Editor, at jennifer.maurer@vectec.org.