RICHMOND - The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) Board of Directors today announced the establishment of the Rural Virginia Action Committee. Comprised of board members, the purpose of the committee is to increase and sustain economic development throughout rural areas of the Commonwealth. As a state authority, the Partnership is governed by a 24-member Board of Directors comprised of businesspersons from around Virginia, each of whom is appointed by the Governor or the General Assembly.

Rural Virginia Action Committee members include:

RICHMOND - Governor Terry McAuliffe announced today that Lyft, a San Francisco-based transportation network company, will invest $350,000 to establish a Mid-Atlantic regional headquarters operation in Arlington County. Governor McAuliffe met with Lyft officials at the corporate headquarters in San Francisco during his March 2016 Marketing Mission. Virginia successfully competed against Washington, D.C., for this project, which will create 32 new jobs.

RICHMOND - Governor Terry McAuliffe announced today that ST Tissue LLC, a manufacturer of high-quality tissue, towel and napkin products, will invest $35 million to expand its operation in Isle of Wight County. The company will add a new tissue machine and hard wound towel line that will increase existing capacity by more than 45,000 tons annually. Virginia successfully competed against Wisconsin for the project, which will create 50 new jobs.

RICHMOND - Governor Terry McAuliffe announced today that Ceramic Technology, Inc., a Cedar Bluff-based manufacturer of ceramic-lined coal and mineral process equipment, made more than $300,000 in sales to new customers in Canada as a result of its participation in the Go Global with Coal & Energy Technology (GGCET) program. GGCET is a collaboration of the Governor’s Office, the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) and the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP), resulting from the Governor’s 2014 Energy Plan.

RICHMOND - Governor Terry McAuliffe today announced that MAG Aerospace is the recipient of the 2016 Commonwealth of Virginia Governor’s Award for Excellence in International Trade. The award was presented at the 68th Annual Virginia Conference on World Trade, held in Norfolk. MAG Aerospace has been a participant in the Commonwealth’s international trade programs since 2012. Through its international project successes and acquisitions, the company has grown to more than $145 million in annual revenue and nearly quadrupled its employment to more than 900.

RICHMOND - Governor Terry McAuliffe announced today that Virginia has received more than $359,400 in grant funding to support the Commonwealth’s State Trade and Export Promotion (STEP) Grant Program. The STEP Program, funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, is designed to increase the number of small businesses that are exporting and to raise the value of exports for small businesses that are already selling products overseas.

Richmond - Governor Terry McAuliffe announced today that OVH, the leading cloud provider in Europe, will invest $47 million to establish its North American headquarters and first U.S. data center in Fauquier County. The company will install dark fiber infrastructure in an existing facility in the Vint Hill Business Park.

RICHMOND - Governor Terry McAuliffe today announced that CoStar Group, the leading provider of commercial real estate information, analytics and online marketplaces, will invest $8.17 million in a new research and software development center in Richmond. Virginia successfully competed against states in the Southeast and Midwest for this project, which will create 732 new jobs and have a total economic impact of $250 million via direct local salaries, lease on the property, and capital improvements at the facility, among other factors.

RICHMOND - Governor Terry McAuliffe today announced the first round of Virginia Business Ready Sites Program (VBRSP) grants to 28 projects across the Commonwealth. The VBRSP, administered by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP), is a discretionary program established to help Virginia localities develop and market their existing industrial or commercial sites to prospective businesses, thus enhancing the Commonwealth’s infrastructure and promoting its competitive business environment.

RICHMOND - Governor Terry McAuliffe today announced that Dominion Packaging, a provider of packaging solutions for the tobacco and quick service restaurant industry, will invest $25.1 million to expand its operation in Henrico County to support a new contract with Anheuser-Busch. Virginia successfully competed against Pennsylvania for the project, which will create 60 new jobs.