Mount Rogers Regional Partnership Receives Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission Grant
Commission Awards $104,000 to Support Marketing Project
July 14th, 2025
Mount Rogers Regional Partnership, the regional economic development organization serving Bland, Carroll, Grayson, Smyth, and Wythe counties and the City of Galax, is excited to announce that it was awarded a grant of $104,200 by the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission. The funds will be matched with local public dollars to support efforts to market the region to business prospects in the United States and internationally.
A cornerstone of the marketing project is obtaining FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) Qualified Community certification through the Transatlantic Business and Investment Council (TBIC). The certification process both vets and prepares the community to best position itself for companies located outside the United States that are interested in opening or expanding here. It will also support domestic business recruitment efforts. In addition to obtaining certification, MRRP will undertake lead generation activities, including attending call trips, consultant meetings, and other business and industry events, as well as engage in targeted content creation and advertising efforts.
The two-year project will increase MRRP’s visibility among key points of contact, including business consultants and brokers by marketing regional opportunities directly to prospects and consultants in target markets. As a result, it will attract new business to the region, creating jobs for current residents and attracting new residents (due to available jobs), thus increasing the region’s tax base.
The Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission’s mission is the promotion of economic growth and development in formerly tobacco-dependent communities, using proceeds of the national tobacco settlement. “Mount Rogers Regional Partnership is incredibly grateful to the Tobacco Commission for funding this project. Grant funds are matched by organizational dollars, allowing Mount Rogers Regional Partnership to double its marketing impact and better serve the region,” shares Ashlyn Shrewsbury, Executive Director of Mount Rogers Regional Partnership. The project is anticipated to result in at least three prospects committing to expanding or locating in the region within the next five years, creating at least 120 new jobs and generating approximately $34 million in capital investment.
To learn more about Mount Rogers Regional Partnership’s work, visit www.mountrogersregion.com.
MEDIA CONTACT
Morgan Herbert
Director of Marketing and Communications
Mount Rogers Regional Partnership
mherbert@wcc.vccs.edu
276-223-4858
mountrogersregion.com
