Heath, an economic development veteran who has worked most of his career in Charlotte, and his staff have to be recognized for their work over the course of the last couple of years in Southwest Virginia. If you know economic development in the South, you know Martinsville, VA. Martinsville was the poster child of the many rural South markets whose economies were tied ever-so-tightly to the apparel, textiles, and furniture industries. Those three sectors continue to be large employers in the South, but their dominance in the region’s economy ended a decade or more ago.

Probably more than any other rural market, Martinsville is now the poster child of a small Southern town that has diversified itself and overcome its dependency on old-line Southern industries. One example of that diversity occurred in the winter quarter when Virginia Governor Tim Kaine announced that RTI International Metals will invest $100 million to build a plant that will produce titanium for the aerospace industry. The deal will create 150 new jobs.

Source: Southern Business and Development, Winter 2008