This Years Theme: Meet our Regional Partners
Hosted by the Stafford County Economic Development Authority (EDA), Chairman Joel Griffin remarked: “Our Theme for the 2018 Business Appreciation Reception is Meet Our Regional Partners. Today we highlight the critical importance of communication, outreach, and leveraging resources with these Partners whose collaboration we celebrate today.”
Chairman Joel Griffin introduced and welcomed the new Director of Economic Development & Tourism. John Holden brings over 20 years of experience in the Economic Development profession.
Keynote speaker Stephen Moret, the president and CEO of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) joined Joel Griffin to express the importance of partnerships throughout Stafford, the Fredericksburg Region, and the State of Virginia.
Griffin announced that Stafford has welcomed 30 net new businesses this year, and added over 432 jobs. Business growth was 2.5% – the 18th highest growth rate in Virginia. Employment in Stafford is projected to advance 3.2% in 2018, and 3.4% in 2019 – bringing the total number of jobs in Stafford to almost 46,194. “Your investment in Stafford helps create the successful metrics we share here today.”
Chairman Joel Griffin stated “The best Partnerships are like long relationships – built on trust, honor, focus on challenges, and celebrating achievements. As a Commonwealth leader in job and business growth, we take our responsibility to the business community seriously. We work with Stafford’s business owners, leaders, and entrepreneurs to facilitate the execution of your business plans, find and train an effective workforce, streamline your processes, and connect you to new technologies and strategic thinking. Your success is our success.”
Two awards were announced at the event:
2018 Cornerstone Business Award – Hilldrup
Hilldrup is one of the industry’s premier moving services companies providing local, long distance and international moving, storage, relocation and logistics services. A fourth generation family-owned business founded in 1903, Hilldrup employs over 700 in ten locations on the East Coast, with 500 employees working in the Stafford Corporate Headquarters.
Hilldrup has been recognized by numerous organizations for excellence in training and employee development. The Stafford facility contains the largest in-house training and employee development center in their industry.
Hilldrup’s efforts as a Corporate Citizen includes the Pacesetter level with the United Way – raising over $250,000 over the lifetime of their partnership. Other key community partners include Move for Hunger, Rappahannock Regional Boys & Girls Club of America, and the Stafford Hospital 5K.
We proudly present our Stafford County Cornerstone Award to Hilldrup, for their dedicated business culture, training and development of thousands of employees from their first job to lifetime careers, and commitment to the Stafford community and Fredericksburg region.
2018 Business of the Year – McLane Company Inc., Mid Atlantic Division
This annual award is presented to the Stafford County business that completes the best application based on criteria that includes resilience, products, services and innovation, growth within their industry, commitment to their employees, and community involvement.
McLane Mid Atlantic is a part of McLane Company, Inc., a $49 billion Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary, with $1.39 billion in annual sales locally. Their history dates back to 1894, with McLane Mid Atlantic established in Stafford, VA in 1973.
They are one of 22 Grocery Divisions around the U.S. They make 3,500 deliveries per week to 2,370 customers and drivers travel more than 3.5 million miles annually, with above World Class safety performance. McLane Company, Inc. employees 13,000 teammates, with 728 teammates at McLane Mid Atlantic in Stafford, VA
In addition, McLane Company, Inc. is committed to the community – raising nearly $100 million since 1987 for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals nationwide, participating in year round fundraising events and countless volunteer hours for United Way, Proud partner of Partnership for a Healthier America, supporting their mission to solve the childhood obesity challenge in a generation. Locally, they work with the Maryland Food Bank and Stafford SERVE.
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