Director of Economic Development Speaks to the Blackstone Chamber of Commerce

On Wednesday, March 2nd, Alfreda Jarrett Reynolds, Director of Economic Development for Brunswick County, presented to the Blackstone Chamber of Commerce during their monthly membership meeting.  Mrs. Reynolds' presentation was entitled "Making the Pieces Fit: Rural Communities Coming Together." Her program stressed the importance of small, rural localities cooperating for the greater good. 

Mrs. Reynolds began talking about Brunswick County and what makes it such a great place to work and live as the Location of Choice: The gold standard in Business, Leisure, Family, and Education.  She opened with a quote by Tom Vilsack, which states, "People working together in a strong community with a shared goal and a common purpose can make the impossible possible."

 Mrs. Reynolds pointed out that all small towns and localities in Southside Virginia are very similar and have the same strengths and challenges.  Because of this, we should strive to work together.  Teamwork is critical because collaboration creates unity, offers differing perspectives and feedback, and provides improved efficiency and productivity.  Additionally, we can learn from each other's experiences by sharing our best practices and our mistakes in order to learn from them.

 
As a GO VA Region 3 Council member, Mrs. Reynolds stressed the importance of regional partnerships, which can significantly assist localities through networking, grant writing assistance, talent attraction, and other supports.  She shared her excitement to represent Brunswick County and Region 3 in this capacity.

 After thanking the Blackstone Chamber for inviting her to speak, Mrs. Reynolds closed her presentation by sharing that each locality should strive to be a desirable place to live, work, and play.  A desirable location attracts ambitious people motivated to pursue a high quality of life and provides numerous opportunities for citizens, businesses, and the surrounding community.  She pointed out that if one locality in Southside Virginia succeeds, we all succeed.  As Helen Keller once said, "Alone we can do so little.  Together we can do so much."