Despite a sputtering national economy, innovative entrepreneurship is alive and well in the Commonwealth of Virginia, where twelve thriving businesses have been named as finalists in the Tayloe Murphy Resilience Awards Competition.

The statewide competition, sponsored by the Tayloe Murphy Center at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, is designed to spotlight successful businesses located in the state’s most economically challenged communities. With this year’s finalists, the Tayloe Murphy Center has done just that.

Project will lead to 100 construction jobs and up to 150 high-tech manufacturing jobs

The Industrial Development Authority of Halifax County and Dominion Virginia Power today announced plans to develop an initiative to build a pilot demonstration facility for solar power generation and battery storage.  The facility would generate about 4 megawatts of power and be the largest integrated solar-battery facility in Virginia.

Solar energy holds enormous potential in Southside Virginia; however, the challenge is integrating this variable resource in a reliable way on the electric grid. Battery storage provides a means for effectively managing, storing and optimizing solar energy to regulate intermittency, enable peak shaving and increase grid reliability.

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The company in China that produces many of the parts found in today’s Apple iPod and other electronics felt enough pressure from it’s employees that it needs to start paying a decent salary.  Recent events at Foxconn’s   Shenzhen, China plant have forced some changes.  A second pay raise has been given to it’s employees after numerous suicides at the plant.

The University of Virginia's Tayloe Murphy Center at the Darden School  has issued a Call for Entries for the Tayloe Murphy Resilience Awards Competition.  Applicants can include successful entrepreneurs in manufacturing, retail, service, and wholesale.

Qualifying applicants must demonstrate:

• 5 years of sustained growth across a number of metrics;
• Evidence of economic uplift in their local community;
• That they are operating in the most economically challenged communities within the Commonwealth of Virginia (go to www.resilienceawards.info to see if your community is eligible).

Winning firms will receive scholarship funding to a select Darden Executive Education Program along with networking opportunities and recognition.

The region’s bioenergy projects continue to expand with farmers asking what crop is needed and where is the market, entrepreneurs questioning what research is ready for commercialization, and policymakers assessing the infrastructure needed to support the most innovative environment.  This dialogue on Virginia’s renewable energy agenda will continue when a host of interested parties gather together for this conference at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research.

The conference will provide farmers, community leaders, economic developers, legislators, entrepreneurs, and other attendees the opportunity to participate in setting the bioenergy agenda for this region.