Virginia has consistently ranked as one of the top three states in the nation to locate a business.  See, for example, the surveys gathered at http://www.yesvirginia.org/whyvirginia/. In a recent article in Time Magazine about the return of  manufacturing to the United States, there are two noteworthy mentions of Virginia.   Note is made of the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing (http://www.ccam-va.com) which assists companies with translating research into production and the authors cite an estimate by Boston Consulting Group that there will be 6,840 job openings in manufacturing in Virginia’s former tobacco region by 2017 creating a shortage of about 1,000 skilled workers.  (Foroohar, Rana and Saporito, Bill  “Made in America”,  Time 22 April 2013 28-29 Print.)

The return of manufacturing to Virginia would  create economic growth in general and opportunity for businesses of all kinds.  Manufacturing based in the former tobacco growing region will only add further dynamism to a state which boasts a strong technology sector in the north and is an active nexus between government, high technology and international trading activities.  For a long time, firms located in Virginia have had convenient access to the U.S. government, rail, port and airport facilities, free trade zones, international financial institutions, embassies and international organizations.  Soon, the state may also be a center for the return of manufacturing to the United States.