Richmond Named 6th Best City to Find a Job

Ajilon Professional Staffing, a speciality recruiting and workforce solutions firm, issued its top 10 cities for finding employment in the U.S., listing the City of Richmond as the 6th best. Using Department of labor data and insights from its regional market branches, Ajilon selected cities with an unemployment rate of 8 percent or lower, and considered other factors such as diversity of industries, cost of living, the range in size of companies offering employment, and the level of higher education among its residents. To learn more, please click here.

Hoopstown USA: Richmond is Focus of National Attention During NCAA Tournament

The City of Richmond is one of only four cities in the country to have two schools in the NCAA Mens Basketball tournament that head to the Sweet 16. To honor the VCU and University of Richmond teams, the City, in partnership with Venture Richmond, VCU and UR, held a pep rally along the Canal Walk at the Turning Basin. Mayor Jones, Dr. Rao, President of VCU and Dr. Ayers, President of the University of Richmond joined in the festivities as hundreds of people came out to cheer their team and their city. Click here to view a Richmond Times Dispatch video of the people rally and here for photos from Richmond.com. The momentum continued as VCU won in overtime against Floriday State on Friday, March 25th, continuing on to the Elite Eight. On Sunday the 27th, VCU beat Kansas, ranked second in the country, heading on to the Final Four - the first time in the university's history. Click here for more coverage from Sport Illustrated.cnn.com.

Richmond Celebrates U of R and VCU Making Sweet 16 in NCAA Tournament

On Wednesday, March 23rd, 5:00 PM, the City of Richmond is hosting a Sweet 16 Pep Rally at the Turning Basin along the Canal Walk in Shockoe Slip to cheer the University of Richmond Spiders and the Virgininia Commonwealth University Rams. Richmond has become the first city since Los Angeles (in 2007) to send two teams to round 16 of the tournament - the fourth time ever in history.

To view a featured video by CBS 6 News, please click here.

University of Richmond Ranked 12th Best Business School for Undergrads

The University of Richmond's Robins School of Business ranked 12th in the country for Best Undergraduate Business Schools 2011 by Bloomberg Businessweek. Last year the school was ranked No. 15. To read more, please click here.

In addition to this accolade, the newly expanded Robins School of Business opened recently with a 37,000-square-foot expansion to Queally Hall. The expansion includes eight new classrooms, a 225-seat auditorium and a large trading room, equipped with 12 Bloomberg terminals where students can get up-to-the-minute stock market and economic data. For more information, click here.

Dominion Announces "Troops to Energy Jobs" Initiative

At Dominion's downtown Richmond HQ's on March 14th, Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling announced the Dominion (NYSE: D) will establish a pilot program to begin linking thousands of future job openings in the energy industry with troops leaving military service. To learn more about the "Troops to Energy Jobs" initiative, please click here.

A member of our Economic and Community Development team found these pictures in a news article and thought you might find them interesting!

http://shockoenews.com/2011/03/16/17th-street-market-2/

City Planners Focus on Riverfront Planning

The City of Richmond Department of Planning and Development Review has begun a series of community forums to receive public input on planning for future riverfront development. Click here to view a video highlight from NBC Channel 12 News on this weekend's public forum.

Luck Stone Supports 15th Annual XTERRA East Championship

On Friday, March 11, 2011 Mayor Dwight C. Jones announced that Luck Stone Corporation has signed on as the presenting sponsor of this year's XTERRA East Championship June 11th and 12th in downtown Richmond.

Bob Grauer, Senior Vice President of Luck Stone stated, "Today we mark another milestone in our efforts to support our city and to positively impact the lives of the people within the community where our company began. It is our hope that this will be the first step in connecting with a new generation of athletes and outdoor enthusiasts, while reaffirming our commitment to the environment and the Greater Richmond community. We know that keeping XTERRA in Richmond is important to the Mayor, City Council and downtown businesses. We're proud to be the presenting sponsor of XTERRA which plays such a vital role in the local economy."

To read more, please click here. To read the Richmond Times Dispatch article, please click here.

Richmond Workforce Pipeline Success Story

During the week of March 7th, 2011, the Workforce Development Division of ECD worked with our Richmond Workforce Pipeline Partners to host an event for a local employer, Standard Parking, to connect local qualified job applicants to job opportunities available with the company. Over 100 job seekers recruited by RRHA, Social Services, Justice Services, RESOURCE, Goodwill, and Boaz & Ruth interviewed for positions as cashiers and parking valets. Standard Parking was pleased with the turnout of high quality candidates and plans to continue to utilize the Richmond Workforce Pipeline to help fill their future hiring needs. If you’d like support for your hiring needs or would like to be a participant in the Richmond Workforce Pipeline, call 646-6464.

Virginia Business Highlights Best In Business

In the March issue of Virginia Business, twenty-five of Virginia's top business leaders are highlighted. Of this prestigious group, a number are leaders of companies based in the City of Richmond including John Adams, Jr. and Mike Hughes of The Martin Agency, William H. Goodwin, Jr. of CAA Industries, Thomas F. Farrell II of Dominion Resources, Inc., and Floyd D. and Bruce C. Gottswald of NewMarket Corp. To read the full article, please click here.

Mayor Jones Places Emphasis on Tourism

On Thursday, March 9th, Mayor Dwight C. Jones held a press conference at ECD's headquarters at Main Street Station to announce the creation of a tourism commission tasked to focus on three issues: how to manage the tourist experience, how to expand and support local attractions, and how to market the city in a way that continually attracts visitors. To view the NBC Channel 12 highlight video and read the full article, please click here.

JPMorgan Chase Opens Downtown Office

Richmond BizSense reports that the New York banking giant JPMorgan Chase announced on Sunday, March 6, 2011 that it is moving its local team from Innsbrook to Three James Center. JPMorgan spokesman Michael Fusco said the company also has plans for further expansion that could include Richmond. To read the full article, please click here.

Richmond Ranks 4th Best City for Commuters

In its "10 Best Cities for Commuters" online article, Kiplinger.com ranked Richmond as 4th best in the nation, noting the gas prices in the area are lower than the national average and the network of major highways that feed right through the center of the city. To read the full article, please click here.

RFP for Brand Development, Website Design & Creative Services Posted

On March 1, 2011, Economic & Community Development issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Brand Development, Website Design and Marketing Services. To read the complete RFP, please click here, a link within the City of Richmond's Department of Procurement Services (www.richmondgov.com/procurement). Please direct any questions regarding this RFP to the listed contact in the RFP.