After a full year as the James City County economic development director, Amy Jordan is continuing to work to make the county a prime destination for business.
Jordan, a Peninsula native, formerly served as the redevelopment manager for the City of Hampton’s Department of Economic Development, before coming to the county last March.
“It’s been a fantastic year,” Jordan said. “We’ve hit the ground running. We’ve done a good job trying to define our focus. We’ve taken a focus on our target markets and site readiness.”
While tourism and national security are staple industries in the area, Jordan said food and beverage manufacturing and distribution, advanced materials and office use are other areas the economic development authority are labeling as target sectors.
The Economic Development Department has highlighted the James River Commerce Center and the James City County Marina as two areas ripe for business.
The EDA helped attract Billsburg Brewery, which opened in the fall. Jordan said the plan is still to bring in a restaurant to complement the brewery at the marina.
The marina currently has food trucks on site.
General services and the Parks and Recreation Department will work on improving the aesthetics of the marina this year, Jordan said.
“We want to make the Jamestown area a go-to destination,” Jordan said. “There’s a critical mass there and we can turn it into a hub… It’s exciting and there’s a lot more to come.”
In December, the county also acquired two parcels of land at the James River Commerce Center, which brings the total amount of developmental land at the center to 65 acres.
The EDA is looking at attracting a manufacturing company or erecting a distribution center at the commerce center, according to Jordan.
When pitching to new businesses, Jordan said she highlights the county’s proximity to Richmond and the Hampton Roads ports and quality of life as reasons to relocate to James City County.
“We’re able to pull from two major metro areas,” Jordan said.
The economic development authority has a budget of $405,595 for fiscal year 2018 and seven appointed board members, who serve staggered four-year terms.
The office of economic development also works with the board of supervisors to retain existing business and bring in new ones.
Other county staff members have taken notice of Jordan’s work and like the direction the authority is going in.
“Amy is a great leader for that department,” said Ruth Larson, board of supervisors chairwoman and liaison to the office of economic development. “They have a good team and they’re working hard.”
