Monthly Archive: July 2009

Jul 24

Newport News Mayor Won’t Seek Re-Election

Categories:

Government & Citizens

by HR Partnership

Mayor Joe Frankby Sabine Hirschauer
22Jul09

Mayor Joe S. Frank, who served on the Newport News City Council since 1988 and as mayor since 1996, will not seek re-election next May.

“I’ve just given it a lot of thought,” Frank said Tuesday. “Right now I have my health, my strength and my energy. … I think having new faces, new ideas and new approaches will be beneficial for the city. Time will tell.”

As recently as last week, Frank was telling people he would seek re-election. And he met with his campaign team Friday.

“We were planning fundraisers and looked at volunteer coordinators and looked at a fundraiser in November,” Frank said. “We were planning it for a while.”

Over the weekend, he talked to his wife and decided not to run anymore, he said.

Frank said he wants to spend more time with his family, children and grandchildren, traveling and practicing law and is looking into “other opportunities.”

But running for any other public office isn’t one of those opportunities.

“Absolutely not,” he said.

“He’s been a very good mayor,” said Madeline McMillan, who represents the North District with Councilwoman Sharon Scott. “I have not always agreed with him on many issues, but he represented the city well.”

Frank’s fellow council members said they were surprised to hear the news.

“The last time we spoke he said he would run for re-election,” said Councilwoman Sharon Scott. “He had the city’s best interest at heart. A lot of people loved Joe Frank and a lot of people will see it as a loss.”

Many saw Frank with his political connections as the driving force who attracted businesses to the city.

“He’s been the best mayor we ever had,” said Vice Mayor Joe Whitaker.

“He tried to move the city forward,” Whitaker said. “I don’t blame him. … I am really upset.” Not having Frank at the city’s helm “will set the city back for 30 years.”

But on and off during his two-decade-long public career, Frank saw his share of criticism. Many residents criticized him for supporting City Center and for investing more than $80 million into the new economic center.

“I voted for Frank in 2002. I thought the city then held its own and was affordable, ” said Cary Nunnally, a founding member of the RETRO group, which fights high taxes. “But now we have the Ferguson Arts Center and City Center and more things to do and more shopping and dining, but the quality of life has not gotten better as his term went on. These are not things that make life better. It seems we just have more buildings.”

But recent criticism did not influence his decision not to seek re-election, Frank said.

“There were only a handful of people that said negative things,” he said Tuesday. “Out in the community, people were overwhelmingly supportive and encouraging. Certainly in public life, you make decisions and not everybody likes the decisions you make. But people have been supportive and have just gone out of their ways to say nice things. This has been always very meaningful to me.”

Frank’s fellow council members could run for mayor next May but would have to give up their seats if they lose.

“Sure it would be an option,” Councilman Bert Bateman Jr. said of a possible run for mayor.

Frank will remain mayor until his term ends June 30.

“I think it’s time for new faces,” he said. “I had my run. It’s been wonderful. It’s been exciting. It’s been fulfilling. It’s been about people and improving people’s lives. I feel good about these things.”

Newport News Mayor Joe S. Frank

  • Received a bachelor’s degree in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia in 1964 and a law degree from U.Va. in 1967
  • Practiced law in Newport News since June 1967
  • Council member since 1988; vice mayor from 1988 to 1990 and 1996; became the first directly elected mayor in the city’s history in 1996; was re-elected in May 1998, 2002 and 2006. • Former chairman of the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Planning Organization Member and the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission
  • Former chairman of the Newport News Democratic Committee
  • Former chairman of Oyster Point Development Corp.

Source: Newport News

Link to Mayor Frank’s Letter to the Editor

Copyright © 2009, Newport News, Va., Daily Press. Reprinted with permission.

Photo credit, Newport News Mayor Joe Frank (Elly Mui / June 6, 2008)

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Jul 24

Patchwork Nation Wins Knight-Batten Award for Innovation in Journalism

Categories:

About Hampton Roads, Military Bastion

by HR Partnership

J-Lab_Knight-Batten-Award_ogo
Transforming journalism today. Reinventing it for tomorrow.American University

The Knight-Batten Awards for Innovations in Journalism honor creative uses of new technologies to engage citizens in public issues and showcase compelling models for the future of news.

A Special Distinction Award was won by Hampton Roads SmartRegion.org‘s national affiliate, Patchwork Nation, a Web site shared by the Christian Science Monitor and The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer that uses reams of demographic data to track how the nation’s 3,100-plus counties are dealing with an era of dramatic changes in politics, culture and the economy.

Patchwork Nation logo-Online NewsHour

The awards are funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation which promotes journalism excellence worldwide, focusing on ideas and projects that create transformational change. J-Lab, the organization that administers the awards, helps news organizations and citizens use digital technologies to develop new ways for people to participate in public life. J-Lab is a center of the American University’s School of Communication, a laboratory for professional education, communication research and innovative production in the fields of journalism, film and media arts and public communication, working across media platforms and with a focus on public affairs and public service.

The New York Times swept top honors in the Knight-Batten Awards with six striking entries that netted the $10,000 Grand Prize for a dynamic body of work in the past year.

“This year’s winner shows that even the biggest, most prestigious news organizations can create just the kinds of small, nimble teams they need to successfully innovate in the digital age,” said Jan Schaffer, director of J-Lab.

A national panel of judges also chose winners for five $1,000 Special Distinction Awards, including one for Nonprofit Journalism, and a $1,000 Citizen Media Award.

“The Knight-Batten Award honors excellent, innovative journalism, news and information ¬– not just excellent journalism,” said Gary Kebbel, Journalism Program Director for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

The Times’ body-of-work award honors initiatives created in the newsroom and the technology department:

  • Represent, which helps city residents keep tabs on their elected officials, culling information from dozens of sources into a Facebook-style activity feed;
  • Document Reader, which allows documents to be posted online in a clean interface that allows searching, bookmarking, comments and annotations;
  • Custom Times, a prototype for personalized Times news reports that seamlessly transition across print, Web, mobile, television and even the car;
  • Debate Analysis Tool, a replicable tool that allowed users to watch the 2008 presidential debates and speeches on demand with a searchable transcript scrolling simultaneously alongside;
  • Living with Less, engaging audio and video portraits of peoples’ lives that have been upended by the recession;
  • One Word, a replicable tool that asked users on Election Day to share “What One Word Describes Your Current State of Mind?”

Others winning $1,000 Special Distinction Awards are:

  • Printcasting, a Web site that allows people to create niche magazines for their communities from their own blog posts and from other blogs and publications that have registered on the site. Advertisers can create their own ads and target which magazines to appear in. Revenues are shared.
  • Apture, a powerful multimedia program that allows Web content creators to embed images, video, audio and screen grabs into articles so that the content pops up in a small window in the same screen, allowing users to get more information without opening new windows or tabs.
  • Change Tracker, a Web application developed at ProPublica that monitors content changes on www.whitehouse.gov and that is being shared to allow other news organizations to monitor Web sites.
  • Patchwork Nation (see above) 

Winning a $1,000 Citizen Media Award for innovative and useful citizen participation:

  • MyReporter.com, an-easy-to use vehicle by the Star News in Wilmington, N.C., that lets people ask questions and get answers from reporters that are cataloged for future reference.

Winning a $1,000 Special Distinction Award for Nonprofit Journalism is The Center for Public Integrity for its innovative uses of digital tools to unpack complex topics as exemplified in:

This year’s winners were selected from 92 entries. The winners will showcase their projects at a September 17 symposium and awards luncheon at the Newseum. The event is free, but space is limited and pre-registration is required; e-mail news@j-lab.org to register. In addition to the winners you can view 21 other notable entries.

For more information about Patchwork Nation, email Anna Shoup, Local/National Editor, Online NewsHour and/or follow The NewsHour on Twitter.  

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Jul 24

Gates, Race and Cowardice

Categories:

About Hampton Roads, Government & Citizens

by HR Partnership

Henry Louis Gates - Harvardby Danae Jones Aicher

As I watched President Barack Obama talk about the need for health care reform the other night, I had almost put aside that nagging gnawing in the pit of my stomach that came with earlier news of the arrest of Harvard professor, Dr. Henry Louis Gates. Then came that final question from a reporter. I thought, “Surely he’ll pass.” He didn’t. Instead, he acknowledged a friendship with Gates, admitted he didn’t have all the facts, and then he said he thought the police action was stupid. It’s not that I disagree, I just didn’t expect the President to be quite so honest about his feelings. And while I regret the political and social backfire he’s getting as a result, I’m glad that at least our Commander-in-Chief was willing to be human and honest about the issue while it seems few other public officials, including or especially the pundits, are willing to be.

In many ways we’re a much more civil society than we were 60 years ago. The racists of yesterday are quickly dying off. At least in blatant behavior. There are more multiethnic neighborhoods (and few cross burnings). Schools, by and large, are desegregated. We work together and some people even have bosses who are ethnic minorities. And, as a newcomer to Hampton Roads, I’ve been told on more than one occasion that the diversity here brought by the military is evidence of a different America. I usually just smile, nod and say, “I hope so”.

Like many people here, I’ve lived in a relative variety of different places- some more metropolitan, some less- although I’m not at all affiliated with the military. From what I can tell, the United States military and our community do a good job of giving our service men and women and their families a network of support and sense of belonging. My husband and I don’t benefit from that luxury, so I speak from an admittedly challenged perspective of having to navigate the waters of being a newbie in Hampton Roads. As I note the diversity of the area, I wonder if we haven’t lulled ourselves into a false sense of security- of satisfactory progress when it comes to race relations.

It just seems that, once again, politics- and it seems, egos- are getting in the way of a real and possibly healing conversation on race. (Read more on this at BearingDrift.com).

bearing-drift-blog-180px

Danae Jones Aicher is a former journalist-turned political communications advisor. She now offers political and social commentary for BearingDrift.com and is working on a book about raising biracial children.

Photo credit, Harvard University

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Jul 23

Home sales stabilizing in parts of Hampton Roads, still some negative effects felt

Categories:

Business & Economy

by HR Partnership

Home SalesIt’s no secret that it’s a buyer’s market for housing, but a turnaround may be at hand, at least on the Peninsula portion of “Military Bastion” region Hampton Roads, Virginia. The third quarter Regional Economic Forecast and Analysis by Old Dominion University shows there are four times as many homes for sale now as there were five years ago, when sellers got multiple offers. (the full report overview follows)

The Virginia Peninsula Association of Realtors says the market is starting to stabilize in Hampton, Newport News (also a “Patchwork Nation” Boom Town) and York County (also a “Patchwork Nation” Minority Central community). The group says second-quarter sales were up more than 32% from a year ago.

“The $8,000 tax credit has helped, interest rates were really good and still are really good in the low fives,” says Patty Finein with Rose and Womble. New homes moving the fastest are in the $260,000-$300,000 range.

On July 20th, ODU’s Economic Forecasting Team released the Hampton Roads MSA Regional Economic Forecast and Analysis for Third Quarter of 2009. The forecast is as follows:

Serious financial and structural problems within the national and global economies have spread to Hampton Roads and when combined with economic issues peculiar to Hampton Roads, have negatively affected the region’s economic well-being. As a result, in 2009 the region is expected to experience negative economic growth. Hampton Roads’ Gross Regional Product (GRP) is expected to decline by a modest 0.3%.

As in the past with national recessions, the effect on the Hampton Roads region in 2009 will be tempered by the large military presence and the increased funding of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) procurement and military operations. The DoD direct spending in Hampton Roads in 2009 is expected to reach $18.9 billion, a 4% increase over 2008.

Employment (Non-Agricultural Civilian Employment -0.6%)

Unemployment Rate (Civilian Labor Force 7.1%)

DoD spending notwithstanding, the economic downturn in the national economy as well as the lagged effect of the Ford plant closing (2007) and implementation of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) directive has led to continuously declining employment in Hampton Roads throughout 2008.

Like their national counterparts, Hampton Roads employers struggled with declining demand for services and products, rising inventory and a significant tightening of credit availability. Employment losses in the region’s economy have continued into 2009 although the rate of decline in those losses is likely to taper off.

The overall level of job losses is expected to fall in 2009 as the economy begins to claw its way out of recession over the second half of 2009 and as the performance of the national economy, global trade and the economic stimulus package begin to have a positive effect on Hampton Roads’ output.

The latest data obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that Hampton Roads’ economy so far has done relatively better than the Commonwealth of Virginia as a whole. YTD May 2009 data comparison with the same period in 2008 indicates that the Commonwealth lost about 2.4% of civilian jobs compared to a loss of only 0.8% in Hampton Roads.

These data also show that in Hampton Roads the job losses were concentrated in retail trade, construction, manufacturing, information, and financial services sectors. During this period, jobs were gained primarily in health care, professional and business services and government. The combination of job losses as well as the job search difficulties faced by new entrants into the region’s labor force is reflected in a rising Hampton Roads unemployment rate.

Retail Sales (Taxable Sales -5.8%)

Hampton Roads retailers and automobile dealers continue to face a difficult business environment. We estimate that Hampton Roads’ household income rose by about 3% in 2008 and is expected to remain relatively stable in 2009. However, Hampton Roads retail sales declined by approximately 6% during January through May 2009 compared to the same period in 2008.

New auto registrations declined even more dramatically over the period, falling by 30.7%. Much of the decline in both retail and auto sales continues due to declining household wealth, a significant tightening of credit availability and increased household savings.

Tourism (Hotel Room Revenue -3.6%)

Regional tourism has not escaped the national and local economic downturn. Hampton Roads’ hotel revenue declined by an estimated 5.5% during January through May 2009 compared to the same period in 2008. As grim as these data seem, regional tourism fared much better than that of the nation where, hotel revenue dropped by an estimated 16.1% over the same period.

Although Hampton Roads in general appears to have done much better than the nation in garnering hotel revenue during the recent economic downturn, the same cannot be said for some Hampton Roads sub-markets where changes in the growth rate of hotel revenue were spread unevenly. In particular, hotel revenue in the Williamsburg market declined by 18% during first five months of 2009 compared to the same time period in 2008.

Port (General Cargo Tonnage -20.2%)

Throughout 2008, the port of Hampton Roads experienced a modest increase of .6% in its general cargo tonnage. However, this number obscures the fact that cargo tonnage fell dramatically from October to December of 2008 as international trade throughout the world turned seriously negative and this trend has continued in 2009.

Cargo tonnage declined by 23.3% during January through May 2009 compared to the same period in 2008. However, somewhat offsetting the global economic slowdown is a likely gain in cargo tonnage from an increase in vessel calls from CMA CGM and Maersk. Their new service to the port, called the “Columbus Loop Service” became operational during the last week of May 2009.

Housing (Value of Single-Family Housing Permits -28.9%)

The Hampton Roads’ housing market in 2009 is in the process of a wrenching adjustment that features falling prices, past overbuilding and excessive housing inventory. Hampton Roads’ existing residential home inventory as of June 2009 has more than quadrupled since June 2004 while the inventory of new homes has more than tripled over the same period.

Even though home prices have fallen, this price decline has not been enough to reduce inventory significantly. However, the price decline has played an important role in reversing the inventory increase that had gained momentum between 2004 and 2008. Latest data on residential sales and on the active listings of unsold homes indicate that at the current pace of residential sales, it will take approximately 9 to 10 months to exhaust the active residential listings of real estate agents.

The region’s large housing inventory has influenced the behavior of local home builders. Home builders have reacted to the relatively large increase in 2006’s new home inventory with a reduction in construction and continue to do so. Since 2006, the year-over-year reduction in new home construction has continued through 2009 at a pace of more than 1,200 less new homes per year.

The continued excess supply and subsequent disequilibrium in the region’s housing market means that house prices are very likely to continue to decline throughout 2009. Additional symptoms of disequilibrium include declining sales and an extended market time for sales. Year-to-date June 2009 existing home sales have declined by 12.1% while days on the market has risen by 12.3% to 91 days over the same period in 2008.

The Hampton Roads MSA (formally the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News MSA) includes Currituck County, Gloucester County, Isle of Wight County, James City County, Mathews County, York County, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Surry County, Suffolk, Virginia Beach and Williamsburg.

A post by “Patchwork Nation” project director Dante Chinni about our “Hardship Index,” a short term barometer of the economic hardship faced by communities prompted this research.

Additional information provided by Velma Scaife WVEC-TV13 ABC, Peninsula Bureau
Photo credit, WVEC

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Jul 22

Link to HamptonRoadsPerforms.org

Categories:

About Hampton Roads

by HR Partnership

12-HR Performs logo 450px

Hampton Roads Performs contains a wealth of valuable information about the region’s overall quality of life; it also tracks and links to numerous regional efforts to improve results for area citizens.

We encourage other organizations to link to us where appropriate and offer the following as a ready aid to site webmasters.

To link through plain text (see below), please copy the following code into a designated spot on your pages:

<!– Hampton Roads Performs Text Link START –>
<strong><a href=”http://HamptonRoadsPerforms.org/”>Hampton Roads Performs: Measuring the Quality of Life in Virginia’s Hampton Roads</a></strong>
<!– Hampton Roads Performs Text Link END –>

Hampton Roads Performs: Measuring the Quality of Life in Virginia’s Hampton Roads

To link to us using the small version of our logo (see below), please copy the following code:

<!– Hampton Roads Performs Image Link START –>
<a href=”http://HamptonRoadsPerforms.org”><img src=”http://HamptonRoadsPerforms.org/images/HRP-linkLogo.png” border=”0″ alt=”Hampton Roads Performs link logo” width=”95″ height=”84″ /></a>
<!– Hampton Roads Performs Image Link END –>

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Any additions to programs or initiatives highlighted on the website? Any questions or comments about Hampton Roads Performs, please contact us at: Contact@HRP.org

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Jul 21

Energy doesn’t have a political solution, it has an American solution

Categories:

Government & Citizens, Innovation

by HR Partnership

Energy Summit 7-10-09_Warner-HarnishSenator Mark Warner-VA and Chelsea Harnish, Regional Coordinator for Central and Southern VA at Chesapeake Climate Action Network with a “Putting a Cap on It” banner, a message to Congress supporting a science-based cap on carbon in 2009.

by Jamie Nicole Atkinson, Hampton Roads Partnership Intern and a Master of Public Policy Candidate for 2010 at The College of William & Mary

On Friday July 10th, Senator Mark Warner hosted nearly 500 people at the Virginia Summit on Energy Opportunities at Hampton University, which is currently undergoing a “green” revolution. As alternative energy sources were the topic of the day, the location was particularly appropriate for the summit. As explained by the University’s president, Dr. William R. Harvey, the goal is to switch from a coal-powered steam system to an entirely geothermal system, eliminating 50,000 tons of carbon dioxide each year.

Senator Warner expressed five reasons for this event, the first of which was job creation in what he sees as the next big industry. Just as AOL made Northern Virginia an Internet heavyweight, attracting alternative energy businesses could propel Hampton Roads to the forefront of the green energy industry. In today’s economy, that could be monumental for the region’s prosperity.

Secondly, national defense is also heavily dependent upon finding viable alternative energy sources. Each year, the U.S. imports billions of dollars in oil from openly anti-American countries, leaving us in an extremely vulnerable and precarious position. Procuring a homegrown energy source could significantly improve our independence and national security.

Third, climate change has emerged as one of the most controversial issues of late. The details have been debated ad nauseum, but the fact of the matter is that our actions affect the environment and switching to greener energy sources will enable us to preserve the world in which we live for our children’s futures.

Energy Summit 7-10-09_Warner

Fourth, energy conservation is crucial for the immediate future. Alternative energy sources, as a new industry, will not be able to satisfy our energy needs right away. By conserving energy now, we provide those in the alternative energy industry time to develop the new technologies necessary for weaning ourselves from traditional fuel sources. One way to conserve existing energy sources is to institute smart grid technology in Virginia to improve energy efficiency.

Another strategy for conserving energy is to weatherize homes. 40% of carbon emissions are from buildings and can be reduced by encouraging weatherization. Hampton Roads currently operates the largest weatherization program in Virginia. Some homeowners may not be able to afford the upgrades necessary for weatherizing their homes, but stimulus funds and federal grants are available to facilitate this transition. Additionally, Dominion Power and Virginia Natural Gas are helping to finance weatherization services across the region. By weatherizing low-income housing, tax dollars can be saved in the long run.

The final raison d’être of the summit was to facilitate networking among those in the alternative energy and traditional energy industries to encourage innovation, collaboration, and pooling of financial resources. By bringing the right people together, progress towards greener energy solutions can be realized.

As the Senator said, “Energy does not have a Democratic or Republican solution.” It only has an American solution. Finding this solution, or at least initiating the search, was the primary goal of this summit.

For more information, please see http://warner.senate.gov/energy.

Photos courtesy of Eileen Levandoski, Hampton Roads Conservation Coordinator for the Sierra Club’s Virginia Chapter

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Jul 21

New ODU degree caters to video-game lovers

Categories:

Education & Workforce, Innovation

by HR Partnership

ODU Medical MSVirtual doctors monitor visitor Gabe Loring as he works through a gall bladder removal simulation at the Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center at Old Dominion University on Thursday. (Courtesy of Eva Warner)

by Denise Watson Batts, The Virginian-Pilot

To lure those smart, Xbox-loving high school students and to feed a burgeoning industry, Old Dominion University soon will offer a bachelor’s degree in modeling and simulation.

The program will be the first of its kind in the country, according to the university. It received approval from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia last week to begin offering classes in January.

ODU also was a front-runner in offering master’s and doctorate programs in modeling and simulation, but the university wanted to create a discipline and provide students with more of the fundamentals, said Oktay Baysal, dean of the Frank Batten College of Engineering and Technology.

“There’s been a gap of expertise,” Baysal said. There’s a need “for someone with the skills set at the bachelor’s level.”

Old Dominion began its modeling and simulation program in the 1990s when it partnered with the military and later created VMASC – the Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center – to offer professional training and research.

The center now goes beyond defense training and allows companies to use technology to test things that would be too expensive or too dangerous otherwise. It can simulate disaster and relief responses, and virtual operating rooms where students can replicate real-life surgical procedures. It also is looking at green technology and experimenting with ways to transform algae into fuel.

Baysal said the impact goes beyond positioning ODU as an international leader in the field. It also should help make Hampton Roads the premier area for modeling and simulation for businesses and high-caliber students who want to study the subject. The bachelor’s program will allow students to have minors in fields such as marketing and health science.

Baysal said modeling and simulation graduates with a master’s degree earn an average of $83,000 a year locally. He expects salaries for bachelor’s degree graduates to be in the $50,000 to $60,000 range.

“Not bad for a 22-year-old,” he said.

Last year, ODU surveyed high school students enrolled in a modeling and simulation program at the Advanced Technology Center in Virginia Beach, and 70 percent indicated an interest in pursuing a degree in the field.

Baysal said some engineering areas, such as mechanical engineering, have a hard time attracting teens, but “students who have an interest in video games, different types of simulated environments, would be interested in this.”

COMMENTS
Another Great Program at ODU-As a senior EE student at ODU, I am very pleased with the addition of the Modeling and Simulation program. This program, which will directly support work done at VMASC, NASA Langley, and NGNN, will create more high-paying jobs and lure more high-tech business to the region. I hope that more talented students from Hampton Roads will take advantage of this and other quality programs at ODU.

Copyright (c) 2009, The Virginian-Pilot/PilotOnline.com. Reprinted with permission.

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Jul 21

Williams Mullen Celebrates 100 Year Anniversary with Call to Service

Categories:

Business & Economy, Tourism, Arts & Culture

by HR Partnership

Williams Mullen announces that 2009 marks the 100 year anniversary of the law firm’s founding. Lewis C. Williams and James Mullen started Williams & Mullen in 1909 on the top floor of the American Bank Building on 10th and Main in Richmond, Virginia. To honor the occasion, attorneys of the firm have pledged to complete 100 hours of community service or pro bono work before the end of 2009. This is the equivalent of well over 300,000 hours of service to the communities in which Williams Mullen has offices. WilliamsMullens 100 Logo

“There is no better way to thank our clients and our communities than to volunteer” said Julious “Joey” P. Smith, Chairman and CEO of Williams Mullen. “We have been blessed to have worked with clients that have embraced us and have allowed us to share in their successes. Our anniversary is a testament to the trust they have placed in us and our commitment to partnering with them. Our 100th anniversary is the perfect time to give back.”

Tom Frantz, President and COO of the firm, has been overseeing the service efforts in Hampton Roads. “I am very excited about everything we are doing in Hampton Roads. Our attorneys continue to contribute to our community and I am proud of the work they are doing.”

Attorneys have committed to working on numerous projects such as Habitat for Humanity and Big Brothers, Big Sisters. They have also volunteered their legal expertise to organizations and programs such as the Virginia Poverty Law Center, Wills for Seniors program, and the Hispanic Legal Aid program.

G. Andrew “Andy” Nea, Jr., the firm’s Pro Bono partner, will be overseeing the volunteer effort by the attorneys. “I am excited by enthusiasm that I have seen from our lawyers to undertake this challenge. Richmond, Hampton Roads, Raleigh-Durham, Charlottesville, and the Greater Washington, DC areas have contributed to the success of this firm and this is an excellent way to give back. The Williams Mullen culture is to give back and this is a significant move by the firm to show how much our communities mean to us.” Mr. Nea was a banking attorney with the firm until his retirement in 2007. He returned to Williams Mullen to lead and offer counsel to the pro bono program.

Since its inception, Williams Mullen has dedicated itself to fostering experienced and civic-minded attorneys and to treating its clients as partners. These principles have guided it over the past 100 years to become one of the largest law firms in the Southeast. Williams Mullen enters its second century with the knowledge and the strength to support clients in all aspects of their business. Each member of the Williams Mullen community makes their strength possible, and the community of Hampton Roads can thank them for it.

Williams Mullen’s 100 year anniversary commitment was profiled in a Virginian-Pilot article. It can be found by clicking here.

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Jul 20

Hampton Roads, the most employment-centralized metro area in the U.S.

Categories:

Business & Economy, Education & Workforce, Transportation

by HR Partnership

Brookings logo
Get the Brookings Institution report here entitled, Job Sprawl Revisited: The Changing Geography of Metropolitan Employment (24 pages, 2.7MB),  comparing all U.S. regions from 1998 to 2006 by Elizabeth Kneebone, Senior Research Analyst.

From the report published April 2009: “Understanding the changing location of jobs within U.S. regions represents a necessary step toward implementing policies for high-performing and prosperous metropolitan areas.”

The most telling argument from the report is the graph on page 5 (see below) which helps highlights the where and the why of Light Rail Transit (LRT) needs in Hampton Roads.

Brookings-Employment Rings

The Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC metro area (MSA) is the most employment centralized metro area in the nation, followed by the New York Metro, even taking into account that our MSA has multiple Central Business Districts (CBDs), that is, all three of the major cities listed contain CBDs.

Among larger metro areas, the Hampton Roads MSA contains the highest inner ring employment share, followed by the New York metro area. With employment hubs in each of the primary central cities in the region, the polycentric structure of the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News metro concentrates higher shares of employment around the CBDs. A different pattern, for instance, emerges in the New York metro area, the nation’s largest by employment. More than 1/3 of jobs within 35 miles of New York City’s CBD lie in the inner ring, while the outer ring share contains a higher-than-average share of metropolitan jobs (46%). Clearly, the job centers of Lower and Midtown Manhattan serve to anchor employment for the entire region.

Also of importance is Table 2: Most Centralized and Decentralized Metro Areas by Employment Share, by Metro Area Employment Size, 2006

Hampton Roads MSA

  • 36.4% within 3 miles
  • 46.4% 3 to 10 miles
  • 17.1% more than 10 miles

*”Centralized” measures inner ring job share. “Decentralized” measures outer ring job share.
Source: Brookings Institution analysis of ZIP Code Business Patterns data

Table 5. 98 Metro Areas by Type of Change in the Spatial Location of Employment, 1998 to 2006

Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC
1998 Total Jobs Within 35 Miles of Downtown: 542,783

  • Jobs Within 3 Miles 38.9%
  • Jobs Within 3 to 10 Miles 45.0%
  • Jobs Beyond 10 Miles 16.1%

2006 Total Jobs Within 35 Miles of Downtown: 630,246

  • Jobs Within 3 Miles 36.4%
  • Jobs Within 3 to 10 Miles 46.4%
  • Jobs Beyond 10 Miles 17.1%

Change in Total Jobs Within 35 Miles of Downtown: 87,464

  • Jobs Within 3 Miles -2.4%
  • Jobs Within 3 to 10 Miles 1.4%
  • Jobs Beyond 10 Miles 1.1%

More Research Findings from the Report:
An analysis of the spatial location of private-sector jobs in 98 of the largest MSAs by employment reveals that:

  • Only 21% of employees in the top 98 MSAs work within three miles of downtown, while over twice that share (45%) work more than 10 miles away from the city center. The larger the metro area, the more likely people are to work 10+ miles away from downtown.
  • Job location within metropolitan areas varies widely across industries. More than 30% of jobs in utilities, finance and insurance, and educational services industries locate within three miles of downtowns, while at least half of the jobs in manufacturing, construction, and retail are more than 10 miles away from central business districts.
  • Employment steadily decentralized between 1998 and 2006: 95 out of 98 MSAa (nearly 97%) saw a decrease in the share of jobs located within three miles of downtown. The outer-most parts of these MSAs saw employment increase by 17%, compared to a gain of less than 1% in the urban core.
  • In almost every major industry, jobs shifted away from the city center between 1998 and 2006. 17 of the 18 industries analyzed experienced employment decentralization. The spatial distribution of jobs has implications for a range of policy issues—from housing to transportation to economic development—and should be taken into account as metro areas work to achieve more productive, inclusive, and sustainable growth and, in the near term, economic recovery.

Learn more about the Brookings Institution at http://www.brookings.edu/.

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Jul 19

Rock, Paper, Scissors….Soccer!

Categories:

About Hampton Roads, Tourism, Arts & Culture

by HR Partnership

Story and Photos by Kaitlyn Fohl (click on photos for larger views)

VB Sand Soccer wide view
As previous years have suggested, the North American Sand Soccer Championship, held annually in early June, is an event for everyone, players and spectators alike. Between games, the beach serves as the perfect place to relax and hang with friends. This year, street vendors took advantage of the crowds passing through and set up shop along the boardwalk.

They sold the usual “street fare” of hot dogs and gyros. Blue Bunny even had a their truck out tempting passersby with delicious ice cream. In addition, sport vendors also lined the boardwalk selling soccer cleats and t-shirts at discount prices and “sand socks” meant for playing soccer on the sand.

Players for this event come in all ages and sizes. Teams can be made up of adults, teenagers, and small children. There are all-male teams, all-female teams, and coed teams that make up each division. There is even a pro division that includes a team from the United States as well as from other countries.

VB Sand Soccer battle

All of the professional teams play their games in the “sand soccer stadium” – a pit enclosed by sand dunes on three sides and three sets of bleachers along the fourth side. This year, the final matches for all of the other divisions were also granted the opportunity to play in the stadium.

Though this event is typically known and named for sand soccer, players may compete in other sports in the sand including volleyball, flag football, wrestling, and even corn hole (follow the link if you don’t know this game).

Sand Soccer down at the boardwalk is a sporting event that brings in people from all areas. It’s unique to Virginia Beach and is always one of the highlights of the summer.

Kaitlyn Fohl is a rising sophomore at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech, Go Hokies!) in International Studies and Art. Kaitlyn is a resident of Virginia Beach and completed the Teen Apprenticeship Program at the Contemporary Art Center in 2008. For Summer 2009, Kaitlyn is an intern with the Hampton Roads Partnership covering Arts, Culture, History and Tourism with her own special flair. You can view more of Kaitlyn’s photos on Flickr.

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