This week, NVC released its NOVA Roadmap Progress Report, outlining progress on its long-term economic strategy for Northern Virginia while highlighting ongoing pressures tied to affordability, workforce attraction and retention, and infrastructure capacity as the region continues to compete for investment, and as the Commonwealth seeks to regain its position as the best state for business.
The report builds on the momentum from the inaugural NOVA RISE summit in April and reflects the outcomes of the recent General Assembly session.
While the report shows progress across multiple policy areas, it also reinforces NVC’s continued call for regional business leaders and policymakers to accelerate efforts to strengthen Northern Virginia’s long-term economic competitiveness.
“We built the Roadmap around a core idea: that Northern Virginia has to actively reinvent its economy to stay competitive,” said Julie Coons, President and CEO of NVC. “This report shows progress across a number of policy areas but also makes clear where the region needs to move more deliberately to strengthen economic competitiveness and resilience.”
Highlights from the NOVA Roadmap Progress Report
- Reinventing the Economy: The report highlights ongoing efforts to diversify and strengthen Northern Virginia’s economic base, including initiatives tied to innovation, industry growth, and regional competitiveness. It also notes that continued economic reinvention will depend on addressing structural constraints in housing, talent attraction and retention, and infrastructure capacity.
- Affordability: The report documents progress on affordability-related initiatives, including recently enacted measures such as the Employee Child Care Assistance pilot program and expanded local Affordable Dwelling Unit frameworks. It also notes that middle-income housing constraints remain a significant challenge for talent retention, based on findings from NVC’s Q1 Business Leader Survey.
- Powering the Digital Economy: Regional alignment around an all-of-the-above energy approach continues to grow as Northern Virginia expands its role as a global technology and data hub. The report also notes the scale of the infrastructure needs required to support continued growth in AI and data center activity.
- The Talent Pipeline: The report highlights ongoing workforce development efforts, including convenings of NVC’s Talent and Workforce Executive Council, discussions on former federal employee and contractor reskilling through the NOVAnext partnership, and continued engagement on healthcare workforce challenges and apprenticeship initiatives.
“Once the General Assembly legislative session ended, our government relations team hit the ground running,” said Clayton Medford, Senior Vice President of Government Relations at NVC. “We’re meeting one-on-one with state legislators, continuing to engage with local government partners, and working through specific policy issues that directly impact the region’s business community.”
The Roadmap – released July 21, 2026 – now has over 60 investors, reflecting continued support from Northern Virginia’s employers.
“What we’re hearing from NOVA Roadmap investors is consistent,” said Jared Sloane, Senior Vice President of Member Engagement at NVC. “They’re investing because they see NVC leading a coordinated effort to address our region’s greatest economic challenges.”
For more information about the NOVA Roadmap, including a list of investors and Executive Councils, please visit https://nvcbusiness.org/NOVA-roadmap.
