Why We're Betting on Western Virginia

In Western Virginia, business leadership looks like shop-floor foremen who train apprentices like sons. It looks like founders who know every employee by name. It looks like principals who see potential in students before they may even see it themselves. It looks like entrepreneurs who have the vision and the grit to take a big idea and turn it into reality. These are the kinds of leaders who have quietly powered our region for decades. They are who attracted me – a Baltimore native and Hokie – to return to the area to live and work in Roanoke.

Our region is full of strength, but we're facing some true headwinds. Leadership across business and civic life is aging while young talent often feels the only way forward is to leave. For example, Roanoke’s population continues to decline and age, while cities like Richmond rapidly grow. And according to recent research, colleges, universities, and technical education programs nationwide aren’t adequate in preparing students for the jobs of tomorrow. In Western Virginia, we are seeing growth in tech, healthcare, and construction, but local talent pipelines aren’t yet aligned with these sectors. Technology advancements are changing our labor market; skill building and training struggle to keep pace.  

At Harbor, we believe our opportunity is greater than our challenge. 

Western Virginia’s next generation of business leaders aren't waiting in the wings in hot coastal markets. They're already here—graduating from our local colleges and trade schools, running job sites, learning skilled trades, starting companies, and raising their families in the same communities that raised them. While national headlines focus on tried-and-true startup markets, we see opportunity rooted right here—where grit, talent, and character run deep. 

We don't need to import leadership—we need to support the emerging leaders we have right here. We need to align and act with urgency by investing in our next generation. Together, we can build clear onramps between education and opportunity, and give founders and operators the tools to grow in place.

That's why Harbor was created. And we're calling on others to join us in our drive toward a thriving region. We are committed to provide the capital, connections, resources, and the belief that homegrown leadership is essential for success. We'd like to see schools and training programs preparing students for the real jobs being created here—healthcare, construction, advanced manufacturing, logistics, and tech. We want to see mentors opening space for young leaders to join them at the decision-making tables. We call on our local government officials to invest in infrastructure that prioritizes keeping talent rooted here.

Imagine a welding program at a Bland County high school that leads directly to a job at a growing manufacturing firm backed by local capital. Or a founder of a tech start-up, living in Giles County, who finds a technical co-founder at a Carroll County Chamber of Commerce event. Or a youth entrepreneur competition where someone's idea becomes their first business nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains. 

That's not just theoretical. At Harbor, we believe that if we work together as a region, we can build this future in Western Virginia.

Harbor looks forward to partnering with companies doing the hard work, helping them scale without selling or leaving. We back people committed to building here, not elsewhere. We did not open our doors just to write checks—we are committed to share networks, offer strategic guidance, and bring conviction to every investment in the communities we love, in a region we believe in and others underestimated. Right here. Right off I-81.