THE PORT OF VIRGINIA

News Release
July 28, 2009

Contact:
Joe Harris, Media/Public Relations Manager
Tel: (757) 683-2137 / (800) 446-8098
Cell: (757) 617-0006
Fax: (757) 683-2897
jharris@portofvirginia.com

Greg Edwards, Director of External Affairs
Tel: (757) 683-2110 / (800) 446-8098
Cell: (757) 617-0852
gedwards@portofvirginia.com

Virginia Port Authority
Expands Online Offerings with Blog
and Interactive Site Selection Tool 

NORFOLK, VA – In an ongoing effort to build the flow of information to the citizens, customers and stakeholders at The Port of Virginia, the Virginia Port Authority (VPA) on Tuesday launched two additions to its online presence: a real-time blog and a searchable, interactive site-selection database.

“We recognize that many of our customers and allies want to receive information in real-time and they want to be able to process that information in new and creative ways,” said J.J. Keever, the VPA’s senior deputy executive director for External Affairs. “The VPA blog will give the community at large regular insight into the maritime industry and its daily work.”

The blog will feature news releases, local industry-related news and tidbits, statistics, photographs and other useful information. In addition, Keever said the blog “will create a new forum for public interaction and discourse by encouraging the submission of relevant and appropriate comments and questions from interested parties.”

The blog, created by the VPA’s External Affairs division, can be found at: http://blog.portofvirginia.com

Complimenting the blog is a new, interactive site selection tool developed by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) in collaboration with the VPA's Development division. This new tool will allow visitors to to view detailed information on available properties – industrial, warehouses, distribution centers and land -- throughout the Commonwealth. This tool can be found on the VPA’s Web site under the Development tab and is listed within the tools for VEDP.

The site selection tool allows the user to enter criteria including the property type, preferred location, size requirements and other features such as distance from a port facility, Foreign Trade Zone status, or LEED certification. The result will be detailed results, maps, property fliers and pictures of the site. A network of economic development professionals throughout the state contribute to maintaining the database for VEDP.

“We hope this tool will provide additional resources for site selection consultants and economic development prospects as they qualify areas for the location of their next manufacturing or distribution center location,” said Russell Young, director of Economic Development. “Partnering with VEDP is what gives us the capability to have comprehensive, up-to-date content.”

The information in the site selection database is managed and compiled by VEDP, which is also the host for the database.