The Shadow
WASHINGTON (VR) – Beginning Thursday, July 14, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) will hold three days of events in Virginia.
On Thursday, July 14, at 4:30 PM in Charlottesville, Sen. Warner will sit down with entrepreneurs and elected leaders for an entrepreneurship conversation hosted by UVA’s Darden School of Business and Venture Central. As part of the conversation, Sen. Warner is expected to hear about supply chain disruptions and other challenges currently facing small businesses. Sen. Warner will highlight his recent efforts in the Senate to promote entrepreneurship and boost access to capital for rural and minority-owned businesses – including a bill he introduced last month to promote lasting economic prosperity and unlock more long-term financial capital for community development financial institutions (CDFIs). Among other elected leaders, Sen. Warner will be joined by Senator Creigh Deeds, Delegate Sally Hudson, Charlottesville Mayor Lloyd Snook, and representatives from Charlottesville and Albemarle County.
On Friday, July 15, at 9:30 AM in Augusta County, Sen. Warner will be joined by the mayors of Lexington and Waynesboro, representatives from Staunton and Augusta County, and transit stakeholders for a discussion and media availability on the state of transit infrastructure in the region. Sen. Warner is expected to highlight how investments made through his bipartisan infrastructure law will benefit local transit infrastructure such as the BRITE system, which is set to receive more than $6.7 million over the next five years, and the downtown Staunton transit hub, which has been awarded $915,000 in federal funding to support a major rehabilitation project.
Then, at 12:00 PM in Highland County, Sen. Warner will hold a roundtable discussion with community and elected leaders to discuss recent infrastructure investments made possible by the bipartisan infrastructure law that was negotiated and championed by Sen. Warner. After a Q&A, Sen. Warner will participate in a tour of the Highland Inn to see the foundation stabilization and exterior façade improvements that were completed last year and funded by the Industrial Revitalization Fund (IRF), which received more than $45 million for Virginia from the American Rescue Plan and has funded 22 projects in Virginia thus far.
Later, at 2:15 PM in Bath County, Sen. Warner will host a conversation with forest industry leaders and business owners on the ongoing workforce and supply chain challenges facing the lumber industry due to the global pandemic and war in Ukraine. This event comes amid high demand and rising costs for gas and consumer goods – many of which originate with forest and lumber producers. Sen. Warner is expected to highlight how investments made through his bipartisan infrastructure law will help support forest industry operations and ease supply chains. After the discussion, which will be closed to media, Sen. Warner will take part in an open-press tour of the Speyside Bourbon Cooperage, and will answer questions from local media.
On Saturday, July 16, at 9:00 AM in Alleghany County, Sen. Warner will tour the Historic Masonic Theatre in Clifton Forge and participate in a roundtable discussion with elected leaders from Alleghany County, Covington, Clifton Forge, and Iron Gate, as well as Virginians in the business and tourism industries. Sen. Warner is expected to discuss his latest work in Congress to support rural communities, including recent investments made possible by the Great American Outdoors Act, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and American Rescue Plan.
At 11:00 AM in Craig County, Sen. Warner will gather with representatives from the Craig-Botetourt Electric Cooperative and elected leaders from Craig County and Botetourt County to hear about the remaining gaps in broadband infrastructure and current plans to expand coverage in the broader region through the use of federal funding made possible by the bipartisan infrastructure law and American Rescue Plan. This event comes on the heels of last month’s announcement of $219.8 in broadband funding for Virginia, which comes from the $10 billion Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund authored by Sen. Warner and included in the American Rescue Plan.
Wrapping up at 1:00 PM in Roanoke, Sen. Warner will visit the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport to hear from airport commission members, executive leadership, and local government leaders – including the mayors of Roanoke and Salem – about outstanding airport needs and ongoing projects funded by federal dollars secured by Sen. Warner. After the discussion, which will be closed to media, Sen. Warner will take part in an open-press tour of the airport’s facilities before awarding the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional airport with a check for $15 million from the bipartisan infrastructure law. At that time, he will also be available to take questions from the media.
These events are open to press. Media are asked to please RSVP to Valeria_Rivadeneira@warner. senate.gov.
Thursday, July 14, 2022
Charlottesville Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Roundtable
4:30 PM
Darden School of Business
W.L. Lyons Brown III Innovation Laboratory
100 Darden Boulevard
Charlottesville, VA 22903
Friday, July 15, 2022
Transit Infrastructure Discussion with Staunton, Augusta, and Waynesboro Leaders
9:30 AM
Brite Transit Services Headquarters Building
51 Ivy Ridge Lane
Fishersville, VA 22939
Conversation with Highland County Community Leaders
12:00 PM
Big Fish Cider Company
59 Spruce Street
Monterey, VA 24465
Tour of Speyside Bourbon Cooperage and Media Availability
3:15 PM
Speyside Bourbon Stave Mill
466 Millboro Industrial Park Road
Millboro, VA 24460
Saturday, July 16, 2022
Historic Masonic Theatre Tour and Conversation with Community Leaders
9:00 AM
Historic Masonic Theatre
510 Main Street
Clifton Forge, VA 24422
Broadband Conversation with Local Leaders and Stakeholders
11:00 AM
Craig-Botetourt Electric Cooperative Community Room
26198 Craigs Creek Road
New Castle, VA 24127
Tour of Airport Facilities and Press Conference
1:00 PM
5202 Aviation Drive NW
Roanoke, VA 24012
