The Shadow
Dear Editor,
Covington Is Sitting on Something — Does Anyone Know It?
Something significant happened in Washington last month that did not make the front page of most local papers, but it should matter to every person in the Alleghany Highlands who cares about jobs and economic growth.
The federal government authorized Defense Production Act Title III funding for the domestic textile industry. In plain terms: the United States has decided that rebuilding American apparel and textile manufacturing is a national security priority, and it is now prepared to back that decision with federal capital — loans, grants, purchase commitments, and equipment investment — for companies willing to produce domestically.
The reason is straightforward. The U.S. military depends on tens of thousands of textile-based products: uniforms, body armor, flame-resistant fabrics, field gear.
Under the Berry Amendment, the Department of Defense is required to purchase those products from American manufacturers. The problem is that American manufacturing capacity in this sector has been hollowing out for decades.
Washington has decided it cannot afford to let that continue.
Here is what makes this relevant to Covington.
The companies positioned to benefit from this policy shift are not the large legacy garment producers. They are the new wave of automated domestic manufacturers — companies using robotics, AI-driven production systems, and integrated supply-chain software to make American manufacturing cost-competitive again without depending on large labor forces. These are companies that need industrial floor space, heavy electrical capacity, rail access, and affordable operating costs.
Look around. That description fits Covington.
The Rail Over River Industrial Park on West Edgemont Drive has approximately 300,000 square feet of heavy industrial manufacturing space, ceiling heights between 19 and 26 feet, CSX rail service with internal track, and direct Interstate 64 access less than two miles away. It is listed in Virginia’s economic development site database. The adjacent AET Slab is a level, rail-served concrete pad with utilities already in the ground, available for $400,000. Both sites carry Enterprise Zone, Opportunity Zone, and HUBZone designations that provide additional financial benefits to qualifying tenants.
These are not theoretical assets. They are real, documented, and available right now. Covington also sits within the historic Appalachian textile corridor — the geography stretching through Virginia, the Carolinas, and Tennessee that once housed the core of American apparel manufacturing. That geography matters to policymakers trying to rebuild domestic textile capacity, and it matters to companies choosing where to locate.
The question worth asking is whether our community is actively connecting these assets to the companies and federal programs that are, right now, looking for exactly what we have. That work requires intention — someone has to make the case, build the relationships, and position Covington in the right conversations at the right time.
Economic development rewards the communities that move first. The Defense Production Act textile initiative has opened a window. There are companies — I could name one — actively building the kind of automated domestic manufacturing network that Covington’s industrial infrastructure is positioned to support. The opportunity will not wait indefinitely.
We have the buildings. We have the utilities. We have the rail. We have the workforce culture. We have the designations.
Covington has the pieces. The moment is here. Let’s not let it pass.
Gene Mundy
Covington, Virginia
Gene Mundy is a Covington resident and community commentator. He writes in his personal capacity.
