From the desk of The Harvest Foundation President Kate Keller
On top of the economic growth here in Martinsville and Henry County, there’s an economic wave building in the 60 miles that surround MHC, and the question isn’t whether it will reach us. The question is whether we’ll be standing on the shore waiting for it, or already in the water rowing toward it.
Recently, Danville and Greensboro have made the largest economic development announcements in their state’s history. These are transformational, large-scale investments that will fundamentally reshape who works here, what they earn, and what industries call this region home. For Martinsville and Henry County, these announcements aren’t just neighbors’ good news. They’re an opportunity, if we’re willing to claim it.
Danville has positioned itself as an economic development success story in Virginia. The Caesars Virginia Resort and Casino and the announcements of Microporous and STACK Infrastructure have turned a city that was once a textbook example of post-industrial decline into a genuine comeback story. Danville’s revival is no accident; it reflects years of deliberate planning and investment in infrastructure, workforce development, and business recruitment.
We, too, are working on MHC’s 25-year plan through the Our MHC 2050 visioning process.
Greensboro, meanwhile, sits at the heart of one of the most dynamic regional economies in the Southeast. Ongoing investment in aerospace, logistics, life sciences, and advanced manufacturing around the Piedmont Triad is attracting companies that are actively searching for nearby communities that can offer housing, workforce, and quality of life for the workers they’re bringing in.
The combined economic gravity of these two cities is going to generate real, concrete spillover opportunities.
When a major employer sets up shop in a region, the ripple effects are predictable and well-documented. Workers need places to live, and they bring preferences. Suppliers and vendors need proximity to production. Small businesses spring up to serve the new population. Second-tier employers follow the anchor investments. And communities that are ready with available land, a skilled workforce, strong infrastructure, and a clear story to tell get those calls first.
Here’s what Martinsville and Henry County stand to gain and how we were working on it:
Residential growth. Danville and Greensboro’s growing employment base will push some workers westward and northward. We have an opportunity to position ourselves as an attractive, affordable place to live for people whose jobs may be 30 to 45 minutes away. That means being intentional about housing development, quality of life amenities, and community branding.
Since 2019, Harvest has focused on housing and supported the development of 202 apartments and soon-to-be 26 single-family homes. But we definitely need more housing. Along with our municipal leaders, we are engaging with home builders to understand ways we can make MHC more attractive to build new single-family homes to help meet the regional demand for housing.
Supplier and vendor opportunities. Large-scale manufacturing and entertainment operations need local supply chains. Our EDC representatives are already using MHC’s industrial expertise, and available industrial sites make us a logical candidate for businesses that want to locate near, but not inside, the major investment centers.
Workforce pipeline leverage. Our community college system, Patrick & Henry Community College, is an amazing local asset. They were just named one of the top ten community colleges in America by the Aspen Institute. If the workforce needs in Danville and Greensboro require trained technicians, welders, healthcare workers, and logistics professionals, our workforce development opportunities can support them. We recently partnered with PH&H to provide more internship opportunities for our local college students, in addition to the SEED program that supports our high school students.
Tourism and hospitality. The casino in Danville draws visitors from across the mid-Atlantic and Southeast. Many of those visitors may extend their trip, explore the region, or return on future visits. Martinsville’s motorsports heritage, museums, the Blue Ridge foothills, and our trails, river, and outdoor recreation assets position us well as a natural complement to what Danville is building (and vice versa).
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: opportunity doesn’t hold still.
We understand that every month we don’t act is a month that other communities in North Carolina and Virginia can position themselves to benefit. We have real competitive advantages. We shouldn’t pretend otherwise, and we shouldn’t underestimate them. But advantages don’t convert themselves. They require advocacy, investment, and urgency on all our parts.