Debbie Foley is set to take over the helm of the county’s Economic Development Office on July 1.

The post, she said, “is a bit more geared towards my background in real estate” and marketing.

A self-described Air Force brat, Foley, 47, was born in Florida, celebrated her first birthday in North Dakota; her second in the Panama Canal Zone.

Her father retired from his military career in 1984, and the family moved to Virginia Beach. There, Foley said she finished high school and then spent several years marketing and promoting a hockey team before moving to Corpus Christie, Texas, where she worked in real estate for 12 years.

Her mother’s family has roots in Ridgeway, according to Foley, who said she moved to Patrick County in 2010.

After first landing a job in a local attorney’s office, Foley said she has spent nearly five years working in the county administration offices where she has worn many hats, from working in Building Inspection to serving as an office manager, doing limited work with the county’s finance department and also serving as back-up clerk to the Patrick County Board of Supervisor and Patrick County Economic Development Authority (EDA) when needed.

Her career has now come full-circle, and back to her background in real estate and marketing, both of will serve as springboards to attracting businesses and jobs to the county while retaining those currently here.

Retention, she said, is as important as attracting new companies.

When looking for prospects, Foley said her initial concentration will be the manufacturing sector, “because there are still manufacturing jobs in the U.S.,” and the retail sector.

While she strongly believes “Patrick County has a lot of potential” in terms of developing the economy, growing the tax base and creating jobs, Foley said she also understands her efforts must be balanced: Growing the economy while preserving the county’s simple life atmosphere.

“We’re not a big city, but we have our own niche,” she said, attracting companies to not only grow the economy but also those who want to experience the simple lifestyle Patrick has to offer. It will come down to “finding the perfect fit,” she said.

While Patrick may lack some of the infrastructure in adjoining areas, Foley said there are more pros than cons.

For instance, while “we don’t have the empty buildings” like those in Martinsville-Henry County or Danville/Pittsylvania County, Foley said in most cases, retrofitting older industrial buildings is cost prohibitive. Many companies opt to raze older structures to build new ones, she said.

“It’s much easier to build new from the ground up” and in line with existing codes, Foley said.

Besides the lifestyle, Patrick’s pros include an industrial park with vacant land and building sites available, and the U.S. 58 corridor — which attracts many travelers, Foley said. The highway includes two special routes in Patrick: the Stuart loop and the Meadows of Dan loop, both of which offer commuters easy access to business areas.

The county also is home to a branch of Patrick Henry Community College, and has access to other educational opportunities in adjacent areas, such as the New College in Martinsville.

“If a company comes in, (we may be able to work with those agencies) to facilitate” workforce training opportunities, if needed, Foley said.

Her goal also is to attract businesses that pay more than the minimum wage by using not only local incentives, but also those through the Tobacco Commission and possibly the Governor’s Opportunity Fund to help attract companies, she said.

Additionally, “we are close enough to amenities if you need them, but they’re not right in your backyard,” she said.

Foley also plans to attend regional economic development meetings and network with other agencies and developers to market the area.

With her ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’ philosophy, Foley said she is “passionate about Patrick County. This is my home. This is my county, and I just really want to see it” escalate and grow in economic development.

She will be working diligently “to keep a pulse o who’s looking and what they’re looking for” to find the perfect fit for the county, she said. “I’m very excited, and I will work very hard.”