Eight speakers shared updates on community initiatives and organizational goals during the Patrick County Chamber of Commerce’s annual Lunch with Leaders event on Nov. 20. The gathering, held in collaboration with the Reynolds Homestead, featured a catered lunch provided by Food Country USA and drew more than 20 attendees.
Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation
Kevin Brandt, Virginia Development Director for the foundation, outlined the organization’s efforts to strengthen connections between the parkway and surrounding communities. Highlighting the Blue Ridge Rising initiative, Brandt emphasized the importance of engaging localities and enhancing visitor access to gateway communities like Stuart and Meadows of Dan.
“We went out to all 29 counties” along the parkway “and asked what is important to your community, and then had regional meetings, and probably almost 1,000 people participated in either county meetings or online or at the regional meetings,” he said.
Brandt said there was consensus among all the counties on what was important to them and what could be done to improve their quality of life, economic plight, and overall connection to the parkway.
“When you think about people coming from outside the area, they’re not staying in the parkway anymore. These gateways that are represented by places like Stuart, Meadows of Dan are really how people are able to travel the entire length of the parkway,” he said.
From various studies, Brandt said the foundation knows that 90 percent of the people who visit the parkway do so for the views. “But they need places to get fuel, food, lodging, and they also come for arts and culture and things like that as well. So, we wanted to build stronger connections between the parkway and parkway visitors and the gateway communities,’ he said.
Brandt said several themes that were common to every locality were discovered, including marketing communities for tourists.
“We want to get signs on the parkway telling them there’s a community like Stuart or like Floyd, but also use those international symbols so when people get off of the exit of the parkway, they know where they’re going,” he said.
Enhancing education is another theme, Brandt said as many communities noted it’s hard to find and hire qualified employees.
“I know from park service standpoint, the last two years 50 percent of their seasonal positions have not been filled because they haven’t had qualified applicants, in some cases no applicants at all,” he said.
Advocacy is also important because it’s sometimes difficult for a single county to get anything accomplished, “but if all 29 counties and all the communities along the parkway are advocating for themselves and the common things that they need, I think we’ll be more successful in funding the things that are important to the communities along the parkway,” he said.
Regarding Mabry Mill, Brandt said the foundation has raised most of the money to purchase the shakes to replace its roof. It’s currently raising money to fund the craftsmen who can do the installation.
“There’s also the pond that needs to be dredged, and if you’ve tried to walk along the asphalt trails you know that even if you’re a sure-footed person, it’s a little bit challenging because the walkways have deteriorated. There’s a lot of investment that we want to help make at Mabry’s Mill to improve that visitor experience,” he said.
Brandt also talked about the general state of the Parkway and the efforts to maintain it and increase tourism to it.
Economic Development and Tourism
Patrick County Economic Development Director James Houchins detailed projects aimed at fostering growth, including a small business incubator and a potential apartment complex in Stuart to attract professionals relocating to the area. He also highlighted the $37.7 million impact of tourism in the county, driven by attractions like Fairy Stone State Park and the Mayo River Rail Trail.
The Small Business Development Center that started several years ago is finally out to bid. “Hopefully, once we have to go through the due diligence, once the bids come back in, we should be able to see some type of movement with that particular building. This is going to be a business incubator right behind the Visitor’s Center to help some up and coming entrepreneurs have places to be able to come in and set up shop until they can find some other places to go,” he said.
The Cockram’s Mill project, which hopes to turn the property into a taphouse, Houchins said the owner recently turned in his designs for the county’s Building Inspections Building Official to review. “Hopefully we can have some better news before the end of the year because all of us want a win,” he said.
Houchins noted there’s also plans for a company to build an apartment complex on Commerce Street in Stuart. He believes this is important and timely as Micro Port, a company that makes battery separators and engineered materials, plans to relocate to Danville.
“We’re only 50 minutes away from the site. I timed myself as I was going down to visit with them, so that will help us with a lot of influx too. With the apartment complex, I think we should be set and poised to have some growth in the county,” he said.
However, Houchins also noted retaining already existing businesses in the county is still the primary focus.
With tourism, Houchins said its direct impact on Patrick County was $25 million and its indirect and induced impact was $12.1 million.
“The total impact for Patrick County was $37.7 million. Our local taxes, which helps our TOT (Transient Occupancy Tax) was $1.7 million in 2023, and we’re very fortunate to have that,” he said.
In addition to the Blue Ridge Parkway and Primland, Houchins said some tourism highlights include the newly opened Red Rooster Amusement Park, Fairy Stone State Park, and The Oaks RV Resort.
Houchins said the county also needs to increase its outdoor recreation options. “We’ve been working diligently over the last several years with the Mayo River Rail Trail” with community partners, and “we are having meetings to try to improve the Mayo River Rail Trail, but we’re not looking at just in the Stuart area, we’re also looking at throughout the county,” he said.
Patrick & Henry Community College
Associate Vice President Tiffani Underwood introduced the Patrick Promise initiative, aiming to provide Patrick County graduates free tuition at Patrick & Henry Community College. The program requires additional funding but is part of broader efforts to improve educational attainment and workforce development in the region.
Between federal financial aid and scholarship programs through the P&HCC Foundation, Underwood said 54 percent of currently enrolled Patrick County students are able to attend P&HCC free to the family.
“But we know there are more out there who would take advantage of that opportunity if they knew they could without that additional burden of having to pay the tuition, books, fees, and what may come with that. So, we’ve been working to raise funds, somewhat quietly a little bit in the beginning, through grants, individual donors, organizations,” she said.
So far, more than $160,000 has been raised. However, Underwood said at least $270,000 is needed to launch Patrick Promise for the first three years.
“All together, after we raise that $270,000, we will need to continue to raise $135,000 a year to continue that program until we have an endowment established that earns enough to pay for that,” she said.
While this information was shared with local business and community leaders, Underwood said individual donations also are needed and appreciated.
Underwood also spoke about P&HCC’s programs, facilities, classes, and students.
U.S. 58 Expansion
Branch Civil Project Executive Robbie Williams provided an update on the $100 million 7.4 mile U.S. 58 expansion, with work expected to conclude by summer 2026. He noted ongoing challenges with traffic management and coordination at key intersections.
“Today, we started to switch the traffic from Trot Valley down to what many of you know as Karl Weiss’ house. We got about 75 acres of dirt moved (and) should have most of it moved by March, early spring. We will be hauling dirt through the winter, so they’ll be flagging going on,” he said.
Williams said the connection at Route 8 will be a challenge.
“You can see where the new road’s going now, 8’s going to come tee into it. If VDOT (Virginia Department of Transportation) insists, then we’ll place both box cords at Howell’s Store (Howell’s Grocery). So, we’re going to place box cords, maintain traffic, maintain storage. If we get around to leave those boxes in place they’re 1975 Persian boxes, they’re not too bad in shape that’ll make things a lot easier, but I don’t know if that’s going to fly or not,” he said.
Williams said the project’s target to be completed is May 2026.
“It will definitely be done in ’26. We’re targeting May,” but “it may be summer of ’26,” he said.
STEP, Inc.
STEP, Inc. Program Director Kathleen McEvoy shared updates on services for children, seniors, and families, including free childcare programs and a new diaper bank launching in 2025. She highlighted the organization’s efforts to provide meals and transportation for seniors, with more than 28,000 meals delivered last year.
Primland Resort
General Manager Will Rentschler announced plans for new amenities, including a ropes challenge course and expanded residential facilities. October marked one of the resort’s best months, with significant growth in tourism from the Northeast.
Town of Stuart
Town Manager Bryce Simmons reported progress on several projects, including the $1.7 million Downtown Revitalization Project and the town’s lead service line inventory, which revealed no lead pipes but identified galvanized lines requiring replacement.
