DATE: Wednesday, April 16, 1997             TAG: 9704160498

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A9   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY BATTINTO BATTS JR., STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: NEW YORK                          LENGTH:   74 lines

GROUP HOPES TO CONDUCT BUSINESS FROM NEW YORK TO HAMPTON ROADS HOME

An hour and a half before the Virginia Symphony made its debut at Carnegie Hall Tuesday night, there was another performance under way in the legendary building - one that could have far-reaching implications for Hampton Roads' reputation as a place to live and do business.

This performance wasn't meant to draw cheers from a crowd or acclaim from music critics. It was an unprecedented sales show for Northeast business representatives put on by a team of Hampton Roads city council members, economic development officials and business leaders.

Representatives from 50 companies headquartered in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut were invited to the reception, sponsored by the Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance.

Cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, videos about Hampton Roads and schmoozing were the instruments in this show, aimed at attracting more business to the region and stimulating its economy.

But what made this event so unusual was that it brought people who traditionally compete against each other together as a team to sell Hampton Roads.

``This is something that we have recognized that was worthy of a regional effort,'' said Rod Woolard, Norfolk's director of development. ``A lot of people know us as individual communities, but they don't know the breadth of the quality of life we have to offer as a region. To the extent that the region expands economically, we all benefit.''

The Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance, formerly known as Forward Hampton Roads, promotes business development in the area through regional cooperation. The organization, which is funded by per capita contributions from area cities, paid for and orchestrated the reception.

Hans Gant, president and CEO of the alliance, said organizers wanted to capitalize on the symphony's performance as an opportunity to showcase Hampton Roads.

``This event is the first of its kind in terms of a cooperative marketing event,'' Gant said. ``Many more are to come.''

Each city submitted a list of companies that they were interested in wooing to the area. Many of the invited companies deal in the manufacturing and telecommunications industries. However, the majority of those in attendance were representatives from relocation firms, hired by those companies to scout areas for potential expansion.

City officials said they will follow up with the representatives later, giving them information about the region's economy and the availability of office and warehouse space.

Hampton Roads is attractive because of its diversified work force, military presence and location on the Atlantic Coast, the representatives said.

``The diversity of the labor force is the key asset,'' said Ronald N. Ruberg, a consultant with Fluor Daniel Consulting, a location advisory firm based in New Jersey. ``With people leaving the military and entering the labor force you have a continuous turning over of new people available.''

But the area's assets remain relatively unknown to many in the Northeast who still have images of farmland and woods when they think of Virginia.

For Hampton Roads to overcome this, it must sell itself as a unified region, rather than a group of separate cities, said Jim Wadley, senior managing director of the Wadley-Donovan Group, a relocation firm. None of the cities has the size or the infrastructure to stand alone as a major business center, he said.

``It is a difficult area to sell because it is broken up into different municipalities, with one government pulling this way and another going that way,'' Wadley said. ``But when you look at the area as a whole, you don't have the same drawbacks.''

Area business leaders hope Tuesday's reception is the start of the kind of regional cooperation necessary to make Hampton Roads a major player in the nation's economy.

``This probably is the first time that we have had all of the economic development directors from the different cities in the same room,'' said Dan Hoffler, chairman of the board of Armada/Hoffler, a Chesapeake-based development company. ``This is significant because the implications are enormous. Hopefully this will help us make significant strides toward selling the area as a region.''

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu