Implementing Virginia’s First Comprehensive International Trade Plan In November 2019, Governor Northam unveiled the first-ever comprehensive International Trade Strategic Plan (ITSP) for Virginia, laying out an ambitious strategy to help Virginia’s businesses become stronger, more resilient, and more competitive in the international marketplace. With a goal of growing the Commonwealth’s exports by 50% over the next 15 years, the plan calls for expanding the reach and impact of VEDP’s existing trade development programs and attracting new export-intensive companies to Virginia. To prepare for full implementation of the plan, VEDP’s International Trade division and its partners embarked on a number of foundationsetting initiatives in FY21.
leaders are communicating regularly on topics that impact the Commonwealth’s trade outcomes.
To ensure the continuation of the multi-agency alliance that was instrumental in developing the ITSP, VEDP convenes a quarterly meeting with staff at the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, The Port of Virginia, the Virginia Department of Forestry, and the Virginia Tourism Corporation. These regular meetings are critical to maintaining communication between trade-focused partners, sharing updates on traderelated matters, and identifying opportunities for collaboration that can lead to improved trade outcomes for Virginia. Dialogue with Virginia’s congressional delegation is also critical to ensure that Virginia’s federal representatives and state
These activities represent important progress in establishing a foundation for the comprehensive initiatives laid out in the ITSP. In preparation for receiving initial funding for the plan in FY22, VEDP also made progress in developing plans to introduce a new supply chain program for clients in the coming year, as well as to expand other key existing offerings, such as the Virginia Leaders in Export Trade Program (VALET). VEDP looks forward to continuing progress on these initiatives and implementing new initiatives to achieve the significant goals of the ITSP.
To enhance Virginia’s highly regarded trade development programs, the VEDP International Trade team conducted work on two client-focused initiatives outlined in the ITSP. To assist Virginia businesses in evaluating their ability to pursue international sales, VEDP is constructing an online export readiness assessment tool that will allow companies to consider their preparedness in key export-related areas. International Trade is also now supplying resources to Virginia companies related to supply chain management and imports.
PARTNER AGENCIES: G I NIA VI R
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