Energy, the new enterprise
By Lynn Wolstenholme
Energy is the new market the county, region and nation needs to focus on.
That is what former Virginia governor and current U.S. Senate candidate Mark Warner said to Loudoun businessmen and women during a stop in Ashburn for the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce's Technology 2014: Online Business Networking breakfast April 18.
“We need transformative change,” Warner said. “We need a whole portfolio [for energy].”
In order to sustain a competitive edge in the global market, Warner explained that the United States needs to move into the energy sector, much like what happened during the high-tech boom two decades ago.
He spoke of how the country is in good standing to move forward because Americans can learn from other countries that have begun to focus on the energy field.
“We can look at what they did and learn from what did and didn't work,” Warner said. “We need to buckle our seat belts because this is going to be a wild ride.”
The county is “currently not proactive” in searching out business in the energy industry, said Dorri O'Brien Morin, manager of strategic initiatives and communications at the Loudoun County Department of Economic Development.
But with the close proximity to the federal government, it wouldn't surprise her to see more businesses, mainly contractors in the energy field, move into the county, she added.
“The [federal] government is always quick to ride the wave of the next industry,” Morin said.
-- Contact the reporter at lwosltenholme@timespapers.com