Bidding wars lose to work-force development
"Virginia vs. Maryland" (September 1999) describes the bidding war between the two states to seduce Marriott Corp. to locate within their respective borders and describes the $6 million incentive package that Virginia offered as "paltry."

Consider two ways that Virginia’s government can improve the state’s business environment: One, it can throw money at out-of-state corporations to bribe them to build new plants within Virginia’s borders. Two, they can increase investment in work-force development.

Bribes to attract new businesses clearly increase the number of jobs. But with virtually full employment, this just draws in more residents. The net effect is population growth, not benefits for the state’s 6 million residents or the business community. This strains our overburdened road system even more dramatically. Increasing the number of employers looking to hire even makes the labor market more problematic for those unable to find workers for the high-tech jobs they need to fill.

Stronger work-force development increases the marketable skills of Virginians. If more Virginians learn the skills to fill high-tech vacancies, their incomes would increase dramatically. This would provide significantly higher tax revenues per capita because average incomes would be higher.

Paying bribes to attract out-of-state companies might make sense in an economy with 10 percent unemployment. But too few of Virginia’s job seekers have the advanced skills necessary to fill high-tech jobs. Stronger training increases incomes and guarantees a cutting-edge work force.

Thomas O’Brien
Horizon Institute for Policy Solutions
Charlottesville

Emporia/Greensville report was disappointing
The edition of Virginia Business concerning the Emporia/Greensville article ("Regional Report," September 1999) leaves me both frustrated and bewildered – and more than a little disappointed.

I serve as treasurer of the Emporia/Greensville Industrial Development Corp. and am a local businessperson. It is astounding to me that, with all of the wonderful industrial and commercial development that is taking place in our area, the writer chose to lead the story with ostrich farming. While ostrich farming is rather unique, it has absolutely no significance to our industrial or commercial sectors. The article’s lead was quite simply a poor choice.

The largest private employer’s list that accompanied the story is fraught with errors and omissions. Some of our newest and largest industries were omitted from the list, including Boar’s Head Provisions Co., Beech Mold & Tool Co., Wheeling Corrugating Co., J.B. Hunt Co. and Belding Hausman Inc. Collectively these industries employ over 1,200 people. The absurdity of this list includes one company that is not even in our city or county and others that do not have employment figures to be considered largest private employers for purposes of this list. Also, one company had its name listed incorrectly.

While I am delighted that Virginia Business chose to profile Emporia/ Greensville, I am just confounded by the direction the writer chose to pursue this story, its accuracy and the lack of oversight by your editors. The article was more of a feature story than espousing our achievements in industrial and commercial developments. In addition, the writer chose not to include or feature any quotes or interviews from some of our newest industries. We have some very satisfied industries that are quite pleased that they have recently located their manufacturing businesses in Emporia/Greensville. They have a good story to tell.

This article could have been outstanding. We have missed a great opportunity to show a favorable impression to the thousands of readers and business managers who read Virginia Business.

E. Wilson Clary Jr.
Emporia

The forgotten Eastern Shore
I receive and enjoy your magazine, but I found it disturbing that your map of Virginia on the December 1999 cover is incorrect — the Eastern Shore is missing! You have left out two counties, Accomack and Northampton. I find it amazing that you send me a copy of your magazine, since I am an elected official from a county you don’t even know is a part of Virginia.

You also list a business, Blue Crab Bay Co., that is based on the Eastern Shore, yet, the part of Virginia where it is located is not even on the map.

We are sensitive about this because we are left out so much!

Donald L. Hart Jr.
Keller

Remember the Eastern Shore
Blue Crab Bay Co. was thrilled to have been chosen as a winner for Hottest National Product Brand (December 1999), but we were very disappointed to see our geographic location, Virginia’s Eastern Shore, left off the branding artwork on your cover.

Once again, Virginia appears to be bounded on the east by the Chesapeake Bay rather than our marvelous Barrier Islands and Atlantic Ocean beaches. I have lived on the Eastern Shore for 15 years and I have seen this oversight on maps over and over again.

Pamela Barefoot
President
Melfa

Beware the promise of high-tech training
I teach Introduction to Oracle for non-technical people at George Mason University in Fairfax. My classes are as diverse as the general population. In the first class I had an actual rocket scientist, a real estate agent, a marriage counselor, an architect, a guy who bags groceries at Shopper’s Food Warehouse, a carpenter, two people from McDonald’s, an ESL teacher, a Ph.D. in mathematics and a few others.

The one thing they all had in common is that they wanted to learn a computer skill — any skill — to break into the high-paying tech market. Six months after the class ended, the best and the brightest had found jobs. I honestly don’t know what will happen to the rest. The carpenter was excellent, but will someone take a chance on him?

There are no guarantees to training of this sort. I try very hard to teach skills that will help people on the job, and George Mason does a good job of screening students, so these folks are the cream of the crop for entry-level positions.

But I also know there are plenty of training programs churning out would-be techies by the dozen, and the only qualification for admission is a Visa or Mastercard. Again, the best and the brightest will always be hired, but how many dream of a better life when they have little or no chance of ever being hired?

This is a new area, with no regulations. Anyone can put an ad in the paper, rent a training room, and say they’re a training company. Many of these folks have no teaching background whatsoever. Pity the poor student who plunks down $5,000 to take a class, only to find the teacher is some noncommunicative programmer who only wants to earn some money part-time. The course may consist of a textbook and a handful of stapled pages of exercises. Even if the instructor is decent, you could spend half your time in class waiting for the students who just don’t get it and demand extra time and attention.

The demand for technical help has created wonderful opportunities for many people to start a new and better career. But it has also created opportunities for fly-by-night companies to take advantage of naive students.

Jennifer Blair
Arlington