The business climate in Danville-Pittsylvania County is thriving through innovation, preservation and adaptation. Strengths include revitalized downtown business districts in Danville, Gretna and Chatham that are luring new businesses regularly, successful economic development efforts to recruit a diverse group of new industrial and manufacturing companies, and a variety of employee training and education programs.

Downtown Danville, Gretna and Chatham
Danville’s downtown transformation in recent years has been dramatic. Improvements include facelifts to dozens of buildings‚ a historic mural program‚ continuing development of a 7.5-mile Riverwalk Trail and niche retail shops such as In Good Taste chocolate café and Dixie Bags & More.

To counteract the decline of the textile and tobacco industries‚ Danville stepped up revitalization efforts in the mid-2000s with a Downtown Façade Program. Many property owners have taken advantage of the program‚ resulting in façade renovation and restoration projects for scores of buildings downtown.

Seeing a good share of redevelopment is the Tobacco Warehouse District‚ where 160 new housing units are boosting downtown’s residential component and supporting its mix of about 140 specialty retailers‚ service businesses‚ professional offices and eateries.

Meanwhile, Chatham and Gretna are also bolstering their downtown images. Known as “The Prettiest Little Town in Southside Virginia‚” Chatham opened a new community center in 2008 while the Pittsylvania Historical Society has future plans to restore the town’s historic railway station.

Gretna’s downtown‚ likewise‚ is on the move with improvements. Revitalization for a Greater Gretna‚ formed in 2005 by a group of concerned citizens‚ strives to upgrade the entire Gretna downtown district while keeping its current charm of a 1930s Main Street.

Diverse Economy
As stalwarts like tobacco and textiles declined in Danville in the late 20th century, city officials worked to market the empty warehouses as build-to-suit facilities for smaller, startup firms as well as global companies looking to establish a U.S. presence.

In order to attract these companies, the city established six new industry clusters, including automotive alternative energy components, aerospace, pharmaceutical and biotech, food and beverage, plastics and polymers, and information technology as it applies to back-office and data center sites.

The plan appears to be working. After creating the Cane Creek Centre, a 900-acre regional industrial park, Swedwood Danville LLC (IKEA's furniture manufacturing subsidiary) chose to open its first United States facility in Danville, as opposed to the location the company was originally considering in North Carolina.

Others were lured by various incentive packages, which included, but were not limited to, workforce training assistance.

Meanwhile, many other international players have settled in Cyber Park, which houses Donnachaidh Associates LLC, NextGen Aeronautics Inc. and Canadian Bank Note Secure Technologies. In addition, many of the tech companies are attracted in part by the proximity to and accessibility of the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research.

Workforce Career Centers
With all of the new companies planting roots in Danville and Pittsylvania County, employers and job-seekers need a place to connect, as do employees with training to develop new skill sets. The Workforce Career Center, located in the Nor-Dan Shopping Center in Danville, with satellite centers on Goode Street and in Chatham, does just that.

The centers focus on assisting individuals looking to sharpen career skills or for employment, while also helping companies seeking qualified workers and serving as coordinators for all workforce resources in the region.