Unlocking Growth: Why Entrepreneurs Thrive in Central Virginia

Virginia Economic Development Partnership

Central Virginia is more than just fertile ground for entrepreneurs and new business; it’s a launchpad for success. Two executives share why they’ve planted their roots here.

John McMahon

John McMahon is the Coo and Co-founder of Better Future Farms in Louisa, Virginia.

Better Future Farms is a large-scale lettuce greenhouse operation, known as controlled-environment agriculture. The company operates one greenhouse that is just under 15 acres.

Better Future Farms produces several million pounds of lettuce each year.

What made you want to get into the controlled-environment agriculture industry?

I got an MBA and focused on finance, but I grew up on a farm and love being outside, working with my hands. So, after doing corporate finance for a number of years, I was like, ‘You know what? I think I want to be an entrepreneur and do something a little bit different.’

I had my own smaller greenhouse operation for about 10 years, growing lettuce. Over time, the lettuce market, particular for greenhouse operators, started to change. The scale of the facility started getting a lot larger, and the capital requirements were getting a lot larger … Now we’re doing this on a much larger scale. It’s been an organic evolution.

What made Central Virginia an ideal spot for your business?

For our type of business operation, we’re pretty centrally located to a large population base. Our product could go from New York to Georgia and, within 500 miles, hit 30 million customers. It’s strategically located, and it has the right infrastructure needed for the project: natural gas, water, electric and relatively flat land.

What are some of the factors that contribute to Virginia’s strong agriculture industry?

Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Matthew Lohr (Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry) have been bullish on controlled-environment agriculture, and it’s been a priority to help attract other greenhouse or vertical farm operations to the state. Virginia has a pretty solid history of different types of greenhouse operations. Over time, more of an ecosystem has developed. That critical mass has helped our particular segment of agriculture grow.

Are there any local resources you’ve found valuable?

We worked a lot with economic development representatives of different counties. Louisa was awesome. Andy Wade, the economic development director for Louisa, was super involved and super helpful. That kind of interaction with the local team or community was critical to our project.

How has local talent aided your company’s growth?

There’s an ecosystem for people who have greenhouse experience. It helps having not just greenhouses but other food packing and processing facilities in Virginia. You can attract people with a pretty specialized skill background.

John Gaskins

John Gaskins is the CEO and co-founder of Laser Thermal in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Laser Thermal’s mission is to create simple-to-use, accurate tools that measure thermal properties, ranging from the atomic length scale for the semiconductor industry up to insulations that might be found in the walls of your house.

What made Central Virginia an ideal spot for your business?

Central Virginia is a perfect spot for our business due to its proximity to all of Virginia’s great universities from which we recruit. We have employees from the University of Virginia (UVA), Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Tech and James Madison University. And we’re close to Washington, D.C., for both business needs and access to two major international airports. Recruiting people to Central Virginia to live in a place with a slower pace of life while still being able to work in a high-tech business is a compelling story!

What factors contribute to Central Virginia’s strong tech industry?

There is a great community of entrepreneurs and mentors in Central Virginia, especially when it comes to the tech industry, owing largely to its proximity to UVA. Not only do you have the academic community, but you also have a large contingent of retired or semi-retired former business owners, and you never know who you’ll find and what kind of businesses people have run before. The entrepreneurial community is vibrant and offers great resources for aspiring and new business people alike.

Are there any local resources you’ve found valuable?

I have found the Central Virginia Small Business Development Center to be an invaluable resource as we started our business and continue to grow it. The Charlottesville Business Innovation Council is another great network that provides opportunities for people to network and meet other like-minded individuals who have started or are looking to start a small business in the Charlottesville/Central Virginia area.

How has local talent aided your company’s growth?

There’s a great mix of new and experienced talent in the area. As an engineering-heavy company, we’re surrounded by top-notch universities with solid engineering programs, many of whom largely draw Virginia students who are oftentimes looking to stay in Virginia. So, it’s a great fit! The local community colleges and high schools also offer different programs that are putting out students who have great applied skill sets.