Success Through Working Together

The successes of the past 14 years have resulted from Greater Richmond’s private and public sectors working together. This joint effort began in the early 1990s when business leaders — spearheaded by the Greater Richmond Chamber — launched a private sector “Team Up!!! Metro Richmond” campaign to match regional economic development funding provided by the public sector. The campaign was led by Phyllis L. Cothran, then president and chief operating officer of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Virginia, Malcolm S. McDonald, then president and chief operating officer of Signet Banking Corporation, and James E. Ukrop, then president and chief executive officer of Ukrop’s Super Markets, Inc.

This first five-year campaign (1994-1999) generated $6.8 million which, when joined with public-sector funding, provided a budget of more than $12 million for the launch of the Greater Richmond Partnership, Inc. in July 1994.

Private-sector funding for the second five-year cycle (1999-2004) was provided by a “Capitalize Greater Richmond” campaign in which more than 280 businesses and individual investors committed $7.8 million. The campaign was led by Frank B. Bradley III, president of Bradley Properties, and James E. Ukrop, chairman of First Market Bank and Ukrop’s Super Markets, Inc.

The third five-year campaign (2004-2009), “Imagine…a Greater Richmond!,” under the leadership of Robert S. Ukrop, President & CEO of Ukrop’s Super Markets, Inc., raised $7.7 million from the private sector, exceeding the initial $7 million goal by 10 percent.

This current and fourth capital campaign (2009-2014), “Globally Focused; Regionally Competitive,” sets a private-sector campaign goal of $9 million. When matched by the public sector, this will support a five-year economic development budget for the region of $18 million.