Lynchburg Economic Strategy — Sustaining Momentum Beyond the Plan

THE CHALLENGE

The City of Lynchburg faced a critical crossroads as Central Virginia's urban center for commerce and culture. Despite robust assets in advanced manufacturing, metals and machinery, and food processing—employing more than 6,000 in manufacturing (22% above the U.S. average)—the city struggled with fragmented economic development efforts. With a growing population of 81,000 residents and anchor institutions like University of Lynchburg and Liberty University, Lynchburg needed a comprehensive strategy to leverage its competitive advantages while addressing challenges including terrain limitations from the Blue Ridge Mountains, brownfield redevelopment needs, and ensuring inclusive prosperity for all residents.

"We have a strategy that brings together all our assets—from our universities to our manufacturing base—around a shared vision for growth."

THE CIVIC SOLUTION

CivicSol's partner Steven Pedigo developed "A Blueprint for Opportunity," a fully integrated economic and workforce development strategy to position Lynchburg as a coveted destination to live and work. Our comprehensive approach included conducting competitive assessments of Lynchburg's economic sectors compared to benchmark cities, facilitating extensive stakeholder engagement across businesses, anchor institutions, community organizations, and elected officials, and creating an equity-centered framework ensuring inclusive prosperity.

The strategy focused on four core principles: maximizing urban potential in a rural community, ensuring inclusive prosperity, supporting continuous upskilling, and embracing ongoing engagement. We developed targeted initiatives to leverage the city's diversity of skills, ideas, and talents while addressing land use challenges and infrastructure needs. Our work included creating industry cluster roundtables, conducting National Citizen Survey analysis, and establishing an economic development Steering Committee to guide implementation.

THE IMPACT

The Blueprint for Opportunity has guided Lynchburg's transformation over five years of ongoing implementation, with CivicSol providing continuous strategic support through annual budget and staffing plan reviews and monthly coaching sessions with key city and EDA staff. The strategy has positioned Lynchburg to attract residents and investment while constructing talent pipelines to fuel the regional economy. This comprehensive approach demonstrates how communities can build on existing assets—from manufacturing strength to university partnerships—to create sustainable, inclusive economic growth that preserves local character while embracing innovation.

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