Defense sector talks about impact on Charlottesville community

ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (WVIR) - Members of the defense sector are talking about the economic impact they have on the Charlottesville-area economy.

A panel luncheon brought together members from Charlottesville, Albemarle County, and the University of Virginia Thursday, April 28.

“We provide pay, we invest in the community in terms of contracting, we provide a lot of support in terms of visitors coming to the area using hotels, restaurants,” Jim Scofield with the National Ground Intelligence Center said. “I think the most important thing is for the county and the region to be ready to respond when there are opportunities to take advantage of those quickly.”

Luna Lab CEO James Garrett says science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are always needed in the defense sector.

“One of the things we talked about was getting more people into the STEM field. So starting even at the middle school level, and encouraging some of the students in the local communities and local high schools to drive them into these STEM fields,” Garrett said.

Panelists say the Charlottesville area has lots of appeal to attract jobs in the defense sector because of its location and quality of life.

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