When Kevin Marshall left the 24/7 world of firefighting, he figured those around-the-clock calls were behind him.
He was wrong.
Today, as Spotsylvania County’s economic development director, Marshall recognizes that business attraction doesn’t differ much from emergency response. Fires don’t wait for business hours. Neither do site selectors. Developers need answers immediately. Opportunities can disappear just as quickly if someone isn’t ready to respond.
Sometimes that means taking a call on your day off.
Sometimes it means showing up in camouflage.
Just ask about Kalahari Resorts.
Several years ago, the nationally known resort developer was close to walking away from Spotsylvania County after plans for another county site fell apart. For Marshall, giving up wasn’t an option.
He called the company’s site selector with one more pitch, this time for a 140-acre tract that stretches between Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1.
“Just meet me at this site and let me show it to you,” he recalled saying. Then he waited.
Not too long after, the selector happened to have a little extra time. Marshall happened to be deer hunting.
He loaded his hunting dogs into his truck and headed to the tract. Standing beside his pickup, he grabbed a piece of cardboard and a marker and sketched out a vision for what the property could become. A pond in the middle of the site – something others viewed as a challenge – could instead become the centerpiece of the resort while also serving stormwater management needs.
“It will work,” he insisted.
It did.
This fall, that same property takes center stage as Kalahari Resorts opens its newest destination, bringing hundreds of hotel rooms, one of Virginia’s largest indoor waterparks and expansive convention space to Spotsylvania County. The highly visible development project will welcome visitors from across the East Coast and further establish the county as a destination for tourism, entertainment and business meetings – as well as generate a projected $7 million in annual tax revenue.
For Marshall, it’s another reminder that economic development rewards persistence just as much as planning.
A builder’s mindset
Economic development is Marshall’s third career.
Before joining Spotsylvania County’s economic development office more than eight years ago, he spent years in construction and engineering, developing a practical understanding of infrastructure, utilities and site development. Later, he served in Spotsylvania County’s fire and rescue department before a bicep injury temporarily placed him on light duty. Asked to help the county’s economic development team, then headed by Tom Rumora, Marshall quickly discovered a profession that blended everything he enjoyed.
“I like competition,” Marshall said. “Every day is kind of like showing up at the ball field. You’re competing against other localities to win projects.”
That competitive mindset has helped Spotsylvania land some of Virginia’s most significant economic development wins, including the nation’s largest U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic, multiple data center campuses representing tens of billions of dollars in private investment and, of course, Kalahari.
“When I go to these different events and talk with people, they talk about the one big project that’s their career-defining project,” Marshall said. “Shoot, we’ve had several. And we’re not done yet. We’re going to keep going.”
His construction background has become one of his greatest competitive advantages.
While others might need engineering drawings or consultants, Marshall is just as comfortable leaning over the hood of his pickup truck with a blank sheet of paper.
“I always tell them I do my best work off the hood of my pickup truck,” he said. “If I can get somebody on a site with a blank piece of paper, I can put pencil to paper and show them what it could be.”
Understanding how roads, utilities and infrastructure fit together often allows him to solve problems long before they become obstacles.
That hands-on approach doesn’t stop once a company chooses Spotsylvania.
“We don’t just get you here and let you go through it by yourself,” Marshall said. “We act as a liaison for the developer to get them through to opening the door and cutting the ribbon.”
Always looking for an edge
Marshall’s willingness to think differently became especially valuable during the COVID-19 pandemic. While many communities paused in-person marketing, Marshall looked for another way to showcase Spotsylvania’s available sites. He went to his boss and asked for a drone.
After earning his drone certification, Marshall began filming industrial properties himself and creating video brochures for site selectors across the country. “Instead of just handing somebody a business card, I’d hand them one of our video brochures,” he said. “You open it up and it comes on automatically.”
The approach helped keep Spotsylvania in front of prospects even when travel had largely stopped.
That willingness to adapt continues to shape Marshall’s approach as Spotsylvania enters a new chapter as part of Virginia’s Innovation Crossroads, the recently rebranded regional partnership bringing together Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, Spotsylvania and Stafford under a unified economic development brand.
“If I tell somebody I’m from Virginia’s Innovation Crossroads, the first question is usually, ‘Where is that?’” Marshall said with a laugh. “But that opens the door.”
Once the conversation starts, Marshall has plenty to talk about.
He points to Spotsylvania’s strategic location between Washington, D.C., and Richmond, while emphasizing something many overlook: exceptional east-west transportation access through Routes 3, 17, and 208. Combined with abundant water resources, available industrial sites, quality schools and a high quality of life, those assets position the county to attract advanced manufacturing, logistics, healthcare and technology investment.
Even after several landmark wins, Marshall says there’s no shortage of work ahead. The county continues to manage numerous active business prospects while preparing for decades of growth around major investments already underway. Data center construction alone is expected to continue well into the next decade, while Kalahari is already attracting new restaurants, retail, lodging, and entertainment businesses to the Interstate 95 corridor.
Marshall also sees healthcare as one of the county’s next major opportunities, believing additional providers and medical facilities will be essential as the region continues to grow.
For someone who once responded to emergencies, the mission may have changed, but the mindset remains remarkably familiar. The next opportunity could come with the next phone call. And if it does, there’s a good chance Marshall will answer.
“We’ve got a lot of tools in our toolbox here,” he said. “We’ve had some huge wins, and we’re going to continue to get them.”