How Liz Barber is helping shape Stafford County’s next chapter
Sometimes the best business opportunities come in glass bottles.
Years before she was leading economic development for Stafford County, Liz Barber and her husband, Daniel, unexpectedly found themselves owning a specialty shop stocked with 200 kinds of vintage soda in Sebring, where they lived in Central Florida.
The previous owner had built a successful business selling craft sodas from around the world but decided retirement sounded better than running a thriving store. Barber immediately saw something he didn’t.
“When businesses do well, you sell them,” said Barber, who, at the time, was working with the local chamber and helping small businesses thrive. Buying the shop helped her put that experience into practice.
The couple spent the next eight years operating Sebring Soda & Ice Cream Works, learning firsthand what it takes to build customer loyalty, support a community and help a small business thrive. The experience even landed them on HGTV’s “Home Town Takeover.” As hosts Ben and Erin Napier noted, the transformation was about taking the business from a “gathering place” to a “memory-basing place.”
While the bottles and memorabilia are behind her, the lessons apply to the new role she took in moving to Stafford County. “I really enjoyed the business retention and expansion part of economic development,” she said. “Helping those businesses thrive, grow and stay in the community.”
Today, Barber spends her days identifying opportunity, helping businesses succeed and creating places where people want to invest.
Building the foundation first
Like many in the profession, Barber found her way to economic development through chamber leadership and a passion for supporting local businesses. Referred to a business development role in Stafford by a former manager, Barber and family moved to Virginia in 2023; she was promoted to director within the year.
Rather than immediately chasing the next headline-grabbing announcement, Barber focused on something less visible but arguably more important. The department’s strategic plan hadn’t been updated in more than a decade.
Working alongside county leadership, elected officials and stakeholders, the economic development team developed a new five-year strategic plan that now guides everything from business recruitment to workforce initiatives and quality-of-life investments.
“It was really important to get that foundation right,” she said. “We’re all on the same page, and that’s really important when it comes to economic development.”
And now, that document serves as a roadmap, with the department tracking its progress every month.
Growing jobs and quality of life
The updated strategy identifies cybersecurity and defense, information technology, warehousing and distribution as Stafford’s primary target industries.
But one intentional priority surprises many people: High-end restaurants and destination retail.
While economic developers often focus extensively on job creation and capital investment, Barber believes successful communities also need places where people want to spend their evenings, celebrate milestones and keep their dollars close to home. The county recognized that residents often traveled north or south to shop and dine. Attracting more full-service restaurants and quality retail helps close that gap while strengthening Stafford’s sense of place.
“It’s not just economic development,” Barber said. “It’s community development. There’s room for balance.”
That philosophy is already translating into measurable results.
During fiscal year 2026, Stafford County announced $2.1 billion in capital investment, 1,600 new jobs and supported 489 businesses through its economic development office. Major announcements included new data center investment, O’Reilly Auto Parts’ automated distribution center and continued momentum in the county’s growing logistics sector.
At the same time, projects such as new full-service restaurants and destination retail continue moving forward because, for Barber, economic success isn’t measured by a single project.
It’s measured by how a community feels to the people who call it home.
Measuring what matters
Barber is equally focused on improving Stafford’s reputation as a place to do business.
This fall, the department will host its first annual Economic Development Summit, bringing together developers, commercial real estate professionals and county departments to discuss how Stafford can become even more business-friendly. The county is also introducing an annual Business Climate Survey to benchmark perceptions and track improvements over time.
“Perceptions are hard to measure unless you measure them,” Barber said.
That reflects Barber’s practical, data-driven leadership style: identify the challenge, establish a baseline and keep improving.
Stronger as a region
That same mindset extends beyond Stafford County’s borders.
With Stafford serving as a founding member of the recently rebranded Virginia’s Innovation Crossroads, Barber believes regional collaboration creates a stronger story for companies evaluating locations. Businesses don’t make investment decisions based on municipal boundaries. They evaluate talent, infrastructure, transportation, supply chains and quality of life across an entire region.
“Talent moves through the region. Supply chains are regional. Tourism is regional,” Barber said. “When one community succeeds, the region is stronger and more competitive.”
The fresh brand reinforces that philosophy as it presents Stafford, Caroline County and Spotsylvania counties and the City of Fredericksburg as one unified economic ecosystem. For Barber, the new name itself captures the region’s greatest advantage and allows each locality to benefit from shared momentum while still celebrating what makes its community unique.
“Knowing that we’re the crossroads between Washington and Richmond, right in the middle,” she said, “is really valuable for the region.”