Economic development organization unveils new identity focused on growth, collaboration and innovation
Virginia’s Innovation Crossroads President, Tom Scott, unveils the new regional brand at the May 13 ACES luncheon
Standing before a packed crowd at Virginia Credit Union Stadium on May 13, Tom Scott made it clear that the Fredericksburg region’s new economic development brand is about far more than a new logo.
“This is really a defining moment,” Scott told business and community leaders. “We’re not here today just simply to reveal a new name and logo. We are really here to launch a new era of regional leadership and shared prosperity.”
Formerly known as the Fredericksburg Regional Alliance, the organization unveiled its new regional identity as Virginia’s Innovation Crossroads, designed to position Fredericksburg and the surrounding counties of Stafford, Spotsylvania and Caroline as a unified economic powerhouse.
Scott, the economic development organization’s new president, said the timing reflects both the region’s rapid growth and the need to better define itself in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
“For a long time, this region has reacted to the growth happening around it,” Scott said. “Today, that changes. We are stepping out of the shadow of our neighbors, and we are stepping into our own light here regionally.”
The rebrand was driven in large part by feedback from site selection consultants who repeatedly praised the region’s assets but noted one major weakness: a fragmented identity. The new vision aligns on cultivating a premier global destination “built for what’s next” in talent and investment, particularly in the key industries of aerospace and defense, advanced manufacturing, software development, engineering and life sciences.
“We aren’t just dreaming of a thriving economy,” Scott said. “We are engineering one.”
Virginia’s Innovation Crossroads becomes how the region now will engage on a global stage. The existing partnership with the University of Mary Washington is reflected in the companion Virginia’s Innovation Crossroads Alliance, which represents the team behind the regional economic development group..
Striving to become known as “the geography of opportunity,” the new brand emphasizes the region’s strengths in connectivity, innovation and collaboration. Scott described the region as a “single, high-performance ecosystem” rather than a collection of separate localities competing against one another.
“When investors evaluate regions, they are evaluating interconnected environments – not isolated jurisdictions,” Scott said. “Success regionally depends on the seamless integration of workforce, housing and infrastructure into a single high-performance destination.”
The new identity also intentionally ties the region more closely to Virginia’s business climate, which consistently earns national accolades for business-friendly policies and workforce development. “We wanted to brand in partnership with the Commonwealth,” he said.
At the center of the messaging is innovation, embedded in the region’s DNA. Scott pointed to both historic and modern examples – from 19th-century manufacturing advances in Stafford County to current research happening at U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division and billions of dollars in data center investment across the region.
“We aren’t just following trends,” Scott said. “We are the fuel of the new economy.”
The branding effort also reflects a broader vision for long-term regional cooperation. Scott repeatedly emphasized collaboration as the foundation for future success.
“We are stronger when we combine efforts,” he said. “We know that we are better together.”
The initiative was launched under Curry Roberts, the organization’s former president who served for 12 years, with creative execution by Washington, D.C.-based Taoti.
Beyond attracting large corporate projects, Scott stressed that the region remains committed to supporting small businesses, entrepreneurs and Main Street development. “We understand that we need a bottom-up approach as well,” he said during a question-and-answer session. “The grassroots companies, the small business, the Main Street business – that is still very much a priority of ours.”
As the event concluded, Scott challenged regional leaders to embrace and amplify the new identity together.
“One region, one vision, unmatched opportunity,” he said. “By adopting this new brand, we stop being disconnected and start being a premier destination for global investment.”