Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell will be joined by Republican Govs. Haley Barbour of Mississippi and Bill Haslam of Tennessee, as well as Democrat Bev Perdue of North Carolina, at the annual conference of the Southern Growth Policies Board in June.
McDonnell, who chairs the board, selected this year’s theme to focus on advancing manufacturing and job creation in the South.
“As governor, I am focused on job-creation and economic development and believe that the South is primed to capture the potential of the manufacturing industry,” McDonnell said. “The United States is the world’s largest manufacturing economy, producing 21 percent of global manufactured products. Manufacturing creates sustainable, value-added jobs, and Virginia is open for business and is working to attract additional expansion of its manufacturing job base.”
The event, billed as “the South’s premier manufacturing conference,” is titled “Our History, Our Future: Manufacturing in the South” and is slated for June 12-14 in Roanoke.
The Southern Growth Policies Board is a non-partisan think tank based in North Carolina that was formed by the region’s governors in 1971 and focuses on strengthening the South’s economy.
