VA: Companies Invested in Work-Life Balance Flock to Beautiful Bedford County

Imagine lacing up your kicks and spending your lunchtime playing disc golf with your colleagues, walking beautifully maintained trails, or heading to Smith Mountain Lake for a fun weekend on the water.  It’s not hard to imagine a lifestyle just like this one. If work-life balance is important to the culture and values of your company, then Bedford is the place to be! CEO’s have already tapped this area as the perfect spot to set up shop and Bedford is now one of the fastest-growing areas in Virginia. Located within a day’s drive of all major mid-Atlantic markets, Bedford checks all of the boxes.

Bedford County is located between Roanoke and Lynchburg in Central Virginia and boasts a technology-driven economy that contributes to the diversity and sophistication of our employment base. Among the many leading-edge industries represented in the county include automation and robotics, furniture manufacturing, metal fabrication, non-destructive testing, precision optics, printing, and telecommunications.
 

Whether you are looking for a pad-ready site for new construction or need assistance with expansion or workforce development services, the Office of Economic Development is here to help. Prime real estate is available and ready to go in three industrial parks owned by the Economic Development Authority (EDA). These parks are strategically located throughout the county with solid infrastructure, broadband, and proximity to interstates and two regional airports.

New London Business & Technology Center (Forest, VA)
The New London Business and Technology Center is a 500-acre development that combines modern-day technology with environmentally friendly sites and nearly seven miles of walking/biking trails throughout the park, PLUS a Paul McBeth-designed championship-level disc golf course. Multiple cleared and graded lots are available. The park is home to Simplimatic Automation, Damage Prevention Solutions, Belvac Production Machinery, and Liberty University’s 28-acre Tech campus which includes the state-of-the-art Center for Engineering Research & Education (CERE) facility that serves as a knowledge-based R&D hub for the region. Options for locating in the New London Business and Technology Center include land lease or outright purchase of lots from the EDA. Special tax incentives are available for qualifying technology companies.

Bedford also claims the title “Disc Golf Capital of Virginia,” with its five acclaimed public disc golf courses including a course designed by world Champion Disc Golfer, Paul McBeth. The McBeth course is in our premier industrial park, New London Business and Technology Center, and is recognized as one of the top 30 disc golf courses in the world.
 

Montvale Center for Commerce (Montvale, VA)
The Montvale Center for Commerce is strategically located close to I-81 and is made up of two distinct business parks. The commercial center is an 18+/- acre site that is commercially zoned and positioned on U.S. 460. This prime location offers an excellent site for potential retail development.

Across from the commercially zoned property is a 45-acre park designed for non-commercial business and industry. This property is bordered on the north by the Norfolk-Southern Railroad, which allows for the possibility of rail siding. Two prime, flat lots are still available totaling 18+ acres for a potential building size of 200,000 +/- sq. ft.

Bedford Center for Business (Bedford, VA)
The Bedford Center for Business is a premier Gigapark located in the Town of Bedford. It is convenient to the main highways of U.S. 221 and U.S. 460. The property is fully served with public water, sewer, streetlights, and underground utilities. High-speed broadband serves the park with a 400 Gigabyte-per-second backbone.

Arts and Education
Bedford County Public Schools is home to more than 60 career and technical education (CTE) courses, championship athletic programs, and up-to-date facilities. Students’ studies are further enriched by Susie G. Gibson’s Science and Technology Center as well as by the Bedford ONE program which gives students firsthand exposure to many of the major employers in the area. Further, there are multiple colleges, universities, and tech centers which makes access to higher education convenient.

The county is home to numerous artisan workspaces and galleries, multiple performance venues, and a variety of fairs and festivals throughout the year. Bedford welcomes visitors to several major tourist destinations, including the National D-Day Memorial, Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest, Smith Mountain Lake, as well as segments of the Appalachian Trail.
 

Housing Options
Coupled with lower unemployment rates and low real estate taxes, Bedford County’s residential housing market continues to grow. Home buyers will find a wide variety of real estate options, including homes with large lots, farms of all shapes and sizes, condos, townhomes, waterfront homes and many with incredible mountain views. Contact the Office of Economic Development so we can show you how your company can live, work, and play here in beautiful Bedford. We can’t wait to meet you!