We can determine if there are Virginia programs that they can take advantage of. Hershey intends to use some of those programs. They assisted us with training and reimbursing us for that training. We re going to do that again. Tax breaks aren t terribly attractive to people who aren t making any money, says Robert de Voursney, a public policy professor at the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia.
Assistance is more important.
One secret to Virginia s success perhaps even more than any incentives the government could provide is that the state has the basics. One reason Union Camp Corp., with division headquarters in Franklin, chose Isle of Wight for its new sheet converting plant was the area s access to both rail lines and major highways, says Bob Werby, division manager of converting. The company also wanted the plant near its paper mill. State and local government incentives came into play, but the company wasn t offered any tax breaks. And the Virginia Employment Commission helped screen 1,200 job candidates.