Defense Business Center

Defense Business Center

The Virginia Beach Defense Business Center is an initiative by the Military Economic Development Advisory Committee ​(MEDAC), developed to assist area businesses interested in expanding their government contracting capability.

Virginia Beach’s proximity to the world’s largest naval base – not to mention the Pentagon – makes it an obvious candidate for companies associated with the Department of Defense or Homeland Security contract firms.

Virginia Beach is home to a civilian workforce of 232,000. Hampton Road’s civilian labor force is substantially larger than that of the City’s, which allows businesses to draw from a pool of more than 837,000 people. In addition to civilian workers, the region is home to the largest concentration of Department of Defense installations in the world, with an active-duty population of more than 96,835 (Source: Navy Economic Impact Report).

Each year approximately 14,000 active-duty personnel exit the military in the region, with many preferring to stay in the area and seek private sector employment. The education and training level of the exiting military personnel bring diverse and disciplined production, technical, managerial, computer and electronic skills to the labor force.​

The Virginia Beach/Hampton Roads area is home to 9 major military installations representing all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, including the world's largest naval base and the home of the Atlantic Fleet.

    YesOceana.com

    ​​Virginia Beach has partnered with the Commonwealth of Virginia to create an innovative new program to stop encroachment around Naval Air Station Oceana: YesOceana.com. This award-winning program provides resources and incentives for businesses willing to move in or out of designated areas so that businesses surrounding the base conform to existing Navy land-use easements. For more information, visit www.yesoceana.com.​

    Virginia Going Global Defense Initiative

    The Virginia "Going Global Defense Initiative" is an effort to mitigate the impact of defense spending cuts on Virgi​nia's economy. Funding is available now to help Virginia's defense-related companies diversify into new international markets. Learn more about this highly successful initiative: Going Global Program.