Heather Lyne knows how to revitalize communities. When she took the executive director position with the Hopewell Downtown Partnership, the Amherst County, Virginia native had already had experience guiding economic development and overseeing large events in places ranging from Roanoke, Virginia to Telluride, Colorado to (thanks to the Peace Corps) the Republic of Georgia.
At the Partnership, Lyne—who obtained her master’s in public and international affairs and a certificate in nonprofit management from Virginia Tech—has been instrumental in helping Hopewell, part of the Richmond area’s Tri-Cities region, recognize its singular place in Virginia and the national economy.
“It’s a fascinating microcosm of the American story,” she says. “And it has a way of pulling you in.” Some of the largest manufacturing or industrial sites are next to downtown, she explains, and the Hopewell area is undergoing meaningful revitalization after years of urban decay.
The partnership’s most recent project, and Lyne’s baby, The Made in Hopewell Conference, was held in October and celebrated manufacturing, entrepreneurship and economic growth in the Tri-Cities. “The talent here is pretty incredible,” she says. “Communities that go through a lot of trauma sometimes have to be reminded, ‘Hey, you have so much.’ And that’s true of Hopewell.”
“Heather has done more than anybody in recent history to assist in the development of downtown Hopewell,” says Daniel Jones, who sat on the board of the HDP when she was hired. “She has done a remarkable job of plugging herself in and meeting people and developing a real passion for the community.”
Lyne is now on the move. She’ll soon begin a new position as the director of Entrepreneurial Eco-System development for the region, a position created through the 1717 Innovation Center, a collaborative workspace for multi-disciplinary experts, community organizations and entrepreneurs to share ideas.
“Eco-System development is kind of a fancy term for the newer direction of economic development,” she says. “The traditional way was to bring in larger companies and land a lot of jobs. Now people are shifting to supporting entrepreneurs and startups that already exist in the community.”
