Defense Business Center
Resources for Virginia Beach's Finest
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 230,434. The 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 834,000 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 86,000 (Source: Hampton Roads Statistical Digest).
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:
- Naval Station Norfolk
- Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story
- Joint Base Langley-Eustis
- Naval Air Station Oceana (East Coast Master Jet Base)
- Naval Air Station Oceana Dam Neck Annex
- Norfolk Naval Shipyard
- Coast Guard Base – Portsmouth
- Naval Weapons Station Yorktown-Cheatham Annex
- Training Center Yorktown
