Published: July 01, 2009 02:57 pm      

Number one, again

Virginia tops national business ranking

Virginia’s pro-business environment has garnered the Commonwealth another top national ranking.

Virginia has been ranked No. 1 by Pollina Corporate Real Estate Inc., a top U.S. corporate site relocation expert, according to Gov. Timothy M. Kaine. The announcement marks the third time the company has recognized the state with its highest ranking and is the sixth time overall that the Commonwealth has received national recognition as the most business-friendly state under the Kaine administration.

The annual “Pollina Corporate Top 10 Pro-Business States for 2009: Rebuilding Americans’ Economic Power” study looks at job retention and creation by all 50 states and the federal government. Virginia was followed in the study by Utah, North Carolina, Wyoming and South Carolina.

The Commonwealth also ranked No. 1 in the Pollina study in 2003 and 2007. It ranked second in 2004, 2005 and 2006, and third in 2008. The Chicago-based Pollina Corporate Real Estate is a full-service brokerage and consulting firm representing corporations in real estate matters on a national and international basis.

The Pollina study evaluated states based on 33 factors — including taxes, human resources, right-to-work legislation, energy costs, infrastructure spending, workers’ compensation laws, economic incentives programs, and state economic development efforts, according to a governor’s press release.

This award marks one of several the Commonwealth has received in recent years honoring the state’s business climate, as well as its government and education system.

The Commonwealth has been recognized as the most business-friendly state in America by Forbes.com, in 2006, 2007 and 2008; as one of the best states for business by CNBC in 2007 and 2008; as the top-performing state government in America by Governing Magazine in 2008; and as the state where “a child is most likely to have a successful life” by Education Week magazine in 2007.

While Virginia has been battered in recent months by the national economic downturn, the state’s top ranking in the latest study is positive news. It is another reminder of Virginia’s pro-business environment — even in the toughest of economic times.

The award also underscores the struggle faced by border communities in neighboring West Virginia, including Bluefield, who must compete with the pro-business Commonwealth of Virginia on a daily basis.

State officials in West Virginia should take note of the latest honor bestowed upon the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Mountain State should take steps to compete with the pro-business environment demonstrated by neighboring Virginia.

We congratulate Virginia officials, including Kaine, on the latest national honor for the Commonwealth.