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Home My WebLink AboutEDAMinutes2026May7 MINUTES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY | THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2026 | A meeting of the Frederick County Economic Development Authority was held on Thursday, May 7, 2026, at 8:00 a.m. in the County Administration Building, 1st Floor Conference Room, 107 N. Kent Street, Winchester, Virginia. PRESENT: Jason Aikens, Bryan Fairbanks, Diane Kearns, Christine Kriz, Gary Lofton, Tina Murphy, and Doug Rinker. STAFF: Wendy May and Shayla Rickard, Frederick County Economic Development Authority; Jay Tibbs, Deputy County Administrator; and Michael Bryan, EDA Attorney. MEETING CALLED TO ORDER: Bryan Fairbanks, Acting Chair, called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. The board unanimously approved remote participation for Gary Lofton due to medical reasons. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes of the February 5, 2026, and April 2, 2026, meetings were presented. On motion duly made by Mr. Aikens and seconded by Ms. Murphy, the minutes were approved as presented by the following recorded vote: Jason Aikens Aye Bryan Fairbanks Aye Diane Kearns Aye Christine Kriz Aye Gary Lofton Aye Tina Murphy Aye Doug Rinker Abstain (new board member) TREASURER’S REPORTS Ms. May submitted the following reports: Checking Account – Bank of Clarke as of January 31, 2026 - $2,370.22 Intrafi Account – Bank of Clarke as of January 31, 2026 - $3,359,113.79 Checking Account – Bank of Clarke as of February 28, 2026 - $1,956.22 Intrafi Account – Bank of Clarke as of February 28, 2026 - $3,365,923.26 - 2 - Checking Account – Bank of Clarke as of March 31, 2026 - $126,956.22 Intrafi Account – Bank of Clarke as of March 31, 2026 - $3,248,360.76 On motion of Mr. Aikens, seconded by Ms. Kriz, the Treasurer’s Reports were approved by the following recorded vote: Jason Aikens Aye Bryan Fairbanks Aye Diane Kearns Aye Christine Kriz Aye Gary Lofton Aye Tina Murphy Aye Doug Rinker Aye INDUSTRIAL SITES IDENTIFICATION Ms. May presented an opportunity to participate in the Shenandoah Valley Industrial Sites Identification Study with the Shenandoah Valley Partnership. The project’s scope includes identifying potential industrial development sites within participating localities by reviewing zoning information and comprehensive plans to identify individual sites or clusters of sites totaling at least 250 acres. The study supports guidance from the Frederick County Board of Supervisors to increase availability of shovel-ready sites in Frederick County for business development purposes. The Shenandoah Valley Partnership will seek a GO Virginia grant to assist with the costs of the study, with each participating locality bearing an estimated $3,000 cost. Mr. Fairbanks asked Ms. May to share previous efforts to identify land bays. Ms. May responded that there were efforts to do so previously internally. Ms. Kearns shared that there was a rubric utilized to rank potential properties. Mr. Aikens supported moving forward and asked about the potential to include smaller areas, e.g. less than 250 acres. Ms. May responded that the option exists to ask for altered parameters for the study and that she would inquire. Mr. Aikens shared that even if there is an additional cost, it is something the EDA could consider. On motion of Doug Rinker, seconded by Diane Kearns, participation in the study was authorized by the following recorded vote: Jason Aikens Aye Bryan Fairbanks Aye Diane Kearns Aye Christine Kriz Aye Gary Lofton Aye - 3 - Tina Murphy Aye Doug Rinker Aye OVERVIEW OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES Ms. May and Ms. Rickard provided an overview of types of business development processes the EDA typically sees, ranging from smaller, entrepreneurial businesses, to large-scale projects through site consultants. EDA STRATEGY UPDATE Mr. Fairbanks shared that each EDA board member had been contacted to discuss the Frederick County Board of Supervisors’ newly adopted strategic vision for the EDA. Mr. Aikens went through each of the eight pillars of the plan and shared that the EDA would now take the lead on identifying the action plan to move those items forward. The eight pillars are as follows: • Pillar 1: Alignment and Governance - Establish formal BOS-directed strategic direction. Monthly anonymized pipeline reports to EDA Board and BOS. Bi-annual BOS alignment work sessions. Director recruitment with direct BOS input. • Pillar 2: Unified County Decree - Formalize cross-department coordination across Tourism, Airport, Frederick Water, Service Authority, Building, and Planning. EDA/Tourism/Airport leads serve as non-voting cross-board members. Prioritize Virginia Inland Port and rail infrastructure relationships. • Pillar 3: Site Readiness - Establish $250k PPP Site Investment Reserve. Identify 200–400 acre land tracts in collaboration with the 2026 Comprehensive Plan. Pursue 2–3 VEDP- backed PPP agreements. Reduce rezoning timeline from 18 to 9 months. • Pillar 4: Targeted Industry Strategy - Focus proactive recruitment on advanced manufacturing, information technology, aerospace, and corporate services with emerging tech overlays (AI, clean energy). Deprioritize warehousing. Shift agri-tourism support to Tourism/SBDC. • Pillar 5: Workforce Development - EDA serves as lead communications conduit between industry and education partners: Laurel Ridge, Shenandoah University, FCPS, Dowell J. Howard CTC, and the Shihadeh Innovation Center. Maximize Fast Forward utilization before June 2026 expiration. Transfer Widget Cup and World of Works to FCPS. • Pillar 6: Communications & Engagement - Launch countywide Communications Department replacing fragmented PIO model. Execute EDA marketing refresh. Host a formal stakeholder summit for commercial real estate, developers, and major employers to communicate the EDA 2.0 transformation. - 4 - • Pillar 7: Operational Refocus - Restructure budget into $525k core operations + $250k PPP Reserve. Transfer marketing, tourism, and program functions. Consolidate websites. 80% of staff time directed to site development, industry recruitment, workforce, and retention. • Pillar 8: Regional Partnerships & Retention - 52+ employer contacts per year. Partner on Northern Virginia manufacturing and transportation clusters and Region 8 Go Virginia. Evaluate Northern Shenandoah Valley Coalition role and bring recommendation to Board Ms. Kearns supported further discovery related to agriculture support and where that would best lie within the County given the number of departments connected to the industry. Mr. Fairbanks asked Ms. May to connect with the County Administrator to discuss this and report back. Ms. Murphy asked about how we could ensure accountability for programs being transferred outside of the EDA. Ms. May and Ms. Rickard discussed the evolution of workforce development support within the region and that they were confident partners would shepherd the programs forward. Ms. May shared that the FredCo Eats brand was built as an umbrella brand, non-reliant on any one person or organization for its success, and that efforts would be made to ensure its success moving forward. SUCH OTHER BUSINESS AS MAY COME BEFORE THIS AUTHORITY Mr. Fairbanks and Ms. May will connect with Winchester Regional Airport to discuss the potential of holding an upcoming EDA Board meeting at the airport this summer. Ms. May shared that the June EDA Board meeting will be moved from June 4 to June 11. The July 2 meeting will be held as scheduled. Mr. Aikens shared that the search for a new EDA Director would begin soon. With the resignation of Mr. Till, Mr. Fairbanks is serving as the acting Chair. Mr. Fairbanks shared that he would discuss Chair and Vice-Chair opportunities with each board member prior to the next meeting to determine interest in serving. New elections will be held at the June 11 meeting. ADJOURN There being no further business to come before this Authority, the meeting was adjourned at 9:20 a.m. - 5 - ________________________________ ____________________________ Bryan Fairbanks Jay Tibbs Acting Chairman Secretary