State’s business recruiting arm announces members of committee on international trade

Editor's note: The original photo posted with this story was not Hampton Dowling. Virginia Business has corrected the photo and regrets the error. 

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) Thursday announced the appointment of its new Committee on International Trade. It will be headed by Hampton Dowling of Potomac Falls, managing partner of The HCB Group LLC.

In the 2017 session the Virginia General Assembly mandated the establishment of the committee to advise VEDP’s board of directors on international trade and trade promotion.

The committee includes one ex-officio, voting member; a member of the board of commissioners of the Virginia Port Authority; two citizen members appointed by the governor; and five appointed by the General Assembly Joint Rules Committee. Each citizen appointee has experience or expertise in international trade or trade promotion.

The ex-officio member is Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Basil Gooden.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe appointed Stuart S. Malawer of Great Falls, a professor of law and international trade at George Mason University; John N. Pullen of Richmond, chief growth officer, Luck Cos. and vice chairman of the board of commissioners of the Virginia Port Authority; and James Xu of Richmond, CEO, Avail Vapor LLC, and executive vice president, Evergreen Enterprises and Plow and Hearth.

The General Assembly appointed Dowling, Bob Feeser of Richmond, president, consumer packaging, WestRock; George Judd of Fredericksburg, principal, Cask Services LLC; H. Michael “Mike” Ligon of Richmond, vice president, corporate affairs, Universal Corp.; and Arthur “Art” W. Moye, Jr. of Norfolk, executive vice president, Virginia Maritime Association.

  “Helping the commonwealth’s existing businesses enter and succeed in the global marketplace is a strategy that promotes economic vitality, and the establishment of this advisory committee demonstrates Virginia’s commitment to international trade,” McAuliffe said in a statement.  “As we continue to build the new Virginia economy, increasing the commonwealth’s exports is an important part of our efforts to diversify and grow industries of the 21st century.”

The General Assembly created VDEP in 1995 to encourage, stimulate and support the development and expansion of the economy of the commonwealth.  The partnership focuses its efforts on business recruitment, expansion and international trade.