A native of Lynchburg, Virginia, Raymond Smoot earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Virginia Tech and a Ph.D. from the Ohio State University. Over the course of his 40-year career at Virginia Tech, he served in many roles, including chief executive officer of the Virginia Tech Foundation, vice president for administration and treasurer, vice president for business affairs, and vice president for finance. He was responsible for over $1.3 billion in real estate development for the university and played a central role in the creation of the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center, the Virginia Tech Research Center in Arlington, and the Turner Street development in Blacksburg. Smoot was the founding chair of the GO Virginia Region 2 council and is retiring from the role after nearly seven years of service. Since the GO Virginia program started, Region 2 has authorized over $8 million in project funding and generated $7.8 million in external investment. To date, 40 projects have been funded by the council.

1. What was your favorite part of working at Virginia Tech?

The opportunity to work with capable people focused on enhancing and growing the university. Virginia Tech’s student population and campus is four times the size it was when I studied there, and it has a much richer variety of programs. By most objective standards, it would be considered a stronger university. It was a great experience working with dedicated people over the years to help that transformation happen.

2. What is your proudest accomplishment over the course of your career?

One is the creation and development of the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center. The other is the redevelopment, then successful reopening, of the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center. I had the responsibility to complete these projects for the university, and because of the good work of many, these projects are still with us today and still contribute to the university in significant ways. I’m proud to have been associated with them.

3. Do you have a favorite memory from your time on the GOVA Region 2 council?

I grew up in Lynchburg, and early on in the council’s formation, I would travel there to meet with some of the people we served. One day, I was sitting in a meeting and I looked out the window and realized I was looking at the high school I went to in Lynchburg. I could see what had been my original home room almost 60 years earlier. It felt like everything came full circle, and I was grateful to be doing something that connected to where I came from. Beyond that personal anecdotal memory, what I value about GO Virginia is that Region 2 continues to bring together people from areas that have not traditionally worked together. The New River Valley and the Roanoke Region have worked together on projects over the last 25 years, but we had never engaged significantly with the Lynchburg region before GO Virginia was created. Those of us who live in the less populous areas of the state need to work together to make a difference, because we don’t have a large number of people representing us in the legislature like the more populous regions do. Region 2 has created opportunities for those who might have not had them before by bringing together the Greater Lynchburg Region, the Roanoke-Alleghany Region, and the New River Valley.

4. What did you enjoy most about being chair of the Region 2 council?

I enjoyed engaging with the other members of council and staff who run the program. GO Virginia has, through its attention to enhancing the workforce, significantly enhanced quality of life, and I liked learning about the projects that are focused on attracting and retaining higher-wage jobs that allow for our region to grow.

5. What are you looking forward to seeing GOVA Region 2 do more of in the future?

Through GO Virginia, I have seen how important it is to engage high school and middle school students in thinking about their future careers. I now better understand how vital paid internships, apprenticeships, certification programs, and community college instruction can be to obtaining career skills that can result in a very lucrative income. For example, the average nurse in Virginia today earns $89,000 a year. GO Virginia has begun to give more attention to the need to engage our high school and middle school students, and there are additional opportunities in the future to continue that work that I look forward to seeing develop. GO Virginia provides valuable services and opportunities to our region, and this will be even more true going forward. I was glad to be involved in getting it started, but the best time for GO Virginia is the future.

6. What activities do you like to do in your spare time?

I live out in the county and have some land, so I really enjoy gardening. I also love cutting, curing, and burning firewood. And I enjoy trout fishing and floating the New River.

7. What is the most memorable trip you have ever been on?

My wife and I spent a week with friends on a barge on the Bourgogne Canal in France. We would get off the barge and ride bikes through the wine country of Chablis. Since the barge only went 3 miles an hour, we didn’t have to worry about getting left behind. We’d ride through the vineyards and be at the next sets of locks to get back on the boat when it arrived. It was a wonderful experience with friends who have made a significant impact in our region.