Steve Harrison started his career in economic development as the research director of the Hampton Roads Alliance. He later became the business development and research manager for Virginia Beach Economic Development before returning to the Hampton Roads Alliance as the vice president of business intelligence. He was promoted to chief operating officer of the Alliance in 2022. He has a bachelor’s degree in government and a master’s degree in public policy from William & Mary.

1. What made you interested in economic development?

I’ve always been interested in helping Hampton Roads grow. I was born and raised in the region and wanted to find a way to serve Hampton Roads and use my public policy background. Economic development, for me, was a way to positively impact my community. I love the idea of the community, government organizations, and businesses coming together to create an environment where people can succeed. Economic development comes from a place of ‘yes.’ For example, if an entrepreneur wants to build something, we, as an economic development organization, can help them overcome hurdles and utilize government and private resources. If we’re doing the job that we should be doing, then our neighbors, friends, and family all have opportunities for gainful employment.

2. What is your favorite part of your job as Chief Operating Officer of Hampton Roads Alliance?

I love that every day is different. As COO, I oversee our operations, business intelligence division, and marketing division. I also work with our fantastic CEO, Doug Smith, to make sure the organization runs smoothly. Not only do I get to work on marketing Hampton Roads to the world as the place to live, work, and do business, but I also get to research why Hampton Roads is right for companies in our targeted industries. We represent 14 communities, and approximately 100 private sector investors work with us. Every challenge is a new opportunity.

3. What projects are you currently working on at the Hampton Roads Alliance?

We are doing a lot of work in the defense space at the Alliance. Hampton Roads has traditionally strived to diversify the economy, but with the rising tensions in the world, we’ve found defense related contractors are needed now more than ever. There is a role for us to play, as a regional economic development entity, to bring suppliers here for major defense contractors such as Huntington Ingalls. This work dovetails well with what we have done in the past to recruit manufacturing suppliers. Australia, the UK, and the US (AUKUS) have made a pact for shared defense, which has created a lot of opportunities for the Hampton Roads region to bring in Australian and British companies that are looking to learn from our defense contractors, do business here, and potentially supply some of our contractors. It’s something new, because instead of diversifying, we are building on the core industry of Hampton Roads, which is defense. We feel there’s a huge economic impact opportunity there.

4. Can you share a memorable project or achievement from your career?

I’m proud that we’ve turned the Alliance into a resource for more than just business attraction. Traditionally, the Alliance had been focused on recruiting new companies to the market, but we’ve been able to expand the offerings we provide to the community to include research, economic impact analysis, real estate and site readiness data, and marketing assistance. There’s so many good tools and resources that the Alliance has at its fingertips. Turning resources that were inwardly focused outward and allowing our local partners to benefit makes the Alliance that much more valuable.

5. What is your favorite part of serving on CECE’s advisory board?

I love learning about what Virginia Tech does. I think Virginia Tech is a world class university, and it’s impressive to see the diversity of initiatives CECE is involved in across the commonwealth. I’ve seen CECE do so much in Hampton Roads. We’ve worked with Virginia Tech closely on quite a few initiatives, including the green hydrogen study taking place in Newport News. It’s fascinating to learn more about how Virginia Tech leverages the resources of the university as an economic development ally. I’m proud to be a part of it.

6. What projects would you like to work on with CECE in the future?

We’ve done studies on data centers, aviation, energy, and more. We’re trying to determine niche markets within our target industries that we could potentially bring here to solicit economic growth. Virginia Tech could be helpful in helping us determine what those niche markets are, and where there’s room for growth. And if there is room, where can we play a role?

7. What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

When I was interning, I had a colleague tell me: “If you get asked to do something in your job, you just say yes.” If you find a way to help in any way that you’re asked, you become invaluable. Many people unfortunately get tied up in their job description and feel it is a box they can’t get out of, but I think if you are willing to do anything in service of your team, you will find not only will you be valued, but you will be promoted and given new opportunities.

8. What is your favorite place to travel?

Disney World. We go a couple times a year. It’s like if happiness were a place.

9. What is the last book you read that you would recommend?

The New Localism by Bruce Katz. Bruce Katz was the speaker for the 2024 Hampton Roads Alliance annual meeting. His book focuses on the idea that the power to make change and impact the economy has shifted from the federal government and states to regions. In order to institute change, regions work together with nonprofits and civic actors.