News

Jackie Puente will govern and advise organization on mission, direction, and focus RICHMOND, Virginia — (March 31 , 2021) – Virginia Community Capital (VCC) announced today the election of Jackie Puente, Executive Director for External Affairs at Comcast Corp., to the board of directors. Puente will join 12 other directors, guiding the organization’s mission, direction, financial sustainability, and efforts to deepen impact. In her role at Comcast, Puente is responsible for engaging diverse stakeholders on …

VCC’s Norfolk team moves to the heart of downtown Norfolk NORFOLK, Virginia – March 18, 2021 – Virginia Community Capital (VCC) has moved its Norfolk operations to a new office located inside the towering ICON Norfolk building in the city’s Waterside District. VCC opened its Norfolk location in 2015 and was previously located on Granby Street near the MacArthur Center. The move will support VCC’s mission to increase awareness and capacity in the Hampton Roads …

  The terms ‘IDA’ and ‘EDA’ are often used interchangeably, but whatever the locality calls them, they are economic conduits for business recruitment and expansion in their city or county. These non-profit authorities are charged with building and diversifying both employment and the locality’s tax base. Virginia Community Capital works with municipalities to spur economic development by lending to their development authorities. In our work across Virginia, we’ve found some authority leaders are unaware of …

OPPORTUNITY In August 2019, Cristo Rey Richmond High School opened its doors to 95 students, marking the realization of a mission to provide a private-school education to students of limited economic means. It’s the kind of environment many families in Richmond simply can’t afford. The education, which sets high school students up for success in college, is paid for mostly by corporate support and donations, which greatly reduce the tuition impact on families. Part of …

Funds will provide capital and technical assistance to bolster diverse small businesses impacted by COVID-19   RICHMOND, VA – February 4, 2020 – Wells Fargo has selected Virginia Community Capital (VCC) to help underserved small businesses stay open and save jobs in Richmond. The $1.5 million in funding will aid the organization’s short- and long-term COVID-19 recovery efforts, technical assistance, and lending programs for diverse small business owners. The grant is part of Wells Fargo’s Open …

Jane Henderson announces her retirement after a 40-year career After four decades in the banking industry, Jane Henderson plans to retire this year as President and CEO of Virginia Community Capital (VCC). As the organization’s founding executive director, Henderson has led VCC since its inception in 2006. Her banking career includes 29 years spent in community development finance. VCC, a community development financial institution (CDFI), was born out of a $15 million investment and a vision …

OPPORTUNITY In July 2019, the Town of Bluefield’s Industrial Development Authority (IDA) bought an empty building in the heart of its idyllic Southwest Virginia downtown. The vision: Turn the 5,400-square-foot commercial building — once home to a carpet store, dance theater, fitness center, and medical equipment company — into a small business and retail incubator to accelerate business growth. Bluefield, a community of 5,400 in Tazewell County, has put a focus on sparking new ventures and …

Opportunity Converting a former candy factory into a 43-unit multifamily housing project – with expansive water views of the Pasquotank River – could contribute to economic development in downtown Elizabeth City, N.C. Built in 1921 as the modern home of The Weatherly Candy Factory, the building once witnessed the production of up to 2 million pounds of candy annually. The Weatherly family founded the business in 1890, with generations overseeing it until its closing about …

The Capital Region SBDC will offer support and resources to small businesses in a time of economic rebuilding.

A decade ago, in the last economic crisis, mainstream banks abandoned Dianna Bowser and the Southside Community Development and Housing Corporation, where she’s executive director. Founded in 1988, the nonprofit builds homes and provides counseling for first-time homeowners in and around Richmond, Virginia. “They stripped us of our construction lines of credit,” says Bowser. “It was devastating.” But that’s when Bowser first encountered Virginia Community Capital, a relatively new bank at the time. The bank …