BOTETOURT CO., Va. – Botetourt County leaders hosted a business summit aimed at supporting local companies through panels, resources and economic updates, as a separate protest outside the event focused on a proposed data center project.
County economic development officials said the summit emphasized helping existing businesses grow, alongside ongoing development in the area.
“A lot of our focus and my focus is going to be on existing businesses,” said Kyle Rosner, Botetourt County’s director of economic development. “There’s a lot of growth happening in Botetourt, particularly the Daleville area, but we have a lot of great businesses, small and large, who want to potentially expand.”
A representative from Google attended the event and shared updates on the company’s planned data center project in the county, according to county officials.
Outside the summit, some community members gathered to protest the project and its approval process.
“I think it’s destroying us, and they didn’t even take it into consideration,” said protester Jane Beasley.
Other protesters raised concerns about resource use.
“What happens is these companies come in, and they extract resources—in this case, water and electricity," said one concerned citizen. “What’s more infuriating is what it’s for. AI? I need water. I can’t drink AI. I can’t water crops with AI. I can’t bathe myself with AI.”
Some demonstrators also said they were notified about enforcement of permit requirements for public demonstrations, which they believe could impact their ability to protest.
“They were going to start enforcing the non-assembly rules and restrict our rights to free speech together and to be able to redress the government,” said protester Danny Goad.
County leaders say projects like the proposed data center can bring economic activity to the area, including during the construction phase.
“It’s going to be a big construction project over several years,” Rosner said. “That means those folks are going to have to eat somewhere, they’re going to have to stay somewhere, they’re going to be using the services here … and that’s what we want for our businesses.”