Southside Virginia has seen a record level of economic investment over the past year, driven largely by development at the Southern Virginia Megasite at Berry Hill.

Italian rocket manufacturer Avio plans to invest $500 million to build a facility at the Southern Virginia Multimodal Park in Hurt, a project expected to create more than 1,000 jobs and mark the largest economic investment in the area’s history.

The graves of hundreds of African American tenant farmers and their families are being moved in Virginia to make way for an industrial park.

Economic development will have more announcements coming in the next two months.