Our primary service area is encompassed by the Virginia Beach – Norfolk
– Newport News, VA-NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, the 32nd largest
metropolitan area in the United States, with a population of approximately 1.8
million. The Company’s market area includes the Hampton Roads region including
the cities of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, and Suffolk,
Virginia; the Northeastern and Research Triangle regions of North Carolina;
the Eastern Shore of Virginia and Maryland; the Baltimore region of Maryland;
Richmond, Virginia; Ocean City, Maryland; and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The
Hampton Roads region is recognized as the eighth largest metro area in the Southeast
U.S. and the second largest between Atlanta and Washington D.C. Six of the ten
largest population centers in the U.S. are located within 750 miles of Hampton
Roads. This region has a diverse, well-rounded economy supported by a solid
manufacturing base. However, due to a substantial military presence, the U.S.
government has a significant impact on the economy of our region.
The U.S. Navy’s Atlantic Fleet is headquartered at the Norfolk Naval Base,
which is the largest Navy base in the world. Additionally, Portsmouth is the
home of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, which is the U.S. Navy’s largest ship
repair yard, and the Portsmouth Naval Medical Center, the oldest continuously
running hospital in the Navy medical system. In Newport News, Newport News Shipbuilding,
a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, is the nation’s sole designer,
builder, and refueler of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and one of only two
shipyards capable of designing and building nuclear-powered submarines. The
area is also home to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration / Langley
Research Center in Hampton, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (hotels and
museums), three marine terminals owned by the Virginia Port Authority (shipping),
and the Anheuser-Busch Williamsburg Brewery (beverage). Furthermore, the U.S.
Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard each have a significant presence in the Greater
Hampton Roads area with bases in the region.