On August 13th, the Virginia AM2 Tech Hub brought together a dedicated group of innovators at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) in Danville, Virginia, for its second All-Hands Meeting. Leaders from various industries and organizations gathered to focus on furthering additive manufacturing, advanced materials, and manufacturing innovation in our region.
Linda Hutson Green, Vice President of Economic Development at IALR and Executive Director of the Southern Virginia Regional Alliance (SVRA), kicked off the day with a warm welcome and introduction to IALR’s pivotal role in the region. She shared insights into the facility's mission and importance before leading participants into tours of some of the region’s most cutting-edge facilities. These tours included visits to the Navy’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence, FasTech, and IALR’s advanced labs, offering attendees an exclusive look at the groundbreaking technologies and processes—from military-grade 3D printing to advanced manufacturing—that are driving the future of the industry.
We are grateful to IALR for hosting this event, as their continued support has been instrumental to the success of the AM2 Tech Hub. IALR remains a vital force in the region’s research, education, and innovation landscape.
During lunch, Katie Boswell, Executive Director of Onward NRV, presented the newly launched AM2 Tech Hub website. She explained how the site will become a valuable tool for collaboration, serving as a platform for sharing updates and opportunities from across the region. As the site continues to grow with input from our tech hub partners, it will help to connect stakeholders and keep the community informed.
A key part of the day was the breakout discussions, where participants dove into the AM2 Tech Hub’s three main strategies: Lab-to-Market Commercialization, Technology Adoption for Scale-Up, and Talent Development, Retention, and Attraction. Sarah Lyon-Hill, Director for Research Development at the Virginia Tech Center for Economic and Community Engagement, shared an update on the progress of these initiatives, highlighting the hub's recent accomplishments and set the stage for tables to discuss how to move the work forward.
These sessions generated a range of exciting ideas, including expanding GO-TEC programming in the New River Valley, organizing AM2 exhibitor roadshows, and offering half-day workshops for small manufacturers. The enthusiasm in the room was clear, with many attendees energized by the potential for these projects to initiate substantive progress.
The collaboration experienced at the All-Hands Meeting laid the foundation for what is on the horizon. Now is the time to get involved if you're passionate about shaping the future of manufacturing in our region. For more about the AM2 Tech Hub’s initiative visit am2virginia.org or contact:
Sarah Lyon-Hill
Director of Research Development
Virginia Tech Center for Economic and Community Engagement
sarahlh@vt.edu
Kevin Byrd
Executive Director
New River Valley RegionalCommission
kbyrd@nrvrc.org