Loudoun Economic Development Executive Director Buddy Rizer has been named to Virginia Business Magazine’s 2023 “Virginia 500 Power List,” recognizing Virginia’s most powerful and influential leaders in business, government, politics, and education. Rizer has appeared on the list in each of the four years it has been published.
In comments about this year’s honorees, Bernie Niemeier, Publisher of Virginia Business said, “Virginia’s long reputation as a power center — producing eight U.S. presidents, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison — precedes us and continues to this day. We aim to capture a solid picture of the powerful people who get deals done across all regions of Virginia.”
Rizer joins 20 other Economic Development professionals on this year’s list, highlighting the business-friendly environment that Virginia has created to attract and retain local, regional, and national companies. Virginia consistently ranks among the leaders in CNBC’s “Top States for Business” list, coming in second for 2023.
Recognizing that his influence provides a positive impact far beyond Loudoun, Rizer says, “While my job is to promote Loudoun, I recognize that we all have a vested interest in Virginia’s economic development success. While I’m humbled to have my name on the list, I recognize it reflects the quality of our state, our county, and the great team at Loudoun Economic Development.”
In addition to serving the Loudoun community, Rizer serves as the Chair of the Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance (NOVA EDA), represents Loudoun on the Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) Board of Trustees, has served as Chair of the NOVA Foundation Board, and is the Secretary of the Go Virginia Region 7 Council. He is on the Board of Directors for the Northern Virginia Technology Council, and the Washington Airports Task Force (WATF).
In his 16 years with Loudoun, Rizer and his team have attracted over $50 billion dollars in commercial investment – setting a record in fiscal year 2023 with over $10 billion in a single year – and created almost 50k jobs in the county. In 2021, Loudoun Economic Development was named Economic Development Organization of the Year by the International Economic Development Council and is recognized for excellence and innovation annually by the Virginia Association of Counties and National Association of Counties for signature programs such as the Loudoun Innovation Challenge and Loudoun Farm Exchange.
