Southern Virginia is on the rise. With bold investment, strategic development and strong regional partnerships, the region is building a future where innovation and opportunity go hand in hand. Nowhere is this clearer than in the recent announcement by Microporous, which plans to invest $1.35 billion to develop a state-of-the-art battery separator manufacturing facility at the Southern Virginia Megasite. This project is expected to create more than 2,000 new jobs by 2035, solidifying the region’s role as a hub for advanced energy technologies.
But we aren’t just investing in buildings and equipment. We’re investing in people. As part of our long-term commitment to the Southern Virginia and North Carolina region, Microporous has launched the Community Benefits Workforce Mobility Initiative — a strategic program designed to address one of the most urgent challenges facing working families and employers alike: child care.
Child care is not just a personal concern — it’s an economic imperative. When families lack access to reliable, affordable childcare, it limits parents’ ability to work, strains business productivity, and stalls regional economic growth. In rural areas, the challenges are even greater. Many communities across Southern Virginia are classified as child care deserts, where access to licensed providers is scarce or nonexistent. This isn’t sustainable — for families or for our economy.
Microporous has plans to soon announce the first phase of our Child Care Initiative, a program which will offer grants to help address regional child care needs. These grants are open to businesses and nonprofit organizations, supporting both new initiatives and the expansion of existing programs in the service region around the Southern Virginia Megasite. The focus is three-fold: increasing child care availability, improving classroom quality and safety standards, and supporting professional development for child care staff.