Alexandria Comes Together to Shape Its Economic Future
The city's Economic Summit is designed to foster collaboration, spark innovation, and examine the economic forces reshaping the region
ALEXANDRIA, VA – The City of Alexandria took a bold step toward shaping its economic future last week, hosting the 2025 Alexandria Economic Summit—an event designed to foster collaboration, spark innovation, and examine the economic forces reshaping the region. Held on May 8 at The Westin Alexandria Old Town, it drew community members, business leaders, and regional experts for a wide-ranging conversation on Alexandria’s economic health and prospects.
Organized by the City of Alexandria and the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership (AEDP), the summit opened with remarks from AEDP President and CEO Stephanie Landrum and Mayor Alyia Gaskins, who emphasized the need for holistic, community-driven growth.
“We’re about making sure that we are building long-term value for our environment, for our residents, for our workforce, and for our tax base—holistically,” Mayor Alyia Gaskins said. “This summit is about unlocking the ideas and potential of every part of our city, powered by partnership.”
The event featured a forward-looking panel discussion moderated by Jon Roberts of TIP Strategies, with insights from Stephanie Jennings of CBRE and Meghan Welch of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership. Together, they examined trends affecting Alexandria, including workforce shifts, retail transformation, and the evolving nature of urban development.
TIP Strategies, currently working with the city and AEDP on a new strategic economic development framework, also shared preliminary findings. Their research highlighted Alexandria’s distinctive strengths, including as its highly educated workforce and strategic location—while identifying new opportunities for economic diversification.
The summit’s keynote address came from Kevin Ervin Kelley, co-founder of Shook Kelley and author of “Irreplaceable: How to Create Extraordinary Places that Bring People Together.” He spoke passionately about the role of “intentional placemaking” in building community and addressing modern societal challenges.
“Most of our problems in society are place-based problems,” Kelley said. “And most of the solutions start with physical places—your neighborhood, your block, your community.”
Attendees participated in interactive breakout sessions focused on three key areas: place-based development, business retention and recruitment, and entrepreneurship and innovation. These sessions encouraged dialogue, creativity, and alignment around shared goals for Alexandria’s future.
The City of Alexandria and AEDP will continue to engage the community post-summit, issuing a survey to collect additional input that will inform upcoming strategies and initiatives. For updates, educational materials, and the full recording of the event, click HERE.
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