FRANKLIN

The Franklin-Southampton Economic Development Inc. Board of Directors announced on Friday the hire of Jay Brenchick as president and CEO of the agency.

According to information provided by the board, Brenchick is a native of Maine, where he completed a bachelor’s degree in journalism and advertising from University of Maine, then went on to obtain a master’s degree in education.

After maintaining various positions in the advertising and marketing field, he began his career in economic development in 2001 as the director for the State of New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development Film Office.

Brenchick relocated to Virginia in 2013 to take the economic development manager position for Botetourt County. His most recent position began in 2015 as the economic development manager for Roanoke County. Brenchick’s cumulative business attraction achievements included a total investment of $136.5 million and helped create 498 new jobs in Roanoke County. He brings experience with workforce development strategies, business incubator management, and locality strategic plan execution.

Brenchick is married to Mary Ann, and they have three adult children.

“My family and I are grateful for the opportunity to join the Franklin-Southampton community,” he said about the new position. “The most valuable takeaway I have gained throughout my career is that economic development programs need to be customized to meet the needs of the communities they serve. It is for this reason that I will spend a great deal of time listening to stakeholders to establish the strengths of the locality, improve upon existing programs, and build new programs for the betterment of the community.”

“We are excited to have attracted someone with Jay’s background as the new CEO and president of FSEDI,” Board Chairman Brian Hedgepeth stated. “He is no stranger to the economic development arena in Virginia, having worked in Roanoke and Botetourt counties. We feel he brings a strong background in not only business expansion, retention and recruitment, but also in strategic planning and workforce development. We look forward to getting him on board July 2 and continuing to build on the solid foundation FSEDI has established since its inception in 2005. We are pleased to welcome Jay and his family to the Franklin Southampton County area.”

The mission of the FSEDI is to diversify the economy, create high quality jobs and provide a future for the families and youth of Franklin and Southampton.