Census Tract 209 and Town of Brookneal Granted HubZone Status
RUSTBURG, VA – On April 13 the SBA announced that a new part of Campbell County would be included in the Historically Underutilized Business Zone program through a Governor’s designation. Census Tract 209 was nominated during the final months of the Youngkin Administration. This process is reserved for Governors to include Census Tracts that meet the criteria of the program but were not automatically included during the Census evaluation in 2024. The Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone) program, run by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), helps small businesses in these designated areas gain preferential access to federal procurement opportunities.
The HUBZone program’s goal is to award at least 3% of federal contract dollars to HUBZone-certified companies each year. HUBZone-certified businesses also receive a 10% price evaluation preference in full and open contract competitions. This designation brings Campbell County’s total to two HUBZones, joining a previously designated zone covering the Town of Altavista.
Nina Rezai, Economic Development Director, initiated the nomination request with the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity (SBSD) in 2025, after recognizing the opportunity this designation could bring to the Brookneal community.
“This announcement comes after months of working with local industry, the support from the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance and the countless people in Former Governor Youngkin’s administration that facilitated this governor’s designation,” Rezai said. “The impact of this program will not only strengthen existing industry. but also provide additional tools to attract new industry to these areas.”
Having a HUBZone designation will offer Brookneal area businesses a competitive advantage and open doors to federal contracting opportunities that were previously out of reach. Additionally, the designation positions Brookneal as an attractive location for businesses and federal contractors considering establishing or relocating a principal office as well as remote worker relocation.
“With the HUBZone designation, Foster Fuels and other local qualifying businesses gain access to new federal contracting opportunities,” Katie Foster Rolfe, Payroll Manager at Foster Fuels, said. “These opportunities allow local businesses to grow while investing directly back into our community by hiring locally and contributing to the long-term success of our economic development.”
To qualify for HUBZone certification, a business must have at least 35% of its employees living in a HUBZone and maintain a “principal office” in one of these specially designated areas. Once a small business has received HUBZone certification, it will need to recertify with the program every three years. There is no limit to the length of time a business can participate as long as it continues to qualify.
Small businesses with principal offices in these new Governor-Designated Covered Areas may visit sba.gov/HUBZone for more information about the HUBZone program and how to become a certified HUBZone small business.
Reach out with questions to the Economic Development department by visiting campbellvirginia.com, calling (434) 332-9595, or email econdev@campbellcountyva.gov.
