Goochland economic development official earns prestigious CEcD credential

Chance Robinson’s new national credential could carry real weight for Goochland County’s economic future. The Assistant Director of Economic Development earned the Certified Economic Developer designation from the International Economic Development Council, a certification that can help sharpen the county’s case when it is courting employers, pursuing grants and shaping growth along corridors such as River Road West and across the Richmond region.

The CEcD is the International Economic Development Council’s most prestigious credential, and the organization says holders join a network of more than 1,200 certified professionals. Candidates must meet experience and training standards, including four years of consecutive, paid, full-time economic development or related experience and completion of required courses. For a county that is trying to balance expansion with its rural identity, that kind of specialized expertise can matter when development decisions affect tax base, infrastructure needs and land use pressure.

Robinson has been building that expertise for years. He joined Goochland County in December 2022 after spending two years with the International Economic Development Council, where he handled research and consulting for organizations in the Midwest. He also earned a Master in Public Policy from George Mason University, with a concentration in Regional Economic Development, a background that fits a county office increasingly focused on how business recruitment and public policy overlap.

Goochland County Economic Development has framed its mission around four priorities: recruiting new business, retaining and expanding existing employers, tourism and workforce development. The office has also leaned on practical tools designed to shape the local economy rather than simply react to it, including small-business expansion incentives, a tourist-oriented signage grant program and work with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services on matching Agriculture and Forestry Industry Development grants.

Those efforts have already coincided with a period of unusually strong investment. A 2025 county economic development update reported record new investment of $488 million based on building permits, a sign that the pipeline for projects in Goochland is growing even as county leaders look for ways to preserve the character that draws residents and businesses in the first place.

Robinson’s certification adds another credential to that effort. In a county where growth decisions can shape tax revenues, farm viability and the pace of commercial development, Goochland’s economic development team is increasingly betting that technical expertise will be as important as available land.