✅ Serve and Stay - FXBG Paves the Way for Faculty & Staff to "Put Down Roots"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fredericksburg Launches Innovative Workforce Recruitment Fund to Help Public Servants Put Down Roots Fredericksburg, Va. — The Fredericksburg Economic Development Authority (EDA) today announced the launch of the Serve and Stay – Fredericksburg Fund, an innovative workforce recruitment and retention initiative designed to give Fredericksburg a competitive advantage in attracting and retaining the teachers, first responders, and public servants who are essential to the city's long-term success.

The initiative begins with a $30,000 investment approved unanimously by the EDA and administered through the Community Foundation of the Rappahannock River Region (CFRRR). Momentum is already building through private-sector support, including a $10,000 investment from Greenchip e-Waste and ITAD Solutions through the Greenchip Legacy Foundation. 

While the program uses targeted housing assistance as its incentive, its purpose is economic development. Communities across Virginia are competing for a limited pool of talented educators, first responders, and local government professionals. Serve and Stay gives Fredericksburg another tool to compete by helping eligible employees establish residency in the city they serve.

"Every community is competing for talent," said Meredith Schatz, Chair of the Fredericksburg Economic Development Authority. "Serve and Stay is about making Fredericksburg more competitive. When outstanding teachers, first responders, and public servants choose Fredericksburg, our institutions become stronger, our workforce becomes more stable, and our local economy benefits. This is workforce development, and workforce development is economic development." 

The Fund provides one-time recruitment and retention incentives for eligible City of Fredericksburg and Fredericksburg City Public Schools employees purchasing or leasing a primary residence within the city. Awards are prioritized using a workforce-focused scoring framework that considers recruitment impact, retention value, relocation into Fredericksburg, and overall workforce benefit. 

Greenchip e-Waste and ITAD Solutions is among the first business partners to invest in the initiative, demonstrating the private sector's commitment to strengthening Fredericksburg's workforce. 

"We are a Fredericksburg company, and these are our neighbors," said Bill Monteleone, CEO of Greenchip e Waste and ITAD Solutions. "Greenchip e-Waste and ITAD Solutions created our non-profit, Greenchip Legacy Foundation to invest in the communities we work in. Helping folks find steady footing and a stable home is exactly what we set out to do. Serve and Stay helps the teachers and first responders who serve this city stay here, and we are proud to be part of it." 

EDA leaders expect the Fund to grow through additional business, philanthropic, and community investment, creating a sustainable public-private partnership that strengthens Fredericksburg's ability to recruit exceptional employees for years to come. 

"Economic development is ultimately about investing in people," Schatz said. "The communities that win the competition for talent will be the communities that thrive. Serve and Stay is Fredericksburg's commitment to recruiting the people who educate our children, protect our neighborhoods, and deliver the public services that make this city an exceptional place to live and work." 

Information for public sector employee applicants and opportunities to contribute to the Serve and Stay – Fredericksburg Fund are available now through the Community Foundation of the Rappahannock River Region here.

For more information or questions about the program, contact the Fredericksburg Economic Development Authority here.

Serve here. Stay here.