DATE: Friday, November 14, 1997             TAG: 9711140578

SECTION: BUSINESS                PAGE: D1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY LIZ SZABO, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   57 lines

CHESAPEAKE TEAMS WITH BEACH TO MAKE VIDEO

Two cities that often compete for business have joined forces to attract economic development.

Chesapeake and Virginia Beach Thursday unveiled a marketing video, produced by GTE VisNet. The seven-minute video markets the two cities as Southeastern Virginia, which, as ``the birthplace of America, is now the birthplace of global opportunities.''

GTE, which provides local telephone service in much of Chesapeake and Virginia Beach, invested more than $75,000 in the video, said spokeswoman Lacy Yeatts. GTE also will help package and market the video.

The video trumpets familiar benefits of Hampton Roads: the world's largest natural harbor, an ice-free port, 80 miles of railroad lines and a location within a day's drive of two-thirds of the nation's population.

It touts the region's housing opportunities as well: ``Spread out on a real Virginia horse farm or get that place at the beach you've always wanted.''

The project marks the first such collaboration between the two cities, said Virginia Malinsky, communications and planning manager for the Virginia Beach Economic Development Department. Many cities already work together on other projects through the Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance.

``Chesapeake and Virginia Beach are very similar,'' Malinsky said. ``But the kinds of businesses we attract are pretty different. The ones we attract are smaller and more labor intensive; the ones Chesapeake attracts require more capital investment and need larger machines and larger space. It makes good sense to locate those (large-scale manufacturing plants) in Chesapeake,'' where there's a lot of open land.

GTE stands to benefit as well, said Jack Hengert, GTE's regional manager for community economic development.

``It really is a simple equation for us,'' Hengert said. ``If we're able to support the community's economic development effort, we have an opportunity for any new business that comes to town.''

Indeed, the video highlights GTE's ``reliable and fully expandable'' networks for voice and data transmissions.

The two cities gain more from cooperation than competition, Malinsky said. Of course, her office tries to lure companies to Virginia Beach first, she said.

``Once we get them in the area, if we can get them in Virginia Beach, so much the better,'' Malinsky said. ``But I'd rather have them in Chesapeake than Petersburg.''

Chesapeake economic development officials agreed.

``The competition is fierce but friendly,'' said Chesapeake business development representative Steven Wright.

Chesapeake's economic development department had no promotional video before this, Wright said. Economic development employees have had to lug heavy slide projectors instead. Now they can mail one of hundreds of videos to prospective companies.

Virginia Beach's Economic Development Department produced a video five years ago, Malinsky said. But the department has run out of copies of the now-outdated promotion.

``So this was perfect timing,'' Malinsky said.

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