Meet Prince William: Q+A with Christina Winn, Economic Development Director

I wanted to be an economic developer since I was 18. When I was going to school (in the old days), there was no economic development degree, but I fell in love with the idea that you could drive how cities develop, engage with communities and interact with placemaking from the beginning.

I was living out in Phoenix, attending Arizona State University, and landed my first job with the City of Phoenix. Then, when I moved to Northern Virginia with my family, I worked for Loudoun County, Arlington County and now Prince William County.

What makes me unique as an economic developer is I also worked for a private sector real estate developer. I can understand the other side of the equation. What is motivating for a developer? How do they think about projects and, most importantly, how do they approach risk? Those are things we consider when thinking about development.

Ultimately, I came back to government because I realized I could make a bigger difference by helping developers navigate our systems and encouraging them to make the best choices for the community.

Every community can say they’re a great place to live, work and play, but it’s those communities that can articulate what makes them different or what makes them stand out who are special. Prince William County is the most diverse county in Virginia and the 10th most diverse in the nation. That really sets Prince William apart within the whole Washington, D.C. area.

Diversity of our residents is something that I think our whole county and our department has leaned into because we see it as a competitive advantage. Companies are looking to move into or expand in communities that resonate with the employees who feel at home. They’re going to feel that inclusiveness and really understand how our resources are trying to help businesses be successful. That helps our residents by building a commercial tax base.

And diversity expands past our residents — we have a diverse local economy. In terms of our industry sectors, we have supply chain distribution; biotechnology and life sciences; and government contracting, etc. A lot of people don’t see it because they’re smaller companies, but that is what has made us more resilient — especially in challenging times like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prince William County is sitting on a major economic opportunity: businesses are actively looking for modern industrial space, places where advanced manufacturing, tech innovators and their suppliers can get up and running fast. The demand is there, and we’re in a competitive position to capture it.

The challenge is keeping pace. We need more industrial sites, more buildings ready for tenants and land that’s prepared for today’s industries. And we must do all of that while honoring community expectations and long-term planning. It’s a balancing act.

Our department’s job is to make the path to investment as smooth and predictable as possible. We work closely with our partner county agencies, including Planning, Development Services and Transportation, as well as others to cut red tape, modernize our tools and make sure companies can move with confidence here.

We’re also out in the field every day with property owners and developers sharing market intel, helping them understand what tenants actually want and guiding projects from early feasibility to final approvals. If there’s a barrier, we try to remove it. If there’s an opportunity, we help accelerate it.

That approach is building the foundation for the industries that lift entire communities: advanced manufacturing, semiconductor suppliers, aerospace and defense, life sciences and the logistics and tech operations that support them.

In short, the opportunity is tremendous. The demand is real. And we’re doing the work to make sure Prince William County is ready to capture it.

This has been a busy year in Prince William County, especially with the industries we’re actively targeting — health care, biotech, aerospace/defense and other innovation-driven sectors. Companies are reaching out because the demand is growing and we’re strengthening the fundamentals — more site readiness, predictable reviews and coordinated support across our workforce, tourism, and higher-ed partners.

We are also gearing up for a major horizon moment in 2026, when we expect to roll out broader Innovation District work. This will elevate Innovation Park and the surrounding assets in the City of Manassas and George Mason University, highlighting the talent pipeline, research anchors and development opportunities that make this one of the region’s strongest economic engines. There’s real momentum here, and we’re using it to bring in new investment and high-quality jobs.

Our department invests in programs that strengthen our small-business ecosystem, support entrepreneurs and speed up development processes across industries We’re expanding hands-on support for small businesses and existing companies through our Calibrate Small Business Program.

Whether that’s through one-on-one help navigating permitting, workshops with partners like Mason SBDC, or our Calibrate Small Business Conference on May 6 at the Potomac Science Center in Belmont Bay, our goal is straightforward: give business owners a clear path forward, fewer hurdles and a team they can call when they need help. That’s how we keep companies here and attract the next wave of investment.

We stay plugged into the community the same way any good neighbor does: we show up, ask questions and listen. Between our resource fairs, workshops, site tours, advisory boards and constant coffee conversations with business owners, we get a front-row seat to what’s working and what’s not.

Our Tourism Advisory Board and the Calibrate Committee — made up of real small business owners and community partners — are especially good at telling us what’s useful, what’s missing and what absolutely needs to change yesterday.

We hosted our third annual Make Your Mark Business Celebration at the National Museum of the Marine Corps this month and it was a perfect example of how this all plays out. Nearly 300 business owners spent the evening networking, swapping ideas and getting direct access to elected officials and community partners. That is the kind of access that can spark collaborations, clear up long-standing questions or even solve problems on the spot.

Real progress happens when people can get in a room together and talk openly. That access builds relationships, clears up roadblocks and creates opportunities you simply can’t script. It’s one of the most powerful tools we have for keeping this community growing in the right direction.

Looking ahead, I tend to lean more on planning than hoping! Our long-term goals align directly with the Board’s strategic plan to build a resilient, diverse and opportunity-rich local economy. Prince William County is growing quickly — we crossed the half million resident threshold this year — and our department’s job is to ensure the commercial tax base growth is intentional, balanced and beneficial for residents and the full range of businesses that call this community home.

So we need to strengthen the systems that support entrepreneurship, elevate the assets that make us competitive and ensure our economic strategy reflects where the region — and the world — is heading.

A big part of that future is informed by the major studies now underway:

• Early in 2026, we’ll share our workforce study, which will help us understand how to build and sustain a stronger talent pipeline.
• Currently underway, our agriculture and agribusiness study will help strategize how to support and modernize our agribusiness sector while preserving history. Public engagement is needed on this study so please comment now!

Together, these studies will give us a clearer picture of our strengths, our gaps and where we can lead. The goal isn’t just to react to change — it’s to plan for it, shape it and ensure Prince William County continues to be a place where businesses thrive and residents feel the benefits.