Homegrown Developers Experience Brings Housing Expertise to Southern Virginia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 22, 2026

CONTACT
Michaela Parris
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Homegrown Developers Experience Brings Housing Expertise to Southern Virginia

One-day regional event will make stops in Martinsville, Danville, and South Boston

Southern VA - Locus, in partnership with LISC Virginia and Virginia Housing, will host the Homegrown Developers Experience on September 24. The one-day regional event will connect current and aspiring developers with housing experts who can help them move their projects forward.

The experience comes as Southern Virginia continues to see new investment and job growth. As that momentum builds, the region also needs more housing and more local developers prepared to take on projects in their own communities.

The experience will travel through Martinsville, Danville, and South Boston. Instead of a traditional conference, each stop will bring practical conversations directly to the communities where housing development is needed.

"Southern Virginia's growth is creating new opportunity, but housing has to be part of that story," said Natalie Davis, Community Market Lead for Southern Virginia at Locus. "This experience is about bringing expertise closer to home and making sure local developers can connect with the resources and relationships they need to participate in the region's future."

The day begins in Martinsville from 8:30 to 10 a.m. with Building Over Breakfast, featuring Zack Miller, Director of VCDC Development Works. A 12:30 to 2 p.m. Lunch & Learn in Danville will feature Chris McNamara of Virginia Housing and Tory McGowan of the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.

The experience concludes in South Boston with a 4 to 5 p.m. sneak preview tour of The Rook Hotel construction project, followed by a 5:30 to 7 p.m. Mindset Mixer with The Rook Hotel's Managing Partners Karie and Julian Brittano.

Throughout the day, Richmond-based developer Tavaris McCoy, founder of The Real McCoy Companies, will share More Than a Deal, a short presentation about his path as a housing developer and the lessons he has learned while developing more than 1,000 housing units.

Participants may attend one session or join the full-day experience. The event is designed for current and aspiring developers and others working to expand housing opportunities across Southern Virginia. Registration is free and available here.

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About Locus
Locus is a $412 million nonprofit and parent organization for a family of social enterprises, which includes Locus Bank, Locus Impact Fund, Locus Capital, and the Community Investment Guarantee Pool, or CIGP. Locus Bank and Locus Impact Fund are certified community development financial institutions (CDFIs). The mission of Locus is to create access to capital by developing community partnerships and innovative tools that tackle systemic challenges and advance opportunities. Locus offers impact-driven solutions including lending, banking, guarantee design and management, and capital ecosystem coordination. Locus works with each community to build investment strategies that lift their assets and meet their unique needs. To date, Locus has achieved $4 billion in total impact across the affordable housing, clean energy, food systems, and small business sectors. To learn more, visit locusimpact.org.