Hopewell Prince George Chamber Named Top Employer for Interns

Hopewell/Prince George Chamber of Commerce Named

a 2025 Top Virginia Employer for Interns

Hopewell, Va. (April 22, 2025) – Hopewell/Prince George Chamber of Commerce (H/PG Chamber) has been named a 2025 Top Virginia Employer for Interns by the Virginia Talent + Opportunity Partnership (V-TOP). Out of 215 statewide honorees, the H/PG Chamber is the only chamber of commerce in Region 4 – and one of only two chambers in Virginia – that was recognized for this prestigious award.

“We are very proud of our track record in hiring interns that began in 2014,” said Becky McDonough, CEO of the H/PG Chamber. During the 120 hours of a typical internship at the H/PG Chamber, students are offered an experiential learning opportunity to actively participate in a wide variety of real-world business projects such as strategic planning, budgeting, content creation for social media, software evaluation, photography, and more.

McDonough shared that local area students from educational institutions throughout the Commonwealth have gotten valuable on-the-job training at the H/PG Chamber. The colleges and universities include Brightpoint Community College, Bryant & Stratton College, Christopher Newport University, JMU, Liberty University, Richard Bland College, U.Va., VCU, VMI and Virginia State University, among others.

With its close geographic proximity to Fort Gregg-Adams, the H/PG Chamber also engages military spouses like Fadoua Harrabi as interns. Harrabi met McDonough and other H/PG Chamber team members in a serendipitous encounter in 2024 at the Installation Innovation Forum in Texas, where Harrabi was attending as a Military Spouse Leadership Initiative participant with the Association of Defense Communities (ADC).

“During a group session, I stood up to make a comment and said that I was a military spouse at Fort Gregg-Adams in the Hopewell/Prince George area,” recalls Harrabi. “Afterward, Becky introduced herself to me, and ultimately, she asked if I would be interested in an internship at the Chamber to work on promoting CaRMA-VA, the Capital Region Military Alliance of Virginia. Of course, I said yes!” CaRMA-VA is Virginia’s newest military council connecting business, community and military for future success.

Harrabi knows that her experience at the H/PG Chamber from January-May 2025 will have a strong impact on whatever career path she chooses. “I have met business leaders at major corporations and have forged some great connections,” she said. “Also, I have developed new skills in communications, networking and project management. I have really enjoyed contributing to CaRMA-VA, which will celebrate its one-year anniversary in July.”

McDonough noted that she has written countless letters of reference for the talented interns who have worked at the H/PG Chamber over the past 11 years. “I’m happy to report that many of them are now employed in great full-time jobs,” she said, adding that the H/PG Chamber and the community have benefited tremendously from the interns’ contributions. “They have provided a wealth of fresh perspectives to foster community engagement and collaboration. The H/PG Chamber’s unique and immersive internship experience is truly a win-win for everyone.”

The annual Top Virginia Employers for Interns Awards celebrate Virginia employers who provide high-quality internships to college students. A full list of 2025 statewide winners can be viewed here. The Virginia Talent + Opportunity Partnership (V-TOP) is administered by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) in partnership with the Virginia Chamber of Commerce Foundation and the Virginia Business Higher Education Council. It is funded by the General Assembly’s Commonwealth Innovative Internship Fund and Program.

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Media Contact: Sara Hunt, SaraHuntPR@gmail.com, 804-994-1120