The County Government Center in downtown Leesburg was filled Wednesday night with Loudoun’s elected officials, community leaders and staff members as Cunty Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) delivered the 2024 State of the County Address.

“The economy in Loudoun is burgeoning,” Randall said. “The staff in Loudoun is dedicated. The volunteers in Loudoun are impactful. The youth in Loudoun are thriving. The first responders in Loudoun are heroic. The businesses in Loudoun are innovative. The people of Loudoun County are passionate.”

Randall spent much of her roughly hour-long speech commending department directors, leaders in the community and advisory commission members for their work and dedication to promoting the health and welfare of Loudoun.

Among those thanked were Executive Director of Economic Development Buddy Rizer and Visit Loudoun President and CEO Beth Erickson.

“So much of our financial success can be attributed to one department and one remarkable man,” Randall said of Rizer. “… He has completely transformed how we define economic development.”

While best known for his work with data centers, Rizer’s focus also has been on diversifying the county’s economy. In pursuing that, he has often partnered with Erickson, focusing on growing Loudoun’s draw for tourists and rural economy.

Randall said the county leads Virginia in business and spending reaching over $4 billion in 2022. That same year local wineries and breweries served one million visitors and garnered over $48 million in revenue. Hotels, bed and breakfasts and short-term rentals supported by the agritourism sector resulted in $4.8 million of transit occupancy tax revenues for the county during fiscal year 2025.

“Beth Erickson and her staff at Visit Loudoun can be credited for not only bringing in millions of revenue to Loudoun, but also showcasing the multitude of amenities of our incredible county,” Randall said.

Randall also touted several of the board’s accomplishments over its past term, including finalizing a zoning ordinance rewrite, lowering the real property tax rate, lowering the personal property tax rate, realizing an unemployment rate of 2.5%, and maintaining the countys triple-A bond ratings.

She dedicated this year’s ceremony to volunteer firefighter Trevor Brown, who was killed in a Feb. 16 home explosion that injured over a dozen other firefighters.

“This State of the County is dedicated to his life, but it’s dedicated to the service of his life and the hope that that’s what all of us focus on from here on out,” she said.

Randall cited one of the greatest challenges facing the county as mental health and substance use, drawing a correlation between the two and an uptick in social media use as well as a decline in physical exercise.

“In 2010, our nation began to see a marked increase in anxiety disorders, depression and even suicideology, especially amongst our youth. Unfortunately, Loudoun was not immune to that phenomenon,” she said.

She cited author and social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, who said the use of cell phones, particularly by youth, leads to less sleep, more anxiety, social comparison, agitation and perfectionism.

“That’s the bad news. That’s the challenge,” Randall said. “However, there is some good news or at least there is a reasonable response to this crisis. Just as it is true for physical health conditions, the answers to mental and behavioral health conditions are not monolithic.”

She said behavior changes —such as limited screen time, choosing to get fresh air and physical exercise—are part of the solution and praised the county’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department for creating places where residents can do just that.

“The staff of the parks and rec department can have an essential role in promoting comprehensive mental health wellness. In Loudoun, our parks and rec department led by the ever-present Steve Torpy, continues to advocate for more opportunities to increase our green and open spaces,” Randall said.

The chair also said the county would continue to focus on providing affordable housing.

“The nation’s housing shortage is reaching crisis levels,” she said. “And that is especially true in the metropolitan Washington area.”

Since she took office in 2017, county officials have approved 1,025 affordable housing units for families earning between 30 and 60% of the median area income, which has risen above $167,000 a year. The county has also received nearly $290 million in additional investments supporting attainable housing.

She praised her fellow board members for passing the Unmet Housing Needs Strategic Plan in 2021 and said, despite the opposition by neighbors of proposed developments, the county would continue to welcome new homes.

“To be clear, we will welcome new friends and neighbors to Loudoun County,” she said.

The ceremony also included a performance by the TLC Dance Studio, the National Anthem sung by Indi Makeyzo and the Pledge of Allegiance led by Sterling Volunteer Fire Company President Karam Marshaal.

“It is you,” Randall told the audience at the conclusion of her speech. “It is the people you have met tonight who are the soul of our successes and reason so many people believe in the possibility of Loudoun County.”