Economic Development Is Ali MacIntyre’s Middleburg Mantra

Economic Development Is Ali MacIntyre’s Middleburg Mantra

Ali MacIntyre at the Middleburg town office

By Emma Boyce

For Ali MacIntyre, all roads ended up leading to Middleburg.

Long before the Hampton Roads native joined the town as its new Director of Business Development and Community Partnerships, MacIntyre found her life constantly edging toward hunt country. For five years, she managed the Briar Patch Bed & Breakfast Inn just outside town. Despite living in Leesburg, she was married at the Mt. Defiance cider barn, one of Middleburg’s many attractions.

“Middleburg has been such an integral part of my life since I moved to Northern Virginia eight years ago,” said MacIntyre, a Virginia Tech graduate with a concentration in business management, hospitality and tourism management. “Being here with my family and having that peace of mind and feeling of safety during the pandemic should have been a cue that my heart has been here in Middleburg the whole time.”

Prior to assuming her role for the town of Middleburg in September, MacIntyre worked as the Member Relations Manager at the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce. With years of experience under her belt and an unmatched optimism, her first point of business in Middleburg was to simply get to know the town, its businesses, and its traditions.

“I’m currently focused on building relationships and getting to know the Middleburg business community, so I can learn their existing needs and goals for success,” she said. “The people and the businesses that I’ve already met have shown that they’re fiercely passionate about protecting the history and the life of Middleburg. Preservation of tradition and history is part of the Middleburg charm. I’m looking to see what else can be a part of the town, what would fit in, and complement what’s already here.”

In exploring the town and visiting local business owners, MacIntyre has gotten to know some of the pillars of the community. She’s walked the beat with Chief of Police AJ. Panebianco. Punkin Lee, the unofficial Middleburg historian, has shown her the ins and outs of town. She’s even spent a morning with the Piedmont hounds.

“As a community, Middleburg is a really inclusive, welcoming place and we are trying to convey that message,” said MacIntyre. “One of our primary goals is to posit Middleburg as the place to visit in Northern Virginia, whether you’re a local that needs to get away from the busy city life to enjoy a day at one of our wineries, breweries or cideries, or just a traveler that has yet to the explore the luxury and authenticity that Middleburg has to offer. There’s something for everybody here.”

As Covid wanes, events that had been downsized or even canceled during the pandemic will see a revival, including Oktoberfest, Art in the Burg, and the much anticipated Christmas parade on December 4. This year, not even Santa’s sleigh makes the cut without a parking pass.

In 2022, MacIntyre also plans to partner with local and county-wide organizations to provide resources for businesses in town, including educational workshops and seminars.

“Middleburg has fully taken me under its wing and embraced me,” she said. And when MacIntyre thinks about what she and the town will accomplish together, she knows it will be something special. Most of all, she’s grateful for the opportunity. Ali MacIntyre at the Middleburg town office