Richard Charles Holmquist dies

When Richard Charles Holmquist was hired from 1961 to 1964 to study Virginia's economic prospects, he decided that the state, though offering one of the best investment situations in the nation, "was a sleeping giant."

As a consultant to the governor's office and the state on bringing in technology, foreign trade and growth, and as executive director of the private Virginia Industrialization Group, he offered advice on waking up the giant.

Mr. Holmquist, who laid much of the groundwork for the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, died Dec. 3, his 93rd birthday, at an assisted-living facility in Richmond.

The retired business executive, who grew up on a farm in his native Lake County, Ind., will be remembered at a memorial service Jan. 3 at 10:30 a.m. at River Road Presbyterian Church, 8960 River Road. His remains will be placed in the church columbarium.

"He was very straightforward and knew exactly what would get results," said J. Frank Alspaugh, former director of the Virginia Division of Industrial Development, the forerunner of the economic development partnership.

Mr. Holmquist's advice included:

• Producing the means to educate many more skilled workers and semi-professional technicians, because that segment of the state's workforce was "not up to the standards expected by industrial prospects." He was instrumental in formation of the Virginia community college system to help meet this goal.



• Building an east-west expressway, new
coliseum, civic center, as well as health, vocational and educational facilities to "help [Richmond] grow out of the 19th century image and move it forward."


• Promoting Virginia vigorously in other states and abroad.



• Expanding the number of parks, playgrounds, museums and other cultural and recreational amenities because they are "an important adjunct to modern living" and promote them as a way to draw businesses concerned about employee quality of life.

"One of Dick's strong recommendations was that we set up a permanent international group within the division," Alspaugh said. "We wanted to establish a group that sought [foreign] investments" in Virginia.

Mr. Holmquist did the initial planning and exploratory work for the state's foreign trade missions.

"We had less than 10 foreign-related companies operating in Virginia in 1967. Now there are more than 700. It's amazing," Alspaugh said.

Mr. Holmquist earned a business administration degree from Indiana University in 1937 and served in the Navy during World War II.

Working for General Electric Co. since graduation, he became its consultant in 1953 for determining criteria for locating new plants. He surveyed scores of cities around the nation while assisting in locating new plants.

After his stint in Virginia, he became an executive for Lone Star Industries and then retired as president of the American Mining Congress during the early 1980s.

During the Ford administration, he served as chairman of the federal Renegotiation Board, which handles billions of dollars in primarily defense department contracts.

Mr. Holmquist was former vice chairman of the Virginia Health Council, a former member of the Richmond Symphony's board of directors and a former director of the Richmond Technology and Enterprise Center.

Survivors include his wife of 67 years, Sarah Jennings Holmquist; two sons, Richard C. Holmquist Jr. of Paris, and Robert J. Holmquist of Richmond; a brother, Donald J. Holmquist of Indianapolis; three sisters, Jeanne Carlton of San Diego, Caryl Holmquist of Seattle and Marjorie Wolf of St. Joseph, Mich.