November 2020 – For The Record

Eastern Virginia

The offshore wind industry could create up to 5,200 jobs in Virginia (with a majority in Hampton Roads), generating an estimated $740 million in total economic activity during the next several years, according to an economic impact analysis released in late September by the Hampton Roads Alliance. Dominion Energy Inc. recently completed installation of the first two turbines in federal waters as part of its Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. The next phase will be the start of an $8 billion, 2.6-gigawatt commercial operation, enough to power about 660,000 homes (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Work can now start on the long-awaited Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion, the Virginia Department of Transportation said in September. The department issued a notice to proceed to Hampton Roads Connector Partners, the joint venture in charge of construction for the $3.8 billion project, which will add twin two-lane tunnels next to the existing bridge-tunnel, as well as widen Interstate 64. Interstate and tunnel work on the 9.9-mile corridor can begin, VDOT said, and the venture received all necessary state and federal permits to start construction along I-64 and in waterways. (The Virginian-Pilot)

Old Dominion University became the first research university in the country to launch a cybersecurity school offering interdisciplinary degree programs for both undergraduate and graduate students, it announced in October. The university is expanding its existing Center for Cybersecurity Education and Research into the School of Cybersecurity. Jobs in the field are growing faster on average than all other occupations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and last year, tech research firm Cybersecurity Ventures projected there will be 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs globally by 2021. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

President Donald Trump visited the Newport News/Williamsburg Airport in late September for a rally, but Virginia health officials found no direct connections between recent confirmed COVID-19 cases and the event, which drew thousands of attendees. The president and Vice President Mike Pence did not wear masks, and neither did many audience members. Trump and first lady Melania Trump both tested positive for the coronavirus, the president announced via Twitter about a week later. (Daily Press; The Washington Post)

In January 2021, North Carolina college administrator Towuanna Porter Brannon will become the next president of Thomas Nelson Community College. She will be the second woman and ninth permanent president of the school. She serves as vice president of student services at Mitchell Community College in Statesville, North Carolina. Brannon has a doctorate from Fordham University and bachelor’s and master’s degrees from St. John’s University. TNCC has been led by interim president Gregory DeCinque since January. (Daily Press)

Dr. Thomas Kayrouz was named president and chief medical officer of Riverside Medical Group, part of Newport News-based Riverside Health System. Kayrouz, who will oversee more than 600 medical providers and 100 practice sites, was most recently the executive vice president and chief physician executive for AnMed Health in South Carolina. He also has held leadership roles at Sentara Healthcare and Carilion Clinic. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Suffolk City Manager Patrick Roberts resigned effective Oct. 2. Roberts, a Portsmouth native, served in the role for five years, and he previously served as deputy city manager and an assistant planning department director. Roberts, whose contract was renewed last year, did not disclose his plans. Albert Moor was appointed interim city manager. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Shenandoah Valley

The $59 million rehabilitation plans for the Augusta County Courthouse were released in early October. The project includes the 1901 courthouse and the Echols Building (buildings that were completed by Staunton architect T.J. Collins). The historic exterior of the courthouse will be preserved under the project plan. In 2016, an initiative to build a new courts complex in Verona, which would satisfy space needs at a lower cost than building a Staunton facility, was put to voters in a failed referendum. Since then, it’s been four years of back and forth with plans between the county and the city of Staunton. (News Leader)

Front Royal Town Council in early October started drafting a resolution urging Valley Health and Anthem to work out a new health insurance contract before the end of the year. If Valley Health drops Anthem as an accepted insurance provider, then people with Anthem coverage would need to go to Northern Virginia, Charlottesville, Harrisonburg or elsewhere to find doctors who accept Anthem. Approximately 40,000 people in the Valley Health “monopoly” region will lose their Anthem health and medical insurance coverage if the two parties do not agree on a new contract. (The Northern Virginia Daily)

Mount Crawford-based logistics, transportation and development firm InterChange Group became part owner of the Shenandoah Valley Railroad in mid-September. The 20.2-mile, privately owned railroad runs from Pleasant Valley to Staunton, connecting railroads owned by Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation. InterChange is a minority partner in the operation, which is also run by Shenandoah Rail Co. and Valley Rail Service. Last year, InterChange opened a cold storage facility in the county with plans for a railway spur, which is now under construction. (Daily News-Record)

James Madison University on Oct. 5 returned to a mix of in-person, hybrid and online learning after JMU closed its campus and moved to virtual instruction in early September as the result of increasing COVID-19 cases. The university put extra precautions in place for the reopening, including surveillance testing, quadrupling quarantine/isolation space, capping classes at 50 people and canceling fall break. (news release)

Poultry producer Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. announced in mid-September it will invest $350,000 in Broadway and Timberville to fund upgrades to both towns’ parks and to build an outdoor classroom for Plains District Elementary School. The funding will also provide $5,000 grants to Broadway High School, Fulks Run Elementary School, J. Frank Hillyard Middle School, John C. Myers Elementary School and Lacey Springs Elementary School, as well as a $10,000 grant to the Timberville Fire Department. (Daily News-Record)

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in late September awarded Valley Health $745,255 in federal CARES Act funding for its suicide prevention program at Winchester Medical Center. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on mental health, according to Valley Health, with the northern Shenandoah Valley region having one of the highest suicide rates in Virginia. The project includes access to prevention interventions, risk assessment, treatment, psychiatric care, care transitions and domestic violence services. (The Winchester Star)

James Madison University announced in late September that it had hired Brent Lewis as the university’s inaugural associate vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion. Lewis works in JMU’s Division of Student Affairs and leads the Office of Disability Services; Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression; and the Center for Multicultural Student services. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Northern Virginia

In September, Amazon.com Inc. purchased the Residence Inn by Marriott in Pentagon City, with plans to demolish it and expand its second headquarters. Acorn Development LLC, an Amazon subsidiary, paid $148.5 million for the building and its 1.5-acre site at 550 Army Navy Drive from an affiliate of the Blackstone Group Inc., according to county records. The purchase means that Amazon now controls the entire 11.6-acre square block known as PenPlace, Arlington County’s largest undeveloped lot.  Amazon officials have previously hinted that PenPlace would allow for experimental open space concepts. (Washington Business Journal)

Tysons-based Fortune 500 IT services company DXC Technology completed the sale of its U.S. State and Local Health and Human Services business to private equity firm Veritas Capital for $5 billion in early October. The transaction forms a new company called Gainwell Technologies, which will operate as a standalone firm with more than 7,500 employees. It will focus on Medicaid management information systems, fiscal agent services, care management, immunization registry and eligibility services. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Morgan Stanley announced in early October that it had won regulatory approval to complete its $13 billion acquisition of Arlington-based online brokerage E-Trade Financial Corp. In late July, E-Trade said that more than 99% of its stockholders had approved the purchase, one of the largest buys of a Virginia company in recent years. In February, the companies indicated that the deal would add approximately $56 billion of low-cost deposits, and Morgan Stanley’s wealth and investment management services will contribute 57% of the firm’s pre-tax profits. E-Trade has more than 5 million client accounts and $360 billion in client assets. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

The Metro Board of Directors is considering $200 million in spending cuts to maintain a balanced budget if federal CARES Act funding runs out, which could lead to service cuts, shorter hours and layoffs. In September, the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority board estimated that it will deplete its federal funding by the end of the year. Ridership and revenue have dropped as much as 90% on some lines, and fare revenue typically accounts for about 28% of Metro’s operating budget. Before making permanent changes, the board asked customers and residents to provide feedback during a public comment period. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Microsoft Corp. acquired 46 acres in western Prince William County in October, likely for a future data center or data center campus. The tech giant followed up its $93.7 million purchase in August of 66 acres in southern Loudoun County with the $29 million purchase of 11314 Balls Ford Road in Manassas, according to public records. The site sits between Interstate 66 and Balls Ford Road and is zoned explicitly for data centers. The seller is listed as Stonebridge Acquisitions LLC, which has an address that matches that of Scott Plank’s War Horse Cities in Baltimore. The LLC acquired the property in February 2019 for $12 million. (Washington Business Journal)

Roanoke/New River Valley

By the end of the year, an estimated 1,400 Botetourt County residents should be connected to reliable, high-speed internet, enabling rural households to have access to educational, health and business information. County officials on Sept. 22 allocated $2.9 million in CARES Act funding toward new broadband projects. In 2017, a county study found that less than three-quarters of Botetourt County homes have access to high-speed internet. The money will enable the county to connect about 80% of homes.
(The Fincastle Herald)

The 979-acre RiverStone Ranch in Buchanan was scheduled to go to auction on Oct. 28. The Botetourt County estate, which has remained in private ownership for more than 200 years, includes more than 2 miles of James River frontage for canoeing, fishing and floating and a fully furnished three-bedroom, two-bathroom log cabin. It also includes access to a skeet range designed by Virginia Tech’s clay/skeet shooting club and more than 7 miles of hiking and ATV mountain trails. The terms of the auction included a 5% buyer’s premium added to the final bid price and an immediate 10% earnest money deposit of the total contract price. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Blacksburg Town Council in mid-October approved a cable franchise for Shenandoah Telecommunications Co. (Shentel) that will allow the company to bring home internet and television services to the town. Comcast has been the town’s leading cable and internet provider since the mid-2000s when it took over the franchise that previously belonged to the now-defunct Adelphia. While Shentel needs to offer television as an option with the franchise, the success of its business plan in Blacksburg leans heavily on the broadband service. Comcast’s cable internet service to the home is available in approximately 91% of at least one Blacksburg zip code. (The Roanoke Times)

The U.S. Department of Commerce in late September awarded nearly $1 million in grant funding to the Valleys Innovation Council (VIC) for its Regional Accelerator and Mentoring Program (RAMP), which helps to grow startup companies. VIC will receive $982,442 for programming aimed to support tech, health and life sciences startups in the New River Valley, Roanoke Valley, Allegheny Highlands and greater Lynchburg regions. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

The Virginia Tech Foundation announced in late September it has acquired priority access licenses for the newly available Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) — a range of radio frequencies that allows for fast communication between devices in controlled network areas with minimal competition for bandwidth. Virginia Tech’s licenses include four 10 MHz blocks in Montgomery County and another four blocks in adjoining Craig County. Virginia Tech researchers can use these to conduct research in such areas as wireless communications, cyberphysical systems, telehealth, smart farming, smart cities and more, in many cases building their own private 4G/5G networks to conduct their work. (Virginia Tech Daily)

Tourism revenue in the Roanoke Valley was up in 2019, marking a 10th consecutive year of record growth. The U.S. Travel Association reported $920 million in direct travel expenditures in the region last year, a 3% increase over the prior year. Tourism also generated more than 8,000 jobs and $66 million in state and local taxes, according to regional tourism group Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge. Last year’s tourism growth was attributed to new hotels and restaurants, an uptick in sports tournaments, more meetings and conferences and additional transportation options. (The Roanoke Times)

Central Virginia

Former Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Kirk Cox inched closer to running for governor next year by filing paperwork with the state in late September to establish a campaign committee. The veteran Republican delegate from Colonial Heights, who has been publicly weighing a bid since August, filed a statement of organization with the Department of Elections. In a written statement, Cox said he would not formally enter the race until after the presidential election, but added that the General Assembly’s ongoing special session had given him further motivation to run. Currently, state Sen. Amanda Chase is the only declared candidate for the Republican nomination for governor. (The Washington Post)

Liberty University paid Jerry Falwell Jr. two years’ base salary as severance in late September, a month after Falwell resigned as president and chancellor of the Lynchburg-based private Christian university. Falwell stepped down under a barrage of international media coverage of his alleged role in a sex scandal involving his wife’s admitted affair with a former pool attendant the couple befriended. Although Falwell maintained he was owed $10.5 million in severance in earlier media reports, Liberty officials said that number was incorrect, although it did not divulge the specific amount paid. In 2018, Falwell’s base pay was $1.09 million, according to financial disclosure forms. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Gov. Ralph Northam and first lady of Virginia Pamela Northam tested positive for COVID-19 in September, after an employee in their residence came down with the virus. Although the governor said he had no symptoms and the first lady’s case was mild, they quarantined for 10 days in late September and early October. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

The State Corporation Commission denied Gov. Ralph Northam’s Oct. 1 request to extend a moratorium on utility disconnections by another seven weeks, leaving thousands of Virginians behind on their utility bills facing disconnection. Lawmakers remained divided on how much debt forgiveness will be offered to indebted customers and who will pay for it, according to spending plans approved by the General Assembly during a special session in Richmond. The SCC’s decision came just hours before Senate lawmakers approved revisions to the state budget. The Senate allocated $11.2 million for the issue, while the House budgeted $28.4 million. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

The day before Virginia’s absentee ballots were set to begin being distributed in late September, the Supreme Court of Virginia denied an appeal from Kanye West’s presidential campaign, a last-ditch effort by the rapper and producer to appear on this year’s general election ballots. He previously was disqualified by a Richmond Circuit judge who ruled that 11 of West’s 13 elector oaths were obtained by “fraudulent and/or misleading means,” or are otherwise invalid. However, some ballots were already printed by the early September ruling, so West’s name does appear on them — although votes for him will not be valid. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Ronald A. Crutcher, president of the University of Richmond, announced in late September he plans to step down by July 1, 2022. Following his term as president, which began in 2015, he and his wife, Betty, plan to travel to Berlin for a sabbatical year and he will then return to the university as a professor. A world-renowned musician, the Cincinnati native was the first cellist to receive a doctor of musical arts degree from Yale. Before coming to Richmond, he was president of Wheaton College. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Southwest Virginia

Bristol Virginia City Council allocated an additional $200,000 for small businesses impacted by COVID-19, bringing the total to $300,000. As of late September, local businesses had requested about $248,000 in grants, which were restricted to businesses operating in the city with 10 or fewer employees. Monies are dispensed through the city’s Industrial Development Authority, and the city is required to expend all the federal funding by Dec. 30 or return it. If any planned city orders appear unlikely to be filled this fall, some of that money could also be directed to assist businesses. (Bristol Herald Courier)

The GO Virginia Region One council announced in early October that GO Virginia’s state board approved $485,000 for Project Intersection, which will create industrial sites on a 188-acre former mine site northeast of the U.S. 23 and U.S. 58 interchange in Norton. Project Intersection will provide four sites ready for industrial tenants. The project is projected to help create 100 jobs by 2023 and 500 jobs by 2028. (The Coalfield Progress)

Hitachi ABB Power Grids will invest $6.2 million to upgrade equipment and increase manufacturing capacity at its operations in Bland County, where it is the county’s largest private-sector employer. The expansion will add 40 jobs, Gov. Ralph Northam announced in late September. The company designs and manufactures medium voltage dry-type power transformers used to adjust and stabilize the voltage of electricity flowing between the electric grid and businesses, homes and factories. Hitachi employs 800 people throughout Virginia, with approximately 332 working at its Bland County facility. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Due to its land availability, geothermal cooling opportunities and workforce readiness and development, Southwest Virginia could be an attractive data center destination, according to the Project Oasis study conducted by OnPoint Development Strategies and released in early October by InvestSWVA. A large data center located in the region could create more than 2,000 jobs during construction, 40 direct and 59 additional permanent jobs, the study found, with $233 million in economic activity generated during construction and more than $50 million in annual economic activity once operations begin. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Mountain Empire Community College in late September announced that most of its spring 2021 courses will be held online to protect the safety of students and staff. Programs such as welding, manufacturing, commercial driver’s training, construction, HVAC and others will be configured for smaller class sizes to allow for social distancing. For students enrolled in health programs, such as practical and registered nursing, respiratory therapy and others, the college will ensure that students have the necessary personal protective equipment to complete coursework and practicums. (The Coalfield Progress)

The Virginia Aviation Board in late September allocated nearly $1 million to support Virginia Highlands Airport, Tazewell County Airport and Mountain Empire Airport. Virginia Highlands Airport in Abingdon will receive $490,196 for taxi lane and roadway pavement rehabilitation. An additional $342,831 will be used for land acquisition associated with a runway extension. Tazewell County Airport will receive $16,000 for construction of a maintenance equipment building. Mountain Empire Airport will receive $6,282 for security camera replacement. (Bristol Herald Courier)

Southern Virginia

A contract that provided 17% of Danville’s electricity will end this year, and its impact on customers is uncertain. The contract, a 21.5-megawatt power block from Morgan Stanley, was adopted by the city at a trading hub in 2009, when electric rates were projected to be higher. That was also before the emergence of a large supply of natural gas on the market that drove down electric rates. The six-year agreement, which started in January 2015, locked the city into rates higher than might have been available, but at least one member of the Danville Utility Commission is doubtful customers will see much, if any, savings in their utility bills. “The cost of power is going up everywhere,” said Gary Miller, Danville’s vice mayor. “I get the impression if we can just hold
the line, it will be a victory.” (Danville Register & Bee)

In October, the Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce announced a partnership with the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service and the Charlottesville-based Tom Tom Foundation to launch NextGen: Southern Virginia, a virtual learning and networking program for Dan River Region leaders. Thirteen local participants were named to take part in Tom Tom’s Fall 2020 Cities Rising Virtual Summit, which focused on the impacts of the pandemic and the movement for racial justice. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

The Halifax County Board of Supervisors finalized a $1.29 million agreement with Empower Broadband, a subsidiary of Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative that is bringing ultra-high-speed, fiber-to-the-home service to thousands of households in Halifax and nearby counties. Halifax’s latest agreement, approved in October, calls for Empower to lay nearly 30 miles of new fiber broadband infrastructure, passing 571 homes and businesses. Basic service would be 50 megabytes per second, with 1 gigabyte service available. It’s funded with $4.3 million in federal CARES Act money, and the project is expected to be complete no later than March 31, 2021. (SoVaNow)

A teenager in the Southside Health District, which covers Brunswick, Halifax and Mecklenburg counties, was the first person under 19 to die from the COVID-19 virus in the state, the Virginia Department of Health reported in September. Officials did not disclose further information about the teen due to privacy restrictions and out of respect for the patient’s family. As of Oct. 15, the health district reported 1,687 virus cases and 46 deaths. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

If you feel a breeze, it might be from a bus with a new service providing transportation throughout Virginia that begins and ends in Martinsville. A second new line is also being added in Danville. Virginia Breeze Bus Lines began service in the commonwealth at the end of 2017, and the new routes went into service in August. The buses, which run seven days a week, have stops in Danville, South Boston, Farmville, Richmond and Washington, D.C. A return service ends in Martinsville at 7:40 p.m. each evening. (Martinsville Bulletin)

Xavier J. Warren, who was born in Danville and raised in Pittsylvania County, is the latest Democratic candidate to join the 2021 race for lieutenant governor. He’s a partner in a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying firm that helps nonprofits secure federal grants. A former football player for Dan River High School and Hampton University, he’s also an agent for NFL football players, working for the Washington office of Ohio-based HOF Player Representatives. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

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