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Recent Articles from April Thompson
Party City closing all 800 U.S. stores, including 20 in Va.
Party City let the air out of the room Friday, as its CEO told corporate employees that they would soon be closing down all of the retailer’s 800-some party supply stores across the country, and that Friday would be corporate staffers’ final day of employment, according to a CNN report. That means 20 Party City […]
GDIT wins $5.57B contract to upgrade military communications system
Falls Church-based General Dynamics Information Technology, a business unit of Reston Fortune 100 defense contractor General Dynamics, has won a $5.57 billion contract from the Air Force Mission Partner Capabilities Office, it announced Friday. Awarded in November, the single-award, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract has a five-year base period and a five-year option, according to G[...]
Smithfield to form new hog production company ahead of IPO
Smithfield Foods has inked a deal with VisionAg, an affiliate of North Carolina’s HD3 Farms, to start a new hog production business early next year as the meat producer gears up to go public, the company announced Friday. Smithfield, a giant in packaged meats and pork products, will provide 28,000 sows to the new company, […]
Capital One, Discover clear hurdles for $35.3B megadeal
Announced in February, McLean-based Capital One Financial’s proposed $35.3 billion acquisition of Discover Financial Services is moving forward, with stockholders’ votes scheduled early next year, the credit card giants announced this week. Capital One also announced Thursday it received approval from the Office of the Delaware State Bank Commissioner on Wednesday to complete the purch[...]
World’s first commercial fusion power plant planned for Chesterfield
Commonwealth Fusion Systems, a Massachusetts-based fusion energy company, plans to build the world’s first grid-scale commercial fusion power plant in Chesterfield County, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Tuesday. “It’s a nearly $3 billion capital investment, paying taxes, and it’s a bunch of really high-tech jobs,” Garrett Hart, Chesterfield’s director of economi[...]
Youngkin proposes eliminating tax on tips in Va. budget
Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Monday a budget proposal to exempt service tips from Virginia’s state income tax, an idea that’s gained bipartisan support federally. In a statement, Youngkin said that Virginians who receive tips — hair stylists, restaurant workers, bellhops and other service industry professionals — would benefit from being able to claim deductions on […]
Business Facilities names Virginia 2024 State of the Year
Business Facilities has named Virginia its 2024 State of the Year, recognizing the state’s business environment and economic development success, the publication announced Monday. The award comes in the same year as Virginia’s sixth No. 1 ranking as CNBC’s Top State for Business, awarded in July. Virginia previously won Business Facilities’ State of the Year […]
Va. plays key role in McKinsey $650M opioid settlement
Global management firm McKinsey & Co. filed an agreement in Virginia on Friday to pay the federal government $650 million in a five-year deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice focused on opioid abuse. The Virginia attorney general’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) collaborated with U.S. attorney’s offices in the Western District of […]
Micron gets $275M in federal funding for Manassas expansion
Micron Technology is set to receive up to $275 million in federal funding to expand its manufacturing plant in Manassas, U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine announced Tuesday. The U.S. Department of Commerce has signed a preliminary, nonbinding agreement for the funding as part of the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, legislation Warner co-wrote. […]
Earle-Sears, Spanberger talk biz credentials in Va. Chamber forum appearances
They didn’t meet face-to-face, but the presumptive Republican and Democratic nominees for Virginia’s 2025 governor race addressed the same audience Friday at the 2024 Virginia Economic Summit and Forum on International Trade in Richmond. Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the frontrunner for the GOP nomination, spoke just after 9 a.m. at the event co-sponsored by the […]
Statewide home sales, inventories rise in November
The fall 2024 housing market has outpaced the fall 2023 market across the commonwealth, according to statewide November sales data released Dec. 20 by Virginia Realtors. “For two months in a row now, Virginia has seen double-digit growth in closed sales,” Ryan Price, the trade organization’s chief economist, stated in a news release. In November, […]
Martinsville real estate, building supply firm names new president
The Lester Group has appointed Dana Cowart president, the Martinsville-based building materials and real estate development company announced Monday. Cowart started his new job Dec. 1. Cowart brings to The Lester Group more than two decades of experience in the building supply sector. Previously, Cowart was vice president of acquisitions, vice president of sales and […]
Big tech company to buy power from Va.’s first onshore wind farm
Even as political winds shift in Washington, D.C., a long-delayed onshore wind farm in Botetourt County might finally be sailing to completion. Charlottesville-based Apex Clean Energy announced Wednesday that it has reached a deal for Google to purchase the full capacity of Rocky Forge Wind, a wind farm the Charlottesville company has been working to […]
Hundreds pack into Caesars Virginia on opening day
Hundreds of people descended upon Danville’s Main Street Tuesday to celebrate the opening of the $800 million Caesars Virginia, the third permanent casino to open in the state. Caesars didn’t shortchange on spectacle for the first day. A faux Roman legionary struggled to climb out of a Rolls-Royce to join Vegas-style showgirls and others for […]
Following public outcry, Roanoke developer pulls rezoning application
It’s looking like the Old Poage Farm property, which today sits next to U.S. 221 in Roanoke County, will remain farmland a while longer. The land was settled in the mid-1700s when King George III deeded hundreds of acres to Col. Robert Poage, but most recently, the property was proposed as a site for a […]
McLean’s QinetiQ US expands to Huntsville, Alabama
QinetiQ US, a McLean security and defense contractor, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday to celebrate its expansion into Huntsville, Alabama. Known as “The Rocket City” for its role in the country’s development of space exploration, Huntsville is home to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, which is located at the Redstone Arsenal. Originally established to make [&helli[...]
ECS Federal wins $96M award to support health research funding agency
A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services agency has named ECS Federal as the prime contractor on a four-year, $96 million contract to provide support services, the Fairfax County IT business announced Tuesday. The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) was created in 2022 to improve the government’s ability to quickly develop biomedical […]
Amid financial concerns, Averett University names new leadership
Averett University announced Wednesday that its board has appointed David Joyce as its 15th president. Tiffany Franks, who has served nearly 17 years as president of the Danville private university, will retire Jan. 5, 2025. The leadership change comes following months of headlines about the school’s financial woes and cost-saving measures like staff furloughs and […]
Breeden VP returns from retirement
Retired Breeden Co. executive Barry Tomlin has rejoined the Virginia Beach real estate development and property management company as its vice president of customer service and marketing, The Breeden Co. announced Dec. 5. Tomlin initially joined Breeden in 2007, working as vice president of property management at the time of his 2022 retirement. In his […]
Caesars delays Danville casino’s opening by 5 days
The $750 million Caesars Virginia resort in Danville will host grand opening festivities on Dec. 17 instead of Dec. 12 as previously announced, Nevada’s Caesars Entertainment announced Friday afternoon. On hand will be retired Chicago Bulls basketball star and five-time NBA champion Dennis Rodman, who will lead a parade of race cars supplied by Virginia […]
Leidos lands $987M Air Force contract
Leidos has won an up to $987 million Air Force contract to provide sustainment support for F-16 Foreign Military Sales customers, the Reston-based Fortune 500 federal contractor announced Thursday. The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a supersonic multirole fighter aircraft used for air-to-air combat and air-to-surface attack. General Dynamics initially developed the F-16 before selling its […]
Dollar Tree makes interim CEO permanent
Dollar Tree’s interim CEO, Michael C. Creedon Jr., is now the Fortune 500 discount retailer’s permanent CEO. The Chesapeake company announced the board of directors’ appointment on Thursday. Creedon joined Dollar Tree in 2022 as chief operating officer and was appointed interim CEO in November, after former CEO Rick Dreiling stepped down, citing health problems. […]
NoVa, Hampton Roads housing markets improve in November
The Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads housing markets in November showed signs of improvement from the same month last year, including increased home sales and selling prices. Northern Virginia Home prices and sales activity in Northern Virginia rose year-over-year last month, indicating a healthier market than the November 2023 one. November housing sales in Northern […]
JMU receives $2.5M gift for new library wing
James Madison University has received a $2.5 million gift for the new wing of its Carrier Library. Alexandria residents Stan and Rosemary Jones provided the donation, which the Harrisonburg public university announced in late November. A 1954 physics and math alumnus of what was then Madison College, Stan worked for McLean-based Mitre as an engineer […]
Richmond’s Movieland at Boulevard Square to undergo $5M glow-up
Movieland at Boulevard Square, the city of Richmond’s only first-run movie theater, is undergoing approximately $5 million in renovations and upgrades. The project, which began in October and is expected to be completed in spring 2025, represents “the most extensive enhancements to the theater since it opened in 2009,” according to a Wednesday news release. […]
Developer plans $3B data center in Appomattox County
A Connecticut developer plans to build a $3 billion data center on a 452-acre site in Appomattox County. AVAIO Digital Partners announced Tuesday it had signed an agreement with the Appomattox County Economic Development Authority to purchase the industrial site. “This project in Appomattox County exemplifies our strategy of expanding Virginia’s thriving data center industry […]
As bitcoin breaches $100K, MicroStrategy holdings, Saylor’s wealth surge
MicroStrategy, the Tysons-based tech company chaired by bitcoin whale Michael Saylor, has pursued bitcoin as an investment strategy since 2020. Now, it appears to have paid off as bitcoin breached the $100,000 threshold. Bitcoin rose above $100,000 per coin Wednesday night, after previously breaching $99,000 on Nov. 21. At 11:45 a.m. Thursday, bitcoins were trading […]
FAA certification clears way for DroneUp to scale up
Virginia Beach-based drone delivery company DroneUp has received a Federal Aviation Administration certificate that will allow it to grow its delivery operations. On Tuesday, the company announcedi t received an FAA Part 119 air carrier certificate under Part 135. The certificate allows DroneUp to carry third-party property as an air carrier and to fly drones […]
BAE Systems wins up to $238M Navy ship repair contract
Falls Church-based federal contractor BAE Systems Inc. has won a Navy contract worth up to $238.8 million to maintain, modernize and repair a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship. The Department of Defense announced the $212 million firm-fixed-price contract award, which has options that would bring its cumulative value to $238.8 million, to the U.S. […]
100 People to Meet in 2025
In our sixth annual list of 100 Virginians you’ll want to meet in the new year, you’ll encounter interesting people of many ages and occupations — from a doctor in his 80s who built the Chesapeake Care Clinic to a 10-year-old CEO who started his own popcorn business and whose parents are his employees. In […]
Raleigh-to-Richmond rail project gains steam
Preliminary construction is underway for the Richmond-to-Raleigh passenger rail project, an estimated 162-mile route along the defunct CSX Transportation S-Line corridor that will speed up travel between the capitals of North Carolina and Virginia, as well as Washington, D.C., and the Northeast U.S. “We have basically funded work to advance all of the preliminary engineering […]
Petersburg prepares for casino referendum vote
This November, Petersburg voters will decide the fate of a highly anticipated casino development that could transform the city’s struggling economy. If approved, the proposed $1.4 billion Live! Casino & Hotel Virginia project will be built on an undeveloped 100-acre site off Interstate 95, offering easy access to East Coast travelers. “I have worked for […]
Cava opens Verona production and packaging facility
Nearly three years after announcing its initial plans, Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant brand Cava has opened a production and packaging facility in Augusta County’s Mill Place Commerce Park. The company held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the facility in May. The Washington, D.C.-based company invested roughly $35 million to open the 55,000-square-foot facility to help centralize production [...]
U.S. 460 cell towers signal relief to businesses
Buchanan and Tazewell counties’ businesses will soon receive a needed signal boost, thanks to six cell towers under construction across the Route 460 corridor. The towers will increase wireless access along 20 miles of U.S. 460, from Red Ash in Tazewell to Vansant in Buchanan. It’s not a moment too soon, according to businesses that […]
Richmond region scores in sports tourism
With several new and expanded facilities across the region, the greater Richmond area has become an attractive hub for amateur sporting events, bringing in hundreds of thousands of visitors and millions of dollars in added revenue. The region’s amateur sports tourism generated $88.7 million in hospitality-related revenue in fiscal 2023, according to Jerrine Lee, vice […]
Generous Virginians 2024: A heartfelt donation
In philanthropy as in business, Dwight Schar sees the wisdom in doubling down when the stakes — and the impact — of an investment are high. In May 2023, three decades after their initial donation to the organization, Schar and his wife, Martha, made a $75 million matching gift to Falls Church-based Inova Health System. […]
Subs going Down Under
A 2021 agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States should reap benefits in Hampton Roads soon. Dubbed AUKUS for the three participating nations, the international agreement calls for the U.S. and the U.K. to share nuclear propulsion technology with Australia, with the Royal Australian Navy set to acquire at least eight nuclear-powered […]
Australian maritime co. to start sub/shipbuilding school in Hampton Roads
An Australian maritime company announced Tuesday it will set up a submarine and shipbuilding training institution in Norfolk for the short term and will seek a permanent home in Newport News. Quality Maritime Surveyors (QMS), based in the suburbs of Adelaide, Australia, is one of the pioneering companies to take the plunge into Virginia’s waters, […]
The 2024 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards
This February, during Black History Month, Virginia Business is pleased to honor 17 distinguished leaders from across the commonwealth in our second annual Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards. This year’s cohort of honorees represent industries ranging from advertising, architecture, defense contracting, finance and health care to higher education and nonprofits. Our editors chose this year[...]
Va. Ocean Plan taking shape for 2025
As coastal populations grow and traditional and novel maritime industries increase their use of the Atlantic Ocean, the state government is developing a comprehensive plan to support the coexistence of different uses of the ocean. A group of more than 100 stakeholders — including the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the Army Corps of Engineers, […]
A steady breeze
Dominion Energy’s long-anticipated $9.8 billion Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project is steadily taking shape as gigantic monopile foundations are installed in the ocean floor 27 miles off the Virginia Beach coast. This past spring, four years after two test turbines began generating power, Dominion installed the first monopile foundation for the 2.6-gigawatt offshore wind farm’s […]
Amazing race
Virginia is reaping thousands of jobs and huge tax revenues as Amazon.com revamps its U.S. delivery network. The e-commerce giant is opening major distribution centers and sorting facilities across the commonwealth as part of its nationwide strategy to get goods to consumers faster and stay one step ahead of competitors like Walmart and Target that […]
Catch a wave
Updated July 26: Chuck Rigney resigned as economic development director after six months on the job. After three decades recruiting businesses to Norfolk, Portsmouth and Hampton, Charles E. “Chuck” Rigney is tackling a new challenge: leading Virginia Beach’s economic development. Rigney was named the Resort City’s permanent economic development director in February. It was one year [&hell[...]
Rising alarm
Over the years, scientists have warned about sea-level rise, especially in Norfolk, which has the highest rate on the East Coast. “Norfolk is very flat. When you see a small increase in water levels, a wide part of land floods in response,” says Molly Mitchell, a researcher at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, which […]
Digital divide
In a relatively short time, Josh Thomas has seen the Prince William County district he represents in the Virginia House of Delegates transform from farmland and residential neighborhoods to massive buildings filled with the digital infrastructure that stores, processes and distributes huge amounts of information across the global internet, from cloud computing for businesses to […]
Seeing the sites
Despite boasting a world-class port, a highly skilled workforce and easily accessible transportation infrastructures, Hampton Roads perennially comes away empty-handed in attracting large-scale industrial developments. Chalk it up to the region’s lack of shovel-ready sites, a situation that state and local economic development and political leaders are fervently working to change. Last year, the[...]
Hydrogen catches big air in Newport News
Already home to a nascent 176-turbine wind farm off the coast of Virginia Beach, Hampton Roads is expanding its foray into the clean energy industry with the creation of a green hydrogen production facility at Newport News’ Tech Center Research Park. Last spring, the Blacksburg-based Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, which operates the 40-acre park […]
Hazelwood Farms is set to become industrial park
A 328-acre former James City County farm is set to become the largest speculative industrial project along the Interstate 64 corridor between the Port of Virginia and Richmond. Hazelwood Farms was purchased for $12 million in April by Houston-based industrial real estate firm Lovett Industrial, which plans to develop a 2.2 million-square-foot business park on […]
All in good time
For decades, the promise of economic revitalization has tantalized Southwest Virginia. The sparsely populated region, once home to booming coal mining and tobacco industries, has had money and resources thrown at it by local, state and federal governments, but it’s still had a difficult time finding its footing. As the region’s economy has declined, so […]
Beyond number crunching
Becoming a chief financial officer requires much more than just being a good accountant or number cruncher. Indeed, the Journal of Accountancy in 2023 reported a noticeable shift of the top finance officer’s job from being a “CF-No” — or someone who just pulls tight the purse strings — to the “CF-Know.” That’s a leader […]
2024 Virginia Women in Leadership Awards: Leading Ladies
For the fourth annual Women in Leadership Awards, Virginia Business hosted a photo shoot at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, where eight of this year’s winners struck poses for Richmond photographer James Lee. Given the surroundings, Lee took inspiration from the museum’s collection and other artwork in staging the photos. The results display a […]
Watercourse of study
Starting this fall, Old Dominion University students will have a new interdisciplinary school dedicated to maritime work, logistics and supply chain management — an upgrade from an earlier program offered through the Strome College of Business. In September 2023, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) approved ODU’s School of Supply Chain, Logistics, […]
Little fish, big pond
Sometimes all it takes is seeing a child watch a crab crawl across a water table for the first time, Nate Sandel has learned. The director of education and community engagement at Nauticus, Norfolk’s science and maritime museum, Sandel saw the look of awe in a fourth-grade boy’s face as he watched crabs walk right […]
Central Virginia Year-in-Review: Pumping the brakes
During the pandemic, companies began pumping the brakes on expansions out of fear of the unknown. But, using that same car-related analogy, by late 2021, they were flooring it, explains Greater Richmond Partnership President and CEO Jennifer Wakefield. And by 2022, they had kicked it into sport mode. “Now it’s shifted back into normal mode,” […]
Central Va. Big Deal: Renaissance times
Henrico County’s near West End is seeing a renaissance. For decades, the area bordering Richmond around the Willow Lawn neighborhood has been home to mostly defunct commercial projects and old homes. But a $450 million project announced in December 2023 to renovate an old Elevance Health (formerly Anthem) campus promises to bring a “transformation” to […]
2024 BEST PLACES TO WORK — LARGE EMPLOYERS WINNER: Patriot Group
In the past five years, Patriot Group International has been recognized four times as the Best Place to Work among large employers in Virginia, but that doesn’t keep company leadership from wanting to do more and do better by its employees. Participation in Best Places to Work “provides us with great insight on some of […]
2024 BEST PLACES TO WORK — SMALL EMPLOYERS WINNER: Troika Solutions
“Partners, process, technology” is the tagline of Reston-based management and technology consulting firm Troika Solutions. In addition to valuing its partnerships with its military and government clients, this service– disabled veteran-owned small business has a keen focus on its partnership with its employees, says the company’s president and CEO, Kenneth Lasure. That’s “becau[...]
100 People to Meet in 2024
Virginia is full of interesting people, and when it comes to this year’s batch of 100 people to meet for 2024, the commonwealth continues to deliver a bevy of fascinating newsmakers, professionals and go-getters worthy of your valuable networking time. In Virginia Business’ fifth annual list of people to meet in the new year, you’ll […]
Shattering the glass ceiling
The COVID-19 pandemic has been unusually difficult for professional women, especially those with young children or other responsibilities, such as caring for older family members. Many had to leave work entirely or put pursuing their career goals on the back burner during the past year while handling personal duties at home. The pandemic’s future impact […]
New dockworker strike threat looms for Port of Virginia
Shippers in Hampton Roads are bracing for a renewed dockworker strike in mid-January after contract negotiations between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance stalled in November. More than 45,000 dockworkers walked off their jobs for three days starting Oct. 1 at ports from Maine through Texas, including at the Port of […]
George Mason’s Fuse tech hub opens to public
On the third floor of George Mason University’s new state-of-the-art Fuse tech hub, robots jumped, begged, rolled over and offered a mechanical paw to shake Friday while a small drone hovered above. The endearing welcome by George Mason’s RobotiXX Lab robots offered a brief glimpse into the future for the group of academics and students […]
Mind the gap
Margaret Abrams was studying engineering at Liberty University when she came across an online job advertisement from Newport News-based Huntington Ingalls Industries. HII, Virginia’s largest industrial employer, was offering a $2,500 signing bonus to job candidates who successfully completed a 16-week computer numerical control training at the Navy’s Advanced Training in Defense Manufacturing [...]
Amazon, Dominion agree to explore nuclear development
With power consumption by data centers and AI projected to more than quadruple in Virginia in the next 15 years, Amazon.com and Dominion Energy Virginia have entered into an agreement to explore potential development of small modular nuclear reactors at North Anna Power Station in Louisa County, the two companies announced during an Oct. 16 […]
Energy storage projects slated for Greensville, Pittsylvania
Two energy storage projects proposed for Southern Virginia would help augment the area’s power capacity, diversify the region’s tax base and boost the regional economy, industry representatives say. Dominion Energy Virginia wants to build a liquified natural gas storage facility on more than 20 acres that the Richmond-based Fortune 500 utility owns next to its […]
As data centers grow, Amazon and Dominion explore small nuclear reactors
With power consumption by data centers and AI projected to more than quadruple in Virginia in the next 15 years, Amazon.com and Dominion Energy Virginia have entered into an agreement to explore potential development of small modular nuclear reactors at North Anna Power Plant in Louisa County, the two companies announced at an event Wednesday […]
A smart defense
In late 2020, the Air Force made headlines when it announced that an artificial intelligence co-pilot, named ARTUµ, helped command and control a U.S. military spy plane for the first time in history. If the name, pronounced R-2, sounds familiar, it is. Think R2-D2, or “Artoo,” Luke Skywalker’s lovable droid and X-Wing copilot from the […]
Dropping anchor
LS GreenLink USA spent two years on site selection, scouring much of the East Coast for the right location to build a 750,000-square-foot factory to manufacture subsea cables for offshore wind farms. Then it landed on Chesapeake. Patrick Shim, LS GreenLink’s managing director, cited several reasons for the company’s decision: access to the Port of […]
Growth spurts
Virginia Beach-based law firm Melone Hatley hired its first employee in spring 2021. Three years later, it now has a staff of 50 people and could reach as many as 60 by the end of this year, says Rebecca Melone, the firm’s managing partner. That growth is part of a strategy that Melone and her […]
IALR names EVP of operations
Lynchburg’s assistant city manager, John Hughes IV, has been named executive vice president of operations at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville, the institute announced Monday. Hughes started in his new role Thursday. He reports directly to IALR President Telly Tucker and serves as the institute’s chief business and operations officer. “I […]
34 Va. companies make 2022 Fortune 1000 list
Thirty-four Virginia-based companies made Fortune magazine’s 68th annual Fortune 1000 list, which was released Monday. The list ranks the 1,000 largest United States corporations by total revenue, including public companies and private companies for which revenue information is available. Twenty-one companies made the elite Fortune 500 list, including Henrico County-based convenience retail hold[...]
