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Recent Articles from April Thompson
Buc-ee’s estimates first Va. location to open in June
Leave it to beaver — the behatted mascot of mega-travel center chain Buc-ee’s, that is. Texas-based Buc-ee’s projects it will open its first travel center in Virginia — its 74,000-square-foot Rockingham County location — on June 30, although the opening date is not set in stone, Buc-ee’s Media Coordinator Crissy Gonzales noted in an email […]
Virginians bet almost $761M on sports in Nov. 2024
Virginians bet more than $760.96 million on sports in November 2024, 19.1% more than they bet in November 2023, according to Virginia Lottery data released Tuesday. Virginia bettors won more than $674.6 million in November. About $756.76 million of November’s gross sports gaming revenues came from mobile operators, with the other $4.2 million coming from […]
Micron to invest $2.17B in Manassas expansion
Semiconductor company Micron Technology will invest up to $2.17 billion to expand its Manassas manufacturing facility, creating an expected 340 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Monday. Micron will modernize the plant at 9600 Godwin Drive to produce dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) chips for automotive, aerospace, defense and industrial markets, according to a news release from […]
Here’s NVAR’s prediction for 2025 NoVa housing market
The Northern Virginia housing market will continue to strengthen in 2025, with moderate price increases and increased market activity, according to the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors’ 2025 regional housing market forecast, produced with George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis. Examining the past year, Terry Clower, director of the Center for Regional Analysis and [&he[...]
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. […]
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[...]
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. […]
Clarke County limits solar development
Clarke County prioritizes agriculture. That’s what drives most of its policy-making as the county navigates the complexities of renewable energy development while preserving its farmland, explains County Administrator Chris Boies. In January, the county’s Board of Supervisors approved new regulations for utility-scale solar projects. Boies says the ordinance has always required solar plants to[...]
Roanoke/New River Year-in-Review: Meeting the demand
The Roanoke and New River Valley regions each had their most successful economic development year in recent history, according to John Hull, executive director of the Roanoke Regional Partnership. That’s thanks to $387 million worth of economic investments announced in 2023, potentially creating thousands of jobs. Roanoke County landed the biggest fish, with Wells Fargo […]
Roanoke/New River Valley Big Deal: Banking on Roanoke
When Roanoke County economic development officials pitched Wells Fargo on expanding its customer support center operation in the county, they emphasized how well they’d taken care of the nation’s fourth-largest bank previously and how they would continue to do so. The pitch worked. Now the bank’s $87 million expansion will be the largest commercial office […]
Addiction recovery center set to open in Dickenson County
Kentucky-based Addiction Recovery Care is expanding its addiction recovery services into Virginia. Opening in Dickenson County in early to mid-2024, Wildwood Recovery Center, ARC’s first recovery center in the state, will provide treatment for substance use disorders in a residential program allowing individuals to stay for up to one year. ARC’s mission goes beyond recovery, […]
Small biz pilot program to aid Phoebus retailers
Five small retailers in Hampton’s Phoebus downtown historic district will receive micro grants and nearly a year of free professional guidance, thanks to funding from a state grant awarded to The Retail Alliance, a nonprofit trade association in Norfolk. The Retail Alliance and the Phoebus Partnership, a nonprofit organization bolstering area small businesses, won the […]
Reddix creates hub for women entrepreneurs
Angela Reddix is making it her business to create economic opportunities for women. “That is my absolute heart’s desire — to make it easier for girls and women to have access to wealth, and that means understanding it. That means being able to see it. That means being able to be invited in rooms where […]
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 […]
ACP expands pharmacy doctoral program to Abingdon
The Appalachian College of Pharmacy has expanded its Doctor of Pharmacy program to the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon in response to increased post-pandemic demand for pharmacists. ACP aims to accommodate students from Abingdon and surrounding areas, helping to retain talent locally. Classes began at the center on Aug. 29, with 10 students in […]
Arlington residents sue over ‘missing middle’ zoning
Ten Arlington County residents filed a lawsuit against the county in April that claims Arlington’s new “missing middle” zoning ordinance was passed in March without proper notice and violates Virginia law. “Missing middle” refers to the range of options that fall between affordable housing and single-family homes, including duplexes and other higher-density residences. On March […[...]
Startup competition expands to SWVA
Rural communities need extra love when it comes to additional business resources, says Kathy Deacon, vice president of business and resource development for the Vinton-based Advancement Foundation. The foundation has been running “The Gauntlet,” a business program and pitch competition, since 2015, expanding it into Southwest Virginia this year. Since the program is run online, […]
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[...]
Dominion installs first post for offshore wind project
Dominion Energy plunged the first monopile — after the two existing pilot turbines — into the sea floor Wednesday, kicking off construction of the $9.8 billion Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project that will bring 176 turbines 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. Installation of the post started mid-morning and was finished by […]
Accenture Federal Services completes Cognosante buy
Arlington County-based Accenture Federal Services has completed its acquisition of Falls Church-based Cognosante, AFS announced Monday. With the acquisition, AFS plans to create a new federal health portfolio. The deal adds 1,500 employees to AFS’ workforce. “The health market is a unique mission space in the U.S. federal government,” Accenture Federal Services CEO John Goodman [&hel[...]
Vanguard Landing apartments under construction in Va. Beach
Vanguard Landing, an “intentional community” specifically designed for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, is under construction in Virginia Beach. Developers broke ground on the first phase in April and started construction in earnest in May. The mixed-use community, which claims to be the first of its kind in Virginia, will eventually have housing for […]
StoneSprings Hospital Center hires new CEO
Tammy L. Razmic is the new CEO of StoneSprings Hospital Center in Dulles, the first woman to hold the top title, HCA Virginia announced May 13. Razmic will start her new job at the Loudoun County hospital on May 20. Razmic was most recently chief operating officer at HCA Florida Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. […]
GDIT wins $185M Air Force task order
Falls Church-based federal contractor General Dynamics Information Technology won a $185 million recompete task order to provide cybersecurity services for the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, the company announced Friday. The 772nd Enterprise Sourcing Squadron at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida awarded the task order for a one-year base period with four option years. […]
Arlington apartment tower sells for $48.5M
A 162-unit high-rise apartment property in Arlington County has changed hands. Fortis Cos., a Washington, D.C.-based real estate development and investment company, acquired Marlowe Apartments from Equity Residential for $48.5 million, according to Berkadia, a commercial real estate services and mortgage firm, and Arlington County property records. The 162-unit property located at 400 15th St. [&h[...]
Shenandoah University receives $20M gift from alumnus
A Shenandoah University alumnus and his wife have pledged $20 million to the university, the largest individual donation in the history of the Winchester school. Wilbur and Clare Dove’s gift, announced last month, will go toward the building of a performing and visual arts center on campus, according to the university. Wilbur Dove earned his junior […]
VDOT buys Owens & Minor’s Hanover HQ for $33.5M
The Virginia Department of Transportation has purchased the Mechanicsville headquarters of Owens & Minor for $33.5 million, with plans to move the state agency’s central office there in summer 2025. Much of VDOT’s staff will move from the Annex building at 1401 E. Broad St. into the new building at 9120 Lockwood Blvd. in Hanover […]
Chesterfield fintech Paymerang to be acquired for $475M
Chesterfield County-based payment and invoice automation company Paymerang has signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by Atlanta-based corporate payments processor Corpay for $475 million, according to an SEC filing by Corpay and a news release. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of the year, subject to regulatory approval and standard […]
VTG awarded $130M defense contract
VTG, a Chantilly-based engineering firm, has been awarded a five-year, $130 million contract by the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Integrated Warfare Systems Engineering Group, the company announced Tuesday. The contract is to provide end-to-end engineering services, spectrum management and test and evaluation support for Navy warfare, control and C5I (command, control, communications, cyber a[...]
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 […]
County grants boost early-stage entrepreneurs
As an early-stage startup founder, Ray Magee grew accustomed to hearing ‘no.’ In the eight years since he founded Centreville-based BloomCatch, a plant recognition app, Magee reckons he’s applied for seven or eight grants. So, when BloomCatch landed a $50,000 grant from Fairfax County in November 2023, he admits to some initial disbelief. “I thought, […]
CAV Angels hits $20 million+ milestone
When Greg and Marion Werkheiser connected with CAV Angels during their search for seed investors for their augmented reality software startup in 2018, the couple reaped benefits beyond an initial $300,000 infusion. “The investment itself gave us credibility to other investors,” says ARtGlass CEO Greg Werkheiser, a 2000 graduate of the University of Virginia School […]
NW Harrisonburg sees revival with investment
Northwest Harrisonburg used to be a place to buy a tire. Beyond the 116-year-old City Produce Exchange building, which was converted into lofts in 2006, and the Local Chop & Grill House, which opened in the same building in 2009, there wasn’t much else to draw people to that corner of the city. That’s changing, […]
A walk through fire
Sheila Johnson’s career has spanned three parts. An accomplished violinist and philanthropist, she started out as a music teacher, a job she held while she supported the growth of Black Entertainment Television, the network she co-founded and launched with her former husband, Robert “Bob” Johnson, in 1980 that turned her into a media mogul. Johnson […]
Wizards, Capitals plan Alexandria move in $2B deal
The Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards are planning a move to a new home in Alexandria in a $2 billion deal that would see the professional sports franchises exit Washington, D.C., by 2028, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Dec. 13, 2023. The nonbinding agreement to build a new arena for the Capitals and Wizards is […]
Pittsylvania site is top contender for lithium-ion battery plant
The Southern Virginia Megasite at Berry Hill in Pittsylvania County is the top contender for a lithium-ion battery manufacturing project that could top $1 billion in investments and about 1,500 jobs, according to its CEO. After a $100 million grant for the project was announced by the U.S. Department of Energy Nov. 27, 2023, Tennessee-based […]
Blackstone vertiport receives landmark approval
Move over, North Carolina. The Tar Heel State may have been first in flight, but Virginia landed a first for the advanced air mobility industry in September 2023 when the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration granted conditional approval for the nation’s first public-use vertiport, a landing and launch site for electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft […]
