Recent Articles from Beth JoJack
LMI CEO transitions to chairman
LMI CEO Doug Wagoner will retire at the end of 2025 and become board chair. Josh Wilson will take over as CEO Jan. 1.
Dotted Line Agency acquires Richmond peer
Henrico County's Dotted Line Agency acquires Richmond’s The King Agency. Founder Dave King is retiring but will provide consulting services.
Rivers Casino Portsmouth hires new general manager
Antonio Perez Jr. takes over as general manager at Rivers Casino Portsmouth, bringing more than two decades of gaming industry experience.
Virginians wagered $510M on sports in August
Virginians bet about $510.2 million on sports in August, up 22% from 2024. It generated nearly $8.7M in taxes
SHAZA ANDERSEN | Founder and CEO, Trustar Bank
Shaza Andersen could have opted for early retirement in 2018 when the holding company of the first bank she founded, WashingtonFirst Bank, was acquired by Sandy Spring Bancorp in a deal valued at $447 million. Instead, Andersen decided to do it over again and founded Fairfax County-based Trustar Bank, which opened in 2019 with nine […]
HEATHER ARMENTROUT | President and general manager, Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace
In early 2024, Heather Armentrout left Northrop Grumman to run the U.S. subsidiary of Norway-based Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace. Armentrout describes the business, which represents the Norwegian contractor’s activities in the United States, as “a startup operation inside a 211-year-old company.” Under her leadership, the subsidiary oversees about 270 employees and is projected to ge[...]
NUPUR SIDHU BAL | Vice president and managing partner, Bowen Ten Long & Bal
At the annual meeting of the Virginia Bar Association in January, Nupur Bal became chair of the association’s board of governors — historically, the first step on a three-year path to serve as its president. At the same event, the VBA also presented Bal the Young Lawyers Division Mentor of the Year Award for going […]
NANCY BARKER | Senior vice president, federal market leader, mid-Atlantic regional manager, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin (VHB)
Nancy Barker made a bold move in 1989 when interviewing for a position at VHB’s Rhode Island office. She proposed that the Massachusetts-based civil engineering consulting and design firm launch a Virginia office. They took her up on it. “What started as a three-person operation has grown today into a vibrant mid-Atlantic region with more […]
BARBARA A. BLAKE | Executive director, Office of Monarch Internships and Co-Ops, Old Dominion University
In 2023, Old Dominion University launched the Monarch Internship and Co-Op Office and tapped Barbara Blake as its executive director to meet a goal of 100% student participation in work-based learning. “I view internships as more than résumé-builders,” Blake says. “They are launchpads for career confidence and financial stability. My work focuses on scaling access […]
CORRIE TEAGUE BOBE | Director, Danville Office of Economic Development & Tourism
For several months after Telly Tucker stepped down as Danville‘s director of economic development in 2020, Corrie Teague Bobe stepped up as interim director. Following a competitive national search, officials decided they’d already found what they were looking for and hired Bobe for the permanent role. Since then, Bobe has worked to develop and market […]