Recent Articles from Brent Baldwin
Work begins on organics-to-renewable gas facility in Amelia County
Vanguard Renewables, an organics-to-renewable natural gas company with headquarters in Massachusetts, broke ground Wednesday on its newest facility at Oakmulgee Dairy Farm in Amelia County. An anaerobic digester system on the property will allow Vanguard Renewables to convert cow manure along with inedible and unsalable food material into natural gas. The company expects Oakmulgee Dairy [&hellip[...]
Physical therapists get licenses revoked, suspended over patient sexting
The Virginia Board of Physical Therapy has revoked the license of a Lynchburg physical therapist and suspended the license of a Yorktown physical therapist assistant over unrelated sexting incidents with patients. The board entered an order to revoke Stephen Maynard Scott’s physical therapy license on Oct. 11 for “conduct with a former patient that was […]
U.Va. dedicates Ramon W. Breeden Jr. Commerce Grounds
The University of Virginia on Friday dedicated the Ramon W. Breeden Jr. Commerce Grounds plaza and officially named “Breeden Way,” located adjacent to the McIntire School of Commerce. The honor is in recognition of Breeden’s legacy as founder and chair of Virginia Beach-based real estate company The Breeden Co., as well as his philanthropy to […]
Roanoke EDA delivers on Artspace funding
Artspace, a Minnesota-based nonprofit that develops affordable housing for artists and creative spaces, plans to build a mixed-use affordable housing project for artists and their families in Roanoke, at the massive Riverdale redevelopment project planned for the Southeast quadrant of the city. “This will be their first Virginia project,” Duke Baldridge, vice-chair of the Roanoke [&helli[...]
Raytheon to pay $950M+ to resolve fraud, bribery charges
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday that Arlington County’s Raytheon, a subsidiary of aerospace and defense contractor RTX, has agreed to pay more than $950 million to resolve multiple allegations that include fraud and bribing a Qatari official. Under Wednesday’s settlement, Raytheon must pay the following penalties: For two counts of major fraud in […]
Gordon Ramsay to open restaurant at Caesars Virginia
Cantankerous celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay plans to open a restaurant called Ramsay’s Kitchen at the $750 million Caesars Virginia casino in Danville by the end of 2024, the casino resort announced Tuesday. “Caesars Virginia sets the standard for approachable luxury, and I’m so proud to open my first [Virginia] restaurant here inside this beautiful resort,” […]
Bon Secours Hampton Roads Foundation promotes new president
The Bon Secours Mercy Health Foundation, which coordinates charitable giving for all hospitals, facilities, programs and services operated by Bon Secours Mercy Health, has named Carrie Miller president of its Bon Secours Hampton Roads Foundation, the health care system announced Monday. Previously, Miller worked for close to a decade as senior gift officer for organizational giving […]
Centra names permanent CEO
Lynchburg-based health system Centra has selected interim leader Richard Tugman as its president and CEO, overseeing a health system that serves more than 500,000 patients in Central and Southern Virginia, operating four hospitals, five medical centers and numerous primary care and specialty practices. Tugman had served as interim CEO since March, replacing Amy Carrier, who’d been […[...]
Inova names president and chief of clinical enterprise
A surgeon who began working with Inova Health System in 1986 has been named president and chief of clinical enterprise following a national search, the Falls Church-based health system announced last week. Dr. John Moynihan had been acting chief of clinical enterprise since March, while also serving as president of Inova Surgical Services, a position […]
Three Va. universities have ‘some viability risks,’ report says
State researchers found Radford University, Virginia State University and the University of Mary Washington had “some viability risks,” according to a report released Monday, but none are in immediate danger of closing. The good news from the report conducted by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, which conducts program evaluation, policy analysis and oversight of […]
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 […]
Pittsylvania megasite wins $1.3B battery separator project
Tennessee-based Microporous will invest $1.3 billion to build a battery separator manufacturing facility at the Southern Virginia Megasite at Berry Hill in Pittsylvania County, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Nov. 13. The company expects to create 2,015 jobs. The megasite’s first tenant, Microporous will develop Lot 1 at the park in two phases, with each phase […]
Powhatan green-lights $2.7B data center campus
Although some Virginia counties are backing away from hosting more data centers, Powhatan County supervisors voted 3-2 in October to approve an estimated $2.7 billion data center campus. The project will be on 119.9 acres partly bordering Chesterfield County, and supervisors OKed rezoning and a conditional use permit, rejecting the Powhatan Planning Commission’s recommendation. The […]
GDIT wins $330M in Army training support contracts
Falls Church federal contractor General Dynamics Information Technology has won two Army contracts totaling $330 million, the General Dynamics subsidiary announced Tuesday. The Army Contracting Command – Orlando awarded the task orders to GDIT in August as part of the $975 million Mission Training Complex Capabilities Support II indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract. Under the [&[...]
Unanet acquires D.C. AI firm
Dulles-based software company Unanet has acquired Washington, D.C.-based GovPro AI, Unanet announced Friday. Unanet did not disclose financial details of the transaction, which it completed in November. Unanet provides project-based enterprise resource planning and customer relationship management software solutions for government contractors and the architecture, engineering and construction indu[...]
United begins building $16M training center in Fairfax County
United Airlines has started construction on a $16 million inflight training center in Fairfax County, the county’s economic development authority announced Monday. The 20,000-square-foot facility near the airline’s hub at Washington Dulles International Airport, which straddles the Fairfax and Loudoun county lines, is expected to open in 2025. “We are excited and honored that United [&hellip[...]
Va. home sales, inventory rises in October
Housing sales and inventory in Virginia rose in October, with closed sales up 12.5% from October 2023, according to Virginia Realtors data released Nov. 22. Last month, 8,732 homes sold in Virginia — 968 more than sold in October 2023. The influx of closed sales in October resulted from the jump in pending sales — […]
Coldwell Banker Premier acquires Hampton Roads Coldwell affiliate
Winchester-based Coldwell Banker Premier has acquired Virginia Beach-based Coldwell Banker Now, merging into a brokerage with a combined $600 million sales volume in 2023. Coldwell Banker Premier did not disclose financial details of the merger, which it announced Monday. The combined real estate company is the second-fastest growing Coldwell Banker franchise in the nation over […]
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[...]
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 […]
Wizards, Capitals plan move to Alexandria in $2B deal
The Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards are planning a move across the Potomac River 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 early Wednesday. The nonbinding agreement to build a new arena for the Capitals […]
100 People to Meet in 2022: Go-Getters
High achievers all, these Virginians are well-rounded leaders in their fields and their communities, sharing their expertise and moving the needle for growth and progress. Buffy Barefoot President Virginia Beach, TowneBank Virginia Beach Born and raised in Hampton Roads, Buffy Barefoot hasn’t strayed far from the ZIP code she grew up in. After attending […]
100 People to Meet in 2022: Public Faces
From helping the Washington Football Team rebrand itself to safeguarding the legacy of a beloved painter for a new generation to launching a $1 billion university campus, these are the people who lend their faces and voices to high-profile endeavors. Franki Fitterer Director of communications and marketing, Virginia Tech Innovation Campus Alexandria Franki Fitterer […]
100 People to Meet in 2022: Hosts
These are Virginians who feed and delight us, nourishing body and soul through arts and entertainment, media, food, hospitality and tourism. Jamelle Bouie Opinion columnist, The New York Times Charlottesville Growing up in Virginia Beach, Jamelle Bouie didn’t dream of being the next Carl Bernstein. “I came very late to this,” explains Bouie, who […]