Recent Articles from Cathy Jett
Harrisonburg coworking hub slated to open in December
UPDATED NOV. 1 James Madison University in Harrisonburg has long wanted to be more involved with innovation and entrepreneurship in the Shenandoah Valley region. So, when a co-founder of the Staunton Innovation Hub coworking space announced plans in 2022 to renovate the historic Wetsel Seed building into the Harrisonburg Innovation Hub (HIH), JMU pre-leased 1,000 […]
Staunton Crossing industrial site gets ready for business
A $9 million state grant is helping Staunton reach the finish line on Staunton Crossing, its long-awaited industrial site. The state Virginia Business Ready Sites Program (VBRSP) development grant awarded Aug. 8 will help pay for a 1 million-gallon water tower and water supply lines, which will help complete water and sewer access to the 300-acre site. […]
Culpeper tech zone attracts data centers
A Dallas-based developer seeking to build its fourth data center campus in Virginia had a problem. Finding sites large enough was getting difficult in Northern Virginia, where DataBank has two locations in Ashburn’s Data Center Alley and one in McLean. “Virginia is still a solid data center market,” says DataBank Chief Operating Officer Joe Minarik. […]
Richmond switches up stadium funding plan
UPDATED JULY 16 Richmond City Council this spring pitched a bit of a curveball on financing of the city’s new baseball stadium. On May 8, councilors approved a plan that they say would save the city money and get the replacement stadium — part of the proposed Diamond District — completed in time to meet […]
The Lake takes shape in Chesterfield
The first wave of commercial tenants is coming to The Lake, a long-planned, 105-acre mixed-use development that’s slated to bring a surf park to western Chesterfield County. The Lake’s centerpiece will be a 13-acre artificial lake with a tow cable. It’s expected to be ready by summer 2025 for wakeboarding, kayaking, standup paddle boarding and […]
Henrico gets federal funding jolt for EV charging stations
People shopping for a new car or truck often hesitate to buy an electric vehicle because there aren’t many public charging stations. However, that situation will improve in Henrico County, which was awarded about $1.45 million in January through the U.S. Transportation Department’s Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program. The funds, along with a […]
Henry County airport expansion underway
Blue Ridge Regional Airport in Henry County has completed a larger apron for airplane parking and will soon extend its 5,002-foot runway to 6,000 feet — long enough to accommodate executive jets. A new terminal is also planned as part of a package of about $30 million in upgrades for the airport, according to Jason […]
Southern Va. Big Deal: Shattering records
Poland-based Press Glass, a flat-glass fabricator for the commercial construction industry, will gain a competitive edge when it breaks ground on a $155.2 million expansion of its Ridgeway plant in the second quarter. It’s the single largest investment by a business in Henry County’s history, topping packaging manufacturer Crown Holdings’ $145 million investment in 2021, […]
Southern Va. Year-in-Review: Hitting the jackpot
Southern Virginia is seeing years of preparation for economic development pay big dividends. Businesses ranging from a temporary casino to a biopharmaceutical company to a flat-glass manufacturer announced they were opening or planning expansions in the region in 2023. Local economic development officials say the major draws they’ve worked hard to put in place include […]
George Mason incubator helps immigrant entrepreneurs rise
George Mason University’s vision for creating an entrepreneurship program for immigrants and refugees “connected the dots” of Sumeet Shrivastava’s history, beginning with his family’s emigration from Bihar, India, in the 1970s so his father, Satyendra Shrivastava, could earn a master’s degree. Mentors guided his father, who founded McLean-based information technology firm Anstec. In tu[...]