Chris Suarez, Author at Virginia Business

In January, Petersburg became Virginia’s fifth city with a casino. Photo by Jay Paul

Central Virginia March 31, 2026

Petersburg rolls out temporary Live! Casino

Petersburg launched a temporary Live! Casino featuring 900 slot machines and 30 table games while the $1.4 billion permanent resort is under construction.

VFP’s Scott Jones says the company will have six buildings on its Duffield campus after its latest expansion. Photo by Earl Neikirk

Southwest Virginia March 1, 2026

VFP moves forward on $30M expansion in Scott County

VFP is investing $35 million to expand its Scott County facility, adding new buildings and jobs to support growing data center and utility infrastructure needs.

Wrap Technologies held a ribbon cutting in September 2025 for its $4 million manufacturing headquarters in Norton. Official photo by Kaitlyn DeHarde, Office of Gov. Glenn Youngkin

Economic Development March 1, 2026

Manufacturing-heavy Southwest Virginia captures new industries

Southwest Virginia sees major investments in manufacturing, indoor agriculture, and energy projects, boosting jobs and regional economic development in 2025.

Virginia Community College System Chancellor David Doré says labs and other workforce training needs cost more than traditional classrooms. Photo courtesy Virginia Community College System

Education March 1, 2026

Virginia community colleges boost workforce development focus

Virginia plans increased investment in community colleges and workforce programs like FastForward to meet employer demand and improve student outcomes in 2024.

Norfolk State University is consistently ranked as one of the nation’s top 20 HBCUs, and the school received a $50 million donation in November 2025 from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. Photo courtesy Norfolk State University

Education February 1, 2026

Norfolk State hits new fundraising heights

Norfolk State University raised $95.3M, far surpassing its $60M goal, boosting graduation rates, research and workforce training.

Rob Norton, president of Cordish Gaming Group, was on hand for a media preview of the Live! Casino Virginia temporary venue in Petersburg, set to open Jan. 22, 2026. Photo by Jay Paul

Real Estate January 15, 2026

Petersburg casino preview features 900+ slot machines

A temporary casino with 900 slot machines and 30 table games – but still no poker or a sportsbook – will open in Petersburg on Jan. 22

Education November 2, 2025

U.Va. Wise helps founders build community, confidence

U.Va. Wise is fueling Southwest Virginia’s startup scene through its Hatch Accelerator and CO.STARTERS programs for local founders.

Northern Virginia September 29, 2025

Digital Gateway opponents score legal win

A Virginia judge voided the rezoning for the $500M Prince William Digital Gateway project, siding with residents who sued over transparency.

Government September 1, 2025

Richmond water crises test city, but growth stays strong

Despite two major water outages in 2024, Richmond leaders remain optimistic, citing business growth, regional cooperation and new investment.

Northern Virginia July 29, 2025

Fredericksburg weighs impact of federal job cuts

Northern Virginia politicians, all Democrats, started sounding the alarm immediately about federal job cuts and slashing of federal agencies’ budgets at the start of the second Trump administration in January. And there have been significant impacts in Fairfax and Arlington counties, as well as Alexandria, where the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is […]