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Recent Articles from Courtney Mabeus-Brown
Westward ho!
Southwest Virginia’s leaders feel confident their region will be home to the state’s next inland port. “The planets are aligning for us right now,” says state Sen. Todd Pillion, R-Washington County. “Our localities are excited about it. The state seems to be excited about it.” During the Virginia General Assembly’s regular session, Pillion and two […]
Dickenson County to develop small industrial park
Work will start on a new industrial park on the site of a former strip mine in Dickenson County in late summer or early fall, says Dana Cronkhite, the county’s economic development director. The Virginia Department of Energy announced in January that the county’s Industrial Development Authority will receive $869,584 from the federal Abandoned Mine […]
Planned Wise EDA will spur downtown growth
Establishing an economic development authority might pave the way for new businesses in the town of Wise, local officials believe. EDAs can provide educational programs and mentoring to entrepreneurs, as well as buy, lease and sell property and administer grants, points out Reagan Walsh, the town’s planner and zoning administrator. “I’ve run into a lot […]
Commonwealth Crossing plays ‘long game’ for success
Commonwealth Crossing Business Centre’s first two tenants — Polish flat-glass processor Press Glass Inc. and Pennsylvania-based aluminum beverage can manufacturer Crown Holdings Inc. — have invested at least $218 million into facilities at the industrial park in Henry County, creating about 400 jobs, according to Mark Heath, president and CEO of the Martinsville-Henry County Economic [&helli[...]
Familiar territory
When it came time to select a new home for its corporate headquarters and distribution center, Würth Revcar Fasteners Inc., a company with Star City roots dating back to 1969, stuck with the Roanoke Valley. Owned by the Würth Group, an industrial distributor headquartered in Germany, and consisting of more than 400 companies across more […]
Filling the steel gap
Metallurgical coal may be an unknown to the general population, but it’s very important to the manufacturing of steel and also valuable in the current economy. In August 2022, Australia-based Coronado Global Resources Inc., which produces metallurgical coal, announced a $169.1 million expansion of its Buchanan Mine Complex in Buchanan and Tazewell counties, expected to […]
Filling in
Industrial real estate is a hot commodity in Southwest Virginia. “It’s hard to find available space of anything that’s above 15,000 to 20,000 square feet,” says Jonathan Belcher, executive director of the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA), which represents Lee, Wise, Scott, Buchanan, Russell, Tazewell and Dickenson counties and the city of Norton. Leaders […]
Sweet valley high
For Paul Mahoney, chair of the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors, the past year has stood out for bringing an “explosion of development” to the county. Home improvement retailer Lowe’s Cos. Inc. opened a new distribution center. North American Specialty Laminations LLC established a mid-Atlantic production facility. And Würth Revcar Fasteners Inc. began work on […]
The 2023 Heavy Hitters list
Virginia Business’ annual list of the commonwealth’s 50 most powerful and influential leaders provides our editors’ take on the heaviest-hitting of heavyweights in business, government, nonprofits and higher education. Think of it as an executive committee for the leaders populating our annual Virginia 500 issue — the top 10% of the state’s power elite. And […]
Southwest Virginia could get small modular nuclear reactor
In early October, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced his goal of developing a small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) in Southwest Virginia within 10 years, part of a plan to make the region an epicenter of energy innovation. Not long after, Youngkin said he planned to allocate $10 million to create the Virginia Power Innovation Fund, with […]
Divaris restructures C-suite, names new execs
Virginia Beach-based Divaris Real Estate announced Thursday that it is restructuring its top leadership amid growth following recent acquisitions and partnerships. David Sutliff, who has worked as an adviser to the company for 12 years, is the new chief financial officer. Tony Divaris, who was previously the company’s international controller and CFO, has been promoted […]
Old Town Business league to upgrade or dissolve
Carla Clarke credits Old Town Business (OTB) league with arranging events that bring new faces into Today’s Cargo, the jewelry and gift shop she co-owns on Alexandria’s King Street. “It’s bringing new people through your door,” says Clarke. The 40-year-old nonprofit business league champions Old Town’s business community through events like an annual cookie crawl. […]
Propulsion system
Madeline Davis has never set foot on a Navy submarine, so she doesn’t get to see the products she makes in action. Davis is a CNC (computer numerical control) machinist at Fairlead Integrated in Portsmouth, where she makes metal parts for the Navy’s silent service. The defense contractor supplies shipboard integrated parts, including for the […]
HII’s Mission Technologies receives $995M contract
Newport News-based Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc.’s Mission Technologies division has received a $995 million contract to advise and assist the U.S Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa, the company announced Wednesday. The indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity, multiple-award contract has a one-year base and four one-year option periods. Under the contract, HII’s McLean-based [...]
Hampton Roads shipyards receive nearly $1B in Navy contracts
The Pentagon has announced nearly $1 billion in Navy contracts for work on vessels in Hampton Roads. Under one contract, valued at $847 million, Reston-based General Dynamics Corp.’s Norfolk-based shipyards will support emergent work, continuous maintenance, pre-refueling complex overhaul availabilities, ship terminal offload program availability and scheduled work on aircraft carriers in th[...]
Va. to establish trade office in Taiwan
Virginia will establish a trade office in Taipei, Taiwan’s capital, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Monday morning after meeting with that country’s president, Tsai Ing-wen. Youngkin’s meeting with Taiwan’s president came during the governor’s first international trade mission, during which he will also stop in Seoul, South Korean and Tokyo throughout the remainder of A[...]
Capital Square names new SVP, product specialist
Stuart Bahnmuller has joined Glen Allen-based real estate company Capital Square as the firm’s senior vice president and registered product specialist to lead a national sales team for wealth managers and registered investment advisers, Capital Square announced Thursday. “For decades, alternative investments have been the staple of independent broker-dealers and their registered representa[...]
Raytheon wins $308M contract for Navy destroyer work
Arlington-based Raytheon Technologies Corp.’s Missiles & Defense business has received a $308.4 million contract modification for combat systems work on the Navy’s Zumwalt-class guided-missile destroyers, the Pentagon announced Wednesday. Work includes combat system installation, integration, development, testing, correction, maintenance and modernization of Zumwalt-class mission s[...]
Boeing lands $313.4M Super Hornet life extension contract
Arlington-based Boeing Co. has received a $313.4 million contract modification to upgrade and extend the service life of 25 Navy Super Hornet jet fighters, the Pentagon announced Wednesday. The contract includes non-recurring engineering, system engineering program management and Block III avionics upgrades to extend the service life up F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets from 6,000 flight […]
VCU to open $125M STEM building next week
Virginia Commonwealth University will open its $125 million College of Humanities and Sciences’ 168,000-square-foot STEM building during a ribbon cutting scheduled next week. The six-floor building, located at 817 W. Franklin St. in Richmond, will expand lab, classroom and office space for the college, which is home to 17 departments, two schools and three programs. […]
