Recent Articles from Courtney Mabeus-Brown
Powhatan approves $2.7B data center campus
Powhatan County has approved an estimated $2.7 billion data center campus on 119.9 acres partly bordering Chesterfield County. The county’s board of supervisors voted 3-2 during its Oct. 28 meeting for a rezoning and a conditional use permit allowing the proposed development to move forward. The developer, Newport Beach, California–based Province Group, estimates that its […]
Breeden promotes five property management employees
The Breeden Co. has promoted five employees in its property management division, the Virginia Beach-based real estate company announced Thursday. The five employees are Rachel Blanchard, Lisa Capps, Sheena Obermark, Tiffany Rote and Samantha Schuman. Blanchard, who was previously a project manager, has been appointed director of training and implementation. In May, a Breeden social […]
Fed’s Fifth District economy grows modestly
Economic activity in the Federal Reserve’s Fifth District (a multistate region including Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Maryland) grew modestly from early September, according to the latest edition of the Fed’s Beige Book, released Wednesday. Published eight times per year, the Beige Book is based on anecdotal information about economic conditions gathered [&hellip[...]
SEC, Hampton managing partner of BFM Fund settle charges
The Securities and Exchange Commission settled charges in early October against a Hampton-based managing partner of The BFM Fund and a limited liability company for allegedly breaching their fiduciary duties and misleading investors. Himalaya Rao-Potlapally of Hampton is a managing partner of Portland, Oregon-based BFM Fund, a seed-stage private venture capital fund focused on founders […]
Va. pending home sales, prices rose in September
Pending home sales in Virginia rose in September — increasing almost 14% from September 2023 — suggesting more buyers are entering the market, according to Virginia Realtors data released Tuesday. Last month, 8,065 homes sold in Virginia, a less than 1% increase from September 2023. Although closed sales remained relatively flat year-over-year, pending sales rose, […]
Va. agricultural damage from Helene totals $159.3M
Hurricane Helene’s agricultural damage in Virginia totals more than $159.3 million, according to Virginia Cooperative Extension agents’ research. Hurricane Helene made landfall on the Gulf Coast in Florida as a Category 4 storm late on Sept. 26 and tore through the Southeast into Sept. 27, causing catastrophic flooding in parts of Georgia, North and South […]
Atlantic Union to buy Maryland’s Sandy Spring Bank for $1.6B
Atlantic Union Bank is expanding further into Northern Virginia and Maryland with the $1.6 billion purchase of Maryland’s Sandy Spring Bank, an acquisition announced Monday. The two banks’ parent companies, Atlantic Union Bankshares and Sandy Spring Bancorp, have entered into a merger agreement that would create a combined bank with $39.2 billion in assets as […]
Dairy products manufacturer to expand in Augusta
Shamrock Farms, an Arizona-based dairy products manufacturer, will invest $59 million to expand its Augusta County manufacturing operation, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Tuesday. Shamrock Farms expects to create 28 jobs through the expansion, which will add 81,000 square feet to the manufacturer’s 250,000-square-foot facility in Mill Place Commerce Park. The company opened its Augusta facility [[...]
Va. casinos report $56.56M in September revenue
Gaming revenues for Virginia’s three casinos totaled $56.56 million in September, according to data the Virginia Lottery released Tuesday. Last month, the Bristol Casino: Future Home of Hard Rock reported about $14.09 million in adjusted gaming revenues (wagers minus winnings), of which about $11.68 million came from its 905 slots and about $2.4 million from […]
Hard Rock Bristol to open permanent facility Nov. 14
The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol will open its approximately $515 million permanent facility on Nov. 14, with country music star Blake Shelton making an appearance at the ceremony, its development team announced Wednesday. The temporary Bristol Casino: Future Home of Hard Rock opened July 8, 2022, making it Virginia’s first operating casino. Since then, […]
RTX’s Pratt & Whitney division receives $701M aircraft contract
Arlington-based defense giant RTX’s Pratt & Whitney aerospace division in Connecticut will provide sustainment and other support services for propulsion systems on the F-35 fighter jet under a $701 million modification to a Navy contract. Pratt & Whitney will provide program management, propulsion integration, engineering, management services, software sustainment, security managemen[...]
Boeing receives $2.3B Air Force contract for tanker aircraft
Arlington County-based Boeing has received a $2.3 billion contract to build 15 more KC-46A Pegasus tankers for the Air Force. The Pentagon announced the award for production lot 10 of the tankers Tuesday. Boeing has 153 of the aerial refuelers under contract globally and has delivered 76 to the Air Force and two to Japan, […]
HII’s Mission Technologies names new CIO
Newport News-based Huntington Ingalls Industries has named Marc Sosa as chief information officer for its McLean-based Mission Technologies division, the Fortune 500 contractor announced Thursday. Sosa will be responsible for all aspects of information technology, including guiding the division’s day-to-day leadership of information systems and aligning enterprise cybersecurity and IT goals. &[...]
100 People to Meet in 2024
Virginia is full of interesting people, and when it comes to this year’s batch of 100 people to meet for 2024, the commonwealth continues to deliver a bevy of fascinating newsmakers, professionals and go-getters worthy of your valuable networking time. In Virginia Business’ fifth annual list of people to meet in the new year, you’ll […]
Democrats sweep Va. General Assembly
Democrats regained control of the General Assembly in the Nov. 7 elections, likely putting a damper on Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s legislative agenda and potential 2024 presidential aspirations. Democrats won 21 out of 40 seats in the Virginia State Senate and 51 seats out of 100 in the House of Delegates, which has been held […]
Pulaski startup aims to turn pollutants into profit
Where some people see pollutants, Steve Critchfield sees the potential for profit and to improve the environment. As founder and president of Pulaski-based MOVA Technologies, Critchfield developed and patented a filter about the size of a refrigerator that captures selected air pollutants and breaks them into byproducts that can be sold and reused. It’s based […]
Pittsylvania site is top contender for $100M battery project
Updated 4:15 p.m. Nov. 28 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. Tennessee-based Microporous, whose legal entity is MP Assets, confirmed early Tuesday that it has been […]
Va. could get $100M+ lithium-ion battery project
A $100 million-plus lithium-ion battery project could be coming to Virginia, the U.S. Department of Energy announced Monday, but a spokesperson for U.S. Sen. Mark Warner said North Carolina could also be in contention. MP Assets will build a facility to manufacture separators for lithium-ion batteries, bringing 282 permanent jobs and at least a $100 […]
HII division to boost intel sharing for Five Eyes alliance
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ McLean-based Mission Technologies division has received a three-year contract to provide information sharing capabilities between the Five Eyes intelligence alliance. Newport News-based HII announced the award Nov. 21; information about the award was not disclosed. The Pegasus contract is administrated by the Secretary of the Air Force’s Concept, Developm[...]
Va. joins collaborative to launch air taxi industry
Virginia has joined seven other states in forming a collaborative to support the growth of the advanced air mobility industry. The Advanced Air Mobility Multistate Collaborative represents all aviation modes, including small uncrewed aircraft systems (sUAS) and electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles (eVTOL), which are both often referred to as air taxis, as well […]