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Recent Articles from Diane Bernard
Mind the gap
Margaret Abrams was studying engineering at Liberty University when she came across an online job advertisement from Newport News-based Huntington Ingalls Industries. HII, Virginia’s largest industrial employer, was offering a $2,500 signing bonus to job candidates who successfully completed a 16-week computer numerical control training at the Navy’s Advanced Training in Defense Manufacturing [...]
Amazon, Dominion agree to explore nuclear development
With power consumption by data centers and AI projected to more than quadruple in Virginia in the next 15 years, Amazon.com and Dominion Energy Virginia have entered into an agreement to explore potential development of small modular nuclear reactors at North Anna Power Station in Louisa County, the two companies announced during an Oct. 16 […]
Energy storage projects slated for Greensville, Pittsylvania
Two energy storage projects proposed for Southern Virginia would help augment the area’s power capacity, diversify the region’s tax base and boost the regional economy, industry representatives say. Dominion Energy Virginia wants to build a liquified natural gas storage facility on more than 20 acres that the Richmond-based Fortune 500 utility owns next to its […]
As data centers grow, Amazon and Dominion explore small nuclear reactors
With power consumption by data centers and AI projected to more than quadruple in Virginia in the next 15 years, Amazon.com and Dominion Energy Virginia have entered into an agreement to explore potential development of small modular nuclear reactors at North Anna Power Plant in Louisa County, the two companies announced at an event Wednesday […]
A smart defense
In late 2020, the Air Force made headlines when it announced that an artificial intelligence co-pilot, named ARTUµ, helped command and control a U.S. military spy plane for the first time in history. If the name, pronounced R-2, sounds familiar, it is. Think R2-D2, or “Artoo,” Luke Skywalker’s lovable droid and X-Wing copilot from the […]
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, […]
Lynchburg center to lift entrepreneurs
Months before its opening in late summer or early fall, Lynchburg’s new Center for Entrepreneurship already has gathered about 15 applications from local business owners and professionals seeking to mentor those launching or looking to grow their own companies. That’s a positive sign, says Stephanie Keener, executive director of the Lynchburg region’s Small Business Development […]
