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Recent Articles from Elizabeth Cooper
Building a ‘floatel’
Construction is set to begin late this year on a service operations vessel (SOV) that will transport technicians and equipment to support the massive wind turbines that Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy S.A. is installing for Dominion Energy Inc.’s $9.8 billion Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project off the Virginia Beach coast. Crowley Corp., a Jacksonville, […]
Norfolk airport hotel is ‘desperately needed’
An influx of 200-seat airplanes is bringing record numbers of passengers into Norfolk International Airport, leading officials to fast-track infrastructure upgrades and pursue construction of an airport hotel. There is high demand for on-site lodging, especially among airline crews and travelers taking early morning flights, who often stay at downtown Norfolk hotels, says Norfolk Airport […[...]
A titanic win
After enduring the exodus of companies like Burlington Mills and Daystrom Furniture over the past two decades, Halifax County is celebrating its biggest manufacturing announcement in decades — the arrival of Virginia’s first titanium demonstration facility. Last fall, Charlotte, North Carolina-based IperionX Ltd., a minerals company, announced an $82.1 million investment to establish the n[...]
Moving in
Southern Virginia is laying out the welcome mat for a growing number of companies seeking to locate in areas with lower taxes, better proximity to supply chains, a skilled workforce and improved quality of life. During 2022, a variety of businesses, ranging from an automotive education and entertainment firm to a moving and transit company, […]
Suffolk logistics center moves ahead
Despite lingering community opposition, Suffolk officials remain committed to the Port 460 Logistics Center, a warehouse complex on Pruden Boulevard at the U.S. Route 58 interchange, a major freight corridor to the Port of Virginia. In September 2022, Suffolk City Council approved rezoning 540 acres from general commercial and agricultural to heavy industrial use, paving […]
On the road again
Business and leisure travelers are putting the pandemic in the rearview mirror and once again are filling Virginia hotels and resorts. While that’s good news, widespread staffing shortages continue to hamper the hospitality industry. Occupancy rates are almost back to 2019 numbers, with Northern Virginia finally seeing upticks as corporate and government travel has slowly […]
ABC license spikes biz in Norton
Participants in Southwest Virginia’s fourth High Knob Outdoor Fest rode mountain bikes, hiked nature trails and floated down the Clinch River, but many also sipped beer and wine in Norton’s new Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA). The DORA designation from the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority lets adult customers buy drinks from ABC-licensed establishments within [&[...]
Growth industry
When manufacturers thinking about setting up shop in Southern Virginia visit Pittsylvania County, the county’s economic development director, Matt Rowe, doesn’t just show off expansive, shovel-ready industrial sites. He also touts the region’s workforce, which includes many workers with advanced manufacturing skill sets. Eighteen percent of Southern Virginia’s labor force w[...]
‘Brainy’ couture: Biomed grad designs high-tech fashion
Leah Thomas became a fashion designer to cap off her undergraduate degree in Virginia Tech’s biomedical engineering program. A member of the university’s first cohort of 40 undergraduate biomedical engineering students who graduated in spring 2022, Thomas designed a dress and headpiece fitted with biosensors for a biotech couture fashion show. She collaborated with another […]
South Boston hotel springs back to life
A steady stream of developers considered purchasing South Boston‘s long-shuttered John Randolph Hotel during the past decade, but none sealed the deal until Julian and Karie Brittano toured the downtown property last fall. This spring, the couple’s High Point, North Carolina-based firm, The Brittano Group Inc., and its subsidiary, The Rook Hotels, entered into a […]
