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Recent Articles from Joan Tupponce
Gas exchange
Alternative fuels such as hydrogen and compressed natural gas are attracting interest from trucking companies as the federal government prepares to reduce emissions limits by 2027. The Environmental Protection Agency’s new rules on heavy-duty diesel engine standards starting with 2027 models includes stricter standards aimed at lowering air pollutant emissions. “As these emissions standards ge[...]
Shenandoah Valley Big Deal: Advance guard
Northrop Grumman’s $200 million investment to establish an advanced electronics manufacturing and testing facility in Waynesboro paves the way for long-term growth for the Shenandoah Valley, local officials hope. “It is a huge win for us,” says Jay Langston, executive director of the Shenandoah Valley Partnership. “If Northrop Grumman puts faith in our footprint, that […]
Shenandoah Valley Year-in-Review: Green valley
Just a couple years later, an $821,000 site development grant awarded to the Shenandoah Valley Partnership by the state’s GO Virginia economic development initiative has already been paying off, says Jay Langston, the partnership’s executive director. The grant, which paid for work including site evaluation and related environmental reviews and surveys, was focused on improving […]
Flying high
Norfolk International Airport is on track to have the best year since its 1938 opening. In June, the airport reported a 7.5% increase in passenger activity, with 431,637 passengers — up from last June’s figure of 401,517, marking the largest number of June passengers in the airport’s history. During the first six months of 2023, […]
Under construction
Atlantic Park Virginia Beach Proposed in 2017 by music icon Pharrell Williams and Venture Realty Group, Atlantic Park finally got underway in March with a groundbreaking on the first phase of the $350 million surf park project. Phase one will involve 10.95 acres, including 309 multifamily units, 10,000 square feet of office space, a 70,000-square-foot […]
Building blocks
If you ask economic development officials in Central Virginia about 2022, they might respond with a familiar slogan: “Everything is awesome.” With almost 5,000 announced jobs and $1.6 billion in capital investment, the Richmond region had one of its best years in the last two decades. By October 2022, the region recovered 100% of jobs […]
Here to stay
Composite decking and railing manufacturer Trex Company Inc. has called the Winchester community home for more than 25 years, so when it came time for the company to construct a new global headquarters, Winchester was top of mind. “Trex was already based in the area, so they were familiar with the city and approached us […]
A time to build
The Shenandoah Valley Partnership had more economic development activity than “anyone anticipated in 2022,” says Jay Langston, the partnership’s executive director. During the calendar year, the partnership saw close to $140 million in investment and 520 jobs. In Fishersville, Amazon.com Inc. is building a $120 million, 1 million-square-foot nonsortable fulfillment center, which handles bu[...]
A ‘golden unicorn’
Chesterfield County Economic Development Director Garrett Hart and Managing Director Matt McLaren had no idea which global client a site selection consultant was representing when the county was approached in November 2021 to discuss a potential major economic development megaproject. “All we knew is that they were in manufacturing, and it was around a $700 […]
Lynchburg area needs more industrial sites
Megan Lucas knows all too well that no product means no project in economic development, especially when it comes to pad-ready sites and move-in-ready buildings. The lack of pad-ready sites and industrial spec buildings in the Lynchburg region is the major reason the area has missed 65 economic development opportunities that could have brought as […]
