Recent Articles from Katherine Schulte
Fertilizer shortage hits Va. farmers
Lewis Everett farms cotton, peanuts and small grains in Southampton County, on the Virginia-North Carolina line. He expects to take a loss this year due to the rising costs of fertilizer and crop protectants, which include herbicides and fungicides. Farmers have already negotiated some contract prices, he said. “A lot of those decisions were made […]
Bank of America grants VUU $1M
Bank of America granted Virginia Union University $1 million for its new banking and financial services workforce development program, the university announced Monday. VUU’s Sydney Lewis School of Business will lead the program, called MORE for My Opportunity is Real Essential, in partnership with the university’s workforce development division and its Evelyn Reid Syphax School […]
Va. Beach insurance agency taps CFO
Shawn McArdle is Choice Financial Group’s new chief financial officer, the Virginia Beach-based insurance agency announced Wednesday. “Shawn’s ability to provide financial leadership allows Choice’s senior management team to focus on identifying the right partners for the platform,” Choice President Richard Braun said in a statement. “Shawn’s experience will b[...]
HOME of Virginia announces next president and CEO
Richmond-based nonprofit Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) of Virginia Inc. announced that Thomas Okuda Fitzpatrick will serve as its next president and CEO starting April 6. “I am profoundly honored to have been selected to lead this storied organization, and I look forward to continuing in the proud tradition of aggressive enforcement of fair housing […]
Feb. statewide hotel revenues were 6.1% lower than 2019
February hotel revenues in Virginia were 6.1% lower than those recorded in February 2019, according to data released Monday by STR Inc., a division of CoStar Group Inc. that provides market data on the U.S. hospitality industry. Hotel rooms sold decreased by 5% last month, compared with 2019 levels. The average daily rate (ADR) paid […]
MainStreet Bancshares president to retire
Charles “Chris” Brockett announced Friday that he’s retiring as president of MainStreet Bancshares Inc., parent company of Fairfax-based MainStreet Bank, effective March 31. Brockett has served as MainStreet Bancshares’ president since January 2017. He will remain a member of the board of directors. “We are pleased that Chris will continue to exercise strategic oversight and [...]
Mountain Lake Lodge promotes general manager to CEO
Mountain Lake Lodge, where 1987 hit movie “Dirty Dancing” was filmed, announced Thursday the promotion of Heidi Stone to president and CEO. Stone has served as the Pembroke hotel’s general manager since 2013. “Heidi Stone is a talented hotelier whose proven leadership and commitment is reflected through her team,” Giles County Administrator Chris McKlarney said in a [&h[...]
ODU and IALR to launch manufacturing engineering tech degree
Old Dominion University will launch Virginia’s first four-year degree in manufacturing engineering technology (MfgET) at its Norfolk campus and a satellite campus at The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) in Danville, the university announced Thursday. “This partnership reinforces Old Dominion University’s commitment to workforce development and leadership in the maritime in[...]
Smithfield Foods division makes new medical device
Smithfield Foods Inc.’s Cincinnati-based porcine-derived medical products unit, Smithfield BioScience, and Atlanta-based medical device company BioCircuit Technologies announced Wednesday that the two will produce a medical device for nerve repair after traumatic injuries. The device, called Nerve Tape, will allow nerve repair without stitches. It is an implantable device made from pig small int[...]
Coal waste project launches in SW Va.
A public-private project to evaluate the critical minerals in coal waste products in Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky launched Wednesday with a community meeting in the Virginia Highlands Small Business Incubator in Abingdon. The project, Evolve Central Appalachia (Evolve CAPP), is part of an almost $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Energy Department to the […]