Recent Articles from Maria Howard
A ‘North Star’ for others
It’s been a few months since Virginia Commonwealth University’s Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center was added to an elite, national list of comprehensive cancer centers, but the excitement around the June announcement continues. “It definitely is a huge deal,” says the center’s director, Dr. Robert A. Winn. “This is something we’ve chased for the better part […]
Cruise lines add stops in Norfolk, Yorktown
Major cruise lines are launching expansions expected to propel Hampton Roads forward as a tourism destination, with new stops in Norfolk and Yorktown. In Norfolk, Carnival more than doubled the number of cruises departing to the Bahamas, Bermuda, the Caribbean and New England this year with a schedule that now runs from May to October. […]
The Pharrell factor
Some celebrities seem to forget their roots. Fortunately for Hampton Roads, Pharrell Williams is not that kind of star. The Grammy-winning musician with a worldwide following has invested in the area repeatedly over the past several years and is poised to continue. Even as his career took a new path this year when he was […]
Growth industry
Prompted by shifts in consumer buying trends, Shenandoah Valley farmers are investing heavily in automated systems and cutting-edge growing processes to position themselves for the long haul in an industry that’s changing rapidly. Once dubbed the “breadbasket of the South” because of its bountiful wheat crops, Virginia’s northwestern region has remained an agricultural powerhouse. But [&he[...]
Radford Army plant contract extended through 2026
While the contract extension for operation of the sprawling Radford Army Ammunition Plant is reassuring from an economic development perspective, it also has sentimental value to the community. “The Radford Army Ammunition Plant means a lot to our BAE Systems workforce, but also to the generations of families in our community that have kept the […]
Generation next
There’s a new wave of “super collaborators” driving economic development in the Roanoke and New River valleys. Many of the top positions in the region’s public and private sector economic development engines have turned over in the past couple of years. In multiple cases, individuals who had held positions for decades decided to retire or […]
‘Just when I thought I was out’
Virginia Business’ 2022 Virginia CFO of the Year award winners represent large and small businesses and large and small nonprofits. Large nonprofit | Hossein Sadid, CFO and deputy director for finance and administration Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond After a couple of failed attempts, Hossein Sadid finally retired at the end of June from […]
Broadened horizons
Virginia Business’ 2022 Virginia CFO of the Year award winners represent large and small businesses and large and small nonprofits. Large business | Sal Mancuso, executive vice president and CFO Altria Group Inc., Henrico County A first-generation college graduate whose father immigrated to this country from Sicily, Italy, as a teenager, Sal Mancuso believes it’s […]
On a mission
Virginia Business’ 2022 Virginia CFO of the Year award winners represent large and small businesses and large and small nonprofits. Small nonprofit | David Argabright, CFO Feeding Southwest Virginia, Salem David Argabright’s background in construction came in handy when Feeding Southwest Virginia opened its Community Solutions Center in a high-crime, poverty-stricken area of Roanoke. “[...]
‘A seat at the table’
Virginia Business’ 2022 Virginia CFO of the Year award winners represent large and small businesses and large and small nonprofits. Small business | Cynthia Macturk, CFO Fahrenheit Advisors, Richmond When Cynthia Macturk wants to consult with professional peers, she doesn’t have to go far. “Here, I have an entire in-house network of wonderful CFOs,” says […]