Recent Articles from Stephenie Overman
A shot in the arm
Virginia’s Best Places to Work were hit by the consequences of COVID-19 just like every other business this year. But characteristics that won them the “best places” title — including flexibility, great benefits and distinctive cultures — are sustaining them through the lengthy pandemic. Since 2011, Virginia Business and Pennsylvania-based Best Companies Group have collaborated […[...]
Physician, heal thyself
After the pandemic locked down businesses in mid-March, Dr. Frank Iuorno and his seven employees at West End Orthodontics in Glen Allen busied themselves with what he calls “housekeeping stuff.” Like most dental and medical primary care practices, West End Orthodontics faced many challenges due to the pandemic, ranging from securing funding to stay afloat […]
Law and disorder
The coronavirus pandemic shutdowns led some Virginia law firms to furlough employees and cut pay. Will an onslaught of COVID-19-related litigation be enough to prevent another wave of cutbacks? Bill Van Buren, president and chairman of Norfolk-based Kaufman & Canoles PC, estimates that staffing levels at law firms throughout the country “are down 10% to […]
Amazon scoops up more NoVa land
Another quarter, another Amazon.com Inc. buying spree in Northern Virginia. In January, the company bought 6.2 acres in Arlington County, the location of HQ2, for $154.95 million. According to county records, Acorn Development LLC, an Amazon subsidiary, bought the land from JBG Smith Properties, from which it leases its current HQ2 buildings. The e-tailer has […]
You can Google it
If it’s not one tech giant, it’s another. Ever since Amazon.com Inc. announced in late 2018 that it would open a second headquarters in Arlington County, discussions about workforce and real estate in Northern Virginia have fixed on the e-tailer. But Google LLC’s been busy, too. Last year the Mountain View, California-based global tech company […]
The byte goes on
The tech sector is growing in Northern Virginia, prompted by Amazon.com Inc.’s $2.5 billion HQ2 East Coast headquarters in Arlington County and Google’s expansion in Fairfax and Loudoun counties as part of its $13 billion national growth plan. Also, a new regional coalition, the Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance, formed in September 2019, is bringing […]
Alarm.com launches apprenticeship program
In cooperation with Northern Virginia Community College, Tysons-based Alarm.com launched an apprenticeship program Friday aimed at producing workers with in-demand tech skills. Supported by the state’s GO Virginia economic development initiative, 10 initial apprentices, including three from the military community, will participate in Alarm.com’s paid yearlong apprenticeship program. They will [...]
Recruitment pitch
The lowest U.S. unemployment rate in 50 years isn’t slowing down the companies honored as this year’s Best Places to Work in Virginia. The winners find plenty of applicants are attracted to their good pay and supportive cultures. For example, Burns & McDonnell, a global architecture, engineering and construction company with four offices in Virginia, […]
States join forces to battle Beltway bridge bottleneck
When the governors of Virginia and Maryland announced plans in November to replace the aging American Legion Bridge, it may have sounded like a chorus of angels to woebegone commuters who make their way across the Potomac River each weekday. “A new bridge means commuters will get to work and back home faster,” said Gov. […]
Growth spurt
As the economy has been on the rise, so have hotels in many parts of Virginia. During the past 12 months, Virginia’s hotel industry has seen more than a billion dollars invested in hotel construction and renovation — everywhere from Richmond to Bristol. “The bulk of that is new construction,” says Eric Terry, president of […]