Recent Articles from Virginia Business
Federal Contractors/Technology: MATT CALKINS
While cloud computing and enterprise software firm Appian expects revenues of up to $446 million in 2022, a 21% increase from 2021, don’t expect any of that to come from Russia. Calkins told Yahoo! Finance in April that his company has never done business with “Putin’s Russia” and urged others to follow suit as global […]
Federal Contractors/Technology: DAVID DACQUINO
Dacquino, who has overseen the $1.6 billion federal contractor with about 9,000 employees since 2017, retired as Serco’s CEO in September 2021 but retains his position as chairman. He was succeeded as CEO by Tom Watson, senior vice president for Serco’s North American defense business. In September 2021, Serco was one of 55 companies to […]
Hospitality/Tourism: RITA McCLENNY
Nobody would describe McClenny as a job hopper. Almost a decade has passed since former Gov. Bob McDonnell appointed McClenny to head Virginia Tourism Corp. (VTC). Prior to that, the Southampton County native ran the Virginia Film Office, a division of the VTC, for more than two decades. A graduate of Fisk University in Nashville, […]
Law: THOMAS C. INGLIMA
Inglima has been behind the scenes for multiple multimillion- and multibillion-dollar national mergers, acquisitions and sales. The Duke University and Georgetown University Law Center graduate specializes in such deals involving media, manufacturing and health care companies. His practice also handles venture capital and securities transactions, intellectual property, licensing and technology tra[...]
Federal Contractors/Technology: DeETTE GRAY
Gray’s first job out of college was teaching math and science to middle schoolers in the 1990s. She integrated computers into the science curriculum to make learning more interactive and discovered a talent for writing code, leading her to become a software developer. Those experiences led her to CACI, where she works to modernize government […]
Retail/Wholesale: ARIE KOTLER
Arko Corp., a holding company for the nation’s sixth largest convenience store chain, Richmond-based GPM Investments LLC, made the Fortune 500 for the first time in 2022, ranking No. 498. That’s an especially significant achievement considering the company began trading on the Nasdaq at the end of 2020. Kotler, a native of Israel who has […]
Transportation: JOHN CUOMO
“Passion drives excellence,” says Cuomo, adding that solutions are typically found “not in your office, but on the floor with your teams … [and] on the ground with your customers.” VSE, which reported $751 million in fiscal 2021 revenue, provides aftermarket distribution and maintenance, repair and overhaul services for land, sea and air transportation. It […]
Law: MARGARET HARDY
Hardy is an artist, farmer, registered nurse and accomplished attorney who represents health care clients, local governments and various businesses. She’s also Sands Anderson’s first woman president, the managing shareholder for its Fredericksburg office, leader of its health care group and a member of the firm’s government, business and litigation groups. Her 15 years of […]
Telecommunications: CHRISTOPHER FRENCH
French, who’s been with Shentel since 1988, oversaw the $1.94 billion sale last year of Shentel’s wireless business to T-Mobile — which provided shareholders a special cash dividend of $18.75 per share. Now, French is focused on the company’s growth strategy around its regional fiber optic network. Its home and business broadband service, branded as Glo […]
Economic Development: JARED CHALK
In September, Chalk started his new position as the Hampton Roads Alliance’s chief rainmaker. It’s a good fit, considering he had been serving as executive director of the Norfolk Economic Development Authority, as well as the city’s economic development director, since 2020. (He held the positions on an interim basis beginning in 2018.) Norfolk led […]


















