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Recent Articles from Virginia Business
Real Estate: DONALD D. GRAUL
With more than 38 years of industry experience, Graul joined Branch in 2020 from Centreville-based Parsons Corp., where he was president of construction and a senior executive for alternative project delivery. He also worked previously for AECOM. Branch has 853 employees, all in Virginia, and reported $452 million in revenue for fiscal year 2021. The […]
Real Estate: BRETT HITT
Hitt leads one of Virginia’s biggest general contractors, a family business started by his grandparents in 1930. The company finished 1,400 projects in 2021, reporting $3.38 billion in revenue — a 34% growth rate. Hitt, who’s been with the company nearly 40 years, earned his bachelor’s degree in construction from Georgia Tech in 1984. While […]
Real Estate: WILLIAM ‘BILL’ PAULETTE
With $1,000 in seed money, Paulette founded KBS as a one-person construction company in 1975. Over four decades, it’s become one of the top-rated construction firms in the mid-Atlantic, delivering high-profile, multimillion-dollar projects such as remaking the old Putney Shoe Factory into the CarMax Midtown Innovation Center in Richmond, and The Current, a full-block, mixed-use […]
Real Estate: MAGGIE REED
A 2005 Penn State University graduate who holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture and has worked for Gilbane for 19 years, Reed was promoted to head up the construction firm’s Richmond office in April. With 2,800 employees worldwide (125 in Virginia) and $6 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2021, Gilbane is responsible for some […]
Living Legends: W. HEYWOOD FRALIN
A lawyer, healthcare executive and philanthropist, Roanoke native Fralin has been working since age 13, when he started out as a paperboy. Fralin is chairman of Retirement Unlimited, which owns and operates 19 senior independent living, assisted living and memory care communities in Virginia and Florida. He previously chaired Roanoke-based Medical Facilities of America, a […]
Federal Contractors/Technology: TERRY RYAN
Ryan’s best advice for others is “to never stop being a student of your industry,” he told WashingtonExec in April. Ryan has led the private, global risk management firm since early 2021, after serving as its lead director. It was established as a holding company for a portfolio of contracting firms that provide security, construction, […]
Transportation: RANDY CLARKE
Clarke took over Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority in July, succeeding Paul. J. Wiedefeld, who retired in May amid news that 250 train operators had not been recertified as required. Before leading WMATA, which manages Metrorail and Metrobus, Clarke was president and CEO of Austin, Texas’ Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, where he oversaw a multibillion-dollar […[...]
Transportation: PAUL HOELTING
Since becoming president of TForce Freight in May 2021, Hoelting has focused on people, equipment and facilities, including a program in which dockworkers can earn their commercial driver’s licenses while having their tuition and wages covered. A subsidiary of Canadian transport company TFI International Inc., TForce earned more than $3 billion in revenue in fiscal […]
Finance/Insurance: ELENA EDWARDS
In February, Edwards was promoted from the French travel insurance company’s North American CEO to chief markets officer for the parent company. She continues as the chief executive of the North American region and has also been named to Allianz Partners Group’s management board. Formerly a mechanical engineer, Edwards started her 30-plus-year career at General […]
Finance/Insurance: G. ROBERT ASTON JR.
In December 2021, Aston, who has logged more than 50 years in banking, accepted the Hampton Roads Chamber’s 2021 First Citizen of Hampton Roads Award, recognizing an individual who demonstrates exceptional regional leadership. “The philanthropic culture he has established at TowneBank is emblematic of what all businesses should strive to achieve,” said Bryan K. Stephens, […]
