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Recent Articles from Virginia Business
Living Legends
GIUSEPPE CECCHI CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD, THE IDI GROUP COS., MCLEAN The Washington Post once dubbed Cecchi “the condo king.” He is perhaps most famous for his role in the creation of the iconic Watergate complex, but he also has left his mark on Northern Virginia, where his family-owned company is headquartered in an office […]
The Mailroom
More balance needed After reading Carol Hazard’s “Blurred Lines” article in the August 2020 issue, I noted the full-page ads from United Bank, Atlantic Union Bank, PNC Bank and TowneBank. Given the strong advertising support your publication receives from banks, I believe you have a moral obligation to ensure fair treatment of credit unions. The […]
Professional Services
MAHFUZ AHMED CHAIRMAN AND CEO, DIGITAL INTELLIGENCE SYSTEMS LLC (DISYS), MCLEAN After earning his bachelor’s degree in engineering from George Mason University, Ahmed worked with Northrop Grumman Corp. and Mobil Oil Corp. before founding information technology staffing and consulting services company DISYS in 1998. Today, as CEO and chairman of the board of directors, Ahmed […]
Federal Contractors | Technology
CRAIG P. ABOD FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, CARAHSOFT TECHNOLOGY CORP., RESTON The former president of Herndon-based DLT Solutions Inc., Abod founded Carahsoft in 2004. With roughly $5 billion in annual revenue, the defense contractor offers software, hardware and IT consulting services in the fields of cybersecurity, accounting, business intelligence and data analysis and storage. This year […]
Hospitality | Tourism
NEIL P. AMIN CEO, SHAMIN HOTELS, RICHMOND Like other hoteliers, Shamin Hotels has been hit by the near evaporation of business travel. Amin is CEO of the company, which owns some five dozen properties and is the largest hotel operator in the Richmond region. Amin graduated The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where […]
September 2020 — For the Record
SOUTHERN VIRGINIA Danville voters will weigh in on a local casino in November, after a circuit judge ordered a referendum to appear on the ballot. Caesars Virginia, a subsidiary of Caesars Entertainment Corp., plans to construct and operate a $400 million casino at the former Dan River Mills industrial complex in Schoolfield. The General Assembly […]
Education
MAKOLA M. ABDULLAH PRESIDENT, VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY, PETERSBURG One of the state’s two land-grant universities, Virginia State was originally chartered in 1882 as the Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute. From an initial class of 126, the Petersburg campus now has 4,385 undergraduate and graduate students. Since arriving in 2016 from his role as provost and […]
Law
FARHAD AGHDAMI MANAGING PARTNER, RICHMOND OFFICE; WILLIAMS MULLEN, RICHMOND In 1999, Aghdami joined Williams Mullen and became managing partner at the firm’s Richmond office in 2015. Focusing on wealth transfer tax, business succession and income tax planning, he counsels high net-worth individuals and families, middle-market business owners, institutional fiduciaries, family offices and cha[...]
Economic Development
TAYLOR ADAMS DIRECTOR, VIRGINIA BEACH DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT VIRGINIA BEACH Under Adams’ leadership, Virginia Beach has seen several company expansions and relocations over the last year, even in the current economic crisis. In June and July alone, nine companies announced they would either locate facilities or expand in the city. Ranging from manufacturing and […]
Agriculture
CHAD BALLARD PRESIDENT, BALLARD FISH & OYSTER CO. INC., CHERITON Ballard represents the fifth generation of the 120-year-old-plus Cheriton-based Ballard Fish & Oyster Co. Before dedicating his time to the family business, Ballard worked in investment banking with BB&T Capital Markets. Ballard Fish & Oyster Co. is the parent company of Cherrystone Aqua-Farms and Chincoteague [&helli[...]
