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Richmond’s Universal Corp. to acquire Pennsylvania flavoring company
Richmond-based agriculture products supplier Universal Corp. has entered into an agreement to acquire specialty ingredient, flavoring and food company Shank’s Extracts Inc., it announced Tuesday. Founded in 1899, Shank’s is a privately-held company specializing in vanilla extract products. The company, which has more than 200 workers, manufactures more than 2,400 extracts, distillates,[...]
Agriculture
CHAD BALLARD III PRESIDENT, BALLARD FISH & OYSTER CO. Inc., CAPE CHARLES Ballard left his job as an investment banking analyst in 2008 to focus on selling Misty Points, Chincoteague Salts and Littlenecks, oysters and clams that have been his family’s livelihood for five generations, going back more than 125 years. Ballard Fish & Oyster […]
Shenandoah Growers taps ex-Starbucks exec as new CEO
Rockingham County-based indoor agriculture company Shenandoah Growers Inc. has appointed former Starbucks Inc. Chief Marketing Officer Matthew Ryan as the company’s new CEO. And Mike Buckley, former senior vice president of business for Postmates, has been hired as Shenandoah Growers’ chief financial officer, the company announced Wednesday. Former Shenandoah Growers CEO Tim Heydon, wh[...]
Shenandoah Growers taps new chief science officer
Tessa Pocock has been named Shenandoah Growers Inc.’s new chief science officer effective immediately, coming to the Rockingham County-based indoor agriculture company from San Francisco-based Plenty Unlimited Inc., where she was director of lighting optimization. Pocock, who holds a Ph.D. in environmental stress biology and master’s degrees in plant biochemistry and biology from Weste[...]
Fairfax hydroponic farm expanding, creating 29 jobs in Herndon
Beanstalk, an indoor hydroponic farm in Fairfax County, plans to expand its operation, investing $2 million and creating 29 jobs, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Monday. Owners Mike and Jack Ross, brothers from Alexandria, started the business in 2018 and sell fresh salad mixes and fresh herbs to grocery stores and at farmers’ markets. The new […]
$59.6M hydroponic operation coming to Va. Beach
Agriculture startup Sunny Farms LLC plans to build a $59.6 million, 32-acre hydroponic operation in Virginia Beach — creating 155 jobs and one of the largest greenhouses on the East Coast, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday. The facility, which will cover 1.2 million square feet when completed in three years, will be located at […]
Rockingham County produce stand expands to 27-acre facility
Mount Crawford-based Overlook Produce and Farm Adventures will invest more than $850,000 to construct a produce packing facility and retail market pavilion on a 27-acre site in Rockingham County, according to an announcement Wednesday from Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam. Located off Interstate 81’s Exit 240, the facility will replace Overlook Produce’s roadside produce stand and […[...]
Shenandoah Growers picks new COO
Shenandoah Growers Inc. has hired former Walmart executive Cameron Geiger as the company’s chief operating officer, it announced this week. The Rockingham County-based agricultural products company says Geiger will help lead the company’s next phase of growth. Geiger, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1989 — the year Shenandoah […]
Aquaculture proves big catch for region
A Russell County native and a Singapore-based asset management firm are about to turn a corner of Virginia’s coalfields into an aquaculture center. Jake Musick’s Riverbound Trout Farms is building a processing plant in Russell County. Musick expects to begin shipping fish this fall. About a quarter mile away, straddling the Russell-Tazewell county line, Pure […]
Brothers build Shenandoah hemp empire
Tanner Johnson, CEO of Pure Shenandoah LLC, says that his Elkton-based company is trying to bring hemp back to its Shenandoah Valley roots. After all, he explains, “back in the 1600s, this area was used heavily for hemp production and rope and clothing.” Johnson is one of four brothers behind Pure Shenandoah, which seeks to […]
Dominion Energy makes $1M donation to Virginia 4-H
Dominion Energy Inc. has donated $1 million to Virginia 4-H, a nonprofit educational program for youth hosted by Virginia Tech, the university announced Thursday. The donation marks the largest cash gift in the history of the state’s largest youth organization. Virginia 4-H educational centers serve more than 13,000 campers each summer, nearly 18,000 youth participate […]
Virginia Cattlemen’s Association names executive director
The Virginia Cattlemen’s Association (VCA) announced Dec. 29, 2020 that Brandon Reeves has been named as its executive director. Organized in 1944 and chartered in 1953, the VCA promotes Virginia’s cattle industry. Reeves is a Virginia native who grew up on his family’s beef operation in the Shenandoah Valley. Reeves earned his bachelor’s degree in […]
