Who are Virginia’s most powerful and influential leaders in business, government, politics and education this year? Find out in the fifth annual edition of the Virginia 500: The 2024-25 Power List.
Roanoke developer Ed Walker first tried to lure Artspace, a Minnesota-based nonprofit real estate developer for the arts, to Roanoke for an early 2000s redevelopment project, but Artspace essentially ghosted him.
“It’s very, very, very, very difficult to get Artspace’s attention and to get them interested in a community,” Walker says. “It’s like trying to date somebody that just isn’t interested.”
Artspace sure seems to be swiping right on Roanoke these days, however.
On April 18, Walker held a celebration marking the first anniversary of his Riverdale mixed-use development, where, as part of an agreement with Roanoke’s city government, he plans to invest $50 million through 2040 to redevelop the 120-acre former industrial site into residences, offices, retail outlets and eateries.
Appearing at the event were Artspace representatives who had been exploring bringing a residential community for artists to Riverdale, with up to 44 private studio spaces and up to 67 live/work housing units for artists who make up to 80% of the area median income, which is $48,350 for a one-person household. Shared areas, like gallery space, a clay studio and rehearsal spaces, could also be included.
“This potentially could be our very first actual brick-and-mortar project in Virginia,” says Kelli Miles, an Artspace project manager.
Monthly rents would range from $480 for an efficiency to $617 for a two-bedroom apartment, according to Artspace Senior Vice President Wendy Holmes — “so, very affordable for [the Roanoke] market.” Artspace, which will own the property, will likely hire a local property management company to oversee it.
Next, Artspace will identify sources for about $800,000 in pre-development funding for the project, which could cost $12 million to $20 million, coming from a mix of public and private funding, Holmes says. The earliest construction could begin is 2026.
Founded in 1979, Artspace has developed 58 affordable housing and creative spaces for artists in 22 states.
Since last summer, Artspace representatives have held meetings with Roanoke-area cultural leaders, city officials and business leaders, including executives from Carilion and Virginia Tech, to talk about the project and potential financing.
“Ed is true to his word,” Holmes says. “He knows how to bring all these people together.”
Making sure artists can afford housing is a way to keep them in the community, according to Douglas Jackson, Roanoke’s arts and culture coordinator. “I think it is economic development,” he says.
Roanoke developer Ed Walker first tried to lure Artspace, a Minnesota-based nonprofit real estate developer for the arts, to Roanoke in the early 2000s when he was transforming a former 1925 cotton textile mill into downtown living spaces. Artspace essentially ghosted him back then.
“It’s very, very, very, very difficult to get Artspace’s attention and to get them interested in a community,” Walker said. “I tried 25 years ago. It’s like trying to date somebody that just isn’t interested.”
However, Artspace sure seems to be swiping right on Roanoke these days.
On April 18, Walker held a celebration marking the first anniversary of his Riverdale mixed-use development, where, as part of an agreement with Roanoke’s city government, he has committed to invest at least $50 million through 2040 to redevelop the 120-acre, former rayon manufacturing site into residences, offices, retail outlets and eateries. The new planned neighborhood is also expected to have amenities such as outdoors-focused programming.
Wendy Holmes, senior vice president of Artspace, along with Greg Handberg, the nonprofit’s senior vice president of properties, and Kelli Miles, an Artspace project manager, visited the Riverdale celebration to deliver a presentation to a few hundred folks who turned out for the event, which was held underneath a tent populated with a sprinkling of folks dressed in costumes borrowed from the city’s recent Daisy Art Parade, including at least one roving, human-size chicken.
“We’re just really so excited about the potential here at Riverdale and here in Roanoke,” Miles told the crowd, who responded with cheers. “This potentially could be our very first actual brick-and-mortar project in Virginia.”
After conducting a six-month preliminary feasibility study that concluded in January and an arts market study in the first quarter of this year, Artspace leaders think the Riverdale development site could support up to 44 private studio spaces and up to 67 live/work housing units for artists and their households who make up to 80% of the area median income, which is $48,350 for a one-person household. Shared spaces, like gallery space, a clay studio and rehearsal spaces, could also be part of the development.
Ben Bazak (left) talks with Wendy Holmes and Greg Handberg of Minnesota-based Artspace on April 18 at Roanoke’s Riverdale development. Photo by Beth JoJack/Virginia Business
Next, Artspace will work to identify sources of pre-development funding from public and private sources. “It’s typically $800,000 over a three-year period of time while we put the funding applications together for the capital costs,” Holmes said.
While it’s too early to estimate exactly how much the project will cost, Holmes guessed that it might come in between $12 million and $20 million, covered by a mix of private and public financing. Artspace, which will own the property, will likely hire a local property management company to oversee it.
The Roanoke Artspace development won’t happen overnight, though. The best-case scenario would be that construction could begin in 2026, according to Handberg.
Monthly rents would range from $480 for an efficiency to $617 for a two-bedroom apartment, according to Holmes — “so, very affordable for your market,” she said.
Artspace officials have studied the Riverdale complex and identified a few buildings that could fit the project, according to Holmes. Artspace’s housing and creative spaces would occupy just a small part of the sprawling Riverdale complex.
“So, we’re super-excited to match the data now with the physical opportunity,” she said.
Founded in 1979, Artspace creates affordable housing and creative spaces for artists. The organization has developed 58 projects in 22 states, including the South Main Artspace lofts in Memphis, Tennessee, and the Tashiro Arts Building in Seattle.
When Artspace first began talking with Walker, the organization’s leaders made it clear that the entire region would need to rally around the idea of creating housing and spaces for its artists.
“We said, ‘Ed, it has to be more than about you,'” Holmes said. “’We need the city. We need the state. And most importantly, we need the artists.’ And he said, ‘We have all that.’ And so we believed him, and it was true.”
Since last summer, Artspace officials have held meetings with Roanoke-area cultural leaders from marginalized communities to discuss space needs and equity issues. They have also met with Roanoke’s economic development leaders and city officials, as well as leaders from banks, foundations, Carilion and Virginia Tech to talk about potential financing.
“Ed is true to his word,” Holmes said. “He knows how to bring all these people together.”
The City of Roanoke has pushed over the last couple decades to support art as a driver for cultural and economic growth. In 2002, Roanoke City Council members approved a plan to use 1% of the construction cost of projects in the city’s capital improvement plan to purchase public art. In 2011, council members adopted the city’s first Arts and Cultural Plan, a document integrating arts and cultural efforts into the city’s comprehensive planning.
Today, dozens of pieces of public art can be found around the city. Last year, Roanoke’s city government won a $75,000 matching grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to develop the Arts Connect Neighbors program, which brings artists into local neighborhoods for performances or workshops.
A 2019 study put together by Washington, D.C., nonprofit Americans for the Arts reported that arts and culture generated $64 million annually for the city’s economy.
Making sure artists can afford housing is a way to keep them in the community, according to Douglas Jackson, Roanoke’s arts and culture coordinator. “I think it is economic development,” he says of the effort to bring the Artspace housing project to Riverdale.
Norfolk no longer plans to build a new arena after Military Circle Mall is torn down, and instead is seriously considering renovating two city-owned venues downtown: the 53-year-old, 10,000-seat Scope Arena and the nearby 52-year-old Chrysler Hall, a 2,500-seat theater.
“The participation of the public dollar that we would need on the arena is more than anybody anticipated,” Sean Washington, Norfolk’s economic development director, told Virginia Business.
The decision puts to rest the city’s long-delayed plans to choose among three competing development teams to redevelop the Military Circle Mall site into an arena-anchored mixed-use development. The frontrunner among the proposals had been the Wellness Circle project backed by a development team including superstar singer Pharrell Williams, Virginia Beach-based Venture Realty and California-based Oak View Group. Two other development teams, including groups connected with Hampton Roads hotel developer Bruce Thompson and Pro Football Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith of Dallas Cowboys fame, submitted competing proposals.
Despite the city apparently giving up on plans to build a new arena on the former Military Circle Mall site, it is still seeking to redevelop the property. On Feb. 20, the Norfolk Economic Development Authority issued a new request for proposals for an architectural firm to come up with multiple adaptive reuse plans to redevelop the Military Circle Mall property “for office, retail, residential, open space and other public amenities,” with a March 4 deadline for proposals. “The authority intends to award a contract as soon as practicable after receipt and evaluation of vendor’s proposals,” according to the document.
‘A real opportunity’
Norfolk commissioned a study in late 2023 from Richmond-based Moseley Architects to examine possibilities for renovating Scope Arena and Chrysler Hall, with results expected in March. The city had begun looking at potential renovations of Scope Arena and Chrysler Hall in 2019, but paused during the pandemic.
The major reasons to modernize the Scope Arena would be to create a better experience for guests and touring shows, as well as generate more revenue, city officials said.
“These buildings are 50 years old, and, boy, they are tired. They need some help,” said Rob Henson, acting director for the city’s Department of Cultural Facilities, Arts and Entertainment. Henson manages SevenVenues, the city entity that runs the Scope Arena and Chrysler Hall, among other city-owned venues. “To fix some things after 50 years is hard work. They’re due for a facelift.”
Henson added the two venues are “maxed out on our revenue-generating potential. … If we could get another 40% or 50% more than we are getting now, that [would be] huge. That [would be] a total game changer.”
With its 10,000-seat capacity, Scope Arena still has an adequate audience size to attract major touring productions, Henson said, but it needs to be able to generate more revenue to attract better-quality performing acts. A renovated facility would justify higher prices for premium features and greater revenues.
“I see a real opportunity here,” he said. Rather than construct “an expensive new arena,” the city could renovate the existing Scope Arena and add new amenities. “In my business, we have found that patrons want not just to have to buy a ticket to see a show; they want to buy a ticket to have an experience.”
That means VIP lounge options, premium seats, VIP parking options and exclusive access to certain areas, for example. Those kind of additions, Henson said, account for 80% of revenues and profits, not just at Scope Arena and Chrysler Hall, but every venue in the city.
Making improvements and creating new revenue-generating opportunities will help Scope Arena and Chrysler Hall continue to be a competitive and attractive touring stop for performing acts traveling between Washington, D.C., and Charlotte, North Carolina, Henson added. “That’s where Norfolk hits its stride,” he said. “That’s where Norfolk is going to win, and it’s going to win every time.”
Proposed changes at Scope Arena — that will be more fleshed out in the study — include projects such as adding amenity space outside the arena, premium seating inside the arena and more bathrooms. Needs for the plaza, the outdoor space between Scope Arena and Chrysler Hall, are the ability to program outdoor events and upgrade parking garages.
Across the plaza from Scope Arena, Chrysler Hall has a logistics issue with the limited capacity of its loading dock. Only one truck can be unloaded at a time at its loading dock, Henson said, and many touring shows require multiple trucks. This can add to labor costs for production companies.
Washington
“When you think of a show like ‘Hamilton’ that had 32 semis, imagine how long that took. So we have jerry-rigged, built out a second one so we can unload two at a time,” Henson said. Chrysler Hall needs a bigger loading dock, he added.
Other proposed changes the city is considering at Chrysler Hall include adding a center aisle, expanding the lobby and improving flow, adding more restrooms, catering facilities backstage and other amenities for traveling acts. The city also wants to add to the loading dock capacity and improve sound, lights and acoustics.
But many questions remain to be answered surrounding the costs and timelines for making changes to the venues.
‘Putting a Band-Aid’ on the problem?
Regarding costs, the city needs to determine if it will seek historic tax credits for each structure and the whole complex. Scope Arena was built in 1971 and Chrysler Hall was built in 1972. As part of a complex, both venues, including the outdoor plaza, are eligible for historic tax credits. While that could save the city money, it may not allow for some cosmetic improvements, though. But if the city doesn’t use the credits, the project would likely cost more.
Another consideration, Washington said, is whether renovations to Scope Arena and Chrysler will be cost-effective as a long-term solution or if it would just be “putting a Band-Aid” on the problem. The city hopes the forthcoming study from Moseley Architects will provide some answers to that.
City staff hope to bring the study before City Council as soon as March and present two proposals for deliberation: one encompassing all potential renovations, and another covering just interior work. City leaders most recently broached the topic of the venue renovations during the council’s November 2023 retreat.
Aside from costs, another big factor for the city to ponder is timing. Touring companies generally plan their schedules about two years out, and the Norfolk Admirals hockey team plays home games at Scope Arena, so logistics and timelines are going to be important.
Both buildings could be renovated at the same time, which could prove to be more cost-effective. With Scope Arena, it could be phased or planned around hockey, but that’s a larger conversation, Washington said. Both he and Henson emphasized the importance of making sure that any renovations of the two facilities are carried out in the best possible way.
“We only get one swipe at this apple,” Henson said.
Capshaw, the founder of 32-year-old music management company Red Light Management, is the driving force behind a newly approved 7,500-capacity riverfront amphitheater in Richmond. The $30 million project, expected to open in 2025, has drawn comparisons to Colorado’s famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Capshaw also developed the Ting Pavilion on Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall and the Ascend Amphitheater in Nashville, Tennessee.
It’s the latest victory for the music lover who got his start booking Dave Matthews Band shows at a Charlottesville bar in the 1990s. DMB is now one of dozens of acts on Red Light’s roster, which also includes Phish, Maren Morris, the Smashing Pumpkins and Brandi Carlile. In 2000, Capshaw and Matthews co-founded ATO Records, an independent record label that includes artists Alabama Shakes, Drive-By Truckers, Rodrigo y Gabriela, and Black Pumas.
In addition to his other music ventures — which include e-commerce and marketing company Musictoday and concert promoter Starr Hill Presents — Capshaw also co-founded Starr Hill Brewery and provided financial backing for solar companies Sun Tribe Solar and Sun Tribe Development.
Bestselling crime and thriller novelist Baldacci, a lifelong Virginian, has made it a mission to give back to the institutions that shaped him.
A Virginia Commonwealth University alumnus and former board of visitors member, Baldacci — with his wife, Michelle — established two scholarships at VCU. One supports students in political science (Baldacci’s major), and the other provides grants to academically promising students from diverse areas of study and backgrounds so they can pursue internships, conferences, research and international study-abroad opportunities.
Baldacci went on to graduate from the University of Virginia School of Law and practiced law in Washington, D.C. His first hit novel, “Absolute Power,” was adapted into a 1997 film starring Clint Eastwood. Since then, the prolific writer has penned more than 50 novels that sold more than 130 million copies worldwide as of 2018. Two of his novels were made into Hallmark Channel movies, and Baldacci was a consulting producer on TNT’s “King & Maxwell,” a television series based on his Sean King and Michelle Maxwell books.
The Baldaccis also founded the nonprofit Wish You Well Foundation, which funds adult literacy and education programs nationally.
When Hollywood productions like “Dopesick,” “Cold Mountain,” “Wonder Woman 1984” and others want to film in Virginia, they come to Edmunds to get the ball rolling.
As director of the Virginia Film Office since 2011 — and the office’s locations manager for 14 years before that — Edmunds helps productions access economic incentives and works to ensure that filmmakers have positive experiences that make them want to return to the commonwealth. He’s worked with directors Steven Spielberg, Terrence Malick, Ridley Scott, Clint Eastwood and a score of others. Although he can’t yet reveal details, Edmunds anticipates a “major musical motion picture” will be in production later this year, the first musical feature ever filmed in Virginia. A possibility is “Atlantis,” a musical inspired by Pharrell Williams’ childhood in Virginia Beach, set to be directed by Michel Gondry.
A Virginia native who studied music at Virginia Commonwealth University, Edmunds was introduced to show business in the 1980s, when the music video he produced for a song he wrote and performed was aired on Nickelodeon and MTV. He serves on the Virginia Film Festival’s advisory board and the Pocahontas Reframed Film Festival’s board.
PERSONAL MOTTO: Optimism is free.
FIRST JOB: Taking tickets at my small-town movie theater at the age of 12
UPDATED SEPT. 11:The Blue Ridge Rock Festival was canceled on Sept. 9 due to severe weather, including storms and hail. The festival’s organizers said they would provide refund details early during the week of Sept. 11.
The Blue Ridge Rock Festival is on track to sell out this year, with organizers expecting more than 50,000 fans to descend upon the Virginia International Raceway in rural Alton for four days of concerts featuring bands like Megadeth, Five Finger Death Punch and Limp Bizkit, beginning Sept. 7.
“Right now, I believe every hotel is sold out in like a 75-mile radius,” says Jon Slye, the festival’s founder and director of talent and curation. Since 2017, when Slye held the inaugural BRRF in Campbell County, the event has bounced around different venues in Central and Southern Virginia to accommodate an ever-increasing number of music fans.
VIR first hosted the festival in 2022. “It went great,” says Kerrigan Smith, the raceway’s president and chief operating officer. So, in April, BRRF organizers announced they’d agreed to a deal to hold the event at the Halifax County raceway through 2025.
“We’re now at the same spot,” Slye says. “We’re not starting from scratch and starting over every single year.”
Scott Simpson, county administrator of Halifax County, is also pleased the festival will remain at VIR. The county took in an estimated $480,000 directly from meals, lodging and sales taxes from the 2022 BRRF, and Simpson expects revenue from this year’s festival to increase by 15%. BRRF attendees spent additional money outside the raceway grounds — at restaurants, hotels and gas stations — but the county has not done an analysis of off-site revenues for the week of the 2022 event.
Despite all the money generated by festivalgoers, the BRRF has yet to turn a profit, according to Slye. One reason for that, he says, is that it’s considerably more expensive to stage a rock festival in a remote area. “Everything from Porta-Johns to electrical to staging to production — everything is just more,” he says.
Even so, Slye is reluctant to take BRRF to a larger city, because the festival is known for its rural Virginia locale.
Although Slye plans for BRRF to be held at VIR through 2025, he acknowledges that he’s had discussions with multiple companies about selling the festival, but he declined to give specifics.
“It is becoming really difficult for us to continue moving forward,” he says, “without a more feasible financial model.”
Neil has been director of the Chrysler Museum of Art since 2014, but his title changed in late 2022 when the position was endowed through a $34 million gift to the museum. He’s now the Macon and Joan Brock director, with the post named for the late Dollar Tree founder and his widow, Joan, both of whom were longtime museum supporters.
The gift is also helping to pay for an 18,000-square-foot expansion of the museum’s Perry Glass Studio, which will triple its size. The Chrysler held a $55 million capital campaign and received support from the city and state to finance the project, which broke ground in March.
In December, the Chrysler will be the first U.S. venue to host a traveling exhibition of Paul McCartney’s photographs, capturing Beatlemania in its earliest years.
Neil has a bachelor’s degree in history from Princeton University and a master’s degree and doctorate in art and architecture history from Harvard University. He speaks French, German and Italian.
FIRST JOB: Busboy at Washington Golf & Country Club in Arlington
HOBBY/PASSION: I love traveling, especially to Italy.
ENTERTAINER, PRODUCER AND DEVELOPER, MIAMI/VIRGINIA BEACH
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Who are Virginia’s most powerful and influential leaders in business, government, politics and education this year? Find out in the fifth annual edition of the Virginia 500: The 2024-25 Power List.
