Virginia redistricting vote begins amid lawsuits
Virginia's special election on congressional redistricting begins despite lawsuits. Early voting runs through April 18 with legal defenses from Attorney General Jay Jones.
Virginia officials oppose new congressional redistricting maps
Virginia delegates and Augusta County officials oppose the April 21 special election amendment on congressional redistricting, citing concerns over gerrymandering.
Virginia housing market showed momentum in October
Virginia’s housing market picked up in October, with buyers taking advantage of lower mortgage rates and a larger selection of homes.
Dairy products manufacturer to expand in Augusta
Shamrock Farms, an Arizona-based dairy products manufacturer, will invest $59 million to expand its Augusta County manufacturing operation, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Tuesday. Shamrock Farms expects to create 28 jobs through the expansion, which will add 81,000 square feet to the manufacturer’s 250,000-square-foot facility in Mill Place Commerce Park. The company opened its Augusta facili[...]
Cava opens Verona production and packaging facility
Nearly three years after announcing its initial plans, Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant brand Cava has opened a production and packaging facility in Augusta County‘s Mill Place Commerce Park. The company held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the facility in May. The Washington, D.C.-based company invested roughly $35 million to open the 55,000-square-foot facility to help centralize product[...]
Agriculture 2023: NEIL A. HOUFF
Founded in 1975, family fertilizer business Houff Corp. expanded to provide a variety of agricultural and industrial services to farmers in the Shenandoah Valley, including crop fertilization and trucking. “We don’t fit in a box,” says Houff, president since the early 1990s. “We are a third-party logistics company that uses warehousing, rail and trucking to […]
A time to build
The Shenandoah Valley Partnership had more economic development activity than “anyone anticipated in 2022,” says Jay Langston, the partnership’s executive director. During the calendar year, the partnership saw close to $140 million in investment and 520 jobs. In Fishersville, Amazon.com Inc. is building a $120 million, 1 million-square-foot nonsortable fulfillment center, which handle[...]
Incubator hopes to grow Virginia winemaking
Tim and Ben Jordan are first-generation grape growers on a Shenandoah Valley farm that has been in their family since the 1700s. Although the brothers “leapt off the ground quite blindly” to pursue their passion, Tim Jordan says — first planting grapes in 2007 — their dream of building a winery on the farm proved […]
Return to form
In terms of business activity and economic development wins, 2021 turned out to be a stellar year for the Shenandoah Valley. “We have exceeded what we anticipated from a business activity perspective,” says Jay Langston, executive director of the Shenandoah Valley Partnership, which promotes economic development from Shenandoah County to Rockbridge County. “When government shut […]
Amazon to open Augusta County distribution facility
Amazon.com Inc. will open a 1 million-square-foot, nonsortable fulfillment center in Augusta County, creating 500 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday. The facility at 32 Trader Road in Fishersville will open in spring 2023 and will pick, pack and ship bulky or larger-sized items, such as patio furniture, outdoor equipment or rugs. “This new 1 […]
Daikin dojos offer workforce training
In the U.S., the Japanese word “dojo” generally refers to a martial arts training space, but in recent years, the term’s also been adopted in business for workforce development. In October 2021, Daikin Applied, a Minneapolis-based commercial HVAC equipment manufacturer, expanded the training dojo program at its Verona production facility, doubling the number of welding […]
CAVA to build $30M facility in Augusta County
Washington, D.C.-based fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant chain CAVA will spend more than $30 million to establish a new processing and packaging facility in Augusta County, a project expected to create 52 jobs, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday. CAVA will build the 57,000-square-foot facility in Mill Place Commerce Park in Verona. “Food and beverage processing is at […]



















