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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 charita[...]
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[...]
Real Estate
J. SCOTT ADAMS PRESIDENT, VIRGINIA, COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL LLC, NORFOLK A nearly 30-year veteran in the real estate industry, Adams, who joined Colliers in January 2019, oversees the company’s Central and Southeast Virginia teams and, starting this fall, the Raleigh market. Last year, Colliers Virginia, which employs more than 350 people, reported $54.5 million in revenue. […]
Manufacturing
R. MARCUS ‘MARC’ AMMEN CEO, UNIVERSAL FIBER SYSTEMS LLC, BRISTOL Ammen, who has served as CEO of Universal Fiber since 2009, joined the company in 2000 as chief financial officer and previously was president of Universal Fibers Inc., one of the corporation’s affiliates. Founded in 1969 in Bristol, Tennessee, the company has two units: Bristol, […]
Nonprofits | Philanthropy
SHERRIE ARMSTRONG PRESIDENT AND CEO, COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR A GREATER RICHMOND, RICHMOND Founded in 1968, the Community Foundation for a greater Richmond is a venerable force for regional philanthropy, managing 1,200 charitable funds with more than $1 billion in assets. Consequently, when the coronavirus pandemic hit, the Community Foundation was one of the first organizations […]
Arts | Entertainment | Sports
TONY BENNETT MEN’S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA, CHARLOTTESVILLE In 2019 Bennett achieved what no team had never done before — coaching his team to become NCAA men’s basketball champions in his 10th year with the program, a year after the Cavaliers fell during the first round of the tournament. Cementing his reputation as […]
Telecommunications
TAD DERISO PRESIDENT AND CEO, MID-ATLANTIC BROADBAND COMMUNITIES CORP., SOUTH BOSTON Deriso is the proverbial big fish in the small pond of South Boston, where MBC has made significant headway in connecting Southern Virginia to broadband internet service, working with Old Dominion Electric Cooperative and Virginia Tech, among others. Founded in 2004, MBC owns and […]
11 Va. employers recognized for hiring veterans
Eleven Virginia employers received this year’s Virginia Values Veterans Awards, which were announced Wednesday during the virtual 2020 Virginia Veterans and Military Affairs Conference, which is hosted by the Virginia Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Virginia Department of Veterans Services (VDVS) and the Virginia Veterans Services Foundation (VVSF). “Virginia is home to a […[...]
Va. Foundation for Independent Colleges receives national award
The National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP) announced Wednesday it has awarded the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges (VFIC) the 2020 Community Partner of the Year award. Each year, the NCCEP recognizes achievements by individuals and partners through its Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) Leadership Awards. GEAR UP [&hell[...]
Virginia Business wins two national journalism awards
Virginia Business won two national journalism awards Thursday at The Alliance of Area Business Publishers’ (AABP) Editorial Excellence awards. The magazine placed gold in the “best feature” category for freelance writer Greg Weatherford’s November 2019 cover story, “The rise of the millennials,” which focused on the generation’s ascendance as America’[...]
