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Speyside Bourbon Cooperage in Smyth lays off 75 workers
Speyside Bourbon Cooperage in Atkins will lay off 75 employees at the end of April due to slowdowns in the bourbon industry, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) letter dated Feb. 28. Speyside plans to end second-shift production and third-shift maintenance at the Smyth County facility. Laid-off workers may be recalled “as […]
Virginia 500: The 2024-25 Power List
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. Read more about how we assembled the Virginia 500 from our editor. Executives are listed in alphabetical order by industry. Below you will find links […]
Speyside Bourbon Cooperage to create 40 jobs in Pittsylvania
Speyside Bourbon Cooperage will invest $16.85 million to build a new stave mill in Pittsylvania County‘s Brosville Industrial Park, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced last week. A U.S. subsidiary of a French company, Speyside Bourbon Cooperage produces staves, or strips of wood, from American White Oak, which are used to make the company’s bourbon barrels. Pittsylvania […]
Travis Hill to step down as Va. ABC’s CEO
Travis Hill, CEO of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority, announced Thursday he plans to step down from his post at the ABC, where he’s worked since 2014. Hired nine years ago as the Virginia ABC’s chief operating officer, Hill became CEO in 2018 after managing the former state department’s transition to a semi-independent authority […]
Virginia ABC: Vodka is Va.’s best-selling spirit
Tito’s Handmade Vodka notched its sixth year as the commonwealth’s most popular liquor at Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority stores in fiscal 2023. According to VABC, the Austin, Texas-based craft vodka accounted for $72 million in sales in fiscal 2023, up $5.1 million over the prior year. Tito’s out-guzzled other spirits by a long shot; […]
ABC reports almost $1.5B in FY23 revenue
The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority reported $1.47 billion in gross revenues for fiscal year 2023, up $54.3 million over the prior fiscal year, on Wednesday. The reported revenue is a record for the authority. This is the fifth year that ABC has brought in revenues above $1 billion. As a division of the state […]
Food/beverage distributor to create 745 jobs in Caroline
World Class Distribution Inc. (WCD Inc.) plans to build a $275 million, 1.2 million-square-foot distribution center in Caroline County that will create 745 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday. A subsidiary of Tact Holdings Inc., WCD distributes food and beverage products, including canned foods, dry foods, candy, grocery, beer and wine, frozen foods and other […]
NoVa distillery to expand, create 42 jobs
Prince William County-based MurLarkey Distilled Spirits will invest $8.1 million to move and expand its operations, with plans to create 42 new jobs over the next three years, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Thursday. MurLarkey will leave Bristow and establish a large new distillery and tasting room on the Manassas campus of Farm Brew Live, a […]
Hardywood taps new president, CFO and brewmaster
Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, the state’s largest craft beer brewer, announced Thursday it has promoted Kate Lee as president. She previously served as vice president of operations and quality, and joined the Richmond-based brewery in 2014. Also promoted: Brian Nelson, vice president of production and head brewer, is now Hardywood’s brewmaster, and Doug Sulanke, formerly […]
Retail | Wholesale
MICHAEL AKROP CEO, LEESA SLEEP LLC, VIRGINIA BEACH Akrop, who was Leesa Sleep’s president and chief operating officer, earned a promotion in January, becoming the online mattress retailer’s CEO. He has an extensive background in digital startups, having logged nearly a decade at Zappos, the online shoe retailer, and then two years at Vroom, a […]
ABC reports record $1.2B in FY 2020 revenue
The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC) broke its gross revenue record again during fiscal year 2020, reporting $1.2 billion in gross revenue, the ABC announced Wednesday. Last year, the state agency surpassed $1 billion in revenue for the first time. ABC’s profits of $545.3 million (an increase of $45.8 million over last year) will […]
Retail | Wholesale
ROBERT A. ‘BOB’ ARCHER CHAIRMAN AND CEO, BLUE RIDGE BEVERAGE CO., SALEM Robert Archer runs the wholesale beverage retailer his parents bought in 1959 after moving to Salem. When his father, James Archer, died in 1972, his mother, Regine Archer, became president and forged ahead on decades of growth and acquisitions. Blue Ridge distributes a […]
