McGlothlins make nearly $60M gift to VMFA
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts announced Tuesday that Bristol-area philanthropists James W. and Frances Gibson McGlothlin have donated nearly $60 million toward the Richmond museum’s expansion campaign, including 15 paintings. Alex Nyerges, the VMFA’s director and CEO, said that a 170,000-square-foot wing will be named for the McGlothlins, who previously made a $30 million […]
Finding new solutions
Movers and shakers in Southwest Virginia wanted to try a new approach to economic development. The stakes were (and are) high. Naturally, the decline of the coal industry had a devastating impact on Virginia’s coalfields. The Appalachian Regional Commission classifies four counties in Southwest Virginia — Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee and Wise — as economically distressed. […]
Hard Rock names president of new Bristol hotel and casino
Hard Rock International Inc. has announced a president to lead its hotel and casino operations in Bristol. Allie Evangelista most recently served three years as a vice president and general manager for Penn National Gaming operations, including the past seven months at Hollywood Casino Perryville, in Maryland. Evangelista has “already hit the ground running and […]
Construction begins on Hard Rock casino in Bristol
Construction has started on the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol’s temporary casino, with opening scheduled in the second quarter of 2022, Hard Rock International Inc. announced Thursday. Before its permanent casino is built, Hard Rock will build a 30,000-square-foot casino at the former Bristol Mall. It will feature 900 gaming slots and 20 tables […]
Amazon opens delivery station in Bristol
The Amazon.com Inc. delivery station in Bristol opened for its first official day of operation Wednesday. Located at 103 Thomas Road, the station is 72,000 square feet. A delivery station creates on average 100 to 150 full- and part-time associate jobs “in addition to hundreds of driver opportunities,” with wages of at least $15 per […]
Virginia Lottery reports record $3.26B in annual revenue
The Virginia Lottery posted an all-time record $3.26 billion in annual sales and a record $765 million in profits for the fiscal year that ended June 30, the lottery’s board announced Wednesday. The lottery saw a 52% increase in revenue and a nearly 30% increase in profits over the prior fiscal year. The introduction of […]
Eight over 80
What keeps a person working at an age when most of us are happy to let others take care of business? These overachieving Virginians, all over age 80, have remained hard at work mostly for one or more of three reasons. The first is being able to continue work with family. Retirement is rarely mandatory […]
Saving the day
Running from police, an unremarkable bad guy with sandy hair suddenly grabs a little girl and dangles the young hostage from the third floor of a mall atrium. As a gaggle of nonplused bad guys decked out in ’80s pastels and John Oates mustaches look on, the skylight above shatters. It’s Wonder Woman, swooping into […]
Reopening weekend largely positive for restaurants
Reopening weekend was largely positive for restaurants and other businesses in Virginia localities that entered Phase One of Gov. Northam’s Forward Virginia plan on Friday. “It was actually very busy,” said Brad Smith, general manager of Quaker Steak & Lube on Bristol’s State Street. “We were busy to the capacity we could be.” Smith had […]
Casino operators go head-to-head in Bristol and Richmond
Casino operators are already maneuvering into position as they wait for state legislators to legalize gaming. The stakes are high, and in at least two regions multiple operators are competing to cash in. In Richmond, the Pamunkey Indian Tribe has announced a $350 million casino within city limits, while the Colonial Downs Group and parent […]