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economic development

Kate Pittman (L) is executive director of the nonprofit that promotes and supports Virginia Beach’s ViBe Creative District, the trendy area co-founded by Andrew Fine and Laura Wood. Marked by colorful murals and artwork, the district features a mix of art galleries, retailers, coworking space, restaurants, breweries and coffee shops. Photo by Mark Rhodes
Jul 28, 2022

Creating community vibes

In Virginia Beach, most tourists flock to the Oceanfront. But just a couple blocks west, you’ll find an area that feels a little more artsy and a lot more local. In the 15-block ViBe Creative District, situated between the Virginia Beach Convention Center and the Oceanfront, coffee shops and restaurants operate out of former industrial […]

Aiming for the max score
Jul 28, 2022

Breaking rank

What a difference a year makes. On July 13, 2021, against a backdrop of ships blasting their horns and spraying water in celebration at the Port of Virginia’s Norfolk International Terminals, Gov. Ralph Northam sat for a harborside interview with CNBC, which had just named Virginia the nation’s best state for business for an unprecedented […]

(L to R) Danville Regional Foundation President and CEO Clark Casteel and interim Pittsylvania County Administrator Clarence Monday Photo by Hannah King
Jul 28, 2022

Prosperity drives formation of regional group

Interim Pittsylvania County Administrator Clarence Monday knows what’s better than two localities working together: a whole region working to support them in a joint effort. “The partnership between Danville and Pittsylvania County is unusually strong, so it makes sense that Pittsylvania County is a partner in the economic and community success of this region. We’re […]

Morgan Olson, the largest manufacturer of step vans in North America, operates out of the former IKEA facility at Cane Creek Centre, an industrial park jointly owned by Danville and Pittsylvania County. v
Jul 28, 2022

Growth industry

When manufacturers thinking about setting up shop in Southern Virginia visit Pittsylvania County, the county’s economic development director, Matt Rowe, doesn’t just show off expansive, shovel-ready industrial sites. He also touts the region’s workforce, which includes many workers with advanced manufacturing skill sets. Eighteen percent of Southern Virginia’s labor force w[...]

Two years after the closing of the Central Virginia Training Center, its site in Amherst County will soon be available for private development. Photo by Parker Productions
Jul 28, 2022

CVTC property inches closer to redevelopment

Once home to more than 3,600 people with intellectual disabilities and other conditions, the Central Virginia Training Center property in Amherst County is drawing closer to a different future. In June, Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed into law the latest state budget, which removed $25 million in tax obligations from the 350-acre site, making it more […]

Altria Group CFO Sal Mancuso brings his 30-plus years of experience to his volunteer position chairing regional economic development organization the Greater Richmond Partnership. Photo courtesy Altria Group Inc.
Jul 28, 2022

Broadened horizons

Virginia Business’ 2022 Virginia CFO of the Year award winners represent large and small businesses and large and small nonprofits.  Large business | Sal Mancuso, executive vice president and CFO Altria Group Inc., Henrico County A first-generation college graduate whose father immigrated to this country from Sicily, Italy, as a teenager, Sal Mancuso believes it’s […]

Rivers Casino Portsmouth is on track to open in January 2023. Rendering courtesy Rush Street Gaming
Jul 28, 2022

Gambling on Hampton Roads

Roy Corby’s first job at a casino was as a dealer. Now, Corby is general manager of the $300 million Rivers Casino Portsmouth, which is on track to become the first Virginia casino to open in a permanent location. It plans to open in January 2023 at the intersection of Victory and Cavalier boulevards, off […]

During a June 15, 2022, news conference at the Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced that the Lego Group plans to build a $1 billion toy factory in Chesterfield County. Cover rendering courtesy Lego Group; Youngkin photo by Shaban Athuman/AP Images
Jul 28, 2022

Youngkin, CNBC see room for growth in Va.

In July, Virginia ceded the top spot in CNBC’s America’s Top States for Business rankings to neighboring North Carolina, with Virginia taking third place in the annual list. Virginia had previously held the No. 1 slot for a record-breaking two years — a feat no other state has matched in the coveted award’s 15-year history. […]

Opened in May 2020, the Back of the Dragon Welcome Center led the way for other Southwest Virginia outdoor recreation centers. Photo courtesy Back of the Dragon
Jul 28, 2022

Southwest Va. builds outdoor rec centers

Southwest Virginia has two new centers welcoming outdoor adventurists and another on the way. With a grand opening set for August, the $1.5 million Back of the Dragon Welcome Center opened in Tazewell in May 2020. In Coeburn, Spearhead Trails opened a 22,000-square-foot activity center in its renovated Coeburn headquarters last year. And the $2.67 […]

CoStar Group is significantly expanding its Richmond footprint with a new James River campus near its current office. Rendering courtesy CoStar Group Inc.
Jul 28, 2022

Big deals

These are some of the state’s biggest economic development announcements in 2021 and 2022, expected to create at least 100 jobs each. CENTRAL VIRGINIA Chesterfield County: Lego Group, the manufacturer of the iconic brightly colored interlocking plastic toy bricks, announced in June it will build a $1 billion plant in Chesterfield County’s Meadowville Technology Park, […]

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Jul 27, 2022

AeroFarms to add 66 jobs in Pittsylvania

New Jersey-based leafy greens producer AeroFarms plans to add 66 more jobs as it increases production at its vertical farm in Pittsylvania County, the governor’s office announced this week. This is in addition to the 92 jobs promised in its operations at Cane Creek Centre, a $42 million investment in what is promoted as the […]

Headshot of Panayiotis "Yoti" Jabri
Jul 14, 2022

Prince George County hires economic development director

Prince George County has appointed Panayiotis “Yoti” Jabri its director of economic development, effective Aug. 1. Jeff Stoke, who became the county’s administrator on April 12, selected Jabri as his successor. “We are very pleased to be able to appoint Mr. Jabri to this very important county position,” Stoke said in a statement. “He has […]

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