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Vested interest
Eleven months into his first term in elected office, Gov. Glenn Youngkin can boast of several economic development successes and a few legislative wins, but one thing a lot of observers are discussing is his national profile and what it could mean in 2024. Youngkin — and his careful campaign to win over not only […]
Prince William targets data center growth
Move over Loudoun County. Neighboring Prince William County could eventually wear the data center crown. Loudoun currently houses the world’s largest concentration of data centers, which cover more than 25 million square feet of county land. About 27 miles away, however, Prince William is projecting about 33 million square feet of data centers will be […]
Exceeding expectations
In the greater Richmond region, local economic development authorities have been hard at work landing new business and securing expansions, and this year those efforts bore fruit, they say. In fact, 2022 has outpaced the past two decades, declares Jennifer Wakefield, the Greater Richmond Partnership’s president and CEO, as the region landed two “megaprojects” — […]
White Mill project closer to getting off the ground
Danville‘s highly anticipated $100 million White Mill redevelopment is starting to see positive movement. In August, Danville City Council unanimously approved a resolution to apply for a $5 million state grant from the Department of Housing and Community Development’s Industrial Revitalization Fund, a move to help with gap financing of the renovation. Danville has already […]
Everything is not awesome
When Lego Group representatives toured Chesterfield County’s Meadowville Technology Park on a winter day early this year, they didn’t speak. As with most industrial site visits, the county economic development authority staffers conducting the tour didn’t yet know which company they were working with, although they’d answered a site consultant’s request for proposal. [...]
NY publishing company to expand in Orange County
MPS, a division of New York-based Macmillan Publishers, will invest more than $26 million to expand its distribution operation in Orange County, creating an estimated 10 jobs, the county announced Wednesday. The investment will occur over the next three years. MPS is expanding its current 400,000-square-foot facility by 200,000 square feet. “This is wonderful news […]
SWVA projects recommended for $10.6M in federal funds
Eight Southwest Virginia economic development projects totaling $10.6 million have been recommended for federal funding under Virginia’s Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization grant program, Gov. Glenn Youngkin and U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith announced Friday. Referred to the federal Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation Enforcement for approval, the projects include $2.347 million to [...]
Former commerce secretary returns to Williams Mullen
Former Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball is returning to his former law firm, Williams Mullen. Ball rejoined Williams Mullen on Oct. 10 as of counsel in its corporate section, supporting and serving the firm’s Economic Development Team and aiding clients with business expansion needs. He’ll be based in the firm’s Richmond office. […]
Hitachi Energy plans $37M expansion in Halifax County
Hitachi Energy Ltd. will invest $37 million to expand its operation in Halifax County, creating 165 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday. The technology company will add 26,000 square feet to its existing facility in the county to make space for a new production line of large transformers to support the utility and renewable energy […]
Roanoke County names economic development director
Megan Baker will be the next director of economic development in Roanoke County, the county announced Monday. Baker will start Oct. 24. She will replace Jill Loope, who announced her retirement in July. Loope will assist with Baker’s transition, then head up the tourism department in Roanoke County’s parks, recreation and tourism department until she […]
Reading the room
In 2017, David Kern, a retired Naval submarine officer turned entrepreneur, had a lightbulb moment. While working on a data analytics project at a desk in the Naval Station Norfolk annex, he realized that his company, Virginia Beach-based Kern Technology Group LLC, needed to shift from focusing on product development to becoming a service contractor. […]
Coming home
As a kid growing up in Virginia Beach, “Scotty” Gray saw military aircraft so routinely that he wanted to become a pilot. Today he is U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Christopher (still “Scotty”) Gray, commander of Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, where he oversees an area that stretches from Wisconsin to North Carolina and includes 14 installations — […]
