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economic development

Feb 25, 2022

Walgreens to establish $34.2M fulfillment center in Hanover

Walgreens will invest $34.2 million to establish a micro-fulfillment center in Hanover County, a project expected to create 249 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Friday. The 65,686-square-foot facility will be located at the 185,000-square-foot Atlee Station Logistics Center and will have automated machinery to allow for a flexible operating model. “The Walgreens micro-fulfillment center in [&[...]

Feb 23, 2022

Amazon to open Augusta County distribution facility

Amazon.com Inc. will open a 1 million-square-foot, nonsortable fulfillment center in Augusta County, creating 500 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday. The facility at 32 Trader Road in Fishersville will open in spring 2023 and will pick, pack and ship bulky or larger-sized items, such as patio furniture, outdoor equipment or rugs. “This new 1 […]

Feb 18, 2022

SWVA initiative seeks to attract remote workers

Project Fuse, a regional cooperative initiative to make Southwest Virginia the location of choice for remote employment, launched Friday with the release of a playbook to attract businesses. “The global business community seeks options for both attracting the employees they want and managing their operating costs,” Will Payne, managing partner of Coalfield Strategies LLC and […]

Feb 18, 2022

AutoZone to build $185M distribution center in New Kent

Auto parts retailer AutoZone Inc. plans to build a $185.2 million warehouse and distribution center in New Kent County, creating 352 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Friday. The 800,000-square-foot facility will serve as the company’s East Coast distribution operation, according to the governor’s office. Based in Memphis, Tennessee, AutoZone has more than 6,000 stores nationwide [&h[...]

Workers broke ground in January 2022 on the planned $714 million Blue Star NBR medical glove manufacturing complex in Wythe County's Progress Park. Photo by Earl Neikirk.
Feb 10, 2022

$714M Wythe medical glove plant is solo venture now

Developers broke ground in January on the $714 million medical glove manufacturing complex planned for Wythe County’s Progress Park. Only now it may be a solo project, not a joint venture. In October 2021, then-Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced that Alexandria-based Blue Star NBR LLC was building manufacturing facilities to make nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) […]

Feb 8, 2022

Paper goods manufacturer announces $17M Henrico expansion

Washington-based paper goods manufacturer American Paper Converting (APC) will complete a $17 million expansion of its Henrico County operations, expected to add 69 jobs, the Henrico Economic Development Authority announced Tuesday. APC will move its current operation at 4401 Carolina Ave. to 5801 Tech Park Way, near the county’s White Oak Technology Park. The larger […]

Feb 7, 2022

Lowe’s warehouse to create 70 jobs in Roanoke County

A new Lowe’s warehouse and distribution center is expected to create 70 jobs in Roanoke County, the $11 million project’s developer announced Monday. Lowe’s Cos. Inc. has hired Roanoke-based Cherney Development, in partnership with North Carolina-based Samet Corp., to build a 60,000-square-foot distribution warehouse and distribution center on an 8.45-acre site in Roanoke County&[...]

Feb 3, 2022

Port of Va. hires offshore wind development VP

Patrick Kinsman, former CEO and commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Norfolk District, has been hired as the Port of Virginia’s new vice president of offshore wind development. Kinsman will oversee Portsmouth Marine Terminal’s conversion to a logistics hub. Simeans Gamesa Renewable Energy S.A. is investing $200 million to build the first U.S. […]

Feb 1, 2022

Va. Beach launches small biz loan program

The Virginia Beach Small Business Capital Access Program is offering loans of $15,000 to $25,000 to small businesses, with no payments required for the first six months. The program, which is a collaboration between the Virginia Beach Economic Development Department and the Local Initiatives Support Corp. (LISC) of Hampton Roads, provides $400,000 in zero-interest loans […]

Vinton Town Manager Pete Peters at Billy Byrd Apartments, formerly William Byrd High School Photo by Don Petersen
Jan 30, 2022

Revamping Vinton

Vinton has been reinventing itself over the past decade, using public-private partnerships to convert old, vacant buildings into bustling modern developments. Now that the small eastern Roanoke County town has attracted new residents and visitors, the town’s new focus is on improving its transportation, walkability and infrastructure. “We really had a renaissance the last five […]

Pharrell Williams speaks during a panel discussion at his November 2021 Elephant in the Room economic conference at Norfolk State University. Photo by Leigh Vogel/Getty Images
Jan 30, 2022

The Visionary

The online version of this article includes additional material from Virginia Business’ interview with Pharrell Williams.  Pharrell Williams is a 13-time Grammy winner, an Oscar nominee, a fashion designer, a film producer, a music superstar and innovator. He’s also a native Virginian — a point that comes across strongly when he discusses his business ventures […]

America is “dangerously dependent on foreign sources for some of our most critical essential medicines,” says Phlow CEO Dr. Eric Edwards (L), who co-founded the Richmond-based pharmaceutical startup with Frank Gupton (R).
Jan 30, 2022

Economic healing

Over the years, Petersburg has become accustomed to bad economic news. After Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp., Petersburg’s largest employer for decades, left the city in 1985, Petersburg suffered an economic downturn from which it’s never quite recovered. More recently, in 2016, Petersburg city government had a roughly $12 million shortfall in its operating budget, […]

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