Virginia 500 October 2025 Spotlight: CHRIS KEFFER
FIRST JOB: Washing dishes at the local restaurant INTERESTING PLACES I’VE TRAVELED: The Exumas and Abacos, super cool island chains that are part of the Bahamas MOST VALUED POSSESSION: Babe Ruth autographed baseball given to me by my grandmother ADVICE FOR NEW COLLEGE GRADS: Show up early to work, take on hard projects and demonstrate […]
Hillsville manufacturer to close, leaving 68 out of work
Parkdale will close its Hillsville plant on Oct. 9, cutting 68 jobs. Company said rising energy costs created unsustainable business model.
Fairwinds Landing partner promotes COO and SVP
Portsmouth-based advanced engineering and manufacturing company Fairlead, a Fairwinds Landing project developer, promoted Jeremy Jeffreys to SVP and COO.
BWXT wins $1.5B contract for Tennessee uranium enrichment plant
A BWX Technologies subsidiary was awarded a $1.5 billion contract from the National Nuclear Security Administration to help the United States establish domestic uranium enrichment capability for defense, the Lynchburg-based nuclear components manufacturer announced Tuesday. Under the indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract, BWXT Enrichment Operations will design, build and operate the Do[...]
Eli Lilly to invest $5B in Goochland plant, creating 650 jobs
Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly & Co. plans to invest $5 billion in a manufacturing facility in Goochland County expected to create 650 permanent jobs.
ABB announces $28.5M expansion in Henrico, adding 100 jobs
ABB will invest $28.5 million to expand operations in Henrico County, creating more than 100 jobs in the next three years.
Butler Human Services Furniture to close Mecklenburg operations
Butler Human Services will close two Chase City facilities in Mecklenburg County, cutting 51 jobs.
Fed’s Fifth District sees modest growth
The Federal Reserve’s Fifth District saw its economy grow modestly in recent weeks, according to the latest edition of the Fed’s Beige Book.
Hitachi Energy to invest $457M in Virginia expansion
Hitachi Energy announced Thursday it will invest $1 billion to expand its U.S. grid infrastructure manufacturing, with roughly half of that investment going into Virginia, where it plans to add 825 jobs. The electrical equipment manufacturer will invest $457 million to build the nation’s largest manufacturing site for large power transformers in South Boston, Hitachi […]
Manufacturing 2025: IMAKOJI, HIROHITO
In February, the Swiss equipment manufacturer appointed Imakoji as Liebherr USA’s second managing director, jointly sharing executive responsibilities with Kai Friedrich, who has served as its Newport News-based managing director since 2021. Imakoji oversees strategic planning and the execution of growth strategies for corporate, finance and administrative functions. Liebherr USA provides sa[...]
Manufacturing 2025: STEITZ, JOHN M.
In 2019, Steitz was named president and CEO of surface protection films and aluminum extrusions manufacturer Tredegar, a 1989 spinoff of Richmond fuel additives company Ethyl. Steitz had served on Tredegar’s board of directors since 2017 while also serving as CEO of additives supplier Addivant, which merged with SI Group in 2018. He was also […]
Manufacturing 2025: ROBINSON, ANTHONY ‘TONY’
Robinson took over in 2024 as the head of Framatome, the Lynchburg-based North American subsidiary of the French nuclear equipment, services and fuel producer. During more than three decades of experience in the nuclear industry, Robinson has held a series of executive positions. Previously, he was senior vice president and chief nuclear officer of Structural […]





















