Manufacturing 2025: COLLIER, ROB
In early 2023, Danaher, a Washington, D.C., conglomerate encompassing biotechnology, diagnostics and life sciences businesses, announced plans to spin off its environmental and applied solutions segment into a separate public company headquartered in Massachusetts and called Veralto. A subsidiary of Danaher since 2007, Glen Allen-based ChemTreat is now part of Veralto, and Collier is now […[...]
Manufacturing 2025: MOORE, JON
Since 2019, Moore has served as president and CEO of Philip Morris USA, the largest cigarette company in the United States with brands that include Marlboro and Virginia Slims. Morris has worked for parent company Altria Group since 2003, serving as vice president of its heated tobacco products division and director of marketing for NuMark, […]
Manufacturing 2025: GOTTWALD, THOMAS E. ‘TEDDY’
NewMarket is the parent company of subsidiaries that specialize in petroleum additives and critical performance additives used in space launch and military defense applications. Gottwald, whose grandfather Floyd Gottwald’s Albemarle Paper Manufacturing purchased the Ethyl Gasoline Corp. in 1962, is a member of one of the nation’s wealthiest families. Ethyl, now called NewMarket, now ha[...]
Manufacturing 2025: LEDESMA, DAVID
Ledesma became the plant manager of DuPont’s Spruance site in 2021 after serving in the same role at its facility in Buffalo, New York. Built in 1929 to manufacture rayon, DuPont’s Spruance site sits along the James River and is the largest of the company’s manufacturing facilities worldwide. Ledesma manages more than 2,000 employees, some […]
Manufacturing 2025: GIFFORD JR., WILLIAM F. ‘BILLY’
Joining the company at its subsidiary Philip Morris USA in 1994, Gifford became CEO of the Fortune 500 tobacco products manufacturer in 2020. Altria’s operating companies, in addition to Philip Morris USA, are U.S. Smokeless Tobacco, John Middleton, Helix Innovations and NJOY, as well as Horizon Innovations, its majority-owned joint venture with JT Group. In […]
Manufacturing 2025: JAIN, PRABHAT
Jain has been CEO of Virginia Transformer, the continent’s largest U.S.-owned power transformer manufacturer, since 1982 — 14 years after he arrived from India, mechanical engineering degree in hand. Over the past four decades, he has grown the company from 35 employees to more than 2,700 across six plants. Jain started as a machine shop […]
Manufacturing 2025: FRIEDRICH, KAI
Friedrich joined Liebherr’s U.S. operations in 2021 as its managing director. In February, the Swiss equipment manufacturer announced Hirohito Imakoji has also been named a managing director of Liebherr USA and that he will work jointly with Friedrich, who is also the company’s managing director and divisional director of earthmoving and material handling technology. Out […]
AstraZeneca to locate pharma plant in Albemarle
AstraZeneca and Eli Lilly & Co. are planning to locate major manufacturing facilities in Albemarle and Goochland counties.
MasterBrand to acquire American Woodmark in $3.6B deal
MasterBrand plans to acquire Winchester-based cabinet manufacturer American Woodmark in an all-stock merger.
Explosions at US Steel plant in Pennsylvania leave 1 dead, 2 missing and multiple injured
Explosions at U.S. Steel’s Clairton plant near Pittsburgh killed 1, left 2 missing, and injured at least 9, sparking safety and pollution concerns.
Ford hits the pedal on EV production with $2 billion overhaul of Kentucky plant
Ford will invest $2B to retool its Louisville plant for affordable electric trucks, aiming for profitability and faster production by 2027.
Trump to put additional 25% import taxes on India, bringing combined tariffs to 50%
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday to place an additional 25% tariff on India for its purchases of Russian oil, bringing the combined tariffs imposed by the United States on its ally to 50%. The tariffs would go into effect 21 days after the signing of the order, meaning that both India and Russia might have time […]





















