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Transportation 2023: NISSIM YOCHAI
Zim American Integrated Shipping Services, a subsidiary of Israeli cargo shipping company Zim Integrated Shipping Services, announced in June its plans to move its headquarters from Norfolk to Virginia Beach, an expansion expected to create several hundred jobs over the next five years in Virginia. Yochai, who joined Zim’s parent company in 2011, became the […]
Economic Development 2023: NANCY L. GRDEN
In April, Grden oversaw the merger of Reinvent Hampton Roads, which she had led since 2022, with the Hampton Roads Business Roundtable to form the Hampton Roads Executive Roundtable. Grden will lead the new organization, which is focused on realigning the region’s economic development initiatives to boost growth. For the past seven years, Reinvent Hampton […]
Transportation 2023: AUBREY L. LAYNE JR.
A former state secretary of finance and secretary of transportation under two governors, Layne currently chairs the powerful Virginia Port Authority, which oversees the Port of Virginia, one of the state’s primary economic engines. His five-year term on the board runs through June 2026. And in July, he marked two years at Sentara. Layne oversees […]
Real Estate 2023: LISA CHANDLER
In March, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and Rose & Womble Realty announced their merger. The combined agency has more than 750 agents and represents over 16% of the region’s market share, according to its chairman, J. Van Rose Jr. After an early childhood spent moving around the globe with her Air Force officer father, Chandler landed […]
Law 2023: WILLIAM R. ‘BILL’ VAN BUREN III
Growing up in a family that formerly owned the Daily Press newspaper in Newport News, Van Buren learned to manage a wide variety of challenges. From canyoning in the Swiss Alps to negotiating complex mergers, he’s always enjoyed learning new skills, although Van Buren says he “still gets the shakes” when he looks at the […]
Finance | Insurance 2023: LAWRENCE ‘LARRY’ BERNERT III
From his first job installing toilets at Portsmouth Naval Hospital to becoming principal and portfolio manager at Wilbanks, Smith & Thomas Asset Management, Bernert says his career has been informed by his ability to listen and consider different perspectives. The University of Virginia Darden School of Business MBA grad is a chartered financial analyst who […]
Law 2023: ROBERT ‘BOB’ TATA
As a young naval officer, Tata navigated across the Atlantic and back using only celestial navigation. Today, he navigates the Norfolk office of Hunton Andrews Kurth, an $830 million law firm with 435 employees in Virginia and 1,619 employees worldwide. Tata received his undergraduate degree from the U.S. Naval Academy (where he set 17 records […]
Education 2023: JAVAUNE ADAMS-GASTON
Rising in prominence since Adams-Gaston became its leader in 2019, Norfolk State now ranks regularly in the top 20 historically Black colleges and universities, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report. In 2021, Norfolk State received its largest single-donor gift, $40 million from billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, ex-wife of Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos. The […]
Real Estate 2023: STEVE LAWSON
A third-generation builder and developer, Lawson served as president of the 190-person multifamily real estate development, construction and management firm for 17 years, until he was named chairman in 2016. For more than two decades, Lawson has promoted equitable and affordable housing policies through leadership positions with the National Association of Home Builders. He has […]
Transportation 2023: JUDY BARRETT
The second woman president in the Virginia Maritime Association’s 102-year history, Barrett is a prominent face in the area’s banking, maritime and sailing communities. A banking executive with more than 30 years of experience, she has been with TowneBank for over 16 years. Barrett also serves as board president of Norfolk Festevents, and is a […]
Transportation 2023: MICHAEL W. COLEMAN
In addition to leading CV International, his family-owned freight logistics and transportation company, Coleman is a Virginia Port Authority commissioner and chairs the century-old Virginia Maritime Association. He’s also a board member of the Hampton Roads Shipping Association and sits on the Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s Advisory Committee on International Trade. Colema[...]
Real Estate 2023: FRANK ‘BUDDY’ GADAMS
Gadams and his firm are known for their commercial and residential projects, but he has also led community-based projects like the restoration of the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts. Gadams founded Marathon in 2000. He is also one of the founders of the YPO (formerly Young Presidents’ Organization) Virginia Chapter. A Downtown Norfolk Council member, […]
