Out and About December 2022
1. L to R: Applied Systems CEO Taylor Rhodes; Chris Rogerson, Towne Insurance executive vice president and chief operating officer; and Towne Insurance President and CEO W. Douglas Russell hold the Applied Systems’ 2022 Pinnacle Award that Towne Insurance received in October. Photo courtesy Towne Insurance. 2. Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association President and CEO […]
Pharrell brings Mighty Dream to Norfolk
In November, Grammy-winning music superstar Pharrell Williams hosted the three-day Mighty Dream forum in Norfolk and broke some news about his Something in the Water music festival and the status of his team’s proposal to redevelop Norfolk’s Military Circle Mall site. Mighty Dream, a sequel to his 2021 Elephant in the Room business conference at […]
757 Angels to join VentureSouth network
757 Angels, a Hampton Roads angel investment group that matches venture capitalists with local entrepreneurs, is partnering with VentureSouth, one of the largest angel network groups in the United States, the group announced Friday. The partnership, effective June 2023, will provide more access to capital and investors to 757 Angels’ 140 members. VentureSouth has about […]
ARDX to invest $2.4M to relocate, expand in Norfolk
Health care management and IT consulting firm ARDX will invest $2.4 million to relocate and expand within Norfolk, a project expected to create at least 15 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Thursday. ARDX will move from Lake Wright Drive to 500 W. 21st St. to hire more staff and establish a division of health equity […]
CMA CGM America’s Ed Aldridge to retire
Ed Aldridge, president of CMA CGM America and American President Lines LLC, will retire on Dec. 6, and Peter Levesque, who was previously Ports America Group’s president, will take over those roles, the French container ship company announced Wednesday. Aldridge took over as president of CMA CGM America in 2020 and has been responsible for […]
Carnival to double trips from Norfolk, proposes year-round cruising
Carnival Cruise Line announced Monday it will more than double the number of cruises it offers from Norfolk in 2023 and is working toward year-round cruising from Norfolk in 2025. Stephen Kirkland, executive director of Nauticus, shared the news from Norfolk’s cruise terminal that overlooks the harbor where ships dock, adjacent to downtown Norfolk. Carnival […]
Tourism, hospitality are rebounding, Youngkin says at VA1 summit
One of the big takeaways from the VA1 Governor’s Tourism Summit being held in Norfolk this week is that Virginia is ready and eager for travelers. Travel industry professionals from around the commonwealth are gathering at Hilton Norfolk The Main through Tuesday for the ninth annual state tourism industry conference, which is presented in part […]
ODU announces $500M capital campaign
Old Dominion University on Thursday announced the formal launch of a five-year, $500 million campaign to raise money for scholarships, research, campus improvements and faculty recruitment, with the university saying it‘s already more than halfway to meeting its fundraising goal. ODU President Brian O. Hemphill announced the campaign, Forward Focused: For Dreams and Beyond, Oct. […]
Innovation was at center of Mighty Dream Day 3
On the third and final day of Pharrell Williams‘ Mighty Dream Forum in Norfolk, the theme was innovation. The first day‘s focus was diversity and equity, while Wednesday was largely dedicated to inspiring entrepreneurs to find and create opportunities. Panelists throughout the day Thursday encouraged attendees to innovate, seek out resources and do their homework […]
Mighty Dream Day 2: Finding and seizing opportunities
The second day of Pharrell Williams‘ Mighty Dream Forum in Norfolk included poetry, news about Williams’ Something in the Water music festival and advice for entrepreneurs. Just as Mighty Dream’s first day was focused around a central theme of diversity and equity, the second day was largely dedicated to inspiring entrepreneurs to find and create […]
Mighty Dream Day 1 focuses on diversity, equity
Grammy winning music superstar Pharrell Williams put on his business hat Tuesday in Norfolk, welcoming attendees to his Mighty Dream forum, which he likened to an event like the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, “but for marginalized communities.” The three-day forum kicked off with spoken-word poetry and a mighty boom of drums and crash […]
Pharrell urges Norfolk to speed up Military Circle development
During a news conference before his three-day Mighty Dream forum kicked off Tuesday, music superstar Pharrell Williams said he is waiting for Norfolk to officially approve his development team’s Wellness Circle project at Military Circle Mall, noting, “I’ve been told many times that we won it. … You have to ask the city. The ball’s […]




















