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The Pharrell factor
Some celebrities seem to forget their roots. Fortunately for Hampton Roads, Pharrell Williams is not that kind of star. The Grammy-winning musician with a worldwide following has invested in the area repeatedly over the past several years and is poised to continue. Even as his career took a new path this year when he was […]
ODU supply chain/logistics school approved by SCHEV
Old Dominion University’s School of Supply Chain, Logistics, and Maritime Operations was approved Wednesday by the state’s higher education council, and it’s set to start programming on Oct. 1, according to the university. The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) OK’d the new school, which will support ODU’s Maritime Consortium, which was created [&h[...]
Lyon Shipyard to expand, adding 134 jobs
Lyon Shipyard, a 95-year-old family-owned ship repair facility in Norfolk, will spend $8.5 million to expand its operations and add an estimated 134 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday. The shipyard plans to increase its capacity to work on commercial ships and vessels that will work on offshore wind farm operations. Virginia competed with Maryland […]
Economic Development 2023: BRYAN K. STEPHENS
Stephens has headed the Hampton Roads Chamber for the past 10 years, promoting business concerns in the region, home to Naval Station Norfolk, the world’s largest naval complex, as well as significant manufacturing and hospitality sectors. The chamber maintained its U.S. Chamber of Commerce five-star accreditation in 2022, placing it in the top 1% of […]
Education 2023: BRIAN O. HEMPHILL
Hemphill arrived at Old Dominion in 2021 with big goals for the 93-year-old public R1 research university, like the April opening of the Hampton Roads Biomedical Research Consortium, a partnership among ODU, Norfolk State University, Eastern Virginia Medical School and Sentara Health. The consortium aims to jumpstart scientific research and address health care disparities in […]
Transportation 2023: REAR ADM. WESLEY McCALL
McCall became the Navy’s mid-Atlantic commander in May after Rear Adm. Christopher “Scotty” Gray was promoted to lead the Navy Installations Command in Washington, D.C. McCall previously commanded Navy Region Southeast, which includes operations in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and much of the Southeastern United States. He was based in Jacksonville, Florida, at its Naval Air […]
Law 2023: THE HON. MARK STEVEN DAVIS
Davis’ connection to the sea goes back to his specialty in maritime law in private practice, previously representing the company that won salvage rights to the Titanic. Davis joined McGuireWoods in 1989, became partner in 1996 and left in 1998 to join Carr & Porter. From 2003 to 2008, he served as a Portsmouth Circuit […]
Real Estate 2023: ROBERT M. ‘BOB’ KING
King was named chairman of the commercial real estate company’s board in May after his adoptive father, Harvey L. Lindsay Jr., died on April 19 at age 93. Lindsay adopted King and his brother, Billy, after he married their mother, Frances. Their father, naval pilot Robert M. King Jr., died in a training flight accident […]
Economic Development 2023: DOUG SMITH
After serving as Norfolk’s city manager and Virginia Beach’s deputy city manager, Smith now leads the Hampton Roads Alliance, the regional economic development organization representing 14 municipalities and numerous private-sector investors. For the past four years, Smith and his team have helped establish Hampton Roads as an important center in the offshore wind industry, as […]
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: 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 […]
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 […]
