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To support a more inclusive workforce, Va. lawmakers must unite around this bill
Virginia’s worker shortage is one of the commonwealth’s biggest barriers to economic growth and prosperity: According to data from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, there are just 60 available workers for every 100 open jobs statewide. But Virginia’s talent-starved labor market is hardly unique. Nationally, there are seven workers for every 10 available jobs. The mismatch betwee[...]
How’s your confidence?
Business always has its up and downs. We’ve all been through more than a few. As au courant as the dot-com economy might seem, that bubble floated skyward decades ago, bursting in 2002. It wasn’t just a small dip. Between 1995 and its peak in March 2000, the tech stock-heavy Nasdaq index rose by 800%, […]
Why Alexandria’s new entertainment district is everyone’s business
As lawmakers negotiate the future of a $2 billion deal to build a new entertainment district in Alexandria, leaders across public and private sectors in the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia region are weighing the potential benefits. Without discounting concerns of local residents, I would like to present how this entertainment district will help Northern Virginia’s future growth and […]
Saving grace
When Del. Don L. Scott Jr., D-Portsmouth, was sworn in on Jan. 10 as the first Black speaker of the house in the Virginia legislature’s 405-year history, he also was likely the first leader of that illustrious body to have served time in federal prison. Reminiscent of the literary trials of Jean Valjean, Scott’s is […]
Got news?
If you’ve been missing out on some local news events lately, it’s likely because local news is increasingly underreported. A report from the University of North Carolina found that between 2005 and 2020, the U.S. lost 2,100 — or roughly one-quarter — of its local community newspapers. Four years later, this trend toward “news deserts” […]
Pot of gold
Placing aside the morality of marijuana use, let’s consider how much money Virginia is currently leaving on the table without a regulated, taxed recreational cannabis market. In 2020, directed by the Virginia General Assembly, which was then under Democratic control, the Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission conducted a study on legalizing marijuana in Virginia. […]
A game of political football
Starting in 1966, the team formerly known as the Redskins began its RFK Stadium sellout streak. For decades, tickets for home games were harder to snag than Taylor Swift tickets today. Divorcing couples battled over custody of season tickets, and the team reportedly had a 100-year-plus season ticket waitlist. That changed in the Dan Snyder […]
A powerful history
Welcome to the fourth edition of the Virginia 500 — The 2023 Power List. Our hope is that you will find it to be an insightful and helpful guide to the commonwealth’s top leaders in business, government and higher education. Virginia’s long reputation as a power center — producing eight U.S. presidents, including George Washington, […]
The antacid
For every parent who’s ever downed a Prilosec-and-Maalox cocktail while making out an eye-popping college tuition check, there comes a moment when they may look askance at how universities are spending their money. After all, the same schools that send entreaties to contribute to billion-dollar capital campaigns have dramatically increased tuition — and administrative compensation [&hellip[...]
The stuff of dreams
Whether it’s aiming to solve a problem, build a better mousetrap or simply make a better life for themselves and their families, entrepreneurs start their businesses with a dream. And it’s in recognition of these visionary innovators that Virginia Business is pleased to debut StartVirginia, a new annual publication devoted to startups and the entrepreneurial […]
Our new AI overlords
A worker who never tires — who never needs to take a coffee break, who doesn’t get sick, who doesn’t disagree and who doesn’t have a messy home life or those pesky families that get in the way of productivity. And most importantly, a worker who doesn’t require a paycheck. For some CEOs, that’s the […]
Crown jewels
The Port of Virginia and its surrounding maritime community are the crown jewels of economic development in Virginia. Fewer than half of U.S. states have any coastline at all, not to mention the combined industrial, commercial and military presence that makes Hampton Roads an enduring source of growth for the commonwealth and the nation. Consistent […]
