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Travis Hill to step down as Va. ABC’s CEO
Travis Hill, CEO of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority, announced Thursday he plans to step down from his post at the ABC, where he’s worked since 2014. Hired nine years ago as the Virginia ABC’s chief operating officer, Hill became CEO in 2018 after managing the former state department’s transition to a semi-independent authority […]
Fed Fifth District economy grows slightly
The economy in the Federal Reserve’s Fifth District (a multistate region including Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Maryland) grew slightly in recent weeks, according to the latest edition of the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book, released Wednesday. Published eight times per year, the Beige Book is based on anecdotal information about economic conditions gathere[...]
Virginia ABC: Vodka is Va.’s best-selling spirit
Tito’s Handmade Vodka notched its sixth year as the commonwealth’s most popular liquor at Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority stores in fiscal 2023. According to VABC, the Austin, Texas-based craft vodka accounted for $72 million in sales in fiscal 2023, up $5.1 million over the prior year. Tito’s out-guzzled other spirits by a long shot; […]
Retail | Wholesale | Food | Beverage 2023: ARIE KOTLER
In June, Arko, the nation’s sixth largest convenience store chain, with more than 1,500 company-operated stores in 30 states, made the Fortune 500 list for the second time, ranked at No. 460, 38 places higher than its 2022 debut. The parent company of Henrico-based GPM Investments, Arko brought in $72 million in net income in […]
Retail | Wholesale | Food | Beverage 2023: WILLIAM D. ‘BILL’ NASH
Nash began at CarMax in 1997 as an auction manager, working his way up to president and CEO in 2016. Founded in 1993 in Richmond as a subsidiary of electronics retailer Circuit City, CarMax is the country’s largest retailer of used cars, reporting $31.9 billion in 2022 revenue and employing more than 30,000 people. In […]
Retail | Wholesale | Food | Beverage 2023: JACK WOODFIN
For Woodfin, heating and cooling is a family affair: His parents, John and Anne, started Woodfin Heating in 1977 to sell heating oil, growing it into one of the largest privately held HVAC-related businesses in Virginia. A Virginia Military Institute and University of Virginia Darden School of Business alum, Woodfin began working with his parents […]
Retail | Wholesale | Food | Beverage 2023: POUL WEIHRAUCH
Since taking over the reins at the candy and pet food giant in September 2022, Weihrauch has set a goal of doubling its sales by 2033. With $45 billion in sales in 2022, Mars is the largest privately held company in Virginia and the fourth largest in the nation. It has approximately 140,000 employees in […]
Retail | Wholesale | Food | Beverage 2023: WARREN THOMPSON
Thompson’s start as an entrepreneur came as a teen, when he purchased and ran his family’s hog farm in Windsor. He now heads the largest minority-owned food and facilities management corporation in the nation, a company he founded in 1992 with the purchase of 31 Bob’s Big Boy restaurants. Thompson Hospitality provides dining services for […]
Retail | Wholesale | Food | Beverage 2023: DREW PARKER
Carter Machinery has deep roots in Virginia, tracing back to 1928, when Robert Hill Carter founded Virginia Tractor in Richmond. The company was the state’s first Caterpillar dealership, and it is still going today as an independent Caterpillar dealer, with more than 30 locations and around 2,300 employees in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and […]
Retail | Wholesale | Food | Beverage 2023: TRAVIS HILL
Hill presides over Virginia ABC, a state agency that produced $1.4 billion in 2022 revenue, with $622.8 million going to the state general fund. Before becoming CEO in 2018, Hill served four years as the agency’s chief operating officer and previously was a state deputy secretary of agriculture and forestry. In June, reports emerged that […]
Retail | Wholesale | Food | Beverage 2023: DENNIS ELLMER
Ellmer launched Priority Auto in 1999 with the acquisition of two dealerships in Chesapeake. By 2023. he grew the business to No. 55 on Automotive News’ list of the top 150 dealer groups in the U.S., based on the 14,447 new vehicles the dealership sold in 2022. In June, auto retail giant Lithia Motors announced […]
Retail | Wholesale | Food | Beverage 2023: ELIZABETH ‘LIZA’ MYERS BORCHES
Founded in 1924 by Borches’ great-grandfather, Carter Myers Automotive is Virginia’s fifth largest car sales group; it garnered $933 million in revenue during fiscal year 2022 and employs more than 1,000 people in Virginia. Since 2012, when Borches became CEO, CMA has grown to 23 dealerships. In September 2022, the company purchased Lynchburg’s Craft Automotive […]
