Arko tries to keep $1.4B TravelCenters of America bid alive
Updated 5:30 p.m. March 28 Henrico County-based Fortune 500 convenience store holding company Arko Corp. is rivaling British oil and gas giant BP in a $1.4 billion bid to acquire Westlake, Ohio-based TravelCenters of America Inc., a publicly traded convenience store chain with 281 retail stores and roadside restaurants in 44 states. On Monday, Arko […]
Martin Agency is Ad Age’s 2023 Agency of Year
Richmond advertising firm The Martin Agency has been named Ad Age’s 2023 Agency of the Year, a year after being named as a standout on the trade publication’s A-List. Ad Age, a global media outlet covering the marketing and advertising industries, cited Martin’s record; the ad agency posted its second-best year of growth in its […]
UR alumni couple donates $25M for student learning center
Carole and Marcus Weinstein, alumni of the University of Richmond, have donated $25 million — the second-largest single gift in the Richmond university’s history — to support a center focused on student learning, UR announced Wednesday. The Carole and Marcus Weinstein Learning Center will be located in the Boatwright Memorial Library. The gift will enable […]
Hourigan promotes CAO to construction president
Richmond-based construction and development firm Hourigan Group has promoted Bryan Jones to head its construction division, the company announced Tuesday. Jones joined Hourigan in 2016 and served as chief administrative officer before his promotion to president of construction. “Bryan personifies leadership at the highest level and I look forward to working together for many years […]
Building blocks
If you ask economic development officials in Central Virginia about 2022, they might respond with a familiar slogan: “Everything is awesome.” With almost 5,000 announced jobs and $1.6 billion in capital investment, the Richmond region had one of its best years in the last two decades. By October 2022, the region recovered 100% of jobs […]
Virginia hold ’em
The slot machines are already ringing out in Bristol and Portsmouth, where Virginia’s first commercial casinos opened during the past year. The state’s first permanent casino, Rivers Casino Portsmouth, opened its doors on Jan. 23. Operated by Chicago-based Rush Street Gaming, the resort has 1,148 slot machines, 57 table games and 24 poker tables, as […]
Paying it forward
In the last year, Virginia philanthropists continued making generous donations toward health care research, while others maintained their longstanding support of art museums. Leading the pack were two nine-figure donations for medical research. In February 2022, Dr. Todd Stravitz, who built his expertise researching and treating liver disease, donated $104 million to Virginia Commonwealth Universi[...]
Second Petersburg casino bill dies in Senate committee
Updated Friday, Feb. 17 Petersburg voters won’t get an opportunity to approve a casino this fall, and Richmond may get a second chance to vote on a casino referendum in 2023, state legislators decided Thursday in a 10-6 vote. However, the matter could come down to last-minute state budget negotiations. The Virginia State Senate’s Finance […]
Petersburg casino bill passes Va. House
The Virginia House of Delegates narrowly passed a bill Tuesday that would allow Petersburg residents to vote on a casino referendum this fall. The legislation moves next to the Virginia State Senate, where a similar bill died in committee. Del. Kim Taylor, R-Dinwiddie, sponsored HB 1373, which passed 49-44 in the full House vote, with […]
Magical moments
2023 BEST PLACES TO WORK — LARGE EMPLOYERS WINNER The pandemic put a damper on workplace culture, which was particularly difficult for service-oriented organizations like Vaco, a Tennessee-based national staffing and consulting firm with an office in Richmond. Recruiters and salespeople are typically more social and outgoing, so adjusting to a remote — and now […]
Morrissey’s Petersburg casino bill fails in Senate Finance
Updated Friday, Feb. 3 With an 7-8 no vote Thursday evening, the Virginia Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee killed state Sen. Joe Morrissey’s measure to bring a casino referendum to Petersburg’s ballots this fall. A similar bill in the House of Delegates, however, is still alive. A few days after receiving support from the Senate […]
Phlow promotes chief biz officer to president
Richmond-based Phlow Corp. has promoted Dan Hackman from chief business officer to president, the pharmaceutical manufacturing company announced Thursday. Hackman joined Phlow in 2020. He previously worked with Kaleo Inc. as general manager of its Auvi-Q product — an injectable pen developed for emergency allergy treatment — and served as its vice president of patient […]