2024 Virginia Business Person of the Year: Robert M. Blue
Bob Blue has a “no jerks policy,” which he attributes to his upbringing in Albemarle County. “We don’t always agree. In fact, we shouldn’t agree,” he clarifies. “It doesn’t mean that we all just hold hands and sing ‘Kumbaya,’ but what it does mean is that we should treat each other respectfully.” As Dominion Energy’s […]
Aiming for the fences
When renters tour the new Novel apartment building in Richmond‘s Scott’s Addition neighborhood, one fifth-floor vantage point has particular appeal. The windows on the building’s east side look across Arthur Ashe Boulevard onto the site where the Richmond Flying Squirrels’ new baseball stadium, CarMax Park, is expected to open in time for the 2026 season. […]
Engineering without boundaries
The surging demand for energy. The country’s aging, overwhelmed electrical grid. Threats of cyberattacks. The explosion of interest in — and confusion about — artificial intelligence. These real-life problems don’t know boundaries. Neither should the search for solutions, says Azim Eskandarian, dean of Virginia Commonwealth University’s College of Engineering. Cross-disciplin[...]
Ex-Richmond Fed examiner pleads guilty to insider trading
A former Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond examiner on Tuesday pleaded guilty to committing insider trading and making false statements about his trading to the Richmond Fed. Robert Brian Thompson, 43, of Chesterfield County’s Moseley area, was an examiner and senior manager with supervisory duties for the Richmond Fed, where he worked from 2004 through about […]
After two years, VCU Health makes Levy permanent CEO
Two years after he first became interim CEO, Dr. Marlon F. Levy has been named VCU Health System’s permanent head. Virginia Commonwealth University announced Monday that Levy’s interim roles as the Richmond-based health system’s CEO and senior vice president for VCU Health Sciences were made permanent in appointments by the VCU Board of Visitors and […]
Petersburg casino passes with 81% of unofficial vote
Updated Nov. 6 More than 80% of Petersburg voters said yes to the city’s casino referendum, according to unofficial Election Day results from the Virginia Department of Elections, as of 9:45 p.m. Tuesday. The vote gives a green light to Cordish Cos.’ $1.4 billion Live! Casino & Hotel, set to be built on an undeveloped […]
Carpenter notches acquisition No. 3 with Casper buy
Richmond-based international foam producer Carpenter has acquired omnichannel bedding brand Casper Sleep. Under the agreement, Casper will operate as a subsidiary of Carpenter. This marks the third acquisition Carpenter has made in the past 16 months. In November 2023, Carpenter acquired North Carolina-based NCFI Polyurethanes. That deal followed the company’s closing in June 2023 on its [&[...]
Thalhimer now sole principal for Diamond District redevelopment
Loop Capital is no longer affiliated with the development partnership working on the mixed-use development component of Richmond‘s $2.4 billion Diamond District project, leaving Thalhimer Realty Partners as the development team’s sole principal. The partnership, a limited liability company named Diamond District Partners, is developing the area surrounding the planned new baseball stad[...]
Virginia 500 Spotlight: JENNIFER WAKEFIELD
What I was like in high school: A nerd involved in everything One thing I’d change about Virginia: More marketing dollars at the state level to increase and enhance perception among C-suite executives globally. Sadly, our competitors all outspend and out-market us. Where I see myself 10 years from now: In the same role, crushing […]
Raleigh-to-Richmond rail project gains steam
Preliminary construction is underway for the Richmond-to-Raleigh passenger rail project, an estimated 162-mile route along the defunct CSX Transportation S-Line corridor that will speed up travel between the capitals of North Carolina and Virginia, as well as Washington, D.C., and the Northeast U.S. “We have basically funded work to advance all of the preliminary engineering […]
John C. Asbury tapped to lead American Bankers Association
The American Bankers Association has elected John C. Asbury, president and CEO of Richmond-based Atlantic Union Bankshares, as the organization’s chair for 2024-25. “Through his bold leadership and dedicated service to our industry, John has proven that he is just the right person to step into this critically important role,” Rob Nichols, president and CEO […]
Former NFL, U.Va. football player indicted on embezzlement charges
Real estate developer Christopher A. Harrison, a former University of Virginia and NFL football player, was indicted last week on federal embezzlement charges connected to a downtown Richmond residential project and Petersburg’s former Ramada Inn, which he purchased in 2018 to redevelop. According to a news release by the U.S. Department of Justice, a grand […]