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Soli Organic hires former Tesla exec
Rockingham County-based Soli Organic Inc. has hired former Tesla executive Jeff Jackson as its chief infrastructure officer, the indoor farming company announced Friday. Jackson was the director of infrastructure for Tesla, which manufactures electric vehicles. At Soli Organic, he will support the strategic development of the company’s new facilities and infrastructure. He will lead building[...]
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In terms of business activity and economic development wins, 2021 turned out to be a stellar year for the Shenandoah Valley. “We have exceeded what we anticipated from a business activity perspective,” says Jay Langston, executive director of the Shenandoah Valley Partnership, which promotes economic development from Shenandoah County to Rockbridge County. “When government shut […]
B-Cubed program aids minority-owned businesses
A minority business assistance program in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County has helped 15 businesses and disbursed $21,700 in grant money in its first year of operation. With $200,000 in state and federal grant awards announced in October 2021, organizers of the Black- and Brown-Owned Business Growth Program, known as B-Cubed, hope to attract more business […]
Italian meat company bringing 150 jobs to Rockingham County
Italian cured meats manufacturer Veronesi Holding S.p.A., a Gruppo Veronesi company, will invest approximately $100 million to establish its first U.S. production facility in Rockingham County, creating an estimated 150 jobs over the next four years, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday. The facility will be located on 75.8 acres in the Innovation Village @ Rockingham […]
Virginia Industrial Plastics to grow in Rockingham, adding 92 jobs
Virginia Industrial Plastics Inc. will invest more than $6.5 million to expand its manufacturing facility in Rockingham County, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday. The plastic thermoforming and fabrication company will add 92 jobs with the expansion. Virginia Industrial Plastics makes products designed to serve markets such as meat processing, leisure, medical, commercial, transportation, indus[...]
Shenandoah Growers taps ex-Starbucks exec as new CEO
Rockingham County-based indoor agriculture company Shenandoah Growers Inc. has appointed former Starbucks Inc. Chief Marketing Officer Matthew Ryan as the company’s new CEO. And Mike Buckley, former senior vice president of business for Postmates, has been hired as Shenandoah Growers’ chief financial officer, the company announced Wednesday. Former Shenandoah Growers CEO Tim Heydon, wh[...]
Shenandoah Growers taps new chief science officer
Tessa Pocock has been named Shenandoah Growers Inc.’s new chief science officer effective immediately, coming to the Rockingham County-based indoor agriculture company from San Francisco-based Plenty Unlimited Inc., where she was director of lighting optimization. Pocock, who holds a Ph.D. in environmental stress biology and master’s degrees in plant biochemistry and biology from Weste[...]
Rockingham County produce stand expands to 27-acre facility
Mount Crawford-based Overlook Produce and Farm Adventures will invest more than $850,000 to construct a produce packing facility and retail market pavilion on a 27-acre site in Rockingham County, according to an announcement Wednesday from Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam. Located off Interstate 81’s Exit 240, the facility will replace Overlook Produce’s roadside produce stand and […[...]
Shenandoah Growers picks new COO
Shenandoah Growers Inc. has hired former Walmart executive Cameron Geiger as the company’s chief operating officer, it announced this week. The Rockingham County-based agricultural products company says Geiger will help lead the company’s next phase of growth. Geiger, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1989 — the year Shenandoah […]
$5M donation establishes Bridgewater’s School of Arts and Humanities
A 1962 alumna of Bridgewater College has made a $5 million donation that will establish the Bonnie Forrer and John Harvey Rhodes School of Arts and Humanities, named for the donor and her late husband. The private college’s first named and endowed school will combine its existing communications, fine arts and literature divisions with its […]
Rockingham County gets a little sweeter
Smiley’s Ice Cream will invest more than $1.15 million to build a new ice cream manufacturing facility and retail store in Rockingham County, creating eight jobs, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday. The homemade-style ice cream producer will source an additional 18,000 gallons of Virginia-produced dairy and 2,500 pounds of Virginia-grown fruits during the next three […]
Industrial hemp company to locate in Rockingham
Using the trade name Pure Shenandoah, Elkton-based Shenandoah Valley Hemp LLC will invest nearly $3.3 million to establish an industrial hemp fiber processing and cannabidiol (CBD) oil extraction facility in Rockingham County, creating 24 jobs. The company has committed to purchasing 100% of its industrial hemp from Virginia growers, resulting in nearly $5 million in […]
