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Downtown Norfolk Council adds 2 execs
The Downtown Norfolk Council announced two leadership changes Monday. Rachel McCall has been promoted to vice president, from director of strategic initiatives. She has been with DNC since 2014 in a variety of roles, advancing the NEON District — Norfolk’s arts district — and other initiatives. In her new role, she will manage placemaking, oversee […]
Southwest Va. builds outdoor rec centers
Southwest Virginia has two new centers welcoming outdoor adventurists and another on the way. With a grand opening set for August, the $1.5 million Back of the Dragon Welcome Center opened in Tazewell in May 2020. In Coeburn, Spearhead Trails opened a 22,000-square-foot activity center in its renovated Coeburn headquarters last year. And the $2.67 […]
A new look at Va. Beach’s Atlantic Park
The $350 million Atlantic Park surf park development planned for Virginia Beach’s Oceanfront will start construction in October or early November, developers told Virginia Business this week. Virginia Beach-based Venture Realty Group also shared new renderings of the project, which Venture has been co-developing with music icon and Virginia Beach native Pharrell Williams. In planning stages[...]
Statewide hotel revenues continue to lag 2019
Hotel revenues in Virginia for the first half of 2022 continued to lag behind 2019, and reduced business travel is still the culprit. That’s according to data released this week from STR Inc., a division of CoStar Group Inc. that provides market data on the U.S. hospitality industry. Hotel rooms sold decreased by 4.6% in Virginia through June […]
Richmond’s Maymont wins $8M tourism grant
Updated July 20, 2022 Maymont Foundation, which maintains and runs Richmond’s Maymont park, was awarded an $8 million federal grant Tuesday to promote regional tourism, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration announced. With an additional $2 million in matching funds from the foundation, the EDA grant will be used for infrastructure improvements to [&helli[...]
Richmond Raceway names new president
When Lori Collier Waran was a young girl, she spent a lot of time around Richmond Raceway. Her grandparents lived just blocks away and her grandfather would volunteer to park cars so he could watch races. Sometimes Waran tagged along, too. “The raceway was sort of my playground,” she recalled. Now, the raceway will be […]
April Va. hotel revenues down slightly from pre-pandemic
Virginia hotel revenues in April were down 3.5% compared with pre-pandemic April 2019 revenues, largely due to the lagging Northern Virginia market, according to data released Wednesday by STR Inc., a division of CoStar Group Inc. that provides market data on the U.S. hospitality industry. Hotel rooms sold decreased by 4.7% last month, compared with […]
Va. restaurant, travel association names new VP
Richmond-based Virginia Restaurant Lodging & Travel Association has promoted Brittany Wojdyla to vice president of membership and business development, the organization announced Thursday. In her new role, Wojdyla will be responsible for leading the association’s membership efforts throughout the state, developing partnerships and sponsorships, managing events and overseeing marketing an[...]
Summer dreams
Tournaments at the Virginia Beach Sports Center. Events at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. A busy Oceanfront boardwalk. That was the scene in Virginia Beach during just one weekend in mid-March. And it was the perfect “prelude” to the summer travel season, says John Zirkle, general manager of the DoubleTree by Hilton Virginia Beach. “The […]
Something in the Water officially heads to D.C.
Music superstar and Virginia Beach native Pharrell Williams announced Tuesday that his signature three-day music festival, Something in the Water, will be held in June in Washington, D.C., making its departure from Virginia Beach official. Scheduled for June 17-19 on Independence Avenue, the three-day festival includes a long list of pop and hip-hop artists, including […]
Fifth District economy growth is moderate, Fed says
The Federal Reserve’s Fifth District (including Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Maryland) continued to grow moderately despite supply chain issues, labor shortages and rising prices, according to the latest edition of the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book, released Wednesday. The Beige Book is published eight times per year and is based on anecdotal information [&hellip[...]
Bristol temporary casino to open July 8
Hard Rock International Inc. will open its temporary casino in Bristol July 8, the company announced Thursday. The 30,000-square-foot temporary full-service casino featuring 900 gaming slots and 20 tables for gaming operations will open at 500 Gate City Highway, the former Bristol Mall. It is expected to generate 600 jobs. In February, the casino named […]
