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Agriculture 2025: SINK, SCOTT E.
The Virginia Farm Bureau Federation has new leadership for the first time in 18 years. During the December 2024 annual meeting, voting delegates picked Sink as the leader of the state’s largest farmers’ advocacy group after Wayne Pryor decided not to seek re-election at the end of his ninth term. Growing up on a multigenerational […]
Agriculture 2025: GUM, DAVID
National Fruit Product Co. sells apple products ranging from applesauce to juice to vinegar, mostly under the White House Foods label. In an October 2024 episode of the “Conversations on Leadership with Dr. Dave” podcast, Gum said much of the operation is automated and that the company has about 150 employees. National Fruit Product has been […]
Agriculture 2025: HEATWOLE, CORWIN
Sixth-generation chicken farmer Heatwole started his humane, sustainable and traceable chicken company in 2014. Originally named Shenandoah Valley Organic but rebranded as Farmer Focus in 2020, the company lets farmers own their flocks, make key decisions and receive fair compensation. Farmer Focus has more than 120 farming partners and more than 1,300 team members. In […]
Agriculture 2025: HOUFF, NEIL A.
Starting as a liquid fertilizer business on a Shenandoah family farm in 1975, Houff Corp. grew to provide a range of agricultural and industrial services, including agronomy, supply chain solutions, transloading and biosolids management. Houff, who earned an agriculture education degree from Virginia Tech, has been the corporation’s president since the early 1990s. In recent […]
Agriculture 2025: SMITH, SHANE
Smith became CEO and president of Smithfield Foods in 2021, just as the world’s largest pork product manufacturer and hog producer announced an end to slaughter operations in its hometown of Smithfield, the country’s self- proclaimed “ham capital.” In January, Smithfield launched its initial public offering of 26 million stock shares at $20 per share […]
Agriculture 2025: LOHR, MATTHEW J.
With a combined annual economic impact of more than $105 billion, agriculture and forestry provide more than 490,000 jobs in Virginia. Lohr’s office and its three agencies oversee these industries among other duties, including supporting rural economic development. Virginia’s secretary of agriculture and forestry since January 2022, Lohr previously served as a three-term state delegat[...]
Law 2025: PEYTON, JANET P.
Leader of the state’s largest law firm’s Richmond office since 2023, Peyton is an attorney who specializes in intellectual property and data privacy and security. Working with clients in a wide range of industries, including retail, manufacturing and higher education, Peyton assists with strategic management of U.S. and foreign trademark portfolios, licensing and transactional intellec[...]
Transportation 2025: BANAS, RYAN
Banas oversees the $3.9 billion Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Expansion, the largest highway construction project in Virginia’s history and one of the largest infrastructure projects in the country. In May, the tunnel boring machine, nicknamed Mary, saw its mining operations pass the halfway point with nearly 60% of the more than 7,900-foot second tunnel excavated. As […]
Banking | Finance 2025: CAUDRON, TRISTAN
Caudron leads RiverFront Wealth Advisors, formerly Caudron Megary Blackburn Wealth Management Group. RiverFront is a member of the Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network. Caudron co-founded CMB in 1995. A certified financial planner, Caudron is also an accredited asset management specialist and a chartered retirement planning counselor. He was among the professionals named on Barron’s 2025 [[...]
Transportation 2025: BENNETT, P. DALE
Bennett adopted the love of trucking from his late father, a professional truck driver, and has advocated for the trucking industry for more than 40 years. The nation’s trucking industry has been hit hard in recent years by driver shortages, supply chain woes and high diesel prices. At the federal level last year, the VTA […]
Transportation 2025: CRUTCHFIELD, RANDALL
Crutchfield has been chairman and CEO of Colonna’s Shipyard — one of the nation’s largest private shipyards — since January 2024, succeeding Tom Godfrey, who retired at the end of 2023 after leading the company for decades. Founded in 1875 and headquartered in Norfolk, Colonna’s provides ship repair, marine and industrial machining, and steel fabrication. […]
Transportation 2025: EDWARDS, STEPHEN
The Virginia Port Authority runs the Port of Virginia, which is one of the state’s chief economic drivers. Annually, port-related business and activity account for more than 565,000 jobs, more than $124.1 billion in total spending and $5.8 billion in state and local tax revenues. Meanwhile, Edwards and other port leaders have stayed focused on […]
