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Retail | Wholesale | Food | Beverage 2023: TRAVIS HILL
Hill presides over Virginia ABC, a state agency that produced $1.4 billion in 2022 revenue, with $622.8 million going to the state general fund. Before becoming CEO in 2018, Hill served four years as the agency’s chief operating officer and previously was a state deputy secretary of agriculture and forestry. In June, reports emerged that […]
Manufacturing 2023: ROBERT H. SPILMAN JR.
Spilman, who has been CEO of home furniture manufacturer and seller Bassett Furniture since 2000, said in March that the company has fulfilled a large backlog of orders and subsequent supply chain disruptions created during the pandemic. In the second quarter, consolidated revenue declined by 22% compared with last year, although the reported $100.5 million […]
Nonprofits | Philanthropy 2023: TIM ROSE
As CEO of the U.Va. Foundation for the past three decades, Rose oversees most of the real estate endeavors for the state’s flagship public university and its associated organizations. Currently, Rose is working with U.Va. on a large affordable housing project, as well as the construction of a $130.5 million hotel and conference center, set […]
Nonprofits | Philanthropy 2023: ELIZABETH A. McCLANAHAN
McClanahan brings a wealth of experiences in law, leadership and higher education to her role as CEO of the Virginia Tech Foundation. A lifelong Virginian and former justice on the Supreme Court of Virginia, her ties to the university go back much further than her current position, which she took up in 2021. She has […]
Professional Services 2023: JEREMY BLANK
Blank has worked at Big Four global accounting firm Deloitte since 1995, moving from a tax practice partner at the accounting firm to his current market leader position in January 2022. His expertise includes tax research and analysis, tax planning, mergers and acquisitions, tax technology and compliance. In fiscal year 2022, Deloitte reported record revenues […]
Telecommunications 2023: ERNEST ‘ERNIE’ ORTEGA
Ortega began 2023 by announcing GTT had completed its financial restructuring and was marking “the beginning of an important new chapter” as a “customer-focused managed services provider.” Two weeks later, he revealed the company’s new marketing tagline, “Making exceptional possible.” In 2021, the global provider of managed network and security services sold its infrastructure [...]
Manufacturing 2023: WILLIAM ‘BILLY’ GIFFORD JR.
Gifford became Fortune 500 tobacco product manufacturer Altria’s CEO in 2020, after having served as president and CEO of subsidiary Philip Morris USA and holding other executive posts at Altria for the past 25 years. After four challenging years, during which Altria saw the value of its 35% stake in Juul Labs’ e-cigarette company plummet […]
Retail | Wholesale | Food | Beverage 2023: ELIZABETH ‘LIZA’ MYERS BORCHES
Founded in 1924 by Borches’ great-grandfather, Carter Myers Automotive is Virginia’s fifth largest car sales group; it garnered $933 million in revenue during fiscal year 2022 and employs more than 1,000 people in Virginia. Since 2012, when Borches became CEO, CMA has grown to 23 dealerships. In September 2022, the company purchased Lynchburg’s Craft Automotive […]
Retail | Wholesale | Food | Beverage 2023: DENNIS ELLMER
Ellmer launched Priority Auto in 1999 with the acquisition of two dealerships in Chesapeake. By 2023. he grew the business to No. 55 on Automotive News’ list of the top 150 dealer groups in the U.S., based on the 14,447 new vehicles the dealership sold in 2022. In June, auto retail giant Lithia Motors announced […]
Hospitality | Tourism 2023: NEEL DESAI
Desai joined LTD Hospitality Group in 1998 as the second generation of the family-owned hotel development and management company co-founded by Desai’s father in 1983. Perhaps entrepreneurism is in his DNA because Desai and longtime friend Bijal Patel founded S2K Hospitality in 2021 to manage and develop fast-casual restaurants. In May, the partners opened a […]
Real Estate 2023: ROBERT M. ‘BOB’ KING
King was named chairman of the commercial real estate company’s board in May after his adoptive father, Harvey L. Lindsay Jr., died on April 19 at age 93. Lindsay adopted King and his brother, Billy, after he married their mother, Frances. Their father, naval pilot Robert M. King Jr., died in a training flight accident […]
Federal Contractors | Technology 2023: MARK P. MARRON
With more than three decades in the tech industry, Marron has been with ePlus since 2005, becoming its president and CEO in 2016 and a member of the company’s board two years later. In May, ePlus acquired assets of Network Solutions Group, a Michigan-based networking services company in the broadband service provider end-market. Headquartered in […]
