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Atlantic Park breaks ground in Virginia Beach
Atlantic Park, the $335 million dollar surf park development planned for Virginia Beach’s Oceanfront, has broken ground and closed on its financing, according to an announcement Thursday from Venture Realty Group, the firm developing the project with music icon Pharrell Williams. The 11-acre surf park has been in development since 2017 and its first phase […]
Two Hampton Roads marketing agencies to merge
Norfolk-based WB Marketing’s parent company has acquired majority interest in Virginia Beach-based marketing and communications firm Meridian Group and will merge the two into one agency, Meridian Group announced Tuesday. Mike Matacunas from Norfolk-based private investment firm Five Hill Capital — WB Marketing’s parent — acquired the majority interest from Meridian Group founder J[...]
Divaris Group acquires N.C. mixed-use leasing, advising firm
Virginia Beach-based Divaris Group has acquired North Carolina-based real estate planning, advisory and leasing firm The McGarey Group, the firm announced Friday. Financial terms and other details of the acquisition were not disclosed. The McGarey Group, led by President and CEO F. Denver McGarey, is now operating within Divaris Advisory, a division of Divaris Group. […]
Waterford Apartments sells for $55M in Va. Beach
Waterford Apartments in Virginia Beach is under new ownership, after Blackfin Real Estate Investors LLC acquired the 376-unit apartment complex for $55.35 million, the real estate investment company announced. Located off Shore Drive near Lake Smith, the one- and two-bedroom apartment community was built in 1980 and previously renovated to include walk-in closets, maple custom cabinets, […[...]
Building momentum
From olive oil to space rockets, 2022 saw a variety of companies seeking to invest — or reinvest — in the Hampton Roads region and Eastern Virginia. That kind of diversity of industries augurs well for the region’s economy, says Vinod Agarwal, professor of economics at Old Dominion University’s Strome College of Business. “In the […]
DroneUp takes off
Virginia Beach’s DroneUp LLC is riding the leading edge of the unmanned aerial vehicle industry wave. Founded in 2016, the company, which specializes in commercial drone delivery, flight services and software, has grown its ranks from three to 530 employees. Retail giant Walmart Inc. is a new partner, and DroneUp is close to completing a […]
It’s back!
Of all those whom Pharrell Williams has made happy, Virginia Beach government officials and business owners could be at the top of the list with the return of the music superstar’s Something in the Water this spring. Williams’ three-day music festival debuted in April 2019 at the Oceanfront and was a smash hit, with 25,000 […]
10 Va. companies graduate VEDP export program
Ten Virginia companies are the latest to graduate from the Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s Virginia Leaders in Export Trade (VALET) program, which helps companies work on international export growth strategies, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced this week. The two-year VALET program helps Virginia companies that have established domestic operations use international exporting as a gro[...]
Va. Beach office building sells for $15.5M
Charlottesville-based Seminole Trail Management LLC is the new owner of Pinehurst Centre, a 99,337-square-foot office building in Virginia Beach, Colliers announced Jan. 9. Virginia Beach-based real estate developer Robinson Development Group sold the four-story, Class A office building to Seminole Trail for $15.5 million. The office is located at 477 Viking Drive in the Lynnhaven […]
Franklin Johnston Group sees father-son succession
The Franklin Johnston Group, has promoted W. Taylor Franklin to CEO, succeeding his father, Wendell Franklin, who has become chairman, the Virginia Beach-based real estate development, investment and management firm announced last week. Taylor Franklin previously served as the firms’ chief operating officer and Wendell Franklin served as CEO for the past decade. The Franklins, […]
Va. Beach City Council approves $2M sponsorship of Something in the Water
Virginia Beach native Pharrell Williams‘ Something in the Water three-day music festival will get a $2 million sponsorship from Virginia Beach as part of an incentive package approved by the City Council Tuesday night. Something in the Water debuted in April 2019 at the Oceanfront and was called off in 2020 and 2021 due to […]
Pharrell brings Mighty Dream to Norfolk
In November, Grammy-winning music superstar Pharrell Williams hosted the three-day Mighty Dream forum in Norfolk and broke some news about his Something in the Water music festival and the status of his team’s proposal to redevelop Norfolk’s Military Circle Mall site. Mighty Dream, a sequel to his 2021 Elephant in the Room business conference at […]
