Commonwealth Lodging hires corporate HR director
Virginia Beach-based Commonwealth Lodging Management has hired Claire Larkin as corporate director of human resources, the hospitality management and consulting firm announced Thursday. “Claire enjoys building strong relationships with clients and co-workers, often serving as a mentor and coach to help people grow in their career goals,” Commonwealth Lodging Managing Director Duane Gauthier sa[...]
Something in the Water will return to Va. Beach in 2023
Music superstar and Virginia Beach native Pharrell Williams announced Wednesday that his signature three-day music festival, Something in the Water, will again be held in Virginia Beach on April 28-30, 2023, after the festival moved to Washington, D.C., this summer. The inaugural Something in the Water festival was held on the Virginia Beach Oceanfront in […]
Pharrell urges Norfolk to speed up Military Circle development
During a news conference before his three-day Mighty Dream forum kicked off Tuesday, music superstar Pharrell Williams said he is waiting for Norfolk to officially approve his development team’s Wellness Circle project at Military Circle Mall, noting, “I’ve been told many times that we won it. … You have to ask the city. The ball’s […]
Stihl names finance VP
Virginia Beach-based chainsaw and outdoor power equipment manufacturer Stihl Inc. has named Uwe Hirsch its vice president of finance, effective Nov. 7. Hirsch will plan, direct and control the company’s financial plans and will support IT operations and system implementations. He was most recently global vice president of finance, controlling and purchasing in the automotive […]
Fortis Solutions Group hires chief commercial officer
Virginia Beach-based packaging manufacturer Fortis Solutions Group LLC has named Steve Powers its chief commercial officer, the company announced Monday. Powers joins Fortis from HP Inc. and has been in the printing industry for 30 years, working on the manufacturing and supplier sides of the business. Most recently, he served as HP’s sales director for […]
Coming home
As a kid growing up in Virginia Beach, “Scotty” Gray saw military aircraft so routinely that he wanted to become a pilot. Today he is U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Christopher (still “Scotty”) Gray, commander of Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, where he oversees an area that stretches from Wisconsin to North Carolina and includes 14 installations — […]
Under construction
Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Hampton and Norfolk Construction is underway along 10 miles of the Interstate 64 corridor from Hampton to Norfolk on the $3.9 billion Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion project. In June, crews on the South Island began reassembling Mary, the 430-foot, $70 million tunnel boring machine (TBM) that was delivered to the Port of […]
Rudee Loop getting a fresh makeover
One of the East Coast’s most prime pieces of undeveloped real estate, Virginia Beach‘s Rudee Loop, could soon find new life. In August, the city released four proposals that could turn the 11-acre site from what Vice Mayor Rosemary Wilson described as a concrete-strewn “mess” into a multiuse destination for surfers, anglers and other tourists. […]
Stihl hires HR exec from HII
Virginia Beach-based Stihl Inc. has named Melody Doleman as its new vice president of human resources, effective Sept. 6. She will be responsible for overall strategic management of human resources for the chainsaw and outdoor power equipment manufacturer. Stihl employs more than 3,000 workers in the United States and supplies the majority of Stihl products […]
Va. Beach-based Fortis acquires Illinois packaging company
Virginia Beach-based packaging manufacturer Fortis Solutions Group LLC has acquired Montgomery, Illinois-based Identi-Graphics Inc., the company announced Tuesday in a news release. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Identi-Graphics manufactures pressure-sensitive labels and flexible packaging for the snack, bakery, cosmetic and chemical markets in the United States and Canada. It specializes i[...]
DroneUp appoints second Walmart exec to board
Virginia Beach-based DroneUp LLC has appointed David Guggina, Walmart Inc.’s senior vice president of innovation and automation, to its board of directors, the commercial drone delivery and flight services company announced Monday. “DroneUp has been a key player in making customer delivery via drone a reality for millions of customers across the country,” Guggina said […]
Cabbies cry foul over Va. Beach’s free ride service
Lynne Johnston’s business, All City Cab Co., took a hit from the pandemic. But when the city of Virginia Beach started offering free door-to-door rides in one of her busiest zones — the Oceanfront — during tourist season, it was like another punch to the gut. This year, Virginia Beach contracted with Miami-based microtransit service […]