100 People to Meet in 2024: Builders

These Virginians are building the future in bricks and mortar with major development projects in communities across the commonwealth. 

Duke Dodson

CEO, Dodson Cos./Dodson Development Group
Richmond

A Richmond native, Duke Dodson grew up vacationing in Colonial Beach. “It was a mini-Atlantic City then, but legal changes forced casinos out of business,” says the developer. When Dodson saw an opportunity to invest in reviving the downtown waterfront, he was all in.

Dodson’s $25 million Colonial Beach mixed-use development, which includes a hotel and a wine and cheese shop, is expected to create 250 jobs. 

Dodson founded his company in 2007, and although Colonial Beach is a major focus, he has Richmond projects as well, including a group of mixed-use properties on East Broad Street. In 2024, Dodson has plans for a baseball card shop and sports bar in Scott’s Addition.

Mike Hopkins

Managing director, Fairwinds Landing
Norfolk

Mike Hopkins got a glimpse at seeing projects through from start to finish as a general counsel for international shipping giant Maersk Line. It’s proved to be good experience for his current job, leading the development of Fairwinds Landing, a $100 million maritime operations and logistics center at Lambert’s Point Docks in Norfolk supporting Hampton Roads’ offshore wind, defense and transportation industries.

Development partners The Miller Group, Balicore Construction and Fairlead Integrated broke ground on Fairwinds Landing in June. Tenants so far include Newport News Shipbuilding and Dominion Energy. Dominion will monitor and coordinate construction of its $9.8 billion Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind farm from its operations center there. It’s been “the best kind of job of my life so far,” says Hopkins, adding it’s exciting to be on the ground floor of a new endeavor.

Whitson Huffman

Co-CEO, Capital Square
Glen Allen

Whitson Huffman has been real estate firm Capital Square’s co-CEO for a bit longer than a year, but he’s not new to the industry. Before joining his father-in-law Louis Rogers’ firm in 2018, Huffman made his bones at Ernst & Young and JBG Smith.

A graduate of Georgetown University and a Washington, D.C., native, Huffman says he expects Capital Square, which specializes in sponsoring tax-advantaged real estate investments and developing high-end multifamily properties across the nation, to continue growing its institutional real estate business in 2024 with new Class A properties with top amenities and prices to match. Capital Square is the largest multifamily housing developer in Richmond’s trendy Scott’s Addition neighborhood.

Huffman serves on the board of the Maymont Foundation, which oversees the popular, 100-acre Richmond public park and former Victorian estate, where he enjoys taking his three young children.

Shawn Tibbetts

Chief operating officer, Armada Hoffler
Virginia Beach

As COO for the commercial real estate giant behind Virginia Beach’s Town Center, Shawn Tibbetts aims to “servant lead” — acting as a team captain instead of coach. “When a team sees that the leader is in the game with them and playing the game with them — win, lose or draw — that’s powerful.” Tibbetts also focuses on providing healthy returns for Armada Hoffler’s shareholders while coping with changing demand for office space. A graduate of William & Mary’s Raymond A. Mason School of Business, Tibbetts was previously the Port of Virginia’s COO and president until 2019, when he joined Armada Hoffler.

“This was a heck of an opportunity and awesome company with foundational elements that I believe are going to propel us into the next level in the future,” he says.

Ed Walker

Developer
Roanoke

Ed Walker estimates he’s built more than 500 apartments and helped redevelop several neighborhoods over the past two decades, but he doesn’t consider himself a developer.

“I think of it as community investing,” he says. “I’ve been a catalyst, but the colleagues I’ve worked with have made these projects reality.”

To date, Walker has been involved in multiple redevelopment projects that have transformed Danville and Roanoke, where he maintains two residences. He started The Bee Hotel and revived Roanoke’s historic Grandin Theatre. This year, Walker came back from the brink of retirement for his final act: redeveloping the sprawling campus of a former rayon factory in Roanoke. Dubbed Riverdale, the industrial property is set to include 375 apartments and a commercial building in phase one, and Walker is partnering with the City of Roanoke on the $50 million project.

Check out the other 100 People to Meet in 2024.