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byline: Katherine Schulte

YHB to acquire Md. accounting firm

Winchester-based and firm Yount, Hyde and Barbour () will acquire Maryland-based firm Glass Jacobson PA on July 1.

Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed in Wednesday’s announcement.

“We are excited to welcome the Glass Jacobson team to the YHB family,” YHB Managing Partner Scott Moulden said in a statement. “We expect their team’s capabilities will enhance our already rapidly expanding reach into the Maryland/D.C. market. YHB and the Glass Jacobson team share the same values of empowering clients and communities with world-class service.”

Established in 1962, Glass Jacobson offers tax, audit and consulting services in the Baltimore and greater Washington, D.C., area. YHB and Glass Jacobson Advisors LLC will form a joint venture to provide wealth .

“Together, we will be able to provide greater resources to our clients and communities,” Edward J. Jacobson, managing director and firm president of Glass Jacobson, said in a statement. “Our mission to empower the future is steadfast when joining YHB. We will be providing the same excellent solutions that our clients have become accustomed to, with the addition of new and exciting advancements.”

Glass Jacobson’s six principals and 54 other staff members will join YHB, bringing the firm’s total to almost 300 employees. The new employees will continue to work out of Glass Jacobson’s offices in Rockville, Maryland, and Owings Mills, Maryland, which will give YHB 11 offices total.

Established in 1947, YHB offers accounting, auditing, tax, and risk advisory services. YHB ranked No. 6 on Accounting Today’s 2022 Regional Leaders list for the Top Firms in the Capital Region, with $37.95 million in annual revenue.

The Acacia Group acquires Atlanta consulting firm

Tysons-based firm The Acacia Group announced Wednesday that it had acquired Atlanta-based , and firm The Baer Group.

Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

The Baer Group will form a new platform business within the Acacia platform.

“We see immediate opportunities for Baer to support the clients of current Acacia companies with their demand for skilled technical talent,” Acacia partner and co-founder Craig Dawson said in a statement. “We will also invest in expanding the scale and breadth of Baer’s network of talent to grow its current blue-chip customer base.”

Established in 1997, The Baer Group started as an SAP SE preferred services provider. The company provides transformation consulting and development, specializing in enterprise resource planning, cloud integration and data transformation. Baer serves customers in life sciences, consumer products and retail, as well as federal systems integrators, and has more than 200 consultants.

Baer President Peter Aaron said in a statement, “As a new platform within the Acacia portfolio, we’re creating new possibilities for our company and new opportunities for our . … We will be expanding and diversifying our technical capabilities and product partnerships, growing our team and strengthening our ability to deliver on an international scale.”

The Acacia Group is a technology firm that has completed more than 10 acquisitions in government and commercial technology sectors since its founding in 2016.

Tech manufacturer to add 32 jobs in Newport News

Newport News-based automated machinery designer Mühlbauer Inc. will invest $9 million to expand its operation, a project expected to create 32 jobs, announced Thursday.

Mühlbauer Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of German company Mühlbauer Group. The company will make upgrades to its Oakland Industrial Park facility and add production equipment.

“Mühlbauer’s decision to upgrade and expand its operation demonstrates the renewed trust manufacturers have in the commonwealth,” Youngkin said in a statement. “Mühlbauer has a history of success in the city of Newport News, which fosters an impressive business climate to attract and retain a robust industry. We thank the company for its and long-term commitment to the commonwealth.”

Founded in 1981 in Germany, Mühlbauer Group manufactures automated machinery used to make chip-based cards, radio-frequency identification (RFID) labels or smart tags. It also manufactures inspection equipment used in currency and semiconductor chip production. The company offers security solutions for authentication and verification at border crossing stations and airports. Mühlbauer Group has about 4,000 employees worldwide and operates centers in the U.S., Germany, China, Malaysia, Serbia and Slovakia.

In 2009, Mühlbauer Inc. opened a 30,000-square-foot facility in Oakland Industrial Park. The subsidiary provides hardware and software for automation solutions for ePassports, electronic identity documents and others.

“We started our success in Virginia 25 years ago and would like to continue our path in Virginia,” Mühlbauer Group founder and CEO Josef Mühlbauer said in a statement. “We have grown to love this area and the Virginians. Our company has always appreciated the support we have received from the city of Newport News as well as the state of Virginia. Mühlbauer is also very proud that the Virginia driver license is manufactured and personalized with Mühlbauer equipment.”

The worked with the city of Newport News, the and the to secure the project, for which Virginia competed with Oregon. Youngkin approved a $227,700 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Newport News. Mühlbauer is eligible to receive benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and .

The Virginia Talent Accelerator Program, a workforce initiative created by the and Virginia Community College System, will provide customizable recruitment and training services at no cost to the company.

Bio-plastic startup wins Lighthouse Labs pitch contest

While pitching to the sharks, entrepreneur Alec Brewer told them, “I do have white powder in my pocket,” before quickly clarifying that it wasn’t an illicit substance: “It’s PHB! It’s PHB!”

Brewer passed the vial over for the sharks’ inspection during his Demo Day pitch Thursday for his company, Ourobio, of which he is co-founder and CEO. Formerly Transfoam LLC, the Charlottesville-based company makes biodegradable — polyhydroxybutyrate, or PHB — from waste, in an effort to reduce microplastic pollution by creating a biodegradable option. Ourobio uses whey, a byproduct of cheese and yogurt , and converts it into PHB through a biochemical process.

“It really didn’t capture all that we’re capable of,” Brewer said of the name change. “We’re trying to be a synthetic biology and circular economy company. We chose ‘Ourobio’ inspired by the ouroboros, which is an ancient symbol represented by a dragon or a snake eating its own tail, and thus circularity.”

Ourobio was voted “shark favorite” out of the nine entrepreneurs in business accelerator Lighthouse Labs’ 2022 spring cohort who pitched to four business leaders as part of the Demo Day competition Tuesday. As shark favorite, Ourobio received $1,500 in cash from sponsor ThinkNimble, and will get to name a tagged great white shark that Lighthouse Labs is sponsoring.

Founded in 2012, Lighthouse Labs is a mentor-driven accelerator that runs two 12-week cohort sessions each year, $20,000 equity-free in six to 10 early-stage . Entrepreneurs accepted into the program receive mentorship and education on scaling up their businesses. Lighthouse Labs has accelerated more than 80 companies during the last 10 years, providing more than $1.6 million in equity-free funding. The Demo Day is the grand finale event for each cohort.

Llamawood CEO Hunter Garen won the audience vote in the Demo Day competition; for his prize, he’ll get to throw the first pitch at the Richmond Flying Squirrels game Thursday.

Llamawood founder Hunter Garen pitches his business in the Lighthouse Labs competition.

While it may not apply to his throwing arm, Garen started his business pitch Tuesday with a flourish, tossing postcards with coupon codes into the first few rows. Llamawood connects firewood suppliers and purchasers.

“I designed for a woman in mind because, as they say, women’s standards are much higher than men’s, so if you design for a woman, you’ll make every man happy,” Garen joked when telling the sharks about his customer demographics.

The sharks judging the Lighthouse Labs Demo Day competition were:

  • Ajay Kori, co-founder of UrbanStems and Novilla Pharmaceuticals
  • Claire Herring, chief learning officer and co-founder of Blue Ocean Brain
  • Richard Wintsch, executive director of Startup Virginia
  • Joy Polefrone, health innovation consultant for VCU Health

Also pitching at the competition were founders of startups LipLoveLine, Viora Health, Kinometrix Inc., Hoth Intelligence, Nessle, On-Time Trials and CaseCTRL.

Richmond-based LipLoveLine is a niche health and beauty company focused on lip care and makeup: “No full face of makeup necessary; we’re focused on the lips,” founder and CEO Briana Williams said.

Philadelphia-based Viora Health has created a solution to help reduce disease progression in underserved patients. Currently, the company markets its software to health systems, but founder Deboleena Dutta hopes to expand to employers, Medicare Advantage plans and the pharmaceutical industry. The software’s goal is to improve health outcomes and reduce unexpected costs from incidences like trips to the emergency room.

Fort Belvoir-based Kinometrix Inc. uses a machine learning algorithm to assess, in real time, the risk of a hospital patient falling, with the goal of expanding to other hospital-related health conditions. Founder and CEO Devina Desai said Kinometrix beats competitors with its accuracy. “Our module for in-patient falls is greater than 95% accurate,” she said. “The competitors still used by hospitals are somewhere between 54 to 57% accurate.”

Philadelphia-based Hoth Intelligence has created a patented AI and machine learning system to assist providers with bedside procedures, such as inserting catheters. It uses a CT or MRI scan of a patient to map the necessary internal structures through a virtual reality headset. “Running all that out of just the headset, nobody’s doing that just right now,” co-founder and CEO Tyler Alexander said.

Richmond-based Nessle offers a platform to connect new and expecting parents with service providers such as doulas or sleep specialists.

Austin, Texas-based On-Time Trials uses AI algorithms to track clinical trials and alert clinical research associates when trials are in danger of running behind.

Houston-based CaseCTRL co-founder and CEO Pamela Singh worked with her husband, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Ashvin Dewan, to create an intelligent surgical scheduling and coordination system after one of Dewan’s patients’ surgeries was canceled due to an administrative oversight. “High- surgeries are being supported by low-tech manual paper processes, and it’s harming patient care,” Singh said.

After her husband began using the cloud-based platform in his own practice, he saw a 20% decrease in patient cancellations, she said. When hospital administrators approached him to ask what he was doing right, the couple realized they had a marketable product.

Carilion receives $1M gift for cancer program

Roanoke developer Maury Strauss has donated $1 million in honor of his late wife to support the of ‘s program, Carilion announced Tuesday.

Sheila Strauss died of bladder cancer in 2016; the couple were married 65 years. Maury Strauss is the founder of Strauss Development Corp.

“We are so grateful to Maury for the opportunity to honor Sheila’s memory as we continue to advance cancer care for our region,” Carilion President and CEO Nancy Howell Agee said in a statement. “The thousands of patients in our region diagnosed each year with cancer deserve access to the latest, most advanced care right here.”

Since 1979, Carilion’s oncology program has been accredited by the Commission on Cancer. Carilion provides cancer care from diagnosis and treatment to rehabilitation for adult and pediatric patients in partnership with Blue Ridge Cancer Care. Carilion also participates in and clinical trials.

Carilion’s current cancer center is operating at capacity. The health system has seen a 40% increase in patient volume over the past 10 years and the system treated more than 2,000 new cancer patients in 2021.

When Sheila Strauss received her diagnosis, the Strausses traveled out of state so that she could participate in a clinical trial. Maury Strauss seeks to expand the number and scope of locally available clinical trials through his .

“ is one of the most important things in any community, and what Carilion has done to advance care in the Valley is remarkable,” Strauss said in a statement. “I want to see that continue for generations to come.”

Colonna’s Shipyard promotes three execs

Norfolk-based Inc. announced Monday it had promoted three executives to senior positions, effective in July.

CSI has promoted Jordan Webb from vice president of contracts to vice president of shipyard operations; Randall Crutchfield from chief experience officer and executive director of America and Weld America to vice president of industrial operations and facilities; and Chris Marsh from director of trades to executive director of waterfront operations.

“These key along with a strategic organizational realignment reflect our response to the emerging dynamics of the marketplace and demonstrate to our customers and key stakeholders the continuity of experienced leadership within our company,” CSI President and CEO Tom Godfrey said in a statement.

Webb will be responsible for all legacy waterfront business, including its Down River Division work. He has led the CSI contracts department since 2017. Webb started as a ship superintendent, became a shipyard project manager and contract manager and then served as operations manager of Steel America.

Webb has a bachelor’s degree in business management from Virginia and completed his project management professional curriculum through Villanova University.

Randall Crutchfield photo courtesy Colonna’s Shipyard Inc.

In his new position, Crutchfield will be responsible for CSI fabrication and operations, including off-site welding and machining and capital project planning and execution. He is also vice chair of the CSI . Crutchfield has worked in several departments across CSI and its subsidiaries, including procurement, Down River operations, contracts, project management and facilities.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in international trade and development from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MBA from Regent University.

Marsh will now lead enterprise-wide legacy waterfront business and Down River operations and will oversee operations of Colonna’s Shipyard West in San Diego. He was most recently CSI’s director of trades. Before joining CSI, Marsh was production director for General Dynamics NASSCO- for five years.

Marsh is a marine pipefitting and welding apprenticeship graduate of Newport News Shipbuilding and is an American Weld Society certified weld inspector. He is currently studying business management at Old Dominion University with a focus on project management.

Founded in 1875, Colonna’s provides ship repair, marine and industrial machining and steel fabrication. Between its headquarters and its San Diego location, Colonna employs approximately 700 . In 2020, it received an $800,000 grant for new welding machines through the Small Shipyard Grant Program operated by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration.

Booz Allen Hamilton promotes exec to COO

McLean-based Fortune 500 global consultant Inc. announced Friday that it had promoted executive Kristine Martin Anderson to , effective June 1.

Anderson is currently an executive vice president and president of the firm’s civil sector division.

“She has demonstrated the ability to grow and manage -first businesses, develop talented leaders, help senior clients transform and integrate acquisitions, all while consistently delivering strong financial results,” Booz Allen President and CEO Horacio Rozanski said in a statement. “As , Kristine will work closely with me as well as other leaders to drive operational performance, accelerate the execution of our strategy and help us gain efficiencies that lead to faster growth.”

Anderson has been with Booz Allen for more than 16 years. She has led the company’s civil sector business for the past four years and previously led Booz Allen’s health business. “Booz Allen has the benefit of both incredible leadership talent and strong market positioning across the entirety of ,” Anderson said in a statement. “As COO, I look forward to working with a broad group of those leaders to unlock the next level of performance.”

Before joining Booz Allen in 2006, Anderson was vice president for operations and strategy at CareScience, a Philadelphia-based solutions company.

She serves on the for Executives for Health Innovation and is co-chair of the National Quality Forum’s Cost and Resource Use Standing Committee.

Anderson holds a bachelor’s degree in neurobiology from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Rich Crowe, an executive vice president serving as Booz Allen’s chief growth officer, will succeed Anderson as president of the firm’s civil sector. He has been with Booz Allen for 17 years.

Booz Allen employs approximately 29,500 workers globally, with about 10,000 employed in Virginia. For the 12 months ended March 31, 2021, Booz Allen reported revenues of $7.9 billion.

Port, Army Corps formalize dredging cost-share agreement

The and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers signed an agreement Friday that formalized their collaboration on the project to deliver the East Coast’s widest and deepest channels by 2024. The Army Corps also will use federal funding to its first construction contract for the project, which started in 2019.

Virginia Port Authority CEO Stephen A. Edwards and Col. Brian P. Hallberg, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ District commander, signed the agreement in Norfolk in a ceremony attended by U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, U.S. Office of and Budget Director Shalanda D. Young, and several other state and federal elected officials representing Virginia.

“The importance of this moment in the evolution of the Port of Virginia cannot be overstated,” Edwards said in a statement. “This is a modern, 21st-century port and when you couple our land-based assets and capabilities with the deepest and widest channels — and safest harbor — on the entire U.S. East Coast, you have a recipe for success here for decades to come.”

The project will deepen the commercial shipping channels from the Atlantic Ocean into the harbor to at least 55 feet and widen them enough to accommodate two-way traffic of ultra-large container ships, creating the deepest and widest port on the East Coast. In some areas, the channels will be widened to more than 1,400 feet across.

The 2021 Infrastructure and Jobs Act, or the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, included the final installment of the federal investment, $72 million. The federal and the port agreed to a 50-50 cost share in 2015, when the Army Corps began evaluating the economic value of a deeper and wider harbor and commercial shipping channel, and the agreement marks the beginning of the cost share.

Dredge work on the project began in December 2019, and the project is scheduled for completion in 2024. The dredging is just part of the port’s upgrades, which include increasing capacity at Norfolk International Terminals and Virginia International Gateway, and building a burgeoning offshore wind hub. Edwards highlighted all of these goals, as well as improved efficiency at the port during the pandemic, in his first State of the Port Address in April.

“The project is making progress, and we are on budget and on schedule for delivery by late 2024,” said Joe Harris, spokesman for the port.

A byproduct of the dig, known as dredge material, will go to regional beaches.

“Over the course of the project, we’ll dredge a large volume of sands — millions of cubic yards,” Keith Lockwood, Army Corps of Engineers’ Norfolk District Water Resources Division chief, said in a statement. “The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Virginia Port Authority are collaborating with the cities of Norfolk and Virginia Beach to maximize the beneficial use of this dredged sand by placing it along beaches for additional coastal protection.”

Reps. Elaine Luria and Bobby Scott, Virginia Sen. Louise Lucas, Del. Robert Bloxom Jr., Virginia Transportation Secretary W. Sheppard “Shep” Miller III and Jamie A. Pinkham, assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, attended the signing.

Gilbert Bland to receive Civic Leadership Institute award

Urban League of President and CEO Gilbert T. Bland will receive the Civic Leadership Institute’s 2022 Individual Darden , the -based organization announced Thursday.

“Over the last three decades, I have joined with many to build upon the efforts of countless, often unsung, past leaders to help improve the lives and build opportunities in our region, especially in underserved communities,” Bland said in a statement. “To be personally recognized for these efforts is not just a salute to my endeavors, but rather a recognition of the importance of the need for a strong inclusive community and workforce.”

Established in 2005, the Darden Award for Regional Leadership is named for Civic Leadership Institute’s founder emeritus, the late Joshua P. Darden Jr. The award recognizes an individual whose contributions and service have had significant impact in Hampton Roads. This year’s ceremony is scheduled for Nov. 16 in Norfolk.

Bland is one of Virginia Business’ 50 most influential people. Bland enlisted music superstar Pharrell Williams as keynote speaker for the Urban League’s 38th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Community Leaders event, held virtually in January. In September 2021, the Urban League received $2.5 million from the Virginia Housing Development Authority’s Sponsoring Partnerships and Revitalizing Communities (SPARC) program to assist Black first-time homebuyers in Hampton Roads.

Also chairman of , Bland has owned and operated fast restaurants for more than 30 years, primarily as a franchisee of Burger King and Pizza Hut. He has owned, constructed and operated more than 70 restaurants in Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., and employs more than 2,000 annually.

Bland served on the Burger King National for 10 years. He was elected to five terms as the national president of the Burger King Minority Franchise Association, and he is a charter board member of the company’s Inclusion Advisory Committee. Burger King endowed a scholarship in Bland’s name at James Madison University as part of the James McLamore award.

Previously, Bland was a vice president of commercial lending for Independence Bank of Chicago. Prior to that, he worked as a commercial lending officer for the Continental Bank of Chicago.

Bland serves on the boards of Sentara Healthcare, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Virginia Learns, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, RVA757 Connects, Reinvent Hampton Roads, Elevate Early Education, and the Center for Excellence in Education. He also serves on the Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s executive committee and Truist Bank’s National Community Advisory Board. Bland is board chairman and president of Healthy Neighborhood Enterprises.

Bland holds an honorary degree from Longwood University. In 2021, he was inducted into the Hampton Roads Business Hall of Fame, and Volunteer Hampton Roads presented him with a lifetime achievement award for volunteerism.

Va. Food Industry Association taps new exec director

Melissa Assalone is the Virginia Industry ‘s new executive director, the -based association announced Wednesday.

Assalone, who previously served as deputy legislative director in ‘s administration, assumed the role on Monday. She succeeds Parker Slaybaugh,  who is now Virginia’s chief deputy secretary of agriculture and forestry.

“Melissa is a dynamic and capable leader, and the Board of VFIA looks forward to working with her as she further develops the association,” VFIA Board Chair Jennifer Gardner, director of affairs for Ahold Delhaize USA Inc., said in a statement. “Melissa’s professional experience, as well as her education and training, will be a great asset as she advocates for the food industry before the Virginia legislature and others within state and local government.”

“The food industry and their employees responded heroically during the pandemic in spite of the innumerable challenges they experienced,” Assalone said in a statement. “I am grateful to serve the members of the association and this industry, recognizing all they have done these past two years to serve and meet the needs of their customers.”

In her role as ‘s deputy legislative director, Assalone provided guidance, developed advocacy strategies and maintained legislative and stakeholder relationships. Before joining the administration, she was director of government relations for the American Heart Association’s office in Richmond.

Assalone has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a master’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. She also has a certificate in nonprofit from VCU and is a graduate of The Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership’s Political Leaders Program.

VFIA represents retail and food industries in Virginia. Its members employ more than 55,000 at more than 530 retail locations.