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byline: Rich Griset

Leidos awarded $480M contract from U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Reston-based Fortune 500 company Leidos Holdings Inc. announced Tuesday it has been awarded a $480 million contract by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to provide multi-energy portal (MEP) systems for nonintrusive inspections of commercial vehicles at land and sea ports of entry.

The award for the science and technology company includes a base period of five years and options of up to 10 years, if exercised. The MEP systems will be integrated in Vista, California, and deployed to existing vehicle inspection sites across the United States. Under this contract, Leidos will integrate, deploy and train CBP staff to use its vehicle and cargo inspection system MEP with low-energy backscatter and high-energy transmission cargo inspection system.

“We are excited to provide the latest technological advancements to support CBP’s essential mission,” said Jim Moos, Leidos civil group president, in a statement. “This effort requires screening technology that is fast, frictionless and fully integrated. We are proud to provide this critical nonintrusive inspection technology and assist CBP as they increase screening on over 22 million containers a year.”

With 38,000 employees worldwide, Leidos reported $12.3 billion in 2020 revenue.

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Northrop Grumman lands $2.3B ICBM contract

Falls Church-based Northrop Grumman Corp. has been awarded a U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) contract for up to $2.3 billion to support propulsion subsystems for intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), DOD announced on Tuesday.

The 18.5-year contract provides assistance to the government in maintaining the Minuteman III weapon system. The work will be performed primarily in Corrine and Magna, Utah, and is expected to be completed by Nov. 5, 2040.

In March, Northrop Grumman and partner Raytheon Missiles & Defense were awarded a Missile Defense Agency contract worth up to $3.93 billion to perform work on the U.S. ballistic missile defense system.

A Fortune 500 global aerospace and defense contractor, Northrop Grumman employs more than 90,000 people and reported $36.79 billion in 2020 revenue.

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T-Rextasy: Dino replica finds home at Great Minds’ future Richmond HQ

Call it rex appeal.

On Wednesday, Washington, D.C.-based education company Great Minds will install a museum-quality replica of Stan the Tyrannosaurus rex’s skeleton at its future headquarters in Richmond. Measuring 13 feet tall and 40 feet long, the actual Stan’s fossilized skeleton sold for $32 million in a Christie’s auction last October, making it the most expensive dinosaur fossil in history.

Stan’s sale shattered expectations, fetching a price four times Christie’s’ estimate. The sale was also nearly four times that of the previous record holder, a T-rex named Sue worth $8.4 million; both were excavated by legendary paleontologist brothers Peter and Neal Larson.

Stan is also famous for his role in a high-profile feud between the Larsons. Excavated nearly three decades ago, Stan was awarded to Neal, the younger brother, as part of lawsuit. Peter and an associate got to keep their private corporation, Black Hills Institute of Geological Research Inc., while Neal walked away with the company’s most prized dino skeleton.

On Wednesday, Peter Larson will lead the installation in person of Great Minds’ replica, which is one of 10 replicas in the United States. The installation will be broadcast via livestream and on Facebook Live, beginning at 9:30 a.m. The replica will be displayed as part of Great Minds’ permanent collection of art and furniture in its “House of Learning,” and tours will be offered to school groups beginning this fall. The poseable replica skeleton was acquired by Great Minds from Black Hills, which sells the replicas for $120,000. Each replica takes up to six months to manufacture, according to Black Hills’ website.

For the past year, renovations have been underway at Great Minds’ future headquarters at a former warehouse for C.F. Sauer Co., located at 840 Hermitage Road in Richmond. The company plans to relocate to its new 17,000-square-foot space at the Sauer Center in the second quarter of this year.

“At Great Minds, we are dedicated to making the world a more knowledge-rich place for all children — it is our goal to inspire them to achieve the greatness we know they are each capable of,” said Lynne Munson, CEO of Great Minds, in a statement. “What is better than a life-size dinosaur to inspire us as educators and to challenge children to think about all the possibilities the world has to offer? We are thrilled to welcome Stan to Great Minds’ new home in Virginia.”

Munson’s 12-year-old son George will assist in the assembly and completion of Stan by attaching his skull. The younger Munson previously met Peter Larson at the age of 9 when his family took a trip to South Dakota to visit the Black Hills Institute.

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Central Va. pharma hub strategic plan released

On Tuesday, the Virginia Commonwealth University College of Engineering announced its strategy to turn Central Virginia into an advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing, research and development hub.

The strategic plan aims to foster business and job growth in the Richmond-Petersburg area while also expanding access to medicines. The creation of the plan was funded by a $100,000 planning grant from the state’s GO Virginia economic development initiative and a $100,000 matching grant from university, regional companies and economic development organizations. More than 50 individuals from dozens of organizations across the region participated in the yearlong strategic planning process. The recommendations were presented to GO Virginia’s regional council on March 31.

In May 2020, Richmond-based Phlow Corp. was awarded a $354 million, four-year federal contract from the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to produce the essential medications using advanced manufacturing processes from the Medicines for All Institute based at VCU’s College of Engineering. The effort is an attempt to secure the U.S. drug supply chain through the manufacturing, supplying and stockpiling of active pharmaceutical ingredients for essential medicines.

Phlow is also in a partnership with Utah-based pharmaceutical manufacturer Civica Inc., which plans to invest $124.5 million to establish its North American manufacturing headquarters operation in Petersburg, creating 186 jobs and manufacturing injectable medicines for the treatment of COVID-19. A nonprofit generic drug company, Civica was established in 2018 by a group of U.S. health systems and philanthropic organizations to address chronic generic drug shortages and related price spikes. More than 50 health systems are Civica members.

In Petersburg, Phlow, Civica and a coalition of hospital systems have begun construction of multimillion dollar advanced manufacturing facilities collocated with AMPAC Fine Chemicals. AMPAC is supplying Phlow with active pharmaceutical ingredients for the manufacturing of essential medicines for a national strategic reserve.

To further developments like these, VCU’s Department of Engineering released recommendations that include:

  • Forming a new regional advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing council to coordinate action toward growing the cluster, with membership from higher education, private businesses and government.
  • Moving to satisfy the current demand for lab space throughout the region and put in place long-term solutions.
  • Working with the Community College Workforce Alliance, John Tyler Community College, Virginia Economic Development Partnership and the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing to create new, comprehensive training programs for advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing technicians in order to support the efforts of Phlow, AMPAC and Civica .
  • Seeking strategic-level federal support for investments to develop a translational research and development center and a national center of excellence for continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Developing an advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing hub in Richmond and Petersburg “will create thousands of high-paying jobs, providing a magnet for talent and investment that will establish the region as a globally recognized leader in advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing,” said Frank Gupton, CEO of the Medicines for All Institute and co-founder of Phlow, in a statement.

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Branch Civil appoints new executive VP

Brian J. Quinlan has been appointed to serves as executive vice president of Roanoke-based Branch Civil Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Branch Group specializing in site development, civil construction and heavy highway infrastructure projects.

In his new role, Quinlan will be responsible for Branch Civil’s overall financial and operational leadership, as well as growing the company. Prior to joining the Branch Group, he served as vice president and eastern area manager for Parsons Construction Group.

Quinlan has held leadership roles on the following projects: the $431 million Interstate 64 south-side widening and high-rise bridge phase 1, design-build, Chesapeake; the $1.4 billion Newark Liberty International Airport Terminal One redevelopment, design-build, Newark, New Jersey; the $252 million Anacostia River combined sewer overflow tunnel, design build, Washington, D.C.; and the $263 million CSX Transportation, Virginia Avenue Tunnel reconstruction, design-build, Alexandria.

Quinlan holds an MBA from the University of Maryland — College Park and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Georgia Tech.

Founded in 1963, the Branch Group’s operating companies, Branch Civil, Branch Builds and G.J. Hopkins | Lacy.

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Virginia Beach office property sells for $1M

CR Assets LLC has purchased a 5,040-square-foot office building in Virginia Beach for $1 million, Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer announced on Monday.

Located at 4598 Broad St., the building will serve as the future corporate headquarters of Canzell Realty. It was sold by Broad Street Associates. The sale closed on April 8.

Rob Wright of Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer handled the sale negotiations on behalf of the purchaser.

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Dominion no longer pursuing second Richmond office tower

Dominion Energy Inc. no longer plans to pursue a second office tower in downtown Richmond.

Last week, the Richmond-based utility notified the city that it no longer plans to pursue construction of 700 Canal Place, a proposed 17-floor office tower that would complement 600 Canal Place, a 960,000-square-foot, 20-floor office tower that opened in 2019. The structures were supposed to complete a two-building campus in Richmond’s downtown.

Reached via email, Dominion spokesman Ryan Frazier said that the company declined to pursue the second tower for two reasons: the utility had sold off its natural gas transmission and storage assets, leading to an employee reduction of 300; and that 35% of the company’s total workforce — and most of its downtown employees — have worked remotely for the past 13 months, and Dominion plans to offer more work flexibility to its employees than it did prior to the pandemic.

“We have enough office space to meet our current and future needs,” Frazier said.

Last May, Dominion demolished One James River Plaza, a 22-story building that previously housed the utility’s headquarters. Dominion is considering alternative uses for the site.

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Former Roanoke Boy Scouts building sells for $1.2M

The former Boy Scouts of America building in Roanoke has sold for $1.2 million.

Located at 2131 Valley View Boulevard, the 11,185-square-foot building was purchased by 1501 WW LLC from Blue Ridge Mountains Council Inc. The sale closed on March 3.

Matt Huff and Zack May of Poe & Cronk facilitated the sale on behalf of the buyer and seller.

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Former Roanoke Johnson & Johnson property sells for $6.26M

The former Johnson & Johnson Spectacle Lens Group development on more than 30 acres in Roanoke has sold for $6.26 million.

Located at 2797 Frontage Road, the property was purchased by Briar Oaks Investments VII LLC from Delta Dental of Virginia. The sale, which included a 146,852-square-foot medical grade manufacturing, office and warehouse facility that’s expandable to 250,000 square feet, closed on April 2.

Briar Oaks plans to redevelop the property under the name Blue Ridge Commerce Park.

Jacob Quesinberry and Dennis Cronk of Poe & Cronk represented the buyer. The sale closed on April 2.

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$60M Hanover industrial development to begin construction in May

A $60 million, five-building industrial development is set to begin construction next month in Hanover County.

Northlake II will include approximately 655,000 square feet of Class A industrial space. Construction on the first three buildings will commence in May, with an anticipated completion of spring 2022. The project is being developed by Maryland-based Matan Cos.; industrial leasing will be overseen by JLL.

JLL’s Gareth Jones, Chris Avellana and Charlie Polk will handle the leasing efforts for Matan at Northlake.

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