The University of Virginia Community Credit Union in Charlottesville has named Belinda Tucker as chief operating officer, the institution announced Monday.
Tucker will report directly to Susan Gruber, the credit union’s president and CEO. In her new role, Tucker will support the credit union’s marketing, retail delivery strategy, loan servicing operations member service center and member experience departments, overseeing 158 employees.
Tucker has more than 20 years experience in the financial industry, managing loan and deposit operations, loan collections, mortgage, IT, HR, risk and compliance, marketing and branding, branch administration and branch sales development and service. She is also an experienced lender in retail, commercial and mortgage loans, according to a news release from the credit union.
Before joining U.Va. Community Credit Union, Tucker spent nearly two years as senior vice president of bank operations at MainStreet Bank, according to her LinkedIn.
“In addition to her vast experience as an innovative leader and adviser, what makes Belinda a particularly good fit for our credit union is our shared philosophy that working together strengthens the financial wellness of our members and local communities. She believes that being involved in her community is the most important thing she can do personally and professionally,” Gruber said in a statement.
Tucker has a bachelor’s degree in economics from George Mason University and a slew of industry certifications. In June, she completed her master of science degree in information technology.
She will relocate from Northern Virginia to the Charlottesville area.
After nearly 30 years, Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters President and CEO James Dahling announced his retirement from the Hampton Roads-based health system Friday.
“The board extends immense gratitude to Jim for his visionary leadership,” Akhil Jain, chair of CHKD’s board of directors, said in a statement. “His tenure marked an era of critical expansion for the health system, improving access to pediatric services and aligning CHKD with major shifts in the delivery of health care.”
Amy Sampson, CHKD’s senior vice president and chief engagement and innovation officer, will succeed Dahling, who will retire in 2023, but a transition date has not yet been set.
The leadership structure of the health system will also change. Dr. Christopher Foley, vice president and chief of medicine, is being promoted to chief clinical operations officer, a new position that will replace the chief operating officer. Dahling, Sampson and Foley will work together over the next several months toward the transition.
Dahling came to CHKD in 1994 as vice president and chief operating officer and became president and CEO in 2003, overseeing the expansion of CHKD’s outpatient services to multiservice health and surgery centers throughout Hampton Roads, according to a news release from CHKD.
Sampson
Dahling worked as senior vice president of Richmond Memorial Hospital from 1987 until 1993 and prior to that, held senior management positions at hospitals in Texas and Minnesota. He serves on several state and regional boards, including the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association and Virginia Beach Vision.
“It has been a privilege to lead this organization,” Dahling said in a statement. “CHKD is a remarkable family of extraordinary clinicians, surrounded by exceptional team members and bolstered by our King’s Daughters and volunteers, all of whom are steadfast in their dedication to doing what is best and right for children. I am in awe of their compassion, their commitment to excellence, and their resilience, and I am confident they will continue to grow and flourish with Amy’s insightful and inspirational leadership, and Chris’ knowledge and experience of clinical operations.”
CHKD opened the Children’s Pavilion for inpatient psychiatric care in October.
This year, CHKD opened a 14-story, $224 million Children’s Pavilion in Norfolk to house outpatient mental health care, primary care pediatrics, sports medicine, and laboratory and radiology services. The hospital made a dozen inpatient beds available initially, and another 48 will be open in a phased approach through mid-2023. Outpatient services began in April and the hospital opened for inpatient care in the fall. When fully operational, the Children’s Pavilion will admit about 2,500 children for inpatient care every year, provide 48,000 outpatient therapy appointments annually, and add 400 new jobs to the Hampton Roads area, according to CHKD.
Sampson joined CHKD in 1990 and has been part of the health system’s leadership team. She helped develop CHKD’s mental health initiative, spearheading efforts to secure government approval and financial backing for the Children’s Pavilion, according to a news release. She has also guided the development of the hospital’s mental health program. Additionally, she has overseen strategic planning, government relations, marketing and communications, philanthropy services, community outreach, experience services, the donor milk bank, call center and volunteer services.
Foley came to CHKD in 1996 as a pediatric intensive care specialist. He has also served as chief of the division of pediatric critical care and medical director of CHKD’s pediatric intensive care unit, pharmacy and critical care transport. He became chief medical officer in 2015.
Indian pharmaceutical company Granules India Ltd. will invest $12.5 million to establish a pharmaceutical packaging operation in Prince William County, creating 57 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday.
Headquartered in Hyderabad, India, Granules India manufactures active pharmaceutical ingredients and other related products, including acetaminophen, ibuprofen and guaifenesin, the main ingredient in Mucinex. Granules India serves brand and generic drug companies in more than 75 countries and has eight manufacturing facilities around the world. It has an existing pharmaceutical research and development facility in Fairfax with 130 employees.
Granules India will lease 79,000 square feet of the Parkway 66 property at 7413 Cushing Road in Manassas. It will build out packaging lines and clean rooms to package and ship products. The facility will be part of the company’s consumer health division, which was previously outsourced.
“Virginia continues to attract pharmaceutical manufacturing, and Granules India’s new packaging operation in Prince William County is an important addition to the pharmaceutical ecosystem in the commonwealth,” Youngkin said in a statement.“The company’s decision to expand its footprint in Virginia is a testament to our infrastructure and robust workforce, and we look forward to further development of this partnership.”
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Prince William County to secure the project. Former Gov. Ralph Northam approved a $200,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Prince William County with the project.
“The addition of a U.S. packaging facility will result in Granules being among the few pharmaceutical companies to be vertically integrated from API (active pharmaceutical ingredient) to packaging, which will bolster the robustness of Granules’ supply chain while also enabling the company to react even faster to consumers’ growing needs for pharmaceutical products,” said Krishna Prasad Chigurupati, Granules’ founder, chairman and managing director. “The company chose Virginia because of Prince William County’s responsiveness, which allowed Granules faster access to commercialization. In addition, Prince William offers a dynamic and diverse workforce that is eager to work along with the site’s proximity to several major seaports. Granules also chose to expand within Virginia to leverage its existing manufacturing footprint and workforce.”
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 Norfolk State University, featured Williams in conversation with corporate and cultural movers and shakers, including Google Inc. Chief Diversity Officer Melonie Parker; actor and comedian Hannibal Buress; SpringHill Co. CEO Maverick Carter; retired NASA astronaut Leland Melvin; and Annie Wu, H&M Group’s global head of inclusion and diversity. The conference, which focused on equity and inclusion, innovation, and entrepreneurism, also featured musical performances, a small business block party, and a pitch contest with $2.5 million awarded to three entrepreneurs from Williams’ Black Ambition nonprofit.
Comparing Mighty Dream to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, “but for marginalized communities,” Williams challenged other local business leaders to host events to increase opportunity for disadvantaged groups, including Black, brown and LGBTQ people.
“I know it’s sort of kumbaya-ish, but this shouldn’t be the only forum dedicated to [diversity, equity and inclusion],” he said.
During the forum, Williams also announced that his Something in the Water music festival will be returning to its Virginia Beach birthplace on April 28-30, 2023.
The festival started at the Oceanfront in 2019 but was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. In fall 2021, Williams announced he would move the festival to another city, citing his hometown’s “toxic energy,” following the March 2021 police shooting of his cousin, Donovon Lynch, and a grand jury’s decision not to indict the Virginia Beach officer who killed Lynch. The festival was held in Washington, D.C., this year.
“The demand for the festival in Virginia Beach and the 757 — among the people — has never wavered. If anything, it has only intensified,” Williams said from the Mighty Dream stage, flanked by Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby M. Dyer and other city officials.
Also during Mighty Dream, Williams spoke out to urge Norfolk to officially approve his team’s Wellness Circle redevelopment project at Military Circle Mall, saying, “The ball’s in their court.” As of early November, Norfolk officials said the project, which would include a 15,000-seat arena, a 200-room hotel and 1,100 housing units, was still under negotiation.
It’s time to set your social calendar for 2023, and here are some Virginians you’ll want to introduce yourself to — Virginia Business’ fourth annual list of 100 people to meet in the new year.
Hailing from all parts of the state and representing a variety of industries and nonprofits, this year’s cohort includes Nightingale Ice Cream’s co-founders in Richmond, a tunnel boring machine engineer working on the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, the publisher of The Rockbridge Advocate newspaper in Lexington and a Northrop Grumman exec heading up the team building the crew module for NASA’s next manned lunar mission. Oh, and don’t forget about the internet pioneer who lives on a sheep farm in Giles County. They all have interesting stories and are making a difference in the commonwealth.
And remember: Whether you’re meeting remotely or in person, it’s always a nice icebreaker to say, “I saw you in Virginia Business.”
Mark Hall, Smithfield Foods Inc.’s executive vice president of finance, has been promoted to chief financial officer and will start in the role on Jan. 1, 2023, the nation’s largest pork product manufacturer and hog producer announced Tuesday. The company’s current CFO since 2015, Glen Nunziata, will leave Smithfield Foods at the end of this year.
With 25 years of experience in the food industry, Hall will oversee finance, accounting, treasury, tax, risk management and serve as principal accounting officer. He started at Smithfield in 2014 as vice president of finance for the John Morrell & Co. A year later, he was promoted to vice president of finance for Smithfield’s combined packaged meats business. In 2019, he was promoted to senior vice president of finance for Smithfield’s fresh pork and packaged meats business. He started his current role, executive vice president of finance, in 2020. Hall began his career in public accounting at Arthur Andersen LLP and worked in equity research for Legg Mason Wood Walker Inc. He has also held finance positions with The Quaker Oats Co. and McCain Foods USA Inc.
“Mark is well prepared for his new role and brings a depth of experience, including serving for the last eight years in senior leadership positions on Smithfield’s finance team,” Smithfield President and CEO Shane said in a statement. “We are fortunate to have a deep bench and look forward to a seamless transition of responsibilities over the next few weeks.”
Smith also spoke highly of Nunziata. “During Glenn’s tenure, we have become a better company, achieving new levels of operational excellence and a strengthened balance sheet while growing organically and through acquisitions to become a world-class protein company. We thank Glenn and wish him all the best in his next chapter.”
Nunziata said, “Serving Smithfield for seven years as CFO and for 10 years during my previous role with Ernst & Young has been the highlight of my career. The future is bright for the company, and I am thankful for the opportunity to have worked alongside so many talented people committed to a worthy mission to produce good food the right way. I plan to take some time to consider the next phase of my career.”
Virginia Tech’s real estate program has earned approval from the State Council for Higher Education to become the Blackwood Department of Real Estate.
Becoming a department housed under the Pamplin School of Business will offer the former program more resources, enhance its academic and experiential learning offerings and boost its ability to recruit top faculty talent and advance research programming, according to a news release.
“With the other academic units on campus, it puts us on even footing for resources,” said Kevin Boyle, the department head. He also noted it’s a big signal in the academic world. “Being a department is something for academics that has a lot more prestige than being an academic program.”
The intention is to grow from 400 real estate majors to 500, and keep the minors at about 150 or 200 students, Boyle said. The program had three full-time faculty and one shared with engineering, along with four instructors. As a department, two more faculty have already accepted offers and Boyle hopes to bring in two more, including one to run The Center for Real Estate Excellence.
In September 2021, the real estate program was named for the Blackwood family. Willis Blackwood, founder and president of Blackwood Development Co. Inc., his wife Mary Nolen Blackwood, and their children, Morgan Blackwood Patel and Notel Blackwood, have donated $10 million to Virginia Tech since 2018.
The real estate program was established in 2013 with four first-year students and has grown to 400 students with majors focusing on commercial and residential real estate as well as financial aspects of the industry.
“The real estate educational ecosystem at Virginia Tech is reflective of the real estate industry at large — highly collaborative, ever-evolving and, most of all, exciting,” said Roberta “Robin” Russell, interim dean of the Pamplin College of Business, in a statement. “The Blackwood Department of Real Estate serves as a model of success for integrative education and partnership-building within the university.”
757 Angels, a Hampton Roads angel investment group that matches venture capitalists with local entrepreneurs, is partnering with VentureSouth, one of the largest angel network groups in the United States, the group announced Friday.
The partnership, effective June 2023, will provide more access to capital and investors to 757 Angels’ 140 members.
VentureSouth has about 450 members. 757 Angels launched in 2015 and in its first year raised about $4 million from 50 members. Now, it’s grown to 140 and surpassed $100 million in capital invested in 49 companies, according to 757 Angels Executive Director Monique Adams. About 90% of 757 Angels’ member investors hail from Hampton Roads, she said, and all the companies 757 Angels invests in are either Virginia-based or have significant operations in Virginia.
“This is an evolution where our community is really going to get more,” Adams said, adding that 757 Angels will retain its brand and local board and will continue to have a local market director, she stressed. “We’re not upsetting the applecart here. … We’re using this as a vehicle to grow and we can provide enhanced benefits to entrepreneurs and to investors.”
On the entrepreneur side, that means providing broader access to capital and helping early-stage companies to potentially raise money faster. Entrepreneurs will present to VentureSouth’s entire network, which includes 20 chapters across the Southeast. On the investor side, it provides benefits such as diversification and diligence, increased deal flow and access to invest through VentureSouth’s funds. All benefit from a larger professional staff — nine or 10 people instead of two — and more capacity and capability, Adams said.
VentureSouth, also established in 2015, has invested more than $70 million into nearly 100 early-stage companies. It has chapters in cities such as Charleston, South Carolina; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Atlanta.
Matt Dunbar, managing director of VentureSouth, came to Norfolk to meet with 757 Angels’ members Thursday night.
Matt Dunbar
“From a values alignment standpoint, I think we think about our role in the ecosystem similarly and that we are really focused on trying to bring capital to early-stage companies,” he said. “Entrepreneurs historically have had a fairly hard time raising capital in this part of the world.”
The organizations’ processes and approaches are not identical, but similar, Dunbar says.
“I think this reflects on the great organization we built,” Adams said, adding that “we’ve grown into something that’s exciting and offers incredible benefits to all the stakeholders in the ecosystem.”
Adams, who will assist with the transition, plans to step down from her role as executive director in June 2023. “I am going to take some time to recoup, reset and re-evaluate,” she told Virginia Business. Her replacement has not been identified and a search for a new executive director will begin in 2023.
A former finance executive at predecessor banks of Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase, she sits on the boards of the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority, Reinvent Hampton Roads and the Hampton Roads Biomedical Research Consortium.
Chesapeake-based Fortune 500 discount retailer Dollar Tree Inc. has named four additional executives, the company announced Thursday. These hires are the latest leadership changes after a C-suite shakeup over the summer.
Jennifer Bohaty will join as chief compliance officer, Terence Goods will be chief diversity officer, Jennifer Silberman will be chief sustainability officer, and Kristin Tetreault will be chief communications officer. All four join Dollar Tree from other companies.
“As we continue to build our leadership team capability and focus intently on culture, compliance and [environmental, social and governance], I’m pleased to announce the additions of Jennifer Bohaty, Terence Goods, Jennifer Silberman and Kristin Tetreault to the Dollar Tree team,” Dollar Tree President and CEO Mike Witynski said in a statement. “These important additions demonstrate our company’s commitment to improving the experiences of our shoppers and building an engaging culture of belonging for our associates.”
Bohaty previously was global chief of ethics and compliance at LL Flooring, the Richmond-based flooring retailer formerly known as Lumber Liquidators. She was also executive director of global product safety at Toys ‘R’ Us and senior product safety manager at Target Corp. She has a bachelor of arts in psychology with an emphasis in management from Saint Louis University in Missouri.
Goods was most recently vice president of diversity and inclusion at Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits, a wine distributor based in Miami. He has also worked for Wells Fargo & Co., The Bank of America Corp. and JCPenney. He graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in speech communication.
Silberman was vice president of ESG (environmental, social and governance) for Yeti Coolers LLC and established the company’s first ESG priorities. She also led corporate responsibility efforts and teams for companies including Target and Hilton and has worked in the sustainability and impact space for more than 25 years. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Latin American studies from Mount Holyoke College and a master’s in international economics and Latin American studies from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies.
Tetreault was vice president of enterprise and executive communications for Stanley Black & Decker Inc., the Fortune 500 tool manufacturer. She has also held communications roles at The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc., UnitedHealth Group Inc. and Texas Instruments Inc., among others. She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of North Texas and a master’s degree in organizational development and change management from the University of Texas at Dallas.
Ed Aldridge, president of CMA CGM America and American President Lines LLC, will retire on Dec. 6, and Peter Levesque, who was previously Ports America Group’s president, will take over those roles, the French container ship company announced Wednesday.
Aldridge took over as president of CMA CGM America in 2020 and has been responsible for U.S. operations, including 22,000 employees. Of those employees, 880 are Virginia-based. He has also served as president of CMA CGM’s California-based APL North America since 2017 and began his career with SeaLand Service. Aldridge has been with CMA CGM Group for 14 years.
“I truly appreciate the opportunities I have had with the CMA CGM Group and the outstanding results we have all achieved together,” Aldridge said in a statement. “The future is bright for the group in the United States, and I am honored to have been part of the company’s progression.”
Peter Levesque. Photo courtesy CMA CGM Group
Levesque, who will lead after Aldridge’s departure, has more than 30 years of industry leadership experience. Levesque became president of Ports America in February 2020 and served in that role until late last year. Last year, Ports America, the largest U.S. terminal operator and stevedore, was sold to Canada Pension Plan Investments as part of an acquisition of an interest managed by Oaktree Capital Management LP. The acquisition was valued at $4 billion.
Levesque will be based in Norfolk.
Before joining Ports America, Levesque spent 25 years based in Hong Kong and held leadership positions in international transportation, logistics and supply chain companies. He was has held leadership roles with Modern Terminals Ltd., CEVA Logistics and DHL, among other companies.
“This is an exciting time for the CMA CGM Group here in North America, and I look forward to continuing the momentum generated by Ed Aldridge and his team over the last 14 years,” Levesque said. “We will continue to work closely with our associates, vendors and customers to achieve CMA CGM’s goal of becoming the industry’s number-one carrier and employer of choice.”
CMA CGM Group is the world’s third-largest container ship company. Its North American headquarters are in Norfolk, and in February 2021 the company announced it would expand in Norfolk, creating 400 jobs and investing $36 million. The company has presences in 160 countries and has more than 400 offices, 750 warehouses and 150,000 employees worldwide. In 2021, the company transported 22 million TEU containers.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Sign In
Free Newsletter
