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byline: Sydney Lake

Virginia’s Gateway Region, Community College Workforce Alliance hire workforce development director

Virginia’s Gateway Region (VGR) and the Community College Workforce Alliance (CCWA) announced Monday that Michelle Rogers has been hired for the new joint position of director of workforce development, effective July 6.

This is the first time that a regional economic development organization and a community college have partnered to create a position to advance workforce solutions in the region, according to the Virginia Community College System.

VGR markets the cities of Colonial Heights, Hopewell and Petersburg and the counties of Dinwiddie, Prince George, Surry and Sussex. Its focus is on new and existing business investment and job creation. CCWA is a workforce development partnership between John Tyler Community College and Reynolds Community College focusing on economic development and workforce needs.

“Better preparing our region’s workforce is a consistent requirement we hear from all stakeholders,” VGR President and CEO Keith Boswell said in a statement.“We are excited to embark on this new, tangible model with CCWA. Michelle will provide a human connection between new and expanding companies and our region’s workforce.”  

Rogers has more than 15 years of experience in economic development in Virginia and has worked in management roles at the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

“Increasingly, the single biggest factor in businesses making a decision to locate or expand in an area is the quality of the workforce,” Elizabeth Creamer, CCWA vice president of workforce development and credential attainment, said in a statement. “The days in which economic development could focus solely on incentives and site selection are over, and Virginia is facing a dramatically increased need for education and training partners to demonstrate how our programs can and have produced these skilled workforce industry needs.” 

 

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Mariners Landing has new owners

Smith Mountain Lake housing community Mariners Landing in Bedford County has new owners, Mariners Landing Development Co. LLC announced Thursday. 

Waller S. Perrow III of Mariners Landing Development Co. LLC did not disclose financial terms for the May sale, saying it was contractually protected.

developers Perrow and Tom Branch purchased the 1,000-acre property and have invested in renovations and an all-inclusive program. Alta-Drew Investments owned Mariners Landing Country Club, and the estate of John White owned the remaining development, Perrow said in a statement.

In 1999, White purchased the property, which was originally called Deerwood Pointe. Lewis Clark, Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Joe Sonderman designed the resort, which includes single-family homes, townhomes, condos, rental properties, a conference center, restaurants and an 18-hole golf course with clubhouse. Pools, beaches, fishing piers and boat slips are also available at the property.

“Tom and I are thrilled to acquire this incredible development and work toward enhancing the facilities, uniting the community, and bringing the property under professional management,” Perrow said in a statement. “We’re off to a great start and making significant strides with landscaping improvements, restoring the beaches, renovating docks and pools, and revitalizing the golf course.”

 

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Carilion completes purchase of Stonewall Jackson Hospital for $10.9M

Roanoke-based announced Friday it has completed the purchase of ‘s Stonewall Jackson Hospital from the SJH Community Health Foundation. This was the final 20% — valued at $10.9 million — left for Carilion after its initial 2005 investment.

With the purchase comes a new name, .

The health care system originally acquired 80% ownership of the hospital 15 years ago and took over its management in 2006. Carilion has invested more than $25 million in operations, capital improvements and clinical services, which will increase to more than $36 million after buying the final 20% stake. 

“Today’s announcement marks the beginning of the next chapter in the 15-year partnership between Carilion and the SJH Community Health Foundation,” Dr. Richard Teaff, chair of the hospital’s board of directors, said in a statement. “This arrangement will allow Carilion to simplify management of the hospital, and it will enable the foundation to focus significant resources on our neighbors’ health care needs.”

“The heart of a community is, in many ways, its hospital — especially in close-knit communities like Lexington, Rockbridge County and Buena Vista,” Carilion President and CEO Nancy Howell Agee said in a statement. “We’re grateful for the community’s support these last 15 years, and we want the community to know that we support them too.”

When asked whether the name change was influenced by a recent influx of renaming of buildings named after Confederate officers and removal of monuments, Carilion spokesperson Christopher “Chris” R. Turnbull said it was coincidental. 

“Regardless of the societal debate going on right now, we would have been announcing this investment in the community and an updated name,” Turnbull said. “This is the culmination of a two-year process between Carilion and the SJH Community Health Foundation. We’re making this change now because we own 100% of the hospital, and with that, it should align with the naming convention we use for all other Carilion facilities, emphasizing the region the facility serves. 

“This process involved significant due diligence and a valuation exercise — just like any other business transaction would. And it has resulted in a significant investment in the health of this community.”

The SJH Community Health Foundation also plans to donate $1 million to renovate operating rooms at the hospital.

“Compassionate care for our patients has been our top priority since we arrived,” Greg Madsen, the hospital’s vice president and administrator, said in a statement. “We’re renewing our commitment to being here — through purchasing the remaining share of the hospital, investing further in our employees, technology and services, and writing the next chapter in the hospital’s legacy of service to this region.”

 

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Colonial Downs announces leadership changes

The , owner of the New Kent County horse race track and Rosie’s Emporium, announced Friday Lisa Speller will serve as the company’s vice president of government affairs.

Chy Stewart. Photo courtesy Colonial Downs Group
Chy Stewart. Photo courtesy Colonial Downs Group

Speller, who most recently served as a policy adviser for Gov. Ralph Northam’s administration, will oversee community relations for Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums in Richmond, New Kent, and Vinton, as well as for the race track. In her new role, she will focus on community engagement and programming.

She also previously served as a senior policy adviser to Richmond Mayor Levar M. Stoney, working with the mayor on community and public safety impact.

Colonial Downs also announced Friday that Chy Stewart will serve as general manager for Rosie’s Gaming Emporium in Richmond. She had most recently been the vice president of casino operations and diversity officer at Hollywood Casino in Joliet, Illinois. In her new role, she will lead operations and community efforts at Rosie’s.

Colonial Downs is poised to generate more than $26 million in state tax revenue and nearly $18 million in local tax revenue this year, according to the company, and annually generates $25 million in the horse industry.

 

 

 

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Hampton office building sells for $1.325M

An building in has sold for $1.325 million, Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer announced Monday. 

Located at 2310 Tower Place, the 13,500-square-foot property was purchased by Temple Realty I LLC, which will partially occupy the building. Real estate company Harrison & Lear Inc., which sold the property, will also remain in the building as a tenant. 

The building had been long occupied by Coldwell Bankers, leasing 6,000 square feet of the building, while Harrison & Lear also occupied 6,000 square feet. When Coldwell and Harrison & Lear occupied the building, there was 1,500 square feet of vacant space, says Andy Dallas of Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer, who handled the sale on behalf of the seller. 

“Prior to closing, Coldwell Banker vacated and the buyer, Temple Realty, plans to occupy their 6,000 square feet, and … Harrison & Lear will remain,” Dallas says. It is not yet determined whether Temple Realty will occupy the vacant 1,500 square feet of space or find a tenant to fill the space, Dallas says.

Dallas and Teresa Nettles of Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer handled the sale on behalf of the seller.

 

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Could Redskins replacement name be Sentinels?

Following the Thursday announcement that the -based National Football League team formerly known as the Redskins would simply be called the Washington Football Team this season, social media platforms have been a playing ground for best bets on what the team’s permanent name will be. 

But fans may not be left in the dark for long if this discovery has any meaning: MarkMonitor Inc., the San Francisco-based domain registration and management company that manages the Redskins.com URL, also took over a domain called DCSentinels.com on July 15, according to domain registration records.

Social media users now speculate that the team might secretly be planning to rename itself the D.C. Sentinels.

MarkMonitor first registered the Redskins.com domain in 1996, and most recently updated the domain on June 26. The DCSentinels.com domain was first registered on Aug. 15, last year, was taken over by MarkMonitor on July 15, only two days after the team announced it would retire the Redskins name and logo after 88 years in use. 

The Sentinels team name was formerly discussed for use by the Washington, D.C.-based professional XFL football team the Defenders, according to reports, and the domain name DCSentinels.com was previously managed by the XFL. The Defenders team was first founded in 2018 and first played this February. The XFL is a winter and spring professional football league that was set to play a 10-game season this year, which was interrupted by COVID-19.

“The XFL is trying to sell its assets,” sports reporter Darren Rovell tweeted. “But its most valuable asset it might have gotten rid of for free. In December, they abandoned their trademark for the DC Sentinels, having chosen the Defenders instead. One of the favorites to replace Redskins is now the Sentinels.”

And although some social media users see the domain management as a key insight into what the Washington team has yet to reveal, nothing has been confirmed as of yet. 

“The decision to use ‘‘ for this season allows the franchise the ability to undertake an in-depth branding process to properly include player, alumni, fan, community and sponsor input,” according to the Thursday statement from the Washington Football Team.

 

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Elkton shopping center sells for $5M

A in has sold for $5 million, Colliers International’s Virginia Retail Investment Team announced Thursday.

The 90,943-square-foot Elkton Plaza was sold by an affiliate of Kodiak Properties LLC to Elkton Plaza LLC. The shopping center — 82% leased at the time of the sale — is anchored by Food Lion and Walgreens and was built in 1985. It is located approximately 15 miles from Harrisonburg on Route 33.

“We have been pleased to own Elkton Shopping Center for 13 years and are confident that the new owners will continue to operate the center at a high level,” Scott Spector with Kodiak Properties said in a statement.

Jeff Fritz and Jay O’Donnell with Colliers International’s Norfolk and Charlottesville offices represented the seller.

 

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Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing names president, CEO

The Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CCAM) research institute in Prince George County has appointed John Milton-Benoit as its president and CEO, effective Aug. 20, the organization announced Friday. 

Milton-Benoit succeeds William T. Powers, who will retire in August. Powers has served on the board of the organization since its 2011 inception and was appointed as president and CEO in 2016.

“Will joined CCAM as president and CEO at a critical time,” CCAM Chair Craig H. Benson, University of Virginia School of Engineering dean, said in a statement. “Under his leadership, the organization more than doubled its research spend and increased the membership, ensuring CCAM’s resiliency for years to come. The board thanks him for his leadership and accomplishments, and we look forward to working with John to continue CCAM’s growth.”

Milton-Benoit was most recently a senior director and program leader at the United Technologies Research Center, where he was responsible for technology development in manufacturing, robotics, human-machine interface, data analytics, machine learning and cyber physical security. 

He established the United Technologies Corp.’s (UTC) $75 million Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence, where he served as founding director. He also served as acting program leader at UTC Aerospace Systems Program prior to its acquisition of Rockwell Collins. Milton-Benoit holds more than two dozen U.S. patents.

The CCAM was established as a public-private institute for manufacturing research. Its origins date back to 2007 when the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, U.Va. and Virginia Tech submitted a joint proposal to bring Rolls-Royce’s engine manufacturing factory to Virginia. Four years later CCAM was established as a resource for regional manufacturers with a mission to improve manufacturing capabilities.

 

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NoVa home prices soar in June

Median home sales prices increased in Northern Virginia during June, according to the Long & Foster Real Estate Market Minute Report released Tuesday. 

home prices rose 2%, while prices rose 17% in both Arlington County and the city of Alexandria. Inventory levels have dropped, however, causing the number of homes sold to decline, according to Long & Foster. 

“Inventory levels have declined significantly across the Eastern Seaboard,” Long & Foster Real Estate President Larry “Boomer” Foster said in a statement. “While Arlington appears to be an anomaly with only an 8% decline, nearby counties have experienced major drops.”

Chart courtesy Long & Foster
Chart courtesy Long & Foster

Homes in Northern Virginia continue to sell more quickly during the pandemic, with an average of 15 to 20 days on the market. The Long & Foster report covers Alexandria, Arlington County, Fairfax County, Loudoun County and Prince William County. According to Long & Foster, inventory levels remain low because many homes went under contract in April and May, causing the available supply of homes to be bought more quickly.

“Home prices are appreciating at healthy levels and buying power is high right now, so it’s a great time to buy or sell a home,” Foster said in a statement. 

 

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Chesterfield pharma company enters $600M federal plea deal

Less than one month after former Indivior PLC CEO Shaun Thaxter pleaded guilty in federal court in Abingdon to a misdemeanor criminal charge related to the marketing of the Chesterfield County-based company’s opioid addiction treatment drug Suboxone, the company announced Friday it has entered a $600 million plea deal with the U.S. Justice Department, the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. state attorneys general to resolve the issue.

“We are pleased to achieve this resolution and move forward in a way that provides certainty for our business in respect of this matter and allows us to continue focusing on our important work for patients suffering from opioid use disorder and mental health illnesses around the world,” Indivior CEO Mark Crossley said in a statement.

Thaxter stepped down in June as CEO of Indivior, a spinoff of British firm Reckitt Benckiser Group (RB Group), and was replaced by Crossley, the company’s former chief financial and operations officer and executive director. Last year, RB Group agreed to pay $1.4 billion to the and various states to resolve its potential criminal and civil liability in the Suboxone investigation.

Suboxone contains a combination of buprenorphine, a potent opioid, and naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal drug. It is approved for use by in recovery from opioid addictions to avoid or reduce withdrawal symptoms while receiving treatment for addiction. Thaxter had asked Indivior employees to devise a plan to get Massachusetts Medicaid agency MassHealth to use Suboxone Film instead of a competitor’s non-opiate treatment, according to a criminal complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney’s for the Western District of Virginia. 

“Certain Indivior employees subsequently shared false and misleading safety information with MassHealth officials about Suboxone Film’s risk of accidental pediatric exposure,” according to the Justice Department. “Two months after receiving that false and misleading information, MassHealth announced it would provide access to Suboxone Film for Medicaid patients with children under the age of 6.”

Under the terms of the agreement announced Friday, Indivior Solutions Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Indivior PLC, has pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement regarding health care matters in 2012. Indivior will have seven years to pay the $600 million settlement, under which the Justice Department will move to dismiss the charges the grand jury returned in April 2019.

Indivior will make an initial $100 million payment the week the plea is finalized and approved by a judge, according to the company. Then, the company will pay six annual payments of $50 million every Jan. 15 through 2027. 

Indivior has also agreed to pay $10 million to settle Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charges that it violated antitrust laws. The $10 million from this settlement will be combined with an additional $50 million from the RB Group into a fund to provide payments to people who had purchased Suboxone Film.

“In the midst of the nation’s opioid crisis, a critical opioid-addiction treatment was about to become more affordable,” Gail Levine, a deputy director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition, said in a statement. “But Indivior prevented that. It kept its drug prices high by unlawfully impeding generic manufacturers from competing effectively.”

Starting Friday, anyone who was prescribed Suboxone in the U.S. between March 1, 2013 and Feb. 28, 2019 can file a claim through the FTC to receive payments.

“The incident to which the agreement relates occurred well in the past and does not reflect the values Indivior has strived to demonstrate and uphold during our long history of partnering with health care providers, policymakers, and communities to fight the opioid crisis,” Crossley said in a statement.

 

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