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byline: Sydney Lake

Loudoun County Farm Fall Tour launches online Oct. 27

‘s 25th annual Farm Fall Tour will launch online on Saturday, Oct. 27, to connect farmers with consumers for the harvest season. This year, 25 farms will be featured on the virtual farm tour.

“This initiative follows a successful virtual Spring Farm Tour, which connected thousands of from 16 countries with Loudoun farms during the height of the lockdown,” Loudoun Executive Director Buddy Rizer said in a statement. “It also complements our Loudoun Made Loudoun Grown Marketplace, which drives farm product sales in a socially distant way.”

Stops on the virtual tour will include photos, videos, brief descriptions, an educational activity, a link to the farm websites and online stores.

The farms in the virtual farm tour include:

  1.     American Academy of Equestrian Sciences
  2.     Blooming Hill Lavender Farm and Gift Shop
  3.     Checkmate Farm
  4.     Double 8 Alpaca Ranch
  5.     Endless Summer Harvest
  6.     Equine Rescue League Foundation
  7.     Equus CAN Educate
  8.     Georges Mill Farm Artisan Cheese
  9.     Green Hills Garden & Nursery
  10.   Hogback Mountain Pony Rides LLC
  11.   Homestead 1870
  12.   Hope Flower Farm
  13.   Long Stone Farm LLC
  14.   Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum
  15.   Old Apple Valley Farms LLC
  16.   Paige’s Pit Stop
  17.   Project Horse Empowerment Center
  18.   Shepherds Corner Farm
  19.   The Community Farm at Roundabout Meadows
  20.   The Farm at Walnut Creek
  21.   The New Ag School
  22.   Bleu Frog Vineyards
  23.   Cannabreeze Organic Hemp Farm
  24.   Casanel Vineyards & Winery
  25.   Fort Bacon Farm

“This farm tour roster marks one of the most inclusive in our history, spotlighting a cross-section of Loudoun’s diverse industries, including traditional , equine, craft beverage and cheese makers, hemp producers, bed and breakfasts, plant nurseries, farm schools and museums, and much more,” John Magistro, Loudoun’s business development officer for agriculture and business services, said in a statement. 

The launch goes live at 10 a.m. on Oct. 27.

 

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Dominion offshore wind turbines complete reliability testing

Richmond-based Inc. announced Wednesday that its two turbine, 12-megawatt, $300 million Coastal Virginia (CVOW) pilot project, located 27 miles off the Virginia Beach coastline, has successfully completed reliability testing.

Dominion, the first U.S. company to install an offshore wind farm, began construction on the $300 million project in June, and the turbines were installed and tested this summer. Ørsted served as the offshore engineering, procurement and construction lead, and the L.E. Myers Co. with members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, performed onshore construction work. The turbines are capable of providing enough electricity to power as many as 3,000 homes, according to Dominion. 

The project is the first offshore wind farm approved by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Management (BOEM) and installed in federal waters, and the second offshore wind farm constructed in the United States.

The CVOW pilot project is the first stage in Dominion’s plan to build the largest offshore wind farm in the nation, erecting 180 to 190 wind turbines off the coast of Virginia Beach by 2026. When complete, the $7.8 billion project will be capable of generating 2,600 megawatts of zero-carbon electricity, enough to power 650,000 homes during peak winds.

“This is a monumental day for the commonwealth and the burgeoning offshore wind industry in America, as CVOW is ready to deliver clean, to our Virginia customers,” Joshua Bennett, Dominion Energy vice president of offshore wind, said in a statement. “Our team has worked diligently with key stakeholders and regulators while safely navigating through the to complete this vitally important project that is a key step to reducing carbon emissions.”

BOEM is expected to complete a technical review of the project by the end of the year. The turbines will continue to operate during the review process. 

Construction on Dominion’s proposed offshore wind farm expansion will create an estimated 900 jobs, according to an economic impact analysis conducted by -based Mangum Economics and released by the Hampton Roads Alliance. And after manufacturing and construction are completed, it’s estimated that the continued operation of the project will create 1,100 direct and indirect jobs across the state. Jobs sectors would include engineering, wind technology, marine maintenance, logistics, construction, real estate, home improvement, hospitality and . The project is projected to generate more than $209 million in economic activity and nearly $6 million in local tax revenue for Hampton Roads. 

Dominion customers will not see a rate increase for the pilot project under Grid Transformation and Security Act of 2018 provisions, according to the utility. Dominion has more than 7 million customers in 20 states and has a goal to achieve net zero carbon dioxide and methane emissions from its power generation and gas infrastructure operations by 2050.

 

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Rosie’s game supplier names Va. director of customer, regulatory relations

Boynton Beach, Florida-based Exacta Systems, which sells historic horse race software and machines, announced Wednesday it has hired Peter Phillips as director of customer and regulatory relations for Virginia. 

A disabled veteran with 25 years of service as a naval special warfare officer, Phillips most recently served as a deputy commandant for the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets. In his new role, he will provide services to Virginia Exacta customers and serve as a liaison to the Virginia Commission and the Virginia Equine Association. Exacta Systems provides services to Colonial Downs and Rosie’s Gaming Emporium in New Kent.

Philips holds a degree in history from Virginia Tech and also attended the National War College. Other positions he’s held include serving as a director for the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) National Capital Region and as chief operating officer of Frontier Services Group, a security, aviation and logistics company founded and led by Erik Price, the former CEO of the private military company Blackwater.

“We are excited to bring an individual with such extensive leadership abilities and dedication to service of country and the commonwealth of Virginia,” Exacta Systems President Jeremy Stein said in a statement. “It is our great pleasure to be involved in historic horse racing in Virginia, and we look forward to helping continue the dramatic revitalization of Virginia’s racing and breeding industries.”

Founded in 2013, Exacta has also opened and staffed a Henrico and will continue to expand its footprint and hire more Virginia residents as the historic horse racing market grows in the commonwealth, according to a company statement.

 

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Reston-based NII Holdings Inc. to dissolve

-based NII Holdings Inc. announced last week it has filed a petition in a Delaware court to dissolve the company 10 months after it divested its one remaining operating unit, which sold wireless communication services under the Nextel brand to América Móvil.

On Dec. 18, 2019, NII Holdings closed the $948.5 million sale of its Brazilian operations to América Móvil. As part of the sale, $30 million of the net sale proceeds due to NII was placed in an 18-month escrow account to secure NII’s indemnification obligations. 

NII formed in 1995 as an international business unit of Nextel Communications Inc., a wireless service operator that is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Sprint Corp. In the early 2000s, Nextel owned a stake in NII Holdings, which once had millions of subscribers in Latin America and quarterly earnings of more than $1 billion. The end of NII’s luck came following Sprint’s acquisition of Nextel in 2013, which disabled some of the company’s services. 

In September 2014, NII Holdings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after losing 77,000 subscribers in the second quarter, bringing its subscriber base to 9.4 million. Then in 2015, NII Holdings sold Nextel Mexico to AT&T for $1.88 billion, as a play to “emerge from Chapter 11 reorganization as a stronger, healthier company that is positioned to compete in Brazil’s wireless marketplace.”

As a result of the plan to dissolve, any distributions to NII stockholders are subject to direction from the board of directors and approval by the Delaware court. 

 

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Virginia Realtors names senior VP, community, industry relations

Virginia Realtors announced Tuesday it has hired Leslie J. Frazier as senior vice president of community and industry relations. 

Frazier was most recently employed as the director of Virginia Fosters, a state government initiative that creates resources for Virginia’s child welfare system. 

In her new role, Frazier will serve as the association’s point of contact with industry, nonprofit and non-legislative governmental organizations, overseeing the association’s objectives about housing and real property policy, access to safe and affordable housing and diversity and inclusion in property ownership and fair housing initiatives. She will 

“Housing is the foundation for a good quality of life, and I am excited to learn from real estate leaders how we can strengthen this foundation and make it more accessible,” Frazier said in a statement. “I am committed to ensuring that Virginia’s real estate industry is more diverse, equitable, and inclusive.”

Frazier earned her bachelor’s degree in American government and Spanish from the University of Virginia and earned her master’s degree in public administration from Virginia Tech. She also graduated from two Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership programs.

Virginia Realtors is a professional trade organization that represents 35,000 Realtors across the state.

 

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Falls Church office building sells for $87.5M

An in sold for $87.5 million, advisory firm Newmark Knight Frank (NKF) announced Tuesday. 

Located at 3170 and 3180 Fairview Park Drive, the 284,333-square-foot property is 98% leased, with tenants including General Dynamics Information Technology, Capital Caring Health, Sheet Metal Workers’ National Pension Fund and Balfour Beatty. 

“Despite the many unknowns during this time, we knew that once our team went to market with the property that the product would speak for itself,” NKF Executive Managing Director Jud Ryan said in a statement. “Our team was blown away by the interest we garnered, and we received pricing higher than pre- expectations.” 

Photo courtesy Newmark Knight Frank
Photo courtesy Newmark Knight Frank

NKF was the sole broker on the transaction between the seller, an affiliate of Marcus Partners, and Chicago-based buyer Vanderbilt Properties. This year, Marcus Partners completed a renovation that included more than 25,000 square feet of amenities such as a café with an outdoor terrace, a 100-person auditorium, a 100-person conferencing facility, a fitness club and indoor and outdoor seating areas.

“Marcus Partners executed an outstanding renovation of the asset, including an amenity package that truly exceeds anything else we’ve seen in the market for properties of this scale – arguably one of the best assets out there,” NKF Executive Managing Director James Cassidy said in a statement. “Today, as more investors flock to quality assets with credit tenants, we believe that this will prove itself to be a great addition to Vanderbilt’s portfolio as they continue to expand in the region.” 

Cassidy and Ryan along with NKF Vice President Cliff Cummings represented the seller in the transaction while Joe Donato, vice chairman of debt and structured finance, and Managing Director Kassi Saridakis worked with the buyer on the financing of the acquisition.

 

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VCU study: Labor market continues slow recovery

The market continued to recover during the week ending Oct. 3, but at a slower pace than the start of the recovery, according to a report released Tuesday from economists at Virginia Commonwealth University and Arizona State University.

“The latest results show that, since April, employment has recovered two-thirds of the way back to the pre- level,” VCU School of Business assistant professor Adam Blandin, who conducts the biweekly Real-Time Population Survey with Arizona State associate professor Alexander Bick, said in a statement.

In late September, the employment rate for working-age adults was 69%, according to the report. 

“This is a large improvement compared to roughly 60% employment in April,” Blandin said in a statement. “But the current rate is still far below the 73.8% employment rate from February, just prior to the pandemic.”

The latest survey results also showed that earnings have increased compared to the spring. Among those who were employed in February, 37.4% reported a loss in earnings in early April, which declined to 25.2% in the most recent survey. This indicates that “some of the earnings losses suffered early in the pandemic were temporary in nature,” according to the survey. 

The Real-Time Population Survey closely follows the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Population Survey methodology, but reports it at a faster pace. The survey is conducted in collaboration with the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

 

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Dominion, Appalachian Power team up to expand energy storage

Virginia giants and Inc. announced Tuesday a public-private partnership with InvestSWVA that aims to expand storage technology and attract industry prospects in . 

“With the greater proliferation of renewables, storage expansion will be a vital component in providing stability to our grid and support our customer’s needs,” Dominion Energy Virginia President Ed Baine said in a statement. “Dominion Energy looks forward to working with our partners to support in Southwest Virginia, which has long served as Virginia’s energy corridor.”

The partnership also includes the Appalachian School of Law, Mountain Empire Community College and the Southwest Virginia Energy Research and Development Authority. As Dominion Energy increases its wind power footprint the coast of Virginia Beach, the company is evaluating the potential for a pumped storage facility in Southwest Virginia — while Appalachian Power will research energy storage improvements for customers to attract new business and industry to the region.

“As a leader in renewable energy, we are excited by the opportunity and potential this presents to further diversify our energy mix,” Chris Beam, Appalachian Power president and chief operating officer, said in a statement. “Last year, Appalachian produced approximately 2,400 gigawatt-hours of energy from wind and hydro power and as our investment in renewables grows, so will our need for energy storage.”

Dominion Energy is also working to increase its solar fleet and will soon begin construction on four Central Virginia energy storage projects approved by the State Corporation Commission. The company’s pumped storage facility in Southwest Virginia will compliment the Bath County Pumped Storage Station, according to Dominion.

Appalachian Power for more than 50 years has operated its Smith Mountain pumped storage facility, which holds water to harness energy as needed. The company under the Clean Energy Act has also committed to providing customers at least 600 megawatts of solar energy in Virginia by 2030. Dominion’s most recent forecast calls for approximately 16,000 megawatts of solar power in the state during the next 15 years.

Economic development firm Coalfield Strategies LLC, which leads InvestSWVA, will coordinate project efforts with both utilities. 

“Virginia’s utilities are best positioned to drive the development and deployment of energy storage technology,” Coalfield Strategies Managing Partner Will Payne, InvestSWVA lead, said in a statement. “Our team is excited to work with Appalachian Power and Dominion Energy in attracting industry prospects to Southwest Virginia, and we have assembled partners that demonstrate the region’s desire to redefine itself as the energy innovation capital of the East Coast.”

Coalfield Strategies will also tap the Southwest Virginia Energy Research and Development Authority and the Virginia Solar Energy Development and Energy Storage Authority for collaboration on the projects. 

The Appalachian School of Law will provide educational and legal expertise in energy storage incentives for the partnership and Mountain Empire Community College will help to address workforce development considerations.

Appalachian Power has 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee and is part of American Electric Power, a Fortune 500 electric utility that employs 17,400 and serves nearly 5.4 million customers.

Dominion Energy is a Fortune 500 utility with 16,100 employees and more than 7 million customers in 18 states.

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Medical Society of Va. installs new president

The (MSV), the largest physician organization in the commonwealth installed Dr. Arthur J. Vayer as president during its annual meeting on Oct. 10.

Based in Woodbridge, Vayer has more than 20 years of experience as a general surgeon with a focus on colon and rectal surgery. He is affiliated with Sentara Surgery Specialists. Founded in 1820, MSV represents more than 30,000 physicians, physicians-in-training, physicians assistants (PA) and medical students.

Vayer’s agenda for his term as MSV president includes a focus on telehealth expansion and physician and PA mental health and wellness.

“Be proud as physicians. … Be proud of the lives that you have touched, the that you have helped, and the families that you have cared for,” Vayer said during his inauguration speech. “Be proud of being on the team, the team of doctors, physician assistants, nurses, nurse practitioners, CRNAs, nursing assistants, nursing care partners, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, hospital staff, staff, first responders, and all others on the team. … Be proud. Few can do what you do.”

Vayer graduated from Brown University Medical School and completed his residency at University of Maryland Medical System. He is board certified in general surgery and is an American College of Surgeons fellow. He is the immediate past president of the Prince William County Medical Society.

 

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The Hilb Group acquires Md.-based insurance company

-based company The Hilb Group LLC (THG) announced Tuesday it acquired Annapolis, Maryland-based Insurance Solutions (ISI), effective Oct. 1.

Transaction details were not disclosed. This marks THG’s 12th within the past year.

Founded in 1989, ISI is a full-service employee benefits agency specializing in health, dental, life and disability benefits. 

As part of the acquisition, part of ISI’s leadership team, including Brian Goff, Pam Nickerson, Jennifer Shipp and their associates, will join THG’s mid-Atlantic operations. They will continue to work out of their existing Annapolis location.

“We are excited to bring our expertise in employee benefits to THG,” Goff said in a statement. “We are looking forward to being part of THG and the opportunities to further serve our clients with the insurance solutions we provide.”

Since 2015, THG has acquired more than 60 companies, with its most recent announcement in late September that it had bought Shelton, Connecticut-based Ganim Group Inc. (Ganim Benefits) from investment advisory company Ganim Financial Inc. THG was founded in 2009 and has been a portfolio company of Washington, D.C.-based investment management company The Carlyle Group since late 2019. Across its 90 offices in 21 states, the company employs more than 900 .

 

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