The top five most-read daily news stories on VirginiaBusiness.com from Sept. 14 to Oct. 14 included an announcement of a major agricultural operation in Chesterfield County expected to begin operation in late 2023 or early 2024.
1|Lowe’s to open distribution facility in Suffolk
The North Carolina-based home improvement retailer plans to establish a coastal warehousing and distribution facility, adding 100 jobs. (Oct. 13)
Ashburn-based DXC and Baring Private Equity Asia Ltd. are in talks after the Asian buyout firm approached the Fortune 500 information technology services firm about a potential takeover. (Sept. 22)
Roshan Roeder was appointed corporate vice president and president of the Falls Church-based Fortune 500 contractor’s defense systems sector. (Sept. 22)
5|$300 million vertical farming campus coming to Chesterfield
San Francisco-based Plenty Unlimited Inc. plans to build what it’s billing as the world’s largest indoor vertical farming campus in Chesterfield County’s Meadowville Technology Park, creating 300 jobs. (Sept. 14)
With a population of 1.79 million people spread across 17 localities, Hampton Roads is the second-most populated region of Virginia, just behind Northern Virginia. Virginia Beach, with approximately 457,000 residents, is the commonwealth’s biggest city by population, and neighboring Norfolk has the highest density in the region, with 4,467 people per square mile, according to 2020 U.S. Census data.
To outsiders, the Hampton Roads region is perhaps best known as the home to more than 120,000 active-duty and reserve military members, as well as the Port of Virginia, Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. and Newport News Shipbuilding, all major economic engines. Tourism — particularly at Virginia Beach’s Oceanfront — is another big driver of dollars, and Norfolk and Portsmouth are betting on two forthcoming casinos to help their cities strike it lucky.
The region also has its fair share of colleges and universities, ranging from the nation’s second-oldest school, William & Mary, to Tidewater Community College, which spans four cities.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February, Astraea Inc., a geospatial analytics startup based in Charlottesville, spearheaded an effort to provide free satellite imagery that could be used by Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense, as well as civilians and humanitarian organizations. The company’s platform allows users to see and analyze images of any location on the planet captured over a given area as recently as yesterday and as far back as 15 years. The company was co-founded by Brendan Richardson, a University of Virginia alum who also teaches at the university. In July, Astraea closed an oversubscribed $6.5 million Series A round led by Aligned Climate Capital LLC and Carbon Drawdown Collective with participation from CAV Angels, Tydall Investment Partners and the U.Va. Licensing & Ventures Group Seed Fund. (UVA Today; news release)
Global investment firm Techstars selected Woodbridge’s CarpeDM Sept. 12 to participate in an accelerator program aimed at helping Black, brown and women business owners gain more access to capital. A matchmaking firm, CarpeDM’s primary product is a dating app geared toward Black women professionals. The company is among 60 startups nationwide selected to go through a 13-week program during which participants will receive mentoring, meet with potential investors and partners, and participate in a demo day. The program is run in partnership with JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s private bank, which has raised $80 million to fund the effort. (Washington Business Journal)
Scott and Lauren Janney were on their way to opening a coffee shop in Hampton Roads — complete with a magazine wall — when the pandemic hit. In August 2020, the Janneys came up with a different business venture — Magazine Jukebox. The company offers digital magazines as an alternative to physical ones in commercial spaces. The idea is to provide consumers a way to enjoy magazines without having to touch them while waiting, accessing the publications via custom scannable QR code. The Norfolk-based business has grown to seven full-time employees and four sales associates. Launched in January, Magazine Jukebox is aiming to be in 700 locations throughout the U.S. by the end of 2022. (Inside Business)
Atlanta-based Saltbox Inc., a cowarehousing startup, opened a 45,000-square-foot location in Alexandria in late August to tap a market of small- and medium-sized e-commerce businesses. The company provides businesses with space in shared logistics facilities. A merchant can buy a month-to-month license, like a monthly rent, for a customizable suite. Membership provides access to logistics-oriented amenities, equipment and services, like loading docks, carts, palette jacks, outbound package bins for scheduled pickups, a photography studio and building security. The one-story industrial building contains 85 suites of various sizes for warehouse and office uses, with prices starting at $630 per month. (Washington Business Journal; Saltbox.com)
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Richmond-based Kishau Rogers, founder and CEO of Time Study Inc., returned to her native Lynchburg in late August to speak at a quarterly breakfast hosted by the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance as part of Black Business Month. Headquartered in Virginia and New York, Time Study is an artificial intelligence platform used by more than 75 hospitals to help understand the impact of how their employees spend their time. Rogers said many of her clients use the platform to identify more profitable activities and billable hours, and to reduce burnout. (The News & Advance)
The top five most-read daily news stories on VirginiaBusiness.com from Aug. 15 to Sept. 14 included two items focusing on TowneBank, the No. 1 bank in Hampton Roads by market share.
1|TowneBank to acquire Farmers Bank
Suffolk-based TowneBank agreed to acquire Windsor-headquartered Farmers Bankshares Inc., parent company of Farmers Bank, in a $56 million deal. (Aug. 18)
The Virginia Beach-based unmanned aerial vehicles firm announced a $27 million expansion that will include a drone center at Richard Bland College. (Aug. 24)
3|258 Va. companies make this year’s Inc. 5000
Richmond-based IT staffing firm Summit Human Capital was the top-ranked Virginia company on Inc.’s 2022 list of the nation’s 5,000 fastest-growing privately held companies. (Aug. 16)
4|Richmond picks Diamond District development team
The city selected a joint venture including Richmond-based Thalhimer Realty Partners to build a new baseball stadium as the centerpiece of a mixed-use neighborhood revitalization project. (Sept. 12)
5|TowneBank names new CEO
On Jan. 1, 2023, William “Billy” I. Foster III, the bank’s market president for Central Virginia and the Carolinas, will succeed J. Morgan Davis, who is retiring. (Aug. 26)
BEST ADVICE FOR OTHERS: You never learn anything when you are talking.
FIRST JOB: Analyst for Kidder, Peabody & Co. in New York
WHAT I WAS LIKE IN HIGH SCHOOL: Mr. Clean and a bit of a nerd, but I still managed to be elected student body president
PERSON I ADMIRE: My father. He was the classic American gentleman, Marlboro man and CEO wrapped in one.
WHAT A COMPETITOR WOULD SAY ABOUT ME: He is an honorable man.
WHAT MAKES ME PASSIONATE ABOUT MYWORK: I love being a mentor to young people who are building their careers.
ONE THING I’D CHANGE ABOUT VIRGINIA: Ensure education equity is pervasive across the state.
FAVORITE APP:Homesnap
FAVORITE VACATION SPOT:Jackson Hole, Wyoming
DID YOU KNOW?Lowham’s office handled the then-record-breaking $43 million sale of AOL co-founder Steve Case’s McLean estate in 2018, as well as the current state-record sale of the $48 million River View estate in Fairfax County to Washington Commanders owners Daniel and Tanya Snyder in November 2021.
Virginia Business asked five Hampton Roads leaders to discuss how regional cooperation could directly impact their industries, how they’re coping with staffing shortages and what their hopes are for the region’s future.
Most Hampton Roads leaders say they’d like to see more regional cooperation. What specific project or sector of the local economy do you think would benefit
most from this?
Education and workforce training. Newport News Shipbuilding is the largest industrial employer in Virginia, with more than 25,000 people, so we draw employees from throughout the region. Arbitrary lines that designate localities, school districts or community college territories have no effect on our hiring. Regional collaboration among training providers would create more effective outcomes for trainees and employers. There’s been positive progress, but more work is needed to meet the needs of the region’s current and future employers and workforce.
Which jobs are hardest for you to fill, and what is being done to improve that?
The biggest challenges right now are welders and shipfitters, as well as attracting and retaining experienced professionals with portable skills, such as engineers, business management and human resources [professionals]. Newport News Shipbuilding is taking aggressive action to recruit and retain talent — however, this is not a short-term problem. We need to hire around 21,000 people over the next 10 years, so enhancing regional pipeline programs is key. Our goal working with our community partners is to ensure we have enough skilled talent to support NNS, but also our suppliers and other businesses across our region.
What specific project or sector of the local economy do you think would benefit most from regional cooperation?
All companies can relate to the labor and staffing challenges right now. Together we could work to create a robust, empowered workforce.
Sustainability is another opportunity for a collective approach. Coming from Spain, I continue to be amazed by the amount of waste that is generated [here] and the lack of recycling programs. In the region, more electrical vehicles and alternate power resources such as wind and solar are needed. Together, we can become greener.
Your company finances, operates and maintains the Elizabeth River Tunnels connecting Norfolk and Portsmouth. How is toll technology changing, and can it help improve traffic congestion?
We need to provide mobility solutions for drivers, and that means making their trips more convenient. Technology is moving faster to provide solutions, some of which we are seeing already with free-flow tolling.
Free-flow tolling [using an electronic system instead of toll booths] reduces travel times for everyone, reduces crashes and creates a more reliable, predictable travel experience. Additionally, it reduces carbon emissions and improves fuel usage for drives, which is critical for the high gas prices everyone is experiencing today.
Additional technology we’re seeing more of is in-vehicle telematics, a technology built directly into the vehicle [using GPS]. In the past, telematics was only available in higher-end vehicles, but more and more manufacturers are building it into new vehicles. In-vehicle telematics communicate vehicle and travel information to improve safety and vehicle operation. In-vehicle telematics are already being used in Virginia’s new Mileage Choice Program that launched on July 1.
What specific project or sector of the local economy do you think would benefit most from regional cooperation?
Supporting the development of offshore wind in Hampton Roads will require regional cooperation to recruit, train and upskill an emerging workforce. Today and in the coming years, the need for skilled laborers to support the various areas required to build, install and maintain offshore wind turbines will continue to increase. This growing industry will provide generations with opportunities for employment as the region comes together to support this innovative technology.
Community colleges are a critical provider of workforce training in Virginia. How does that impact TCC’s goals and offerings?
As one of the largest providers of higher education and workforce services in Hampton Roads, TCC’s vision is “to be our community’s first choice for education, opportunity, partnership and innovation.”
To achieve this vision, the college remains focused on providing our industry partners with a skilled workforce to help support their goals. We continue to expand our workforce and career and technical offerings to meet the increasing demands of the region in health care, skilled trades, manufacturing and, eventually, wind technology. This growth is a common thread in our strategic plan, Innovate 2026, which aligns the college’s goals with current and future endeavors for our region.
As we continue to transform training throughout the region, it is important that TCC is serving not only adult learners looking to change careers or expand their industry knowledge, but also the next generation of skilled technicians through our dual-enrollment program. This program offers high school students an opportunity to earn college credit before graduation in areas that will propel Hampton Roads’ workforce forward.
STEPHEN EDWARDS
STEPHEN EDWARDS
CEO and executive director, Virginia Port Authority, Norfolk
Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy S.A. is renting part of the Portsmouth Marine Terminal to build its first North American factory to manufacture turbine blades for offshore-wind farms. Is the port open to leasing more land to other companies?
We are always open to the possibilities of private investment inside of our terminals. While Siemens Gamesa is a good example, it is not the first company to lease space on Virginia Port Authority property.
At Richmond Marine Terminal, Scoular Co., a large international grain exporter, has operations, and at Norfolk International Terminals, another larger grain and feed exporter, Fornazor International Inc., has operations. We are also talking with a company about the possibilities of developing an export operation inside the terminal at Virginia Inland Port. The goal is to find the best fit and a long-term commitment with a growing company that needs to reach markets across the globe.
How is the port handling hiring and retaining employees, particularly in the current labor market?
To remain competitive with current workforce challenges, our recruitment efforts have shifted to focus on tapping into local talent partners for support and networking with skill-specific partners. We have also enhanced our partnerships with local associations and institutions to create a talent pipeline for both current and future hiring needs. Internally, we are elevating our workforce by being more intentional in our leadership and development programs [and] benefit and compensation offerings, as well as other engagement initiatives.
Sentara is collaborating with Old Dominion and Norfolk State universities and Eastern Virginia Medical School to establish a collaborative academic health center and school of public health. How do you expect this to improve the region’s health care and workforce training efforts?
Working with our regional health care and educational partners to create an integrated, state university-based medical school is something I am very passionate about.
All four organizations — ODU, NSU, EVMS and Sentara — are committed to tackling health care access, health equity and other pressing public health issues in our region. The ONE School of Public Health will help us closely align efforts that have traditionally been fragmented, to address these issues more efficiently and effectively. It also will strengthen our region’s educational research capabilities, help attract and develop the talent we need in the future and secure more robust funding through federal, state and private resources.
How is Sentara working to attract and retain employees, especially in-demand health care professionals?
Over the years, we’ve implemented numerous creative strategies to help us address staffing challenges and hard-to-fill positions, including the development of an internal staffing pool that allows us to deploy our own highly qualified clinical professionals throughout the system when and where they are needed.
Nonetheless, long-term solutions must be implemented alongside shorter-term changes. Prior to the pandemic, a national clinician shortage was predicted to slowly extend through 2030. The pandemic exacerbated the confluence of factors contributing to the labor shortage, accelerating and amplifying it. Sentara is expending considerable effort, education and resources toward workforce pipeline development, especially around school-age children and young adults. This work is vital to the long-term sustainability of our collective health and well-being.
Founded in 1919, The Apprentice School in Newport News has trained 11,000 shipyard workers over its long history. The school at Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding division offers four-, five- and eight-year paid apprenticeships in 19 shipbuilding disciplines and eight advanced programs of study, including supply chain management and marine engineering. Apprentices complete 1,000 hours of coursework and a minimum of 7,000 hours of on-the-job training. as.edu
Goodwill of Central and Coastal Virginia
Goodwill’s Hampton Employment Center provides assistance to and opportunities for job seekers facing challenges to work to apply for open Goodwill positions in retail, support, janitorial, logistics and more. Goodwill’s Begin@Home model is focused on delivering workforce development opportunities while individuals earn a paycheck. Begin@Home is composed of programs that support on-the-job paid training, skills building and career plan development with the assistance of a dedicated career adviser. goodwillvirginia.edu
The Hampton Roads Workforce Development Board oversees federally funded workforce development programs for all localities in the Hampton Roads region. The job board offers hiring opportunities, and the council offers general workforce services in varying locations like financial coaching, matching job seekers with employers and hosting workshops covering résumés, job interviews, salaries and other topics. The board operates the Hampton Roads Veterans Employment Center and offers programs for people ages 14 to 24, called NextGen Pathways. theworkforcecouncil.org
Paul D. Camp Community College
The community college’s division of workforce development offers options for employers and workers in western Hampton Roads. The college offers courses to gain industry credentials, professional certifications and licenses in various professions, including commercial driving, health care, logistics, IT security and welding. For businesses, the college offers customized workforce training, either on-site or at one of its four training facilities. pdc.edu/workforce-development
Employers can book customized training on-site, on campus or online, and TCC can provide classroom space, mechatronic and welding labs, trucks or motorcycles. The college offers a job-skills training program as well as a variety of short-term workforce training courses in advanced manufacturing, business, construction, health care, hospitality and others. Maritime and transportation programs include training to earn a commercial driver’s license and the U.S. Coast Guard’s operator of uninspected passenger vehicles license, which is required for anyone operating a vessel carrying up to six passengers for hire. Business courses include paralegal, OSHA and real estate license trainings. workforce.tcc.edu
Virginia Peninsula Community College
Formerly Thomas Nelson Community College, Virginia Peninsula’s workforce development program provides customized workforce-training options for employers and short-term career training for workers on the Peninsula. The college offers training programs for companies on-site, online or at its locations in Hampton and Williamsburg. Courses and programs include manufacturing and trade skills, culinary arts, business and entrepreneurship, technology and health care. VPCC now also offers Ed2Go, online short courses and certification programs. VPCC is an American Welding Society-accredited testing facility with a certified welding inspector who can conduct the certification. vpcc.edu/workforce
Fortune 500 used car online retailer Carvana Co. is more than halfway to its 400-employee hiring goal for its $25 million, 191,000-square-foot Chesterfield County inspection center, General Manager Robert Sheets said in August at the center’s ribbon cutting. Carvana has hired 240 employees and expects to reach 400 workers when it begins full production later this year. The company started training employees in late June. The project, announced in December 2019, was paused during the pandemic, and Carvana announced it would move forward in April 2021. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Nonprofit drugmaker Civica Rx is investing $27.8 million to establish a new 55,000-square-foot laboratory in Chesterfield County‘s Meadowville Technology Park, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced in September. The expansion will add 51 jobs, and the company will also host a scale-up manufacturing facility run by Virginia Commonwealth University’s Medicines for All Institute, which will add more jobs. The generic drugmaker is currently building a 140,000-square-foot, $124.5 million manufacturing facility in Petersburg that will become the Utah-based company’s North American headquarters when it opens in 2024. The Chesterfield lab will support that factory through testing and development of new products. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
After a two-year investigation, ongoing federal scrutiny and numerous lawsuits alleging it marketed vaping products to underage users, Washington, D.C.-basedJuul Labs Inc. tentatively settled with Virginia, 32 other states and Puerto Rico for $438.5 million in September. Virginia will receive $16.61 million over the next six to 10 years, but the larger impact may be on Henrico County-based Altria Group Inc., which has a 35% ownership stake in Juul. In 2018, Altria invested $12.8 billion in the e-cigarette company, but its investment was valued at $450 million as of June 30. A U.S. District Court judge in Virginia declined to approve a proposed $117 million settlement in August between Altria and shareholders over its investment in Juul. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
A $300 million indoor vertical farm campus — billed as the world’s largest — is coming to Chesterfield County’s Meadowville Technology Park, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced in September. San Francisco-based Plenty Unlimited Inc. is expected to produce 300 jobs over the next six years in a multiphase project. The first farm, expected to be completed in winter 2023-24, will grow Driscoll’s strawberries at scale. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
On Sept. 12, the city of Richmond announced it selected a joint venture including Richmond-based Thalhimer Realty Partners to build a new baseball stadium for the Richmond Flying Squirrels, as well as a mixed-use development surrounding the stadium, in a $2.44 billion effort to revitalize the area into a new neighborhood to be known as the Diamond District. Other partners in RVA Diamond Partners include Washington, D.C.-based Republic Properties Corp., Chicago-based Loop Capital Holdings LLC and San Diego venue developer JMI Sports. The group committed to purchase the first $20 million of bonds needed to finance the stadium, which is required to be completed and open for the 2025 Minor League Baseball season. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
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Whit Huffman Photo courtesy Capital. Square
Glen Allen-based real estate company Capital Square has promoted Whitson Huffman to co-CEO, the developer and sponsor of tax-advantaged real estate investments announced in September. Huffman, 33, is the son-in-law of Louis Rogers, founder and CEO of Capital Square. The company specializes in Delaware Statutory Trust offerings as part of IRS Section 1031 property exchanges, and it has branched out into developing multifamily properties, largely in the Southeastern United States. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
EASTERN VIRGINIA
Retail and restaurant vacancies in downtown Norfolk reached 23% in 2020 — nearly four times higher than the national average for all retail space at the time, according to a market study commissioned by the Downtown Norfolk Council. There’s too much retail and restaurant space, and not enough residents to fill it, according to Mike Smith, real estate director for Streetsense, the consulting firm that conducted the study. Streetsense presented findings to the Norfolk Planning Commission Aug. 25. It recommended the city redevelop MacArthur Center mall, which has a vacancy rate of about 30%, and tweak its zoning code, which requires 65% of all ground floor space on most downtown streets to be retail. (The Virginian-Pilot)
Virginia Beach-based DroneUp LLC is adding 655 jobs as part of a $27 million expansion that will include establishing a drone testing, training, and research and development center at Richard Bland College, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Aug. 24. DroneUp specializes in commercial drone delivery and flight services and software and will invest $20 million to establish the college center and $7 million to expand its Virginia Beach headquarters from about 15,000 square feet to about 80,000 square feet. The company will add 510 jobs at its headquarters, and it will create 145 jobs for drone operator trainers at the training center. It will also open three drone hubs at Walmart Inc. locations, likely in Chesterfield County and Chesapeake. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Virginia Beach City Manager Patrick Duhaney, Deputy City Manager Taylor Adams and City Council members Aaron Rouse and Linwood Branch flew to New York in late August to meet with Virginia Beach native and pop music icon Pharrell Williams. While Branch declined to offer details about the meeting, Rouse said he requested it to “build a relationship” with Williams, who is co-developing the $350 million Atlantic Park mixed-use surf park development at the city’s Oceanfront. “We had a great conversation about moving our city forward,” Rouse said. Last fall, after Williams decided not to bring the Something in the Water Festival back to Virginia Beach, he wrote a scathing letter to city officials, citing the city’s “toxic energy.” (The Virginian-Pilot)
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Newport News-based Riverside Health System CEO Bill Downey will transition to executive vice chairman and special adviser to make way for his successor. He will be replaced by Riverside’s president and chief operating officer, Dr. Michael Dacey, who takes over as CEO on Jan. 1, 2023, the system announced Sept. 7. Downey has spent 40 years with Riverside, the past 12 years as CEO. Dacey will retain his title as president, and Downey will retire in 2024 after the yearlong transition. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Virginia Beach-based Sentara Health Plans named Colin Drozdowski as the next president of Sentara Healthcare‘s health insurance division, effective Sept. 1.
Drozdowski succeeds Dennis Matheis, who was named president and CEO of Norfolk-based Sentara Healthcare in June. Drozdowski served as senior vice president of comprehensive health solutions and was senior vice president of Sentara Health Plans since 2019. He helped bring Virginia Premier into Sentara Health Plans, the largest transaction in Sentara’s history. Drozdowski will also serve as executive vice president of Sentara Healthcare. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Suffolk-based TowneBank announced Aug. 26 that William “Billy” I. Foster III will become CEO, succeeding J. Morgan Davis. Davis will step down as CEO on Dec. 31 but will remain with the bank until March 31, 2023, to assist with the transition. He will also continue serving on TowneBank’s board of directors and as an executive consultant. Foster, the bank’s market president for Central Virginia and the Carolinas, joined TowneBank as a regional president in 2004. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
NORTHERN VIRGINIA
The pandemic shrank some tax revenue streams that officials said would grow as Amazon.com Inc. builds its $2.5 billion HQ2 East Coast corporate headquarters in Arlington County. That has meant no cash grants paid out to Amazon. The county projected it would pay $22.7 million in total to the e-tailer in annual payments through 2035. The pay-as-you-go grants are based on Amazon’s commitment to occupy a certain amount of office space and on an expected increase in hotel stays. Arlington had been collecting nearly $25 million annually from its transient occupancy tax — on which the incentives are based — but collected only $15.1 million in revenue from July 2021 through June 2022, millions short of the increase necessary to trigger payments. (The Washington Post)
In September, Google LLC completed its acquisition of Reston-based cybersecurity company Mandiant Inc. in an all-cash transaction valued at $5.4 billion. Google is paying $23 per share for Mandiant, which is joining Google Cloud while retaining its branding. The companies announced the deal in March. Together, Google Cloud and Mandiant will offer customers more capable end-to-end security operations, Mandiant said in a news release. Mandiant was founded in 2004 by CEO Kevin Mandia. In a blog post about the sale, Mandia wrote that by combining Mandiant’s experiences with the scale and resources of Google, “we can make a far greater difference in preventing and countering cyberattacks, while pinpointing new ways to hold adversaries accountable.” (VirginiaBusiness.com)
On Aug. 24, the six-month anniversary of Russia’s war on Ukraine and Ukrainian Independence Day, Reston-based Fortune 500 defense contractor Leidos announced a partnership to support Washington, D.C.-based global health and humanitarian relief organization Project HOPE‘s medical relief efforts in Ukraine. Leidos had already funded medicine and medical supplies, mobile clinics and support for refugees since the conflict began. The new, ongoing partnership does not have a particular contribution, budget or time frame attached to it, CEO Roger Krone said. He estimated Leidos’ contributions “will be substantial.” (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Worrying that over-prescriptiveness and other hitches could stymie economic growth, businesses are displeased with Loudoun County‘s draft new zoning ordinance, weighty legislation that debuted before the planning commission in late August. Uncertainty about ramifications for properties with previously allowed uses, but which would find those uses disallowed under new zoning provisions, has many worried. The new ordinance could generate “hundreds if not thousands” of such instances, Bill Junda, president of engineering and land planning firm Gordon, speaking for the Commercial Real Estate Development Association’s Northern Virginia chapter, told commissioners. (Washington Business Journal)
ManTech International Corp. stockholders approved the Herndon-based tech contractor’s sale to The Carlyle Group for approximately
$4.2 billion. Stockholders approved the sale during a Sept. 7 special meeting, subject to customary closing conditions. The transaction closed the week of Sept. 12. Under the terms of the transaction, ManTech stockholders received $96 per share in cash. ManTech and Carlyle announced the deal in May. More than 99% of the votes cast at the meeting were in favor of the merger, ManTech said in a news release. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Maximus Inc. won a contract valued up to as much as $6.6 billion to continue contact center operations for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Tysons-based federal contractor announced Sept. 1. The contact center operations contract handles more than 35 million customer inquiries a year for CMS programs like 1-800 MEDICARE and the health insurance marketplace across a range of channels. The company operates 84 contact centers in 28 states and employs more than 20,000 contact center agents. This year, employees in Virginia, Louisiana and Mississippi have protested for higher wages. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
SOUTHERN VIRGINIA
The world’s largest aeroponic smart farm opened in Cane Creek Centre industrial park. Local, state and company officials held a Sept. 12 ribbon-cutting ceremony for AeroFarms‘ 138,670-square-foot facility. The company plans to have 48 plant-growing towers, each four-and-half stories high, with the operation entailing the equivalent of a 1,000-acre farm. The vertical-farming facility began production in August and has hired about 80 employees from Danville and the surrounding area; all 158 workers will be hired by the end of the year. (Danville Register & Bee)
After approving two massive solar generation facilities — including the Randolph Solar Project, one of the largest solar farms in the U.S. — the Charlotte County Board Supervisors has hit the pause button on solar power applications in the coming year. Meeting on Aug. 8, Charlotte supervisors voted 4-2 to freeze action on any unapproved solar permit requests until the Charlotte County Planning Commission makes a recommendation on zoning for future solar development in the county, or through January 1, 2024, whichever occurs first. The majority of the board agreed to seek recommendations from the planning commission about solar-related zoning. Until those recommendations are received, the board would halt all solar zoning actions. (SoVaNow)
Danville officials are working with the owners of Danville Mall to find new uses for the commercial site. “We envision that the Danville Mall property can become a lifestyle destination, where community, commercial and residential meet in one location,” Danville Economic Development Director Corrie Bobe said. Possible uses for the site include hospitality, residential, outdoor recreation, food and beverage, public gathering areas, and office space, Bobe said. The mall’s 87,000-square-foot footprint and about 17,000 square feet of outparcel development area could be redeveloped, she said. (Danville Register & Bee)
The Danville Regional Airport will receive $1.26 million in federal funding to rehabilitate its apron and taxiway. The money comes from more than $13 million in federal funding for infrastructure improvements at Virginia airports that were announced on Aug. 25 by U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine. Funded projects include extending runways, rehabilitating aprons and improving taxiway lighting. “Our airports are essential to both our local economies and to helping Virginians get where they need to go,” the senators said. “We are pleased to see the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continue to upgrade Virginia airports and help ensure they’ll be meet our communities’ needs well into the future.” (WSLS 10 News)
The third cohort of students graduated from the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research‘sAccelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing pilot program on Aug. 5. This 16-week curriculum develops skilled workers with industry recognized credentials for employment in the defense industry. It trains workers in key trades to fill skill gaps in welding, computer numerical control machining, quality control inspection and additive manufacturing. The program was developed as a public-private consortium between the institute and the U.S. Department of Defense, Danville Community College, Phillips Corp. and The Spectrum Group, in coordination with maritime defense industry partners and Navy stakeholders. (News release)
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The United Way of Danville-Pittsylvania County recently selected Telly Tucker, president of the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research, as its 2022 campaign chair. Tucker takes over for Danville Otterbots General Manager Austin Scher, who helped United Way navigate fundraising last year. The campaign chair lends visibility and energy to the campaign, providing presentations to employee and community groups, pitching in at events like the Sept. 27 kickoff and generating enthusiasm for the campaign throughout the community. (Danville Register & Bee)
SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA
The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol‘s temporary casino documented guests from 49 states by its sixth week of operation, ending Aug. 19. Alaska is the only state the casino has
not seen guests from. During its first partial month of operation, the casino generated $11.71 million in adjusted gross revenues, with $10.21 million coming from its 870 slot machines and $1.48 million from its 21 table games. Total play created $2.1 million in taxes, including over $703,000 that local governments in Southwest Virginia will divide. (Bristol Herald Courier)
Coronado Global Resources Inc., an Australian producer of metallurgical coal, will invest $169.1 million to expand coal mining operations at its Buchanan Mine Complex, located about 10 miles southeast of Grundy in Buchanan County. The expansion will see the mining operation add 181 jobs, bringing its total workers at the site to 781, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Aug. 23. Coronado will increase capacity at the mine to meet the growing demand for metallurgical coal, which is used in steel production. The company began production at the Buchanan Mine Complex in 1983 and started longwall mining operations on the site in 1987. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
After 15 years, the Damascus Trail Center opened its doors to trail hikers, bird watchers, nature enthusiasts and tourists on Aug. 26. Located at 209 W. Laurel Ave., the center will have a series of exhibits covering the history of the Appalachian Trail, dating back to 1921, and of seven other trails that cross through Damascus, including the Virginia Creeper Trail. The town of Damascus — Trail Town USA — and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy collaborated to open the center, and U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine attended the ceremony. (Bristol Herald Courier)
Girls Inc. of Bristol, Virginia, held a groundbreaking on Aug. 31 for a 7,566-square-foot recreation center that will include a gym, a full kitchen and partitions that will allow Girls Inc. to create up to six different classroom spaces. The nonprofit, which offers educational support programs for girls ages 5-18, has raised about $1.6 million for the center and needs to raise about $300,000 more. The future center will serve about 240 additional children for after-school and summer programming, and Girls Inc.’s eight outreach sites throughout the region will be able to use it. (Bristol Now)
Chesterfield County-based payment and invoice automation company Paymerang LLC will expand its operations to Southwest Virginia, creating 50 jobs in Wise County, the company announced Aug. 25. The move follows a previous expansion of its Chesterfield County headquarters. In Wise County, Paymerang employees will work in software development, cloud engineering and payment operations. Paymerang is the second company to join Project Fuse, an economic development initiative that aims to make Southwest Virginia the location of choice for remote work. Lonesome Pine Regional Industrial Facilities Authority and InvestSWVA launched the project in February. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
U.S. Sen. Mark Warner made stops in Marion and Wytheville on Aug. 23 as part of a three-day tour of Southwest and Southside Virginia to talk with community leaders. Virginia’s Democratic senior senator touted the recent passing of what he called a “once in a generation infrastructure law,” which includes $65 billion to improve broadband access. Local community colleges can offer pop-up training so Virginians can get jobs installing the needed fiber, he said. Warner also discussed the CHIPS Act, then a bill, and said he’d like to see semiconductor undergraduate programs at Virginia universities. (Smyth County News & Messenger)
On Sept. 14, Virginia Business held its Power Up networking reception, recognizing the executives named to the 2022 edition of the Virginia 500. During the event, which was held at
the Boar’s Head Resort in Charlottesville, Virginia Business Editor Richard Foster recognized the lifetime achievements of the 22 leaders named to this year’s Virginia 500 Living Legends list.
1. Bernie Niemeier, Virginia Business 2.Morton G. Thalhimer Jr. 3. Timothy Faulkner, The Breeden Co., and Paul Gaden, Sentara Healthcare 4.Joseph W. Montgomery, Wells Fargo Advisors; John Jimenez, Quirk Hotel; Carrie Bartlett and Whitney Hancock, USI Insurance Services; Linda Montgomery 5.Greg Wallig, Grant Thorton LLP 6. Kameron Gary, Reto Corp.; Merthia Haynie, Abilities Abound Physical Therapy; Earl Gary 7. Brooke Hall, Accent Professional Recruiting; Maggie Reed, Gilbane Building Co. 8.Robert M. “Bob” Tata, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP; Del. Anne Ferrell Tata, House of Delegates, 82nd District 9.Elizabeth McClanahan, Virginia Tech Foundation; Tiffany Dabney, D & H Construction 10. Jonathan Jasmin-Benoit, Embassy of Canada; Kathleen Magee and Melissa DiBona, Operation Smile 11. Tricia Dunlap and Claire Guthrie Gastañaga, Dunlap Law PC 12. Amy and Richard Thalhimer, Georgetown Enterprises Inc. 13.Brian Revere, The Breeden Co. 14. Matthew Guthrie, Truist 15. Allison Gregory, Truist; April Pruitt, Edward Jones
1. Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell celebrates the raceway’s 75th anniversary on Sept. 7.2. L to R: U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and Virginia Transformer Corp. CEO Prabhat K. Jain cut ribbon on Aug. 25 at VTC’s Troutville facility for two new production lines that will support electric vehicle charging. 3. L to R: Howard Mittman, president of 888 Holdings, which has partnered with Authentic Brands Group to run SI Sportsbook; Ida McPherson, co-owner of Virtual
Entertainment Partners; and Hampton University President Darrell K. Williams hold a check showing SI Sportsbook’s $25,000 tech education donation to the university. 4. Students participate in James Madison University Recreation’s inaugural Color Run/Walk on Sept. 4.5. Cliff Fleet (L), president, CEO and chair of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, and Gov. Glenn Youngkin speak during the Greater Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce’s inaugural Business Leaders Community Breakfast on Aug. 16.
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The top five most-read daily news stories on VirginiaBusiness.com from Sept. 14 to Oct. 14 included an announcement of a major agricultural operation in Chesterfield County expected to begin operation in late 2023 or early 2024. 
