The top trending major business stories on VirginiaBusiness.com from March 15 to April 14 were led by news of the death of Fairfax Countydeveloper John “Til” Hazel Jr.
The gift to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts from Bristol-area philanthropists James W. and Frances Gibson McGlothlin included 15 paintings, featuring works by Norman Rockwell, John Singer Sargent and Andrew Wyeth. (March 15)
Henrico County-based Altria Group Inc., parent company of tobacco company Philip Morris USA, has agreed to buy power from a wind energy development in Texas. Altria says the purchase is aimed at offsetting emissions from electricity demand at all of Altria’s U.S. operations. Announced in April, the deal is Altria’s first virtual power purchase agreement. Altria has set a goal of achieving 100% renewable electricity and reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030. The wind farm is located in Haskell and Throckmorton counties in Texas. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville is receiving a $5.75 million grant from writer and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, Amazon.com Inc.founder Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife, the nonprofit announced in late March. The local chapter’s president and CEO, Dan Rosensweig, said the grant will help the organization maintain its homebuilding pace and continue its redevelopment of Southwood Mobile Home Park. Scott, who has given billions to nonprofits and colleges across the country, pledged $436 million in unrestricted donations to Habitat for Humanity International and 84 affiliates. (The Daily Progress)
Mechanicsville-based Fortune 500 health care logistics company Owens & Minor Inc. announced in late March it had closed its acquisition of Indianapolis-based Apria Inc. for a cash consideration of $1.6 billion. Owens & Minor funded the purchase with a combination of debt and cash on hand. The company will combine Apria with its Byram Healthcare Centers Inc. business to form a Patient Direct segment, expanding Owens & Minor’s home health care business’ geographic reach. Daniel J. Starck, Apria’s CEO since 2015, will serve as president of the new segment. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts announced in March that Bristol-area philanthropists James W. and Frances Gibson McGlothlin donated nearly $60 million toward the Richmond museum’s expansion campaign, including 15 paintings, featuring works by Norman Rockwell, John Singer Sargent and Andrew Wyeth. Alex Nyerges, the museum’s director and CEO, said that a 170,000-square-foot wing will be named for the McGlothlins, who in 2010 made a $30 million gift toward an earlier addition and, in 2015, donated 73 paintings and other artwork to the museum’s permanent collection. James McGlothlin, chairman and CEO of The United Co., a former coal mining company, is co-developer of the forthcoming $400 million Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
The Washington Commanders are unlikely to opt for another one-week visit to Richmond in the team’s training camp plans. During an NFL league meeting in late March, Coach Ron Rivera didn’t rule out a return, but he said that the short visit is “not financially equitable,” now that the team is required to pay $100,000 to rent the city facility for a week. From 2013-20, the previous contract called for the Richmond Economic Development Authority to pay $500,000 in cash and in-kind services for the team’s appearance. With this turn of events, there is speculation about whether Virginia Commonwealth University will use the site, which is a mile from its nascent athletics village. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
PEOPLE
Longtime Richmond Raceway President Dennis Bickmeier was named to lead Henrico County‘s new sports and entertainment authority, effective April 18. The county Board of Supervisors established the authority in April 2021 and approved $585,896 for its personnel and operations budget in fiscal 2021-22. Dawn H. Miller serves as tourism supervisor, and Michael McCormack is sports tourism coordinator. Bickmeier, who oversaw $30 million in improvements at the racetrack in 2018, has held positions with other racetracks, as well as the Los Angeles Rams and the L.A. Angels teams. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
EASTERN
The Army Corps of Engineers allocated an additional $223.9 million to Hampton Roads-based Port of Virginia projects, including $72.4 million for the Norfolk Harbor Deepening and Widening Project, $40 million to deepen and widen the Thimble Shoal west channel and $32.4 million to complete the channels to the Atlantic Ocean and Newport News. The new funds, announced in early April, come from last year’s federal infrastructure act and are in addition to
$402 million previously appropriated under the act and this year’s omnibus spending bill. In March, the Norfolk International Terminals concluded its $450 million optimization project with the installation of two 170-foot-tall cranes that cost about $10 million each. (The Virginian-Pilot)
Developers of the HeadWaters Resort & Casino are pitching Norfolk City Council members on plans to construct a limited, temporary gaming facility inside Harbor Park. The casino and restaurant would be located on the right side of the baseball stadium in the current Norfolk Boxing Center and the Hits at the Park restaurant. Last year, the team proposed a sports betting operation at the restaurant, but the Virginia Lottery board has not issued a facility operator license to the casino operator. Construction has yet to begin on HeadWaters, which is set to open in early 2024. (The Virginian-Pilot)
Huntington Ingalls Industries‘ REMUS 300 underwater drone will spearhead the U.S. Navy’s acquisition program for its next generation of small, unmanned vessels, the military branch announced in March. The parent of Newport News Shipbuilding has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in unmanned vessels over the past two years, including opening a new manufacturing and testing center in Hampton. The 6-foot, 100-pound drone built by HII’s Hydroid subsidiary can dive to depths of more than 1,000 feet and run for up to 30 hours on batteries. Introduced for military in the Iraq war in 2003, REMUS drones are used for underwater surveying, search and rescue, and fisheries management. (Daily Press)
Old Dominion University will launch Virginia’s first four-year major in manufacturing engineering technology at its Norfolk campus and a satellite campus at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville, the university announced in March. Housed at the Batten College of Engineering and Technology, the program will be available for students entering from community colleges, IALR’s Academy for Engineering and Technology, and dual-enrollment programs. Patrick & Henry Community College in Martinsville will launch a corresponding associate’s degree. The two programs are part of the Virginia Maritime Industrial Base Consortium’s Talent Pipeline Initiative. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Terry Horan was named president and CEO of Stihl Inc., effective April 1, 2022.
In late March, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced that Perdue AgriBusiness, an affiliate of Perdue Farms Inc., will invest $59.1 million to expand its operations in the city of Chesapeake. The company plans to modernize its facilities and increase production of high protein soybean meal, soybean oil and hulls. Perdue Farms employs more than 2,800 people in Virginia, and it buys 80% of Virginia’s soybeans and purchases grain from more than 700 Virginia farmers. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
PEOPLE
Stihl Inc., the Virginia Beach-based chainsaw and outdoor power equipment manufacturer, named Terrence “Terry” Horan as its president and CEO effective April 1. Stihl Inc. is the largest subsidiary of the global Stihl Group, employing more than 3,000 U.S. workers. In October 2021, Stihl announced that its U.S.-based president of operations, Bjoern Fischer, and its vice president of U.S. sales and marketing, Nick Jiannas, were leaving by mutual agreement. Horan was previously president of RPM Consumer Group, a segment of Ohio-based RPM International Inc. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
NORTHERN
The Arlington Planning Commission voted on April 4 to rezone a piece of Pentagon City to accommodate Amazon.com Inc.‘s proposed PenPlace, recommending the project for county board approval. PenPlace, the second phase of Amazon’s HQ2 East Coast headquarters, is proposed to include nearly 3.3 million square feet of development on 10.4 acres. JBG Smith Properties plans to close the sale of PenPlace to Amazon for $198 million during the second quarter of this year. The first phase of HQ2, Metropolitan Park, is under construction and should be open by the third quarter of 2023. (Washington Business Journal)
In March, Falls Church-based General Dynamics Information Technology was awarded a contract from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency worth $4.5 billion over a 10-year period to build, design and operate an agencywide IT system. A business unit of Reston-based Fortune 500 aerospace and defense contractor General Dynamics Corp., GDIT will advance geospatial intelligence capabilities and support users with a range of services including high-performance computing, virtual desktop and mobile wireless security across multiple networks and global agency locations. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
More than two dozen large companies have pledged to invest $4.7 billion over the next five years to boost minority-owned businesses and organizations in a region stretching from Richmond to Baltimore. The pledge by members of the Greater Washington Partnership was formally unveiled March 30 by Vice President Kamala Harris at Washington’s Howard University. The effort to boost minority business ownership over the next five years comes from
25 major players across the region, including Dominion Energy Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and Capital One Financial Corp. A supplier diversity portion of the pledge is expected to generate nearly $3.5 billion in revenue for small and midsize businesses, creating about 4,000 jobs annually. (Richmond Times-Dispatch; VirginiaBusiness.com)
After nearly 40 years in downtown McLean, Mars Inc. has filed plans to expand and modernize its global headquarters site to accommodate growing demand. The company, whose products range from candy to food brands to pet care, plans to expand the building at 6869 Elm St. that has served as Mars’ corporate headquarters since 1984 by nearly 31,000 square feet. Planning documents list Cozen O’Connor as Mars’ land-use counsel and NBBJ as the project’s architect. With 133,000 employees worldwide and 2020 revenue of $40 billion, Mars is the largest privately owned company in Virginia. (Washington Business Journal)
Despite NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s late March statement that Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder would not be involved in the Ashburn-based team’s daily business for the “foreseeable future,” the billionaire has resumed his day-to-day role with the Commanders, a highly-placed source told The Washington Times. Meanwhile, the congressional committee investigating the NFL’s handling of widespread sexual harassment in the Washington Commanders’ workplace is now also looking into allegations of financial improprieties under Snyder’s ownership. The Commanders issued a statement April 4 refuting claims that Washington withheld ticket revenue from opposing teams. (The Washington Times; The Washington Post; Sports Illustrated)
PEOPLE
On March 31, JB Holston stepped down as CEO of the Greater Washington Partnership. Holston will continue as a senior adviser to the partnership’s board and leadership through 2022, and the search for a new CEO is underway. Holston joined the partnership in September 2020 after a national search and previously served as dean of the Daniel Felix Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Denver. He also served in senior executive positions at General Electric and NBC. Holston and his family planned to return to Colorado, according to Partnership Chair Peter Scher. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
ROANOKE / NEW RIVER VALLEY
Roanoke-based Carilion Clinic and Richmond’s BrainBox Solutions Inc. are part of a $3.5 million National Institutes of Health grant to research and develop a new way to diagnose brain injuries in the elderly. The research will include enrolling 300 patients with head trauma and 70 patients as controls. Patients will be followed for a year, and the study will run for 3.5 years. The University of Pennsylvania is also included in the award. Researchers will design a panel of blood markers and cognitive tests to identify brain injuries, including those with cognitive impairments such as dementia. A second phase will determine the tests’ accuracy. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
The Mountain Valley Pipeline slipped deeper into doubt April 1, when an appellate court declined to reconsider its decision striking down a vital permit for the deeply divisive project. In a brief order, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it will not revisit the ruling of a three-judge panel, which in February invalidated the federal Fish and Wildlife Service’s opinion that the natural gas pipeline would not jeopardize endangered species. The move came one week after a similar decision by the Fourth Circuit regarding the panel’s rejection of a second permit from the U.S. Forest Service that allowed the pipeline to pass through the Jefferson National Forest. (The Roanoke Times)
TheRoanoke Times‘ newsroom union said April 12
it has agreed on a new two-year contract with owner Lee Enterprises, following a brief picket line. Members of the Timesland News Guild, which represents 30 employees of The Roanoke Times and Laker Weekly, will receive 2% annual raises, and minimum full-time pay will rise about 12% to $40,000 per year between now and 2023, according to a statement by the union. Equity adjustment raises also will take place, meaning that nearly half of the guild will receive raises of more than 2% this year. Negotiations started in mid-February, with sticking points on wages and mileage rates. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Volvo Trucks North America received its largest global order of Class 8 electric trucks to date in early April — and the trucks will be produced at the company’s Pulaski County facility. The trucks were ordered by Performance Team, a California-based warehousing and distribution subsidiary of Danish shipping company Maersk, which has committed to purchase 126 Volvo VNR Electric trucks. Last year, Performance Team placed its first order of 16 Volvo VNR Electrics, which the company will begin operating soon along its Southern California routes. It added an additional 11 trucks to its zero-tailpipe emission freight logistics fleet this year. All 126 trucks from the new order are scheduled for deployment by early 2023. (The Roanoke Times)
PEOPLE
Roanoke College‘s 12th president will be Frank Shushok Jr., the college announced March 22. Shushok, Virginia Tech‘s vice president for student affairs, will succeed Michael C. Maxey, who served as president for 15 years and is retiring in July. “I am thrilled to welcome President-elect Frank Shushok to the Maroon family,” Maxey said in a statement. “Terri [Maxey’s wife] and I found Frank and his wife, Kelly, to be a dedicated couple who are excited about the Roanoke College community. What struck me about Frank is how engaging he is and how interested he is in getting to know others.” (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Salem‘s new economic development director, Tommy Miller, says he has “the entrepreneurial gene,” a trait that should come in handy. “Any entrepreneurial venture should be both calculated and gut-driven,” he said in a news release announcing his hire. “I am always interested in seeing what the next best venture is in the market.” Miller, who was set to start on April 18, comes to Salem from the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, where he was a senior business investment manager for five years. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
SHENANDOAH VALLEY
A million-dollar gift from the chair of Bridgewater College‘s board of trustees will help the school break ground this summer on a new outdoor gathering area. Bridgewater College will use the gift, given by Bruce Christian and his wife, Spas, to create the Rebecca Quad, which will be located adjacent to the Kline Campus Center and the campus mall. Plans include hardscape walkways and gathering areas with dining tables, Adirondack chairs, landscaping to complement the campus mall and a nod to Bridgewater College’s original walkway and historical entrance to campus, highlighted by a large inlay of the school’s seal. (Daily News-Record)
The Rockingham County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a rezoning request for Northside Gateway Plaza, a shopping center that will be about 5.5 acres in Harrisonburg and developed by Holtzman Oil Corp. Roughly an acre of the property is in the county, and the rest is in the city. The rezoning in the county was from an agricultural district to a business district. Draft site plans of the property show seven buildings: a gas station and convenience store area, and six mixed-use buildings that could serve as restaurants, retail stores, banks, drive-thrus or medical offices. (Daily News-Record)
There has been a “steady increase” of short-term rentals across Rockingham County. In 2019, the county had 245 short-term rental units listed, but now there are more than 313 short-term rentals listed on sites like Airbnb or Vrbo. That data does not include the three campgrounds in Rockingham, nor the six bed and breakfast facilities and Massanutten Resort-affiliated lodging. In 2021, short-term rentals and timeshares accounted for $1.05 million out of $1.5 million in county tax revenue from all forms of lodging. (Daily News-Record)
As solar farm companies continue to seek land in the Shenandoah Valley to set up their panels, Shenandoah County has created a committee to study whether solar arrays are helpful or harmful to the county. During a March 31 special meeting, the Shenandoah County Planning Commission discussed the charter for the newly created Solar Ordinance Review Committee, which aims “to balance the need for clean, renewable energy resources and the need to protect the public health, safety, welfare and natural beauty of Shenandoah County.” Late last year, the planning commission tabled a vote on a proposed 168-acre MSolar Industries LLC facility in Edinburg in order to study pros and cons of solar arrays. (The Northern Virginia Daily)
Phillips
Demolition began March 21 at the Staunton Mall, located in Augusta County just outside the city limits. The mall, which was sold in late 2020 and officially closed in 2021, ended almost all its leases with its tenants after Commonwealth Commercial said that the mall would be demolished to make way for new retail, flex and multifamily options. Staunton EM 2 LLC purchased the mall for $3.67 million in November 2020. Stores remaining on the property include Dollar Tree, Belk, McDonald’s, Red Lobster and a T-Mobile store. (News Leader)
PEOPLE
Valley Health Senior Vice President of Acute Care and Winchester Medical Center President Grady W. “Skip” Philips III retired from Valley Health effective April 30.Philips worked for Valley Health for eight years, capping a 35-year career in health care, and became president of Winchester Medical Center in June 2016. Under Philips’ leadership, WMC opened the Valley Health Cancer Center and expanded the Heart and Vascular Center. Philips has served on the boards of the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, Healthy Families, and the Sinclair Health Clinic. (The Winchester Star)
SOUTHERN
The town of Chase City will receive $131,500 in grant funding from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development to restore three iconic buildings in the town’s historic district: the Mecca Theater, the Robert E. Lee Community Center and the Garrett Building. Town Manager Dusty Forbes said he received word from DHCD on March 21 that Chase City was awarded a $31,500 Industrial Revitalization Fund planning grant for the Lee and Garrett buildings, and another $100,000 IRF planning grant for the Mecca Theater. (SoVaNow)
Danville is on the cusp of becoming the first locality in Virginia to create a year-round zone where visitors can carry beer and cocktails on the sidewalks and into stores. The Danville City Council on April 5 approved an ordinance that will allow the city to create a so-called Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area, or DORA, in its River District. Virginia ABC must now approve a license, a process that could take 60 to 90 days [from approval] according to Lee Vogler, the council member who has spearheaded the city’s effort. “I was worried that maybe somebody had gotten ahead of us, but no, we’re still going to be the first, so I’m happy about that,” Vogler said. (Cardinal News)
Zoning rules for solar projects in Mecklenburg County will become more restrictive if the Board of Supervisors adopts changes recommended in early April by the Mecklenburg County Planning Commission. During its regular meeting in Boydton March 31, the Planning Commission voted 9-0 to recommend that the Board of Supervisors amend the county’s zoning ordinance by adding limitations to the size and location of utility-scale, small-scale and community solar facilities. If approved, no new utility-scale solar facility will be built in Mecklenburg County if it is located within one mile of any town boundary, or within two miles of an existing solar facility, regardless of size. (SoVa Now)
Pittsylvania County authorities are warning local skill game operators they are running afoul of a somewhat confusing Virginia law. Over the last few months, the machines have rapidly appeared at stores and game rooms throughout the county. There are 16 area convenience stores currently able to operate the games legally. Since an unknown number of games have popped up, Pittsylvania County officials gave other operators 15 days to shut down the operations or face civil and criminal charges. Danville is also considering whether to lump facilities that offer the games in with adult businesses, such as adult bookstores, adult theaters and cabarets, under city code. (Danville Register & Bee)
PEOPLE
Thornton
Chatham-based Davenport Energy Inc. promoted Harold E. “Hal” Thornton Jr. to president, the company announced March 22. Thornton has been with Davenport, a provider of gas, diesel fuel, propane and petroleum products, for 27 years. He was initially hired as human resources director in 1995, rising through the ranks to supervisory and management positions. Most recently he was executive vice president, a role he had held since 2002. “Hal has been a key part of our success, and we are thrilled to promote him to this important position,” Davenport CEO Lewis E. Wall Jr. said in a statement. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Retired South Boston business owner Rick Harrell was elected chairman of the Halifax County Industrial Development Authority on March 18, with Jeremy Satterfield of Microsoft TechSpark named to another term as vice chairman. Harrell was voted in as chairman by fellow IDA board members after Robert Bates, the current chairman, asked not to be elected to another term. Bates, who remains on the board, joined the unanimous vote for Harrell. (SoVaNow)
SOUTH WEST
Abingdon‘s long-awaited 30-plus-acre sports complex opened April 9 after almost a decade in planning and preparation. The project cost more than $12 million, paid from funds including bond sales and American Rescue Plan Act funding. “Building a sports complex of this nature is truly investing in the future of the town,” Mayor Derek Webb said. “We fully expect to realize a tax revenue stream that we’ve never benefited from before with the addition of restaurants and other businesses for the community in The Meadows retail complex that stands adjacent to the sports complex.” (Bristol Herald Courier)
A public-private project to evaluate the critical minerals in coal waste products in Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky launched in mid-March. The project, Evolve Central Appalachia (Evolve CAPP), is part of an almost $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Energy Department to the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research (VCCER) at Virginia Tech. Critical minerals — used in computers, household appliances, clean energy technology and other products — include rare earth elements plus lithium and cobalt. A study analyzing what minerals the areas have and how they can be extracted will take about three years. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Hard Rock International Inc. will open its temporary casino in Bristol July 8. The 30,000-square-foot temporary full-service casino featuring 900 gaming slots and 20 tables for gaming operations will open at 500 Gate City Highway, the former Bristol Mall. It is expected to generate 600 jobs. The permanent casino remains on track to open in July 2024, two years after the opening of the temporary casino, a spokesperson said. The 90,000-square-foot permanent facility will include a 3,200-seat performance venue and a 20,000-person capacity outdoor entertainment venue. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
The presidents of Mountain Empire Community College, Southwest Virginia Community College, Virginia Highlands Community College and Wytheville Community College signed a memorandum of understanding on March 30 to establish a wind manufacturing workforce development partnership. Last year, InvestSWVA commissioned an energy consulting firm to assist with the region’s efforts in wind manufacturing. In addition to the MOU, the firm recommended identifying a “major tier company” to help form relationships with global equipment manufacturers. Other recommendations included designating a regional entity to act as a single point of entry into offshore wind and coordinating campaigns to promote worker retention and offshore wind careers. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Broadband services could be coming to the most remote portions of the Virginia Creeper Trail. On March 22, the Washington County Board of Supervisors approved spending up to $610,000 for international consulting firm Ernst & Young to set up a plan to establish the service on the eastern half of the Virginia Creeper Trail and the most remote sections of the Mendota Trail, a rail-trail project that is still under construction. The plan is to focus on having broadband services on the Virginia Creeper Trail from Damascus to the Grayson County border at Whitetop Station. (Bristol Herald Courier)
Companies with three or more years of mining and reclamation experience may apply for a chance to bid on the state’s Abandoned Mine Land projects, the Virginia Department of Energy announced in late March. Projects involve removing safety hazards and environmental issues resulting from coal mining before 1977. Virginia has several thousand AML projects, but the state has only been able to complete those that pose the greatest danger because of a lack of funds. Virginia is expected to receive nearly $23 million for AML cleanup for the next 15 years. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
AutoZone Inc. plans to build a $185.2 million warehouse and distribution center in New Kent County, creating 352 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced in February. The 800,000-square-foot facility will serve as the auto parts company’s East Coast distribution operation. Based in Memphis, Tennessee, AutoZone has more than 6,000 stores nationwide and reported $14.6 billion in sales in fiscal 2021. The deal includes a $2.5 million grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund that former Gov. Ralph Northam approved to assist the county, and AutoZone is eligible for benefits from the Port of Virginia Economic and Infrastructure Development Zone grant program. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Churchill Downs Inc. entered into an agreement to acquire Peninsula Pacific Entertainment LLC, the parent company of Colonial Downs Group and Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums, for $2.48 billion, Churchill Downs announced in late February. The acquisition is expected to close by the end of the year, although it is dependent on approval from the Virginia Racing Commission and similar entities in New York and Iowa. Pacific’s assets in Virginia include the Colonial Downs Racetrack in New Kent and six Rosie’s sites across the state, as well as The Rose, a $400 million gaming facility and hotel being built in Dumfries, set to open in late 2023. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Massachusetts-based scientific equipment and software supply company Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. will invest $97 million to expand its laboratory operations into three new locations in the greater Richmond area, a project expected to create more than 500 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced in March. Two of the labs will be at the former Toys “R” Us store in western Henrico County, and the third will be at the VA Bio+Tech Park in downtown Richmond. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
The University of Virginia Foundation wants to add a massive new mixed-use development with up to 1,400 homes to its North Fork industrial park property in Albemarle County, but concerns about water infrastructure could stop it in its tracks. In February, the foundation requested a rezoning of 172 acres of its approximately 540 acres from Planned Development Industrial Park to Neighborhood Model Development, to allow residential, commercial and retail uses. The Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority, though, has expressed concerns around the size and timing of the project. (The Daily Progress)
Virginia Commonwealth University received an unprecedented $104 million donation from Dr. Richard Todd Stravitz and his family’s Barbara Brunckhorst Foundation to support liver research, President Michael Rao announced in February. It’s the largest gift in VCU’s history and also believed to be the largest publicly shared gift to support liver research in the country. It will support the liver institute that VCU first announced in December 2021. The gift also establishes two endowed chairs for medicine and microbiology at the School of Medicine. Stravitz, whose maternal grandfather founded Boar’s Head Provisions Co. Inc., is a clinical professor at VCU and was medical director of liver transplantation at VCU Health’s Hume-Lee Transplant Center for a decade. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Walgreens will invest $34.2 million to establish a micro-fulfillment center in Hanover County, a project expected to create 249 jobs, Gov. Glenn
Youngkin announced in late February. The 65,686-square-foot facility will be located at the Atlee Station Logistics Center and outfitted with automated machinery to allow a flexible operating model. Walgreens operates nearly 9,000 stores across the country and its territories, including 200 stores in Virginia, where it employs 4,600 people. The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the county and the Greater Richmond Partnership to secure the project. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
NORTHERN VIRGINIA
Alarm.com announced in late February it will expand its technology research and development division at its Tysons headquarters, investing $2.6 million and creating 180 jobs, according to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office. The technology company already has several hundred workers in Virginia, and the expansion is expected to create additional engineering positions within its research and development division. Alarm.com was named to Fortune magazine’s list of 100 Fastest Growing Companies in 2021, and the company’s platform that integrates with a growing variety of Internet of Things (IoT) devices has more than 8.4 million subscribers. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Reston-based Leidos Holdings Inc. won an $11.5 billion contract to consolidate and streamline the Department of Defense’s Fourth Estate information technology systems into one common network, the Pentagon announced in March. More than 380,000 employees comprise the Fourth Estate, the nickname for DOD’s nearly two dozen defense agencies and field activities outside the military services and intelligence community. Under the contract, the Fortune 500 government contractor is expected to unify the agencies on one Defense Information Systems Agency network, with a potential 10-year period of performance and a base ordering period through February 2026. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Reston-based cybersecurity firm Mandiant Inc. has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Google LLC in an all-cash transaction valued at $5.4 billion, the companies announced in March. If approved, it would be Google’s second-largest acquisition ever, behind the $12.5 billion Motorola deal in 2012. When the deal closes later this year, Mandiant will join Google Cloud.(VirginiaBusiness.com)
The $1.9 billion, all-cash acquisition of Falls Church-based government contractor PAE Inc. by an affiliate of Maryland-based aerospace defense contractor Amentum Services Inc. closed on Feb. 15. Founded 67 years ago, PAE was acquired by Lockheed Martin Corp. in 2006, sold to two other owners, and then became a publicly traded company in 2020 onthe Nasdaq. Following the sale, former PAE CEO John Heller was tapped as Amentum’s next CEO. He was set to take his new post March 28. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Tysons-based broadcast and digital media giant Tegna Inc. will be acquired in a $5.4 billion cash deal by an affiliate of New York hedge fund Standard General LP, the company announced in February. Standard General is one of Tegna’s largest shareholders and will team up with New York-based private equity firm Apollo Global Management to buy the media company for $24 per share in cash, with the deal set to close in the second half of the year. Tegna, which owns 64 TV stations in 51 U.S. markets, said the deal has an enterprise value of $8.6 billion, including the assumption of debt. The company was created in 2015 after Gannett Co. Inc., the nation’s largest newspaper publisher, spun off its broadcast and digital media divisions. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
The Washington Commanders NFL team is considering three sites in Virginia for a new stadium, which would serve as the centerpiece to a vast entertainment complex, according to planning documents prepared for the project. The Ashburn-based team is considering options in Sterling, Woodbridge and Dumfries, sites all at least 27 miles from Washington, D.C., and only the Sterling site would be accessible by Metro, assuming the Dulles extension on the Silver Line opens. The state’s efforts to lure the Commanders to the commonwealth have intensified, coinciding with the franchise’s rebrand in early February. (The Washington Post)
EASTERN VIRGINIA
Breeze Airways will expand flight offerings from Norfolk International Airport to Jacksonville, Florida; Los Angeles; Savannah, Georgia; and Las Vegas this summer. The new flights will range in price from $49 to $99 one-way, and increase based on customer comfort level. Breeze CEO David Neeleman said his company has five bases, including Norfolk. He says the expansion will also lead to more jobs. Breeze added flights to Long Island and Palm Beach, Florida, in February. (WAVY)
The most expensive Hampton Roads home sale on record happened in February for $9.5 million. A nearly 11,000-square-foot mansion on 3.7 acres overlooking Linkhorn Bay in Virginia Beach sold after about 18 months and was reduced from $11.8 million. The home features a saltwater pool, private sand beach and dock and was sold by former Virginia state Sen. and entrepreneur Jeff McWaters to Harbor Group International President T. Richard Litton Jr. (The Virginian-Pilot)
Demolition of the 65-year-old Ridley Place Housing Community in Newport News’ Southeast Community began in mid-February and is expected to take four months. The public housing complex will be replaced by a mixed-use, mixed-income development, including homes, commercial spaces, an early childhood center and a walking/biking trail and is part of a phased plan to revitalize the area. The $58 million Ridley project is funded by a $30 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Choice Neighborhood Initiative. The city devoted an additional $26.7 million of its American Rescue Plan Act dollars for the project. (Daily Press)
On Feb. 28, California-based Rocket Lab USA Inc. picked Wallops Island as the location to manufacture, assemble and launch its Neutron rocket, a move that’s expected to create as many as 250 jobs. A 250,000-square-foot complex will be built next to the NASA Wallops Flight Facility and Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. Rocket Lab recently landed a $24 million contract from U.S. Space Force’s Systems Command in support of Neutron’s capability to aid national security and defense missions. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Health care workers resigned in droves as the pandemic raged. During the past two years, Sentara Healthcare has spent more than $310 million on employee raises, benefits, gifts and other compensation to attract and retain workers. Bon Secours spent $100 million in 2021 on market adjustment pay increases and more than $87 million in bonuses related to the pandemic. Riverside Health System employees received a pay increase of up to 17% in January. Sentara says its actions led to a below average turnover rate of 14.5%, compared with a national average of 19.5%. (The Virginian-Pilot)
Former Virginia Beach Economic Development Director Warren Harris will serve no jail time after admitting to embezzling nearly $79,479 from city taxpayers during his 11-year tenure. Harris, who served from 2007 to 2018, was sentenced in Circuit Court in February and is required to repay the city. Among the expenses he charged was a 2018 trip to Spain. The city changed its policy allowing department heads to approve their own expenses after Harris’ resignation. (The Virginian-Pilot)
PEOPLE
Kern
Sentara Healthcare President and CEO Howard P. Kern announced his retirement from the Norfolk-based health system in early February. Kern worked in hospital administration, finance and insurance for Sentara for 42 years and has led the $9.8 billion system since 2016. Sentara was listed as one of the nation’s top five large health systems in the 2021 annual ranking by Fortune and IBM Watson Health. It employs more than 1,200 physicians and 30,000 other people. Kern said he would continue in his position until his replacement starts later this year; a search for a new CEO is underway. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
ROANOKE / NEW RIVER VALLEY
A new $11 million Lowe’s warehouse and distribution center is expected to create 70 jobs in Roanoke County, the project’s developer announced Feb. 7. Lowe’s Cos. Inc. has hired Roanoke-based Cherney Development, in partnership with North Carolina-based Samet Corp., to build a 60,000-square-foot distribution warehouse and distribution center on an 8.45-acre site in Roanoke County’s Valley TechPark. Construction is expected to begin in the next few months and be completed within about a year. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
The Mountain Valley Pipeline is facing what it calls “greater uncertainty” after losing two crucial permits and the confidence of one of its five corporate partners. Yet developers of the natural gas pipeline are not giving up, they said Feb. 22 in a conference call with financial analysts. “We’re all hands on deck to find the right path forward for MVP,” said Thomas Karam, chairman and CEO of Equitrans Midstream Corp., the venture’s lead partner. Mountain Valley, which had hoped to complete the often-delayed project by this summer, no longer expects that to happen. (The Roanoke Times)
The location of the New River Valley’s proposed rail station has been narrowed to one of two sites, each of which are in proximity to the Uptown Christiansburg mall, based on work performed by the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority. The VPRA began a feasibility study this past fall to look at potential station locations in the New River Valley and then conducted a survey that ran from Dec. 22, 2021, to Jan. 31. Respondents’ general preferences were for the two Christiansburg mall sites. The start of the New River Valley service is not expected until at least 2025. (The Roanoke Times)
Virginia Tech leaders and donors broke ground Feb. 2 on the university’s $85 million, 100,000-square-foot Hitt Hall, which will house the Myers-Lawson School of Construction. The building, which is expected to be completed in spring 2024, will feature general assignment classrooms and a 600-seat multivenue dining facility. The Myers-Lawson School is a collaboration between the College of Architecture and Urban Studies and the College of Engineering. The Virginia Tech board of visitors approved funding for the hall in August 2021. W.M. Jordan Co. is the construction manager, and the building is designed to obtain
or exceed the LEED Silver certification. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Officials from LewisGale Hospital Montgomery celebrated the groundbreaking of the facility’s new surgical wing Feb. 24 in Blacksburg. The hospital will add more than 7,500 square feet to its surgery department, including two new operating rooms, a 15-bed post-anesthesia care unit and additional storage space. Crews will also renovate 4,800 square feet of the existing surgery center. Construction is expected to finish in spring 2023. “What we’re trying to do is continue to stay with the community as it grows,” CEO Alan Fabian said. “We’re excited to provide services here at LewisGale Hospital Montgomery rather than have people travel outside of the area.” (The Roanoke Times)
PEOPLE
Maxey
Roanoke College President Michael C. Maxey was elected chair of the Council of Independent Colleges’ board of directors, the council announced Feb. 7. Maxey joined the board in January 2018 and became vice chair for programs in 2021. Maxey, who has been with Roanoke College since 1985, announced in September 2021 that he would be retiring from his college presidency at the end of this academic year. He has served the longest of any Roanoke College president, having assumed the role in 2007. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
SOUTHERN VIRGINIA
The Blue Ridge Rock Festival — an event that brought a record crowd of 33,000 people to Pittsylvania County in 2021 — is steering down the road this year to a new venue at Virginia International Raceway in Halifax County. The new location was officially announced Feb. 18 when tickets went on sale for the four-day festival set Sept. 8-11. The event will be the largest on record for the road racing course tucked away in rural Alton. (Danville Register & Bee)
A spot next to the Olde Dominion Agricultural Complex in Chatham could be a good fit for a new hotel, according to a feasibility study released in February. The hotel would have easy accessibility because of its location along U.S. 29 and provide good proximity to four airports, including those in Danville, Lynchburg, and Greensboro and Raleigh, North Carolina, according to the study performed by Horwath HTL, an Atlanta-based hospitality consulting firm. The ag complex brings in more than 100,000 visitors per year for a variety of events, and a hotel there would face no direct competition from Chatham. (Danville Register & Bee)
In late February, Danville announced it had been chosen to join an initiative led by the National League of Cities and commit to increase economic inclusion and resilience for communities of color. As part of the Southern Cities Economic Inclusion initiative, Danville joins 15 other cities in the Southeast that will receive up to $30,000 in grant funding and opportunities to learn from national experts and other cities. Economic inclusion strategies involve intentional engagement by cities to implement policies and programs to expand the participation of businesses and residents of color in the economy. (WDBJ)
A subsidiary of Lowell, Arkansas-based transportation company J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. has acquired a subsidiary of Bassett-based home furniture and marketer Bassett Furniture Industries Inc. for $87 million. J.B. Hunt Transport Inc. finalized the purchase of Zenith Freight Lines LLC on Feb. 28, a deal funded by Hunt’s existing cash balance. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
PEOPLE
A familiar face will take the helm of the Danville Pittsylvania Chamber of Commerce in April. Anne Moore-Sparks will serve as the chamber’s next president and CEO, the chamber announced March 7. She replaces Alexis Ehrhardt, who left last year to become the University of Virginia’s executive director for state government relations. “Anne is well-known in the community and will bring her connections and strong interpersonal skills to the Chamber,” said John Settle, chair of the search committee. A Danville native, Moore-Sparks worked for the city school system as a community engagement and business partnership specialist, a teacher quality specialist and as director of the Danville Public Schools Education Foundation. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Martinsville-based ValleyStar Credit Union promoted three executives to C suite-level positions in mid-February. Justin Barnes was appointed the credit union’s chief lending officer, Mendy Shaffer was tapped as interim chief financial officer and Robert Sparrow is ValleyStar’s new chief risk officer. Barnes joined the credit union in 2018 and was most recently vice president of commercial lending. Shaffer joined ValleyStar in 2018 as vice president of accounting. Sparrow joined the credit union in 2013 and was most recently vice president of risk management. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
SHENANDOAH VALLEY
Amazon.com Inc. will open a 1 million-square-foot fulfillment center in Augusta County, creating 500 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Feb. 23. The facility at 32 Trader Road in Fishersville will open in spring 2023 and will pick, pack and ship bulky or larger-size items, such as patio furniture, outdoor equipment or rugs. Amazon has more than 30 fulfillment and sorting centers and delivery stations in Virginia. The first opened in Sterling in 2006. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Developer Echelon Resources Inc. of South Boston is proposing a residential and commercial complex for the 1900 and 2000 blocks of Valley Avenue in Winchester. According to information presented March 1 to the Winchester Planning Commission, Echelon intends to buy the 17.34 acres needed to accommodate the Winchester Grove mixed-use complex from its current owners — Virginia Apple Storage Services LLC and Elms Properties LLC. The property has a total assessed value of $5.76 million. Echelon would construct and manage seven buildings containing 440 apartments, 19,457 square feet of commercial and restaurant space and 13,038 square feet of indoor amenities. The rezoning will go before the Planning Commission, the Planning and Economic Development Committee and City Council. (The Winchester Star)
Harrisonburg City Council voted Feb. 22 to approve Simms Pointe, an 80-unit affordable housing development on Lucy Drive. The development is geared toward nonstudent housing. Neighbors of the property had encouraged the council to vote against the proposal, citing concerns with the traffic, safety and other impacts to the neighborhood, as well as questioning the character of the Ohio-based developer, Woda Cooper Development. The approved special-use permit requires the complex to include a 6-foot fence and at least a 10-foot-tall landscaping buffer along the southern boundary of the property (Daily News-Record)
The Rockingham County Board of Supervisors voted Feb. 23 to deny Pennsylvania-based Dynamic Energy Solutions‘ request for a special-use permit to build a large-scale solar energy facility outside Dayton. The project would have encompassed about 22 acres of a 50.7-acre parcel on the west side of John Wayland Highway, southwest of Huffman Drive. Dayton Mayor Cary Jackson and the town manager, Angela Lawrence, had asked the board to deny the project, and one of the concerns board members had was that the proposed facility would have been located in Dayton‘s annexation area for future growth. (Daily News-Record)
The Winchester-Frederick County Tourism Board decided Feb. 17 that it would release $290,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to the Winchester-Frederick County Convention and Visitors Bureau in two phases over the next two years. Since it is jointly funded by the governments of Winchester and Frederick County, the CVB will receive $160,000 in ARPA funds from the county and $130,000 from the city. The funds are intended to support new marketing initiatives to bolster local tourism and can be used for expenses such as print, broadcast and online advertising; video production; social media campaigns; and targeted promotions. (The Winchester Star)
PEOPLE
William
Brandy William was appointed the next president and CEO of United Way of Northern Shenandoah Valley, effective March 15. William leads a staff of six at a United Way branch that has more than 50 community partners, 4,000 donors and 2,000 volunteers serving Winchester and the counties of Clarke, Frederick, Page and Shenandoah. She succeeds Nadine Bullock-Pottinga, who stepped down Dec. 31.
William was previously a fundraising and development specialist for the American College of Radiology and the development director for the Lorton Community Action Center. (The Northern Virginia Daily)
SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA
The Appalachian Regional Commissionannounced on Feb. 22 funding for two projects in Southwest Virginia. The town of Lebanon will receive $500,000 for the Russell Theater Restoration Project to renovate and reopen the 5,590-square-foot Russell Theater. The restored theater is expected to attract businesses for live performances, concerts and other events. The second project, in the town of Wise, will also receive $500,000. The project will install 5,540 linear feet of sewer line to the Hamiltontown community located along Virginia State Route 758. (Bristol Herald Courier)
The Bristol Virginia Industrial Development Authority unanimously approved transferring a 2.88-acre tract of land at retail development The Falls to Georgia-based Tidal Wave Auto Spa Properties on Feb. 23. Tidal Wave Auto Spa Properties will develop a $5 million car wash project on its half of the parcel. Developer Martie Murphy said the company hopes to open it in the fourth quarter of this year. The business will employ 12 to 15 people. The company has pledged to grade the site and prepare the pad for an adjoining business, an unnamed fast food restaurant. (Bristol Herald Courier)
Project Fuse, a regional cooperative initiative to make Southwest Virginia a location of choice for remote employment, launched Feb. 18 with the release of a playbook to attract businesses. The Lonesome Pine Regional Industrial Facilities Authority commissioned the playbook with support from the state’s GO Virginia economic development initiative and the U.S. Economic Development Administration. InvestSWVA brought project members together. The study states that to attract businesses, localities need to have ubiquitous internet connectivity and reliable transportation networks; downtown office buildings with meeting space; affordable, diverse housing options in walkable areas; and established networks with academic partners. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Chicago-based custom sign manufacturer Signco Inc.will invest $650,000 to take over the former MC Signs facility at 334 Industrial Park Road in Bluefield, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced March 4. Signco, which is owned by Anthony Morrone and Vince Sclafani, designs, manufactures and installs signs for many industries, and the company has developed a new manufacturing process using 3D printing to make multidimensional LED letters. Signco expects to hire 19 workers at the facility. The company employs welders, painters, assemblers and computer numeric controlled (CNC) operators. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
PEOPLE
On Feb. 22, Hard Rock International Inc. announced Allie Evangelista had been appointed as its president of hotel and casino operations in Bristol. She most recently served three years as a vice president and general manager for Penn National Gaming Inc. operations. Evangelista joined the gaming industry in 2006 as an assistant slot operations manager in Missouri and worked her way up into vice president and managerial roles at casinos in Iowa and Ohio. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Carl Snodgrass, Wise County‘s chief economic development professional for three decades, died on Feb. 3 at age 84. Snodgrass began working for the county in 1992 and remained active with its Industrial Development Authority projects. He was instrumental in recruiting Dominion Energy Inc. to build the Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center, renovating the Inn at Wise, and creating the Lonesome Pine Business and Technology Park and bringing the Mineral Gap data center to it. He had served on Wise Town Council and as mayor. Before his county employment, Snodgrass helped launch the First State Bank, of which he became president. (The Coalfield Progress)
The top trending major business stories on VirginiaBusiness.com from Feb. 15 to March 14 were led by news that Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder bought Virginia’s most costly home, once part of George Washington’s Mount Vernon.
With 298 employees in Virginia, Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP — based in Charlotte, North Carolina — is the fifth-largest accounting firm operating in the commonwealth.(Feb. 17)
The Kentucky Derby host entered into a $2.4 billion agreement to buy the company that owns Colonial Downs racetrack and six Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums. (Feb. 22)
Construction on the $3.8 billion Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT) expansion — the largest highway construction project in Virginia’s history — began in October 2020. The project will widen the four-lane segments of the 9.9-mile Interstate 64 corridor in Norfolk and Hampton to six lanes and create twin two-lane tunnels underwater across the harbor.
Crews will use a $70 million custom-built tunnel boring machine (TBM) to carve out an underwater path for the tunnels. HRBT is the fourth U.S. roadway project to use a TBM. The machine’s front end has a 46-foot-diameter cutterhead that will create an approximately 45-foot-wide opening. The TBM, named “Mary” after Mary Winston Jackson, the late NASA mathematician and aerospace engineer depicted in the 2016 film “Hidden Figures,” will be assembled and readied to start excavation by mid-2022. The entire project is scheduled for completion in November 2025.
NORTHERN VIRGINIA Improve 95, Transform 66 projects
As part of its Improve 95 plan to relieve congestion, the state government entered into a $1 billion public-private partnership with Transurban, an Australian toll-road operations company with its U.S. headquarters in Alexandria. The Fredericksburg Extension (Fred Ex) project will extend Interstate 95 express lanes about 10 miles south to Exit 133 in Stafford County, and Transurban will operate and maintain the lanes and charge variable usage tolls in a contract that extends until 2087. Construction on the $565 million project started in spring 2019. The project is behind its scheduled opening date for this year. The current schedule is under review, and the completion date for contracted construction is now set for 2023. Developers say the extension will provide 66% more capacity during peak periods.
Further north, the Virginia Department of Transportation, the state Department of Rail and Public Transportation and I-66 Express Mobility Partners are working on the $3.7 billion Transform 66 Outside the Beltway project, which will build 22.5 miles of new express lanes alongside interstates 66 and 495. The lanes are scheduled to open in December. The project also includes improved bus service and transit routes, expanded park and ride lots, interchange improvements and 11 miles of new bike and pedestrian trails.
The $2.2 billion Interstate 81 Corridor Improvement Program consists of 64 planned improvements to the 325-mile corridor from Bristol to Winchester, resulting from a 2018 state study. Focused on safety and reliability, the project includes bridge replacements, ramp extensions, highway widening, curb improvements and additional auxiliary lanes. The program has a 2031 completion date, and improvements are in varying stages. One recently completed project is the replacement of nearly 60-year-old bridges over Reed Creek in Wythe County, which concluded in September 2021.
The Coalfields Expressway — U.S. Route 460/121 — will run through Southwest Virginia and southern West Virginia, boosting commerce and tourism. In January, VDOT announced a $207 million agreement to construct a 2-mile section of U.S. 460 that will extend from near Route 604 to the existing Route 460 in Grundy. Construction is expected to begin in late 2022 or early 2023.
Ralph Alee, vice president for philanthropy, Carilion Clinic, Roanoke
Alee joined the Roanoke-based health system in October 2021 as its first vice president for philanthropy, a position created to lead the Carilion Clinic Foundation and provide strategic planning for Carilion’s $100 million capital campaign. Alee previously was executive director for medicine philanthropy at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.
Previously president of ASGN subsidiary Apex Systems LLC, Blazer was promoted in January to become president of ASGN, the Henrico County-based Fortune 1000 provider of IT and professional staffing services. He joined Apex in 2007 after spending nearly 30 years with KPMG US.
In June 2021, Burcham became the first woman to lead RBTC, joining the organization after serving as director of talent solutions at the Roanoke Regional Partnership. A Galax native, Burcham is also an adviser for the Virginia Tech Foundation’s GO Virginia Biotech Innovation Cluster Growth project.
Carrier
Amy F. Carrier, president and CEO, Centra, Lynchburg
Carrier left the Bon Secours Mercy Health system, where she was Hampton Roads market president, to lead the Lynchburg-based health system in September 2021. A health care veteran, Carrier now oversees 50 facilities and more than 8,000 employees for Centra, which serves 500,000 patients in Central and Southern Virginia.
Castellanos
Francisco “Frank” Castellanos, Hampton Roads region president, Bank of America, Williamsburg
A former foreign service officer for the State Department, Castellanos is a native of Cuba and worked in the Middle East, Latin America and Asia during six tours over 20 years. In September 2021, he joined Bank of America after serving as Virginia market director for Merrill Lynch Wealth Management.
Chu
Elizabeth Chu, chief transformation officer, Virginia ABC, Richmond
Chu was named Virginia ABC’s first chief transformation officer in October 2021, a position created to focus on project management and diversity, equity and inclusion priorities. She previously was a partner with Richmond-based Thought Logic Consulting and also worked with Ernst & Young, Deloitte and Global Lead Management Consulting.
Corby
Roy Corby, general manager, Rivers Casino Portsmouth, Portsmouth
In November 2021, casino developer and operator Rush Street Gaming named Corby to run its forthcoming $300 million resort in Portsmouth, one of four Virginia casinos approved by voters in 2020 and now under construction. Corby comes to Virginia after serving as senior vice president of operations for Global Gaming Solutions LLC, where he supervised three casinos. He started his career as a dealer and slot attendant in Atlantic City.
Cummings
Stephen Cummings, state secretary of finance, Richmond; Caren Merrick, state secretary of commerce and trade, Richmond
Cummings and Merrick were among the first Cabinet-level appointments announced by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, spotlighting a focus on business. Cummings is the retired president and CEO of the U.S. branch of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc., Japan’s largest bank.
Merrick
Merrick, a Fairfax County native, was CEO of Youngkin’s nonprofit Virginia Ready Initiative, started a software company and served on several companies’ boards.
Danilowicz
Bret S. Danilowicz, incoming president, Radford University, Radford
Provost and vice president for academic affairs at Florida Atlantic University, Danilowicz will become Radford’s eighth president in July, the university announced in December 2021. He earned a Ph.D. in zoology from Duke University and previously was dean of Oklahoma State University’s College of Arts and Sciences.
A Williamsburg native who served as Oberlin College’s ombudsperson, Davidson joined Mason, where she leads an office tasked with settling disputes among university stakeholders, in February. Davidson will draw on her experience in alternative dispute resolution and social justice mediation in the newly created position.
Faulkner
Timothy Faulkner, president and CEO, The Breeden Co., Virginia Beach
After more than 60 years, Breeden Co. founder Ramon W. Breeden Jr.
stepped down as president and CEO in January, and Faulkner was promoted from chief operating officer to leading the real estate development company. Faulkner joined Breeden more than 20 years ago and was president of property management before becoming COO in 2011. Before his career in real estate, Faulkner was a U.S. Army officer.
Ferguson
Rodney Ferguson, executive vice president of gaming and resort operations, HeadWaters Resort & Casino, Norfolk
A Hampton Roads native, Ferguson is overseeing the Pamunkey Indian Tribe’s casino venture, which is expected to be open by late 2023. The $500 million project was one of four casinos approved by voters in 2020. Ferguson, who was CEO and general manager of a large Milwaukee casino, has worked in the gaming business for three decades.
Fletcher
Paul E. Fletcher, executive director and CEO, The Virginia Bar Association, Richmond
After more than three decades as publisher and editor-in-chief of Virginia Lawyers Weekly, Fletcher became the VBA’s executive director and CEO in September 2021. A longtime member of the bar association, which is a voluntary professional organization for lawyers, judges and law students, Fletcher was an attorney in Abingdon and Bristol, and earned his law degree from Washington & Lee University.
Hemphill
Brian O. Hemphill, president, Old Dominion University, Norfolk
In July 2021, Hemphill became ODU’s ninth president and its first Black president. He had served as Radford University’s president since 2016 and was previously president of West Virginia State University. Hemphill saw Radford reach record enrollment in 2019 and 2020, and oversaw Radford’s merger with the Jefferson College of Health Sciences to form Radford University Carilion.
Carrie Hunt, president, Virginia Credit Union League, Richmond
Hunt became the state trade association’s head in June 2021, succeeding Richard Pillow, who retired after 40 years. A top federal lobbyist, Hunt served as the executive vice president of government affairs and general counsel for the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions, managing its legislative and regulatory divisions, among others. Most of her career has focused on consumer finance and financial services law.
McQuade
Kathryn B. McQuade, board chair, Altria Group Inc., Henrico County
McQuade, who was executive vice president and chief financial officer of Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. before retiring in 2012, is the first woman to chair Altria’s board of directors. She was elected to the post in May 2021, replacing the late Thomas F. Farrell II, who was Dominion Energy Inc.’s executive chair. McQuade previously chaired the board’s Nominating, Corporate Governance and Social Responsibility Committee.
Moeller
Eric Moeller, chief transformation officer, state of Virginia, Louisa County
Serving in a newly created post, Moeller joined Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s staff in mid-January after working as a partner at management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. A graduate of Harvard Business School, Moeller has focused on guiding transformational change at companies in the areas of performance and organizational health, delivering financial improvements of up to
$1.5 billion a year.
Bill Mosher, vice president of operations, Blue Star NBR LLC, Wytheville
Based in McLean, Mosher is leading the nitrile glove producer’s expansion in Wythe County, a $714 million project announced in October 2021 that is expected to create 2,500 manufacturing jobs by 2028. His father, Ken Mosher, founded the company, which aims to strengthen the U.S. production of rubber medical gloves, mainly produced in Asia.
Rogish
Alison Rogish, Central Virginia marketplace leader, Deloitte, Richmond
In January, Deloitte appointed Rogish, who has worked for the Big Four accounting company since 1998, as its first female top executive in Central Virginia. She succeeds Dan Hudgens, who served as Central Virginia managing partner for 13 years and is transitioning to serving clients on the West Coast. Responsible for 300 employees with clients in Richmond and Hampton Roads, Rogish manages strategy, business development and corporate citizenship initiatives.
Ryan
Matthew Ryan, CEO, Soli Organic Inc., Rockingham County
A former Starbucks Corp. chief marketing officer and head of brand management for The Walt Disney Co., Ryan was hired as CEO of the indoor agriculture company (previously known as Shenandoah Growers Inc.) in June 2021, replacing Tim Heydon, who led the company for 20 years. The company, which provides herbs and greens to 20,000 retailers, is in a growth phase, having broken ground for a new facility in South Carolina.
Ryan
Tom Ryan, CEO, Langley Federal Credit Union, Newport News
In October 2021, Langley announced its merger with Virginia Beach Schools Federal Credit Union, which is expected to be completed by April 1, creating a $4.1 billion institution. Ryan will serve as the entity’s CEO, leading 21 branches with 310,000 members. Ryan joined Langley in 2012, after 26 years at the Digital Federal Credit Union. Langley is one of Virginia’s five largest credit unions.
Sladic
Gary Sladic, deputy chief financial officer, Noblis Inc., Reston
Sladic, who was previously vice president of finance and accounting for the not-for-profit federal contractor, will become Noblis’ CFO in July, succeeding Mark Simione, who announced in November 2021 that he was retiring after 25 years. Sladic joined the company in 1996 and has served in its finance and merger and acquisitions departments.
Spadoni
Mark Spadoni, managing director, Omni Homestead Resort, Hot Springs
Arriving in Bath County last year after serving as general manager for a golf resort in Savannah, Georgia, Spadoni is overseeing a $120 million overhaul of the 1766-era resort. Before his time in Savannah, Spadoni was a general manager for Westin hotel properties in South Carolina, Connecticut, New York, New Orleans and Florida.
Wilson
Tom Wilson, Northrop Grumman Corp. president of space systems, Falls Church
A longtime aerospace executive, Wilson was promoted to lead the Fortune 500 defense contractor’s space business in January, succeeding Blake Larson, who retired after 40 years at Northrop Grumman. Wilson has worked there since 2018, when the company acquired Dulles-based Orbital ATK Inc. He previously was general manager of Northrop Grumman’s strategic space systems division in the space systems sector.
Wins
Retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Cedric T. Wins, superintendent, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington
Named interim superintendent in November 2020, Wins was appointed permanent head of the nation’s oldest state-run military college in April 2021 by the VMI board of visitors. A 1985 alumnus, Wins is VMI’s first Black superintendent, returning at a challenging time. A June 2021 state-ordered study found a culture of “institutional racism and sexism” at VMI, according to 1981 alum Gov. Ralph Northam. Wins served 34 years in the Army, retiring as first commanding general of the Combat Capabilities Development Command.
On Jan. 15, Republican Glenn Youngkin was sworn in as Virginia’s 74th governor on the steps of the state Capitol. Photo courtesy governor’s office.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion founder and CEO Michael Bach delivers the keynote address at the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce’s Dec. 15, 2021, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Forum. Photo courtesy Hampton Roads Chamber.
L to R: Daughter-and-mother duo Morgan and Crystal Wellman pose outside their soap shop, Sugar and Spruce, for National Bubble Bath Day. Photo courtesy Fredericksburg Economic Development & Tourism.
L to R: Wise County Building Inspector Jimmy McElrath, Wise County Administrator Michael Hatfield, Wise County Industrial Development Supervisor Brian Falin and Virginia Energy Director of Coal Programs Randy Moore display the county’s SolSmart Gold designation on Dec. 15, 2021. Photo courtesy Wise County.
A nurse with Bon Secours speaks to former Washington Football Team wide receiver Gary Clark during a Dec. 11, 2021, COVID-19 vaccination event held at the Bon Secours Training Center in Richmond by NFL Alumni Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts and Bon Secours. Photo courtesy NFL Alumni.
In December 2021, public-private campaign InvestSWVA announced the launch of an economic development initiative designed to help Southwest Virginia manufacturers find entry points in the supply chain for wind energy equipment components. The initiative, called Project Veer, will connect Southwest Virginia manufacturers with industry experts, public sector partners, the Hampton Roads Alliance, Dominion Energy Inc., Appalachian Power and GO Virginia Region One’s economic and workforce development organizations. Project Veer builds on recommendations from a study conducted by the Hampton Roads Alliance that exposed gaps in the supply chain and defined how manufacturers could fill them. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Two small businesses received $6,500 Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority seed capital grants in early January. The recipient in Tazewell County was a new solar energy company formed earlier this year, Southwest Virginia Energy Consultants Inc. The company seeks to help commercial businesses, homeowners and agricultural businesses in the region grow solar energy use. In Wise County, VCEDA selected pool installation and service business Hughes Enterprises LLC, dba Wise Guys Pools, as a grant recipient. Wise Guys Pools projects it will create three full-time jobs and four part-time jobs within five years. (SWVAToday, The Coalfield Progress)
On Jan. 7, the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission approved funding for several projects in Southwest Virginia. The Lonesome Pine Regional Industrial Facilities Authority will receive a $500,000 grant for infrastructure work at the Project Intersection industrial site in Norton. The property needs additional site development, and the authority needs to build a 30,000-square-foot building to accommodate the EarthLink customer support center announced in September 2021. Another funded project is the second phase of the Russell Place Project, for which the Russell County Industrial Development Authority will receive $303,500 to redevelop a vacant industrial park property in Lebanon. (Bristol Herald Courier)
The six-week Washington County Business Challenge was set to launch Jan. 18 as a virtual-only weekly event. It will award more than $32,000 in cash and services to startups and expanding businesses in Washington County and the towns of Abingdon, Damascus and Glade Spring. The Washington County Chamber of Commerce, Virginia Community Capital and Virginia Highlands Small Business Incubator host the challenge. This year, in addition to $5,000 cash and support from the Virginia Highlands incubator, the winner of the entrepreneurship award will receive mentorship, tuition assistance and the chance for three employees to attend Emory & Henry College’s Small Business Growth Program. (Bristol Herald Courier)
In December 2021, Wise County Industrial Development Authority members and project partners broke ground on the 3.46-megawatt solar energy project that will serve the Mineral Gap data center in the Lonesome Pine Regional Business & Technology Park. The 20-acre site will be developed on previously mined land. A $500,000 federal grant will partially fund site remediation and preparation. Clintwood-based McFall Excavating Inc. is the site development contractor. The site development work is set to conclude in the spring, and Charlottesville-based Sun Tribe Solar will then work with Mineral Gap to begin solar panel installation.X (The Coalfield Progress)
Wytheville Town Council gave preliminary approval on Dec. 13, 2021, for a 15-building apartment complex with about 270 residential units. The planned development, called Olde Equine, would sit on 56 acres facing North Petunia Road north of Lee Highway. The council’s approval came with two conditions: The complex must have an entrance at West Lee Highway, and the entrance needs a deceleration traffic lane on the highway. A business located near the middle of the site, Wythe Physician Practices – Bone & Joint, is likely to be redeveloped into a clubhouse to support the development. (SWVAToday)
Central Virginia
Washington, D.C.-based commercial real estate data and analytics company CoStar Group Inc. will build a $460 million corporate campus in Richmond, creating 2,000 jobs. CoStar’s riverfront campus will feature 750,000 square feet of new office and retail space, including a 26-story, 510-foot LEED-platinum-certified skyscraper that will be the tallest building in Virginia. CoStar already has a significant Richmond presence, with more than 1,000 employees at the former WestRock building at 501 S. Fifth St., but the expansion will give the company 1 million square feet total in downtown Richmond. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Dominion Energy Inc. sold its Questar Pipelines business on the Wyoming-Utah border to Southwest Gas Holdings Inc. in late December 2021. The deal, announced in early October 2021, is valued at $1.975 billion, including the assumption of $430 million of existing debt. Selling the pipeline business allows Richmond-based Dominion to focus on its utility customers and its clean-energy portfolio, such as solar farms and the development of an offshore wind farm, the company has said. Dominion bought Questar Pipelines in 2016 in a deal valued at $1.725 billion, including $823 million in cash and the assumption of $435 million in debt. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Virginia Sen. Joe Morrissey, D-Richmond, said in early January that legislation he’s drafted to let Petersburg hold a casino referendum will include a provision barring Richmond from holding a second referendum. The bill puts the state senator at odds with Richmond Councilwoman Reva Trammell, who was set to introduce legislation to have Richmond vote again on a casino project after voters last November rejected national media conglomerate Urban One’s $600 million plan for its ONE Casino + Resort. Morrissey said the state would bar Richmond from holding another referendum for five years after last year’s result, adding that he thinks allowing Richmond to vote again would be undemocratic and redundant. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Starplast USA, a subsidiary of Israel-based plastic manufacturer Starplast, plans to invest $17.7 million in a new facility in Chesterfield County, creating 300 jobs over the next five years, Gov. Ralph Northam announced in December 2021. The company will retrofit an existing industrial building near Meadowville Technology Park in the southern part of the county. Starplast was founded in 1958, and its U.S. subsidiary started in 2005, producing housewares, garden storage and toys, among other plastic products. Starplast USA opened its first U.S.-based manufacturing plant in Houston in 2018. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Cullen
In December 2021, the Supreme Court ofVirginia unanimously approved new congressional and General Assembly maps, ending a contentious redistricting process that for the first time gave no say to the state’s elected officials. The court’s action had officials in both parties poring over maps, trying to gauge the fallout from the once-in-a-decade redraw — conducted by two special masters appointed by the court after a bipartisan redistricting commission failed to complete the task. Ultimately, three members of Congress — Democratic Reps. Elaine Luria and Abigail Spanberger and Republican Rep. H. Morgan Griffith — were drawn out of their current districts, but all three have said they will run for reelection. (The Washington Post)
PEOPLE
On Jan. 14, former Virginia Attorney General Richard Cullen left his position as senior partner at McGuireWoods, the state’s biggest law firm, to serve as counselor to Gov. Glenn Youngkin. The former McGuireWoods chairman and U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia has represented a host of high-profile clients, including most recently former Vice President Mike Pence in the congressional inquiry into the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Shenandoah Valley
Irving, Texas-based Darling Ingredients Inc. announced in December 2021 that it would acquire Winchester-based Valley Proteins Inc. and its outstanding shares for about $1.1 billion in cash. Valley Proteins employs 1,900 workers and has 18 major rendering and used cooking oil plants and 550 vehicles. Darling Ingredients produces organic ingredients and generates protein and fat products and renewable energy. It collects waste from the agri-food industry on five continents to create specialty ingredients like feed-grade fats, pet food ingredients, fuel feedstocks and bioenergy. (The Winchester Star)
Warren County Circuit Judge Bruce D. Albertson entered an order in the last week of December 2021 to sever the remaining co-defendants in the lawsuit against former Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority Executive Director Jennifer McDonald, in which the EDA alleged that McDonald used its money for her own benefit. Those with active cases are Earth Right Energy Solar-Commercial LLC and Donald F. Poe; ITFederal LLC and Truc “Curt” Tran; April Petty; William Lambert; McDonald’s husband, Samuel North; and McDonald’s mother, Linda Hassenplug, and Little Rugratz Daycare LLC. (The Northern Virginia Daily)
On Dec. 21, 2021, Spotsylvania Circuit Judge Joseph J. Ellis denied a petition seeking greater transparency in the operations of the Rappahannock Electric Cooperative‘s board of directors, although he said that trial statements indicated that the REC is “not as cooperative as it should be.” The ruling ends a group of members’ three-year legal fight to amend the cooperative’s bylaws. The group sought to make board meetings, except for executive sessions involving sensitive information, open to members, as well as to eliminate secret balloting for proxy votes and to publish directors’ annual compensation. (Virginia Mercury)
On Jan. 4, Stephens City Town Council unanimously approved entering into a franchise agreement with Shenandoah Cable Television, a limited liability company for Glo Fiber, to provide internet, telephone and cable service within town limits. Comcast is currently the predominant internet provider in Stephens City, but town officials said that Glo Fiber would likely cover a larger area than Comcast. Town Manager Mike Majher said that Glo Fiber should have started installing equipment almost immediately, but that the town had not received a date for when residents would be able to sign up for the service. (The Northern Virginia Daily)
The Winchester Economic Development Authority voted unanimously on Dec. 21, 2021, to amend its agreement with Frederick County-based Aikens Group, reducing the backend payout the authority will receive for selling the developer a 1-acre property. The high cost of building materials and supply chain issues were making 16-townhouse Piccadilly Townes a potential money loser for the developer. Aikens Group agreed to buy the land for $480,000 and to pay the EDA 5% of the net sale price of each townhouse, which would come to an estimated $225,600 total. Now, Aikens will pay the EDA 50% of its total profit. (The Winchester Star)
PEOPLE
In January, Eric Hash became the new CEO of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Association of Realtors (HRAR). Hash was previously the executive of the Dan River Region Association of Realtors. He holds a master’s degree from Liberty University and a bachelor’s degree from Johnson University. Hash plans to continue previous CEO Bob Hill’s focus on outreach and affordable housing. Over the past several years, HRAR has been involved in community and local government discussions about bringing down prices for area homebuyers. (Daily News-Record)
Roanoke/New River Valley
After a 12-year-long push, LewisGale Medical Center is getting a neonatal intensive care unit. LewisGale announced in December 2021 that the Virginia Department of Health approved its Certificate of Public Need (COPN) for the NICU. Carilion Clinic, LewisGale’s closest medical competitor, initially opposed approval of another NICU, but dropped that stance in 2020. The NICU could be up and running as soon as fall 2022. (WSLS and The Roanoke Times)
Opponents of the Mountain Valley Pipeline are picking another legal fight. Environmental and community groups filed a petition the week of
Dec. 25, 2021, with a federal appeals court. The groups want the court to review the decision by the State Water Control Board to allow the infrastructure to cross streams and wetlands. Pipeline opponents say Mountain Valley should not be allowed to continue given its past track record of violating erosion and sediment regulations in Southwest Virginia. But Mountain Valley said those problems were largely caused by heavy rain in 2018 and have been corrected. (Associated Press)
Phoenix Hardwoods Inc., an artisan manufacturer of furniture and home goods made exclusively from Virginia-grown hardwoods, will expand its production facility in Floyd County and open a new retail storefront in the Farmer Supply store in downtown Floyd. The project will create eight jobs, leading to $100,000 in capital investment and allow the company to purchase an additional $76,000 of Virginia-grown hardwoods over the next three years, according to a Jan. 11 news release. Gov. Ralph Northam approved a $10,000 grant from the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund for the project, which Floyd County will match with local funds. (Cardinal News)
Due to a spike in COVID-19 infections, the city of Roanoke announced Jan. 11 that all 1,700 city employees must either be vaccinated or present regular negative test results and wear face coverings at work. Roanoke’s requirement was intended to be effective Feb. 1, allowing workers enough time to get vaccinated. The city’s weighing of a vaccine requirement came on the same day that Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares announced that Virginia would join other Republican-led states and business groups in challenging federal vaccination mandates. (Cardinal News)
A proposed new residential subdivision in Smith Mountain Lake was approved by the Franklin County Board of Supervisors in December 2021, following months of delays. A debate over the use of private roads in the 195-acre, 112-lot development was stalled by supervisors. Usually, subdivision roads are built according to Virginia Department of Transportation standards and become state-maintained roads once development is complete. In this case, an adjacent property owner was unwilling to turn over his road easement, leaving VDOT unable to take over the roads. Developer SML Partners LLC agreed to provide road maintenance funding for the next 20 years. (The Roanoke Times)
The Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg is using a joint-effort approach to support life science startups in the Roanoke and New River valleys. In December 2021, the CRC announced a partnership with Montgomery County, Roanoke and Carilion Clinic to build new shared lab facilities at the center for smaller life science startups, with the ultimate goal of opening up a larger facility in Roanoke. It also announced a unique partnership with Johnson & Johnson. The $1.1 million project is largely funded by GO Virginia, which awarded the research center $600,000 toward the project, which will create 25 wet and dry lab spaces in a turnkey facility. (The Roanoke Times)
Southern Virginia
Residents and visitors to Danville soon will be able to zip around on rented electric scooters. Bird, an electric-vehicle sharing company, said it would bring 20 to 30 stand-up scooters to Danville by February, with plans to expand the fleet to 50. The scooters will be located throughout Danville, with most near the downtown area. A percentage of the ride’s price will go into a public works fund to offset costs incurred by removal of scooters that may be left in the right-of-way. (Danville Register & Bee)
The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in late December 2021 announced its search for a president, a new position created by the board of trustees. Betty Jo Foster will serve as interim president. Executive Director Mark Gignac will continue with certain administrative and operational responsibilities under the new structure. The expansion is a result of extensive growth of the institute’s level of activity as well as strategic succession planning. The institute formed a seven-member search committee to identify, interview and recommend candidates. Washington, D.C-based management consulting company Korn Ferry will conduct a national search. (Danville Register & Bee)
The plan for Martinsville to revert from a city to a town has gone from peaceful negotiations to an outright court battle. Henry County filed an injunction to stop reversion from happening.
Both sides have spent months going back and forth over the process. The two found common ground with a voluntary settlement agreement and memorandum of understanding. Then, on Dec. 14, 2021, the Henry County Board of Supervisors did an about-face, voting not to approve the agreement. Now both sides are turning to the courts to intervene. Circuit court judges will have to rule on the matter, but it’s unclear when. (WSET ABC 13)
On Jan. 5, Recurrent Energy announced a purchase and sale agreement with Appalachian Power for its Firefly Energy project in Pittsylvania County. It marks Appalachian Power’s largest solar energy acquisition to date. An agreement approved by the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors calls for $2.25 million in upfront payments. It was one of three agreements approved in December 2021 by the board that
are expected to bring about $41.6 million in revenue to the county over a 35-year span. (Danville Register & Bee)
HALL
On Dec. 24, 2021, Dave McCormack of Waukeshaw Development Inc. filed the remaining paperwork needed to begin construction of a 40-unit apartment building at the site of the former Planters Warehouse in Clarksville, at one time the oldest continually operating tobacco warehouse in Virginia. McCormack planned to break ground in January on The Royster. He said the completion date is pending, based on obstacles that he has had to overcome since he first approached the town with a proposal to save the iconic building from the wrecking ball in 2015. (SoVaNow)
PEOPLE
Henry County Administrator and Public Service Authority (PSA) General Manager Tim Hall announced his retirement on Dec. 14, 2021. The county Board of Supervisors named Deputy County Administrator Dale Wagoner as the new county administrator upon Hall’s July 1 retirement. The board also recommended the PSA consider Wagoner as Hall’s replacement as general manager for the authority. Hall has served in those roles since 2012. He began his career with the county as a public information officer in December 1998. (Martinsville Bulletin)
Eastern Virginia
Richmond-based Dodson Property Management acquired Berkeley Realty Property Management Inc. in Williamsburg in January. Sold by Pam Blank and Ed Robbins, Berkeley was founded more than 40 years ago and focuses on property management for single-family property owners and residents, as well as homeowner associations in the Greater Williamsburg area. A release from Dodson says the transition during the acquisition will be “seamless” as the Berkeley team will continue to maintain all existing operations. The acquisition includes 61 HOAs, a total of 6,530 units. (WYDaily)
Dominion Energy Inc. has ordered 176 offshore wind turbines from Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy S.A. for its 2.6-gigawatt, $9.8 billion Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, the Richmond-based Fortune 500 utility announced in December 2021. Siemens Gamesa expects to begin installing the 800-foot-tall turbines in 2024 at the wind farm site 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
In early January, Huntington Ingalls Industries announced it had successfully tested systems that allowed drones to coordinate with other vessels without the need for humans to step in. The test, conducted off Virginia Beach, showed HII’s systems can work with the unmanned vessel operating systems of its Sea Machines affiliate. It means an unmanned vessel can operate without the need for human involvement in completing a task, such as collecting data via a sensor or delivering supplies to a certain area or even escorting manned vessels, HII said. HII’s systems managed mission delegation and enabled collaborative operation with other unmanned systems. (Daily Press)
Construction of a full-fledged fiber optic network that will eventually provide all Norfolk residents with a second option for internet service is underway in the Norview and Five Points neighborhoods. In 2021, Norfolk enlisted the services of MetroNet, an internet and phone provider, to install fiber cable all around the city in order to provide an alternative to Cox Communications Inc., the sole internet provider in Norfolk. MetroNet’s infrastructure costs for the project will come close to $90 million in Norfolk. It should take two to three years to fully install the network citywide, though service will be available in some neighborhoods as early as this summer. (The Virginian-Pilot)
Breeden
A new year is bringing renewed focus on boosting volunteerism in Hampton Roads. Volunteer Hampton Roads and the Hampton Roads Chamber committed to working together to increase regional corporate volunteerism. Volunteer Hampton Roads became an affiliate of the chamber, effective Jan. 1, and moved its office from Virginia Wesleyan University into the chamber’s downtown Norfolk office. (Inside Business)
Verizon and Tysons-based broadcast company Tegna Inc. reached an agreement Jan. 8 following a contract dispute. The deal will restore Verizon Fios customers’ access to WVEC, the Tegna-owned Hampton-licensed ABC affiliate. This isn’t the first time Tegna has pulled its channels from local providers. Fios customers suffered a WVEC blackout in early 2019, and DirecTV lost the channel temporarily in late 2020. Tegna also pulled its channels from almost three million Dish Network users in October, according to the American Television Alliance advocacy group. (The Virginian-Pilot)
Faulkner
PEOPLE
More than 60 years after Ramon W. Breeden Jr.founded his Virginia Beach-based real estate development company, The Breeden Co. has new leadership. Chief Operating Officer Timothy Faulkner was promoted to president and CEO in January after serving more than 20 years with the company. Breeden, who founded his company in 1961, will remain chairman of the board, maintaining an active presence. Breeden’s son, C. Torrey Breeden, will continue as The Breeden Co.’s executive vice president, focusing on land acquisition and development. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Northren Virginia
In December 2021, Amazon.com Inc. announced a $21 million grant to create a two-year professional training, mentorship and capital funding program for real estate developers of color focused on affordable housing. With the Amazon Housing Equity Fund grant, Arlington-based Capital Impact Partners created the Housing Equity Accelerator Fellowship. The program will provide training on developing affordable housing in the Washington, D.C., area and access to grant capital for pre-development expenses. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Tysons-based event software company Cvent Holding Corp. went public a second time in December. The company began trading on the Nasdaq Global Market on Dec. 9, 2021, after closing its merger the day before with San Francisco-based SPAC Dragoneer Growth Opportunities Corp. II.
In 2016, Cvent was acquired by Vista Equity Partners for $1.65 billion and taken private. The deal with Dragoneer was first announced in July 2021, and Cvent was valued at about $5.3 billion. During the pandemic, Cvent began providing remote events software, in addition to its live event management services. Its virtual events arm now generates more than $100 million in revenue. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine was stuck on Interstate 95 for more than a day in early January, along with hundreds of other drivers disabled in a fast-moving winter storm along a 50-mile corridor. Starting on the afternoon of Jan. 3, winter precipitation caused power outages, multiple vehicle crashes and closed lanes in the Virginia Department of Transportation‘s Fredericksburg district. Hundreds of vehicles were at a “standstill” overnight between Prince William and Caroline counties, after several tractor-trailers jackknifed in the winter storm. Although people stranded in the storm reported being hungry and cold, there were no reports of serious injuries or deaths. Kaine, who reached his Washington, D.C., office after 27 hours, called the ordeal “a kind
of survival project.” (VirginiaBusiness.com, The Associated Press)
MicroStrategy, the Tysons-based data analytics firm helmed by billionaire cryptocurrency bull Michael Saylor, announced its latest big investment in bitcoin in December 2021: a $94.2 million purchase of approximately 1,914 bitcoins for $49,229 per coin between Dec. 9 and Dec. 29, 2021. The company says it now holds approximately 124,391 bitcoins, purchased for nearly $3.8 billion, or an average price of $30,159 per coin. MicroStrategy’s latest investment came as the price of bitcoin struggled near a two-month low, after a nearly 10% selloff tanked prices about 17% below levels at the end of November 2021. (Forbes)
Reston-based Octo Consulting Group, backed by Arlington Capital Partners, announced in January that it had acquired Herndon-based health information technology company B3 Group Inc. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. B3 holds the $686 million U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Digital Transformation Center task order. B3’s leadership will remain with the company and expand Octo’s health business. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Will it be the Commanders? Or is it a trick designed to lead fans in the wrong direction? That’s the question after the Washington Football Team left a portion of its name reveal uncensored during a television show produced by the team. In January, Washington shared it will unveil its new name Feb. 2 on NBC’s “Today” show. In a video from the team, President Jason Wright is talking about potential options with Coach Ron Rivera, but the papers in front of him are blurred out. However, when the team re-aired the video on its cable program, “Washington Football Today” on NBC Sports Washington, the paperwork was not blurred, and a potential “Commanders” logo and seal could be clearly seen. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
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