Lynne Doughtie, chairman and CEO, KPMG U.S., New York Why she is influential: The Powhatan County resident heads the U.S. business of one of the largest accounting firms in the world. Doughtie serves on many boards, including the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, National Academy Foundation and LUNGevity. The Virginia Tech alumna also is on two advisory boards of the Pamplin College of Business. Doughtie, a certified public accountant, was named to Fortune’s list of Most Powerful Women in Business. KPMG’s U.S. revenue has grown at a compound annual rate of 9.2 percent since Doughtie was named chairman and CEO. She also decided to build a learning, development and innovation facility in Orlando, Fla., for KPMG employees. The project represents an investment of $450 million. Recent developments: Doughtie and KPMG leadership separated six KPMG personnel from the firm for either receiving improper advance warnings of work to be inspected by its regulator, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), or being aware of the situation but not reporting it in a timely manner. After uncovering the issue, KPMG took swift and decisive action. The company said it immediately reported the situation to the PCAOB and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, engaged outside legal counsel to conduct a detailed investigation and separated the individuals involved from the firm. In January, federal prosecutors in New York filed conspiracy and wire-fraud charges against five former KPMG personnel and a former government accountant. One of the former KPMG personnel pleaded guilty.
Terri McClements, managing partner, mid-Atlantic, PwC, McLean Why she is influential: McClements leads the mid-Atlantic practice of PwC, one of the world’s big-four accounting firms, as U.S. companies adapt to federal tax reform. “It’s generally exciting for everyone inside the profession” and their clients, she says. “It’s a chance to step back and say ‘What can I do with this change that hasn’t happened in 30 years?’” She oversees more than 6,000 employees in Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia, Richmond, Baltimore and Philadelphia. A certified public accountant, McClements has been with PwC since 1987. During her tenure as U.S. human-capital leader, she redefined how PwC attracts and develops talent. McClements’ board memberships include the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, Northern Virginia Technology Council and United Way. She lives in Clifton with her husband, Mike, and two children, Matthew, 17, and Erin, 9. McClements is an avid exerciser. “When possible, you’ll find me riding bikes with my daughter,” she says. Recent developments: Last year, Washingtonian named her one of The Most Powerful Women in Washington. In addition, Washington Business Journal named her a top managing partner in the CEO of the Year & C-Suite Awards.
Banking/financial
G. Robert Aston Jr., chairman and CEO, TowneBank, Portsmouth Why he is influential: Since starting the bank in his garage nearly 20 years ago, Aston has developed TowneBank into a community-bank powerhouse. It now has the largest market share in deposits in Hampton Roads. Since acquiring Franklin Financial in 2015, TowneBank has been a visible presence in Richmond. Recent developments: In January, TowneBank completed its merger with Raleigh, N.C.-based Paragon Commercial Corp. in a stock deal worth $323.7 million when it was announced in April. Now with about $10.5 billion in total assets, the bank will operate in the Raleigh, Charlotte and Cary, N.C., markets as Paragon Bank, a division of TowneBank.
Ric Edelman, founder and executive chairman, Edelman Financial Services, Fairfax Why he is influential: Since Edelman and his wife, Jean, founded Edelman Financial Services in 1987, the personal financial firm has grown to 600 employees in 43 offices across the U.S., managing $18.5 billion in assets for more than 33,000 clients. Edelman is one of the most recognized people in personal finance. He has written nine books, hosts a weekly radio show and podcast, produces a public television series and conducts seminars around the country. Recent developments: In 2016, Edelman dropped the CEO title and became executive chairman of the company. The move has allowed Edelman to focus on educational and philanthropic endeavors. He and his wife have offered $25 million to fund an XPRIZE competition focused on supporting the development of innovative approaches to combat Alzheimer’s disease, which he calls the No. 1 health crisis in the country. “It wipes out the family finances, and it destroys the children’s finances,” says Edelman. In Virginia, major philanthropic beneficiaries include the Inova Edelman Center for Nursing, the Wolf Trap Foundation and the Northern Virginia Therapeutic Riding program. Edelman is publishing a children’s book on financial literacy, aimed at children ages 3 to 5. Edelman also recently announced he is partnering with the Bipartisan Policy Center to encourage Congress to address Social Security reform. “There’s been total silence [from politicians], and it’s the No. 1 financial crisis facing this country.”
Richard Fairbank, founder, chairman and CEO, Capital One Financial Corp., McLean Why he is influential: Fairbank has developed Capital One into the nation’s seventh-largest bank in terms of total assets. The tagline of its credit-card commercials, “What’s in your wallet?” is a national catchphrase. Capital One has been named to Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For,” Working Mother’s “100 Best Companies” and DiversityInc’s “Top 60 Companies for Diversity.” Fairbank was inducted into the Washington Business Hall of Fame in 2008 and was named “2006 Banker of the Year” by American Banker. Recent developments: Capital One has bought a 42,000-square-foot former tobacco warehouse in downtown Richmond that will reopen in March as the 1717 Innovation Center. It will house the business incubator Startup Virginia and the bank’s product research lab.
Susan Still, president and CEO, HomeTown Bank, Roanoke Why she is influential: Still has been with HomeTown since its inception in 2005 and has led the bank since 2008. She is a member of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and the Virginia Bankers Association. Still also serves on the board of the Roanoke Valley Chamber of Commerce and is a former national council member from Virginia on the American Bankers Association Community Bankers Council. Recent developments: In October, Still received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the DePaul Community Resources’ Women of Achievement. In November, she was inducted into the Junior Achievement Southwest Virginia’s Business Hall of Fame. In April, HomeTown was named “Best Bank to Work For” by American Banker Magazine for the second consecutive year.
Consumer goods
Robert A. Archer, chairman and CEO, Blue Ridge Beverage Co., Salem Why he is influential: Owned by the Archer family since 1959, Blue Ridge has 475 employees at locations in Salem, Abingdon, Waynesboro, Lynchburg and South Boston. Archer chairs the governing boards of the Roanoke Valley Development Corp., LewisGale Medical Center and Center for Alcohol Policy. He is treasurer of the Roanoke Higher Education Center board of trustees and also serves on the boards of Radford University and the Virginia War Memorial Foundation. Recent developments: In 2017, his brother, Jim, who was executive vice president and COO, retired, and Archer became chairman and CEO while his sister, Jacqueline, became president and COO. The company is adding more than 50,000 square feet of warehouse and office space to its existing facility in Salem. Martin J. Barrington, chairman, CEO and president, Altria Group Inc., Richmond Why he is influential: Since 2012, Barrington has headed Altria, the largest tobacco company in the U.S., which has been based in Richmond since 2010. Its Philip Morris USA subsidiary makes Marlboros, a brand that dominates the nation’s cigarette market. In addition to leading Altria, Barrington serves on the board of directors of the giant beer company Anheuser-Busch InBev. His civic commitments include serving on the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts board of trustees. Recent developments: Altria announced in early February that Barrington would retire in May. His successor as chairman and CEO is Howard Willard, the company’s chief operating officer. The company also announced it was giving each of its nonexecutive employees a one-time bonus of $3,000 as a result of new federal corporate tax cuts.
Economic development
Gerald Gordon, president and CEO, Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, Tysons Why he is influential: Fairfax County continues to develop and diversify its economy. Last year, the county was home to nine Fortune 500 companies and 132 businesses on the Inc. 5000 list of the nation’s fastest-growing firms. During his tenure, Gordon has seen the total number jobs in Fairfax grow from 243,000 to more than 600,000. He is a member of the Northern Virginia Council of GO Virginia and the Virginia Chamber of Commerce board of directors. Gordon also chairs the advisory board for George Mason University’s Honors College. Recent developments: Last year, the Transportation Security Administration and Amazon Web Services announced deals that are expected to add almost 5,000 jobs to the local economy. Gordon’s 13th book is scheduled for release next year.
Buddy Rizer, executive director, economic development, Loudoun County Why he is influential: Rizer is the architect behind Loudoun County’s rise to the pinnacle of America’s data-center market. For more than a decade, he traveled the country touting Loudoun’s bountiful land, affordable electricity and fiber-rich internet infrastructure, initially put in place in the 1990s when major tech companies such as America Online invested in miles of fiber. Today, Loudoun is the country’s No. 1 data-center market. Digital Realty Trust, Equinix and Amazon Web Services all have built massive facilities there. Rizer was named one of North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers for 2017 by Consultant Connect. He serves on the board of the Northern Virginia Technology Council. An Eagle Scout, Rizer remains active in scouting as an assistant scoutmaster and merit badge counselor. Recent developments: If online retailing giant Amazon selects Northern Virginia as the destination for its $5 billion second corporate headquarters, Rizer will have a huge feather in his cap. Out of 238 contenders, Northern Virginia made the initial cut of 20 cities. Loudoun and Fairfax counties collaborated in submitting one of the region’s four sites, not far from Loudoun’s famed “Data Center Alley.” “It will be more than fitting for an international e-commerce corporation of Amazon’s stature to locate its second headquarters here,” says the ever-confident Rizer.
John O. “Dubby” Wynne, retired president and CEO, Landmark Communications, and former chairman, The Weather Channel, Virginia Beach Why he is influential: Wynne last year was inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame in recognition of his work developing The Weather Channel. He is chairman of the board of Reinvent Hampton Roads and also chair of GO Virginia, an economic development initiative focused on the needs of each region in the commonwealth. GO Virginia likely will distribute $20 million in grants by this summer. Wynne also is a board member of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and the Virginia Research Investment Committee. Recent developments: Wynne’s role in GO Virginia has led to his involvement with various economic development projects. He is working on an enhanced economic development plan for the Port of Virginia and a broadband strategy for the commonwealth. Wynne also is involved in a cybersecurity initiative aimed at addressing the state’s skills gap in that field.
Energy
Ben J. Davenport Jr., chairman, First Piedmont Corp. and Davenport Energy, Chatham Why he is influential: Davenport continues to be a statewide voice for economic development in rural Virginia. He is vice chairman of the board of GO Virginia, a state-funded initiative that fosters regional collaboration for new projects. He also serves on the boards of Mid-Atlantic Broadband Communities Corp., the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, the Virginia Tech Carilion Medical School and the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville. Recent developments: Davenport participated in then-Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s Summit on Rural Prosperity last fall at Berry Hill Resort & Conference Center in South Boston. He and his wife also continue to support early childhood development projects.
Thomas F. Farrell II, chairman, CEO and president, Dominion Energy, Richmond Why he is influential: From serving on boards such as the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts to heading the state’s largest utility, Farrell’s influence is wide ranging and frequently the stuff of headlines. Dominion got the green light in October to build the controversial 600-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline. It’s also building a new 20-story downtown headquarters. Yet the state’s largest corporate political donor is seeing pushback on several fronts. A growing number of legislators say they will refuse donations from Dominion. Recent developments: In January, Farrell led the company’s plans for a $14.6 billion all-stock merger deal with SCANA, a South Carolina-based company that found itself in financial trouble following a failed nuclear power project.
Government Contracting
Wesley G. “Wes” Bush, chairman and CEO, Northrop Grumman Corp., Falls Church Why he is influential: Bush leads one of Virginia’s largest public companies and one of the country’s biggest defense contractors. He serves on the board of Norfolk Southern Corp. and several industry boards, including the Aerospace Industries Association and the Business-Higher Education Forum. Recent developments: In September, Northrop Grumman announced it had reached an agreement to acquire Dulles-based aerospace and defense technology company Orbital ATK for $7.8 billion in cash and the assumption of $1.4 billion in debt. The deal, still undergoing regulatory approvals, would create a company with $29.5 billion to $30 billion in annual revenue and a total of 80,000 employees. Northrop Grumman’s 2017 revenues were $25.8 billion, a 5.3 percent increase from the previous year.
Anthony J. Moraco, CEO, SAIC, Reston Why he is influential: Moraco has led the information technology contractor since its spinoff in 2013 from the company now called Leidos. Moraco serves on the boards of the Northern Virginia Technology Council and the Intelligence and National Security Alliance. Recent developments: Last year SAIC consolidated its Washington, D.C.-area operations into a new headquarters space in Reston. The company also was selected by Virginia to become the multisourcing service integrator (MSI) for the Virginia Information Technologies Agency as it transitions Virginia’s IT system from a single-source provider to multiple vendors. The initial contract is worth $165 million and could be worth $272 million if all options are exercised.
Phebe Novakovic, chairman and CEO, General Dynamics, Falls Church Why she’s influential: Novakovic has led Virginia’s largest defense contractor since 2013. In 2017, Fortune magazine named her ninth on its list of the Most Powerful Women in Business. Recent developments: The company reported 2017 revenues of $31 billion, which included growth across all of its business units. In May last year, General Dynamics announced it had purchased the cyber products division of Phoenix-based Advatech Pacific Inc. The company also won a $5.1 billion contract to design and prototype the development of the lead Columbia-class submarine. In February, the company announced it had reached an agreement to purchase internet technology company CSRA for almost $7 billion.
C. Michael Petters, president and CEO, Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. (HII), Newport News Why he is influential: Petters leads HII, the only builder of the U.S. Navy’s nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and one of two companies that builds its submarines. The company’s Newport News Shipbuilding is the commonwealth’s largest industrial employer. Recent developments: HII delivered several new ships to the U.S. Navy, including aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford. The company also returned the USS Abraham Lincoln, another aircraft carrier, after a complex refueling and overhaul. The company was added to the S&P 500 recently. Petters and his wife, Nancy, were awarded the 2017 Distinguished Citizen Award by the Virginia Peninsula Chamber for their education advocacy.
Health care/research
Howard Kern, president and CEO of Sentara Healthcare, Norfolk
Why he is influential: Sentara, which employs 28,000 people, has annual net revenues of $6 billion. The health system includes 12 acute-care hospitals and 14 nursing and assisted-living centers in Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. Sentara’s health plan, Optima Health, covers more than 500,000 people in Virginia and Ohio. Kern is a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and a member of the Wall Street Journal CEO Council. He serves on the boards of the Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance, Hampton Roads Business Roundtable, Reinvent Hampton Roads, MDLive, Virginia Biosciences Health Research Corp., Virginia Symphony Orchestra and Virginia Wesleyan University. Last year, Kern was named to the Becker’s Hospital Review “100 Great Healthcare Leaders to Know.”
Recent developments: Optima Health is one of six health insurers participating in a program designed to coordinate care for Medicaid patients with complex medical needs. Optima is hiring 400 employees to serve an estimated 40,000 enrollees across the state. Sentara also will begin construction later this year on a $92 million cancer center on the Sentara Leigh Hospital campus in Norfok. The project is expected to be completed in 2020. In addition, Sentara is enhancing its mobile-digital, telehealth platform to enable patients in rural areas to consult physicians using smartphones or tablets.
Nancy Howell Agee, president and CEO, Carilion Clinic Inc., Roanoke Why she is influential: She heads the largest private employer west of Richmond with 12,800 employees, including nearly 700 physicians in more than 75 specialties. Carilion operates 209 sites of care, including seven hospitals, in Southwest Virginia. It also is a partner with Virginia Tech in a medical school and research institute. A member of many regional and state boards, Agee is chair of the board of trustees of the American Hospital Association. Recent developments: In January, the Carilion-owned Jefferson College of Health Sciences in Roanoke announced plans to merge with Radford University. The Roanoke-based health-sciences school, which has about 1,150 students and 70 full-time faculty members, offers 25 degree options on the graduate, bachelor and associate levels, as well as certificate and professional and continuing education programs.
Heywood Fralin, chairman, Medical Facilities of America Inc., Roanoke Why he is influential: Fralin is a member and past chairman of the Virginia Business Higher Education Council. He serves on the boards of the Virginia Western Community College Foundation, Taubman Museum of Art, GO Virginia and Virginia Research Investment Committee, which provides research funding to universities in the commonwealth. Recent developments: Fralin is chairman of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. He also is helping to promote Roanoke’s new Health Sciences & Technology Innovation District.
Michael Friedlander, vice president for health sciences and technology, Virginia Tech, and executive director, Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Roanoke Why he is influential: A neuroscientist, Friedlander is the founding director of the institute, which is home to 25 research teams. He expects to recruit researchers for another 25 teams with the institute’s expansion. Recent developments: In October, Friedlander joined then-Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Roanoke Mayor Sherman Lea, state legislators and officials from Virginia Tech and Carilion Clinic at the official groundbreaking for the Virginia Tech Carilion Biomedical Research Expansion. The 139,000-square-foot building will provide additional laboratories for the research institute.
Mark H. Merrill, president and CEO, Valley Health System, Winchester Why he is influential: Valley Health System has six hospitals, four in Virginia and two in West Virginia. Merrill will become chair of the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association in April. He serves on the Winchester health board and has completed three terms each on the boards of the United Way of Northern Shenandoah Valley and UNC School of Public Health Foundation. Recent developments: Valley Health has opened a number of urgent-care and quick-care centers in its service areas. Winchester Medical Center (WMC) has completed a new cancer center, and Shenandoah Memorial Hospital has opened a new emergency department and medical building. WMC and Warren Memorial Hospital were among 41 Virginia facilities given “A” safety ratings by the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, and the Winchester hospital earned a top score in heart surgery from the Society of Thoracic Surgery.
Knox Singleton, CEO, Inova Health System, Falls Church Why he is influential: Singleton spearheaded an Inova partnership with Shenandoah University designed to educate health-care professionals with backgrounds in population health, pharmacogenomics and other new technologies. He also led the creation of Simplicity Health, a group of primary-care clinics serving high-need communities. In addition, Singleton was instrumental in starting Inova Strategic Investments, which will invest in ventures specializing in health-care-related technologies. Recent developments: Inova has begun the Inova Personalized Health Accelerator, a free educational program for first-time, health-care technology entrepreneurs. In addition, Singleton has announced he will retire in July after leading Inova for 35 years.
Todd Stottlemyer, CEO, Inova Center for Personalized Health, Fairfax Why he is influential: Since July 2015, Stottlemyer has led the Inova Center for Personalized Health (ICPH), Inova Health System’s ambitious plan to create an internationally prominent center for genomic research and personalized medicine. ICPH is located on the 117-acre former Exxon-Mobil corporate campus across from Inova Fairfax Hospital. Stottlemyer also is the rector of the board of visitors at the College of William & Mary, his alma mater, and serves on GO Virginia’s state board. He was co-chair of Gov. Ralph Northam’s transition committee. Recent developments: Transformation of the 1.2 million-square-foot former Exxon-Mobil building into the ICPH facility is in full swing. “By the middle of next year, the current construction should be done,” says Stottlemyer. Already open are the education wing, which houses several programs in partnership with Shenandoah University, and the technology center, which includes the Inova Personalized Health Accelerator, a program for early-stage personalized health companies. Construction continues on the $92.3 million Schar Cancer Institute and the Global Genome and Bioinformatics Research Institute, which involves partnerships with many of Virginia’s public universities. While transformation of existing space continues, Inova already is making plans for the future build-out of its campus. ICPH has filed a comprehensive plan amendment and zoning request with Fairfax County to allow it to develop more of the property than current zoning allows.
Hospitality/tourism
Neil Amin, CEO, Shamin Hotels, Chester Why he is influential: Amin has developed his family’s business into one of the largest hotel owners in Virginia with more than 50 properties and 2,300 employees. He’s also heavily involved in the community, serving on the boards of half a dozen organizations. Amin is chairman of the board of Richmond Region Tourism and the commonwealth’s Treasury Board. Shamin also made headlines this winter when it housed at one of its hotels families who were living with broken heating systems in a Richmond public housing complex. Recent developments: The company has eight projects under development in Virginia, including the state’s first Moxy, a hotel catering to millennial travelers. It is expected to open next year.
William H. Goodwin Jr., retired chairman and president of CCA Industries Inc., Richmond Why he is influential: A CCA subsidiary, Riverstone Group LLC, owns several high-end hotels and resorts, including The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond; the Sea Pines Resort in Hilton Head, S.C., and the Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina. Goodwin and his wife, Alice, also are major philanthropists in Virginia, with many of their donations focused on cancer research. Alice continues to serve on the board of The Virginia Home, a facility that provides care to adults with permanent disabilities. Recent developments: Goodwin stepped down in June as rector of the University of Virginia board of trustees. He was co-chair of a search committee that identified James E. Ryan, dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, as the next president of U.Va. Goodwin also chairs the Richmond regional council of GO Virginia.
Sheila Johnson, founder and CEO, Salamander Hotels & Resorts, Middleburg Why she is influential: Johnson leads a growing hospitality management firm, Salamander Hotels & Resorts. The company operates six properties, including the 340-acre Salamander Resort & Spa in her hometown of Middleburg. Johnson also is the mastermind behind the Middleburg Film Festival, which celebrated its fifth year last fall. She is an owner of the Washington Wizards, Capitals and Mystics and co-founder of WE Capital, a venture capital consortium supporting female-led startups that make a social impact. Recent developments: Salamander Hotels opened NOPSI Hotel in New Orleans last July. The company’s Hotel Bennett in Charleston is scheduled to debut this summer.
Justin Knight, president and CEO, Apple Hospitality REIT, Richmond Why he is influential: Since becoming CEO in 2014, Knight has continued to develop the company founded by his father, Glade. Apple Hospitality REIT owns one of the nation’s largest portfolios of upscale hotels. The company now boasts 241 properties, including six that were acquired last year. Knight serves as co-chair of the American Hotel and Lodging Association Owners Council. In Virginia, he’s on the boards of Southern Virginia University (where his father is founding chairman), The Valentine and Venture Richmond. Recent developments: Knight was injured in a plane accident last July but returned to work shortly after. “Justin is doing very well,” a company spokesperson said when asked about his recovery.
Christopher J. Nassetta, president and CEO, Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Tysons Why he is influential: Nassetta continues to develop Hilton, which he’s led for more than a decade. Last year the company opened more than a hotel per day. There now are more than 5,200 Hilton properties around the globe, and the company is developing 2,200 more hotels. Last year, Nassetta was inducted into Washingtonian’s Washington Business Hall of Fame and was ranked as one of Glassdoor’s Highest Rated CEOs. The company also is ranked No. 33 on Fortune’s latest list of Best Companies to Work For. Recent developments: Hilton recently unveiled a 4,300-square-foot Innovation Gallery next to its headquarters to test products and innovations for its hotels.
Connie Nyholm, majority owner and CEO, Virginia International Raceway, Alton Why she is influential: Nyholm has transformed an abandoned racetrack into a 1,370-acre motorsport resort, which draws 400,000 visitors each year. VIR and its adjacent business park also provide employment for 400 workers. Nyholm is president of the Road Racing Industry Council and sits on the boards of the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research and the Virginia Chamber of Commerce. Recent developments: In October 2019, the resort will host the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Runoffs, featuring the nation’s best amateur racers. “SCCA sanctioned the very first race at VIR, and again in March 2000 when Harvey Siegel and I reopened the resurrected property,” Nyholm says. “Having the 2019 Runoffs will be an important part of VIR’s history.”
Bruce L. Thompson, CEO, Gold Key | PHR, Virginia Beach Why he is influential: Thompson is one of Virginia’s premier hotel developers. His company develops, owns and manages properties under the Ramada, Hilton and Marriott flags. With 2,800 employees, Thompson says PHR is the largest hospitality employer in Virginia. Many of Thompson’s projects, such as The Main, a 21-story Hilton hotel and conference center that opened in Norfolk last year, are public/private ventures. During a recent tourism summit in Norfolk, Thompson said the hospitality industry “leads economic development. We have an opportunity to create a sense of place that’s unique to Virginia.” Recent developments: The reopening of the historic Cavalier Hotel in Virginia Beach is set for March 7. If Thompson wraps up this much-delayed and anticipated project, he will be the toast of Hampton Roads.
Warren Thompson, president and chairman, Thompson Hospitality, Reston Why he is influential: Thompson is the founder and leader of one of the nation’s largest black-owned enterprises. His company ranked No. 8 on Black Enterprise’s most recent list. The company recorded $650 million in revenue last year and employs 3,800 people. Recent developments: Thompson Hospitality’s new business unit, Pheast Food Group, opened four restaurants last year — Hen Quarter in Washington, D.C.; Alexandria and Silver Spring, Md.; and Hen Penny in Reston. Pheast also plans to open restaurants in Washington and New York, including Neapolitan Express Pizza, Hen Penny and Chick-fil-A.
Law
Richard Cullen, senior partner, government investigations and white-collar litigation department, McGuireWoods LLP, Richmond Why he is influential: Cullen is a Richmond lawyer with a global clientele. He advises Vice President Mike Pence on inquiries related to the investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 election. He also represents Fred and Cindy Warmbier, an Ohio couple whose son died after being imprisoned in North Korea. At home, he serves on the board of Needle’s Eye Ministries, an interdenominational nonprofit organization, and the Richmond-area board of GO Virginia. Recent developments: Veteran litigator Jonathan Harmon recently succeeded Cullen as chairman of the law firm (see interview on Page 44). “When I stepped down in December, I had led the firm for 11 years,” he says. “To me, that is long enough.”
James W. Dyke Jr., senior adviser, Virginia State Government Relations, McGuireWoods Consulting, Tysons Why he is influential: Dyke is involved in several state initiatives. He serves on the GO Virginia board and its executive committee. Dyke also is chair of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s K-12 committee and is part of the Virginia Research Investment Committee, focused on the commercialization of university research. Every Virginia governor since Chuck Robb has appointed him to a state board or commission. That includes a stint as secretary of education under then-Gov. L. Douglas Wilder. Recent developments: Dyke is working with the newly formed MetroNow Coalition, a group of business leaders focused on reforming the Washington, D.C., mass-transit system.
Vincent J. Mastracco Jr., member and co-chair of the Real Estate Strategies Group, Kaufman & Canoles, Norfolk Why he is influential: Mastracco is heavily involved in business and community organizations. He is on the executive committees of the Hampton Roads Business Roundtable and the Hampton Roads Community Foundation and serves on the boards of the Eastern Virginia Medical School and the Sentara Foundation. As a lawyer, he has advised clients involved in some of Hampton Roads’ biggest deals, including the opening of ADP’s 1,800-employee Norfolk service center. Recent developments: In July, Mastracco became chair of the recently reorganized board of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership. He also is working with Hampton Roads localities to identify sites for “mega-developments,” such as corporate headquarters and advanced-manufacturing plants.
Retail
Gilbert T. Bland, chairman, The GilJoy Group, Virginia Beach Why he is influential: Bland, a major Burger King franchisee, is a former chairman of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and has served on many national, state and regional boards. He currently serves on the boards of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation, Sentara Healthcare, Sentara Foundation, Virginia Chamber of Commerce and Randolph-Macon College. He also is board treasurer of Elevate Early Education and president and chairman of Healthy Neighborhood Enterprises. Recent developments. On Jan. 15 (Martin Luther King Day), Bland became the president and CEO of the Hampton Roads Chapter of the Urban League, with the aim of revitalizing the regional organization, which once was one of the largest in the country. African-Americans represent a third of Hampton Roads’ population.
Steven C. Smith, president and CEO, Food City Stores Inc., Abingdon Why he is influential: Since 2001, Smith has been CEO of Food City Stores, which his father founded in 1955 as a single grocery store in Grundy. The grocery chain now has 16,000 employees and 132 stores in Southwest Virginia, Southeast Kentucky, East Tennessee and North Georgia. The company offers an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) to its employees, which is part of their retirement package. “It helps with employee retention,” says Smith. “We’re proud that associates who have spent most of their careers here can retire with six-figures in their ESOP.” Smith serves on the GO Virginia state board and is a member of the board of directors at the Food Marketing Institute. Recent developments: Construction has begun on what will become one of the company’s flagship stores in The Meadows development in Abingdon. The 62,000-square-foot store will feature a food court, a Starbucks coffee bar, an expanded meat and sushi department, and a community room that can be leased to nonprofit organizations. The store will anchor the 70-acre commercial center that also will include space for hotels, restaurants and other businesses. Food City’s Paramount Realty is the project’s developer. The plans include donating 40 acres to Abingdon to build a sports complex. Last year, Food City donated a 39,000-square-foot building that was part of its former headquarters to the Barter Theatre, which will use it as a scene shop and costume design facility.
Real estate/construction
Ramon W. Breeden Jr., president and CEO, The Breeden Co., Virginia Beach Why he is influential: Breeden’s company continues to expand in the multifamily sector, adding housing and jobs throughout Virginia. It has 1,000 apartment units under construction and another 1,350 units in the pipeline. Projects include the Village of Westlake, a 252-unit project in Richmond, and Allure at Jefferson, an $85.5 million project that will be built in two phases in Fredericksburg. Breeden has been a longtime donor to the SPCA, and he currently serves on the boards of the Virginia Beach Education Foundation and the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. Recent developments: His company recently acquired a 480-unit property, Reflections at Virginia Beach, for $67 million.
C. Daniel Clemente, chairman and CEO, Clemente Development Co., Tysons Why he is influential: Clemente is a Northern Virginia developer who has been a force behind many projects and more recently a lightning rod in the reform of the state’s business recruitment agency. Clemente just wrapped up a three-year term on the board of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, including a year as its chairman. On his watch, the agency underwent major reform, including a structural shakeup and the hiring of a new CEO, Stephen Moret. Another reform is a state law that gives Virginia greater enforcement power over clawback provisions for companies that receive financial incentives but then fail to deliver on new projects or jobs. Clemente also is the former rector of George Mason University. Recent developments: He’s proposing an affordable housing project at Tysons. Clemente wants to build a 1,400-unit multifamily apartment community near the Spring Hill Metro Station where all units would be priced for workforce housing. “A secretary who works at Tysons can’t afford to live there,” he says. Clemente is willing to develop the project if the county waives proffer fees of about $35 million. It would be part of a larger $1.3 billion, mixed-use project known as The View at Tysons.
Dennis R. Cronk, president and CEO, Poe & Cronk Real Estate Group, Roanoke Why he is influential: Cronk continues to head one of the largest commercial real estate firms in the Roanoke region. Poe & Cronk celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2017 and landed enough new business to prompt a 20 percent increase in staff. One of the firm’s big deals involves management of the Virginia Tech Foundation’s 305,000-square-foot, mixed-use portfolio in Blacksburg. Recent developments: This is Poe & Cronk’s third year serving as lead sponsor and partner with the Roanoke Valley Gives program. It focuses on a 24-hour online giving event that raises support for more than 150 local nonprofits. To date, Cronk says, the program has raised more than $1 million.
Lou Haddad, president and CEO, Armada Hoffler Properties, Virginia Beach Why he is influential: Haddad leads a real estate investment trust (REIT) that is shaping development in Hampton Roads and the mid-Atlantic. Its portfolio includes office, retail, multifamily and student housing. The firm’s many public/private projects include the Virginia Beach Town Center, a collaboration with the city that today offers more than a million square feet of shops, restaurants, office space and apartments. Armada’s involvement in development, construction and asset management makes it different. “REITs are typically one-trick ponies,” says Haddad. “There are very few REITS in the development business; there are none that are in the construction business. Effectively, we are a manufacturer of real estate as opposed to simply an acquirer, which is what most REITs do.” Haddad joined Armada Hoffler Construction Co. in 1985 as an on-site construction superintendent. Two years later, at age 28, he became the unit’s president. By 1999, Haddad had become CEO of Armada Hoffler Holding Co. In 2013, he steered Armada through an initial public offering that raised more than $200 million. Since then, the company’s market cap has nearly tripled to $1 billion. Recent developments: Haddad, whose grandparents immigrated to the U.S. from Syria, says he has led a fortunate life. To give back, he and his wife, Mary, created a foundation that has donated more than a half million dollars to programs supporting disadvantaged and at-risk children. A recent foundation project resulted in a technology lab for an elementary school in Chesapeake.
Steve Johnson, president and founder, Johnson Commercial Development, Bristol Why he is influential: Johnson is the developer behind The Pinnacle, a regional shopping venue in Bristol, Tenn., that attracted more than 6 million visitors last year. It is home to more than 70 stores and restaurants. The Pinnacle already is one of the area’s largest employers with more than 1,700 workers, and there’s more development on the way. Johnson plans to develop 300 acres adjacent to The Pinnacle on the Bristol, Va., side of the state line into a sports and entertainment complex. Recent developments: Johnson attended the unveiling last fall of a renovated team room for Virginia Tech’s football team. Johnson, who donated money for the renovation, is a Tech alumnus who played on the school’s football team in the 1980s.
Robert C. “Bob” Kettler, CEO and owner, Kettler, McLean Why he is influential: Kettler heads one of the country’s largest multifamily development companies. He parlayed that housing expertise in a private bid for a big fish: Amazon’s second corporate headquarters. Recent developments: Kettler and a partner, The Meridian Group, pitched The Boro, a mixed-use project they are developing at Tysons, as the site for Amazon’s project, but Amazon announced later that it would not consider bids from private developers. Northern Virginia is on the short list of 20 metro regions still in the running for the $5 billion headquarters, which would employ thousands of workers. Kettler celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2017, with more than 18,000 apartment units developed or renovated and over 30,000 units under management. The company is most active in the mid-Atlantic region, especially in the McLean, Reston Town Center and Tysons areas of Northern Virginia.
John R. Lawson II, president and CEO, W.M. Jordan Co., Newport News Why he is influential: Lawson’s construction firm, which did $500 million in revenue last year, is behind some of the most significant projects in Virginia. Lawson says he’s especially excited about the March 7 reopening of the Cavalier Hotel in Virginia Beach. “There is really nothing old and historic” in Virginia Beach, he notes. So the renovation of the 91-year-old hotel that hosted presidents and movie stars is generating buzz. Lawson and his partners are investing about $300 million in the Cavalier project, which also will include the opening of two other oceanfront hotels. Lawson also is busy with a transition plan under which he will become chairman later this year, paving the way for a new company president. Recent developments: Lawson continues to serve on community boards and the board of the Myers-Lawson School of Construction at Virginia Tech. He and a fraternity brother helped fund the school 10 years ago. During the next four years, the school will add two buildings and double the number of faculty and students, Lawson says.
Jon M. Peterson, CEO, The Peterson Cos., Fairfax Why he is influential: Peterson is a key player in a family-owned company that’s been a major developer in Northern Virginia for decades. These days, the company’s geographic footprint is expanding. Peterson entered the Richmond market last year with the construction of Nuckols Place shopping center in Henrico County. The project brought another first to Richmond: a Publix Super Market. Peterson has been active at George Mason University where he currently serves as vice rector of the board of visitors. Recent developments: Peterson Cos. is an investor and partner in a National Geographic’s Ocean Odyssey virtual entertainment venue that opened in Times Square last fall.
Technology
Christopher E. French, chairman, president and CEO, Shenandoah Telecommunications Co. (Shentel), Edinburg Why he is influential: French this year will celebrate his 30th anniversary as Shentel’s president. During that time, Shentel has been transformed. Once a small local telephone company, it now is the sixth-largest publicly traded wireless telephone provider in the country. The company has moved beyond its Shenandoah Valley roots to offer broadband, mobile, cable TV, voice and fiber services to customers in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland as well as Virginia. Recent developments: Following its acquisition of nTelos, a Waynesboro-based wireless company, Shentel completed the integration of two systems and migration of former nTelos customers to its network ahead of schedule and under budget. Shentel also invested $150 million in enhancing and expanding its wireless and broadband networks.
Bobbie G. Kilberg, president and CEO, Northern Virginia Technology Council, Herndon Why she is influential: Kilberg, who has led NVTC for 19 years, serves on the board of Reston-based Appian, the only technology IPO in the region last year. She serves on the Northern Virginia Regional Council of GO Virginia and is working with NVTC member companies to advise U.S. Sen. Mark Warner on ways to fix major delays in the federal security-clearance process. Recent developments: Last year, Kilberg was named to Washington Business Journal’s Power 100 list and Washingtonian magazine’s 100 Tech Titans of Washington.
Transportation
John Reinhart, CEO and executive director, Port of Virginia, Norfolk Why he is influential: Reinhart leads the third-busiest port on the East Coast. Under his guidance, the port handled record volumes of cargo in 2017 while almost $700 million in capacity improvements are ongoing at its two largest terminals. Recent developments: In late 2017, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recommended deepening the Norfolk channel to 55 feet and widening portions of the channel. The deepening project is seen as vital for the port’s future as it recently began handling the next-generation size of container ships. Two big transportation projects also were completed: the expanded truck gate at Norfolk International Terminals (NIT) and the Interstate 564 Intermodal Connector that provides a direct link between the highway and NIT’s new gate.
James A. Squires, chairman, president and CEO, Norfolk Southern Corp. Norfolk Why he is influential: Squires leads Norfolk Southern, which moves more than 7 million carloads of coal, automotive, agricultural and industrial products each year. The company has 27,000 employees, and its railroads run 19,500 miles in 22 states. The railroad serves every container port on the U.S. East Coast, including the Port of Virginia. Squires serves on the board of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation. Recent developments: The company has benefited from a resurgence in the U.S. coal export market. For 2017, the railway’s operating revenues were up to $10.6 billion, a 7 percent increase over 2016. Volumes were up 5 percent, which marked increases in coal and intermodal categories.
Venture capital
Steve Case, chairman and CEO, Revolution, McLean Why he is influential: Case co-founded America Online in 1985 and in 2000 negotiated its merger with Time Warner. He co-founded Revolution LLC, a Washington, D.C.-based investment firm, in 2005. Case also serves as the vice chair of the Smithsonian Institution board of regents. Last year, he published the best-seller “The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur’s Vision of the Future.” Case and his wife, Jean, own Early Mountain Vineyards in Madison County. Since 2014, he has sponsored the Rise of the Rest bus tour, which spotlights promising entrepreneurs throughout the country. The tour has visited 33 cities so far. Recent developments: Case launched Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Fund, a $150 million fund that will invest in early-stage startups not based in the tech hubs such as Silicon Valley, New York City and Boston. An extension of the bus tour, the fund is backed by a group of well-known entrepreneurs, executives and investors.
EASTERN VIRGINIA Blue Ridge Lumber Co. LLC plans to invest nearly $2.7 million in its Essex County lumberyard. The project is expected to create 17 jobs. The company is adding dry kiln capacity to increase hardwood exports. Blue Ridge Lumber has been selling Appalachian hardwoods since 1981, operating six facilities throughout Virginia and exporting products around the world. The company has committed to purchase more than $5.2 million of Virginia logs and lumber during the next three years. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Fairlead Integrated has started construction on a 40,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Virginia Beach. It will be larger than the company’s existing manufacturing site in Chesapeake. Fairlead said the project at 561 London Bridge Road will extend its manufacturing footprint and allow the Portsmouth-based company to prepare for increased demand from military customers for hardware and software. Fairlead makes products that are part of mission-critical systems in the U.S. Navy’s Nimitz and Ford-class aircraft carriers, Virginia-class submarines, all classes of surface combatants and amphibious ships. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Insurance firm Geico said it plans to hire about 500 people in Virginia Beach now that the regional office will be handling all the sales, service and claims for the state of Tennessee. The office, which oversees the company’s Virginia and North Carolina operations, employs 2,985 people. Geico had a growth spurt in December 2016, too, when it expanded by 500 people in Virginia Beach. Director of Human Resources Beth Roberts said the hiring will take place in the next few months and some of the jobs will replace people who have earned promotions and transferred to other locations. (The Virginian-Pilot)
Global Technical Systems (GTS), a Virginia Beach-based provider of advanced engineering solutions for the defense and homeland security industries, plans to build a $54.7 million, 500,000-square-foot manufacturing center that would create 1,100 jobs. GTS plans to build an electro-mechanical energy storage system operation. It would produce and distribute 100 percent green energy storage systems using advanced composites and engineering technologies. The building will be located on about 30 acres of land currently owned by the city of Virginia Beach, at the site of the former Owl’s Creek Golf Course. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
More than 75 people are losing their seats on the board of directors for the Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance. The board will shrink to 23 people, down from more than 100. Alliance President and CEO Rick Weddle said the smaller board and other changes will improve the organization and modernize the way it’s governed. The alliance’s governance model was designed in 1997 and received minor updates in 2005. (Inside Business)
Biotechnology packaging company Instant Systems is expanding in Norfolk. The company plans to invest more than $900,000 to purchase equipment for new product lines and training related to its packaging technology. The project is expected to create 72 jobs and retain 26 positions, nearly tripling the size of the company’s workforce. Founded in 2005, Instant Systems makes custom, medical-grade bags for the processing, storage, and transport of biological materials. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
The $169 million, four-lane Interstate 564 Intermodal Connector in Norfolk opened in December, making it easier for motor carriers to move cargo to and from The Port of Virginia’s Norfolk International Terminals (NIT). The connector is a dedicated ramp that provides a direct link between the NIT’s North Gate and I-564. The roadway was designed to speed the flow of truck-borne exports and imports while reducing the volume of vehicles on Hampton Boulevard, one of Norfolk’s busiest thoroughfares. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Richmond-based law firm Sands Anderson PC has opened an office in Williamsburg, its sixth location. Leading the office will be Williamsburg-based attorney Elizabeth L. White, who specializes in community association law. The law firm said the location will allow it to more efficiently serve clients in those markets. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Smartmouth Brewing Co., based in Norfolk, opened its second brewery in Virginia Beach. The company leased the former U.S. Post Office building and renovated it to include a small-batch, 10-barrel brewery system, a private event space and an 8,000-square-foot tasting room with a back deck. Smartmouth worked with several Hampton Roads companies during the construction phase, including WPA Architects, Spacemakers and Benevolent Design. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Virginia Beach has reduced its tax rate for data-center equipment, joining Henrico County in a bid to attract data centers with tax incentives. The city’s new rate drops the tax on computers and peripherals used in data centers from $4 to 40 cents per $100 of assessed value, a reduction of 90 percent. In April, Henrico dropped its business property tax rate on computers and related equipment for data centers from $3.50 to 40 cents per $100 of assessed value. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
SHENANDOAH VALLEY
Verona-based Nexus Services plans to add 200 workers nationwide during 2018, doubling its workforce, with many of the new jobs created in the Shenandoah Valley. Nexus is a family of companies and charities offering services to immigrants. Nexus says an improved business outlook and tax reform by the U.S. Congress have enabled the expansion. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
A new boutique hotel plans to open in downtown Staunton this spring. The 49-room Blackburn Inn is scheduled to open on the grounds of the Villages of Staunton at 301 Greenville Ave. Robin Miller, a principal of Richmond-based Miller & Associates, is the developer behind the project. He and a partner, Dan Gecker, also developed the 80-acre Villages of Staunton, the original site of Western State Hospital. Miller is known for the adaptive re-use of architecturally significant buildings in Richmond, Petersburg and Staunton. He said in a statement that state and federal historic tax credits made the Blackburn project financially feasible. He did not disclose the investment cost. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
The Shenandoah County Industrial Development Authority hired consulting engineering firm Draper Aden Associates to help attract businesses to the county. The consulting firm will perform land surveys, wetlands planning, due diligence work, borings to investigate soil grade and the potential for sinkholes, and other activities to prepare IDA-owned land for businesses to move in. (Northern Virginia Daily)
More than $250 million in construction projects will be underway on the James Madison University campus in Harrisonburg during the spring semester. Projects include an expansion and renovation of the College of Business, the new Union Bank and Trust Center and two new parking decks. (News release)
SOUTHERN VIRGINIA
Tanker truck manufacturer Amthor International will invest $7.1 million to expand its Pittsylvania County operations, adding 70 jobs. The company will build a 115,000-square-foot plant to accommodate increased demand for fabricated tanker trucks and will designate the new Gretna facility as its corporate headquarters. In addition to creating 70 jobs, the project will retain 110 positions. The company has operated in Pittsylvania County for 25 years. Former Gov. Terry McAuliffe approved a $250,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist with the project. The Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission also approved $255,000 from its Tobacco Region Opportunity Fund. The Virginia Small Business Financing Authority also provided assistance. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Bassett Furniture is growing again. The company has acquired outdoor furniture specialist Lane Venture, a division of North Carolina-based Heritage Home Group for $15.5 million in cash. “Lane Venture has been an important player in the outdoor furniture market since its inception in 1972,” Rob Spilman, Bassett’s chairman and CEO, said in a statement. “We have been contemplating our entry into the outdoor market for some time, and we believe that Lane Venture is the appropriate platform to become a serious participant in this growing category.” (Martinsville Bulletin)
Pioneer Hospital in Patrick County is one of two closed hospitals in rural Virginia that have been sold. Virginia Community Capital purchased Pioneer Hospital for $5.7 million in a foreclosure auction. The bank had loaned Pioneer Health Services $6.7 million to renovate the building before Pioneer, based in Mississippi, filed for bankruptcy. Lee County meanwhile sold its shuttered hospital for $2 million to Americore, a Florida startup that is expected within months to seek state approval to reopen it. (The Roanoke Times)
As Danville’s River District continues to see buildings under development, it is expected to see an increase in overall property values. Bridge Street is an example of how development is raising assessed values in the River District. Most of the buildings along its five-block length have seen redevelopment during the past 10 years. The most recent project — River District Tower in the former Dan River Research Building — was assessed at $405,000 in 2007. Its current assessment tops $12 million. (Danville Register & Bee)
Telvista sent a notice to Danville Mayor John Gilstrap in early January informing the city of the upcoming closure of its call center. It said the company “will cease operations and release its approximately 300 employees on March 7, 2018.” The closure will be permanent, Telvista Vice President of Human Resources Loren Rosario-Maldonado wrote in the letter. The company plans to offer severance benefits and transition programs to employees. Lisa Wallace, site director at the Telvista Danville location, said the company plans to consolidate its U.S. operations at its headquarters in Dallas. (Danville Register & Bee)
ROANOKE/NEW RIVER VALLEY Atlantic Credit and Finance (ACF) it is expanding into downtown Roanoke, a move expected to create 115 jobs during the next two years. The company will invest $4 million as it moves into a 54,000-square-foot office at 111 Franklin Road. Construction on its new space in the Franklin Plaza building will begin immediately, and the company expects to be in its new offices this year. The company is now located at 3353 Orange Ave. Former Gov. Terry McAuliffe approved a $250,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist the city with the project. ACF is eligible to receive state benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Volvo Trucks in Dublin has signed a 20-year lease on a 221-acre tract next to its existing plant, with a purchase option. The Pulaski County Industrial Development Authority bought the land for $2.7 million in November, which opens the door to a future expansion by one of the region’s largest employers. Volvo Trucks currently employs 2,600 people at its 300-acre site. The development authority already has conveyed 49 acres to the company as part of a previous performance agreement. Volvo acquired that land in exchange for fulfilling a commitment to create 32 jobs while investing $38.1 million in plant upgrades and a new customer center. Volvo plans to use the 49 acres to extend a 1.1-mile customer experience track, where potential buyers can test drive vehicles without getting on public roads. (The Roanoke Times)
Wells Fargo has donated the iconic bank building sitting dark on a downtown Roanoke street corner to Christiansburg-based Virginia Community Capital, a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution and for-profit bank. The organization plans to open a dialogue with residents about what the 105-year-old structure could become. Leah Fremouw, director of community impact at VCC, said the organization will announce a series of community meetings on the bank building in coming months. The city’s assessment of its value is $3.47 million. VCC intends to eventually sell it. The purchaser would be encouraged but not obligated to follow the vision, Fremouw said. The money that would be paid for the building will be reinvested in the economic development of the Roanoke region, Fremouw said. (The Roanoke Times)
SOUTWEST VIRGINIA
A downtown Bristol building that once housed the historic Cameo Theatre has been sold, and its new owner has plans to bring the space back to life. Brent Buchanan, manager of Oakley-Cook Funeral Home, bought the building in October. The 550-seat theater at 703 State St. was built in 1925 and ranks among the 15 oldest in Virginia, according to the League of Historic American Theatres. Established as a vaudeville theater, it primarily attracted audiences and performers from passenger trains that once stopped nearby. Buchanan hopes to present a mix of live entertainment and movies. (Bristol Herald-Courier)
The Heart of Appalachia Collaborative Economic Transition Project in Tazewell County has been awarded a $300,000 Community Development Block Grant. The project aims to help transition coal industry-related businesses in 16 counties and three cities in Southwest Virginia. The initiative will provide direct counseling, training, mentoring, business service plan development and other targeted technical assistance to approximately 58 coal industry-related businesses, retaining about 200 existing jobs in Southwest Virginia. The project is expected to create 10 businesses and 30 jobs. The federally funded program is administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. (Bristol Herald Courier)
The Hunter Smith Family Foundation has given the University of Virginia’s College at Wise the largest gift in the college’s history. The $10 million gift will be matched by U.Va.’s Bicentennial Fund program, bringing the total to $20 million for U.Va-Wise students. The $20 million endowment will provide significant access to scholarships for more than 100 qualified students each year. The scholarship program will commence immediately to qualified high school and community college students who plan to attend U.Va-Wise in the 2018 fall semester. (Bristol Herald Courier)
Five contractors are currently working to renovate the former Bristol Inn at the intersection of Euclid Avenue and Gate City Highway. Plans call for the hotel to reopen in spring 2018 as a Rodeway Inn — as part of the Choice Hotels chain — Raj Patel said. His father, Jay Patel, who also operates a hotel in Gastonia, N.C., is the owner. The property, developed in the 1960s, has been a Holiday Inn, Ramada Inn and Howard Johnson hotel. It closed a couple of years ago and had fallen into disrepair. The building includes a restaurant space, which the owners hope to lease. (Bristol Herald Courier)
NORTHERN VIRGINIA
Media startup Axios, launched in January 2017, is growing fast and ready to put down roots in the Clarendon neighborhood of Arlington County. The company currently has its own wing of the MakeOffices Clarendon co-working space and has signed a 10-year lease for a floor in the same building. Axios will soon start the build-out process for its new space on the 13th floor of the office building at 3100 Clarendon Blvd. It expects to move out of MakeOffices and into the new space by mid-2018. (ARLNow.com)
Cathay Pacific Airlines will launch nonstop service Sept. 16 between Hong Kong and Washington Dulles International airports. The airline will offer four nonstop, roundtrip flights per week. Cathay Pacific offers more than 100 flights per week from six cities in the U.S. and two in Canada. The airline offers flights to Hong Kong and beyond, including more than 22 destinations in mainland China. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Defense Technology Equipment Inc., a provider of aviation logistics and procurement solutions, plans to expand in Loudoun County, a $866,500 project expected to add 20 jobs to its workforce. Defense Technology Equipment provides aftermarket sales and distribution of spare parts for military aircraft. Its offices are located 15 minutes from Washington, D.C., and it has a distribution center and warehouse near Washington Dulles International Airport. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Tegna Inc. has agreed to purchase Midwest Television Inc.’s radio and television holdings in San Diego for $325 million in cash. The deal with the family-owned Midwest includes CBS affiliate KFMB-TV, CW affiliate KFMB-D2 and radio stations KFMB-AM 760 and KFMB-FM 100.7. The deal is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close in the first quarter. Tegna is a television and digital media company with 46 television stations in 38 U.S. markets. San Diego is the 29th-largest U.S. TV market with 1.1 million households and the 17th-largest radio market. (Washington Business Journal)
CENTRAL VIRGINIA Commonwealth Public Broadcasting Corp. plans to buy two additional FM radio stations in the region and reformat its news and music programming. The Chesterfield County-based nonprofit said it has agreed to buy radio stations WBBT (107.3 FM) and WWLB (93.1 FM), from Portland, Ore.-based Alpha Media. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition must be approved by the Federal Communications Commission. Commonwealth Public Broadcasting said it has submitted an application to the FCC and expects to complete the acquisition in the first quarter of 2018. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Lynchburg’s long-awaited Community Health Center opened to patients and the media in January at 800 Fifth St. It is expected to serve about 3,000 patients annually and act as a second location for the Free Clinic of Central Virginia on Main Street. The clinic serves the uninsured, underinsured and individuals with an income less than 200 percent of the Federal poverty level, which is $24,600 for a family of four. The $8 million clinic provides immediate and primary care as well as mental health and other services. It is the result of collaboration between Centra Health, Free Clinic of Central Virginia and the Community Access Network, which consists of medical professionals and others who seek to increase residents’ access to health care. (The News & Advance)
The co-founder and former CEO of Health Diagnostic Laboratory Inc. is suing LeClairRyan for malpractice, accusing the law firm of giving bad legal advice that contributed to the Richmond-based blood-testing company’s downfall. The lawsuit, filed by Tonya H. Mallory, seeks at least $150 million in damages personally for Mallory from LeClairRyan, a national law firm with its largest office in Richmond. The lawsuit centers on what Mallory claims was “incorrect legal advice given to her by several LeClairRyan lawyers over a several-year period of time from 2008 through 2013,” according to the court filing. In a statement, LeClairRyan called the lawsuit “nothing more than an attempt by Mallory to avoid taking responsibility for the actions that she took on her own at HDL.” (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Virginia Tourism Corp. has selected The Martin Agency as its advertising agency of record. The Richmond-based agency was selected after a competitive bidding process that attracted more than 20 applicants. It’s familiar territory for the agency, which invented the enduring Virginia is for Lovers slogan in 1969 and which has done creative work for the state tourism division over the years. “The Martin Agency is known for representing global brands,” said Rita McClenny, Virginia Tourism president and CEO. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
EASTERN VIRGINIA Nick Bates has been named chief financial officer of Liberty Tax in Virginia Beach. Bates will follow Kathleen Donovan, who resigned last year. Bates was vice president of finance at Liberty Tax. (The Virginian-Pilot)
Robert P. Giordano has been named chief operating officer of Top Guard Security in Norfolk. He was chief operating officer of Kwantek. (News release)
The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has added two new members to its leadership team. Ghislain d’HumiПres has been named executive director and senior vice president, core operations, and Paul Scott has been named senior vice president of hospitality. The positions were created to improve operations and efficiency. D’Humières was director and CEO of the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Ky. He previously was director and chief curator of the University of Oklahoma’s Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in Norman. Scott joins the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation from the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, that city’s largest hotel. Before joining Hilton in 2013, he worked for Starwood Hotels and Resorts as vice president of food and beverage for North America and as general manager of the Swan and Dolphin in Orlando. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Toano-based Lumber Liquidators named Famous P. Rhodes to its board of directors. Rhodes is executive vice president and the chief marketing officer with Bluegreen Vacations Corp., a vacation ownership company. Lumber Liquidators is North America’s largest specialty retailer of hardwood flooring, with more than 385 locations. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
SHENANDOAH VALLEY Thomas R. Benzing has been reappointed to the Virginia Museum of Natural History board of trustees. Benzing is a professor in the Department of Integrated Science and Technology at James Madison University. (News release)
Kim Blosser has been named president of Lord Fairfax Community College. Blosser was vice president of academic and student affairs of the community college, which has campuses in Middletown and Fauquier County. Blosser was one of more than 100 candidates who applied during a nationwide search. She is the institution’s fifth permanent president. She succeeds Cheryl Thompson-Stacy, who is retiring. (FauquierNow.com)
Eastern Mennonite University head men’s basketball coach Kirby Dean will resign at the end of the current season. He has accepted a position as the director of parks and recreation for Rockingham County. (News release)
Michael Post will become vice president for enrollment management of Bridgewater College on July 1. He has been vice president for enrollment at Mount St. Mary’s University in Maryland. (News release)
SOUTHERN VIRGINIA
Danville Police Chief Philip Broadfoot retired Jan 1. He had led the city police force for 14 years. (Danville Register & Bee)
Tonya Milling, executive director of The Arc of Southside for seven years, has been named executive director of The Arc of Virginia. She began her new position with the state organization in January. (Work It, SoVa)
ROANOKE/NEW RIVER VALLEY
Roanoke-based Hollins University has appointed Ashley Browning vice president for enrollment management. Browning joined Hollins in 2009 and previously served as the university’s director of admissions. A 2007 graduate of the University of Virginia, she holds a master’s degree in liberal studies from Hollins and earned a doctorate from Vanderbilt University in 2016. (News release)
Ken McFadyen, the director of economic development for Botetourt County, has been elected president of the Virginia Economic Developers Association. McFadyen has nearly 20 years of experience in economic development and public administration. (News release)
Jonathan D. Puvak and Daniel R. Sullivan have been promoted to partner at Gentry Locke in Roanoke. Puvak practices on the firm’s Business & Corporate team. Sullivan works on the firm’s Business Litigation team. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Tim Smoot, an agent with Long & Foster Real Estate’s New River Valley office, has been appointed to a two-year term on board of directors of the New River Valley Association of Realtors. (News release)
Jonathan D. Puvak and Daniel R. Sullivan have been promoted to partner at Gentry Locke in Roanoke. Puvak practices on the firm’s Business & Corporate team, assisting businesses, business owners and governmental entities with corporate governance, commercial transactions, employee benefits, and tax and real estate matters. Sullivan works on the firm’s Business Litigation team. His experience includes business, insurance, product liability and professional liability lawsuits. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
SOUTWEST VIRGINIA Bradley C. “Butch” Lambert and Donnie W. Rife have been appointed to the Virginia Gas and Oil Board. Lambert is deputy director at the Big Stone Gap-based Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy. Rife is former chairman of the Dickerson County Board of Supervisors. (News release)
Larance Eugene Middleton, of Big Stone Gap, has been appointed to the Board for Coal Mining Examiners. Middleton is a belt examiner at Contura Energy’s Deep Mine 41. Douglas E. Deel, Phillip W. Hale and Bennie B. Johnson have been reappointed to the board. Deel is a retired heavy equipment operator from Breaks; Hale is a surface safety manager from North Tazewell, and Johnson is a shift supervisor at Kingsport, Tenn.-based Alpha Natural Resources. (News release)
NORTHERN VIRGINIA
Chicago-based Grant Thornton LLP has named LaVerne H. Council as the firm’s national managing principal for Enterprise Digital Strategy and Innovation. Council is based in Alexandria. Her past experience includes serving as senior vice president and general manager at Mitre Corp.; chief information officer (CIO) and assistant secretary for the Office of Information and Technology at the Department of Veterans Affairs and corporate vice president and global CIO at Johnson & Johnson. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Victoria D. Harker has been named to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Harker is executive vice president and chief financial officer at McLean-based Tegna Inc. (News release)
HITT Contracting Inc. announced a new generation of leaders in December. Co-Presidents Jim Millar and Brett Hitt will become co-chairmen of a newly formed board, and Russell Hitt will become chairman emeritus. Executive Vice President Kim Roy has been named CEO, becoming the first woman CEO of a top 100 U.S. construction company, as defined by ENR (Engineering News Record), an industry trade magazine. Executive Vice Presidents Jeremy Bardin and Drew Mucci will be co-presidents. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Kevin Phillips is the new CEO of Herndon-based Mantech International Corp. Phillips, ManTech’s former president, succeeds George Pedersen, now the company’s executive chairman. (Washington Business Journal)
Atif Qarni, most recently a teacher at Beville Middle School in Woodbridge, is Virginia’s new secretary of education. Qarni’s December appointment was unusual. A teacher hasn’t stepped directly from the classroom into the Cabinet for at least a decade, according to the Virginia Education Association, one of the state’s confederation of teachers. (The Washington Post)
CENTRAL VIRGINIA Todd P. Haymore, Virginia’s secretary of commerce and trade under Gov. Terry McAuliffe, will join the law firm Hunton & Williams in March to lead its new Global Economic Development, Commerce and Government Relations Group. (News release)
Angela Inglett has joined the Virginia Association of Counties as director of program development. She was a legislative assistant to U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-6th. (News release)
Gena McGroarty was promoted to vice president of MWCAdvocacy at McGuireWoods Consulting in Richmond. A former congressional aide, she joined the firm in 2016 after working for the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and South Carolina Department of Commerce. (News release)
Accounting Principals promotes a workplace philosophy that can be summed up in three sentences:
Love what you do. Love the people you work with. Be proud of where you work.
“We focus more on our culture and creative perks so we can offer something to our employees that extends beyond just compensation,” says managing director Jen Dodge.
Senior leaders put a lot of effort into building and maintaining that culture. “Passion and team spirit are two very important corporate values of ours,” says Dodge. “I don’t know how to say it other than we always have each others’ backs. We have such a tenured team, and we’re more like a family than we are co-workers.”
The formula appears to be working. Accounting Principals has ranked as the top company among large employers in the Best Places to Work list four times in the past six years.
The professional recruitment and staffing firm includes the company’s Ajilon and Parker + Lynch divisions. Accounting Principals specializes in accounting staffing while Ajilon focuses on corporate office recruiting, and Parker + Lynch’s area is executive search and professional consulting.
The company dates back to the 1991 formation of Accounting Solutions, which was sold to Accounting Principals in 2005. In 2010, Accounting Principals became part of The Adecco Group, an international staffing company.
Accounting Principles now has more than 75 locations and about 1,000 employees nationwide. The Richmond-area office in Glen Allen has approximately 20 employees.
“Our parent company was ranked as the No. 2 most attractive company to work for on Fortune’s 2017 25 World’s Best Workplaces List, so you can see that the tone really does start at the top for us,” Dodge says.
Accounting Principals continually solicits feedback from employees on the perks and programs they want.
This year the company has initiated the “new normal,” which allows employees increased flexibility in their work schedules when they can get their job done — and get results — with fewer office hours.
“This was our answer to try to give more flexibility without sacrificing our strong focus on the quality and service we’ve become known for with our clients,” Dodge says.
The company has a strong paid time-off policy. It also offers other programs and contests in which employees can earn additional time off when they exceed expectations. The benefit package includes a wellness perk that helps employees pay for gym memberships, yoga classes and sessions with personal trainers as well as smoking-cessation and weight-loss classes.
Accounting Principals’ Win4Youth program motivates employees and clients to participate in fitness and sports as a way to raise money for children’s charities around the world.
“We all participate in sporting events with co-workers and clients, and our parent company makes a donation for every kilometer logged throughout the year,” Dodge says, adding that donations have reached millions of dollars since the program began in 2010. “It shows that our company takes the commitment of social responsibility very seriously.”
The company annually conducts employee surveys regarding the workplace and spends a good deal of time going through the feedback. “So many of our policies, benefits and programs come from the feedback in those surveys,” Dodge says. “We take that feedback to heart. We are constantly changing and trying to be ahead of the curve on what they need.”
A violent rally held in Charlottesville last summer hasn’t significantly affected Helen Cauthen’s work at the Central Virginia Partnership, but it has impacted her personally.
“I live near where all that happened,” says Cauthen, president of the partnership, which helps attract new businesses to the Charlottesville region. “It’s still disturbing.”
The “Unite the Right” rally brought white nationalists to Charlottesville to protest plans to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from a city park. The event resulted in the death of counter-protester Heather Heyer, who was killed by a car driven into a crowd. Two state troopers on the way to assist the city, Trooper-Pilot Berke M.M. Bates and Lt. Pilot H. “Jay” Cullen III, also died in a helicopter crash.
Months after the rally, the violent clash of opposing groups in the streets of Charlottesville remains part of the national conversation. The city’s business leaders, however, are working to move forward, stressing that the violence seen in news clips around the world isn’t an accurate depiction of the community.
“I think people … when they keep seeing photographs and negative media, they are just a little leery about coming downtown. We’re now in the process of trying to change that image,” says Susan Payne, president of Blue Ridge Group, a local advertising and public relations agency and head of the Downtown Business Association of Charlottesville’s (DBAC) marketing committee.
The association is working with City Council on an economic recovery plan in response to the rally and a recent downturn in business. Unrelated to the August events, DBAC also is seeking increased funding for the downtown mall in the city’s fiscal year 2018-2019 budget, which will be adopted in April.
When comparing the latter half of 2016 versus 2017, local data don’t provide a clear picture of how businesses have been impacted by the rally. The latest available figures show a downward trend in sales tax revenue and mixed results in meals tax revenue. Occupancy rates were down from August to October and increased in November. Data may be a mixed bag, but merchants on the downtown mall say continuing publicity about the event has had a dampening effect.
Nonetheless, other developments during the last half of the year also may have impacted the foot traffic. Paid parking, for example, was in effect in the mall area for 72 days before being suspended by the city. Also, hurricanes and floods on the Gulf Coast, Florida and Puerto Rico may have prompted visitors from those areas to cancel plans to visit Charlottesville.
Letter to consultants
Following the August events, The Central Virginia Partnership wanted to change the narrative about Charlottesville, so it sent a letter to site selection consultants.
“We are a supportive and inviting community working daily to bring new innovation, build business relationships and provide greater opportunities for our citizens,” the letter said. “Thus, we will not allow the feelings of outsiders to tarnish the region we know can provide wonderful opportunities to companies from across the nation and the world.”
The letter was well received by the consultants. Didi Caldwell, the founding principal at Greenville, S.C.-based Global Location Strategies, says the rally hasn’t changed her perception of Charlottesville. She also hasn’t heard concerns about the city from her clients.
“I am confident that qualified location strategy consultants would counsel their clients to not let the events in the news scare them away,” Caldwell says. “However, there are many projects that are not guided by an experienced professional … It is difficult to tell how much [this incident] may have had on those types of projects.”
While the partnership is addressing the city’s image among major economic development prospects, Chris Engel, Charlottesville’s economic development director, is focused on small retailers and service providers.
“Longer term, we have some concern that investors and decision makers may think twice before committing to a project here,” which wasn’t an issue before due to the city’s positive reputation, Engel says. “Now, there’s a whole other group of people that have a very different kind of understanding, or perception, of Charlottesville based upon what they saw on the news over the summer.”
Social media campaign
The Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau continues to remind travelers of Charlottesville’s attractions by working with travel bloggers and journalists.
After the August events, the bureau and Virginia Tourism Corp. (VTC) encouraged the public to share the hashtags #StandForLove and #CvilleStandsForLove on social media along with a picture or video.
VTC also installed a giant LOVE sign (tied to the commonwealth’s longtime tourism slogan, “Virginia Is For Lovers”) to Charlottesville’s downtown mall as well as banners displayed on lampposts with the #standforlove hashtags. Additionally, the state tourism agency helped the visitors bureau craft talking points to help local tourist attractions field questions after the rally.
These efforts aim to build on a positive vibe generated by a star-studded concert held in September at the University of Virginia’s Scott Stadium, organized by the homegrown Dave Matthews Band. The free event gathered donations for rally victims, first responders and organizations promoting “healing, unity and justice locally and nationwide.” The event, attended by thousands of music fans, was available online through a live stream.
“It is wonderful to have had so many talented artists take the time to come here and shine a better light on our city and region,” says Miriam Dickler, Charlottesville’s director of communications. “I would also note that we continue to work with our local convention and visitors bureau as well as Virginia tourism to highlight our area and its many charms.”
U.Va. applications rise
Meanwhile, U.Va., where white supremacists marched with burning torches the night before the rally, hasn’t seen a drop in applications since August. Undergraduate applications to the university increased 1 percent from last year.
U.Va. formed a working group looking at ways the university could have responded more effectively to the torch-lit march. The university already has taken steps, including increasing safety and security personnel at large public events; hiring outside firms to review its safety and security infrastructure; and prohibiting open flames on campus, or campus facilities, with the exception of outdoor cooking and laboratory equipment.
“In response, the group is also contemplating a number of long-term investments and initiatives to advance our commitment to being a diverse and welcoming community,” says U.Va. spokesperson Anthony P. de Bruyn. “The university remains confident these efforts will further enhance its learning and living environment as we move forward.”
Also drawing increased interest is the Tom Tom Founders Festival. Tom Tom hosts a weeklong downtown festival each spring and a two-day block party in the fall. Fourteen thousand people came downtown for the block party in late September, up from roughly 10,000 the year before. Paul Beyer, the festival’s founder, believes the community was looking for an opportunity to come together and celebrate the Charlottesville it knows. That includes a city that, in recent years, has built an identity as a fertile place for startups.
“In light of this, Tom Tom has a renewed commitment to fostering conversations that illustrate economic and entrepreneurial opportunity for all members of society, especially those that have historically been marginalized,” Beyer says. The upcoming spring festival, for example, will include a panel discussion on how to best honor African-American history.
When asked whether the community has become stronger since last August, Blue Ridge Group’s Payne says it has in some ways and not in others. However, she has hope for the future.
“This is a very heartbreaking chapter, but I do think that in the end this community will come together,” she says.
Virginia Business recently stopped by Crutchfield Corp., one of the magazine’s Best Places to Work. The Charlottesville-based company’s perks include allowing employees to bring their dogs to the office. To learn more about Crutchfield and other companies on this year’s Best Places to Work list, turn to page 26.
Share photos of special events at your company with Virginia Business.
E-mail your candid photos with identifications to Adrienne R. Watson, [email protected].
Photos not used in the magazine may be posted on our web site at VirginiaBusiness.com
The Prince William Chamber of Commerce and Leadership Prince William co-hosted the competition for amateur chefs for the 2nd year in a row. Participants included local celebrities like Supervisor Marty Nohe, Prince William Board of County Supervisors who won Fan Favorite for his “Famous Thing with A LOT of Bacon in It.” Youth for Tomorrow, Novant Health UVA Health System and Linton Hall School were key sponsors for the event.
Loveless Porter Architects and MP Copiers sponsored the aprons for Gourmet Guys 2018.
The Prince William Chamber of Commerce hosted their Holiday Open House in Historic Manassas. For the 4th year in a row, Chamber members brought new, unwrapped toys for a toy drive. This year, the benefitting organization was BARN Community Housing. TML coordinated the drive which resulted in two “copier-sized” boxes filled with toys and delivered to the BARN campus.
Virginia Business Publisher Bernie Niemeier welcomed attendees and recognized those attorneys named to the Virginia Legal Elite list each year since the project began in the year 2000. The evening's celebration was sponsored by Cognicion and SunTrust Private Wealth Management.
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Lynne Doughtie, chairman and CEO, KPMG U.S., New York
Terri McClements, managing partner, mid-Atlantic, PwC, McLean 
G. Robert Aston Jr., chairman and CEO, TowneBank, Portsmouth
Ric Edelman, founder and executive chairman, Edelman Financial Services, Fairfax
Richard Fairbank, founder, chairman and CEO, Capital One Financial Corp., McLean
Susan Still, president and CEO, HomeTown Bank, Roanoke
Robert A. Archer, chairman and CEO, Blue Ridge Beverage Co., Salem
Martin J. Barrington, chairman, CEO and president, Altria Group Inc., Richmond
Gerald Gordon, president and CEO, Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, Tysons 
Buddy Rizer, executive director, economic development, Loudoun County
John O. “Dubby” Wynne, retired president and CEO, Landmark Communications, and former chairman, The Weather Channel, Virginia Beach
Ben J. Davenport Jr., chairman, First Piedmont Corp. and Davenport Energy, Chatham 
Thomas F. Farrell II, chairman, CEO and president, Dominion Energy, Richmond 
Wesley G. “Wes” Bush, chairman and CEO, Northrop Grumman Corp., Falls Church
Anthony J. Moraco, CEO, SAIC, Reston
Phebe Novakovic, chairman and CEO, General Dynamics, Falls Church
C. Michael Petters, president and CEO, Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. (HII), Newport News
Howard Kern, president and CEO of Sentara Healthcare, Norfolk
Nancy Howell Agee, president and CEO, Carilion Clinic Inc., Roanoke
Heywood Fralin, chairman, Medical Facilities of America Inc., Roanoke
Michael Friedlander, vice president for health sciences and technology, Virginia Tech, and executive director, Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Roanoke
Mark H. Merrill, president and CEO, Valley Health System, Winchester
Knox Singleton, CEO, Inova Health System, Falls Church
Todd Stottlemyer, CEO, Inova Center for Personalized Health, Fairfax
Neil Amin, CEO, Shamin Hotels, Chester
William H. Goodwin Jr., retired chairman and president of CCA Industries Inc., Richmond
Justin Knight, president and CEO, Apple Hospitality REIT, Richmond
Christopher J. Nassetta, president and CEO, Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Tysons
Connie Nyholm, majority owner and CEO, Virginia International Raceway, Alton
Bruce L. Thompson, CEO, Gold Key | PHR, Virginia Beach
Warren Thompson, president and chairman, Thompson Hospitality, Reston
Richard Cullen, senior partner, government investigations and white-collar litigation department, McGuireWoods LLP, Richmond
James W. Dyke Jr., senior adviser, Virginia State Government Relations, McGuireWoods Consulting, Tysons
Vincent J. Mastracco Jr., member and co-chair of the Real Estate Strategies Group, Kaufman & Canoles, Norfolk
Gilbert T. Bland, chairman, The GilJoy Group, Virginia Beach
Steven C. Smith, president and CEO, Food City Stores Inc., Abingdon
Ramon W. Breeden Jr., president and CEO, The Breeden Co., Virginia Beach
C. Daniel Clemente, chairman and CEO, Clemente Development Co., Tysons 
Dennis R. Cronk, president and CEO, Poe & Cronk Real Estate Group, Roanoke
Lou Haddad, president and CEO, Armada Hoffler Properties, Virginia Beach 
Steve Johnson, president and founder, Johnson Commercial Development, Bristol 
Robert C. “Bob” Kettler, CEO and owner, Kettler, McLean
John R. Lawson II, president and CEO, W.M. Jordan Co., Newport News
Jon M. Peterson, CEO, The Peterson Cos., Fairfax
Christopher E. French, chairman, president and CEO, Shenandoah Telecommunications Co. (Shentel), Edinburg
Bobbie G. Kilberg, president and CEO, Northern Virginia Technology Council, Herndon
John Reinhart, CEO and executive director, Port of Virginia, Norfolk
James A. Squires, chairman, president and CEO, Norfolk Southern Corp. Norfolk
Steve Case, chairman and CEO, Revolution, McLean