Energy: DAVID SCHLEICHER
In April, Schleicher replaced longtime NOVEC President and CEO Stan Feuerberg, who announced he was retiring after 30 years at the company’s helm. During those three decades, the cooperative grew “into one of the pre-eminent electric utilities in the country,” says its board chairman, Wade House. Now the company is one of [...]
Retail/Wholesale: ELIZABETH ‘LIZA’ MYERS BORCHES
Borches is named after her great-aunt, New York businesswoman Elizabeth Myers, who was the sister of Borches’ great-grandfather, H. Carter Myers. H. Carter Myers co-founded Petersburg Motor Co. Inc. in 1924. During the Depression, he desperately needed cash to keep the business open, so Elizabeth Myers invested in his business[...]
Retail/Wholesale: JOHN BOYLE
In March, Boyle celebrated the official dedication of the Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA distribution center in Suffolk. Located at Virginia Port Logistics Park, the expansive warehouse complex — which could fit four football fields under one roof — became operational in November 2021. Due to the pandemic, the company waited u[...]
Real Estate: BENJAMIN W. SCHALL
With 3,000 employees, 600 of them in Virginia, AvalonBay Communities, a publicly traded real estate investment trust, recorded $2.3 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2021. Prior to becoming AvalonBay’s president in January 2021 and CEO this year, Schall served as CEO of Seritage Growth Properties and as chief operating off[...]
Hospitality/Tourism: JUSTIN G. KNIGHT
Knight has served as CEO of Apple Hospitality REIT, a publicly traded real estate investment trust, since 2014. Apple Hospitality was founded in 1999 by his father, Glade Knight, the REIT’s executive chairman. Justin Knight, who joined the company in 2000, made $7.8 million in total compensation in 2021. The bulk of Apple Ho[...]
2022 Virginia 500: Telecommunications
VINCE APRUZZESE JR. PRESIDENT, AT&T VIRGINIA, RICHMOND MATTHEW J. DESCH CEO, IRIDIUM COMMUNICATIONS INC., McLEAN CHRISTOPHER FRENCH PRESIDENT AND CEO, SHENANDOAH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CO. (SHENTEL), EDINBURG MAGGIE HALLBACH SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, VERIZON PUBLIC SECTOR, ASHBURN J.D. MYERS II SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/REGION MANAGER OF VIRGINIA OPERATIONS, COX COMMUNICATIONS INC., [&hel[...]
Federal Contractors/Technology: THEODORE ‘TED’ HANSON
Hanson served as president and CEO of the Fortune 100 provider of information technology and professional staffing services firm until January, when he handed over the president’s role to Rand Blazer, former president of subsidiary Apex Systems LLC. Hanson retained his status as CEO of ASGN, which reported $4 billion in 2021 r[...]
Finance/Insurance: FRANCISCO ‘FRANK’ CASTELLANOS
In September 2021, Castellanos became president of Bank of America Hampton Roads following the retirement of Charlie Henderson, who filled that position for 15 years. A native of Cuba, Castellanos is also Merrill Lynch Wealth Management’s top Virginia executive, and he previously worked in Bank of America’s policy office, wh[...]
Real Estate: LEE WARFIELD
Warfield, Thalhimer’s fourth CEO since the firm’s founding in 1913, has come a long way from his first job as a property manager. He joined the commercial real estate firm as an associate broker in 1995, representing national retailers such as Regal Entertainment, Walmart and Kroger before being promoted to president in 201[...]
Nonprofits/Philanthropy: JACK DYER ‘J.D.’ CROUCH II
Before becoming the USO’s 23rd president and CEO, Crouch worked at the Pentagon, advised a president, served as U.S. ambassador to Romania, and taught defense and strategic studies. He even co-founded federal contractor QinetiQ North America Inc., before landing at the USO in 2014, and he serves as a senior adviser for Washing[...]
Retail/Wholesale: GEOFFREY POHANKA
Pohanka is a third-generation auto dealer and head of Pohanka Automotive Group, which has 18 locations in Virginia, Maryland and Texas. The second largest Virginia-based auto dealership, it ranked 34th in Automotive News’ 2021 list of the nation’s top 150 dealership groups, with 24,142 new vehicles sold and $1.64 billion in [...]
Real Estate: GEORGE B. CLARKE IV
Clarke founded MEB in 1982, the same year he graduated from Virginia Tech with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. MEB started as a small federal government contractor with a handful of employees, serving military installations across the Hampton Roads area. It now has about 250 employees and posted revenue of $179 milli[...]