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Government/Politics: LARRY J. SABATO
A threat across multiple platforms, Sabato is a New York Times best-selling author, a four-time Emmy winner for his PBS television documentaries, and one of social media’s most prolific political prognosticators. No one who knew Sabato in his days as U.Va.’s student government president would be surprised. A Norfolk-born Rho[...]
Law: ROBERT M. ‘BOB’ TATA
A Hampton Roads native, Tata specializes in intellectual property litigation, including trade secrets, copyrights and patents, and 20 years ago, he won the state’s then-largest copyright award — $116 million — awarded by a jury over a home fire-escape ladder invented by a local businessman. He also has spent a great deal o[...]
Finance/Insurance: THOMAS S. GAYNER
Come April 2023, Gayner will no longer be flying with a co-pilot. His fellow co-CEO, Richard R. “Richie” Whitt III, plans to retire by the end of next March, after working for the company since 1991. Since 2016, Gayner and Whitt have led Markel Corp., the Fortune 500 financial holding company that has about 20,300 […]
Economic Development: NANCY L. GRDEN
In June, Grden became the leader of this regional economic development organization, stepping into the shoes of Jim Spore, who retired after six years. Grden’s name is familiar to Hampton Roads residents, as she was previously executive director of the Hampton Roads Maritime Collaborative for Growth & Innovation, as well a[...]
Living Legends: BENJAMIN J. ‘BEN’ DAVENPORT JR.
Davenport is chairman of Davenport Energy, the company his late father started as Chatham Oil Co. in 1941. Davenport Jr. also founded and leads waste management business First Piedmont Corp. Davenport Energy employs 150 people and supplies propane and fuel oil to more than 30,000 customers in Virginia, North Carolina and West Vi[...]
Retail/Wholesale: WILLIAM D. ‘BILL’ NASH
For the fiscal year that ended in February, CarMax, the largest retailer of used autos nationally, had net earnings of $1.2 billion. The fourth quarter, however, did present some challenges, with total used vehicle unit sales in the retail business declining 5.2%. “We believe several macro factors weighed on marketwide us[...]
Federal Contractors/Technology: TIMOTHY J. ‘TIM’ McBRIDE
When Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd., or ST Engineering, announced its new North American president in October 2021, group President and CEO Vincent Chong leaned on McBride’s credentials, which include more than 30 years at multinational companies and in the public sector. An Eastern Michigan University alum, McBride s[...]
Real Estate: JOHN R. LAWSON II
A Newport News native, Lawson has been with construction firm W.M. Jordan for more than 45 years. Lawson’s late father co-founded the company, which reaped more than $649 million in revenue for 2020. He started there in 1975 as a field engineer after graduating from Virginia Tech and took over as president and CEO in […[...]
Transportation: CHARLES ‘CHUCK’ KUHN
Four decades ago, at age 16, Kuhn started the nation’s largest independently owned moving company out of his parents’ garage. Today, the company — named after his father, Jim Kuhn — employs more than 1,100 people, most of whom are based in Virginia, and posted $168 million in fiscal 2021 revenue. In May, Kuhn relinquishe[...]
Professional Services: GREG WALLIG
An alumnus of William & Mary, Wallig describes himself as “a people-first leader, who believes deeply that diverse perspectives produce better outcomes.” He has championed the Chicago-based global accounting firm’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and has more than 25 years of management consulting experience in[...]
Living Legends: THOMAS R. FRANTZ
Former Williams Mullen President and CEO Frantz’s legal acumen has earned consistent accolades from peers. He is among a small group of attorneys who have made Virginia Business’ Legal Elite list for 22 consecutive years. Frantz is a triple graduate of William & Mary, from which he received his law degree, as well as a [[...]
Nonprofits/Philanthropy: SISTER DONNA MARKHAM
In June 2015, when Markham was named the first female president in Catholic Charities USA’s 100-year-plus history, she said: “There can be no greater call than to serve and advocate on behalf of persons who struggle to get by in a world where they are all too frequently relegated to the margins of society and […]
