11th Annual Best Places to Work list
This is the 11th year that Virginia Business has compiled the Best Places to Work in Virginia list in collaboration with Pennsylvania-based Best Companies Group. More than 200 companies applied for inclusion in the 2021 Best Places to Work in Virginia cohort. A hundred companies were chosen, divided into three categories: small [...]
Virginia Beach revives resort office to bolster Oceanfront tourism
This summer, visitors to Virginia Beach’s resort area will be greeted by spruced-up properties, enhanced entertainment options and new tourism ambassadors. These are just some of the city’s efforts to improve the 40-block commercial district through its restored Resort Management Office. City Council is allocating $1.1 milli[...]
The VirginiaBusiness.com Top Five
The top trending stories on VirginiaBusiness.com from Dec. 16 to Jan. 15 included the news that Facebook suspended the account of Sen. Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield County, as Democrats called for her to resign 1. Sen. Chase ‘will absolutely not resign’ Chase rejected resignation demands from Virginia Senate Democrats who wer[...]
Talking shop
Charis Jones, by any measure, is a major success. Her online retail brand, Sassy Jones, was the top-ranking Virginia business on the 2020 Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing U.S. private companies, based on its 2019 growth. The Richmond-based fashion accessories and beauty e-commerce company reaped $14 million in revenue last [...]
On even ground
Marlana Fraser joined Warrenton-based Patriot Group International Inc. (PGI) with a special insight into the people on the ground carrying out PGI’s special operations. Her husband had served in the Marine Corps in Afghanistan performing the “exact same work” that PGI does now, says Fraser, the company’s vice president o[...]
Time for a change
As someone who believes strongly in change, Javaune Adams-Gaston assumed the presidency of Norfolk State University at a pivotal time for both the nation and historically Black colleges and universities. “2020 really was an eye-opening experience for many in our nation — particularly with some of the disparities that existed[...]
Developers see green with state’s first ecodistrict
The rooftop of a former office building might not appear to be the ideal location to harvest tomatoes, corn and squash, but that may be the fate of Best Products’ former headquarters. From the ashes of the failed $1.5 billion Navy Hill project that sought to redevelop Richmond’s downtown, a similar arena-anchored project cal[...]
The not-so-new norm
When Shannon Patel joined Accounting Principals about six years ago, she was two months away from giving birth to her son. After onboarding and training, she left for maternity leave — not expecting that her newborn would be in a pediatric intensive care unit for three weeks and continue to suffer from health problems through[...]
Commercial leases take a more generous turn
As Northern Virginia has been hit hard by rising office vacancies during the pandemic, companies there are increasingly seeking more generous lease terms and benefits. “There has been a shift toward short-term renewals of existing leases,” says David Ritchey, executive vice president of JBG Smith Properties, a real estate in[...]
Wind industry training catches a Southern breeze
New College Institute wants to take the lead in building the state’s wind energy workforce. In January, the Martinsville higher education center became the first site in Virginia to offer wind technician training courses, certified by the Global Wind Organisation, a Danish nonprofit that sets international minimum standards fo[...]
By land, air and sea
Marine biologists at the Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Hampton enjoy getting up close and personal with the sea and the life it fosters. Lately though, they’ve gotten a little too close. Two to three times a year — usually because of a hurricane or nor’easter — the Virginia Tech research [...]