The new normal
For those returning to the office after months of working remotely, the novel coronavirus has turned the workplace into a potential microbial minefield. What danger lurks on the surface of the break room table? What invisible pathogens spread silently through the vents of the HVAC system? And what of the frequently used door han[...]
Blurred lines?
The battle between banks and credit unions is flaring up again and it could wind up before the Supreme Court of Virginia. Bankers say nonprofit credit unions are morphing into roles that look like traditional banks, becoming larger than many community banks while facing lighter tax and regulatory burdens, giving the credit union[...]
The mouse that roars
Arlington County encompasses an area of just 26 square miles, making it geographically the smallest self-governing county in America. But in many ways, it is the mouse that roars. In November 2018, Arlington snagged the biggest economic prize in Virginia — and possibly U.S. — history when Amazon.com Inc. announced it would b[...]
What’s normal?
When things get back to normal. How many times have you heard that? How many times have you said that? What’s normal? Sometimes there’s a qualifier, like what’s the “new” normal? Who knows? If you think you do, wait and see. It’s not just the normalcy that is intoned by such nostalgic statements, it’s the […[...]
Legislative Briefing
Virginia lawmakers considered an array of bills impacting businesses and the state economy. Here’s a look at some key actions taken during the 2020 session: Casinos Virginia lawmakers passed legislation opening the door for casinos but only in five localities: Bristol, Danville, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Richmond. A study by the Joint Legislative Audit & Review […]
The front line
Before the pandemic, disaster meant something different to most people — even hospital workers. “It’s preparing for worst-case scenarios,” says Dr. Sandy Simons, an emergency room physician at Bon Secours Richmond Community Hospital. “When you talk about disaster medicine, you train for a bomb going off.” A single [...]
The Top Five
The top five trending stories on VirginiaBusiness.com from May 1 to June 15 show that readers were largely focused on getting back to business following the pandemic shutdown: Phase Three timeline coming soon: Gov. Ralph Northam preps final phase for “Forward Virginia” reopening plan. (June 11) Much of Virginia to enter Phase Two: State restrictions […]
The Generous Virginians Project
Despite record-breaking gifts to universities and nonprofit organizations in 2019 and early 2020 — including a $68 million gift to the Darden School of Business and $50 million gifts to Virginia Tech and George Mason University — philanthropic giving in Virginia this year has quickly pivoted from traditional donations to gi[...]
Gifts of healing
When tech entrepreneur Pete Snyder and his wife, Burson, returned home to Charlottesville from taking their 5-year-old daughter to Walt Disney World this spring, they came home to a business community struggling after COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns. “Our view is we’re at war right now,” Snyder says. “It has two fronts: One [...]
Donations by companies and corporate foundations
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Colonial Williamsburg begins gradually reopening
After a rough spring, Colonial Williamsburg reopened June 14 on a limited basis, although visitors may notice modern reality intruding in the form of face masks and Plexiglas barriers. With nearly 2,000 workers, Colonial Williamsburg is one of the Peninsula region’s largest employers, but it was especially hard hit by the cor[...]
A session to remember
In the six weeks between the Virginia General Assembly’s March 12 adjournment and its April 22 veto session, the world changed. The dramatic societal shifts brought on by the coronavirus pandemic were on display during the historic, surreal April meeting, in which the lawmakers gathered at unusual locations — the Senate at t[...]