Flying high
Norfolk International Airport is on track to have the best year since its 1938 opening. In June, the airport reported a 7.5% increase in passenger activity, with 431,637 passengers — up from last June’s figure of 401,517, marking the largest number of June passengers in the airport’s history. During the first six months of[...]
An overview of Hampton Roads
With a population of 1.79 million people in 17 localities, Hampton Roads is the second most populated region of Virginia, just behind Northern Virginia. Virginia Beach, with approximately 457,000 residents, is the commonwealth’s biggest city by population, and neighboring Norfolk has the highest density in the region, with 4,4[...]
Space race
Leaders of a regional engineering firm figured finding office space in the Town Center of Virginia Beach would be a breeze. Newspapers were reporting that demand for offices was down nationally. But that isn’t the case in the Hampton Roads area, where the office vacancy rate was 8.1% for the first quarter of 2023, according [&[...]
A rising tide
The Port of Virginia continues to drive commercial real estate activity in Hampton Roads as shipping and logistics companies seek footholds. The region’s office vacancy rate rose this year — from 8.1% at the end of the first quarter to 8.4% at the end of the second quarter — but is “relatively healthy compared to […]
Youngkin’s 2024 tightrope walk depends on Va. elections
The individual with the most to gain from this fall’s General Assembly elections isn’t even on the ballot. Gov. Glenn Youngkin is nearly midway through his term-limited governorship, and pretty much from day one, politicos have speculated he’s after a bigger prize: the U.S. presidency. The governor hasn’t entered the 202[...]
Executive insights
Virginia Business asked six Hampton Roads leaders to discuss how their organizations are contributing to the region’s success and meeting challenges such as workforce recruitment and inflation. DAWN GLYNN President and chief experience officer, Corporate Services Group, TowneBank, Suffolk How are your customers responding to i[...]
Gazing into the future
The waterways and shorelines that make up Hampton Roads harbor a historic reputation as ideal hosts for commerce, trade, shipbuilding, military installations and government research. Its beaches and historical sites attract millions of visitors, and the region is home to farms, businesses and universities. We know the past and p[...]
VTCSOM seeks to create neurosurgery department
Administrators at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine are working toward establishing a department of neurosurgery, a step up from its smaller program. The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) received the school’s proposal for creating the new department in early August and could vote on it as soon[...]
Making bank
Suffolk-based TowneBank continued to lead Hampton Roads with the largest market share in fiscal 2022, 25.67%, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.’s June 30, 2022, report. However, that figure declined from fiscal 2021, when the bank held a 27.49% market share. Meanwhile, Charlotte, North Carolina-based Truist Bank is threatening to close in on that […]
Propelling forward
A massive building is rising on the northernmost point of Newport News Shipbuilding on the James River, physical evidence of the shipyard’s ambitious plan to build the Navy’s next generation of Virginia-class submarines as well as components for a dozen Columbia-class boats. Not as visible, but just as important as the new M[...]
Battlefield Virginia
It’s a nerve-wracking time this fall for a small group of campaign managers, with the balance of power in the General Assembly coming down to a handful of close political races. In House District 97, freshman Republican Del. Karen Greenhalgh is defending her Virginia Beach-centered seat against Michael Feggans, a Democrat who [...]
Monogram Foods expands Henry County footprint
Responding to demand for more jerky and meat sticks, the Monogram Foods plant in Henry County has a $65 million expansion underway. Memphis-based Monogram Foods’ decision to expand the operation also factored in existing infrastructure and production expertise, says Scott Mills, executive vice president and snacking division p[...]