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June 2023: Heard around Virginia
Agricultural biotech startup AgroSpheres will invest $25 million to expand in Albemarle County, creating an estimated 50 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced May 4. The company, founded in 2016 by Payam Pourtaheri and Ameer Shakeel when they were undergraduates at the University of Virginia, will increase production at its facility at 1180 Seminole Trail and […]
Virginia 500 Spotlight: JENNIFER CHRONIS
FIRST JOB: Retail salesperson at The Fashion Factory in Burke HOBBY: Exercise in any form —walking, hiking, biking, swimming PERSON I ADMIRE: Abraham Lincoln, for leading our country through one of its darkest times, ending the Civil War and signing the Emancipation Proclamation WHAT I’VE LEARNED: Stay calm and keep everythi[...]
A severe case
When Staunton native Emma Harrison decided to pursue medicine, her grandfather asked his primary care doctor of several years, Dr. Katie Dunbar, to talk to Harrison about her profession. Harrison, then an undergraduate student at the University of Virginia, met with Dunbar, a physician at Carilion Clinic Family Medicine – Wayn[...]
Under the radar
Considering that four of the world’s five largest defense contractors are headquartered in Northern Virginia and that Hampton Roads is home to the world’s largest naval base, it isn’t surprising that Virginia was ranked the top state in the nation for defense spending in 2021. But what many observers may not know is that q[...]
Rural leadership institute aims to build local capacity
Virginia Rural Center Executive Director Kristie Proctor has long heard that the state’s rural areas were losing population and having difficulty cultivating local community leaders. To address the gap in local leadership, VRC, a Richmond-based nonprofit focused on fostering economic growth in rural areas, last year launched t[...]
Building a hub
Fairwinds Landing LLC is demolishing dilapidated infrastructure, preparing to construct new facilities and signing tenants as it transforms Norfolk Southern Corp.’s Lambert’s Point Docks in Norfolk into Fairwinds Landing, a maritime operations and logistics center supporting Hampton Roads’ offshore wind, defense and transp[...]
New rules
In theory, the Ocean Shipping Reform Act (OSRA) would, among other things, help reduce inflation by adding transparency to container handling fees. In practice, though, it’s not that simple. When President Joe Biden signed OSRA into law in June 2022, he touted it as a weapon against shipping costs that had soared during the pa[...]
Regional TIDs generate tourism marketing bucks
Tourism improvement districts are new to Virginia, but they’ve been in place elsewhere for two decades. Designated areas that raise funds for tourism marketing through hotel assessments, TIDs were passed by the Virginia General Assembly in 2021, and a Richmond-area TID is expected to launch this year. “There are more than 200 TIDs already in […]
Port of Virginia
The Port of Virginia again set a cargo record in fiscal year 2022, handling 3.7 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) and surpassing its 2021 record by 14.7%. The six-terminal port, which includes facilities in Hampton Roads, Richmond and Front Royal, also continued with its project to widen and deepen its channels to at least 55 […]
Out & About May 2023
1. David Evans and his daughter, Averett University freshman Isobel Evans, reunited on the airstrip at Averett’s George J. Falk Flight Center at Danville Regional Airport on March 17 during the Averett Department of Aeronautics’ annual Aviation Day. Photo courtesy Averett. 2. Virginia first lady Suzanne Youngkin and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears presented a lapel […]
