Sweet valley high
For Paul Mahoney, chair of the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors, the past year has stood out for bringing an “explosion of development” to the county. Home improvement retailer Lowe’s Cos. Inc. opened a new distribution center. North American Specialty Laminations LLC established a mid-Atlantic production facility. And [...]
Moving in
Southern Virginia is laying out the welcome mat for a growing number of companies seeking to locate in areas with lower taxes, better proximity to supply chains, a skilled workforce and improved quality of life. During 2022, a variety of businesses, ranging from an automotive education and entertainment firm to a moving and tr[...]
Defense and defensibility
When it comes to tech and government contractors, Northern Virginia’s national profile continued to rise in 2022. Arlington County, where Amazon.com Inc.’s multibillion-dollar HQ2 is continuing to take shape in National Landing, made headlines around the globe in spring 2022. Fortune 500 companies Boeing Co. and Raytheon Tec[...]
It’s complicated
Going by media coverage alone, you’d be forgiven for thinking that 2021’s Great Resignation turned into “quiet quitting” in 2022, but as always, the national mood is more complicated than any two-word phrase could convey. There are still significant labor shortages in certain sectors — notably health care, education a[...]
Farmer Focus to create 300 jobs with $17.8M expansion
Harrisonburg-based Farmer Focus is planning a $17.8 million expansion that will create 300 jobs and double its processing capacity, the organic poultry producer announced this week. Part of that expansion will be paid for with a $3.6 million grant from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Meat and Poultry Proces[...]
Health care venture to establish manufacturing facility in Norfolk
Princo LLC, a joint venture comprised of health care companies Premier Inc., Vario Labs LLC and Caretrust LLC, will invest up to $23.8 million to establish a health care products manufacturing facility in Norfolk, creating an expected 284 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Tuesday. Princo will initially invest $18.1 million with the potential to invest […]
Lego to hire 500 Chesterfield employees by year’s end
The Lego Group plans to hire approximately 500 people for its $1 billion Chesterfield County manufacturing facility by the end of this year, according to the Danish toymaker’s head of talent operations in the Americas, Karra McCormack. Lego expects to create more than 1,760 jobs over 10 years. The company and Gov. Glenn Youngk[...]
It’s official — Ford plant going to Michigan
Ford Motor Co. announced Monday that it will build an electric vehicle battery plant in Michigan, a $3.5 billion project that Virginia was considered for until Gov. Glenn Youngkin pulled the state out of it late last year. Youngkin’s concern, he said in January, was over the involvement of China-based Contemporary Amperex [...]
ASM Global to develop, run GreenCity arena in Henrico
ASM Global will develop and operate the 17,000-seat arena at Henrico County’s $2.3 billion GreenCity development, county officials announced Monday. Billed as what will be the nation’s greenest arena with net-zero energy impact, the venue is set to be part of a multiuse community with a focus on environmental sustain[...]
Danville pharma startup announces $6.1M expansion
Danville-based pharmaceutical engineering and manufacturing company Engineered BioPharmaceuticals Inc. will invest $6.1 million to expand from a business incubator into its first standalone manufacturing space, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday. The move is expected to create 34 jobs. The company will expand from its current lab space at Dan River Business Development Center — a […]
Report: Air taxis could land Va. $16B in new biz by 2045
Air taxis could generate up to $16 billion in new business in Virginia and carry as many as 66 million passengers by 2045, according to an economic impact study released Tuesday. The report, commissioned by the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corp. and the state commerce and trade secretary, forecasts short, carbon-free flights[...]