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Followups: Amazon begins work on HQ2 site
In late January, Amazon.com Inc. began clearing the site for the first of its two, 22-story HQ2 East Coast headquarters towers in Arlington, demolishing an old warehouse at Metropolitan Park near Pentagon City. And in related news, the Crystal City Business Improvement District’s board of directors voted on Jan. 23 to ch[...]
Port of call
Hampton Roads’ deep-water port continued to be a dominant factor in attracting companies to the region in 2019, especially cold storage and warehousing and logistics firms. “As we try to bring industry into this area, the port is a significant driver of our economic development,” says Doug Smith, president and CEO of t[...]
The Hail Mary
Football isn’t the only occupation in which a wild, slim-chance pass can deliver a win. Last fall, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and Danville and Pittsylvania County officials launched a Hail Mary economic pitch that landed a $57.89 million expansion project from Michigan-based van manufacturer Morgan Olson[...]
Subsea cable country
The scheduled 2020 arrival in Henrico County of a third connection to ultra-high-speed internet subsea cables should give the Richmond region bragging rights as a destination for data centers. In other words, it makes Central Virginia an alternative to Loudoun County, where 70% of all internet traffic flows but lacks a direct li[...]
Where the action is
In the wake of Amazon.com Inc.’s late 2018 announcement that its $2.5 billion HQ2 East Coast headquarters would locate in Arlington County, there’s been a game of musical chairs taking place among Northern Virginia’s economic development offices. Last July, Victor Hoskins, Arlington’s economic development[...]
The arena of politics
A historic vote on the biggest economic development proposal in the city of Richmond’s history — the potentially transformative $1.5 billion Navy Hill downtown redevelopment plan that would have included the state’s largest entertainment venue — collapsed in mid-February amid sound and fury as seven of Richmond C[...]
A multifaceted strategy
Catching the big one matters, but a lot of little successes can mean a lot, too. In Southwest Virginia, small triumphs have accumulated over the past year, in addition to larger announcements. Last April, Polycap LLC, a Toronto-based manufacturer of specialty caps and closures, announced it would invest $7.7 million in Lebanon[...]
Maximum impact
When President Donald Trump stepped onstage at a General Dynamics Corp.-run factory last spring, an American flag and four M1 Abrams battle tanks served as his backdrop. “God Bless the U.S.A.” by Lee Greenwood played. Employees of the Lima, Ohio, plant chanted, “USA, USA!” and Trump smiled. “Well, you better love me,�[...]
Amazon to open fulfillment center in Prince George County
Seattle-based Amazon.com Inc. — which is building its $2.5 billion HQ2 East Coast headquarters in Arlington — will open a fulfillment center for its AmazonBasics line in Prince George County by the end of the year, creating 150 jobs, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Wednesday. The fulfillment center will open in the former 798[...]
Arlington cybersecurity firm to move headquarters to Stafford County
Arlington-based cybersecurity engineering and consulting firm GRIMM (SMFS Inc.) will invest $435,000 to establish its corporate headquarters in Stafford County, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday. The expansion is expected to create 23 jobs. GRIMM provides products and services including cybersecurity tools, sensors, analytics, frameworks, automated testing and consulting. “Strong cybersecurity defenses are increasingly important[...]
Richmond’s $1.5B Navy Hill project is dead
Richmond City Council on Monday formally killed the $1.5 billion Navy Hill proposal, with seven of nine members voting to strike several elements of the plan from the council’s consent agenda. After the vote, council members passed a resolution that Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney start over with a request for proposals to dev[...]
VCU Health proposes medical complex as part of Navy Hill project
The $1.5 billion Navy Hill project — as proposed — may be killed next Monday by Richmond City Council, but that hasn’t stopped Virginia Commonwealth University and other heavy hitters from making economic development announcements in an effort to salvage the controversial project. VCU Health System announced Tuesday th[...]
