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Small yet mighty
Way back when, Roanoke was a train city — the headquarters for Norfolk and Western Railway and a late-1800s hub for the Shenandoah Valley Railroad. The scenic mountain community, however, has grown into a bustling region with a variety of successful industries, including one standout: health care. With the formation of Virgini[...]
The ol’ college try
Snacks and energy drinks are often the fuel for young entrepreneurs burning the midnight oil while perfecting their pitches and products. But for some University of Richmond students, snacks and energy drinks are their products. Grace Mittl, a 2022 UR graduate, is co-founder and CEO of Absurd Snacks, a food allergy-friendly trai[...]
VCU names new engineering dean
Azim Eskandarian, a Virginia Tech mechanical engineering professor and department head, has been named the next dean of the Virginia Commonwealth University College of Engineering, VCU announced Tuesday. Eskandarian, whose appointment takes effect Aug. 1, will also serve as the William H. Goodwin Jr. Endowed Chair of the enginee[...]
SCHEV director to step down
Peter Blake, the long-time director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), will step down by the end of the year, SCHEV announced Thursday. Blake has been director of SCHEV since 2012. The state higher education agency makes policy recommendations and approves new degree programs and schools within univer[...]
CoStar makes $18M pledge to VCU for arts building
CoStar Group, the Washington, D.C.-based real estate data analytics company with a large presence in Richmond, has committed to give $18 million to Virginia Commonwealth University to build an arts and innovation academic building in Richmond, the company announced Friday. The building, which will tentatively be named the CoStar[...]
NSU receives $1M donation for chair endowment
Retired Dominion Enterprises Inc. President and CEO Conrad M. Hall has donated $1 million to Norfolk State University, the university announced Friday. The gift from Hall, who serves on NSU’s board of visitors, will support the creation of an endowed chair, the Conrad M. Hall Endowed Chair in Constitutional and U.S. History, i[...]
VCU Health paid $72.9M to back out of development
VCU Health paid nearly $73 million to back out of a $325 million development deal earlier this year, according to Dr. Marlon Levy, CEO of the health system and Virginia Commonwealth University’s interim senior vice president for health sciences. The project, known as the Clay Street Project, included plans for a medical [...]
GMU biz school receives $50M bequest
George Mason University’s School of Business will be renamed for the late Donald G. Costello, a Loudoun County native and business owner who left the university $50 million in his will, GMU announced last week. The donation is the university’s largest individual gift in its 50-year history. Costello, who died in 2017[...]
Betting on biotech
Virginians have often sought experimental medical treatments outside the state — traveling to North Carolina, Boston or one of the Mayo Clinic’s locations. However, the Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology at the University of Virginia aims to change that. “We intend to tackle the biggest challenges in health [...]
Propulsion system
Madeline Davis has never set foot on a Navy submarine, so she doesn’t get to see the products she makes in action. Davis is a CNC (computer numerical control) machinist at Fairlead Integrated in Portsmouth, where she makes metal parts for the Navy’s silent service. The defense contractor supplies shipboard integrated parts, [...]
May 2023 Top Five
The top five most-read daily news stories on VirginiaBusiness.com from March 14 to April 13 included Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder’s efforts to sell the Ashburn-based NFL team to a group of bidders including Philadelphia 76ers owner Josh Harris and NBA legend Magic Johnson. 1 | Naval operations building in Suffolk sells for $33M Home […]
Port of entry
By all accounts, the Port of Virginia and the overseas shipping industry as a whole are major economic drivers in the commonwealth, with an upward trajectory expected to continue. For fiscal year 2022, the port’s TEU (20-foot equivalent unit) container volume hit a record 3.7 million units, a 14.7% increase from 2021, which ma[...]
