Va. unemployment claims down slightly last week
Virginia saw a small decrease in initial claims for the filing week ending July 3, with 6,825 people making new jobless claims, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. Continued claims also went down, totaling 37,790 last week, down by 2,435 from the previous week. Initial claims declined by 1,371 last week compare[...]
Huntington Ingalls Industries to acquire Alion in $1.65B deal
Newport News-based Fortune 500 military shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries will acquire McLean-based defense contractor Alion Science and Technology Corp. from Veritas Capital in a $1.65 billion, all-cash deal, HII announced in a news release Tuesday. The deal is expected to close by the end of this year, with Alion becom[...]
Federal approval process starts for Va. Beach wind farm
Friday will mark an important milestone for Dominion Energy Inc.’s wind energy plans, as the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management begins its two-year permitting and environmental review of the 2.6-gigawatt Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project. That’s the next step before construction begins in 2024, Dominion s[...]
Leidos sees leadership changes, effective Monday
The Reston-based Fortune 500 government contractor Leidos announced a leadership shuffle Thursday, with the following changes effective July 5. Paul Engola, the company’s chief human resources officer, will be promoted to be executive vice president of the company’s national security space department. He previously served as deputy group president for Leidos’ former defense and intelligence […][...]
JMU entrepreneurship center hires new director
James Madison University announced Thursday that Suzanne Bergmeister has been named the next executive director of its Gilliam Center for Entrepreneurship. She comes from the University of Louisville’s Forcht Center for Entrepreneurship in Kentucky, where she has been the full-time entrepreneur in residence for the past 15[...]
Va. sports bettors lay down $1B since Jan. legalization
Virginians have bet more than $1 billion on sports since it became legal in January, Virginia Lottery announced Thursday. The state was the fastest in the nation to reach that milestone, noted PlayVirginia, which tracks the gaming market. In May, the state reaped $226.9 million in sports-betting gross revenue, and bettors won a [...]
Va. new jobless claims up, while continued claims decline
Virginia’s new unemployment claims rose to 8,196 in the filing week ending June 26, but continued claims decreased, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. Last week saw an increase of 1,291 initial jobless claims from the previous week, while continued claims totaled 40,225, a decrease of 2,653 claims from [...]
Commercial truck, van floor manufacturer to build $12.8M plant in Patrick County
Prolam LLC, a Canadian manufacturer of hardwood floors for commercial trucks and dry van trailers, will invest $12.8 million to establish its first U.S. manufacturing plant at the former Ten Oaks satellite facility in Patrick County, creating 58 jobs, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Wednesday. The facility will increase Prolam’s manufacturing capacity by 50%, and […]
Nestlé Purina PetCare to undertake $182M expansion in King William
St. Louis-based Nestlé Purina PetCare Co. will invest $182 million to expand its pet care products manufacturing facility in King William County, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Wednesday. The factory expansion, which is scheduled to be completed by late 2023, will include a 138,000-square-foot buildout to increase manufacturing capacity for the company’s Tidy Cat litter […]
The real world
In spring 2020, University of Virginia officials were left scrambling as thousands of students lost summer internships overnight due to the then-burgeoning COVID-19 pandemic. Those precious 10- to 12-week gigs, during which students lay the groundwork for their post-college careers, were suddenly gone. “We said, ‘We can’[...]
Weathering the storm
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Angelic Jenkins was working toward opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant serving updated versions of the soul food staples she grew up with. On weekends, Jenkins and her husband catered parties and drove the Angelic’s Kitchen food truck they bought in 2018 to festivals around Virginia. And on week[...]
Timber exporter building $1.1M facility in Suffolk
Kristi Corp. a global supplier of industrial raw materials for aluminum and steel metallurgical industries, will build a $1.1 million log load and fumigation facility in Suffolk, creating 10 jobs, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday. The company will source 100% of its exports from Virginia logging companies. Virginia competed with North Carolina and Pennsylvania […]