Visit Alexandria appoints next president and CEO
A veteran tourism marketing executive from California, Todd O’Leary, will be Visit Alexandria’s new president and CEO, effective July 8, the tourism marketing organization announced Monday. Visit Alexandria’s board of governors has appointed O’Leary to succeed Patricia Washington, who announced her plans to retire in Dec[...]
Both sides of Va. recreational cannabis debate tout improved health and safety
RICHMOND — Three years, four sessions and one veto since the first legislative attempt, Virginia still does not have a recreational cannabis market. Potential investors say that makes it hard to plan for the future. Advocates and some politicians say the reasons the governor gave for his recent veto are only exacerbated by pre[...]
Fredericksburg warehouse leased by food bank sells for $2.9M
A warehouse leased by the Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank has sold for nearly $3 million. Nellis, a Maryland-based private investment company, purchased the 24,000-square-foot industrial warehouse on 2.89 acres from Fredericksburg-based entity MDC 480 Central for $2.925 million, according to an April 25 news release from Cushm[...]
U.Va. opens School of Data Science building
Billed as a “school without walls,” the University of Virginia’s School of Data Science officially inaugurated its first dedicated academic building Friday, five years after the school started. “I was a little surprised and somewhat disappointed, if I’m being honest, when I came here yesterday for a[...]
Google investing $1B in Va. data center campuses
Google is investing $1 billion in expanding its Virginia data center campuses this year and is launching a $75 million Google.org AI Opportunity Fund, one of Google’s top executives and Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Friday at Google’s Reston office. “Today is a great day. We’ve got a $1 billion investment in the [...]
Wilbanks Smith and Thomas acquired
Norfolk-based Wilbanks Smith and Thomas Asset Management has been acquired by Cleveland-based registered investment adviser Clearstead Advisors. The companies signed the merger in February 2024. Financial terms of the acquisition, which closed April 1, were not disclosed. Clearstead rebranded WST’s advisory business as Clearst[...]
Artist housing developer considers Roanoke for first Va. project
Roanoke developer Ed Walker first tried to lure Artspace, a Minnesota-based nonprofit real estate developer for the arts, to Roanoke in the early 2000s when he was transforming a former 1925 cotton textile mill into downtown living spaces. Artspace essentially ghosted him back then. “It’s very, very, very, very dif[...]
Metro passes $4.8B budget for FY25
Metro’s board of directors on Thursday passed a $4.8 billion capital and operations budget for fiscal year 2025, which avoids massive service cuts, although fares will increase by 12.5% beginning July 1. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, which oversees the Metrorail and Metrobus public transportation syst[...]
Leidos promotes chief information officer
Alexandra Guenther became Leidos’ chief information officer March 11, according to a spokesperson for the Reston-based Fortune 500 federal contractor. Guenther previously worked as program vice president for the civil operation of the Antarctic support contract at Leidos, where she led a cross-functional team of more tha[...]
Fahrenheit Advisors announces new COO
Richmond-based consulting firm Fahrenheit Advisors has added Kris Cravey to its executive ranks. Cravey, formerly chief people officer at Virginia Beach-based DroneUp, will be chief operating officer at Fahrenheit Advisors, the company announced Tuesday. In his new role, he will take primary responsibility for overseeing the exe[...]
Guidehouse lands $12B ICBM support contract
McLean-based consultancy Guidehouse has won a contract valued up to $12 billion for systems engineering supporting the Air Force’s intercontinental ballistic missiles fleet, although the initial contract awardee has filed a protest. The single-award contract, announced Feb. 28 by the Defense Department and April 15 by Guidehou[...]
VIPC taps Benevento as permanent president and CEO
Joe Benevento will remain as the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corp.’s president and CEO permanently after serving in the role on an interim basis since September 2023, VIPC announced Wednesday. Benevento took over as interim CEO when Bob Stolle announced he was stepping down. A not-for-profit corporation created in 1985 by the General Assembly as an […]