Torc to acquire Canadian computer vision firm
Blacksburg-based Torc Robotics on Tuesday announced it will acquire Montreal-based computer vision company Algolux Inc. A purchase price was not disclosed. Torc, a self-driving truck company, is an independent subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG. Torc said in a news release that it is acquiring Algolux for its expertise in computer vision and machine learning. Algolux […]
Norfolk tech startup plans $1M expansion
Norfolk-based digital magazine startup Magazine Jukebox Inc. (MJB) will invest $1 million to expand, moving from a coworking space into an office, and will create an estimated 20 jobs. Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced the expansion Tuesday. “We are proud that Magazine Jukebox, an emerging leader in the technology services sector,[...]
Civilian life
Paul Valentine is on a winding career path. After leaving the Army more than a decade ago, he got his commercial driver’s license at Blue Ridge Community College in Weyers Cave. He was taking classes to try to get an engineering degree as well but quit to take full-time work at trucking companies after his […]
Chambers of commerce
STATEWIDE Asian American Chamber of Commerce | Tysons | (571) 633-9754 asian-americanchamber.org Virginia Asian Chamber of Commerce | Ashland | (804) 344-1540 aabac.org Virginia Chamber of Commerce | Richmond | (804) 644-1607 vachamber.com Virginia Hispanic Chamber | North Chesterfield | (804) 378-4099 vahcc.com CENTRAL VIRGINIA Altavista Area Chamber of Commerce | Altavista | (434) 369-6665 […][...]
Crying wolf?
It’s “the most predicted potential recession in memory,” Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President and CEO Tom Barkin quipped in January, but it hasn’t happened yet. Maybe. During the first half of 2022, surveys of consumers and CEOs showed they were worried about a recession coming on the heels of a 40-year peak in inf[...]
Virginia hold ’em
The slot machines are already ringing out in Bristol and Portsmouth, where Virginia’s first commercial casinos opened during the past year. The state’s first permanent casino, Rivers Casino Portsmouth, opened its doors on Jan. 23. Operated by Chicago-based Rush Street Gaming, the resort has 1,148 slot machines, 57 table game[...]
Compound growth
As U.S. stocks hit bear market territory last year, Virginia’s largest publicly traded companies weathered rising interest rates, inflation and continued supply chain and labor challenges. Rising home mortgage rates drove a slowdown in new business at McLean-based Freddie Mac. Plunging prices for used cars caused Goochland Cou[...]
The big freeze
Given pandemic-caused interruptions, college students have been through a lot so far this decade, but one silver lining at many Virginia schools has been frozen tuition. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin made it a priority to keep costs flat this academic year, and he succeeded in getting all 15 of the state’s public colleges and u[...]
Surgical precision
Like many other businesses, health care systems are constantly consolidating and forging partnerships to create synergy. In 2022, one of Virginia’s longest awaited agreements finally crystallized: a merger between Eastern Virginia Medical School and Old Dominion University. The creation of Eastern Virginia Health Sciences Cent[...]
Paying it forward
In the last year, Virginia philanthropists continued making generous donations toward health care research, while others maintained their longstanding support of art museums. Leading the pack were two nine-figure donations for medical research. In February 2022, Dr. Todd Stravitz, who built his expertise researching and treating[...]
A sampling of Virginia’s major road projects
HAMPTON ROADS Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Expansion Project Work continues on Virginia’s largest highway construction project, the $3.9 billion Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT) expansion. The contract ends in November 2025, but the contractor — Hampton Roads Connector Partners, a joint venture led by Dragados USA Inc. — [...]
Ready for launch
Virginia’s version of the business accelerator doesn’t always rely on the traditional model of sponsorship by angel investors who provide capital for startups, usually in exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity. Here in the commonwealth, “it’s more founder-focused,” and accelerators are often run by nonprofit[...]