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Regional TIDs generate tourism marketing bucks
Tourism improvement districts are new to Virginia, but they’ve been in place elsewhere for two decades. Designated areas that raise funds for tourism marketing through hotel assessments, TIDs were passed by the Virginia General Assembly in 2021, and a Richmond-area TID is expected to launch this year. “There are more than 200 TIDs already in […]
Port of Virginia
The Port of Virginia again set a cargo record in fiscal year 2022, handling 3.7 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) and surpassing its 2021 record by 14.7%. The six-terminal port, which includes facilities in Hampton Roads, Richmond and Front Royal, also continued with its project to widen and deepen its channels to at least 55 […]
Electric avenue
Electric trucks still have some shortcomings — including difficulties covering long distances, and the fact that it’s taken manufacturers as long as five years to deliver on some vehicle orders — but Virginia trucking companies are nonetheless forging ahead. For instance, in addition to its 22 diesel trucks, Camrett Lo[...]
The ‘wrong inventory’
During the pandemic, consumers wanted things to make them feel comfortable at home — whether it was sweatpants, home décor or the latest fuzzy blanket. But as many workplaces have transitioned to hybrid or in-office work models and people are back to socializing outside the home, products that were over-ordered by companies d[...]
Choppy waters for ocean shipping
What a difference a year makes. In March 2022, ocean freight rates were at record highs, with capacity straining under the weight of historic U.S. import demand. High inventories and economic uncertainty prompted importers to pull back over the summer months, and volumes slowed. A spectacular rate collapse in the ocean freight m[...]
A gust of new jobs
Twenty-seven miles as the seagull flies off the coast of Virginia Beach, two wind turbines, each about 600 feet tall — taller than the Washington Monument — have the ability to generate 12 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 3,000 homes. In three years, 174 more wind turbines will join them with more than 200 […[...]
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 hea[...]
Going greener
The Port of Virginia is preparing for a greener future that includes less reliance on fossil fuels. It’s doing this by expanding its access to cleaner energy such as solar power; replacing older, diesel-fueled equipment with hybrid and all-electric alternatives; and supporting the region’s burgeoning offshore wind in[...]
On cloud nine
In 2007 — the same year that Apple unveiled the iPhone and Netflix introduced the idea of “streaming” movies — Buddy Rizer started aggressively targeting an industry that many of the people he worked for in Loudoun County didn’t yet fully comprehend. “It was not an easy story to tell at first,” Rizer recalls of[...]
Farmer Focus hatches $17.8 million expansion
Harrisonburg-based Farmer Focus is undertaking a $17.8 million expansion to boost capacity at its 78,000-square foot processing facility on Acorn Drive. The organic poultry producer, which marked its ninth anniversary in March, announced in February that it was the recipient of a $3.6 million grant from the United States Departm[...]
Old Town Business league to upgrade or dissolve
Carla Clarke credits Old Town Business (OTB) league with arranging events that bring new faces into Today’s Cargo, the jewelry and gift shop she co-owns on Alexandria’s King Street. “It’s bringing new people through your door,” says Clarke. The 40-year-old nonprofit business league champions Old Town’[...]
