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The soybean dilemma
One thing’s for certain: The one-two punch of the U.S.-China tariffs battle followed by the coronavirus pandemic has hurt farmers in Virginia. But opinions are divided on the future of agriculture and forestry in the commonwealth, and which presidential candidate has better policies to protect jobs and profits here. On the[...]
Hampton Roads State of the Region report offers sobering look at COVID-19 impacts
Old Dominion University’s Dragas Center for Economic Analysis & Policy’s 2020 State of the Region report for Hampton Roads offers a sobering look at how the pandemic has harmed the regional economy and left tens of thousands of Hampton Roads residents jobless. Employment in Hampton Roads fell dramatically, hotel occupancy continues to be outpaced by […]
Executive Insights
David C. White Executive vice president, Virginia Maritime Association What do you consider the most pressing issue facing the Hampton Roads region? The maritime industry is in the best position to drive the economic growth and job creation for the region. Capacity at the container terminals has been increased to move an additional 1 million […]
No rest for defense
Some of the biggest economic news in Hampton Roads over the past year has come from Department of Defense projects. The top headline belongs to a pair of massive Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) contracts. In November 2019, Reston-based General Dynamics Corp. won the largest Navy contract ever awarded, $22.2 billion, to produc[...]
12 Va. companies join VEDP’s export trade program
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) announced Wednesday that 12 companies were accepted into its two-year Virginia Leaders in Export Trade (VALET) program, which helps companies work on international exporting growth strategies. The VALET program helps Virginia companies to establish domestic operations for exports and encourages using international exporting as a growth strategy. During the […][...]
Sailing for the horizon
Tariff wars and the COVID-19 pandemic delivered a one-two punch to the Port of Virginia, but officials are focusing on the positive as expansions are completed at the port’s two largest terminals, and a dredging project to make Virginia the East Coast’s deepest port is running ahead of schedule. The third-largest Eas[...]
Ship repair company building $64.4M Newport News campus
S23 Holdings LLC, a maritime company focused on ship repair and manufacturing, plans to locate its corporate and industrial campus in Newport News, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday. The company, which includes among its affiliates East Coast Repair and Fabrication (ECR), will invest $64.4 million and is expected to create 332 jobs. ECR already has […]
Port expansion project nears finish line
The Port of Virginia announced Monday that the final group of stacking cranes needed to complete the $375 million crane addition portion of expansions at both the Norfolk International Terminals and Virginia International Gateway arrived May 14. The offloading process began the next day, Friday, May 15, and continued through the[...]
Virginia Port Authority CEO retiring next March
John F. Reinhart, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority, which oversees the Port of Virginia, announced at a board meeting Tuesday that he plans to retire in March 2021. “A lot of thought went into this decision, but when I consider the growth and maturity of this organization and the level of […]
Viral load
Like a canary in a coal mine, the Port of Virginia felt the impact of COVID-19 well before others in Virginia started to feel it. In February, the port saw a 9% drop in cargo compared with February 2019, a decrease attributed in part to the outbreak’s origins in China. In 2018, China was the […]
Executive profiles
We asked leaders in Virginia’s maritime and logistics industry for their thoughts on the Port of Virginia expansion and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on shipping. Click to expand photos. Interviews follow. VB: How will the Port of Virginia expansion impact Virginia’s economy? Adams: The Central Chapter encompasses the area around Richmond and is […]
In the big leagues
Virginia is strengthening its claim as a leading port on the East Coast. The Port of Virginia is midway through a $700 million project to expand its two largest terminals, which will allow the port to handle an additional 1 million container units per year. The $320 million expansion of Virginia International Gateway in [&h[...]
