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Digging deep
The Port of Virginia’s aim to become the deepest port on the East Coast continues apace, even during the COVID-19 outbreak. The $350 million project to dredge the Norfolk Harbor started more than two years early in December 2019. Meanwhile, the Virginia International Gateway (VIG) in Portsmouth and the Norfolk Internationa[...]
Women on board
In early March, 18 women gathered for the first week of a pre-apprenticeship program designed to catapult them into in-demand careers in the ship repair industry. Run by the Hampton Roads Workforce Council, the 12-week, intensive Women in Skilled Careers (WISC) program offers training tracks in welding, marine coating, marine el[...]
A shining light
Welcome to the 2020 Virginia Maritime Guide! This annual publication is distributed to business readers statewide. It highlights the important contributions made by the maritime, distribution center and logistics industries to the economy of Virginia. It also serves as a valuable resource, including information on the companies [...]
On deck
There’s massive work underway in the Hampton Roads maritime industry, with much more on the horizon. The region is hiring, big-time. But are there enough qualified candidates to fill the jobs? Regional leaders want to get ahead of the question, they say, considering the window of opportunity and what’s at stake for t[...]
Smoother flow
Just a year and a half ago, it wasn’t uncommon for a truck at the Virginia International Gateway to spend two to four hours waiting to pick up and drop off cargo. The Port of Virginia would open the gate at 1 a.m. and wouldn’t close until 10 p.m. “It wasn’t a sustainable system,” says […]
Newport News Shipbuilding moving from three to two shifts
Newport News Shipbuilding is moving from three shifts to two shifts beginning Monday, with a three-hour period in between to allow cleaning of high-touch surfaces, President Jennifer Boykin announced Thursday during a virtual news conference. As another response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the company will also begin taking the te[...]
Amazon to build two operations facilities in Hampton Roads, create 1,500 jobs
Amazon.com Inc. will build two operations facilities in Hampton Roads, creating an expected 1,500 jobs, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday. Both facilities are anticipated to open in 2021. The first facility is a multi-story robotics fulfillment center in Suffolk, which will create 1,000 jobs. The second is a 650,000-square-foot processing center in Chesapeake, which will […]
Eggs in several baskets
Southern Virginia ended 2019 with some of the largest investments the region has seen in recent years and strong economic momentum — a far cry from 15 to 20 years ago when the area experienced downfalls in employment and capital investment after the textiles industry moved operations outside the country. Last July, the positiv[...]
Port of call
Hampton Roads’ deep-water port continued to be a dominant factor in attracting companies to the region in 2019, especially cold storage and warehousing and logistics firms. “As we try to bring industry into this area, the port is a significant driver of our economic development,” says Doug Smith, president and CEO of t[...]
$49M recycled pulp facility coming to Chesapeake
Oregon-based Total Fiber Recovery LLC will invest $49 million to establish its first pulp recycling facility in Chesapeake, creating 68 jobs, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday. The Chesapeake facility is set to begin operations in 2021 and annually process 300,000 tons of mixed paper and recycled fiber from materials recovery facilities in the region. The […]
“Port host communities” receive revitalization funds
The General Assembly allocated $1 million in grants to redevelop port-related properties in Virginia’s “port host communities,” including Newport News, Norfolk and Portsmouth, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday. The goal of the funding is to enable timely redevelopment of port structures for economic development and employment growth, according to the Department of Housing and Community […][...]
Maritime Association turns 100, eyes expansion
In the Virginia Maritime Association’s 100th year, Ashley McLeod has a wish for inland businesses to recognize the impact of the Port of Virginia on the entire state. “One in 10 jobs in Virginia is related to maritime supply chains,” says McLeod, the association’s vice president for communications and marketing. [...]
