Talking turkey: Va. is nation’s sixth largest producer
As we prepare to sit down to a turkey dinner on Thanksgiving, let’s consider where those birds come from and where they’re going. Virginia raises 7.1% of all U.S. turkeys, or 15.5 million turkeys a year, according to a new study by Trace One using U.S. Department of Agriculture data. That’s 429 million pounds o[...]
GDIT wins $330M in Army training support contracts
Falls Church federal contractor General Dynamics Information Technology has won two Army contracts totaling $330 million, the General Dynamics subsidiary announced Tuesday. The Army Contracting Command – Orlando awarded the task orders to GDIT in August as part of the $975 million Mission Training Complex Capabilities Supp[...]
United begins building $16M training center in Fairfax County
United Airlines has started construction on a $16 million inflight training center in Fairfax County, the county’s economic development authority announced Monday. The 20,000-square-foot facility near the airline’s hub at Washington Dulles International Airport, which straddles the Fairfax and Loudoun county lines, is expect[...]
Virginians go for Texan vodka
Virginia is for lovers of vodka distilled from corn in Austin, Texas, apparently. For the seventh straight year, Tito’s Handmade Vodka is Virginia’s most popular spirit at Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC) stores, according to a Friday announcement. The spirit generated $75 million in sales at Virginia AB[...]
Virginia mail service improves; second Trump push to privatize USPS ‘unlikely’
U.S. Postal Service operations have continued to improve, but a bipartisan coalition of state leaders say more work is needed to get the service to a level Virginians deserve. Virginia was ranked at the bottom for on-time mail delivery in October 2023, at the start of the federal government’s fiscal year. Just over 66% of [&he[...]
Bassett Furniture reduces workforce by 40
Bassett Furniture has announced a series of layoffs and retirements in a bid to better match its cost structure to the current rate of business, the home furniture manufacturer and retailer said in a news release Wednesday. This round of reductions, which included layoffs, early retirements and attrition, impacted 40 workers. Si[...]
Glen Allen’s Snagajob is acquired by Boston’s JobGet
JobGet, a Boston-based hourly jobs listings platform, last week announced that it has acquired rival Snagajob in Glen Allen. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, according to Tony Liu, cofounder and CEO of JobGet. Snagajob will operate as a standalone entity within JobGet, creating the United States’ lar[...]
BAE Systems lands $202M in Navy ship repair contracts
Falls Church-based BAE Systems Inc.’s Norfolk Ship Repair unit has received two U.S. Navy contracts worth a combined $202 million for maintenance, modernization and repair of two vessels. The U.S. arm of British defense giant BAE Systems announced the awards Monday. Its shipyard employees and their subcontractors will begin wo[...]
UPDATE: Botanical garden workers vote to unionize
Updated Nov. 22 RICHMOND, Va. – Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden workers voted 37-13 in favor of unionization on Nov. 21. The workers filed for union representation last month amid employee-voiced workplace concerns, which ranged from lack of equipment to safety policies. This is the first group of botanical garden workers to be [...]
Judge rules Youngkin’s RGGI exit was unlawful
A Floyd County Circuit Court judge ruled this week that Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s decision to withdraw Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative was unlawful, but the governor plans to appeal the decision, according to a spokesperson. Judge Randall Lowe ruled that “the only body with the authority to repeal th[...]
AeroVironment to acquire BlueHalo for $4.1B
AeroVironment, an Arlington County defense contractor, announced this week it will purchase aerospace and defense tech firm BlueHalo for approximately $4.1 billion in an all-stock transaction. Also based in Arlington, BlueHalo is owned by private equity firm Arlington Capital Partners and works in space technologies, counter-unc[...]
Armada Hoffler’s next CEO to assume role Jan. 1
Shawn Tibbetts, Armada Hoffler Properties’ president, chief operating officer and CEO designate, will become CEO on Jan. 1, 2025, earlier than previously announced. The Virginia Beach-based real estate investment trust announced in February that it expected to name Tibbetts as CEO in spring 2025, upon current CEO Louis Haddad�[...]