McLean-based Mars Inc. to change Uncle Ben’s rice brand
After weeks of racial inequity protests and the removals of Confederate monuments across the United States, McLean-based global food product manufacturer Mars Inc. announced Wednesday it is “evaluating all possibilities” for changing the branding on its Uncle Ben’s rice products. Uncle Ben’s has been branded with an im[...]
Eastern Mennonite University president to serve second term
Eastern Mennonite University President Susan Schultz Huxman has been appointed to a second five-year term, the Harrisonburg-based private liberal arts university announced Tuesday. Huxman began her first term on Jan. 1, 2017. The university board of trustees unanimously approved the appointment, which will be effective Oct. 1 [...]
Allianz Partners names new CEO
Henrico County-based travel insurance company Allianz Partners announced Wednesday that Elena Edwards has been promoted to CEO of the German company’s United States business unit. The company employs approximately 1,000 people in the Richmond region. She succeeds Michael J. Nelson, who left the company for another travel indus[...]
Va. Economic Developers Assoc. announces award recipients
The Virginia Economic Developers Association (VEDA) announced Tuesday the recipients of its 2020 Community Economic Development Awards (CEDA): the city of Harrisonburg for its Bricks & Clicks Initiative and a regional economic development collaboration among Pittsylvania County, Danville and the Southern Virginia Regional Al[...]
GO Virginia Region 3 names program director
Growth and Opportunity for Virginia’s Region 3 Council announced Tuesday it has named former Orange County Administrator Bryan David as program director for the region, which includes the cities of Danville and Martinsville. In his new role, David will lead the operations of the Region 3 GO Virginia Council in collaboratio[...]
Global law firm opens Tysons office
Atlanta-based global law firm King & Spalding LLP will open its 22nd office in Tysons, the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) announced Tuesday. Founded more than 130 years ago, King & Spalding employs more than 1,100 lawyers across 22 offices in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. T[...]
Northam declares Juneteenth a state holiday
Joined by superstar musician Pharrell Williams and many black elected officials, Gov. Ralph Northam announced that Juneteenth — marking June 19, 1865, when the last group of enslaved Americans were told they were free — will be an annual state holiday in Virginia starting this Friday, June 19. Addressing the COVID-19 pandemi[...]
Hilton lays off 2.1K employees, extends furloughs
As hotels continue to struggle during the COVID-19 pandemic, McLean-based Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. announced Tuesday it is laying off 2,100 corporate employees — more than 20% of its corporate workforce. The company is also extending furloughs, reduced hours and corporate pay reductions, which were first announced in March, for up to an extra 90 […]
Richmond Folk Festival canceled this October
The Richmond Folk Festival, which often draws hundreds of thousands of music fans to the capital in the second weekend of October, will be canceled due to COVID-19 this fall, Venture Richmond announced Tuesday. Also canceled is Richmond’s 2nd Street Festival, another cultural food and music event held downtown the first we[...]
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 […]
Accenture Federal Services wins $341M federal contract
Accenture Federal Services (AFS), an Arlington-based subsidiary of Irish Fortune Global 500 company Accenture, announced Monday it has been awarded a $341 million U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) contract to consolidate its business systems and data platform. Under the contract, AFS will move the DOC’s finance, acquisition, property, and enterprise data warehouse into a commercial […]
CIT invests in Alexandria agriculture software company
State government-backed venture fund CIT GAP Funds announced Monday it has invested in Alexandria-based software developer Agrology. An investment amount was not disclosed. Agrology’s software/hardware-as-a-service platform allows farmers to deploy sensors to track environmental factors that could affect crop yields. Its technology also allows farmers to apply optimal amounts of fertilizer and irrigation to certain […][...]