World’s first commercial fusion power plant planned for Chesterfield
Commonwealth Fusion Systems, a Massachusetts-based fusion energy company, plans to build the world’s first grid-scale commercial fusion power plant in Chesterfield County, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Tuesday. “It’s a nearly $3 billion capital investment, paying taxes, and it’s a bunch of really high-tec[...]
Richmond’s Movieland at Boulevard Square to undergo $5M glow-up
Movieland at Boulevard Square, the city of Richmond’s only first-run movie theater, is undergoing approximately $5 million in renovations and upgrades. The project, which began in October and is expected to be completed in spring 2025, represents “the most extensive enhancements to the theater since it opened in 2009,” acc[...]
Developer plans $3B data center in Appomattox County
A Connecticut developer plans to build a $3 billion data center on a 452-acre site in Appomattox County. AVAIO Digital Partners announced Tuesday it had signed an agreement with the Appomattox County Economic Development Authority to purchase the industrial site. “This project in Appomattox County exemplifies our strategy of e[...]
U.Va. Darden School dean reappointed to third term
Scott C. Beardsley, dean of the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, has been reappointed to his third term as dean, which starts Aug. 1, 2025, and extends through August 2029, U.Va. announced Wednesday. Named dean in 2015, Beardsley is now the university’s longest serving current dean and has raised m[...]
Dominion Energy COO Diane Leopold to retire after nearly three decades
Dominion Energy Chief Operating Officer Diane Leopold plans to retire from the Fortune 500 utility this summer after working for nearly four decades in the industry. Leopold, who will remain as COO and executive vice president until she steps down on June 1, 2025, oversees major construction projects such as Dominion’s $9.[...]
Aiming for the fences
When renters tour the new Novel apartment building in Richmond’s Scott’s Addition neighborhood, one fifth-floor vantage point has particular appeal. The windows on the building’s east side look across Arthur Ashe Boulevard onto the site where the Richmond Flying Squirrels’ new baseball stadium, CarMax Park, is expected t[...]
Powhatan green-lights $2.7B data center campus
Although some Virginia counties are backing away from hosting more data centers, Powhatan County supervisors voted 3-2 in October to approve an estimated $2.7 billion data center campus. The project will be on 119.9 acres partly bordering Chesterfield County, and supervisors OKed rezoning and a conditional use permit, rejecting [...]
Engineering without boundaries
The surging demand for energy. The country’s aging, overwhelmed electrical grid. Threats of cyberattacks. The explosion of interest in — and confusion about — artificial intelligence. These real-life problems don’t know boundaries. Neither should the search for solutions, says Azim Eskandarian, dean of Virginia Commonwea[...]
For the Record: December 2024
CENTRAL Richmond-based international foam producer Carpenter acquired omnichannel bedding brand Casper Sleep for an undisclosed amount, it announced Oct. 29. Under the agreement, Casper will operate as a subsidiary of Carpenter. The deal marks the third acquisition Carpenter has made in the past 16 months. In November 2023, Carpenter acquired North Carolina-based NCFI Polyurethanes. That […][...]
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[...]
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[...]
Owens & Minor sues Anthem, accusing insurer of mishandling claims
Mechanicsville-based Fortune 500 health care logistics and supply company Owens & Minor filed a federal lawsuit against Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield this week, claiming that the Henrico County insurer mismanaged funds for Owens & Minor’s employee health insurance plan and allegedly violated the Employee Retire[...]