Toronto acquisition firm buys Richmond software company
Volaris Group, a Toronto-based buyer and operator of vertical market software companies, announced last week it has acquired Richmond-based educational software company SoftChalk LLC. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Using the SoftChalk platform, instructors can develop custom course materials and interactive content, including quizzes and annotated text. “The team at Volaris shares […][...]
Seven Va. exporters graduate from VALET program
Gov. Ralph Northam announced on Friday the list of the latest seven companies to graduate from the Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s (VEDP) Virginia Leaders in Export Trade (VALET) program. More than 300 companies have now graduated from the a two-year international business acceleration program that assists participating Virginia exporters with international sales plan development services, […][...]
Hourigan names new health care division director
Richmond-based commercial construction and development company Hourigan announced Friday that it has named Brian Brown as director of its health care division. Brown brings more than 26 years of experience to the role, including 16 years at Hourigan. At Hourigan, Brown has been instrumental in delivering projects ranging from me[...]
Va. bank is first to allow customers to buy, redeem bitcoin at ATMs
With cryptocurrency use on the rise, customers of Charlottesville-based Blue Ridge Bankshares Inc., the parent holding company of Blue Ridge Bank, will now be able to purchase and redeem bitcoin at its ATMs, making them the nation’s first commercial bank to do so, the company announced Wednesday. Blue Ridge Bank cardholde[...]
Chase sues Virginia GOP to halt nominating convention
Claiming that the Republican Party of Virginia has “held the process hostage,” state Sen. Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield, a GOP gubernatorial hopeful, has filed suit against the state GOP over its decision to hold a convention in May instead of a primary to select its 2021 candidates for governor, lieutenant governor a[...]
Texas education, training content developer will relocate HQ to Richmond
Education and training content developer Vytal Studios will invest $6.8 million to move its corporate headquarters from Austin, Texas, to Richmond, creating 155 jobs, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday. The company will renovate the facility at 1802 Semmes Ave. to include studio space for filming content and office space for development and post-production functions. “With […]
Altria donates $3M to Better Housing Coalition
The Richmond-based nonprofit Better Housing Coalition (BHC) announced Monday it has received the largest corporate gift in its 33-year history — a $3 million gift from Henrico County-based Fortune 500 tobacco product manufacturer Altria Group Inc. BHC plans to use the donation to develop more affordable housing in the greater Richmond region. It will also […]
Richmond City Council to consider $325M VCU Health tower
Richmond City Council will consider the $325 million sale and redevelopment of the city’s Public Safety Building into a VCU Health medical office tower. The project is proposed by Capital City Partners LLC, a joint venture from two developers who were involved in the failed Navy Hill project. Mayor Levar Stoney announced M[...]
Wells Fargo makes $1.5M donation for small business loans
Wells Fargo & Co., Virginia’s third-largest bank by 2019 deposits, announced Thursday it has donated $1.5 million to Richmond-based nonprofit Virginia Community Capital (VCC) to help local minority and/or woman-owned small businesses stay open and save jobs amid the pandemic. During the next two years, the VCC will disburse $1 million of the funding in […]
10 Va. companies make world’s most admired list
Of 332 companies ranked by Fortune magazine as the “World’s Most Admired Companies,” 10 Virginia companies made the list, according to rankings released Friday. The list is compiled from the Fortune 500 and Fortune Global 500 lists, which rank companies based on revenue. The World’s Most Admired Companies list ranks companies based on corporate reputation. […]
Why the Richmond Fed has zero Black Ph.D. economists
The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond is one of only five Fed banks that employs zero Black Ph.D. economists, according to a New York Times report this week. Of the 12 Federal Reserve banks, seven employ only one or two Black Ph.D. economists, which Fed officials blame on lack of Black talent in the economics […]
New drug cocktail appears to block COVID among people exposed to virus
The University of Virginia Health System is testing an antibody cocktail that so far has blocked 100% of symptomatic COVID-19 cases among people who were exposed to the coronavirus, U.Va. Health announced this week. New York-based Regeneron Pharmaceuticals produces the treatment, which is being tested at several facilities, and also has proven to be effective […]