Amazon to partner with 5 Va. schools for employee education
Amazon.com Inc. will partner with more than 140 colleges and universities, including five in Virginia, to provide fully-funded college tuition for its hourly employees, the company announced Thursday. In the Richmond area, Amazon employees will have access to degrees at Virginia Commonwealth University, Reynolds Community Colleg[...]
HII division announces new VP of infrastructure and sustainability
Newport News-based Fortune 500 military shipbuilder HII announced Wednesday that Eric Crooker is the new vice president of infrastructure and sustainability at its Pascagoula, Mississippi-based Ingalls Shipbuilding division. In this role, Crooker will focus on compliance and enterprise risk management along with overseeing env[...]
Fresh Market property in Chesterfield sells for $6.9M
The Fresh Market grocery store property in Chesterfield County near Midlothian has sold for $6.9 million, Colliers announced Monday. The 31,394-square-foot property was acquired from the California-based seller, 1200 Huguenot Road LLC, by California-based 101 North A ST LLC. It is located at the intersection of Midlothian Turnpi[...]
PAE lands $111.7M contract from U.S. Army
PAE Applied Technologies LLC has been awarded a contract worth $111.7 million for the operations, maintenance and repair work at the U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz in Germany, the Department of Defense announced Monday. The contract includes maintenance and repair of installed building equipment, equipment-in-place, minor co[...]
Compounding interest
The Roanoke Valley enjoyed a constant stream of nibbles from prospective corporations considering the area in 2021, according to John Hull, executive director of the Roanoke Regional Partnership, which promotes development in four counties and three cities. “I don’t think we’ve ever been this busy in terms of interest and [...]
Retaining walls
With COVID-19 limiting travel and site visits for companies considering coming to Hampton Roads, economic development officials focused on shoring up existing businesses in 2021. That strategy appears to have paid off, judging by the number of companies expanding throughout the region. “2021 has been a banner year for us,” s[...]
Tilting toward windmills
Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy S.A.’s October 2021 announcement that it will build the nation’s first offshore-wind blade factory at Portsmouth Marine Terminal has put Hampton Roads on a trajectory to become a supply chain hub for the country’s nascent offshore wind energy industry. The Spanish wind turbine company is inv[...]
Signs of promise
A second year of COVID came and went, but 2021 proved more fruitful and less uncertain for businesses in Northern Virginia, where vaccination rates were the highest in the commonwealth. Work on Amazon.com Inc.’s $2.5 billion-plus HQ2 East Coast headquarters in Arlington County is forging ahead, and economic development officia[...]
Finding new solutions
Movers and shakers in Southwest Virginia wanted to try a new approach to economic development. The stakes were (and are) high. Naturally, the decline of the coal industry had a devastating impact on Virginia’s coalfields. The Appalachian Regional Commission classifies four counties in Southwest Virginia — Buchanan, Dickenson[...]
In the big leagues
Central Virginia continues to attract pharmaceutical companies, advanced manufacturing sites and distribution centers, with 2021 seeing several major deals from companies that will bring large footprints to the region. Richmond was the leader in the clubhouse, with the city occupying half of the spots on the region’s list of t[...]
Complicated history
Rochester, New York-based supermarket chain Wegmans Food Markets Inc. is building a $175 million distribution center and regional headquarters near the intersection of Sliding Hill and Ashcake roads in Hanover County. The 1.1 million-square-foot facility is expected to create roughly 700 jobs, making it one of the most significa[...]
Reclaiming glory
Mark Spadoni took on the role of managing director at The Omni Homestead Resort to help restore the iconic hotel, which turns 256 years old this year. “It’s a great responsibility,” he says. “We want to maintain the past but make it relevant to moving forward. The goal is to set it up for the […]