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Roanoke/New River Year-in-Review: 2024 was about laying groundwork
Not every year can be 2023. That’s the verdict from economic development watchers in a wide stretch of Virginia, ranging from Lynchburg west through Roanoke and Salem to the New River Valley. In 2023, this region experienced a burst of business announcements with a total investment of at least $387 million and expectations of [...]
Shenandoah Valley Big Deal: Dairy producer again expands in Frederick County
Dairy company HP Hood has nearly completed the $83.5 million expansion and upgrade of its Frederick County plant, which will allow it to increase production and meet future customer demand. A new machine to fill and seal milk containers was installed and went into production in December 2024, and a new warehouse and processing r[...]
Northern Va. Big Deal: Digital Gateway lawsuits head to appeals court
When the massive Prince William Digital Gateway data center project was approved by county supervisors in December 2023, the project was hailed by some as an economic boon that could support 30,000 new construction jobs and infuse more than $500 million in annual tax revenue in the next two decades. Others saw the project as [&h[...]
Shenandoah Valley Year-in-Review: Manufacturing, tourism drive region’s growth
The year 2024 turned out to be a surprising but positive one for the Shenandoah Valley region. “We had more activity than anticipated in terms of lead generation and opportunities,” says Jay Langston, executive director of the Shenandoah Valley Partnership. The food and beverage sector remains the region’s main industry, b[...]
Southern Va. Big Deal: Microporous’ mega project
Microporous’ decision to invest $1.35 billion to build a battery component plant in Pittsylvania County is a mega deal not just for the region but for the state. “The company will create over 2,000 jobs in multiple phases and the potential is there for, frankly, additional job creation beyond that,” says Matt Rowe, the cou[...]
Southwest Va. Big Deal: EO hub offers regional workforce development
The workers and managers at Food City in Abingdon can see the future by stepping out and looking to their left toward a former Kmart. The old Kmart has been redeveloped by EO, a nonprofit that spun off from the United Way of Southwest Virginia, into the 87,000-square-foot Regional Workforce and Child Development Hub. Constructio[...]
Central Va. Big Deal: Petersburg voters say ‘yes’ to a $1.4 billion casino
Petersburg voters know when to hold ’em and know when to fold ’em. In November 2024, more than 80% of voters approved a casino referendum, giving the green light to Cordish Cos.’ $1.4 billion Live! Casino & Hotel Virginia, which will be built on an undeveloped, roughly 90-acre site off Interstate 95 in Petersburg. Balt[...]
Eastern Va. Big Deal: Chesapeake’s LS GreenLink plant will have high profile
Soon, the tallest building between Philadelphia and Charlotte, North Carolina, will be located not in an urban center but on the banks of the Elizabeth River in Chesapeake. Groundbreaking is expected to begin as early as March on LS GreenLink USA’s $681 million offshore wind subsea cable manufacturing facility, the first in th[...]
Roanoke/New River Big Deal: Framatome expands for a small modular future
The future is small, modular and very bright, according to Framatome, the nuclear energy company that is one of Lynchburg’s largest employers. A presence in the city since the 1980s, Framatome broke ground in April 2024 on a $49.4 million, multi-year expansion and renovation at its Mill Ridge Road facility, one of the company�[...]
Central Va. Year-in-Review: Region scores in manufacturing, data centers
Central Virginia continued making headway in manufacturing and offices in 2024, as well as seeing increased interest from the data center sector. Growth is still taking place in Northern Virginia, home of Loudoun County’s famous “Data Center Alley,” where 70% of the world’s internet traffic courses, but as companies seek[...]
Southern Va. Year-in-Review: Major projects landed in region
For Danville and Pittsylvania County, 2024 was a monumental year. In November 2024, battery-component manufacturer Microporous broke ground on a $1.3 billion plant at the Southern Virginia Megasite at Berry Hill, where it expects to create 2,015 jobs. The following month in Danville, Caesars Virginia hosted the grand opening of [...]
V2X nabs $100M FBI contract
V2X secured a $100 million, five-year contract to provide aviation maintenance and support services for the FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group, the Reston-headquartered aerospace and defense contractor announced Wednesday. V2X’s role in the contract will be to deliver mission-critical aviation resources, enabling the[...]
