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JMU entrepreneurship center hires new director
James Madison University announced Thursday that Suzanne Bergmeister has been named the next executive director of its Gilliam Center for Entrepreneurship. She comes from the University of Louisville’s Forcht Center for Entrepreneurship in Kentucky, where she has been the full-time entrepreneur in residence for the past 15[...]
Commercial truck, van floor manufacturer to build $12.8M plant in Patrick County
Prolam LLC, a Canadian manufacturer of hardwood floors for commercial trucks and dry van trailers, will invest $12.8 million to establish its first U.S. manufacturing plant at the former Ten Oaks satellite facility in Patrick County, creating 58 jobs, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Wednesday. The facility will increase Prolam’s manufacturing capacity by 50%, and […]
Shenandoah Growers taps ex-Starbucks exec as new CEO
Rockingham County-based indoor agriculture company Shenandoah Growers Inc. has appointed former Starbucks Inc. Chief Marketing Officer Matthew Ryan as the company’s new CEO. And Mike Buckley, former senior vice president of business for Postmates, has been hired as Shenandoah Growers’ chief financial officer, the com[...]
Clouds gathering over big solar farms in Va.?
In recent years, many solar farms have been approved by local governments across the state, but the outlook in some areas isn’t so sunny anymore. In Frederick County, the Board of Supervisors’ rejection of a utility-scale solar project has led to a lawsuit. In April, Hollow Road Solar LLC and property owners National[...]
JULY FOR THE RECORD
Roanoke/New River Valley Appalachian Power in late May issued two requests for proposals to help the company comply with provisions of the Virginia Clean Economy Act. Under the VCEA, Appalachian Power must meet annual interim requirements as it works to achieve 100% carbon-free energy generation in its Virginia service territory by 2050. The utility is […]
G-Men headed for Springfield? Possibly.
After being sidelined during the Trump administration, the plan to build a new FBI headquarters in the Washington, D.C., suburbs appears to be back on track. Earlier this year, U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, both Democrats, and their Maryland counterparts wrote to President Joe Biden to request that the federal government[...]
Region hopes for jolt from batteries, electrification
Adam Wells is charged up about a plan to create a “battery and electrification economy” in Southwest Virginia. “This is the most exciting thing that I’m working on,” says Wells, Appalachian Voices’ Norton-based regional director of community and economic development. The environmental nonprofit led the effort[...]
Va. Tech researchers make Spot go
Spot can’t dance. Well, Spot could, but you’d have to pay extra for that. “Spot out of the box cannot do all those tricks,” says Virginia Tech doctoral student Srijeet Halder. Spot is Boston Robotics’ $74,500 four-legged walking platform, a star of viral dancing videos that also has the ability to navigate [...]
Pittsylvania officials hope to spur brownfields development
Pittsylvania County’s growth trajectory received an added boost in May when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded the county a $600,000 grant to conduct environmental due diligence on 18 brownfield sites in the county. Five of the sites are considered high priorities. They include the former Southside Manufactur[...]
Chesterfield eyes zoning overhaul to boost development
In 1980, developer George Emerson stood in a wooded area of Chesterfield County’s Bermuda district and told a contractor where he wanted to build a road. Without any formal plan endorsed by the county, Emerson built the Walthall Industrial Parkway, opening the adjacent land for industrial development. Times have changed, a[...]
Sentara recruits local, diverse suppliers
With the COVID-19 pandemic exposing weaknesses in the global supply chain, Sentara Healthcare is ramping up efforts to diversify its vendors, committing executive leadership and resources to growing partnerships with local and regional suppliers, as well as companies owned by women, veterans and people of color. “We are being [...]
Timber exporter building $1.1M facility in Suffolk
Kristi Corp. a global supplier of industrial raw materials for aluminum and steel metallurgical industries, will build a $1.1 million log load and fumigation facility in Suffolk, creating 10 jobs, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday. The company will source 100% of its exports from Virginia logging companies. Virginia competed with North Carolina and Pennsylvania […]
