Altria CEO Howard Willard contracts coronavirus
Henrico County-based Altria Group Inc. CEO Howard Willard has tested positive for COVID-19 and is taking a temporary medical leave of absence, Altria’s executive vice president and general counsel Murray Garnick told all salaried and hourly employees through a memo released late Thursday. “Howard has been out of the [...]
Tegna receives new acquisition offer
Now the subject of a bidding war, Tysons-based broadcast and digital media company Tegna Inc. has received a new acquisition offer from investment firm The Najafi Cos. and religious broadcaster Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) that values the company at $20 per share cash, the companies announced Thursday. Tegna was once part of McLean-based mass media […]
Richmond ABC store near VCU closes due to COVID-19
A Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC) retail store near Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond has been closed until further notice after a store employee’s roommate tested positive for COVID-19. Both roommates are quarantined at home. Located at 1217 West Broad Street near the corner of West Broad and North Harrison streets, the store is […]
Coronavirus spreads to Southwest Virginia
A Botetourt County woman in her 80s who is in serious condition at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital is the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Southwest Virginia, Carilion Clinic and Botetourt County officials confirmed Thursday. The woman was admitted to the hospital on March 16, exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms, according to Dr.[...]
Philip Morris USA suspending Richmond manufacturing operations after second coronavirus case
Henrico County-based Altria Group Inc. has temporarily suspended operations at its Philip Morris USA manufacturing center in South Richmond after a second Philip Morris employee tested positive for COVID-19, Altria Director of Communications George Parman says. Altria expects the manufacturing center to suspend its operations fo[...]
MicroStrategy CEO draws fire for denying COVID-19 is health crisis
Michael Saylor, the CEO of Tysons-based tech company MicroStrategy Inc., wrote a later-redacted three-page memo to his 2,400 employees this week arguing that COVID-19 is not a public health crisis and saying he refused to close down MicroStrategy’s offices and shift to teleworking unless he was legally required to do so. In the letter, he […]
SAIC wins $950M DoD contract
Reston-based Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) announced Thursday that it has been awarded a $950 million contract from the Defense Logistics Agency — a combat support agency of the U.S. Department of Defense that includes more than 26,000 civilian and military personnel. SAIC will take over supply chain management of paints, preservation and sealing compounds […]
Metro closing stations to deter cherry blossom visitors
In order to prevent use of the Metrorail for recreational visits to the cherry blossom trees around the Washington, D.C., Tidal Basin during the COVID-19 crisis, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is closing the Smithsonian and Arlington Cemetery Metro stations at 5 p.m. on Thursday March 19 until further noti[...]
Herndon-based Learning Tree names new CEO
Herndon-based information technology and management training course provider Learning Tree International Inc. on Wednesday named David Brown as its new CEO and a member of the board of directors. Brown most recently worked as the global head of sales and services for information services company Clarivate Analytics. He also prev[...]
Falls Church company sends text from space satellite to phone
Falls Church-based wireless network company Lynk Global Inc. said Wednesday that it has sent a text message from a satellite in space to a standard mobile phone on Earth. “This is a game-changer for the billions of people who own a mobile phone, for the billions who do not have affordable connectivity, and for the […]
Richmond ad agency launches website to help restaurants during crisis
Richmond-based advertising agency Familiar Creatures launched a website this weekend called “Keep Calm and Nom Nom RVA,” where Richmonders can buy gift cards from local restaurants to support the businesses during the coronavirus crisis. On Tuesday, Gov. Ralph Northam issued a statewide mandate for restaurants to “signific[...]
Philip Morris USA employee tests positive for COVID-19
A Philip Morris USA employee has tested positive for COVID-19, said Steve Callahan, managing director of communications, at Henrico County-based Altria Group Inc., the tobacco manufacturer’s parent company. Altria sent a message to all employees late Tuesday night notifying them about the matter, Callahan says. “For [...]