April 2024 FOR THE RECORD
CENTRAL Charlottesville-based geospatial analytics firm Astraea was acquired by Nuview, a Florida-based company developing a satellite imaging constellation, the companies announced Feb. 27. Financial terms of the deal were not available. Founded as a for-profit benefit corporation in 2016, Astraea applies data science and artificial intelligence to analyze imaging and sensor data gathered from Earth-observing […][...]
Capital One-Discover deal faces federal scrutiny
McLean-based Capital One Financial announced plans in February to buy Discover Financial Services for $35.3 billion in an all-stock deal that would mark Capital One’s largest ever acquisition and make it the nation’s biggest credit card lender. The transaction is expected to close in late 2024 or early 2025, according to the[...]
Buchanan County expands industrial park
Economic development is booming inside the Southern Gap Industrial Park in Buchanan County, where the county industrial development authority is spending $4 million to develop a new shell building and a 20-acre industrial site. With support from the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority, the park has become a hub for[...]
Radford Hub aims to connect students, biz community
For The Hub at Radford, location is everything. The new economic development support center, which opened in October 2023, is just across the street from Radford University in downtown Radford. “Our location … is symbolic to the vital role we play as an anchor institution and as a strong contributor to the well-being of the [...]
Dominion to sell 50% interest in offshore wind farm
Dominion Energy announced Feb. 22 it had reached an agreement with investment firm Stonepeak to sell a 50% noncontrolling stake in the utility’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project for nearly $3 billion. The deal is expected to close by the end of 2024, if approved by the Virginia State Corporation Commission and the North [...]
Clarke County limits solar development
Clarke County prioritizes agriculture. That’s what drives most of its policy-making as the county navigates the complexities of renewable energy development while preserving its farmland, explains County Administrator Chris Boies. In January, the county’s Board of Supervisors approved new regulations for utility-scale solar [...]
Port of Va. is already handling cargo diverted from Baltimore
On Tuesday afternoon, workers at the Port of Virginia’s Virginia International Gateway facility in Portsmouth unloaded cargo that had been scheduled for the Baltimore Harbor before a container ship struck and destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in a fatal accident that has left the shipping channel closed for at least sever[...]
Washington Wizards, Capitals reach deal to stay in D.C.
The Washington Wizards and Capitals NBA and NHL teams are staying put in the District of Columbia and will not be moving to Alexandria, according to announcements from Washington, D.C., and Virginia officials Wednesday. These events put the final nail in the coffin of a controversial $2 billion Alexandria arena proposal touted b[...]
First National to acquire Prince George-based community bank
Strasburg-based First National has entered into a definitive merger agreement to acquire Prince George-based Touchstone Bankshares in an all-stock transaction worth approximately $47 million, First National announced Tuesday. The parent companies’ merger combines community banks First Bank and Touchstone Bank to create a bank [...]
The Aerospace Corp. relocates HQ to Chantilly
The Aerospace Corp., a nonprofit government contractor that bills itself as running the nation’s only federally funded research and development center “committed to the space enterprise,” officially relocated its headquarters from El Segundo, California, to Chantilly on Thursday. The organization, which provides technical expertise in space-related science and engineering, has no plans for “significant relocation” […][...]
Baltimore bridge collapse will drive ships to Port of Va.
After a container ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing the bridge to collapse and possibly claiming multiple lives, ships bound for the Port of Baltimore will be diverted to other ports, primarily the Port of Virginia and the Port of New York and New Jersey. The Virginia Port Authority, [&[...]
HHHunt starts work on 2,200-home development in Midlothian
Construction has started on a new master-planned community in Chesterfield County’s Midlothian area that will bring hundreds of single-family homes, town houses, apartments and commercial space. Glen Allen-based developer HHHunt and real estate investment firm GrayCo are developing The Aire at Westchester. The 334-acre tra[...]