Sign In
Free Newsletter
Eastern Va. Big Deal: Prime location
Doug Smith isn’t surprised Amazon.com has extended its reach in Hampton Roads. The Hampton Roads Alliance president and CEO says Amazon’s expansion in the commonwealth has been a constant since the global e-commerce behemoth announced in 2018 that it would locate its East Coast corporate headquarters, Amazon HQ2, in Arlingto[...]
Virginia 500 Spotlight: ANEESH CHOPRA
FIRST JOB: Bellhop at a Ramada Inn outside of Princeton, New Jersey MOST VALUED POSSESSION: My wedding ring HOW I UNWIND FROM WORK: Playing tag with the kids in the backyard HOW I CHOSE MY CAREER: I was inspired by President Clinton to solve national problems through better use of technology. HOW I BALANCE MY […]
Central Virginia Year-in-Review: Pumping the brakes
During the pandemic, companies began pumping the brakes on expansions out of fear of the unknown. But, using that same car-related analogy, by late 2021, they were flooring it, explains Greater Richmond Partnership President and CEO Jennifer Wakefield. And by 2022, they had kicked it into sport mode. “Now it’s shifted back i[...]
Central Va. Big Deal: Renaissance times
Henrico County’s near West End is seeing a renaissance. For decades, the area bordering Richmond around the Willow Lawn neighborhood has been home to mostly defunct commercial projects and old homes. But a $450 million project announced in December 2023 to renovate an old Elevance Health (formerly Anthem) campus promises to br[...]
Roanoke/New River Valley Big Deal: Banking on Roanoke
When Roanoke County economic development officials pitched Wells Fargo on expanding its customer support center operation in the county, they emphasized how well they’d taken care of the nation’s fourth-largest bank previously and how they would continue to do so. The pitch worked. Now the bank’s $87 million expansion will[...]
Southwest Va. Year-in-Review: A wide range
A local connection helped bring an impactful business project to Southwest Virginia. Daniel Kennedy, who was born and spent his early days in St. Paul, was instrumental in bringing home one of the largest manufacturing deals in years. Data center storage rack manufacturer Tate struck a deal in early November 2023 to occupy a lon[...]
Northern Va. Year-in-Review: Back to the cookie jar
Data centers continued to dominate, define and, in some cases, shape the arc of Northern Virginia’s 2023 economic story. Amazon Web Services cleared its hurdle in Stafford County, and although Prince William County’s controversial Digital Gateway project faced major public backlash, supervisors ultimately voted to approve th[...]
Southern Va. Big Deal: Shattering records
Poland-based Press Glass, a flat-glass fabricator for the commercial construction industry, will gain a competitive edge when it breaks ground on a $155.2 million expansion of its Ridgeway plant in the second quarter. It’s the single largest investment by a business in Henry County’s history, topping packaging manufacturer C[...]
Eastern Va. Year-in-Review: Striking a balance
Economic development directors often try to balance diversifying their community’s industries while playing to regional strengths. Sean Washington, Norfolk’s economic development director, believes his city found that balance in 2023. Norfolk has found growth around alternative energy, with Lambert’s Point being developed [...]
Amentum secures $591.6M Navy contract
Chantilly-based federal contractor Amentum Services has won a $591.6 million contract from the U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) to support eligible allied naval forces, the company announced Tuesday. Under the contract from the NAVSEA International Fleet Support Program Office, Amentum will provide life-cycle support and [...]
Charlottesville’s Astraea acquired by Fla. satellite company
Astraea, a Charlottesville-based geospatial analytics firm, has been acquired by Nuview, a Florida-based company developing a satellite imaging constellation, the companies announced Tuesday. 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 […][...]
Former Va. ABC chief joins Hunton Andrews Kurth
Travis Hill, former CEO of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority and former Virginia deputy secretary of agriculture and forestry, has joined Richmond-based law firm Hunton Andrews Kurth, Virginia’s second-largest law firm announced Tuesday. Hill is a counsel for the firm’s Global Economic Development, Co[...]
