Food/bev distributor opens $275M Caroline County center
Food and beverage distributor World Class Distribution has opened its nearly finished $275 million, 1.2 million-square-foot distribution center in Caroline County with 400 employees, the county’s board of supervisors announced Tuesday. Gov. Glenn Youngkin initially announced the project in November 2022, at which time WCD expected to add 745 jobs. The company now plans to […]
Dominion offshore wind farm moves closer to final approval
Dominion Energy has passed another critical federal hurdle on its way to gaining approval to begin construction on its $9.8 billion, 176-turbine offshore wind farm 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management granted a favorable record of decision for the Richmond-based Fortune 500 electric uti[...]
New IALR lab to feature ‘automagic’ manufacturing tech
Butch Kendrick once worked in a factory making plywood suitcase components. Each time he ran a strip of plywood through a planer, he heard a loud, screeching whine. “I would hear that noise in my head until I went to sleep,” Kendrick says. “And I’ve never forgot that. Anyone who works in manufacturing, if I […]
FOR THE RECORD November 2023
Central Virginia Bon Secours announced Sept. 29 it had reached an agreement with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia, which the health system sued in August, alleging the insurer owed Bon Secours $93 million in unpaid claims. Although details were not released due to confidentiality agreements between the two parties, Bon Secours said […]
Dixie Theater renovation means show will go on in Staunton
Teens got their first jobs and couples experienced their first kisses at the former Dixie Theater in downtown Staunton. Now the vacant building, which opened in 1913 at 125 E. Beverley St., is a step closer to becoming a community cultural center, thanks to a $1.5 million grant from the state Industrial Revitalization Fund, whic[...]
Eastern Shore poultry plants under child labor probe
The U.S. Department of Labor is investigating allegations of child labor violations at the Tyson Foods and Perdue Farms poultry plants in Accomack County, after The New York Times recounted the story of a 14-year-old Guatemalan boy who was gravely injured while cleaning a Perdue slaughterhouse. Marcos Cux, whose arm was permanen[...]
King George exploring second industrial park
King George County officials are negotiating with two landowners where the county wants to build a new industrial and technology park as it looks for a spot to lure more businesses. The existing 149-acre King George County Industrial Park is full, and there’s nothing to offer economic development prospects there. During the pa[...]
Framatome revamps nuclear training pipeline
A French nuclear power company with its United States headquarters in Lynchburg is ramping up hiring to meet a growing global need for clean, low-carbon energy. Framatome North America is recruiting for 200 positions in the U.S, about 125 of which are in Lynchburg, and it anticipates a “significant” number of additional open[...]
ACP expands pharmacy doctoral program to Abingdon
The Appalachian College of Pharmacy has expanded its Doctor of Pharmacy program to the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon in response to increased post-pandemic demand for pharmacists. ACP aims to accommodate students from Abingdon and surrounding areas, helping to retain talent locally. Classes began at the[...]
Rocky Forge project faces stiff headwinds
Eight years after it was first proposed, Virginia’s first onshore wind farm remains grounded behind regulatory, legal and political obstacles. Charlottesville-based Apex Clean Energy first announced plans for its Rocky Forge wind farm in 2015. Apex aimed to have blades spinning by 2017 on 25, 550-foot-tall wind turbines on Nor[...]
U.Va. biz school receives $50M donation from alum
A University of Virginia Darden School of Business alumnus and his wife, also a U.Va. graduate, have added $50 million to an earlier gift of $44 million for the business school, which adds up to the largest donation in Darden’s 68-year history. Philanthropists David and Kathleen LaCross made a $44 million donation in Octob[...]
Thalhimer hires exec to lead multifamily biz
Drew Harbrecht has joined Thalhimer as senior vice president and will lead Thalhimer Multifamily, the firm’s residential property services division. He joins from Charleston, South Carolina-based Greystar Worldwide, where he led a management portfolio of nearly 10,000 units in Central Virginia and the Washington, D.C., Mar[...]