Raytheon receives $1.2B missile contract
Arlington County-based Raytheon Technologies Corp. will produce its Patriot missile systems for Switzerland under a $1.2 billion U.S. Army foreign military sales contract. The contract, announced by the Pentagon March 28, includes five Patriot units as well as the company’s Guidance Enhanced Missile, or GEM-T, a Patriot missile variant used to defeat tactical ballistic missiles, […]
Chesapeake Walmart to reopen after deadly shootings
Walmart Inc. announced Monday that the Chesapeake store where a night manager killed six workers in November 2022 will reopen April 19, following a 9 a.m. ceremony. The store has been remodeled over the past five months, and it will include an outdoor memorial space, according to Walmart. On Nov. 22, 2022, 31-year-old Andre Bing[...]
Coffee biz buys Newport News building for $1.1M
A coffee company purchased a 2,400-square-foot retail building in Newport News for $1.1 million with plans to turn it into a coffee shop. Seven Cities Coffee LLC, doing business as 7 Brew, purchased the building located at 398 Denbigh Blvd. from JMP Properties LLC, Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer announced. The coffee compan[...]
Liberty University appoints new president, chancellor
Liberty University’s board has appointed retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Dondi E. Costin as its next president and Pastor Jonathan Falwell as chancellor, with both men starting in those posts before the 2023-24 school year, the Lynchburg-based private Christian university announced Friday. Costin, who earned two master’s[...]
Wheels rolling on Henrico arena
Plans for a 17,000-seat arena in Henrico County are rolling forward, now with an international operator, ASM Global, on board. The centerpiece of the $2.3 billion GreenCity development, the venue is expected to be delivered in the third quarter of 2026. Although the project’s design is being finalized, developers say it wi[...]
Norfolk airport hotel is ‘desperately needed’
An influx of 200-seat airplanes is bringing record numbers of passengers into Norfolk International Airport, leading officials to fast-track infrastructure upgrades and pursue construction of an airport hotel. There is high demand for on-site lodging, especially among airline crews and travelers taking early morning flights, who[...]
Avian flu outbreaks strike Va. farms
For almost a year, Virginia poultry farms managed to avoid the nation’s worst-ever avian flu outbreak, but in January, the virus struck a commercial turkey operation in Rockingham County, prompting the killings of 25,300 birds. Five days later, 10,700 more turkeys were euthanized in Rockingham, and in February, 800 birds a[...]
Planned Wise EDA will spur downtown growth
Establishing an economic development authority might pave the way for new businesses in the town of Wise, local officials believe. EDAs can provide educational programs and mentoring to entrepreneurs, as well as buy, lease and sell property and administer grants, points out Reagan Walsh, the town’s planner and zoning admin[...]
Tech students dig into high-tech mock mine
Robots don’t belong on volleyball courts, but for more than a decade Virginia Tech students had no other large, sandy place to test out mining robots. It was “a real lost opportunity” that students didn’t have a dedicated space to work with mining machines, says Erik Westman, a professor and interim department he[...]
April 2023 For The Record
CENTRAL VIRGINIA Henrico County-based Altria Group Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire e-vapor maker NJOY Holdings Inc. for approximately $2.75 billion in cash, with a potential additional $500 million in payments, Altria announced March 6. Part of the deal’s funding will come from an expected $1.7 billion payment plus interest from Philip […]
Amazon delays HQ2 phase two
Amazon.com Inc. is delaying construction on the second phase of HQ2, its $2.5 billion East Coast headquarters in Arlington County. The news comes as Amazon plans to open HQ2’s first phase, Metropolitan Park, in June, and as the Fortune Global 500 tech company laid off a record 18,000 workers amid concerns over slowing r[...]
Commonwealth Crossing plays ‘long game’ for success
Commonwealth Crossing Business Centre’s first two tenants — Polish flat-glass processor Press Glass Inc. and Pennsylvania-based aluminum beverage can manufacturer Crown Holdings Inc. — have invested at least $218 million into facilities at the industrial park in Henry County, creating about 400 jobs, according to Mark [...]