Sign In
Free Newsletter
Shenandoah County takes long view on economic development
Shenandoah County hopes a $100,000 study is an early step toward welcoming new businesses and jobs. “We know that it takes time to develop property,” Jenna French, the county’s director of tourism and economic development, says. “We are planning for the future.” The county hired the Timmons Group to identify possib[...]
JMU introduces next president
James Madison University on Wednesday announced that University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Chancellor James C. Schmidt will be the next president of Virginia’s fifth largest public university. The university’s board of visitors, who voted to affirm his appointment earlier in the day, announced Schmidt’s selection [...]
InterChange announces several leadership changes
Mount Crawford-based industrial developer and logistics company InterChange Group announced several major changes to its executive leadership. Effective March 10, Keith VanBenschoten assumed the role of chief strategy officer, and Cliff Alt was promoted to chief operating officer. The company also announced that Timothy Cognata [...]
Sheet metal plant begins construction in Frederick
Chantilly-based sheet metal products manufacturer ZM Sheet Metal plans to relocate its Frederick County operations next year into a new 160,000-square-foot industrial building in Stonewall Industrial Park. ZM Sheet Metal, which specializes in services for HVAC manufacturers and ductwork, currently operates a 100,000-square-foot [...]
New $230M chocolate factory coming to Frederick County
Frederick County may not have won the golden ticket to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, but it may have snagged something even better — a chocolate facility of its own. Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Friday that Wisconsin chocolate manufacturer Clasen Quality Chocolate will invest $230 million to build a new production fa[...]
Shenandoah Valley Big Deal: Dairy producer again expands in Frederick County
Dairy company HP Hood has nearly completed the $83.5 million expansion and upgrade of its Frederick County plant, which will allow it to increase production and meet future customer demand. A new machine to fill and seal milk containers was installed and went into production in December 2024, and a new warehouse and processing r[...]
Shenandoah Valley Year-in-Review: Manufacturing, tourism drive region’s growth
The year 2024 turned out to be a surprising but positive one for the Shenandoah Valley region. “We had more activity than anticipated in terms of lead generation and opportunities,” says Jay Langston, executive director of the Shenandoah Valley Partnership. The food and beverage sector remains the region’s main industr[...]
Italian plastic packaging maker coming to Shenandoah
Serioplast, an Italian plastic packaging manufacturer, will open an industrial plant in Shenandoah County, investing $25.7 million and creating an expected 45 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Friday. The company, which was founded in 1974 and has 33 production facilities in 16 countries with more than 2,000 employees, provide[...]
Mary Baldwin plans $2.5M building renovation
Faculty, staff and students at Mary Baldwin University should see a major transformation in their oldest academic building thanks to a $1 million commitment from the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation as part of the $2.5 million renovation of Carpenter Academic Hall. “What we need to do is align the actual architectur[...]
Winchester cabinet manufacturer closing Orange plant
Winchester-based cabinet manufacturer American Woodmark is closing its manufacturing facility in Orange, laying off 131 employees. The company notified the state of the closure Jan. 7 in compliance with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. The layoffs at the plant, located at 281 Kentucky Road, will take effect[...]
Buc-ee’s estimates first Va. location to open in June
Leave it to beaver — the behatted mascot of mega-travel center chain Buc-ee’s, that is. Texas-based Buc-ee’s projects it will open its first travel center in Virginia — its 74,000-square-foot Rockingham County location — on June 30, although the opening date is not set in stone, Buc-ee’s Media Coordinator[...]
Lexington tech firm aims to bridge last-mile broadband gap
Broadband access may become easier to attain for businesses as a Lexington-based company looks to wirelessly transmit data more reliably. Over the past 22 years, Attochron has been working towards improving what’s referred to in the industry as free-space optical communications (FSOC) — using lasers to send data through [...]
