Hershey announces $135M Augusta County expansion
The Hershey Co. will invest $135 million to expand its manufacturing operation in Augusta County, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday. The 90,000-square-foot expansion of the Stuarts Draft facility will create 110 jobs. Hershey Chocolate of Virginia Inc. has operated in Augusta County for more than 30 years, employing more than[...]
Two retail spaces in Harrisonburg sell for $5.25M
Two retail spaces in a Harrisonburg shopping center have sold for a total of $5.25 million, Harrisonburg-based commercial real estate brokerage Cottonwood Commercial announced Monday. The 2,500-square-foot Starbucks unit and a 5,000-square foot unit occupied by Potbelly Sandwich Shop and Sleep Number, a bedding store, were pur[...]
JMU leaders want Confederate names removed from buildings
James Madison University announced Monday that university leadership is asking the JMU Board of Visitors to rename three campus buildings on its Quad that are named for Confederate leaders Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, Col. Turner Ashby Jr. and Matthew Fontaine Maury. “We recognize that these building names a[...]
Virginia gets new digits
On Wednesday, the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) announced that the North American Numbering Plan Administrator has assigned a new area code, 826, to relieve future exhaustion of the 540 area code, which is expected to occur in 2022. Residents and businesses in the affected region will not lose their existing 540 phone numbers under […]
Eastern Mennonite University president to serve second term
Eastern Mennonite University President Susan Schultz Huxman has been appointed to a second five-year term, the Harrisonburg-based private liberal arts university announced Tuesday. Huxman began her first term on Jan. 1, 2017. The university board of trustees unanimously approved the appointment, which will be effective Oct. 1 [...]
Va. Economic Developers Assoc. announces award recipients
The Virginia Economic Developers Association (VEDA) announced Tuesday the recipients of its 2020 Community Economic Development Awards (CEDA): the city of Harrisonburg for its Bricks & Clicks Initiative and a regional economic development collaboration among Pittsylvania County, Danville and the Southern Virginia Regional Al[...]
Valley Health welcomes new president, CEO
Winchester-based Valley Health welcomed new president and CEO Mark Nantz to the regional health care system on June 1. He succeeds previous president and CEO Mark Merrill, who held the position for 11 years. Nantz most previously was the chief administrative officer and Atlantic group president with Bon Secours Mercy Health. He [...]
Shenandoah University removes Byrd Jr.’s name from biz school
Shenandoah University in Winchester announced Wednesday that its Board of Trustees has voted unanimously to remove the name of the late U.S. Sen. Harry F. Byrd Jr. from its School of Business and board room. “At Shenandoah, we encourage the best, the brightest, the inspired, to come learn with us, in the spirit of equitable [&[...]
Executive profiles
We asked leaders in Virginia’s maritime and logistics industry for their thoughts on the Port of Virginia expansion and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on shipping. Click to expand photos. Interviews follow. VB: How will the Port of Virginia expansion impact Virginia’s economy? Adams: The Central Chapter encompasses the area around Richmond and is […]
Ice age
As the Port of Virginia expands its terminals, it’s prompted warehousing and logistics firms to also create space for more imported and exported goods. One of the largest areas of recent growth has been in the refrigerated storage industry. Here are some of the highlights: Preferred Freezer Services In April 2019, Preferred Fr[...]
Bath County hit hard by resort closures
Communities across the state are hurting from coronavirus-related layoffs and closures, but in Bath County, “it’s devastating,” says state Sen. Creigh Deeds, whose law practice is located on Hot Springs’ Main Street. “Two major employers are closed,” he says, referring to The Omni Homestead Resort and The Greenbrier [...]
Harrisonburg Dairy Queen sells for $1.15M
A Dairy Queen Grill & Chill in Harrisonburg sold for $1.15 million, Denver-based Blue West Capital announced Thursday. Dairy Queen was the only tenant leased to the property at 78 S. Carlton Street in Harrisonburg. The property sold as a sale-leaseback. The Dairy Queen franchisee will still be able to use the building, but w[...]