Modine will invest $18.1M in Rockbridge County expansion
Modine Manufacturing, a manufacturer of cooling equipment for data centers, will invest $18.1 million to expand its Rockbridge County operation, creating an estimated 211 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Tuesday. Wisconsin-based Modine, which builds thermal management systems and components, saw $2.3 billion in net sales in fiscal year 2023, a 12% increase over the previous […]
Shentel to sell cell towers portfolio for $310.3M
Shenandoah Telecommunications (Shentel) has entered into an agreement to sell its portfolio of cellular towers and associated operations to Vertical Bridge Holdco for $310.3 million in cash, the Edinburg-based company announced Friday, a move that appears to largely transition Shentel out of the last remnants of its cellular pho[...]
Shenandoah Valley Big Deal: Advance guard
Northrop Grumman’s $200 million investment to establish an advanced electronics manufacturing and testing facility in Waynesboro paves the way for long-term growth for the Shenandoah Valley, local officials hope. “It is a huge win for us,” says Jay Langston, executive director of the Shenandoah Valley Partnership. “If No[...]
Shenandoah Valley Year-in-Review: Green valley
Just a couple years later, an $821,000 site development grant awarded to the Shenandoah Valley Partnership by the state’s GO Virginia economic development initiative has already been paying off, says Jay Langston, the partnership’s executive director. The grant, which paid for work including site evaluation and related envir[...]
Logistics company expanding in Winchester
Third-party logistics warehousing provider WCS Logistics, a Winchester Cold Storage company, will invest $27 million to expand in Frederick County and create an estimated 15 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Tuesday. WCS Logistics will build an 83,000-square-foot cold storage facility with the capacity for more than 13,000 pal[...]
Lighthouse Labs names new managing director
Debbie Irwin, the former director of the Shenandoah Community Capital Fund, will be the next managing director of Lighthouse Labs, the Richmond accelerator announced Friday. She begins her new role Feb. 26. Irwin is leaving her role at SCCF, another entrepreneurial support organization based in Staunton, where she served for six[...]
SCCF exec director to depart
Debbie Irwin, executive director of the Shenandoah Community Capital Fund, an entrepreneurial support organization based in Staunton, is leaving her role in March, the organization announced Tuesday. SCCF’s board of directors will begin a national search for her replacement. When Irwin leaves, Ryan Hall, director of growth[...]
Northrop Grumman breaks ground on $200M Waynesboro facility
Falls Church-based Fortune 500 defense contractor Northrop Grumman broke ground Friday on its $200 million-plus facility in Waynesboro. Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced the planned facility, which will hold advanced electronics manufacturing and testing, in November 2023. Northrop Grumman anticipates creating an estimated 300 jobs [...]
NW Harrisonburg sees revival with investment
Northwest Harrisonburg used to be a place to buy a tire. Beyond the 116-year-old City Produce Exchange building, which was converted into lofts in 2006, and the Local Chop & Grill House, which opened in the same building in 2009, there wasn’t much else to draw people to that corner of the city. That’s changing, […[...]
Buc-ee’s starts construction on Rockingham center
It won’t be too long before drivers on Interstate 81 in Rockingham County will see a sign bearing a friendly, hat-wearing beaver. Texas-based travel center chain Buc-ee’s started construction on its first travel center in Virginia with a ceremonial groundbreaking Tuesday. Gov. Glenn Youngkin was there, as well as Buc-ee̵[...]
Inn at Little Washington plans five-star upgrades
After more than 40 years of growing his three-Michelin-star restaurant, Inn at Little Washington chef and owner Patrick O’Connell is nearing his wish of offering guests “all the amenities of great hotels in Europe with the warmth of visiting a private home.” Expansion plans include adding a reception building, two new buil[...]
Tourism gains steam with scenic train tour
Virginia Scenic Railway’s new Shenandoah Valley Limited proved just the ticket for seasonal leaf-peepers and train enthusiasts, drawing thousands of visitors to Goshen this fall. The iconic Norfolk & Western Class J No. 611, known as the “Queen of Steam,” is one of the last extant mainline passenger steam locomotives b[...]