Caesars Virginia — a work in progress
Lots can change over three years and eight months. Back in September 2020, Danville, its industrial development authority and Nevada-based Caesars Entertainment signed a development agreement naming Caesars the city’s preferred gaming operator and outlining the parties’ obligations. Back then, Caesars budgeted $400 million t[...]
Speyside Bourbon Cooperage to create 40 jobs in Pittsylvania
Speyside Bourbon Cooperage will invest $16.85 million to build a new stave mill in Pittsylvania County’s Brosville Industrial Park, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced last week. A U.S. subsidiary of a French company, Speyside Bourbon Cooperage produces staves, or strips of wood, from American White Oak, which are used to make the company’s bourbon barrels. Pittsylvania […]
Hitachi Energy plans $26M expansion in Halifax County
Hitachi Energy plans to invest $26 million into expanding its South Boston facility, that manufactures transformers, a move expected to create about 100 jobs, according to a news release the company shared with a few stakeholders in the Southern Virginia region in June. In April, Hitachi announced plans to invest over $1.5 bil[...]
A practical plan for U.S. 220
Picture an hourglass: Flip the timer over, and the sand at the top funnels through a small opening to pool in the wider receptacle at its bottom. Now imagine if that hole in the middle were wider; sand would flow more freely. That’s how business leaders in Martinsville see the U.S. Route 220 corridor between […]
Va. casinos report $62.7M in May gaming revenues
May gaming revenues for Virginia’s three casinos totaled $62.7 million, according to Virginia Lottery data released June 14. Last month, the Bristol Casino: Future Home of Hard Rock temporary casino reported about $15.46 million in adjusted gaming revenues (wagers minus winnings), of which about $12.4 million came from its 891[...]
Retro Hospitality adds three hotels to portfolio
Richmond-based boutique hotel advisory and management firm Retro Hospitality has added three Virginia hotels to its portfolio, the firm announced Wednesday. The company now operates The Bee and The Holbrook Hotel in Danville and The Lofts at Downtown Salem in Salem. Other hotels in its portfolio include the Blackburn Inn and Con[...]
Lester Group acquires Williamsburg building supply company
The Lester Group, a Martinsville-based company with a diverse portfolio including lumber products and real estate development, acquired Williamsburg-based Custom Builder Supply on June 3, the company announced earlier in June. Lester Group CEO Jay Dickens declined to release financial terms of the deal. Randy Cooper founded Cust[...]
Sentara boosts Halifax hospital investment to $107M
Last year, Sentara Health unveiled plans to invest $70 million to replace the aging Sentara Halifax Regional Hospital in South Boston with a new acute care hospital. On Tuesday, the health care system announced the investment will be closer to $107 million. “It’s just part of the evolution of the process,” Bria[...]
New South Boston program trains clinical medical assistants
Pretty much as soon as she heard about it, Ravin Townes enrolled in the new certified clinical medical assistant training program, which launched in March through a collaboration between Danville Community College and South Boston’s Southern Virginia Higher Education Center (SVHEC). Currently employed as a certified nursing as[...]
FOR THE RECORD June 2024
CENTRAL VIRGINIA Washington, D.C.-based real estate analytics and data company CoStar Group will receive a grant from the City of Richmond worth several million dollars because of the company’s plan to build an office tower expected to generate more than $30 million in new tax revenue. On April 22, Richmond City Council approved an ordinance […]
IALR hires new manufacturing advancement exec
Jason Wells will join the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research as executive vice president of manufacturing advancement on June 3, according to a release from the Danville-based economic development organization. Wells, who has nearly three decades of experience in high-performance manufacturing, replaces Todd Yeatts, a [...]
Global apparel company VF to leave Martinsville in 2025
VF Corp., a Denver-based global apparel and footwear company with brands including Vans, The North Face, Timberland and Dickies, plans to close its distribution center in Martinsville in March 2025, the company confirmed Wednesday. “As part of VF’s Reinvent strategy, we have evaluated how we are shipping products to best mee[...]