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Growth and development
Despite dealing with the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, Southern Virginia is celebrating the development of a resort casino, new investments in the area and several company expansions. The pandemic has presented localities in the region like Danville with a number of challenges they haven’t seen before, but th[...]
Life preservers
With small businesses struggling to tread water during the early, unpredictable days of the pandemic, the U.S. Small Business Administration in early April 2020 launched the initial $349 billion Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) relief fund to provide forgivable loans to help businesses stay afloat. Eligible businesses could use[...]
Bigger boxes
Online retailing giant Amazon.com Inc. continues to expand its footprint in Virginia, bringing 1,500 jobs total to Suffolk and Chesapeake with the construction of operations facilities in those cities. Located less than two miles apart, both facilities are slated to open this year. In Suffolk, Amazon is building a $230 mill[...]
A slow climb back
After the pandemic hit in mid-March 2020, many industries hit pause on big decisions. But it didn’t take long for Virginia’s economic development departments to perk back up. In May 2020, Microsoft Corp. announced it would expand its presence in Reston Town Center by launching a software development and research hub, creatin[...]
Unfinished business
In March 1986, the first issue of Virginia Business magazine off the press was gently wrapped in a baby blanket, cradled in a basket and delivered to its then-owners at the Media General building in Richmond. “We all felt like we had given birth,” recalls Lisa Antonelli Bacon, one of Virginia Business’ first staff writers.[...]
A diversified portfolio
From tea to trucks to technology, an eclectic blend of industries settled into the Roanoke/New River Valley region in 2020. Some companies brought new operations to the region, while others expanded existing facilities. Traditional Medicinals kicked off 2020 with its January announcement of a new facility in Franklin County, man[...]
35 years of storytelling
My favorite day every month comes when a new issue of Virginia Business lands on my desk. Each magazine tracks emerging economic trends and the ongoing evolution of business leadership in the commonwealth. But for me, the impact is much more than just a good read about important business topics. Each issue of this magazine [&hel[...]
Unbound giving
Fitting with the unprecedented year that was 2020, philanthropic donations in Virginia pivoted during the past year, with an overwhelming focus placed on COVID-19 relief and social justice support. “Like the disease, the economic disease that has hit our Main Street knows no bounds,” Charlottesville-based venture capitalist [...]
‘As resilient as you get’
After sealing the deal on Amazon.com Inc.’s $2.5 billion East Coast HQ2 headquarters as Arlington’s economic development director in late 2018, Victor Hoskins took his talents to the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) in August 2019. But instead of competing with his Northern Virginia neighbors when he t[...]
Heavy hitters
Just as Zoom conferences and cloud computing have transformed our pandemic-era work lives, so too is technology changing the nature of influence. That evolution is perhaps best evidenced by the addition of Reston-based MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor to Virginia Business’ 2021 list of the 50 most influential Virginians. Saylor may not spend his time huddled […]
A sampling of Virginia’s major road projects
HAMPTON ROADS Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Expansion Project Crews broke ground in October 2020 on the $3.8 billion Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT) expansion — the largest project in Virginia Department of Transportation history. The project will increase tunnel and interstate capacity along 9.9 miles of Interstate 64 betwee[...]
Emergency test
Health systems found themselves at a crossroads in 2020. Their services were in demand more than ever due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but elective surgical procedures and other appointments were postponed — necessitating layoffs and furloughs last spring, including between 200 and 250 Ballad Health employees furloughed in Southw[...]
