Vibe check
No studies have found a higher prevalence of clairvoyance among labor market experts than in the average population. Since they can’t see the future, these professionals sift through data and surveys to figure out what the coming months may hold. Some reading these tea leaves have predicted employers may soon be suffering thro[...]
Powhatan approves $2.7B data center campus
Powhatan County has approved an estimated $2.7 billion data center campus on 119.9 acres partly bordering Chesterfield County. The county’s board of supervisors voted 3-2 during its Oct. 28 meeting for a rezoning and a conditional use permit allowing the proposed development to move forward. The developer, Newport Beach, Calif[...]
Electro-Mechanical launches $16.5M expansion in Washington County
Electro-Mechanical — an electrical equipment manufacturer headquartered in Bristol — will invest $16.55 million to expand in Washington County, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Tuesday. “Electro-Mechanical’s significant expansion in Washington County demonstrates the strength of Southwest Virginia’s manufacturin[...]
Breeden promotes five property management employees
The Breeden Co. has promoted five employees in its property management division, the Virginia Beach-based real estate company announced Thursday. The five employees are Rachel Blanchard, Lisa Capps, Sheena Obermark, Tiffany Rote and Samantha Schuman. Blanchard, who was previously a project manager, has been appointed director of[...]
Fed’s Fifth District economy grows modestly
Economic activity in the Federal Reserve’s Fifth District (a multistate region including Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Maryland) grew modestly from early September, according to the latest edition of the Fed’s Beige Book, released Wednesday. Published eight times per year, the Beige Book is base[...]
Trump Town owner calls assault, indecent exposure charges ‘fake news’
Donald “Whitey” Taylor, owner of Trump Town, a Boones Mill store dedicated to merchandise celebrating the 45th president, and a candidate for mayor in that same small town, was arrested Tuesday on charges of indecent exposure and assaulting store employees. Taylor, 74, sent a text to Virginia Business, describing the crimi[...]
SEC, Hampton managing partner of BFM Fund settle charges
The Securities and Exchange Commission settled charges in early October against a Hampton-based managing partner of The BFM Fund and a limited liability company for allegedly breaching their fiduciary duties and misleading investors. Himalaya Rao-Potlapally of Hampton is a managing partner of Portland, Oregon-based BFM Fund, a s[...]
Va. pending home sales, prices rose in September
Pending home sales in Virginia rose in September — increasing almost 14% from September 2023 — suggesting more buyers are entering the market, according to Virginia Realtors data released Tuesday. Last month, 8,065 homes sold in Virginia, a less than 1% increase from September 2023. Although closed sales remained relatively [...]
GD subsidiary in Norfolk wins potential $123.3M contract
General Dynamics NASSCO, a Norfolk subsidiary of Reston aerospace and defense giant General Dynamics, was awarded a U.S. Navy contract worth up to $123.3 million last week for maintenance, modernization and repair of the USS Porter destroyer during fiscal 2025. The base amount of the firm fixed price contract to General Dynam[...]
Dominion completes $2.6B sale of stake in offshore wind farm
Dominion Energy has completed its $2.6 billion sale of a 50% noncontrolling stake in its Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project to investor Stonepeak, the Fortune 500 utility announced Tuesday. This transaction and several other recent sales reduce Dominion’s debt by approximately $21 billion, meeting a goal the utility se[...]
Work begins on organics-to-renewable gas facility in Amelia County
Vanguard Renewables, an organics-to-renewable natural gas company with headquarters in Massachusetts, broke ground Wednesday on its newest facility at Oakmulgee Dairy Farm in Amelia County. An anaerobic digester system on the property will allow Vanguard Renewables to convert cow manure along with inedible and unsalable food m[...]
Va. agricultural damage from Helene totals $159.3M
Hurricane Helene’s agricultural damage in Virginia totals more than $159.3 million, according to Virginia Cooperative Extension agents’ research. Hurricane Helene made landfall on the Gulf Coast in Florida as a Category 4 storm late on Sept. 26 and tore through the Southeast into Sept. 27, causing catastrophic flooding in pa[...]