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Transportation 2024: CAPT. JANET H. DAYS
In February 2023, Days made history as the first Black commanding officer of Naval Station Norfolk, the world’s largest naval base, after serving as executive officer since 2021. Naval Station Norfolk supports the operational readiness of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet and employs 89,000 military personnel and 52,000 civilians. A C[...]
Arts | Entertainment | Sports 2024: BRIDGETTE C. BYWATER
Under Bywater’s leadership since 2021, the 49-year-old Kings Dominion theme park continues to seek out new concepts and ideas to entice and excite guests. The 400-acre amusement park is home to more than 60 rides, shows and attractions, including 13 roller coasters and Soak City, a 20-acre waterpark. The latest thrill is a new[...]
Arts | Entertainment | Sports 2024: DWAYNE ‘THE ROCK’ JOHNSON
Known as “The Rock,” Johnson shot to fame as a professional wrestler and is now one of the nation’s most popular and prolific movie and TV actors. He’s also been a relatively quiet resident of Virginia for several years, he acknowledged on social media posts in 2019. Johnson owns a horse farm in Orange County […]
Professional Services 2024: MARK ELLENBOGEN
In July, BDO USA tapped Ellenbogen as its new chief operating officer, making him responsible for every business aspect of the U.S. member firm of BDO International, the fifth largest global accounting network. A member of BDO USA’s board of directors, he has chaired the firm’s governance committee and was a key player in es[...]
Government | Politics 2024: LARRY SABATO
Virginia’s most notable political pundit, Sabato is the founding director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, which celebrated its 25th anniversary this year, breaking ground on a $10 million expansion. Widely quoted by national media, Sabato’s Crystal Ball newsletter, which handicaps political races, has [...]
Real Estate 2024: RYAN T. McLAUGHLIN
Head of one of the country’s largest regional Realtor associations, McLaughlin came to NVAR in 2015 after serving the Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors in Pennsylvania for more than a decade. This year, McLaughlin was named to T3 Sixty’s 11th annual Swanepoel Power 200 rankings of the nation’s top real estate executives, mark[...]
Transportation 2024: AUBREY L. LAYNE JR.
Layne, a former state secretary of finance and secretary of transportation under two governors, has worked at Sentara since July 2021, overseeing several teams, including legislative affairs, real estate, construction, supply chain, security, compliance, internal audit and privacy. He also chairs the Virginia Port Authority boar[...]
Law 2024: CALVIN W. ‘WOODY’ FOWLER JR.
In March, Williams Mullen tapped Fowler to serve a fourth three-year term as the president, CEO and chairman of the state’s third largest law firm. Under Fowler’s tenure, Williams Mullen, which has 437 employees, has enjoyed nine consecutive years of increased revenue and profits that increased by an average of 11.2% each ye[...]
Hospitality | Tourism 2024: NICK PATEL
Born in West Bromwich, England, Patel relocated to the United States in 1982. He earned a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1992, but his entrepreneurial spirit led him in a different direction. He opened a Sleep Inn in Richmond in 1996 with his parents’ support, and Kalyan Hospitality wa[...]
Manufacturing 2024: THOMAS E. ‘TEDDY’ GOTTWALD
Gottwald joined NewMarket, parent company of Afton Chemical and Ethyl, in 1984 and worked in its petroleum additives and former plastics businesses before succeeding his father, Bruce, as chairman of the board two decades later. NewMarket traces its roots to Ethyl Gasoline Corp., a company acquired in 1962 by Albemarle Paper Man[...]
Federal Contractors | Technology 2024: REX D. GEVEDEN
Headquartered in Lynchburg, BWX Technologies manufactures nuclear reactors, fuel and components for the Navy, develops and manufactures microreactors for national security and space applications, and provides nuclear technical services at contractor-operated government labs and facilities. Geveden joined BWXT in 2015 as its chie[...]
Hospitality | Tourism 2024: CHRIS ALBRECHT
Caesars Virginia operates a temporary casino in a large tentlike structure while construction continues on the permanent $750 million facility in Danville. When completed, the property will include a 320-room hotel and a casino gaming floor with about 1,400 slot machines, roughly 80 table games and 24 electronic table games. The[...]
