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Manufacturing 2024: JOHN M. STEITZ
In 2019, Steitz was named president and CEO of plastic films and aluminum extrusions manufacturer Tredegar, a 1989 spinoff of Richmond fuel additives company Ethyl. Steitz had served on Tredegar’s board of directors since 2017 while also serving as CEO of polymer additives supplier Addivant, which merged with SI Group in 2018.[...]
Economic Development 2024: JONATHAN S. BELCHER
As leader of the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority since 2006, Belcher has helped bring new jobs to Southwest Virginia through numerous economic development deals. Two notable job announcements in the past year have included 170 jobs at data center company Tate in its access floors division, announced in November[...]
Banking | Finance 2024: VICTOR K. BRANCH
This year, Branch celebrates his 40th year at Bank of America. Since 2015, he has served as president of the bank’s Richmond market. He’s also chair of the Virginia Bankers Association board, which approved a merger with the Maryland Bankers Association to create the Mid-Atlantic Bankers Association holding company in July. [...]
Living Legends 2024: RALPH SAMPSON
University of Virginia basketball legend Sampson already has made his stamp on state history. After winning three Naismith Awards as the National Player of the Year, the 7-foot-4 Sampson graduated from U.Va. in 1983 and played for the Houston Rockets through 1987. The Harrisonburg native won the NBA Rookie of the Year award in t[...]
Transportation 2024: STEPHEN C. BRICH
With 26 years in transportation, Brich oversees VDOT’s almost 58,000 miles of road, 21,000 bridges and other structures, six tunnels and three ferry systems. Appointed in 2018, he manages approximately 7,700 VDOT employees and an $8 billion annual budget for the nation’s third largest transportation agency. April 17 was a mo[...]
Health Care 2024: ERIK SHANNON
Shannon has overseen this division of UVA Health since October 2021, starting as an interim chief executive and then as permanent CEO. UVA Community Health includes three Northern Virginia hospitals — Prince William Medical Center, Haymarket Medical Center and Culpeper Medical Center — as well as an integrated network of med[...]
Real Estate 2024: ROBERT C. ‘BOB’ KETTLER
While a student at George Washington University in 1974, Kettler got his start in real estate by remodeling apartments. A third-generation builder and the product of a long line of real estate developers, he left school to focus on work. After discovering a passion for community development, he founded real estate development co[...]
Banking | Finance 2024: DIETRICH KUHLMANN
Kuhlmann took the helm at the credit union March 1, replacing Mary McDuffie, who was Navy Federal’s first woman CEO. She retired after 25 years with the financial institution, including five as CEO. After retiring from the U.S. Navy as a rear admiral, Kuhlmann joined Navy Federal in 2019 as head of branch operations. He [&hell[...]
Real Estate 2024: ALBERT G. ‘BEAU’ VAN METRE JR.
Van Metre’s late father founded his family real estate development company in 1955, partnering with B.B. Wills to build the first Van Metre Homes in Burke, a Fairfax County suburb. Beau Van Metre joined the company in 1963. In 2002, he was appointed vice chairman, and he became chairman in 2008. Today, the company has [&hellip[...]
Federal Contractors | Technology 2024: KATHY WARDEN
After previously serving as its president and chief operating officer, Warden in 2019 was named CEO of Northrop Grumman, the world’s third largest aerospace and defense company. No. 38 on Forbes’ 2023 list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women, Warden previously worked for General Dynamics and Veridian before joining Nort[...]
Transportation 2024: P. DALE BENNETT
Bennett lost his father, Paul O. Bennett, this year, and the Virginia House of Delegates and the state Senate signed a joint resolution honoring him. Bennett adopted the love of trucking from his dad, a professional truck driver, and has advocated for the trucking industry for more than 40 years. The nation’s trucking indust[...]
Agriculture 2024: MATTHEW J. LOHR
With a combined annual economic impact of more than $105 billion, agriculture and forestry are Virginia’s largest private industries. Lohr’s office and its three agencies oversee these industries while also working to preserve farmland and forestland, promote access to safe and healthy food and support rural economic develop[...]
