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Health Care 2024: ANTHONY ‘TONY’ BAKER
Baker leads Fortune 500 pharma manufacturer Merck’s vaccine operations in Elkton. The company founded a plant in the Rockingham County town in 1941. Early in his career, Baker spent seven years at Pennsylvania-based Biopharm Project Solutions as a senior process specialist. He joined Merck in 2008 as a process engineer and wen[...]
Transportation 2024: RYAN BANAS
Banas oversees the $3.9 billion Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Expansion, the largest highway construction project in Virginia’s history and one of the largest infrastructure projects in the country. Milestones this year included one on April 17 when the tunnel boring machine, nicknamed Mary, completed its much-anticipated journe[...]
Retail 2024: DREW PARKER
Carter Machinery has deep roots in Virginia, tracing back to 1928, when Robert Hill Carter founded Virginia Tractor in Richmond. The company was the state’s first Caterpillar dealership, and it is still going today as an independent dealer with more than 30 locations. It has more than 2,300 employees in Virginia, West Virginia[...]
Banking | Finance 2024: JOHN C. ASBURY
In April, Atlantic Union Bankshares, the holding company for Atlantic Union Bank, completed its acquisition of Danville-based American National Bankshares, parent company of American National Bank and Trust — a transaction valued at about $507 million. The combined bank has $24.3 billion in total assets, $19.4 billion in depos[...]
Real Estate 2024: JON M. PETERSON
Founded in 1965 by Peterson’s late father, Milt, Peterson Cos. is responsible for some of the most prominent and successful mixed-use retail, residential and office developments in Northern Virginia and Maryland, including Fairfax Corner, Fair Lakes, National Harbor, Burke Centre and Tysons McLean Office Park. Peterson, who be[...]
Agriculture 2024: CORWIN HEATWOLE
Sixth-generation chicken farmer Heatwole started his 100% organic and humane-certified chicken company in 2014. Originally named Shenandoah Valley Organic but rebranded as Farmer Focus in 2020, the company lets farmers own their flocks, receive fair compensation and make key decisions. In August 2023, Farmer Focus announced that[...]
Transportation 2024: SHEPPARD ‘SHEP’ MILLER III
A former defense contracting executive and Norfolk native, Miller was appointed secretary by Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2022. He is responsible for Virginia’s rail, roads, transit and ports. As chair of the Commonwealth Transportation Board, Miller has a great deal of say on the state’s transportation funding of major road expan[...]
Transportation 2024: JOSEPH P. ‘JOE’ RUDDY
Ruddy, who has served two terms as COO, from 2011 to 2014, and since 2021, oversees information technology, safety, security, expansion projects and maintenance for the Virginia Port Authority affiliate that runs the Port of Virginia. That’s always a big job, but the past year has added some extra challenges. This spring, the [...]
Federal Contractors | Technology 2024: PHEBE N. NOVAKOVIC
Novakovic has led General Dynamics, the world’s sixth largest aerospace and defense company, since 2013. During her tenure as CEO, General Dynamics won the Navy’s largest-ever contract, up to $24.2 billion, to build nuclear submarines. The Fortune Global 500 company employs more than 100,000 people and recorded $42.3 billion[...]
Energy 2024: JOHN D. HEWA
Since its launch last year, Regional Internet Service Expansion has connected hundreds of Virginians to broadband internet. The $288 million project is a partnership between Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, Firefly Fiber Broadband and Virginia localities that aims to bring high-speed internet to more than 36,000 businesses and[...]
Real Estate 2024: MIKE CULPEPPER
As Venture Realty Group’s in-house attorney and managing partner, Culpepper coordinates deal formation, land-use entitlement, and predevelopment services. Previously, he was an associate with law firm Williams Mullen’s real estate and land use team and a principal with Fee Simple Legal, focusing on real estate transactions. [...]
Manufacturing 2024: JONATHAN JENKINS
Jenkins became president of Culpeper Wood Preservers in 2016. Started from a single location in Culpeper in 1976, the company today has 18 facilities on the East Coast and in Indiana and Tennessee. It is a leading manufacturer of pressure-treated lumber products for the residential, commercial, industrial and marine markets. Its[...]
