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Retail | Wholesale | Food | Beverage 2023: DENNIS ELLMER
Ellmer launched Priority Auto in 1999 with the acquisition of two dealerships in Chesapeake. By 2023. he grew the business to No. 55 on Automotive News’ list of the top 150 dealer groups in the U.S., based on the 14,447 new vehicles the dealership sold in 2022. In June, auto retail giant Lithia Motors announced […]
Nonprofits | Philanthropy 2023: ELIZABETH A. McCLANAHAN
McClanahan brings a wealth of experiences in law, leadership and higher education to her role as CEO of the Virginia Tech Foundation. A lifelong Virginian and former justice on the Supreme Court of Virginia, her ties to the university go back much further than her current position, which she took up in 2021. She has […]
Manufacturing 2023: WILLIAM ‘BILLY’ GIFFORD JR.
Gifford became Fortune 500 tobacco product manufacturer Altria’s CEO in 2020, after having served as president and CEO of subsidiary Philip Morris USA and holding other executive posts at Altria for the past 25 years. After four challenging years, during which Altria saw the value of its 35% stake in Juul Labs’ e-cig[...]
Finance | Insurance 2023: MARY McDUFFIE
This year marks the 90th birthday of Navy Federal, the world’s largest credit union. As a leader focused on helping others thrive, McDuffie sees this milestone as an occasion to celebrate the credit union’s dedication to its members, writing on LinkedIn, “I’m thankful every day to be part of an organization t[...]
Economic Development 2023: JONATHAN S. BELCHER
In addition to leading the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority, Belcher has also headed up the Virginia Coalfields Expressway Authority since 2020. This year, the Virginia Department of Transportation received $7 million from the federal government, which the expressway authority will use to widen a 2-mile stretch [...]
Economic Development 2023: TELLY TUCKER
A graduate of James Madison University, Tucker previously was director of Arlington Economic Development, and also served five years as director of economic development for Danville, before returning to Southern Virginia in May 2022 to head up IALR, a regional hub for advanced manufacturing training initiatives and economic deve[...]
Law 2023: CHIDI I. JAMES
A partner with Blankingship & Keith, James is a personal injury attorney who handles wrongful death, products liability and inadequate security cases. He began his one-year term as Virginia State Bar president in June. Prior to joining the firm as an associate in 2003, James was a judicial law clerk to the Arlington County C[...]
Law 2023: THE HON. MARK STEVEN DAVIS
Davis’ connection to the sea goes back to his specialty in maritime law in private practice, previously representing the company that won salvage rights to the Titanic. Davis joined McGuireWoods in 1989, became partner in 1996 and left in 1998 to join Carr & Porter. From 2003 to 2008, he served as a Portsmouth Circuit [...]
Finance | Insurance 2023: ALBERTO SCHIAVON
Schiavon, who joined Elephant Auto Insurance in 2017 as its head of marketing and pricing, became CEO just eight months later. The Italian executive (who shares a name with an Italian Olympic snowboarder) earned his MBA from the University of Manchester in England and his undergraduate engineering degree at the University of Pad[...]
Retail | Wholesale | Food | Beverage 2023: ELIZABETH ‘LIZA’ MYERS BORCHES
Founded in 1924 by Borches’ great-grandfather, Carter Myers Automotive is Virginia’s fifth largest car sales group; it garnered $933 million in revenue during fiscal year 2022 and employs more than 1,000 people in Virginia. Since 2012, when Borches became CEO, CMA has grown to 23 dealerships. In September 2022, the c[...]
2023 Virginia 500: Manufacturing
Bradford “Brad” Beauchamp PRESIDENT AND CEO, CARPENTER, RICHMOND Manmeet S. Bhatia PRESIDENT AND CEO, TMEIC AMERICAS, ROANOKE Howard Broadfoot PRESIDENT AND CEO, ELECTRO-MECHANICAL, BRISTOL Ester Codina CLUSTER PRESIDENT NORTH AMERICA AND MANAGING DIRECTOR, ALFA LAVAL US SALES, RICHMOND Rob Collier PRESIDENT, CHEMTREAT, GLEN ALLEN […][...]
Law 2023: JOHN ‘JACK’ LAVOIE
Lavoie began his career in real estate, locating sites and negotiating leases for clients across the mid-Atlantic region as a senior associate for global real estate advisory firm Staubach, now part of Jones Lang LaSalle. Lavoie now heads Cooley’s real estate practice group. His clients include landlords and tenants involv[...]
