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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 [...]
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[...]
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 […]
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[...]
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[...]
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[...]
Professional Services 2023: JEREMY BLANK
Blank has worked at Big Four global accounting firm Deloitte since 1995, moving from a tax practice partner at the accounting firm to his current market leader position in January 2022. His expertise includes tax research and analysis, tax planning, mergers and acquisitions, tax technology and compliance. In fiscal year 2022, De[...]
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 [...]
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[...]
Federal Contractors | Technology 2023: MARK P. MARRON
With more than three decades in the tech industry, Marron has been with ePlus since 2005, becoming its president and CEO in 2016 and a member of the company’s board two years later. In May, ePlus acquired assets of Network Solutions Group, a Michigan-based networking services company in the broadband service provider end-m[...]
Real Estate 2023: ROBERT J. ‘BOB’ CLARK
Clark joined Baskervill, one of the state’s most prominent design firms, more than 25 years ago and was named president in 2004. A graduate of Virginia Military Institute who has an MBA from William & Mary, Clark started his career as a mechanical engineer at Newport News Shipbuilding and served as an Air Force officer[...]
