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Manufacturing 2023: TOM HAYES
Hayes began working for the Swedish tobacco products manufacturer in 2006, serving as chief financial officer and senior vice president before becoming president in 2020. Swedish Match manufactures and sells smoke-free oral tobacco products that have a lower risk of mouth cancer, heart disease and lung cancer than cigarettes, ac[...]
Telecommunications 2023: MICHAEL KEEGAN
Keegan has been CEO of TNS, a privately held networking, integrated data and voice services provider that employs 1,300 people, since 2013. He joined the company in 2001 and was influential in its expansion into more than 60 countries. In 2021, TNS was acquired by a Koch Industries subsidiary, and in August 2022, TNS acquired [&[...]
Transportation 2023: JOHN E. ‘JACK’ POTTER
Potter’s responsibilities include managing and operating Ronald Reagan Washington National and Washington Dulles International airports, the only two federally owned airports. He also oversees the Dulles Toll Road. Since taking on his role in 2011, Potter has focused on improving efficiency and technology at the airports. In J[...]
Law 2023: BENJAMIN J. LEIGH
A native of Northern Virginia, Leigh works with business and real estate clients on transactions, planning and litigation. He graduated from the University of Richmond and earned his law degree cum laude from the same school. After clerking for then-Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia Harry L. Carrico, he practiced wi[...]
September 2023 Virginia 500 Spotlight: DONNA PRICE HENRY
FIRST JOB: I worked at a Dairy Queen during the summers while I was in high school. FAVORITE APP: Apple Fitness, except when it tells me that I’m behind in meeting my goals for the day HOW I BALANCE WORK AND PERSONAL LIFE: Some days, I am better at this than others. In my role […]
Living Legends 2023: RIC EDELMAN
A swindle helped place Edelman on his career path. He and his wife, Jean, sought financial advice — only to discover that their adviser had been scamming them. As a result, committed to helping others avoid similar situations, the couple founded Edelman Financial Services in 1986. In 2018, it merged with a West Coast firm [&he[...]
Economic Development 2023: JENNIFER WAKEFIELD
Assuming her current role in 2021, Wakefield served as interim president and CEO twice for the Greater Richmond Partnership, a regional economic development organization for Richmond and the counties of Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico. She has also been the partnership’s chief operating officer and senior vice president of m[...]
Education 2023: JONATHAN R. ALGER
Alger, who joined JMU in 2012, has led the public university to new heights. In the past two years, the university received R2 research classification from the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education, joined the Sun Belt Conference and the FBS level in NCAA Division I football, and saw the graduation of the first cohort from [&h[...]
Transportation 2023: STEPHEN A. EDWARDS
With oversight of the entire Port of Virginia system, Edwards is responsible for its marine terminal facilities in Hampton Roads as well as the Virginia Inland Port in Front Royal. Formerly CEO of TraPac, Global Container Terminals and Ports America, Edwards joined the port authority during the pandemic in January 2021, a challe[...]
Law 2023: BRADLEY J. LINGO
Lingo became dean of Regent University’s law school in June, after former North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Martin left to become founding dean of the High Point University School of Law. Lingo has guided Regent Law toward records for enrollment, median LSAT and U.S. News & World Report rankings. In the publi[...]
2023 Virginia 500: Real Estate
Patrick Bain PRESIDENT AND CEO, THE LONG & FOSTER COS., CHANTILLY Stephen Ballard PRESIDENT AND CEO, S.B. BALLARD CONSTRUCTION, VIRGINIA BEACH Brendan Bechtel CHAIRMAN AND CEO, BECHTEL CORP., RESTON Brian F. Bortell PRESIDENT, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, TIMMONS GROUP, CHESTERFIELD COUNTY Gary Bowman FOUNDER, CEO AND CHAIRMAN, BOWMAN […]
Agriculture 2023: GEORGE C. FREEMAN III
A Richmond native, Freeman has been Universal’s CEO since 2008 and president since 2006. From 2001 to 2005, he was the corporation’s general counsel and secretary, and he worked at law firm Hunton Andrews Kurth (then Hunton & Williams) in the early to mid-1990s. The world’s largest supplier of tobacco leaf, Universal C[...]
