FOR THE RECORD: February 2026

CENTRAL VIRGINIA

Buc-ee’s has pushed the expected opening of its New Kent County travel center to December 2031, a spokesperson confirmed. The Texas-based chain previously expected to open the location, its second in Virginia, in 2027. News of the delay emerged after a December 2025 meeting of the county’s planning commission, where County Administrator Rodney Hathaway cited the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Exit 211 Interchange Improvement Project off Interstate 64 as a factor in the timing of Buc-ee’s opening. Hathaway said the interchange project is expected to be completed in 2029. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Dominion Energy’s proposed Chesterfield County natural gas plant was placed on hold in December 2025 as the Virginia State Corporation Commission said it was reconsidering its final order approving the project. The SCC issued a brief ruling that it will consider a petition from opponents Appalachian Voices, the NAACP and Mothers Out Front, which are represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center. Also in December, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality approved an air permit for the $1.47 billion plant. Dominion is required to respond to the petition by Jan. 23, according to the SCC. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

A $500 million mixed-use development is coming to Genworth Financial’s former campus in Henrico County, developer Greenberg Gibbons announced in December 2025. The project, known as Midtown64, rests on a 46-acre site at the intersection of West Broad Street and Interstate 64. It will include up to 130,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and entertainment space, anchored by a grocery store and a fitness business. There will also be up to 300,000 square feet of Class A office space, nearly 1,000 apartments, 194 townhouses and a 226-room hotel. Richmond hotel operator Shamin Hotels is a joint venture partner with Gibbons in the project. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Henrico County-based Fortune 500 health care logistics and supply company Owens & Minor changed its name to Accendra Health on Dec. 31, 2025. The change impacts only the parent corporation, not its Apria and Byram subsidiaries. In October 2025, the company announced plans to sell its largest business segment, Products & Healthcare Services, for $375 million to Platinum Equity of California. Last June, Owens & Minor backed out of a $1.36 billion deal to buy Rotech Healthcare Holdings, a Florida home-based health care business. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Performance Food Group CEO George Holm transitioned to the role of executive chair of the Goochland County-based Fortune Global 500 food supplier’s board Jan. 1. Former president and chief operating officer Scott McPherson succeeded Holm as CEO. Holm has led PFG since 2008, when the Blackstone Group and Wellspring Capital Management purchased the company in a $1.4 billion deal, after which PFG went public in 2015. McPherson previously served in several executive roles at Core-Mark, one of PFG’s subsidiaries. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

The University of Virginia’s board named Darden School of Business Dean Scott Beardsley as the university’s 10th president in December 2025, disregarding calls from Gov. Abigail Spanberger and faculty groups to pause the presidential selection process until after her inauguration. Beardsley took office Jan. 1, succeeding interim President Paul Mahoney. State Sens. Louise Lucas and Aaron Rouse indicated there would be more controversy ahead for the university in the state legislature, and Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi said the decision “raises serious concerns about process, institutional norms and respect for a democratic transition.” As governor, Spanberger has the power to remove and appoint board members. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

EASTERN VIRGINIA

More than 500 plaintiffs filed suit in December 2025 against Chesapeake Regional Medical Center and Chesapeake Regional Healthcare’s current CEO and two former CEOs for $10 million each for negligence, alleging they enabled an OB-GYN to perform unnecessary medical procedures for nearly a decade. The suit, filed in Chesapeake Circuit Court, lists four counts against Chesapeake Hospital Authority related to former doctor Javaid Perwaiz. The lawsuit alleges Perwaiz performed medically unnecessary surgeries including hysterectomies. Perwaiz was convicted in federal court in Norfolk in 2020 on 52 counts of health care fraud and making false statements in health care matters. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Dominion Energy in December 2025 sued the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the U.S. Department of the Interior, seeking to continue work on its $11.2 billion Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project in Virginia Beach after the federal government issued stop-work orders on five wind farms under construction along the East Coast, including Dominion’s. Projected for delivery in late 2026, the Richmond-based Fortune 500 utility’s planned offshore wind farm is a 2.6-gigawatt project expected to power 660,000 homes. The complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia calls BOEM’s order “arbitrary and capricious,” as well as “procedurally deficient.” (VirginiaBusiness.com)

South Korean company LS Cable & System announced in December 2025 it will build a $689 million copper and advanced materials manufacturing campus in Chesapeake, expected to create 430 jobs. The company hopes to start construction by the middle of this year and be fully operational by late 2027. The project more than doubles the company’s capital investment in Chesapeake manufacturing facilities, bringing its expected job creation total in the area to 760. LS Cable is the parent company of LS GreenLink USA, which started construction in April 2025 on its $681 million-plus advanced cable manufacturing facility in Chesapeake. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Newport News City Council in December 2025 approved a roughly $3 million grant to support the launch of a major music festival coming Memorial Day Weekend 2026, aimed at boosting tourism, igniting interest in downtown and supporting area businesses. The city says the event will feature internationally recognized musical artists and Hampton Roads community leaders. The festival will feature performances, conversations, large-scale art installations, interactive community workshops, hands-on tech experiences and cultural and business showcases. The city has partnered with the Port Warwick Foundation, a nonprofit with experience producing public events in Newport News, to facilitate efforts launching the festival. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

During a January speech at Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth underscored changes in how the Pentagon will work with major defense contractors. He said the days of cost-plus contracts for programs years behind schedule “are finished” and that longer and larger contracts will be given to companies that deliver on time and on budget. To increase throughput and meet growing demand, HII said it launched a distributed shipbuilding initiative, partnering with 23 shipyards and fabricators beyond its traditional labor market to improve schedule adherence. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Riverside Smithfield Hospital on Jan. 6 officially opened to patients, giving Smithfield and Isle of Wight County a 24/7 emergency department for the first time. Previously, residents had to travel outside of the community to access many essential services. The new 200,000-square-foot, 50-bed hospital is located at 19339 Benns Grant Blvd. Planning and community engagement for the hospital began in 2021, and groundbreaking occurred in July 2023. The hospital’s opening follows the September 2025 opening of the 27,000-square-foot Jamison–Longford Medical Office Building on the same campus. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

NORTHERN VIRGINIA

In December 2025, Alexandria city councilors approved special use permits for Maryland developer JBG Smith to develop 640 housing units in Potomac Yard. Plans call for a mix of affordable and market-rate apartments and townhouses, as well as 13,000 square feet of retail space near the proposed site for the failed Alexandria sports arena. JBG Smith will build 432 market-rate apartments, and Alexandria nonprofit Wesley Housing is set to deliver 88 affordable units, while Toll Brothers will build 120 townhouses. The timeline for construction had not been released as of mid-January. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Alexandria’s Burke & Herbert Financial Services, parent company of the Burke & Herbert bank, entered an agreement in December 2025 to acquire Pennsylvania-based Linkbancorp, the holding company for Linkbank. The all-stock transaction is worth about $354.2 million, and it will expand Burke & Herbert’s reach into Pennsylvania. The company previously acquired Summit Financial Group for $371.5 million in 2024. The merged bank’s holding company is expected to have about $11 billion in total assets, and the deal is set to close in the second quarter of 2026. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Reston Fortune 500 government contractor CACI International announced in late December 2025 it had entered an agreement to acquire aerospace and defense contractor Arka Group for $2.6 billion. The all-cash transaction would result in about 1,000 Arka employees, including about 315 software engineers, joining CACI. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026, and CACI expects to receive a $225 million tax benefit from the transaction. The company anticipates Arka will contribute about $650 million in revenue over the next year. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

A lobbying firm filed an early planning application in December 2025 tied to a massive data center proposal in western Prince William County, a project dubbed Dulles South Innovation Center. The application filed by Warrenton-based firm LSI 360 asks the county for a cultural resource assessment, an early step in a rezoning effort. According to the filing, the firm hopes the county will designate 1,930 acres in the Gainesville district for industrial use. County officials said they expect to complete the assessment by mid-January. LSI previously advised residents who sold their land for the Prince William Digital Gateway project, which remains in legal limbo. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Reston-based higher education tech company Ellucian announced in January it had completed its acquisition of Anthology’s Student Information Systems and Enterprise Resource Planning business through a Chapter 11 bankruptcy process. Based in Florida, Anthology merged with Blackboard in 2021, a deal that valued the combined company at $3 billion. However, Anthology filed for bankruptcy in September 2025. In November 2025, Ellucian announced its successful bid for the segments, including a platform managing student data and academic processes. Ellucian expects to gain more than 260 customers through the deal. Financial terms were not disclosed. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Prince William County supervisors in December 2025 approved $400,000 in additional funding for legal costs in the two major court cases connected to the controversial Prince William Digital Gateway project. The board voted 5-3 to greenlight the transfer of the funds from the county’s real estate assessment reserve to the county attorney’s office. One case was dismissed by a circuit court judge, and in the other, a judge declared the county’s rezoning vote “void,” halting all progress on the massive data center project. In February, both cases are scheduled to be heard in the Virginia Court of Appeals. (Inside NoVa)

ROANOKE/ LYNCHBURG/ NEW RIVER VALLEY

Five lawsuits filed in Roanoke’s federal court allege that Delta Dental of Virginia failed to prevent a data breach that compromised the personal information of at least 145,000 of its policyholders. An unknown party accessed the insurer’s network between March and April 2025 and took personal, financial and medical information. The lawsuits allege the cyberattack was not reported to potential victims until November and that the company’s inadequate security measures and an incompetent response to the breach leave the policyholders at ongoing risk. The lawsuits seek class action status, identity theft protection, credit monitoring and regular audits of Delta’s computer system. (The Roanoke Times)

Mountain Valley Pipeline’s plans to expand its natural gas capacity by 30% through a project called MVP Boost is now under state and federal review. The project calls for building a new compressor station in Montgomery County and upgrading three existing stations in West Virginia. The station requires a state air permit, and a public hearing on the matter is expected in the spring. The project’s developers say the proposal would meet growing demand for natural gas. They hope that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approves the project by November and that it will be operational by mid-2028. (Cardinal News)

Roanoke is paying lobbying firm Two Capitols Consulting $6,000 a month to pursue a casino license for the city. The firm’s contract with the city began Sept. 22, 2025, roughly three weeks before city officials unveiled a plan to transform the Berglund Center into a casino and entertainment district. The firm is tasked with securing 2026 General Assembly casino legislation and supporting its passage. If the legislation passes, Roanoke voters would need to approve the project. State legislators in the region have voiced opposition to a casino, meaning a legislator from outside the area would need to submit the bill. (The Roanoke Rambler)

The Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport’s proposed expansion hinges on whether it can acquire city-owned land west of Interstate 581, the site of the former Countryside Golf Course, so that it can extend a runway. Negotiations have been ongoing for more than two years, with the Roanoke city attorney describing the matter as a complex issue. The city bought the land in 2005, but redevelopment plans failed. The airport offered $2.4 million for a large chunk of the property in August 2023. The city hopes the General Assembly will fund a $7 million feasibility study to assess costs, environmental issues and economic benefits. (The Roanoke Rambler)

The foundations have been laid on Virginia’s first onshore wind farm, the Rocky Forge Wind project, in Botetourt County. Work on the 13 foundations, which will support turbines nearly 650 feet tall along North Mountain, was completed in December 2025. The project will generate up to 78 megawatts of renewable electricity for Google’s Virginia data centers. After years of delays from permitting and legal challenges, the project advanced following a 2024 power purchase agreement between Apex Clean Energy and Google. The turbines are expected to begin operations by the end of the year. (The Roanoke Times)

Virginia Tech’s athletics program announced in December 2025 that it received a $20 million anonymous donation, the largest gift to athletics in the school’s history. The Blacksburg-based university calls the $20 million “a major step” in its fundraising efforts for its “Invest to Win” strategy, which aims to make Virginia Tech Athletics competitive in NCAA’s current Division I and Football Bowl Subdivision. Some of Invest to Win’s objectives include fully funding nearly $20 million annually in student-athlete scholarships, investing in coaching staff, recruiting top players and soliciting potential donors to invest in scholarships, facility improvements and resources. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

SHENANDOAH VALLEY

Government tech contractor BigBear.ai announced on Dec. 31, 2025, that it completed its $250 million acquisition of Ask Sage, a Warren County-based contractor known for its generative artificial intelligence platform designed for defense and national security agencies, as well as other highly regulated sectors. Ask Sage supports more than 100,000 users across 16,000 government teams and hundreds of commercial organizations. Nearly 30 AskSage employees are joining BigBear.ai, including CEO Nicolas Chaillan, who was appointed chief technology officer. The acquisition raised BigBear.ai’s headcount to around 650 employees. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

The Front Royal–Warren County Economic Development Authority voted in December 2025 to sell 113 acres of the former Avtex Fibers site on Kendrick Lake in Front Royal to Provident Realty Advisors for $6.45 million, about $57,000 per acre. Headquartered in Dallas, Provident Realty Advisors has a division, Provide Data Centers, that develops data centers. Chairman Robert MacDougall called the decision to sell a major step toward revitalizing a long-dormant property. Board members expected a contract in January, followed by a nine-month inspection period before closing. The site is zoned for mixed-use campus development. (The Northern Virginia Daily)

Broadband service provider Shenandoah Telecommunications Co., also known as Shentel, announced in December 2025 that it completed its Virginia Telecommunications Initiative (VATI) project to expand gigabit broadband internet service to more than 7,000 previously unserved homes in Shenandoah County. The provider says much of the $50 million construction project was funded by the VATI program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, while other funding came from its own capital investment and a contribution from the county. Shenandoah Director of Tourism and Economic Development Jenna French said having readily available broadband is increasingly expected by prospective businesses. (News release)

The Commonwealth Transportation Board voted in January to transfer the Shenandoah Valley rail corridor project and $35 million in trail funding from the Virginia Department of Transportation to the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority. The money is tied to a plan involving a 48.5-mile, inactive Norfolk Southern rail line between Front Royal in Warren County and Broadway in Rockingham County. Under the proposal, VPRA would facilitate the purchase of the corridor and partner with the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, which would build a public trail alongside the tracks and maintain the corridor with rail intact, thereby preserving future rail possibilities. (The Northern Virginia Daily)

The Winchester Economic Development Authority provided $100,000 in scholarships to help the city’s residents enrolled in Laurel Ridge Community College Workforce Solutions’ FastForward credential classes. The Middletown college announced in December 2025 that up to 25 students from Winchester will be able to receive financial assistance to be trained in high-demand fields, which the college and EDA say will help area employers meet crucial workforce needs. The FastForward courses help students obtain credentials to work in fields such as plumbing, welding, commercial truck driving, electrical contracting and HVAC. (The Winchester Star)

PEOPLE

The Greater Augusta Regional Chamber of Commerce in January announced its 2026 board of directors, welcoming Jason Boron of Leading Strong as a returning board member and Dan Joyce from iHeart Media as a new board member. The board’s executive committee includes immediate past chair Kristina Arbogast, at-large member Chris Auville, Secretary Bruce Blair, Treasurer Suzie Dull, Chair-elect Jacqueline Kurtz and Chair Paula Moore-McClure. The chamber is a 501(c)(6) membership organization that serves Augusta County, Staunton and Waynesboro and aims to strengthen and enhance the local business environment and foster balanced growth in the region. (News release)

SOUTHERN VIRGINIA

Blue Ridge Regional Airport in Martinsville celebrated a milestone in December 2025, with the completion of its long-planned runway extension. The airport’s primary runway was expanded from 5,000 feet to 6,000 feet — a change officials say enhances safety, allows larger aircraft to land and positions the airport as an increasingly valuable asset for business travel, corporate investment and emergency services. Airport officials said the project was at least a decade in the making and depended on partnerships among local governments, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Virginia Department of Aviation. (Martinsville Bulletin)

On Dec. 18, 2025, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved an amended project allowing a pipeline that will start in Chatham and go into North Carolina to be built. Dubbed Southgate, the line is planned to tie into the 303-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline, which starts in West Virginia and ends near Chatham, transporting natural gas to delivery points in neighboring Rockingham, North Carolina. Southgate would serve Duke Energy and the Public Service Company of North Carolina. An official said in December that construction would begin in 2026 but did not provide a timeline. (Danville Register & Bee)

Martinsville-based Hooker Furnishings entered into a cooperation agreement Jan. 1 with Wisconsin-based Global Value Investment Corp., (GVIC) under which the two will identify a mutually agreeable independent director with industry expertise within 45 days. Once the director is identified and vetted, the Hooker Furnishings board would increase its size from eight to nine members and immediately appoint the new independent director to the board with a term expiring at the 2026 annual meeting of shareholders. Separately, board Chair W. Christopher Beeler Jr.  announced plans to retire at the annual meeting. (Furniture Today; U.S. Security and Exchange Commission document)

In December 2025, the OpenAI Foundation announced recipients of its $50 million People-First AI Fund, designed to help nonprofits strengthen their communities and expand artificial intelligence opportunities. Among the 208 grant winners is the South Boston-based SOVA Innovation Hub, which will receive $60,000, equal to 10% of its $600,000 annual operating budget. The hub houses meeting spaces, coworking spaces and the Microsoft Experience Center, which showcases technology. Organizers will use the OpenAI grant to found SOVA AI Connect, which will help individuals build practical AI skills through events like workshops and job skills training. (Cardinal News)

Plans to rezone land to grow an industrial park in the northern part of Pittsylvania County drew backlash from residents at a Jan. 6 meeting. Despite their pleas, the Pittsylvania County Planning Commission unanimously recommended rezoning nearly 225 acres in Hurt. The Staunton River Regional Industrial Facility Authority is working to develop the industrial site. Currently, the parcels are zoned for agricultural or residential uses. However, moving it to heavy industry would create more than 1,000 acres that could be used for advanced manufacturing. The matter will go before the county board of supervisors Jan. 20, an accelerated schedule. (Danville Register & Bee)

A historic hotel in South Boston that shut down in the 1990s is being brought back to life as The Rook Hotel. The former John Randolph Hotel on Main Street has been vacant for more than two decades, but hospitality entrepreneurs Julian and Karie Brittano are about to change that. A December 2025 groundbreaking ceremony was postponed due to snow, but the project is moving forward. The $13 million investment will include 30 luxury rooms, a rooftop lounge bar, a restaurant and more. The Brittanos expect the hotel to open in early 2027. (WDBJ7 News)

SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA

Bristol business leaders say the city is emerging as a new nightlife destination. Bristol Hard Rock Casino and Hotel generated more than $38 million in gaming tax revenue last year, significantly increasing foot traffic to the area. And after Johnson City, Tennessee, moved its alcohol sales cutoff to 1 a.m. and the Sapphire Social Club opened on New Year’s Eve on State Street, the nightlife scene has surged in Bristol. However, businesses in the city say the 10% food and beverage tax is too high, which can hurt their profits. (News5 WCYB)

Data Center manufacturer Tate, a subsidiary of Irish company Kingspan Group, is expanding its U.S. manufacturing operations by acquiring a 131,000-square-foot facility in Lebanon. The Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority reported in December 2025 that Tate will occupy the former Alcoa manufacturing building, which was acquired and upgraded through a collaboration with the Russell County Industrial Development Authority and VCEDA. The site, located near Tate’s existing St. Paul operation, will strengthen Tate’s production footprint and is expected to create up to 35 full-time jobs within three years. The building was originally built in the late 1990s and lies on an approximately 11-acre site. (News release)

The Scott County Board of Supervisors voted in January to oppose a request by Bristol to increase its share of gambling tax revenue from the Bristol Hard Rock Casino. Bristol seeks to raise its portion from 27% to 50%, as it faces budget pressures. Under the current state-approved formula, Bristol receives five of 18 shares, while Scott County and 12 other Southwest Virginia localities each receive one share apiece. The Southwest Virginia Regional Improvement Commission is gathering locality member input before sending a letter to the General Assembly opposing the proposal. If the formula is unchanged, future revenues could increase significantly for all localities. (TimesNews)

The Virginia Clean Energy Innovation Bank has awarded $275,000 to the University of Virginia’s College at Wise for a nuclear control room simulator, according to a December 2025 announcement from Gov. Glenn Youngkin. The simulator will provide workforce and professional training in Southwest Virginia and support additional K–12 STEM programming and community open houses to help the public better understand advanced nuclear technology and clean energy. According to the governor’s office, the project is designed to prepare a skilled regional workforce in Southwest Virginia for future nuclear deployment and energy-intensive industries like data centers. (News release)

In January, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced that the first assistance payments to farmers and forest landowners affected by Hurricane Helene had been disbursed through the Virginia Farm Recovery Block Grant. Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the grant has $60.9 million to assist farmers and timber landowners in 27 eligible localities, most of which are in Southwest Virginia. The first payments were for operations that suffered income loss because of market loss. Following the first payment round, the governor said there would be payments for producers and landowners who suffered other types of losses to infrastructure, timber and plasticulture. (News release)

Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s final two-year state budget proposal, released in December 2025, included $35 million in fiscal year 2027 to advance an inland port in Washington County. The facility would move shipping containers via rail between Southwest Virginia and the Port of Virginia, potentially creating hundreds of jobs if manufacturers and other businesses develop around it. State lawmakers have already invested $12.5 million in planning, though the total project cost has not been disclosed by the Virginia Port Authority. A 2023 study showed such a project could potentially generate $1.75 billion in economic benefits over 20 years. (Cardinal News)