For the Record – April 2019

EASTERN VIRGINIA
Christopher Newport University broke ground on its $57.6 million Fine Arts Center earlier this year. The new Fine Arts Center and band rehearsal hall will be an addition to the Ferguson Center for the Arts and will house the Peninsula Fine Arts Center, which plans to relocate when the building is finished. It also will include new studio spaces and offices for the school’s fine arts programs and a large rehearsal hall. Most of the building will match the rest of the campus’ brick buildings but with an added series of three staggered glass domes. (Daily Press)

Hampton Roads Connector Partners beat out two other bidders for the $3.3 billion design-build contract to build the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Expansion Project, the largest construction project in the Virginia Department of Transportation’s history. New York-based Dragados USA is the lead contractor for the joint venture, which also includes Nebraska-based HDR and England-based Mott MacDonald as the lead designers. Hampton Roads Connector Partners also includes Colorado-based Flatiron Constructors, France-based Vinci Construction and Dodin Campenon Bernard, a construction company also based in France. The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Expansion will add new, two-lane tunnels and widen parts of Interstate 64. Plans call for it to be completed by Nov. 1, 2025. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Toano-based Lumber Liquidators, one of the largest flooring retailers in the country, has agreed to pay a $33 million penalty for misleading investors about formaldehyde-laced laminate flooring from China. The investigation and agreement with federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia stemmed from a 2015 “60 Minutes” investigation finding dangerous levels of formaldehyde in Lumber Liquidators’ laminate flooring. The company agreed to pay a $19 million criminal fine and $14 million in forfeiture. Under the deferred prosecution, the Justice Department will dismiss a charge of securities fraud in three years if Lumber Liquidators meets its obligations. (The Washington Post)

A former hardware store in Warsaw will soon house a craft brewery. Old Rappahannock Brewing Co. LLC is investing more than $1.2 million to open the first craft brewery in Richmond County. The company expects to hire 11 people.  The brewery will be the first tenant in the 37,000-square-foot Jenkins Building, a former hardware store that’s almost vacant. The brewery will take up about 7,000 square feet in the building, which also will house new retail and restaurants. Gov. Ralph Northam approved a $50,000 grant from the Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) Fund, which Warsaw is matching with local funds. As part of the deal, the company will source more than 90 percent of its beer ingredients from Virginia. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

SHENANDOAH VALLEY
A public-private matching grant fund awarded $75,000 to groups in the Shenandoah Valley as part of the Marketing Leverage Program matching grant fund. Shenandoah County matched a handful of other groups for the largest grant funding, receiving $50,000 to promote its “This is our Rush Hour” digital marketing campaign, which focuses on the county’s scenic spots. The Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional Commission also received $25,000 to improve the user experience for visitors planning their vacations. The Shenandoah Valley Music Festival received $5,000 to promote its Come Together! Campaign — focused on drawing families and special kids’ rates for festival tickets. (Northern Virginia Daily)

Edinburg-based Shenandoah Telecommunications Co. (Shentel) plans to purchase Big Sandy Broadband, a cable television, broadband internet and phone provider in eastern Kentucky’s Floyd and Johnson counties. The purchase price was not disclosed. Shentel said the deal will include all of Big Sandy’s assets along with current customers. Employees of Big Sandy have been offered jobs with Shentel. The Big Sandy system is adjacent to existing Shentel cable markets in West Virginia, and it is part of the Charleston, W.Va., television market. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

The Shenandoah Valley has been named a top emerging industrial market by Colliers International. The Shenandoah Valley was the only Virginia market included on its list of 10 Emerging U.S. Industrial Markets to Watch in 2019. Other markets included Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson in South Carolina; Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania; and Savannah, Ga. In addition to the ranking, Colliers included analyses of each market. According to the report, the Shenandoah Valley is a cheaper alternative to other markets but still close to ports, rail lines and labor markets. The Shenandoah Valley also has plenty of land available for development and is located near population centers such as Washington, D.C., Baltimore and the Ohio Valley. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Winchester Station at 2400-2590 S. Pleasant Valley Road now has its leasing representation and commercial property management done by Cushman & Wakefield|Thalhimer. The Simpson Organization, a real estate investment firm based in Atlanta, picked Cushman & Wakefield|Thalhimer to manage the 182,816-square-foot shopping center. Tenants at Winchester Station include Old Navy, Ulta and Bed Bath & Beyond. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Winchester-based Yount, Hyde and Barbour (YHB), a certified public accounting and consulting firm, has merged with Murray, Jonson, White & Associates Ltd. PC (MJW) in Falls Church. The 20 members of the MJW professional staff will be joining YHB, which employs 75 CPAs in Virginia. Scott Moulden, YHB’s managing partner, says the merger will allow the firm to expand its presence in the Washington, D.C., area while positioning staff to more easily serve existing clients in the region. The merger will make the Falls Church office YHB’s seventh location in Virginia. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA
Due to an increased need for nurses in the region, Emory & Henry College in Washington County has established its first-ever Registered Nurse (RN) to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program and is now enrolling students to start classes this fall. The majority of classes will be online, but some courses will be held at the Emory & Henry College School of Health Sciences in Marion and the Emory main campus. “Our purpose is to educate and prepare baccalaureate-level nurses to be professional leaders in health care in Southwest Virginia and surrounding areas,” said Saundra R. Farmer, the program’s director. (News release)

Hungry Mother State Park in Smyth County saw an increase of nearly $1 million in 2018 over the previous year in economic impact due to increased visitation. According to an economic impact report from the Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business, the economic activity stimulated by visitation to Virginia State Parks supported approximately 3,858 jobs in the state in 2018 and was responsible for roughly $133 million in wage and salary income. (SWVAToday.com)

A new business has opened in Wytheville to help people battling opioid addiction. Re-­­ V­­­IDA Recovery Center aims to help patients overcome addiction. The clinic is one of seven Re­VIDA Recovery Centers to open recently in locations across Southwest Virginia and East Tennessee. ReVIDA is a comprehensive behavioral health-care company that incorporates medication-assisted treatment and works to empower patients to reclaim the life they had before addiction. ReVIDA will partner with various agencies to help patients, including health-care providers, social services, Family Preservation Services and law enforcement. (SWVAToday.com)

The Saltville Town Council adopted a resolution in support of applying for up to $600,000 through the Department of Housing and Community Development Industrial Redevelopment Fund to reopen the former GCS Telecommunications building as the Lifetime Wellness Center. If the funding is made available, the town wants to combine it with potential support from the Smyth County Community Foundation and town IDA funds to open the athletic facility. Saltville is able to apply for grants again after being prevented from doing so for a decade due to a federal audit of town payroll records, said Town Manager Brian Martin. (SWVAToday.com)

Planning for the fourth SWVA Economic Forum is underway to bring together the region’s economic developers, educators, business owners, nonprofits and others to envision ways to move Southwest Virginia forward. The forum is scheduled for May 15 in the David J. Prior Convocation Center on the campus of The University of Virginia’s College at Wise in Wise County. The SWVA Economic Forum has seen steady growth with almost 400 people in attendance last year. (News release)

ROANOKE/NEW RIVER VALLEY
The Advancement Foundation, in partnership with Vinton, has secured a $200,000 grant to help low-to-moderate-income-applicants start small businesses or pursue homeownership. The grant money, which can be drawn down during the next three years, was awarded through a state-administered but federally funded Community Development Block Grant program. The money will be used to help people who live at 200 percent of the poverty level, or below it. (The Roanoke Times)

Dockless electric scooters are expected to make their debut in Roanoke this spring, according to Roanoke Director of Planning Chris Chittum. He said a company called Lime, one of the two largest e-scooter providers in the country, approached city officials in January. Chittum hopes to have the city’s permit process, associated fee and governing regulations approved and in place in April, which means Lime’s scooters could be on city streets a few weeks later. Chittum said the city would charge a $5,000 flat permit fee.  (The Roanoke Times)

The town of Narrows in Giles County received $699,346 from Virginia’s portion of the federal Community Development Block Grant program to do several public infrastructure improvements, from parking lots to trails to property acquisition. The grant will also offer owners of downtown commercial buildings up to $15,000 for façade improvements, if they do an equal amount of other qualifying work on their properties. (The Roanoke Times)

The parent company of National Bank of Blacksburg in March repurchased a large amount of company stock, according to online market reports. Abbott Cooper, a bank shareholder and New York-based investor, said his research showed the bank bought about 483,000 shares at just below $40 per share for about $19 million.  (The Roanoke Times)

Volvo Group advertised engineering jobs in the Salem area, describing the positions as “part of an exciting startup opportunity with the objective to start small and grow fast,” according to job descriptions posted to the company’s website. Volvo Group spokesman John Mies said the company is not building a factory in Salem. “We’re doing some work on a project related to future business needs, but we prefer not to comment further at this time,” Mies added via email. Salem is located 50 miles from the 3,000-employee Volvo Trucks plant in Pulaski County. (The Roanoke Times)

NORTHERN VIRGINIA
Amazon.com Inc. hopes to hire all 25,000 employees locally for its second headquarters in Crystal City. Amazon expects to add these employees over 12 years with an average salary of $150,000. If Amazon delivers on the jobs, it is expected to see benefits from the state. Virginia has already approved workforce cash grants from the state of up to $550 million for creating the first 25,000 jobs, or $750 million for creating 37,850 jobs. (Washington Business Journal)

Comcast Corp. has acquired Arlington-based startup BluVector Inc. as part of an effort to grow the company’s existing cybersecurity business and collaborate on developing new technologies. Financial terms were not disclosed. BluVector, a spinout of Northrop Grumman, uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide cybersecurity protection to public and private customers. Northrop sold BluVector to Philadelphia-based private equity firm LLR Partners as it moved away from the commercial cyber business. (Washington Business Journal)

An affiliate of Comstock Holding Companies Inc., a Reston-based real estate development and services company, has acquired JBG Smith Properties’ Commerce Metro Center for $115 million. The sale extends the reach of Comstock’s Reston Station project across the Dulles Toll Road and expands its footprint by the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station to nearly 40 acres and 4.5 million square feet at full development. (Washington Business Journal)

Patrick O’Connell will receive The James Beard Foundation’s lifetime achievement award at the foundation’s annual awards gala on May 6. The James Beard awards are the food industry’s highest honor. O’Connell, 73, is the founder and chef at the Inn at Little Washington in Rappahannock County. The restaurant has grown to become a world-class dining destination, modeled after the grand inns found in remote villages throughout Europe. (The Washington Post)

McLean-based Logi Analytics Inc. has acquired Rockville, Md.-based Jinfonet Software, a provider of embedded operational reporting. The deal took place three months after Logi and Jinfonet tied for the top rating for embedded analytics in a ranking by Dresner Advisory Services. Jinfonet offers operational reporting capabilities, while Logi provides advanced dashboards, self-service analysis and predictive analytics. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Virginia Partners Bank a fast-growing bank based in Fredericksburg, is expected to become an independent, wholly owned subsidiary of Maryland-based Delimar Bancorp through an exchange of shares in an all-stock transaction in the second quarter of 2019.  Delmar Bancorp is the holding company for The Bank of Delmarva, which has its main office in Seaford, Del. (The Free Lance-Star)

CENTRAL VIRGINIA
Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center in Chesterfield County has filed plans with the state to add 55 acute-care beds and build additional floors on top of its emergency department building and its inpatient-bed tower. The project, which would add approximately 110,000 square feet of space to the hospital, is estimated to cost $119 million. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

The CFA Institute has settled with the U.S. Department of Justice after a nearly two-year investigation found that its hiring practices violated the Immigration and Nationality Act. CFA, a nonprofit headquartered in Charlottesville, agreed to pay a $321,000 fine but does not admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement agreement released in February. The Justice Department investigated whether CFA discriminated against U.S. workers when it hired temporary exam graders from outside the country. (The Daily Progress)

The Henrico County Board of Supervisors approved a provisional-use permit for specialty insurer Kinsale Capital Group Inc. to build a 150,000-square-foot, five-story headquarters and a parking garage. Kinsale’s $50 million project should be completed by the fall of 2020. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

The Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance had plenty to celebrate during its annual meeting in late February. “We are geared toward growth and success, and our passion for the region isn’t slowing down,” Alliance CEO Megan Lucas said to the 345 people in attendance. Past Chair Stefanie Prokity told members the alliance board worked to advance advocacy, communications, economic development, events, membership engagement and growth, leadership training and workforce development and overall operations in 2018. (News & Advance)

Electrical engineering and systems integration firm M.C. Dean has announced a $10 million expansion of its Caroline County operation that could create 60 jobs. For a decade, M.C. Dean has owned a 172-acre property with a 62,000-square-foot fabrication facility and about 200,000 square feet of warehouse space. The company has invested more than $1 million into site improvements in the last year. In June, the firm purchased an additional 146 acres.  (Fredericksburg.com)

Virginia Commonwealth University Health System plans to build a $350 million inpatient children’s hospital in downtown Richmond adjacent to its outpatient Children’s Pavilion. The facility will include 86 licensed beds and six observation beds relocated from the health system’s main hospital, with the capacity to increase to about 125 beds.  (VirginiaBusiness.com)

A new era for the Winton Country Club property in Amherst County was ushered in with the site’s sale to a Petersburg developer, Waukeshaw Development Inc., for $800,000.  Waukeshaw plans to develop existing facilities with additions and renovations that will lead to a restaurant, a brewery and a hotel, according to Amherst County officials. (Amherst New Era-Progress)

SOUTHERN VIRGINIA
Danville now has a land-bank entity that will acquire derelict and tax-delinquent properties in the city for reuse. The Danville Neighborhood Development Corp. a relatively new nonprofit, will administer this program. Officials hope the organization will take land — whether through purchase or donation — and try to build new homes on it or find other uses for those properties. Danville City Council voted unanimously to designate the organization as the city’s land-bank entity. The decision came after lengthy discussion in which councilmen asked questions about the group’s role and whether the city would be permanently saddled with paying for it. (Danville Register & Bee)

Churches in Danville could see increases in electricity charges paired with a lower overall consumption rate, but those changes would not take effect until next year if they are approved. The Danville Utility Commission unanimously voted to recommend the adjustments during its meeting in late February. But the decision also included delaying the changes for a year so utilities staff could reach out to churches and give those organizations time to reduce usage and take advantage of energy efficiency incentives offered by the city. “This is not an easy issue,” Utility Commission Chairman William Donohue Jr. said during the meeting, adding that everyone needed to be spurred toward energy efficiency. Recommendation for the delay came after Fred Shanks, a city councilman serving as a non-voting commission member, asked that the changes be delayed until the next biennial rate study in two years. As a compromise, the commission voted for a delay of one year. If approved by Danville City Council, the changes would take effect July 1, 2020, instead of this coming July.  (Danville Register & Bee)

Goodyear will lay off 60 hourly workers from its Danville manufacturing facility, the company confirmed in late February. Company spokeswoman Barbara Hatala wrote in an email: “The company continually adjusts staffing levels to operate as efficiently as possible so that we can best serve our customers by providing them with the quality tires they need, when and where they need them. This decision is part of that process.” (Danville Register & Bee)

The Halifax County Service Authority will seek to alleviate water shortages at Virginia International Raceway by drilling new wells there, a low-cost alternative to running water lines out to the Alton road racing course. HCSA board members agreed in February to seek a state planning grant to conduct a groundwater investigation around VIR to see if new wells can be the solution to the track’s ongoing water issues. The track is down to one working well due to contamination issues that have rendered other wells unusable. The study, which will require the services of a firm specializing in groundwater development and geology, will cost an estimated $55,000, with the hoped-for state grant covering $30,000 of that sum. Laying pipe from successful wells and connecting it to existing track infrastructure could cost anywhere from $200,000 to $500,000, according to Hurt & Proffitt, the engineering firm that is advising the HCSA on the matter. That’s significantly less than the estimated $3.8 million cost of laying water line infrastructure to VIR from Pittsylvania County and the city of Danville. (SoVaNow.com)

Despite the risk of thieves and the stigma concomitant with growing marijuana plants, interested people from across the nation, Canada and even the United Kingdom converged on the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research for a two-day conference on hemp’s industrial applications and cultivation in February. The conference was the second of its kind the institute has held. Kimley Blanks, co-founder of the Industrial Hemp Summit and agricultural marketing director and management assistant for Halifax County, said the event was hosted to bring all links on the supply chain together — connecting growers, processors, manufacturers and influencers — and informing them of a potentially lucrative opportunity for farmers in Southside Virginia and the whole country. The game changed for domestic hemp growers with the December passage of a federal farm bill that eased the prohibition on growing hemp in the United States, said Blake Butler, executive director of the North Carolina Industrial Hemp Association. “Now it has really changed,” Butler said of the conference. “We have attendees from 18 states, the District of Columbia and two countries.” (Danville Register & Bee)

Since Stone Ambulance closed in September, Martinsville Fire & EMS has been looking at options to keep the public fully covered with emergency medical services. Now it may be up to city taxpayers to decide whether that commitment is worth a 2-cent increase in property-tax rates. The city for decades had operated two ambulances at a time, but during peak hours — 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. — Stone Ambulance handled extra calls. Stone did not charge for being available for that service — it kept the fees charged to the public — but ambulance companies that have bid to replace Stone will charge, city officials say.  The only bid received so far has been for $389,820. (Martinsville Bulletin)

By a 5-4 vote in February, the Mecklenburg County Board of Supervisors took a key first step toward approval of the controversial “Ladybug” facility in the Bracey area, a 65-megawatt solar energy array proposed to be built on 1,100 acres near the intersection of Highway 903 and Red Lawn Road. The sharply divided board opted to override a recommendation by the county Planning Commission to reject the project on the grounds it is not consistent with the county’s comprehensive plan. The developer is Cypress Creek Renewables. (SoVaNow.com)

The Southern Virginia Higher Education Center in South Boston had an economic impact of $66.1 million on the statewide economy in fiscal year 2018, according to a recent study. Of that amount, $57.9 million in economic impact occurred in Southern Virginia.  The study, commissioned by SVHEC, was produced by Vincent Magnini at the Institute for Service Research. Magnini’s research showed that economic activity sustained by the SVHEC supported an estimated 481 full-time-equivalent jobs in the state and produced $23.3 million in labor income. SVHEC economic activity also contributed approximately $5.7 million in federal tax revenues and $3.6 million in state and local tax revenues. (The Gazette-Virginian) 

With a donation to the Southern Virginia Higher Education Foundation, Microsoft Corp. has made an IT career in Southern Virginia more accessible. The Microsoft Datacenter Academy Scholars Program established by the software giant provides scholarship funds for individuals in underrepresented groups to pursue training through the SVHEC’s IT Academy. The Microsoft Datacenter Academy Scholars Program provides individuals from underrepresented populations with scholarships to fully fund their IT training — including foundational and advanced coursework. The program also provides opportunities for job shadowing and internships. (Work It, SoVa)