For the Record August 2026

Central Virginia

Amazon.com plans to build a more than 1 million-square-foot distribution center in New Kent County near Exit 211 off Interstate 64, according to a mid-June announcement from the county. Known as the New Kent City Center site, the property where Amazon plans to build is located next to AutoZone’s $18.5 million, 800,000-square-foot distribution center, which opened in November 2025. Amazon purchased property for the distribution center from Maryland-based real estate firm Matan, according to a news release. Amazon did not disclose the projected capital investment for the project. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Demolition started June 30 on the former Best Products headquarters in Henrico County, with county officials taking turns operating an excavator to make way for an arena-anchored mixed-use development. The site along Interstate 95 in western Henrico is expected to be cleared within three to four months, county spokesman Will Jones said. Richmond-based demolition company S.B. Cox is contracted to do the work. The site’s two art deco eagle statues are still expected to be preserved either onsite as part of the new development or through relocation. The nearly 50-year-old building was deemed structurally unsafe for renovation. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Denver-based data center developer Tract has proposed a 900-megawatt data center campus in eastern Goochland County, the first project to come forward under the county’s newly created Technology Overlay District. Tract filed a pre-application for a conditional use permit for the project, called “Tuckahoe Technology Park,” on June 10. The company plans to develop an 872-acre data center campus across 13 parcels under contract, east of Hockett Road and northwest of the intersection of Patterson Avenue and Route 288. Tract says the campus could generate major tax revenue and create 1,200 construction jobs, plus 350 permanent jobs. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

The U.S. arm of ID Logistics expects to invest $83 million and create 1,000 jobs at its first Virginia location, a hazardous materials distribution facility in Henrico County, the Henrico Economic Development Authority announced in early July. The company is leasing the I-895 Logistics Center,
a 582,000-square-foot distribution facility developed by Ashley Capital at 7011 S. Laburnum Ave. The investment would be for an upfit of the facility.
ID Logistics expects to use the site to serve high- demand retail and direct-to-consumer household essentials, like cleaning and beauty products. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

PEOPLE

The Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors in late June selected Kevin A. Catlin as the next county administrator, following a nationwide search. He succeeds Joseph P. Casey, who retired on July 1 after a decade in the role. The board appointed Deputy County Administrator for Finance and Administration Matt Harris to serve as interim county administrator until Catlin begins the new role on Aug. 24. Catlin currently serves as county administrator and controller of Kalamazoo County, Michigan, and previously served as county administrator for Boone County, Illinois, from September 2020 to April 2022. (News release)

Tammy Snyder will become CEO of UVA Health University Medical Center Aug. 3, the academic health system announced in mid-June. Based in Charlottesville, the University Medical Center is UVA Health’s flagship teaching hospital, with more than 1,350 affiliated faculty members. According to her LinkedIn profile, from 2023 until April 2026, Snyder served as president of New York’s Rochester General Hospital, Rochester Regional Health’s flagship hospital. She succeeds previous CEO Wendy Horton, who departed in September 2025 to become a senior vice president and president of adult care services at UCSF Health. Kathy Baker is the current interim CEO. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Eastern Virginia

Batten University, formerly Virginia Wesleyan University, announced on July 1 — the day it officially adopted its new name — that it acquired Sentara College of Health Sciences. The acquisition follows approval by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges on June 11. Sentara College of Health Sciences became an operating division of Batten University while continuing to operate as a separate college pending final approval from the U.S. Department of Education. The Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, and a spokesperson said both Sentara Health and Batten agreed not to disclose terms. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Cavalier Associates, led by Gold Key | PHR CEO Bruce Thompson, sold the Cavalier Resort at Virginia Beach’s Oceanfront on June 15 to Connecticut-based real estate investment firm Wheelock Street Capital. The deal includes The Historic Cavalier Hotel and Beach Club, as well as two other Oceanfront hotels that Gold Key | PHR developed. The Hunt Room restaurant and Tarnished Truth Distilling were not included in the sale. In an email, Thompson said terms of the transaction were confidential and pursuant to a nondisclosure agreement. The property will be managed by Connecticut-based HEI Hotels & Resorts. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Jefferson Lab executives and elected officials in mid-June broke ground on the Jefferson Lab Data Center, a 30,000-square-foot facility on
the Newport News campus backed by roughly $43 million in state funding and $6 million in seed funding. The building will serve as the future home of DOE’s High Performance Data Facility, a federally supported initiative with an estimated project cost of $300 million to $500 million. Construction is expected to start later this year, with the JLDC built in about 18 months and the HPDF operational in 2030. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

MacArthur Center mall in Norfolk closed for good on June 27 after 27 years. The city is moving forward with plans to redevelop the 26-acre property into a mixed-use development that will feature housing, a hotel, retail and possibly a grocery store. However, demolition has been delayed from this year until at least late 2027 to give the city time to finalize redevelopment plans and engineering. The aging mall had previously cost taxpayers about $3 million annually to stay open and city officials said closing it was more practical than keeping it running. (WAVY-TV 10)

PEOPLE

Three months after Old Dominion University’s Faculty Senate cast a vote of no confidence in President Brian O. Hemphill, the ODU Board of Visitors on June 15 reaffirmed its support for the university leader, extending his contract through 2032. The board cited “unwavering confidence” in Hemphill and pointed to a series of milestones under his leadership, with the “defining achievement” being the 2024 integration of Eastern Virginia Medical School into the university. In March, a majority of ODU’s Faculty Senate issued a vote of no confidence in Hemphill over the university’s Forward-Focused Digital Transformation Initiative. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Michael Cole in June took over as the new president of Sentara Health Plans, the health insurance division of Norfolk-based Sentara Health. Cole succeeds Colin Drozdowski, who announced last summer plans to retire after six years in the role. In 2023, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon named Cole its market president. In early 2025, Regence BlueShield of Washington announced Cole would also oversee that state. Previously, Cole served as president of Aetna’s North Atlantic territory and as president and CEO of the company’s Keystone market in Pennsylvania. Sentara Health operates 11 hospitals in Virginia and one in northeastern North Carolina. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Northern Virginia

In late June, Buc-ee’s bought more than 35 acres in Stafford County to build a 74,000-square- foot travel center there. S.L. Nusbaum Realty said the Texas chain purchased the land next to Interstate 95 and Courthouse Road for $14.8 million from Rocky Ridge Joint Venture and limited liability company NSA East. In May, Stafford County supervisors approved a rezoning and conditional use permit for the property. Buc-ee’s has not announced a construction timeline for the project, its third center announced in Virginia. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Texas-based data center operator and real estate investment trust Digital Realty announced in late June it plans to acquire Alexandria venture capital firm Columbia Capital in a deal that could be worth up to $775 million. Although he has not been with the firm for more than two decades, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner founded Columbia Capital in 1989 and help start several tech companies there, including Nextel. Digital Realty also purchased three Northern Virginia hyperscale data centers from joint venture partner Blackstone for $3.5 billion in June. One development is in Sterling, and the other two are in Manassas. (VirginiaBusiness.com; Washington Business Journal)

Prince William County supervisors in July unanimously rejected a comprehensive plan amendment that would have allowed a massive data center campus in the western part of the county. The vote came just days after the controversial Prince William Digital Gateway project officially died. The proposed Dulles South Innovation Center would have allowed up to 43 million square feet of development at buildout on 1,930 acres, and Warrenton lobbying and communications firm LSI 360 had requested the land be designated for industrial use. It currently is zoned for low-density residential and agricultural uses. County staff previously recommended rejecting the amendment. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Rocket Lab, a California-based aerospace company, announced in late June it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire McLean global satellite communications company Iridium Communications in an $8 billion deal. Under the cash and stock acquisition, Rocket Lab would acquire all outstanding shares of Iridium common stock for $54 a share. The transaction is expected to be completed in mid-2027. In July, Iridium completed its purchase of the remainder of McLean-based air traffic surveillance system operator Aireon, a joint project it started in 2011. In May, Iridium said it expected to acquire 61% of Aireon for $366.7 million. (VirginiaBusiness.com; news release)

Sandberg Development, a Swedish investment company, plans to build its United States headquarters in Prince William County’s Innovation Park, creating an expected 32 jobs and investing $43 million. Sandberg currently operates four government contracting companies based in Prince William, including Aimpoint, which produces red dot sighting technology for the military, hunters and sport shooters. Aimpoint will be consolidated into Sandberg’s new facility, which is expected to be complete by mid-2028, according to Sandberg President Matthew Casciano. The company bought 11 acres from the county for $14.3 million in June. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

PEOPLE

The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority has hired the co-founder of Connected DMV to be its next president and CEO. George D. Thomas is set to start in August, succeeding Victor Hoskins, who has held the post since 2019 and plans to return to the private sector, he said in February. Since 2019, Thomas has served as president and CEO of Connected DMV, a Washington, D.C., metropolitan nonprofit that drives improvements for economic health and social equity. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Roanoke/Lynchburg/New River Valley

Bedford County has joined the Roanoke Regional Partnership, marking the ninth municipality to join the economic development organization, the organization announced July 7. The partnership includes the cities of Covington, Roanoke and Salem as well as Alleghany, Bedford, Botetourt, Franklin, and Roanoke counties along with the town of Vinton. Partnership President and CEO John Hull noted strong tourism assets and business-ready sites among Bedford’s assets. Working with other organizations, Roanoke Regional Partnership said it has helped attract $19 billion in regional economic investment by companies such as Google, Amazon, and Mack Trucks. (News release)

Lynchburg nuclear components and fuel manufacturer BWX Technologies announced July 6 that it had completed its acquisition of Pennsylvania-based manufacturer Precision Components Group, adding more than 500,000 square feet of U.S. heavy-manufacturing capacity and more than 450 employees. Financial terms were not disclosed. The acquisition expands BWXT’s heavy-manufacturing footprint and enhances its ability to deliver U.S.-made nuclear components for the commercial sector. Precision Components Group will continue operating at its current facilities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Before the acquisition, BWXT employed about 10,000 people and operated 17 manufacturing facilities. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

On June 25, Centra Health unveiled possible visions for the future of its Virginia Baptist Hospital campus, which opened 102 years ago. The Lynchburg-based nonprofit health system presented two mixed-use redevelopment scenarios for the site’s 537,062 square feet of space. Both visions are mixed-use developments with residential, retail, dining, a hotel and childcare, and include a mix of preserving historic structures, adapting existing spaces and new development. Virginia Baptist Hospital continues to serve patients, but many of those functions are expected to be relocated by 2028. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Luna Innovations, a Blacksburg-based technology company that has struggled with accounting problems and a Nasdaq delisting, announced
June 26 that it has agreed to be acquired by an affiliate of New York-based private equity firm TJC. Under the agreement, each share of Luna stock would be converted into the right to receive  $1.39 in cash. The company has about 34.7 million shares outstanding, implying a transaction value of roughly $48 million. The transaction remains subject to approval by Luna shareholders and other customary closing conditions and reviews. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Virginia regulators have suspended Mountain Valley Pipeline’s application to build the MVP Boost natural gas compressor station in Montgomery County after the county submitted conflicting statements about the project’s suitability. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality cited a discrepancy between an air permit form signed by a county attorney and a later letter from the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors to federal regulators raising concerns about the site’s evacuation route. Mountain Valley Pipeline said it is working to address DEQ’s concerns and hopes to resume the permitting process. (Radio IQ)

PEOPLE

Seven years after leaving the University of Lynchburg for a leadership position at The Citadel in South Carolina, Sally Coleman Selden has returned as the university’s 12th president. Selden assumed the role July 1, succeeding Alison Morrison-Shetlar, who retired after six years. Before departing in 2019, Selden spent 18 years at the University of Lynchburg, serving in a variety of leadership roles. At The Citadel, Selden served as provost and dean. She oversaw five schools, supported more than 3,800 students and

Shenandoah Valley

The Community Foundation of the Northern Shenandoah Valley celebrated its 25th anniversary June 10 at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley. Founded in 2001 with a $500 gift, the foundation has grown to managing more than $20 million across 153 charitable funds. Last year, it awarded $100,000 in competitive grants to 48 nonprofits and distributed $1.7 million in private grants and scholarships. The event honored the foundation’s founders, Rotarians Byron Brill, Bruce Downing, Bill Huehn, Harry Smith and Larry VanHoose. The foundation also announced longtime investment adviser Greg Druehl will be recognized with a ceremonial tree planting planned for September. (News release)

The proposed Harrisonburg apartment project formerly known as The Link has been revised, with Wyoming-based developer Timber Wolf Capital Partners renaming it The Lindsey after the Lindsey Funeral Home on the site. The updated plan reduces the building from six to four stories, with
up to 180 apartments, 440 bedrooms, and a smaller 320-space parking garage. However, commercial space on the ground floor remains.
The project, which has been controversial over its scale and traffic impacts, will go before the Harrisonburg Planning Commission within the next few months before potentially heading to city council. (Daily News-Record)

Shenandoah University announced in June it received a $100,000 GO Virginia grant for planning a commercial kitchen and culinary hub to support small-scale food and beverage entrepreneurs in the Northern Shenandoah Valley. Led by Director of Nutrition and Dietetics Tammy Wagner and developed in collaboration with area localities, the project lowers barriers to entry through a shared-use, licensed kitchen facility. The facility, which will be established in the university’s “Buzzins” dining location, will allow small producers to scale their operations beyond direct-to-consumer sales and create jobs. (News release)

State Sen. Timmy French, Del. Bill Wiley and Del. Delores Oates on June 11 released a statement opposing the Valley North Project, which calls for approximately 260 miles of new 765-kilovolt (kV) transmission lines to be installed through Frederick and Clarke counties. The legislators said the project is being driven by growing energy demands of Northern Virginia and that Shenandoah Valley residents are being asked to sacrifice productive farmland, private property rights and future economic opportunities for infrastructure that will provide little direct benefit to them. Valley North is being developed by Valley Link Transmission Company LLC, a joint venture of Dominion Energy, FirstEnergy Transmission LLC and Transource Energy LLC (jointly owned by American Electric Power and Evergy). (News release)

PEOPLE

The Omni Homestead Resort & Spa in Hot Springs announced in June it has appointed a Fairmont Hotels & Resorts hospitality executive to be its managing director. Jacco van Teeffelen succeeds Mark Spadoni, who held the role for more than four years. A graduate of the Hotel Management School Maastricht in the Netherlands, van Teeffelen comes to Hot Springs from Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, where he worked for more than 15 years. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

In early June, Patrick Barker took on a new role as Warren County’s new economic development director, leading the county’s economic development strategy, business retention and expansion efforts, workforce partnerships and growth initiatives. The position was previously held by Joseph Petty, who resigned as in May 2024 to take a role with the Warren Heritage Society. Barker was most recently executive director of the Frederick County Economic Development Authority. (News release)

Southern Virginia

Virginia is levying a six-figure civil penalty on the developer of a Halifax County solar power plant. Alton Post Office Solar was developed by Houston-based Urban Grid and began operating in November 2024. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality recently ordered Urban Grid’s limited liability company for the project, Alton Post Office Solar Land, to pay $106,288, alleging multiple failures to implement proper erosion and sediment controls. Urban Grid said in a statement to Cardinal News that it has been working with the DEQ to address the concerns and that “substantial progress” has been made. (Cardinal News)

Amthor International celebrated the June 26 grand opening of a new 35,000-square-foot facility at Gretna Industrial Park, part of a $36.5 million expansion. The tanker truck manufacturer invested $6.5 million in the building and $30 million in equipment and inventory. The company, which employs about 105 workers, plans to hire 50 to 75 more employees, including welders, mechanics and electricians. Executive Vice President Brian Amthor said the expansion will help the company increase production and support plans to open distribution centers across the country. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

The Mecklenburg-Brunswick Regional Airport in Brodnax will receive more than $800,000 in federal grant funding, part of more than $37 million in airport infrastructure grants for Virginia announced in July by U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine. The airport was awarded two grants — $538,028 to construct two new aircraft storage hangars and $300,000 to increase aircraft storage capacity. Additionally, Emporia-Greensville Regional Airport will receive $286,900 in federal grant funding for design work for lighting systems, paving and infrastructure upgrades. (The Mecklenburg Sun)

Farm and home supplies retailer Rural King will invest $40 million to establish a distribution center in Henry County, creating 150 jobs, Gov. Abigail Spanberger announced June 30. The Illinois-based company purchased the 500,000-square-foot warehouse at Patriot Centre Industrial Park vacated by VF Corp. in 2025 and plans to upgrade the facility. The new jobs will pay an average annual wage of about $59,000. Virginia approved a $750,000 Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund grant for the project, which also will receive support through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Stack Infrastructure said June 30 it will continue planning its proposed data center campus at the Southern Virginia Megasite at Berry Hill after the General Assembly finalized the state budget. The Denver-based company has agreed to invest at least $73.5 billion and create 2,050 jobs under a performance agreement. Virginia’s lawmakers had disagreed on whether to end the state’s sales and use tax exemption for data centers. As a compromise, they preserved the exemption and approved an electricity consumption tax on data centers. Local officials are now working with Stack on a community benefits plan. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Times Fiber Communications plans to close its Pittsylvania County facility by Halloween, eliminating 78 jobs. Layoffs will begin in late August and conclude by the end of October, according to a WARN Act notice filed with the state. The facility at 380 Tightsqueeze Industrial Road in Chatham produces coaxial cable and telecommunications products. Most affected workers are craft employees, although accountants, process engineers and supervisors also will lose their jobs. Times Fiber Communications is a subsidiary of Amphenol Broadband Solutions, a Connecticut-based telecommunications company. In 2024, the company celebrated the Chatham facility’s 50th anniversary. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Southwest Virginia

The Bristol Metropolitan Planning Organization, in partnership with Bristol Tennessee Transit, Bristol Virginia Transit and the cities of Bristol, Tennessee, and Bristol, Virginia, has begun the Bristol Trolley Service Feasibility Study to evaluate whether a trolley system could connect popular destinations while enhancing transportation options for residents and visitors. As part of the study, the MPO is asking the public to complete a survey to help planners gauge interest and identify destinations. The study is funded through grant contracts. (Bristol Herald Courier)

Texas-based Catalyst Energy Partners is marketing a solar panel project roughly half the size of one that failed to secure approval from the Washington County Planning Commission n 2024, after widespread public opposition. The newly proposed Wolf Hills Solar site is about 900 acres, compared with the previously proposed 2,200 acres, according to marketing brochures. Of those 900 acres, about 470 are zoned for industrial use. The new iteration would be located at the existing Wolf Hills power plant in the Bristol-Washington County Industrial Park. (Bristol Herald Courier)

The state budget finalized June 29 includes $7 million to widen a section of the Coalfields Expressway connecting Buchanan County to eastern Kentucky. Specifically, budget documents indicate the money will go toward the U.S. 460 completion project. The project includes about 4 miles of the expressway project, from the Virginia 80 intersection near Breaks Interstate Park to the intersection of Virginia 609 connecting to the existing four-lane highway. Two lanes of this section have been completed. The new state dollars will go toward adding two additional lanes. (Cardinal News)

In July, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced more than $38 million in airport infrastructure grants for several Virginia airports. The Cumberlands Airport Commission will receive a $500,000 grant and a $146,392 grant to construct a building for snow removal equipment at Lonesome Pine Airport in Wise. The Virginia Highlands Airport Commission will receive $470,250 for design work to rehabilitate a taxiway and upgrade lighting at Virginia Highlands Airport in Washington County. The Twin County Airport Commission will receive $380,000 for design work to rehabilitate a paved runway at Twin County Airport in Hillsville. (News release)

Mountain Empire Community College will no longer house workforce programs at the Center for Workforce and Innovation of Appalachia, which opened in 2019. The center is closing, and all power line worker, commercial driver’s license and welding programs have been moved back to campus. Officials are putting a dental assisting program on pause. Mountain Empire says the change will save about $86,000 per year, with savings stemming from no longer covering utilities and building operations. Facing financial challenges, Mountain Empire underwent a “strategic restructuring” earlier this year that cut $2 million from its annual budget and laid off 14 employees. (Cardinal News)

A total of $1.65 million in funding was approved for 26 new projects, including 19 seed capital matching grant projects, during the June 18 meeting of the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority board. These included a grant up to $250,000 to the Buchanan County Industrial Development Authority to finance planning, design, engineering, permitting and other costs for an additional water tank to serve the Southern Gap development. Additionally, VCEDA Executive Director and General Counsel Jonathan Belcher said Richmond-based engineering and technology firm Timmons Group is working on a study to identify new industrial sites in the region. (News release)