EASTERN VIRGINIA

Armada Hoffler Properties Inc., the Virginia Beach-based commercial developer and property owner, announced in early April that a $106.5 million deal to sell seven of its grocery-anchored shopping centers had fallen through because of the coronavirus pandemic. However, in early June, the deal was back on, this time for $90 million. The buyer is a Canadian company, Slate Retail REIT. The properties include the Gainsborough Square shopping center in Chesapeake and Indian Lakes Crossing in Virginia Beach. (The Virginian-Pilot)

Casino projects in Norfolk and Portsmouth moved forward in late May, with the city councils’ approval of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe as the Norfolk project’s preferred casino operator and Chicago-based Rush Street Gaming in Portsmouth. The city of Portsmouth anticipates the River Casinos Portsmouth project, which is under review by the Virginia Lottery, will create 2,000 permanent jobs and 1,400 construction jobs, as well as $16.3 million in annual tax revenue for the city. Both casinos, as well as projects in Bristol, Danville and Richmond, must be approved by voters via local referendums, under a state law that takes effect July 1. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Starting Memorial Day weekend, Gov. Ralph Northam allowed Virginia Beach to reopen its public beaches to sunbathers and others, after having closed them in March for all uses except fishing and exercise. The next weekend, the rest of the state’s beaches reopened. All localities, including Norfolk, Hampton and York County, submitted reopening plans that demonstrated how they would limit spread of the coronavirus. Restrictions included no large music speakers or bands, no alcohol or coolers, and beach playsets were closed until further notice. Northam caught criticism for not following his own advice during an unmasked visit to the Oceanside on opening weekend. He later said he would be more careful. (The Virginian-Pilot)

PEOPLE

John F. Reinhart, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority, which oversees the Port of Virginia, announced in May that he plans to retire in March 2021. He has led the port system for more than six years and has overseen the $700 million expansion of its terminals in Hampton Roads, as well as a dredging project that began last December, part of a program to make the Port of Virginia the deepest and widest port on the East Coast. He is the fourth person to lead the agency, which traces its roots back to 1952. When he took the helm in 2014, the port had lost $120 million over five years. Since then, Reinhart has been praised for building a “modern, highly capable economic driver,” as described by Virginia Economic Development President and CEO Stephen Moret, a member of the port’s board. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

The William & Mary Law School has appointed A. Benjamin Spencer as its next dean, effective July 1, succeeding Davison M. Douglas, who plans to return to the faculty after serving as dean for 10 years. Spencer will also serve as a Chancellor Professor of Law. He is the first Black dean appointed by William & Mary, and he was previously the Justice Thurgood Marshall Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Virginia. Spencer has also held positions at Harvard Law School and Washington & Lee University’s Francis Lewis Law Center. He received his law degree from the T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

SOUTHERN VIRGINIA

Buitoni Food Co. entered an agreement to buy the North American Buitoni business from Nestlé USA Inc., including its 240,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Danville. With 525 full-time employees, the Danville facility will continue to operate, according to Buitoni’s parent company. Buitoni will still manufacture Nestle Toll House cookie dough products at the Danville facility under a long-term supply agreement. (Danville Register & Bee)

The Danville Industrial Development Authority and Litehouse Inc. agreed to a new and complicated financing structure to expand the company’s facility at Airside Park. The IDA will funnel a roughly $15 million loan from American National Bank into the expansion of the Litehouse facility, which the authority owns and leases to the company. Litehouse will loan $5 million to the IDA to cover the 48,000-square-foot addition to the former Sky Valley Foods building. Litehouse announced last May that it was bringing 160 jobs to the city and held a grand opening last July for its 141,000-square-foot facility at Airside Park. Litehouse produces and markets salad dressings, cheeses, dips and sauces through supermarkets and warehouse clubs across the U.S. and Canada. (Danville Register & Bee)

NASCAR relaunched its season — without crowds — in June at Martinsville Speedway. Even in a world primarily shut down by the pandemic, the security team at the speedway was still tasked with keeping everyone inside safe, while making sure that everyone who didn’t have to be there stayed away. The crew held a perimeter around the track with a check-in list limited to drivers, their team members, essential racetrack personnel, radio and TV crews, and limited media and security personnel. There were temperature scans at entrances, as well as required masks and hourly cleaning of common areas. NASCAR stopped all races for two months, and the Martinsville track is within driving distance of the majority of racing teams, by design. (Martinsville Bulletin)

Monogram Snacks, the second-largest employer in Henry County, tested every one of its 642 employees for COVID-19 in late May and shut down the plant for three days as a series of deep-cleaning initiatives began. The sister of a Monogram employee had filed a complaint with state and OSHA officials on her brother’s behalf, alleging unsafe working conditions and noncompliance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommended guidelines. The employee tested positive and is recovering from the virus, and four other employees at the Henry plant also tested positive, according to Monogram Chairman and CEO Karl Schledwitz. Monogram has more than 3,000 employees working in nine plants over six states. (Martinsville Bulletin)

After celebrating the announcement of the SOVA Innovation Hub last year, the town of South Boston is ready for its next act. In late May, town officials unveiled plans for the Tech Hub, to be located next door. Mid-Atlantic Broadband Communities Corp., owners of the parcel where the Innovation Hub is under construction, is seeking investors for the Tech Hub, a $3 million project for housing commercial tech ventures. The Innovation Hub, which will house MBC’s operations and Microsoft’s TechSpark Virginia initiative, is well on its way and is anticipated to be completed in July. (SoVaNow.com)

PEOPLE

Thomas Coxe “T.C.” Leggett Sr., retired president of Leggett department stores, at one time a leading apparel retailer in the Southeast, died at his home in Halifax County on May 28. He was 86. Leggett worked in several capacities at the department store chain, including as president from 1986 to 1989. He also was a member of the board of trustees for the University of Richmond and a past board member of the Virginia Board of Game and Inland Fisheries and Halifax Regional Hospital. (SoVaNow.com)

SHENANDOAH VALLEY

The Frederick County Planning Commission in early June recommended approval of AT&T/Cingular Wireless’ plans to build a 199-foot-tall antenna mast in western Frederick County to improve cellular phone and internet service. Targeted areas include U.S. 50, Va. 707, Va. 610, Va. 703 and WV 259. One condition that county planners are recommending is for AT&T/Cingular to allow other telecommunications companies to install equipment on it. A timeline for had not been released as of mid-June. (The Winchester Star)

Front Royal will soon have its own economic development authority. In early June, members of the Front Royal Town Council decided to have the town part ways from the joint Front Royal Warren County Economic Development Authority. The EDA’s former executive director faces felony charges stemming from a $21 million embezzlement scandal. Front Royal Town Council must advertise the ordinance and allow for public comment. The goal as of early June was to have the new EDA staffed and ready to begin work as early as July 1. (The Northern Virginia Daily)

As of late May, Shenandoah County is considering an unsolicited proposal from historic development company Echelon Resources Inc., which wants to acquire a historic bank building in Woodstock to renovate and repurpose the structure for commercial space and apartments. The proposal came around the same time that the firm made a similar proposal to the town of Woodstock regarding the acquisition of the old Woodstock school. Under its new proposal, Echelon would renovate the old bank building, which was built in the late 1800s. The exterior facade and historic interior element would be preserved. A cost for the project had not been released as of mid-June. (The Northern Virginia Daily)

On June 10, Shenandoah University’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously to remove the name of the late U.S. Sen. Harry F. Byrd Jr. from the university’s School of Business and boardroom. The move came amid widespread national protests against racial injustice and police brutality, sparked by the May 25 police killing of Minneapolis man George Floyd. Byrd was a key supporter of the Massive Resistance movement spearheaded by his father to oppose desegregation of Virginia schools. A Winchester native, he served in the U.S. Senate from 1965 to 1983 and was a distinguished lecturer at Shenandoah prior to his 2013 death. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

The Winchester Planning Commission in early June resumed updating the Winchester Comprehensive Plan, used to designate areas where the city hopes to develop or preserve property. New maps divide Winchester into 10 regions, making it easier for officials and citizens to visualize which parts of the city would be best suited for offices, homes, manufacturers, parks and green space. According to new mapping findings, a 4.55-acre parcel of land in the 400 block of National Avenue could be ideal for assisted-living housing, apartment buildings or a mix of homes and offices, and a vacant parcel at 1551 S. Pleasant Valley Road could be used for housing for Shenandoah University students and city residents. There is not a timeline for finishing the updates due to COVID-19 disruptions. (The Winchester Star)

PEOPLE

Mark Nantz became the president and CEO of Winchester-based Valley Health System on June 1, succeeding Mark H. Merrill, who served for 11 years. Nantz was most recently chief administrative officer and Atlantic group president with Bon Secours Mercy Health, where he oversaw 14 hospitals in Virginia, South Carolina, Maryland and Florida. Valley Health employs approximately 6,000 people among six hospitals and 50 medical practices. (Valley Health press release)

SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA

Abingdon’s budget for the next fiscal year will be cut by $2 million, largely due to a $1.5 million decrease in meals and lodging tax revenue. The town has laid off 77 full- and part-time employees, mostly in recreation and tourism. One of the biggest cuts is a $1.02 million reduction in funding for the Coomes Recreation Center, which could reopen in August if tax collections increase. As the year goes on, town officials expect revenue from meals and lodging taxes to improve. (SWVAToday.com)

Bristol Virginia City Council unanimously selected Hard Rock International, The United Co. and Par Ventures as its preferred gaming operators in late May for a potential casino. The casino project is expected to create 2,000 jobs and generate between $15 million and $20 million annually in tax revenues. The project would include a casino, hotel, seven restaurants, four bars, retail shopping space and both indoor and outdoor entertainment venues. Plans for gaming operations were sent to the Virginia Lottery Board in early June. If approved, the council would need to approve a resolution asking the circuit court to order a referendum in November. (Bristol Herald Courier)

The Hubbard Health Clinic in Pulaski, owned by nurse practitioner Beth Hubbard, opened June 6. Before opening the clinic, Hubbard worked for the past 17 years at the Rural Health Care Center, located in a medically underserved area. The private practice will take insurance and cash paying patients. (The Southwest Times)

Developers of The Sessions Hotel in downtown Bristol secured a $754,000 refinancing loan in late May for the new 70-room boutique hotel, scheduled to open June 29. Work on the $23 million hotel was completed in late March in advance of a planned April opening, which was postponed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The current agreement calls for the city of Bristol to provide $850,000 in rebates of sales, lodging and meals taxes generated by the business during its first five years. The project will also receive $1.7 million in Virginia tourism financing. (Bristol Herald Courier) 

The Southwest Virginia Energy Research and Development Authority in early June began firming up plans for Project Innovation, which would provide land and lab space for energy industry researchers. Researchers will focus on renewable electricity generation, geoenergy and strategies to make energy delivery more efficient. Consultants will be hired to study potential park sites, which will likely be located on part of the region’s 100,000 acres of reclaimed surface mined land. A nonprofit organization will secure private funds and grants, manage the site(s) and market the facility. In late April, the GO Virginia Region One Council approved a $100,000 grant for the project, contingent on matching funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administration. (The Coalfield Progress)

The Tazewell County Board of Supervisors announced in early June it would cut funding for a program that provides free tuition to Tazewell County high school seniors who plan to attend Southwest Virginia Community College (SWCC). Board officials attributed the decision to a $1 million loss in county revenue from the pandemic. With summer classes beginning in early June, SWCC is suspending all payments for six months. But, the county will also fund Tazewell County graduates’ summer and fall semesters this year. (WVVA)

NORTHERN VIRGINIA

Arlington-based federal contractor CACI International Inc. announced in June it won a $1.5 billion contract to provide networking and cybersecurity services for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. The NGA is a combat support agency under the U.S. Department of Defense that collects, analyzes and distributes geospatial intelligence to national security organizations. CACI’s branches in Virginia and St. Louis, as well as its international offices, will design, engineer and operate NGA’s networks under the contract. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Google Cloud, a division of Google LLC with a Reston-based vice president, was awarded a seven-figure Department of Defense contract to provide multicloud management for the Defense Innovation Unit in May. The precise award amount was not disclosed. Google Cloud will build a multicloud solution on Anthos, allowing Defense employees to run web services and applications on Google Cloud, Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. The DIU will then be able to monitor networks in real time, control access and see full audit trails. Google dropped its bid for a $10 billion DoD contract last year because the contract conflicted with Google’s corporate values on how artificial intelligence should be used, including that it would not design or deploy AI for weapons, surveillance or other tech designed principally to harm people. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Arlington County appears ready to hand JBG Smith Properties the reins on the construction of a second eastern entrance to the Crystal City Metro station, one of the promised transportation improvements that was instrumental in luring Amazon.com Inc. to the neighborhood. The Arlington County Board could vote on the agreement in July after a public hearing. As Amazon’s new landlord and the dominant property owner in Crystal City, the Bethesda real estate firm hopes to realize the county’s long-held vision of creating a transit hub there. (Washington Business Journal)

Microsoft Corp. will invest $64 million to expand its presence in Reston Town Center in western Fairfax County, creating an expected 1,500 jobs by summer 2021, the governor announced in late May. The software giant will occupy 400,000 square feet, building a software research and development hub as well as retail space. The project is expected to be ready by next summer. In 2002, Microsoft established its first Virginia facility, the Innovation & Technology Conference Center at Reston Town Center, and the corporation now has a presence in Richmond and Mecklenburg County as well. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

The Prince William County Board of Supervisors allocated $5 million for emergency grants to businesses hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. In early June, businesses with up to 50 employees applied for grants of up to $10,000 that could be used for payroll, rent, insurance, e-commerce equipment and website improvements. The funding comes from $41 million in federal money from the CARES Act. In addition to the grant program, the county dedicated $8 million for emergency housing assistance. (Inside NoVa)

The monthslong shutdown of Metro’s Silver Line has many Tysons businesses feeling frustrated and disappointed — but officials insist it will be well worth the headache, helping the line’s much-maligned expansion to Ashburn hit a major milestone by the end of July. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has advertised a Labor Day reopening, but some officials are cautiously optimistic they can beat that target and bring the expansion to Dulles International Airport and into Loudoun County to the cusp of opening. (Washington Business Journal)

CENTRAL VIRGINIA

Allegheny Construction of Roanoke started work in early June on the $5.5 million road project to improve the intersection of Orange Avenue (Route 460) and Hollins Road in Roanoke. Two turn lanes will be added and traffic signals, sidewalks and crosswalks will be upgraded. The Virginia Department of Transportation contracted Allegheny Construction for the project. Work is expected to be finished by fall 2021. (The Roanoke Star)

Appalachian Power Co. announced in mid-May that it would deliver broadband technology in rural Grayson County as part of a pilot program approved by the Virginia State Corporation Commission. The electric utility company will install up to 238 miles of fiber optic cable on its utility poles in Grayson County. The county received grants totaling approximately $1.8 million from the state to be used toward making broadband available for underserved citizens. (Appalachian Power news release)

Botetourt County movie screen manufacturer Harkness Screens in early June began making protective barriers for use during the pandemic. The barriers can be used to protect workers in restaurants, offices, government buildings, factories and food processing plants. The company is making both opaque and clear barriers, with the former being useful in places requiring privacy, such as hospitals. Prior to the coronavirus, Harkness employed 140 people, but 14 people were laid off and 40 were furloughed during the pandemic. Anthony Kelly, senior vice president for the Americas with Harkness Screens, said he is hopeful this initiative can help get the company back to its pre-pandemic level of jobs. (The Roanoke Times)

The Christiansburg Marketplace will include 150 to 350 apartments, a hotel and grocery store, the shopping center’s redevelopment team announced in late May. Located at the corner of North Franklin Street and Peppers Ferry Road, the mostly vacant shopping center, which was once home to a Walmart store, is getting a revamp. Renovations will also include space for smaller retail tenants. Harbor Freight Tools, Arby’s, a Jazzercise studio, Burger King and Taco Bell will remain in the shopping center. Apartments could be available as soon as 2021. The town of Christiansburg also spent more than $1 million to redo the shopping center’s intersection with North Franklin. (The Roanoke Times)

The town of Vinton announced in early June that it is working with consulting firm Draper Aden Associates on developing a hotel, using a brownfields grant the town was awarded in late 2019. The Brownfields Assessment Grant program returns vacant or underutilized properties to productive reuse by providing funds for assessments and planning. Vinton received $300,000 for sites potentially impacted by both hazardous substances and petroleum. Soil samples have been collected at Pollard Street and Cedar Avenue in Vinton to test the success of the land for hotel development. A study is also underway to evaluate market conditions and hotel demand at the site. (The Vinton Messenger)

Virginia Tech announced in early June that students would return to its Blacksburg campus for in-person instruction in the fall. On-campus instruction will start on Aug. 24 and the university will shift to online instruction and exams after Thanksgiving break, due to the potential for a fall resurgence in COVID-19 cases. The semester will conclude on Dec. 16. Tech will release its plan for on-campus coronavirus testing, tracing and isolation on July 3. (Virginia Tech Daily)

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