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Law
FARHAD AGHDAMI MANAGING PARTNER, RICHMOND OFFICE; WILLIAMS MULLEN, RICHMOND In 1999, Aghdami joined Williams Mullen and became managing partner at the firm’s Richmond office in 2015. Focusing on wealth transfer tax, business succession and income tax planning, he counsels high net-worth individuals and families, middle-market business owners, institutional fiduciaries, family offices and charitable entities. As […][...]
How we assembled the Virginia 500
If you called your local mayor or city manager — or, better yet, the governor — how quickly would your call get returned? That thought experiment was just one of several questions I had in mind as we were compiling this, our first annual edition of the Virginia 500. Assembling a list of the state’s […]
Economic Development
TAYLOR ADAMS DIRECTOR, VIRGINIA BEACH DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT VIRGINIA BEACH Under Adams’ leadership, Virginia Beach has seen several company expansions and relocations over the last year, even in the current economic crisis. In June and July alone, nine companies announced they would either locate facilities or expand in the city. Ranging from manufacturing and […]
Agriculture
CHAD BALLARD PRESIDENT, BALLARD FISH & OYSTER CO. INC., CHERITON Ballard represents the fifth generation of the 120-year-old-plus Cheriton-based Ballard Fish & Oyster Co. Before dedicating his time to the family business, Ballard worked in investment banking with BB&T Capital Markets. Ballard Fish & Oyster Co. is the parent company of Cherrystone Aqua-Farms and Chincoteague […][...]
Real Estate
J. SCOTT ADAMS PRESIDENT, VIRGINIA, COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL LLC, NORFOLK A nearly 30-year veteran in the real estate industry, Adams, who joined Colliers in January 2019, oversees the company’s Central and Southeast Virginia teams and, starting this fall, the Raleigh market. Last year, Colliers Virginia, which employs more than 350 people, reported $54.5 million in revenue. […]
Government | Politics
AMANDA CHASE SENATOR, SENATE OF VIRGINIA, CHESTERFIELD Chase is a proud, even defiant, conservative. She is an adamant backer of gun rights who has been known to pack heat on the statehouse floor, and she believes that abortion should be outlawed. A Virginia Tech graduate and former campaign manager for several conservative Virginia candidates, Chase […]
Manufacturing
R. MARCUS ‘MARC’ AMMEN CEO, UNIVERSAL FIBER SYSTEMS LLC, BRISTOL Ammen, who has served as CEO of Universal Fiber since 2009, joined the company in 2000 as chief financial officer and previously was president of Universal Fibers Inc., one of the corporation’s affiliates. Founded in 1969 in Bristol, Tennessee, the company has two units: Bristol, […]
Nonprofits | Philanthropy
SHERRIE ARMSTRONG PRESIDENT AND CEO, COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR A GREATER RICHMOND, RICHMOND Founded in 1968, the Community Foundation for a greater Richmond is a venerable force for regional philanthropy, managing 1,200 charitable funds with more than $1 billion in assets. Consequently, when the coronavirus pandemic hit, the Community Foundation was one of the first organizations […]
Arts | Entertainment | Sports
TONY BENNETT MEN’S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA, CHARLOTTESVILLE In 2019 Bennett achieved what no team had never done before — coaching his team to become NCAA men’s basketball champions in his 10th year with the program, a year after the Cavaliers fell during the first round of the tournament. Cementing his reputation as […]
Energy
ROBERT M. ‘BOB’ BLUE PRESIDENT AND CEO, DOMINION ENERGY INC., RICHMOND In October, Blue takes over as Dominion’s president and CEO, though he’ll still answer to his predecessor, Thomas Farrell II, who’s taking on the title of executive chair. Blue joined Dominion in 2005, serving in various leadership roles, including, most recently, as executive vice […]
Virginia 500
Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Virginia 500 — The 2020 Power List. Read more about the power list and how we assembled the Virginia 500. Below you will find links to each of the 20 categories featuring the state’s top business leaders. Living Legends Agriculture Arts | Entertainment | Sports Economic Development[...]
Telecommunications
TAD DERISO PRESIDENT AND CEO, MID-ATLANTIC BROADBAND COMMUNITIES CORP., SOUTH BOSTON Deriso is the proverbial big fish in the small pond of South Boston, where MBC has made significant headway in connecting Southern Virginia to broadband internet service, working with Old Dominion Electric Cooperative and Virginia Tech, among others. Founded in 2004, MBC owns and […]
