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Government/Politics: MARK WARNER
Like his colleague Tim Kaine, Warner served as governor of Virginia before being elected to represent the commonwealth in the U.S. Senate, where he is serving his third term as the state’s senior senator. A moderate Democrat who often works with colleagues across the aisle, Warner chairs the Select Committee on Intelligence an[...]
Finance/Insurance: THOMAS S. GAYNER
Come April 2023, Gayner will no longer be flying with a co-pilot. His fellow co-CEO, Richard R. “Richie” Whitt III, plans to retire by the end of next March, after working for the company since 1991. Since 2016, Gayner and Whitt have led Markel Corp., the Fortune 500 financial holding company that has about 20,300 […]
Retail/Wholesale: WILLIAM D. ‘BILL’ NASH
For the fiscal year that ended in February, CarMax, the largest retailer of used autos nationally, had net earnings of $1.2 billion. The fourth quarter, however, did present some challenges, with total used vehicle unit sales in the retail business declining 5.2%. “We believe several macro factors weighed on marketwide us[...]
Law: ROBERT M. ‘BOB’ TATA
A Hampton Roads native, Tata specializes in intellectual property litigation, including trade secrets, copyrights and patents, and 20 years ago, he won the state’s then-largest copyright award — $116 million — awarded by a jury over a home fire-escape ladder invented by a local businessman. He also has spent a great deal o[...]
Real Estate: W. TAYLOR FRANKLIN
Franklin started The Franklin Johnston Group, a development, investment and management firm, with his father and two other former S.L. Nusbaum employees in 2013. Today they have 497 employees in Virginia and 76 workers in six other states. In recent news, the company offered $7 million to buy the Laskin Road Annex building in Vi[...]
Real Estate: LOUIS S. ‘LOU’ HADDAD
Haddad was recruited to Armada Hoffler in 1985 as an on-site construction superintendent. He rose through the ranks and became president of Armada Hoffler Construction Co. in 1987. He was promoted to president of parent company Armada Hoffler Holding Co. in 1996. Three years later, he became CEO. In 2013, Haddad led Armada Hoffl[...]
Real Estate: JOHN R. LAWSON II
A Newport News native, Lawson has been with construction firm W.M. Jordan for more than 45 years. Lawson’s late father co-founded the company, which reaped more than $649 million in revenue for 2020. He started there in 1975 as a field engineer after graduating from Virginia Tech and took over as president and CEO in […[...]
Real Estate: MILES LEON
A University of Georgia and University of Miami graduate, Leon co-founded First Commercial Real Estate Services, which was purchased in the early 1990s by S.L. Nusbaum — a realty company founded in 1906. When the late Alan B. Nusbaum, great-grandson of the founder, became the company’s chairman in 1991, Leon was named presi[...]
Economic Development: NANCY L. GRDEN
In June, Grden became the leader of this regional economic development organization, stepping into the shoes of Jim Spore, who retired after six years. Grden’s name is familiar to Hampton Roads residents, as she was previously executive director of the Hampton Roads Maritime Collaborative for Growth & Innovation, as well a[...]
Living Legends: THOMAS R. FRANTZ
Former Williams Mullen President and CEO Frantz’s legal acumen has earned consistent accolades from peers. He is among a small group of attorneys who have made Virginia Business’ Legal Elite list for 22 consecutive years. Frantz is a triple graduate of William & Mary, from which he received his law degree, as well as a [[...]
Education: TRACY FITZSIMMONS
Fitzsimmons is the first woman president in Shenandoah University’s nearly 150-year history. Since 2008, she has led the private, liberal-arts university, which she joined in 2001 as dean of arts and sciences. Noting that it is unusual to hold multiple administrative positions at one university, Fitzsimmons said in an intervie[...]
Energy: EDWARD H. ‘ED’ BAINE
It was a long journey from his childhood on a tobacco farm in Lunenburg County to October 2020, when he became the first Black executive to head a Dominion Energy unit. Baine credits his family for the support and sacrifices they made to get him there. “I can recall times where [my mother] left the […]
