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QualiChem to invest $9M in Salem expansion

Salem-based metalworking fluids manufacturer will invest $9 million to expand its operations with a new 48,550-square-foot facility and create 12 , according to a Tuesday announcement.

The company plans to move its administrative offices and laboratory operations from its existing facility at 2003 Industrial Drive into a newly acquired office building at 616 Idaho St. in Salem. The move will free up space at the Salem Industrial Drive site to increase production of metalworking fluids.

“The facility will include modern office space and a world-class laboratory designed to optimize daily collaboration, enhance innovation and attract top talent,” QualiChem President Tim Davis said in a statement. “This move represents our commitment to providing the highest level of performance for our customers.”

QualiChem’s metalworking fluids are used for production and fabrication of metal components for aerospace, medical and automotive industries. The company also has a division for water treatment blending services.

QualiChem began as a private label water treatment blender in 1989 and in 2004 entered the metalworking fluid market. It first expanded in 2006 to keep up with its business growth and has expanded five more times since then, each time staying in Salem. Today, the company has customers in 30 countries.

“QualiChem’s decision to expand right here in Salem speaks volumes about the commonwealth’s competitive business climate, highly skilled workforce and strong local partnerships,” said in a statement. “We’re proud to support a company that continues to grow and thrive here in Virginia.”

The Virginia Partnership worked with the Salem government and the on the project.

QualiChem did not immediately returns requests for comment on the timeline of the project.

Sentara reorganizes to market-based model

Sentara Health has changed its operating model to a market-based system, the Roads-based health system announced Tuesday.

Its will be divided into four markets — eastern, northwestern and two southeastern markets — with each hospital reporting to its market president.

“The new structure allows us to tailor our approach and operational strategies based on the unique needs of each community, while still benefiting from the consistency and coordination of market-based ,” Eric Conley, executive vice president and president of acute and post-acute care, said in a statement.

Sentara’s southeast market – Norfolk encompasses the Sentara Leigh Hospital and Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. Its leaders are as follows:

  • Dana Weston Graves, senior vice president and acute care market president
  • Mike Genco, vice president and market chief medical officer
  • Jennifer Kreiser, vice president and market chief nursing officer

The southeast market – Virginia Beach consists of Sentara Princess Anne Hospital, Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital, and Sentara Albemarle Medical Center, which is in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Its leaders are:

  • Joanne Inman, senior vice president and acute care market president
  • Bogdan Neughebauer, vice president and market chief medical officer
  • Sonia Cooper, vice president and market chief nursing officer

Sentara’s eastern market will include the Sentara CarePlex Hospital in Hampton, Sentara Regional Medical Center in Williamsburg, Sentara Obici Hospital in , and Sentara Regional Hospital in Halifax. The market leaders are:

  • Kapua Conley, senior vice president and acute care market president
  • Chris O’Connell, vice president and market chief medical officer
  • Shannon Martin, vice president and market chief nursing officer

The northwestern market consists of the Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital in , Sentara RMH Medical Center in Harrisonburg, and Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center in . Its leaders are:

  • Jeff Joyner, senior vice president and acute care market president
  • Robert Garwood, vice president and market chief medical officer
  • Christy Grabus, vice president and market chief nursing officer

The new model positions Sentara for continued growth, according to a news release.

“The model ensures our local efforts are part of a cohesive market and regional-level strategy that creates collaborative and complementary acute service offerings rather than competing ones and sets the stage for future growth,” Conley said in a statement.

A not-for-profit health system, Sentara operates 11 hospitals in Virginia and one in northeastern North Carolina. It has 34,000 employees. The Plans insurance division has more than 1 million members in Virginia and Florida.

Virginia Chamber adds two execs to its team

The on Monday announced that Carter T. Whitelow is joining its team as vice president of and Sarah Muse is joining as and brand management.

Virginia Chamber President and Cathie J. Vick said in a statement that the chamber was excited to welcome Whitelow and Muse to the organization. “Carter’s deep knowledge of Virginia’s legislative landscape and proven advocacy experience will strengthen our government affairs efforts, while Sarah’s innovative approach to branding and stakeholder engagement will help us more effectively connect with the business community across the commonwealth,” Vick said.

Whitelow was most recently government relations director for Commonwealth Strategy Group in . He previously held several government relations roles at law firm Williams Mullen. Whitelow holds a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and a MBA from the Darden School of Business.

Muse joins the chamber from Transurban, where she held various marketing and communications roles since 2021. She is joining the chamber’s marketing and communications team in a newly created role, where she will lead efforts to elevate the chamber’s brand and expand its outreach to businesses and stakeholders across the state and beyond.

Muse has a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and is currently pursuing her MBA at William & Mary’s Raymond A. Mason School of Business.

Elise Weisenberger, the chamber’s manager of public policy and social media, said both positions are part of a recent organizational redesign. Under the new org chart, the chamber’s government relations team is distinct and separate from the policy development team, which now falls under the Virginia Chamber Foundation, the chamber’s 501(c)(3) arm.

The Virginia Chamber of Commerce is the largest business advocacy organization in the state, with more than 30,000 members.

Amazon fulfillment center in Goochland to create 1,000+ jobs

Gov. Glenn Youngkin participated Wednesday in a ceremonial groundbreaking for ‘s 3.1 million-square-foot in , which is expected to create more than 1,000 full-time and part-time .

The fulfillment center will have a 650,000-square-foot footprint on a 107-acre parcel, according to the governor’s office, and will be Amazon’s fourth robotics fulfillment center in the state, joining others in , and . Amazon says it has invested $135 billion in Virginia since 2010 and employs 42,000 people statewide. In addition to the fulfillment and distribution centers, Amazon employs 7,232 workers at its East Coast headquarters, HQ2, in Arlington County.

The Goochland center is expected to be fully operational in 2027, according to Amazon, and it is anticipated to cost $350 million, according to news reports.

“Amazon’s decision to establish its fourth state-of-the-art robotics fulfillment center in Virginia is a resounding affirmation of Virginia’s business-friendly environment and the quality of our workforce,” Youngkin said in a statement. “This transformative new facility in Goochland County will generate over 1,000 high-quality jobs and further solidifies Amazon’s long-term investment in our communities. We are proud of this valued partnership and look forward to supporting Amazon’s continued growth and innovation here in Virginia.”

The building will be at 2022 Ashland Road.

“Virginia continues to be a great home for Amazon thanks to its robust infrastructure, talented workforce, and supportive business environment,“ Amazon Vice President of Worldwide and Public Policy Holly Sullivan said. “We’re proud to officially break ground on our fourth robotics fulfillment center in the commonwealth, furthering our substantial investment in Virginia. This new 3.1 million-square-foot fulfillment center represents our commitment to innovation and job creation right here in Virginia. We’re grateful to Gov. Youngkin, the Goochland County leaders, and all our partners across Virginia for their ongoing support in making this possible.”

The worked with Goochland County on the project, and in 2023, the county secured state funding through the Smart Scale prioritization process and the Central Virginia Transportation Authority to build a new interchange at Ashland Road (Route 623) to improve safety and traffic flow, the governor’s office said.

Henrico supervisors approve permit for St. Mary’s expansion

SUMMARY:

  • The Board of Supervisors approved a provisional use permit tied to the $370 million of St. Mary’s
  • The permit allows to build a structure exceeding 110 feet in height and allows it to relocate an existing accessory helipad from the ground to the roof.
  • Expansion will include the addition of an eight-story, approximately 200,000-square-foot tower
  • The health system plans to break ground this summer on the expansion, with work on the tower beginning in the fall. The tower’s estimated opening is late 2027 or early 2028.

‘s planned $370 million renovation and expansion of Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital in western Henrico County advanced Tuesday night, as the county’s board of supervisors approved a provisional use permit tied to the project.

The permit allows Bon Secours to build a structure exceeding 110 feet in height and allows it to relocate an existing accessory helipad.

The health system plans to break ground this summer on the expansion, which will include the addition of an eight-story, approximately 200,000-square-foot tower to the hospital, which lies close to the city line at 5801 Bremo Road. Work on the tower is expected to begin in the fall, with an estimated opening of late 2027 or early 2028.

While the tower is planned to be within the 110-foot by-right range, the permit was needed because the elevator shaft may extend up to 158 feet. The hospital also needed the permit to relocate the helipad, currently located in a parking lot, to the top of the tower.

A neighboring resident at a public hearing raised concerns about the impact of the relocated helipad on adjacent neighborhoods, fearing it may bring noise and safety issues.

But Bridget Fitzpatrick, chief operating officer at St. Mary’s, disputed that there would be negative impacts. The expansion won’t increase the number of beds at the hospital, which currently has 391 beds. For that reason, she doesn’t anticipate an increase in the number of helicopter landings at the hospital. She also said that having the helipad on the roof instead of the ground is likely to reduce noise, as the helicopters will be high in the air, rather than right on the ground near residential homes.

“One of the biggest opportunities and reasons that we want to put the helipad on top of the building is for overall safety, not only the safety of the patient who is being flown in for emergent reasons, so they can be dropped down immediately from the roof, down into our emergency department, into our ORs, or into our ICU, as well as our NICU,” Fitzpatrick said. “… But on the ground, another obstacle that comes into play is the transport of the patient from the helicopter into the emergency department — not only pedestrian but also traffic safety there.”

The renovations will make all patient rooms at St. Mary’s private for greater comfort and privacy. Today, the hospital has a mix of private and shared spaces.

The upgrades also include advanced medical technology with new procedural areas and operating rooms, expanded critical care services and increased capacity. Hospital president Bryan Lee previously said the expansion is meant to help the hospital serve a growing population and that the health system anticipates the market could grow as much as 5% over the next five years.

Bon Secours Mercy Health projects the expansion will create the need for 375 new positions. Currently, St. Mary’s Hospital has 2,500 employees.

Bon Secours operates four and one outpatient facility in Roads, and the Bon Secours Richmond Health System offers a network of seven acute hospitals, primary and specialty care practices, ambulatory care sites and continuing care facilities across a 24-locality region.

Wall Street wobbles ahead of new retail sales data and public appearances by Fed officials

SUMMARY:

  • sees minimal movement before key Fed comments and sales report
  • U.S.-China agree to a 90-day trade pause, easing market tensions slightly
  • cooled for a third straight month, impacting rate cut expectations
  • slashes forecast, citing overstock and trade uncertainty

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are wavering on Wall Street and holding on to most of the gains they made earlier in the week after the U.S. and China declared a temporary cease-fire in their trade war.

The S&P 500 was mostly unchanged Wednesday afternoon. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 86 points, or 0.2% as of 1:04 p.m. Eastern. The Nasdaq rose 0.6%.

The majority of stocks in the S&P 500 lost ground, but several big technology stocks helped counter the losses. Super Micro Computer surged 17.2% after signing a partnership agreement with Saudi Arabian data center company DataVolt. Advanced Micro Devices jumped 5.5% after announcing a $6 billion stock buyback program.

Other big gainers included eToro Group, a retail trading platform for stocks and cryptocurrency. It rose 30% in its first day of trading.

The market has been relatively steady since its surge on Monday, which came after the U.S. and China entered a 90-day pause in their trade war. The market gained some more ground on Tuesday after the government reported that inflation unexpectedly cooled across the country in April. Additional updates on inflation and are expected on Thursday.

The benchmark S&P 500 index, which sits at the center many 401(k) accounts has erased all its losses since escalated his global trade war in early April. It has now erased its losses for the year and is back to within 4.2% of its all-time high set in February.

“The ‘s rally has legs, as the trade negotiation with China was seemingly the toughest one on the docket,” said Rick Gardner, chief investment officer at RGA Investments.

Trump has delayed a large swath of his most severe against America’s trading partners, but some import taxes remain in place. Uncertainty over the path ahead continues to hang over businesses and consumers. The on-again-off-again nature of Trump’s trade policy has left companies unable to plan ahead and consumers nervous about spending.

Businesses continue to trim or withdraw their financial forecasts as they face unpredictable trade policy and cautious consumers.

American Eagle fell 4.6% after the retailer withdrew its financial outlook for the year citing “macro uncertainty.” General Motors, UPS, Kraft Heinz and JetBlue are among the many companies representing a wide range of industries that have warned about the impact of tariffs and a weakening .

More than 90% of companies in the S&P 500 have reported earnings for their latest quarter. The majority of companies have reported better-than-expected earnings, but forecasts for earnings growth during the current quarter have been broadly cut in half for companies in the index.

The economy has already showed signs of slowing. It shrank 0.3% during the first quarter amid a surge of imports as businesses and consumers tried to stock up amid tariffs and policy uncertainty.

Inflation remains a big concern. The latest data on consumer prices released Tuesday showed that tariffs haven’t had much impact yet. But that could change as the impact of current tariffs make their way through supply chains and delayed tariffs potentially go into effect. Inflation has cooled to just above the ‘s target of 2%, but the threat of higher prices on goods because of import taxes has heightened worries about inflation heating up.

The U.S. on Thursday will release its April report for inflation at the wholesale level, which is what companies are paying for goods. Economists expect an easing of inflation there.

The latest update Thursday for retail sales is expected to reflect a sharp drop to 0.2% in April from 1.4% the previous month.

Retail giant Walmart will also report its latest financial results on Thursday and its financial forecasts will be closely watched.

In the bond market, Treasury yields edged higher. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.52% from 4.47% late Tuesday. The two-year Treasury yield, which moves more closely with expectations for Fed action, rose to 4.05% from 4.00% late Tuesday.

In stock markets abroad, indexes rose in Asia and were mixed in Europe.

Vaughan-Bassett sees strong domestic demand despite China tariff easing

Monday’s announcement that China and the U.S. would significantly ease levies as they attempt to ratchet down trade tensions that have roiled global markets may have been a light at the end of the tunnel for some in the industry, but one U.S. case goods manufacturer sees lingering questions that remain to be answered about downsides in other major sourcing regions.

Doug Bassett, president of -based Furniture, said the recent developments and the ongoing uncertainty around trade are having a positive impact on the company’s business because it lacks much direct exposure to China in their .

“We’re primarily a bedroom company, and very little bedroom comes out of China,” Bassett told Furniture Today following the announcement. “Only about 5% of the bedroom imports to the United States come from China. Fifty-five percent come from Vietnam, and another 12% come from Malaysia.”

Bassett likened the development to a similar move from the administration roughly a month ago. “This is not unlike what was announced with the 90-day extension and the time for negotiation and the reduction in the tariff during that period,” he observed.

At the recent High Point Market, Bassett said uncertainty around  led many buyers to lean on the company as a source of stability amid a chaotic business environment. “There’s so much uncertainty, there’s so much risk, and our attendance was through the roof,” he said. “Many dealers indicated to us they wanted to reduce their exposure and reduce their risk by carrying more of our American-made product.”

“I don’t think this announcement with China [Monday] changes much,” he continued. “There’s still great uncertainty surrounding where the tariffs are going to end up — with China, with Vietnam, with Malaysia and so on, so until actual agreements are reached, there’s significant risk and uncertainty to all import programs.”

As for Vaughan-Bassett’s own exposure to China, Bassett said it’s limited. “We have very little exposure to China,” he said. “We have a handful of components, primarily our hardware, and I believe our drawer guides are sourced in China. So those are the two main components that we’re keeping an eye on.”

He added that the company prepared in advance of the original tariff hikes.

“I know that my brother and our purchasing guys loaded up with components prior to the original tariffs being announced so that we would have some cushion,” Bassett explained.  “That’s a minor calculation for us in the grand scheme of things. We’re much more focused on the opportunity presented by the threat of high tariffs on all these exporters to the United States.”

Family of Boeing whistleblower settles lawsuit with aircraft maker over his death

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — The family of a former Boeing quality control manager who killed himself after lawyers questioned him about his whistleblowing on alleged jumbo jet defects has settled a lawsuit against the aircraft maker.

Details of the settlement over John Barnett’s death were not disclosed in a court filing Monday.

Barnett, a longtime employee, shared his safety concerns with journalists after he retired in 2017. He said he once saw discarded metal shavings near wiring for the flight controls that could have cut the wiring and caused a catastrophe. He also noted problems with up to a quarter of the oxygen systems on Boeing’s 787 planes.

Barnett shared his concerns with his supervisors and others before leaving Boeing, but according to the lawsuit they responded by ignoring him and then harassing him.

Barnett, 62, shot himself on March 9, 2024, in Charleston after answering questions from attorneys for several days. He lived in Louisiana.

The document announcing the settlement and closing the case in federal court in South Carolina was one page and the only detail was that either side can reopen the lawsuit if the settlement is not finalized in 60 days.

Boeing did not answer the lawsuit in court papers before the settlement.

“We are saddened by John Barnett’s death and extend our condolences to his family. Boeing took actions several years ago to review and address the issues that Mr. Barnett raised,” the company said in a statement Tuesday.

___

EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. The national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org.

Virginia could lose 32,000 jobs in 2025, U.Va. estimates

SUMMARY:

  • Virginia is projected to lose up to 32,000 in 2025
  • Employment of one in eight Virginians tied to federal government
  • expected to reach highest level since 2021
  • Key sectors affected include admin services, tourism, and

Virginia is expected to lose up to 32,000 jobs in 2025, according to a quarterly forecast from the University of Virginia’s for Public Service.

The commonwealth’s unemployment rate could rise to its highest level since 2021 in coming months, according to the forecasters at Weldon Cooper, which provides nonpartisan research and data analysis, among other services.

The state’s monthly unemployment rate is expected to average 3.9% this year and rise to an average rate of 4.7% in 2026, Virginia’s highest unemployment rate since 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown caused massive temporary layoffs and closures.

These estimates “could change,” Eric Scorsone, the center’s executive director, said during a Monday media roundtable. “That could get worse, potentially, depending on how things evolve.”

Scorsone noted that many of the center’s unemployment projections are related to and government spending cuts, which hit Virginia harder than most other states. Nearly one in eight Virginians either work for the federal government or have jobs connected to federal contracts. The forecast says the state will likely see a net loss of more than 9,000 government jobs this year.

“The state is highly dependent on the [federal] sector, and the sector is declining right now,” he said. “And so that’s going to be, I think, an important story going forward for Virginia.”

Since returned to the White House, more than 100,000 federal employees have been fired or put on leave as part of a measure to cut federal spending. A CNN tracker puts the number of federal workers laid off or targeted for layoffs at 121,361 as of April 28.

The Trump administration has also cut federal contracts to curb federal spending, which is anticipated to result in layoffs among some government contractors. In April, Goldschmitt and Associates, a Sterling-based business management firm, announced plans to lay off 217 employees, citing a reduction in a federal contract as the reason for its layoffs, and federal not-for-profit contractor Mitre, with dual headquarters in McLean and Massachusetts, announced in April it plans to cut 442 jobs in McLean by June 3.

Hamilton Lombard, estimates program manager for Weldon Cooper’s demographics research group, pointed out Monday that in nine of Virginia’s 11 congressional districts, a larger share of the population is employed by the federal government than the national average. It’s incorrect to think that only Northern Virginia and Roads will be impacted by federal cuts, he said.  “That influence has spread further out, particularly the last few years, with more federal workers being remote.”

It’s difficult to quantify the federal job losses, Scorsone explained, because some federal workers took deferred resignations, meaning they’ve quit working but will be paid through September, under a Trump policy announced this year. Court cases involving the federal layoffs are still pending as well.

“So, we may see a lot more [layoffs] down the road, over the next, say, six months,” he said.

Statewide job losses are expected to deepen in the second half of the year and extend into early 2026. Recovery is expected to begin in late 2026, with a net gain of about 17,000 jobs in 2026, or 0.4% growth, the forecast says.

Weldon Cooper’s forecast notes that nationwide employment grew by 228,000 jobs in January and February, but Virginia saw a net loss of nearly 8,000 jobs in those months.

“Virginia is losing jobs while the rest of the country is creating jobs,” Scorsone said. “That has a lot of negative implications. People might decide to leave Virginia to look for jobs elsewhere. There might be some form of brain drain.”

In addition to layoffs by the federal government and , Virginia has seen significant business closures and layoffs in other sectors, including Georgia-Pacific’s announcement that it would close its Emporia mill, cutting more than 550 manufacturing jobs, and this week’s WARN notice from Saddle Creek Logistics Service that it expects to lay off 54 employees in in July.

According to the Weldon Cooper forecast, Virginia’s administrative services sector is expected to lose more than 5,000 jobs, while the state’s manufacturing industry is expected to shrink by 4,500 jobs. In the hospitality and tourism sector, the state could lose 7,740 hotel and food services jobs, and 6,486 arts, entertainment and recreation jobs.

However, there was a bit of good news: the state’s is expected to post 0.4% growth in its GDP this year due to higher productivity, Scorsone said.

“We do expect economic production to remain in slightly positive territory for the moment, although I want to emphasize the impact of the federal cuts is still coming,” he said.

UnitedHealth Group CEO steps down as company lowers, then withdraws financial outlook for 2025

SUMMARY:

UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty is stepping down for personal reasons and the nation’s largest health insurer suspended its full-year financial outlook due to higher-than-expected medical costs.

Chairman Stephen Hemsley will become CEO, effective immediately, the Minnesota company said.

Hemsley was UnitedHealth Group CEO from 2006 to 2017. He will remain chairman of the company’s board. Witty will serve as a senior adviser to Hemsley.

It has been a punishing period for UnitedHealth, starting in December when executive Brian Thompson was targeted outside of a New York City hotel and killed. While unrelated to the financial operations of the $340 billion giant, its shares have tumbled severely since the attack.

“I’m deeply disappointed in and apologize for the performance setbacks we have encountered from both external and internal challenges,” Hemsley said during an early Tuesday conference call. “Many of the issues standing in the way of achieving our goals as well as our opportunities are largely within our control. I am optimistic about our future as these issues are within our capacity to resolve. We will approach them with humility, rigor and urgency.”

The 60 year-old Witty joined the company in 2018 after serving about nine years as CEO of the British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline. He was named UnitedHealth’s CEO in February 2021, replacing Dave Wichmann.

UnitedHealth became one of the nation’s largest companies under Witty’s . Total revenue topped $400 billion last year, a 55% increase from the $257 billion UnitedHealth brought in the year before Witty became CEO.

Shares of UnitedHealth rocketed higher under Witty, too, up 60.5% since he took the company’s top job.

Yet there have been several setbacks for UnitedHealth over the past five months as it wrestles with the national attention on Luigi Mangione, who was indicted last month on a federal murder charge in the killing of Thompson.

The case has captured the American imagination, setting off a cascade of resentment and online vitriol toward U.S. health insurers while rattling corporate executives concerned about security.

UnitedHealth cut its 2025 forecast last month following its first quarterly earnings miss in more than a decade. On Tuesday the company withdrew that financial forecast entirely, saying that medical costs from new members were higher than expected.

Shares of UnitedHealth, which have plummeted 38% since the deadly Dec. 4 ambush of Thompson in midtown Manhattan, fell more than 16% Tuesday to levels last seen almost five years ago.

Other big insurers tumbled as well, with Elevance, Humana and Cigna falling between 4% and 7%.

More than 50 million have under UnitedHealth Group Inc. It also has a large pharmacy benefit manager that runs prescription drug coverage and a growing Optum segment that delivers care and provides technical support.

UnitedHealthcare is the nation’s largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans, with more than 8 million customers. Those are privately run versions of the federal government coverage program mostly for people ages 65 and older.