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Virginia ranked No. 11 in Area Development magazine’s 2017 Top States for Doing Business.
This year’s list was the first time the commonwealth was ranked in the magazine’s survey since 2010. The annual ranking, which began in 2010, increased its list from 10 to 20 states last year.
“This new ranking is evidence that the steps we are taking to build a new Virginia economy are paying off and that independent observers are taking note,” Gov. Terry McAuliffe said in a statement.
The commonwealth ranked in the top 10 in five of 12 subcategories that impact companies’ location and facility plans, including: Cooperative & Responsive State Government, fifth; Leading Workforce Development Programs, seventh; Competitive Labor Environment, eighth; Favorable Regulatory Environment, ninth; and Speed of Permitting, ninth.
These rankings represent significant advances for Virginia as the state has not placed in any subcategories since 2013. This year also marks the first time Virginia has ever placed in the Cooperative & Responsive State Government, Competitive Labor Environment and Speed of Permitting categories.
Area Development’s 2017 Top States for Doing Business rankings reflect the results of the magazine’s recent survey asking site selection consultants to give their top state picks in 12 categories.
Virginia Mortgage Lenders Association names new president
Chip Glover has been named president of the Virginia Mortgage Lenders Association for 2017-2018.
He is executive vice president and director of capital markets for TowneBank Mortgage in Virginia Beach.
Glover succeeds Rob Arthur, area manager and senior loan officer at Fidelity Bank Mortgage, as VMLA’s 54th president.
Glover graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in real estate and urban development.
He began his financial career in the savings and loan industry as an appraiser.
State grant aimed at developing heavy construction workforce
Heavy construction workforce development programs have opened at Northern Virginia and Lord Fairfax community colleges.
On Tuesday, Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced a $453,686 Workforce Development Capacity and Technical Assistance grant to Lord Fairfax Community College to assist it with the development of the new program.
The grant, administered by the Virginia Community College System, will help the college purchase heavy construction equipment simulators that enable prospective workers to train on the equipment they will be using on the job.
McAuliffe’s office said the new programs will support the efforts of Northern Virginia’s heavy construction industry to identify and train talent as infrastructure improvement projects proceed on I-95, I-395 and I-66.
The Heavy Construction Talent Development program was developed through a partnership with the Heavy Construction Contractors Association (HCCA), Alban CAT of Northern Virginia, Northern Virginia Community College, Lord Fairfax Community College and the Commonwealth of Virginia, including the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Office of the Governor.
U.Va.’s Darden School to open new facilities in Rosslyn
The University of Virginia Darden School of Business plans to open new facilities in the Washington, D.C., area.
The school will be housed on the top two floors of a 31-story building at 1100 Wilson Boulevard in Arlington’s Rosslyn area. Darden currently offers its executive (EMBA) and executive education programs in the D.C. area.
The new facilities will include tiered classrooms, offices and event spaces.
Darden will occupy the 30th and 31st floors of the building, operated by Monday Properties. It is the same building in which Darden currently has an office and several Darden staff members work in the areas of admissions, executive education and alumni career services.
The new 40,000-square-foot space, which will open in spring 2018, was made possible by a $5 million gift from Sands Capital Management Founder and Chairman Franks Sands Sr. and CEO and Chief Investment Officer Frank Sands Jr. Both are Darden graduates.
The 31st floor will be named the Sands Family Grounds in their honor.
Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association presents statewide awards
The National Conference Center and Williamsburg Winery were among the winners Monday night at a hospitality and tourism awards presentation.
The Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association (VRLTA) announced its 2017 VRLTA Ordinary Awards at a dinner held at The Westin hotel in Richmond.
The National Conference Center in Leesburg was named Hotel of the Year, and Williamsburg Winery in Williamsburg was the Winery of the Year.
Wicker’s Crab Pot Seafood in Chesapeake was honored as Restaurant of the Year.
The Brewery of the Year was Blue Mountain Brewery + Blue Mountain Barrel House in Afton/Arrington. The Distillery of the Year was Copper Fox Distillery in Sperryville.
The Attraction of the Year was the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company’s Chincoteague Pony Penning.
During the event, VRLTA presented retiring Speaker of the House William J. Howell with the Legislator of the Year Award and Tony DiFilippo, president and CEO of VisitNorfolk with the
Golden Pineapple Lifetime Achievement Award.
Other individual honorees included:
Bartender of the Year: Mary Garriques, Capital Ale House Downtown Richmond
Charlie Buser Award for Attraction Employee of the Year: Dana Staniunas, Massanutten Resort
Hotel Employee of the Year: Rocqui Camm, Delta Hotels by Marriott Richmond Downtown
Restaurant Employee of the Year: Connlan Hogan, Capital Ale House Harrisonburg
Chef of the Year: Tony Cochones, Glory Days Grill restaurants
Supplier of the Year: Jo Diedrich, LeisureMedia360
Hotelier of the Year: Geoff Lawson, The National Conference Center
Jim Ricketts Award for DMO/CVB Employee of the Year: Dan Cook, Discover Prince William & Manassas
Jim Wordsworth Award for Restaurateur of the Year: Tony Stafford, Ford’s Fish Shack restaurants
Rising Pineapple Award for Hospitality & Tourism Student of the Year: Lauren Schlenker, Virginia Tech
Virginia Business was a sponsor of the event.
Chrysalis Vineyards to expand
Chrysalis Vineyards plans to add a creamery and bakery to its Loudoun County operations.
Chrysalis xpects to spend $478,000 on the expansion and hire 12 additional people.
The winery will sell locally produced cheeses and breads and will purchase 100 percent of its agricultural ingredients from Virginia farmers.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe approved a $24,000 grant from the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) Fund, which Loudoun will match with local funds for the project.
“Over the last decades, unfortunately, much of the farming activity in the county has waned,” Chrysalis Vineyards owner Jennifer McCloud said in a statement. “This grant supports our mission to help restore this essential use of our lands.”
Consensus builder
Dennis Treacy, an executive at Smithfield Foods for 15 years, has a lot on his plate these days. His busy schedule, however, has nothing to do with making bacon and ham.
Treacy chairs the board of directors at the Virginia Chamber of Commerce and the water-quality advocacy group Virginiaforever. He also is rector of the board of visitors at Virginia Tech, his alma mater. While he has retired from most of his duties at Smithfield Foods where he was executive vice president and chief sustainability officer, Treacy remains president of the company’s philanthropic arm, the Smithfield Foundation.
“I didn’t plan to have all of them hit on the same year, it just worked out like that,” Treacy says of his many leadership roles. “But I enjoy it, and if you enjoy something, it makes it easier.”
Treacy also is a member of the Virginia Business Higher Education Council and avid supporter of the Growth4VA campaign, which was launched in September to promote reform and reinvestment in Virginia’s higher education system.
The range of concerns represented by these organizations — the economy, education, the environment and philanthropy — say a lot about Treacy’s versatility and ability to build consensus.
“Dennis is well known among Virginia’s business leaders for his reputation for getting results by finding areas of common ground among many stakeholders,” says Barry DuVal, president and CEO of the Virginia Chamber. ”His personal integrity and leadership skills have been invaluable to the Virginia Chamber this year as we work toward our two top goals of assembling a bold plan for long-term economic growth with Blueprint Virginia 2025 and strengthening Virginia’s reputation as a top state for business.”
Treacy surprised many people when he joined Smithfield Foods in 2002 to lead its sustainability program. He had been an assistant attorney general in the natural resources section of the Virginia Attorney General’s office and director of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.
In 1997, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fined Smithfield $12.7 million for illegal discharges into the Pagan River, at the time the largest fine imposed under the federal Clean Water Act. Treacy actually had sued the company — the case is titled Treacy v. Smithfield Foods — while heading the Virginia DEQ.
But when he joined Smithfield, “I didn’t see a company full of polluters,” Treacy says. “What I saw was a company full of top-flight executives and top-flight employees who just missed this environmental issue. They didn’t understand how important it was.
“They invited me to give my best advice over the years. I must say that they took that advice,” he adds. Smithfield allowed employees to develop “environmental solutions for things that they ran into in their everyday jobs. It saved the company millions of dollars.”
C. Larry Pope, Smithfield Foods’ CEO until the end of 2015, said Treacy’s efforts “enabled Smithfield to set the standard for sustainability in our industry.”
Treacy’s leadership also has contributed to the success of Virginiaforever, a nonpartisan group formed 10 years ago that advocates for increased funding for water quality improvements and land preservation in the commonwealth. Half of the group’s members are large companies, and the other half are environmental organizations.
“There is great power regardless of where you show up, whether that be the governor’s office or the General Assembly … if a significant member of the business community is standing there with a significant member of the environmental community asking for the same thing,” Treacy says. “We have had a great reception from everybody in the General Assembly. We’ve never been turned away.”
Treacy and his wife, Donna, who have two grown children, live on a 17-acre farm in Hanover County where they have eight cows, 11 chickens and a dog. “The cows aren’t ours, I must admit,” Treacy says. “They are owned by a farmer down the road. But as part of the deal, we get some meat at the end of the year and the enjoyment of tending to them.”
The Treacys like to fly fish in Virginia and Montana. “We get a lot of enjoyment out of that,” he says. “My wife is better than I am — way better.”
Virginia Business interviewed Treacy at the Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s offices in Richmond in late July. The following is an edited transcript.
Virginia Business: What are the main objectives for the Chamber this year?
Treacy: There are two big issues that we are working on. The first one is [Blueprint Virginia 2025]. Virginia is blessed to have a wonderful business climate. The fact that we have politicians from both parties who care about business is very important to us. It’s incumbent on the business community to make sure that we develop a plan that is not based on partisanship or favoritism. It’s based on strategic thinking. The first Blueprint … was presented [in 2013] to both [gubernatorial] candidates before the election as what the business community thought that Virginia should look like. It includes things like education, business climate, quality of life and workforce development. The 2025 effort is a remake of the first effort. … We are developing a blueprint that the business community leaders will agree upon and will present it to the candidates for governor. Our full hope and expectation is that the next governor will embrace it, because it is well thought out and has the blessing of the entire business community ….
[The second issue], my favorite, is the effort to restore Virginia to the top of the rankings for best states to do business … For several years we were number one, and we were so proud of that. In recent years, you have seen us decline to number 10, number 11, number 15. We’ve been going the wrong way … [The chamber] felt that the business community needed to step up and come up with a plan to make sure that Virginia is at the top of those rankings again …
The good news is that we’ve got partners. The Virginia Economic Development Partnership has a new leader, Stephen Moret … He agrees with us about the rankings and the importance of the aura that it created [in being a top state for business] … We also have GO Virginia [a new regional economic development program]. They have panels all over Virginia. We are in sync with VEDP, we are in sync with GO Virginia, and we are working with folks in the education world to make sure we understand what the most important issues are. They will find their way into the Blueprint, but they will also be translated into our answers for surveys from these organizations that rank states. We are very hopeful that we are going to advance once again to the top of those rankings.
VB: On the rankings study, when is that supposed to be completed?
Treacy: It is an ongoing thing. We have partnered with Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business. They are doing part of it. They are looking at the ranking systems. They have already delivered a program to us that describes how these organizations rank states. But this is not a one-shot deal. We can’t snap our fingers and have this occur overnight. Instead, I think what you’re seeing is the business community developing a path for the future. That path is intended to be sustained so that we never lose ground again.
VB: Back to Blueprint Virginia, has McAuliffe followed [the first Blueprint] during his administration?
Treacy: He has. He has been a good governor for business. If you look at the kind of decisions that have come out of the governor’s office, I would say, by-and-large, they are pretty pro-business. Now there are some folks who would disagree with that. But he took on the major planks of the Blueprint and tried to help implement them, as did members of the General Assembly. We had the entire legislative and executive branches pulling the oars in the same direction on business development in this state.
VB: What sort of goals do you see [as rector at Virginia Tech] that the board of visitors will be pursuing in the upcoming year?
Treacy: Virginia Tech is at an exciting time in its history. We have a president [Timothy D. Sands] who is working with the board, faculty, students and alumni to create a Virginia Tech of 2047, the Virginia Tech of the future. The program is called Beyond Boundaries. (See related story on Page 76.) This reinvents what education looks like. It is intended to tackle big problems with the entire student body and with the entire research team, focused on solving big world problems, whether that would be an agricultural challenge of feeding hungry people or whether that would be cybersecurity or some other IT effort …
Virginia Tech has always been a place of pride for its alums, and I think this will magnify that. We are looking for partnerships with business. We are deploying our research efforts on focused avenues that will keep us at the top of the list for research institutions. We have always been the top research institution in Virginia [in annual expenditures]. We want to advance on the world rankings. Tech is rethinking itself, but at the same time, it is mindful of the Virginia Tech we all know. It’s not as though something was wrong at Virginia Tech or something needed to be fixed at Virginia Tech. It’s just a new and exciting direction.
VB: Now, you’ve been chairman of the board’s finance audit committee. What shape is Virginia Tech in financially?
Treacy: It’s always tough. A friend of mine told me one time, “There’s never enough money for education.” I think there was some truth to that … People always complain that education should be more efficient or it should cut costs. I don’t disagree with that. I will tell you that I think Virginia Tech is run very, very efficiently. We have had a big leap in students being admitted to Virginia Tech recently without any loss of quality. I think that will help the financial picture. As we are thinking about that future and our financial future, we are also looking at new places to have Virginia Tech’s identity associated with. One of them is the National Capital Region in Northern Virginia. The schools there are the top of the line as it relates to research efforts. Our business program has quite a presence there as well. You’ll see us becoming more and more and more a national player in Northern Virginia. I think you also will see us expand in the Roanoke area [where the university and Carilion Clinic are partners in the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute.] I think you will see us embracing Roanoke Valley as well as Blacksburg.
VB: How did you become president of the Smithfield Foundation?
Treacy: I have been the full-time president of the Smithfield Foundation for about two years now. In my former job, I was executive vice president in charge of lots of different things. I was in charge of the legal department, government affairs, sustainability, environmental compliance, communications and the foundation …
The foundation has three primary pillars right now. One of them is educating the children and grandchildren of our employees. We have a relationship with more than 10 colleges around the country where our employees’ children and grandchildren get to go to school, many of them for free because it is a needs-based program. After students go through the financial aid [process], our foundation comes in behind it with funding, which usually makes up for the entire cost of an education.
The second pillar is feeding hungry people. We’re a food company. One of the things you see in any food bank in the nation is a real lack of protein. It is very difficult to handle and to get. Smithfield has given away pork products and protein [across the country].
The third pillar is relatively new for us, which is supporting veterans’ causes. Our CEO [Kenneth M. Sullivan] is passionate about supporting veterans and their families. About a month ago, we gave a donation to the [Virginia Veterans Services Foundation]. They are in the process of working with the governor to try to wipe out [homelessness among veterans]. It’s a moving target. It constantly needs support. We gave a fairly significant donation which was to give furniture and things like that to veterans who have found housing. Once you get in a room, you need a bed to sleep in, a couch to sit on, you need food to eat, you need lots of things. We’re working with the state of Virginia to make that happen. It is very, very satisfying to our team to be a part of that.
VB: Environmental issues have become a flashpoint in many recent elections. Virginiaforever has prided itself in being able to find a consensus. As we see, even in Virginia politics, more partisanship and a drift from the center, is that going to be harder to do?
Treacy: I don’t know. I will tell you that Virginiaforever is not a partisan group. There is great power in what we do. We have only identified two things that we lobby for, and that is money for water quality improvements and land preservation. We have agreed on those two things for more than 10 years … Sometimes we don’t get all of the money we’re asking for. Last year was a tough year for us, but they know we’ll be back …
Is the environment a Democratic or Republican issue? I would say neither. I think most of our elected officials and politicians view it that way. Environmental protection is vital to Virginia as a whole. The Chamber of Commerce has endorsed environmental principles and the work of Virginiaforever along with the work of the Businesses for the Bay program run by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. The first [Blueprint Virginia] had a significant section on environmental improvement. This new one will as well. The chamber has met with members of the environmental community to get their input of what that blueprint should look like. We are unique in that regard. As I look at other parts of the country, those kinds of interactions may not be possible. But here in Virginia, they are.
Followups – October 2017
Bigger ships continue to arrive at Port of Virginia
The biggest container ship to come to the East Coast, the CMA CGM Theodore Roosevelt, made its first stop at the Port of Virginia in late August.
The Roosevelt’s cargo capacity is 14,400 20-foot equivalent units, or TEUs. Its arrival at the port eclipsed a short-lived record for the largest ship it has served.
Increasing larger ships have arrived at the port since the recent expansion of the Panama Canal.
The Port of Virginia had its busiest August on record, handling 240,605 TEUs. That is a 2.2 percent increase over August 2016.
On a year-to-date basis, total TEU volumes are up 7.4 percent, and containers are up 7.7 percent. During the same time period, cargo moved via rail was up 4.7 percent, trucks up 9 percent and barge up 26 percent.
In its September cover story, Virginia Business examined the need for deepening and widening channels at the port to accommodate larger ships.
Sweet Briar changes tuition and curriculum
Beginning in the 2018-19 academic year, Sweet Briar College plans to reset its annual cost of tuition, room, board and fees to $34,000 — a 32 percent drop compared to this year’s total price of $50,055 — and offer a more flexible curriculum.
The changes at the private, women’s college came not quite four months into the tenure of new college President Meredith Woo. She has said her overarching goal was to make Sweet Briar a relevant model for the 21st century. The 116-year-old college nearly closed in 2015 due to financial challenges and dropping enrollment, but was saved when alumni and other friends of the institution donated money and went to court to keep the college open.
Virginia Business interviewed Woo in its September issue.
The brand called Virginia
A brand is an emotional thing; it’s how you feel about something. A brand isn’t a name or slogan; it’s not a tagline or logo. A brand is the sum of the emotions conjured up by the mention of a company, an organization, a product or a service. Are these emotions good or bad? Maybe you are indifferent.
Perhaps you need to know more. Maybe you just don’t care. Perhaps they are just not relevant.
Can a place have a brand? Sure, why not? Think about it. Do you (heart) NY? Is Florida the “Sunshine State?” Have you stopped “Messin’ with Texas?” Is Virginia “for Lovers?” Yes, these are the slogans and taglines, but how do they make you feel?
I remember the summer vacations of my childhood. We’d drive down U.S. 460 to the beach (these were the pre-interstate days). Motoring past vast Southside farms with camping gear in the trunk of the car, we’d travel through Waverly and Suffolk. There was, and still may be, a larger than life sign, a statuesque figure of Mr. Peanut standing over the fields. Brands make lasting memories. Gotta love those peanuts!
How about the “Mother of Presidents?” Remember that one? Virginia has been the birthplace of more presidents than any other state. This claim may be kind of worn out — Woodrow Wilson was the last, and he was elected more than a century ago. Today, it’s arguably doubtful any state wants to boast about being the mother of politicians. Yes, brands can get worn down or at least a bit tarnished.
Not all brands are positive, and brands are created both intentionally and unintentionally. It’s generally best to go the intentional route, aiming for the positive.
Brands are also enduring; that’s a good thing. Let’s think about the brand of a place. By most every measure Charlottesville is a great place. It’s home to one of the nation’s top-ranked “public Ivy” schools, the University of Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, U.Va., with its Rotunda and residential Lawn, fulfilled his vision of an “Academical Village.” Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence, and James Madison, the “father” of the U.S. Constitution, served as the university’s first two rectors. By history and geography, as well as intellectual proximity, the brands of Charlottesville and Virginia are inextricably entwined.
Moving to the present day, however, it is impossible to forget the recent violence in Charlottesville. Television images of torch-carrying white supremacists marching through the Grounds and the confrontation in Emancipation Park, including the death of a counter-protestor, are not easily dismissed, nor should they be.
Before the August incident, Charlottesville was not a stranger to controversies that grab national attention. In 2014, Rolling Stone falsely reported a horrific rape at a U.Va. fraternity house. And in 2012, the board of visitors forced the resignation of President Teresa A. Sullivan, only to overturn the decision in the face of a revolt by students, faculty and alumni. Reaction to the August incident, however, shook the nation.
Nonetheless, Charlottesville and U.Va. remain positive brands. Why? Because of Mr. Jefferson’s influence, of course.
It makes a difference whether a place is actually known for something really good before something really bad happens. I’m sure Ferguson, Mo., wishes it could have had even a fraction of Charlottesville’s national reputation before becoming known as ground zero for Black Lives Matter (and black lives do matter).
If brands are emotions, then they are living, breathing things. They need nurturing. Great brands have relevance and authenticity.
So, what are we doing with the brand called Virginia?
One of Jefferson’s great causes was public education. How is Virginia doing? General fund support for education at all levels is down over the past couple of decades. Similarly, infrastructure and economic development needs are barely being met.
Is the “New Virginia Economy” really working? Coal jobs aren’t coming back, and the craft beer jobs replacing them don’t pay nearly the same. Is the commonwealth’s economy really diversifying away from over-dependence on Dee Cee?
Rural and urban areas remain two completely different places in terms of economic success. Health care? Take a cue from the General Assembly; let’s not even talk about it.
On the other hand, what would it mean to return to “The Virginia Way?” Genteel statesmanship or just low-tax, low-spend, don’t rock the boat, fiscal and social conservatism? Is that really the way forward? Is the Virginia Way a return to socially repressive Byrd-Machine politics? Let’s hope not.
Oh, heck! I almost forgot there’s an election in November. Virginia is one of only two states with a governor’s race the year after the presidential election — a proverbial canary in the coal mine. Get yourself to the voting booth. Go ahead and get emotional. Give some thought to the brand called Virginia. What do you want it to stand for?
For the Record – October 2017
EASTERN VIRGINIA
Atlantic Bay Mortgage of Virginia Beach and Virginia Community Bank of Louisa are set to merge in an all-stock transaction. Under the unanimous agreement between Virginia Community Bank’s board of directors and the manager and members of Atlantic Bay, the bank’s holding company will be terminated and will be managed as the Atlantic Bay Bank. A $20 million offering of the bank’s common stock is expected to be complete when it is closed sometime during the fourth quarter of 2017. (Inside Business)
Emser Tile, a designer, marketer and producer of tile and natural stone, has opened a 400,000-square-foot distribution center in Suffolk. The building, which has the capacity to expand to 850,000 square feet, is Emser’s third distribution center in North America, joining others in California and Texas. The facility at the CenterPoint Intermodal Center will serve the growing East Coast and Midwest markets. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
G2 Ops Inc. has moved to larger headquarters in Virginia Beach and will add 10 jobs. The company, founded in 2013, provides systems engineering, cybersecurity, architectural analysis and consulting services. It plans to make an investment of $446,000 for the relocation and expansion. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
The Kingsmill Championship has signed a three-year extension with the LPGA Tour. The parties announced the agreement in August, contracting the event with the James City County resort through 2020. Next year’s tournament is set for May 17-20, with 2019 and 2020 planned for similar dates. (Daily Press)
The Newport News Tech Center Research Park, under construction near Jefferson Lab, is attracting interest from Peninsula tech firms and out-of-state businesses. W.M. Jordan Development Co. hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for an 80,000-square-foot, $18 million building across from Venture Apartments in August. Building One, slated for completion in one year, is the first of 11 planned for the $250 million research park campus that’s managed by Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center. (Daily Press)
SHENANDOAH VALLEY
Bridgewater College will use a $1 million gift from five Smith family members and the Smith-Midland Corp. for the expansion and renovation of the college’s library. The gift by Rodney Smith, his sons Ashley, Roderick, Matthew and Jeremy and the Smith-Midland Corp., also will result in naming the first-floor café in the building the Smith Family Learning Commons Café. (Augusta Free Press)
Machine and fabrication company Draftco Inc. plans to expand its manufacturing operation in Augusta County. The company will spend $450,000 to improve its quality inspection room and buy new machines and welding and testing equipment. The investment is expected to create 16 jobs, according to Gov. Terry McAuliffe. Draftco was founded in 1965 and is based in Stuarts Draft. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has recently had two members confirmed by the U.S. Senate and sworn in, giving that body a quorum of three members necessary to approve projects and orders. Among the projects FERC must consider is the final application for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, the 600-mile underground natural gas pipeline that would run from West Virginia through Virginia to North Carolina. The proposed pipeline route includes 55 miles in Augusta County. (The News Virginian)
Stable Craft Brewing is investing half a million dollars to expand in Augusta County. The project will create 13 jobs. The brewery plans to add a bottling line and expand distribution to reach more consumers in more places convenient to their travels. Stable Craft products currently are available in restaurants, taverns and other dining establishments, Craig Nargi, the company’s owner, said in a statement. The company will purchase 88 percent of its agricultural products from Virginia farmers. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
SOUTHERN VIRGINIA
Danville and its emerging craft beer market were featured in the August issue of BeerAdvocate magazine. The article highlights communities such as Danville that are using the popularity of craft beer to reinvent themselves. The River District’s newly opened Ballad Brewing and 2 Witches Winery and Brewing Co. are featured in the article, as well as craft-beer retailer Vintages by the Dan on Main Street. A third brewery, Preservation Ale and Smokehouse, is scheduled to open near Ballad Brewing next year. (Danville Register & Bee)
Mecklenburg County will be the jumping-off point for a new program being introduced in Southern Virginia, CodeVA. Starting with the elementary schools, teachers will learn how to teach computer science and coding to the students. On Aug. 16, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner joined Chris Dovi, the executive director of CodeVA, and Tim Pfohl of the Virginia Tobacco Commission to announce a $361,625 grant to train teachers in computer science and coding to serve in rural Southside and Southwest Virginia public schools. (Mecklenburg Sun)
Oran Safety Glass will expand its manufacturing business in Greensville County, creating 55 jobs and retaining 75 existing positions. The company makes specialty glass for buses, military vehicles and trains. The company will spend $4.45 million in expanding its Greensville facility. OSG, an Israel-based glass manufacturer, develops a wide range of products, including armored safety glass, such as bullet-resistant windows. Gov. Terry McAuliffe approved a $150,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund. The Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission approved $235,000 in Tobacco Region Opportunity Funds. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Two companies announced plans in early September that are expected to create a total of 50 jobs in the Danville-Pittsylvania County area. Unison Ltd., a British tube-bending machine company, will invest $5.2 million and create 35 jobs in establishing its first U.S. manufacturing operation in the Cane Creek Centre Industrial Park, jointly owned by the city and the county. Meanwhile, Intertape Polymer Group, a packaging products and systems company, will invest $7 million and add 15 jobs in expanding its manufacturing and distribution capacity at its Pittsylvania facility. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
CENTRAL VIRGINIA
Virginia soon will have another publicly traded company. The board of directors of Cleveland-based NACCO Industries Inc. has approved the spinoff of Glen Allen-based Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Co. Hamilton Beach is a holding company for Hamilton Beach Brands Inc., a manufacturer of home appliances and commercial restaurant equipment, and The Kitchen Collection LLC, a kitchenware retailer. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Hunton & Williams LLP established the Hunton & Williams ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarship in honor of Robert J. Grey Jr. The scholarship will help address the diversity gap in the legal profession by supporting and encouraging more diverse students to obtain a legal degree. Grey joined Hunton & Williams in 2002 and moved to senior counsel status in 2016. He serves as president of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, a position he has held since 2010. Grey served as president of the American Bar Association from 2004 to 2005. (News release)
A 10-story hotel planned by Macfarlane Partners LLC for the Locks development just north of the James River would open up a dark section along the Kanawha Canal in downtown Richmond. A brown metal hulk of a building straddling the Kanawha Canal would be torn down to make way for the Hyatt Place Hotel at The Locks, opening up the Canal Walk on either side of the waterway. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Dallas-based sports entertainment company Topgolf is working on a deal for a location in Henrico County. The company now has three locations in Virginia — Alexandria, Loudoun County and Virginia Beach — with a total of more than 1,200 employees. Topgolf said the Henrico location would require about 12 acres. Construction of the venue would take 10 to 12 months to complete after the property is purchased and all necessary approvals are obtained. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Tranlin Inc. will repay $5 million to Virginia, as the Chinese company resets its plans to build a paper products factory in Chesterfield County that was expected to bring $2 billion in investment and create 2,000 jobs. In an exchange of letters with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership in late July, Tranlin’s top executive promised to repay the grant from the Commonwealth’s Development Opportunity Fund by Oct. 24 in acknowledgement that the company would not meet its investment and job commitments by the end of 2019. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
NORTHERN VIRGINIA
Altamont Capital Partners has sold Chantilly-based protective and investigative services firm Omniplex to private security company Constellis, a subsidiary of private equity firm Apollo Global Management LLC. A sale price was not disclosed. Omniplex has 2,100 employees and 1,700 investigators across the country and provides security personnel and investigative services to the federal government. Constellis, which has a government division based in Reston, provides risk management, intelligence and operational support services to government and commercial clients all over the world. (Washington Business Journal)
Germanna Community College’s Fredericksburg Center for Advanced Technology (FredCAT) has opened in Central Park. FredCAT offers credential programs, apprenticeship training and support services aimed at high-demand fields. The apprenticeship programs include: electrical, welding, HVAC, industrial maintenance/machinist, masonry, plumbing, gas fitter, asphalt technician and construction inspector. The center also offers training and certification in areas such as 3-D printing, fiber-optic cable technology and drone building. The center also provides a home base and work space for students and entrepreneurs to create designs, develop prototypes and collaborate in supporting local technology and manufacturing startups. (The Free Lance-Star)
The General Services Administration (GSA) has awarded a lease to an affiliate of Boston Properties to build the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) a new, 625,000-square-foot headquarters as part of the agency’s planned relocation from its current home in Pentagon City. The outcome is one few could have expected two years ago, when Boston Properties protested the GSA’s award of a lease shifting the TSA to Victory Center in Alexandria. A federal judge agreed with Boston Properties, finding that the federal government exceeded its authority by awarding a lease in excess of the 625,000 square feet the House and Senate authorized for the new headquarters. The judge voided the Alexandria lease, and the bidding process reopened, prompting the latest award to the Springfield site. (Washington Business Journal)
Fairfax-based George Mason University awarded more bachelor’s degrees to minority students in the 2016-17 school year than any other institution of higher education in Virginia, according to new data. With 2,326 degrees conferred on minority students, the university was tied for 44th nationally out of more than 2,700 institutions, in a study by Diverse Issues in Higher Education. The 2,326 degrees to minority students represent an increase of 10 percent from the year before, Mason officials said. Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond was next among Virginia universities (at No. 53 nationally), with 2,196 degrees awarded. (InsideNOVA.com)
HomeServices of America Inc., a Minneapolis-based Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, has acquired The Long & Foster Cos. Inc., the largest private residential real estate company in the U.S. in terms of sales volume. The acquisition of Chantilly-based Long & Foster includes its family of companies, such as Long & Foster Real Estate and its affiliated business lines in mortgage, settlement services, insurance and property management. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Wes Foster, Long & Foster’s co-founder, will remain with the company as chairman emeritus. Jeff Detwiler, Long & Foster’s current president and CEO, will become chief executive officer, managing the day-to-day operations. Founded in 1968 by Wes Foster and Henry Long, Long & Foster’s companies are among the nation’s leading real estate and financial services companies. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
More than 100 businesses moved to or expanded in Loudoun County during its last fiscal year, investing $3.3 billion. The Loudoun County Department of Economic Development said that amount from FY 2017, which ended June 30, resulted in a three-year total of more than $7.2 billion in new investment. FY 2017 was the department’s third record-breaking year in a row for investment, following $1.6 billion in FY15 and $2.3 billion in FY16. The economic development projects in Loudoun in FY17 included cybersecurity, aviation and aerospace, data centers, craft beverage producers and IT organizations of many kinds. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
A plan to build a Metro station in Alexandria’s growing Potomac Yard community has been postponed. Alexandria officials said transit officials determined more time than anticipated would be needed to award a contract. “The schedule is pushed back because we are considering cost-saving opportunities within the context of the procurement,” said Mitch Bernstein, director of the city’s Department of Project Implementation. Bernstein declined to speculate when construction will begin, saying the final timetable and completion date won’t be known until a contract is awarded. But Metro, which is overseeing the procurement process and construction, said it plans to award the contract next spring. (The Washington Post)
Tysons IT services firm Mission Services Inc. plans to hire 400 new employees, tripling its current count, and move into an office double its current size in a few months. With 200 employees now, the IT contractor has been on a path of surging growth, reaching a turning point in 2016. In the last year, the company has grown tenfold from 20 employees with 14 new federal contracts. The company cites $4.7 billion in new contracts for the Air Force alone, including the Network-Centric Solutions-2, or NETCENTS-2, contracts to provide IT, network and telecom services to the military division. (Washington Business Journal)
Private equity firm H.I.G. Capital completed its acquisition of publicly traded Reston IT and government services firm NCI Inc. in August. H.I.G. purchased both Class A and Class B common stock shares at $20 per share, for a total price of $283 million. NCI had a net income of $13.9 million last year and has about 2,000 employees in more than 100 countries around the world. Miami-based H.I.G. has $21 billion in equity capital and has offices across the country in cities such as Boston and San Francisco. (Washington Business Journal)
Octo Consulting Group, a digital services provider for the federal government, has opened a new corporate headquarters in Reston. The 25,000-square-foot, $2 million facility represents a substantial expansion in footprint from the company’s former offices in Tysons Corner. Octo said it has hired more than 130 employees during the past 18 months as government agencies have modernized their aging IT infrastructure. It now has 350 employees. The company has additional offices in Alexandria, Fulton, Md., and Atlanta. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Dulles-based Orbital ATK successfully launched a rocket carrying a satellite into space from Cape Canaveral, Fla. In August the satellite will deliver information to the U.S. Strategic Command through the Joint Space Operations Center. Orbital ATK designs, builds and delivers space, defense and aviation systems for customers around the world, as a prime contractor and merchant supplier. The company employs approximately 13,000 people across the U.S. and in several international locations. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA
Bristol is one of four financially distressed localities cited in August by the Virginia Auditor of Public Accounts (APA). The four localities, two cities and two counties, came on the state’s radar through a new warning system devised after Petersburg experienced its financial crisis last year. In June, Moody’s upgraded the Bristol’s outlook to stable and raised its bond rating after a downgrade last year. But the city of 17,000 still maintains more than $100 million in long-term general obligation bond debt with about half of it tied to The Falls commercial center in the Exit 5 area, which has yet to attract significant numbers of tenants. (Bristol Herald Courier)
Bristol school officials are considering turning the vacant Bristol Mall into a career and technical school, according to Superintendent Keith Perrigan. The superintendent has spoken with the mall owner, Sunstar Keshav LLC, a New Jersey-based real estate investment firm, which wants to fill the property, he said. While neither the building nor the property is currently up for sale, Perrigan said he plans to stay in contact with Sunstar Keshav in hopes that the property eventually will become affordable. The real estate investment firm couldn’t be reached for comment in August. (Bristol Herald Courier)
It was a rainy morning, but those gathered were not daunted in their excitement to be celebrating the groundbreaking of a new mental health-care center in Marion. Mount Rogers Community Services Board broke ground July 28 for the Rhea B. Lawrence Recovery Center, under construction on the campus of Southwestern Virginia Mental Health Institute. The Rhea B. Lawrence Recovery Center is described as an “eight bed residential, crisis-stabilization program, replacing the current Cornerstone facility that has operated in Marion since 2006.” (SWVAToday.com)
Tazewell County is moving toward having a countywide chamber of commerce. Richlands and Tazewell currently have chambers of commerce, and Bluefield and Cedar Bluff have business associations. A series of community meetings to assist in the development of a countywide chamber were scheduled for September. The meetings create an opportunity for business and community leaders to establish common goals and objectives for the future. Collectively, the input will shape a plan of work for a smooth transition to a strong, unified chamber that works for all of Tazewell County. (SWVAToday.com)
Virginia Highlands Community College celebrated an investment in education in August that is addressing the Mountain Empire’s shortage of nurses. “Today we are dedicating one of our classrooms to Bristol Regional [Medical Center] as a symbol of our appreciation to their commitment to the education of students in the Virginia Appalachian Tricollege Nursing Program … and to the medical need for the area,” said Kathy Mitchell, the college’s dean of nursing and allied health. The dedication represents a partnership between VHCC and Bristol Regional that allowed an additional 20 students to begin their nursing studies this year. (Bristol Herald Courier)
Completion of Wythe County’s APEX Center, a 90,000-square-foot arena building, is one step closer to becoming a reality. The county was seeking proposals for the construction of the facility and adjacent site improvements by Sept. 29. Supervisors hope the APEX site will be home for regional fairs, motorsports competitions, gun shows, trade shows, equestrian events, livestock shows/auctions and more. In addition, they hope businesses will develop around the center and contribute to the county’s tax base. (SWVAToday.com)
ROANOKE/NEW RIVER VALLEY
Brown Edwards, a Roanoke-based regional accounting firm, was ranked among the nation’s top 100 accounting firms this year by Inside Public Accounting. The rankings are based on 2016 U.S. net revenue. Brown, which is celebrating its 50th year in business, has a staff of more than 300 in offices in three states. It was ranked as 99th on the 2017 list with $37.4 million in revenue, five slots higher than its ranking of 104 the previous year. (News release)
James River Equipment (JRE) recently acquired the assets of the Blueridge Farm Center in Buchanan. According to JRE, based in Ashland, operations of the agriculture and turf center will continue with Josh Altice, former Blueridge Farm Center manager, serving as branch and sales manager. The center will sell, rent and provide parts and service support for new and used farm equipment and implements as well as lawn and garden equipment. The Buchanan location is the 39th for JRE, a John Deere dealer. (News release)
Poe & Cronk Real Estate Group, based in Roanoke, has opened a branch office in Blacksburg. The company said the expansion would help it serve the rapidly growing New River Valley. The office is located within North End Center at 314 Turner St. Four employees will work there, and it will be available to all of the company’s agents. (Virginia Business.com)
The board of visitors at Virginia Tech has approved $90 million in financing for a 139,000-square-foot medical building that will be constructed on land owned by Carilion Clinic in Roanoke. The project, the Health Sciences and Technology Comparative Oncology Research Center and classroom building, will expand Tech’s footprint on the Roanoke campus. The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine will officially become part of Tech on July 1, 2018. The money for the expansion will come from $48.3 million in state funds, $23.7 million in bond money and $17.7 million in private gifts. (The Roanoke Times)