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Roanoke-based Carilion Clinic has announced these appointments:
• Paul Hudgins, joined Carilion in November as senior vice president of human resources and chief human resource officer. He was with Dignity Health in Sacramento, Calif.
• Barbara Schleider joined Carilion in October as vice president and associate chief information officer. She was with Kettering Health Network in Dayton, Ohio.
• Dr. Fidel Valea joined Carilion and the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine in October as chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology. . Valea previously worked for Duke University Medical Center,
Poll finds Virginians more postive than the overall U.S. population
A Roanoke College Poll looking at the attitude of Virginia consumers shows they are more positive than Americans overall.
The college’s Virginia Index of Consumer Sentiment was 95.1 in its November survey. That number is 3.5 points higher than a preliminary national sentiment index of 91.6 for the same month.
The Virginia number for November also is nearly 10 points higher than the overall average for the state index, 85.3. Nonetheless, the November figure is three points lower than the index recorded in the last state survey in August.
In looking at current conditions, 36.5 percent of respondents say their personal finances are better today than a year ago. A majority of respondents in that group cited increased incomes rather than falling prices or other causes for their improved finances.
Nearly 20 percent of respondents said their household finances are worse now than a year ago.
In assessing consumer expectations, the poll found that nearly 44 percent said they expect the national economy to prosper during the next five years while 23.2 percent believe it will contract.
Forty-six percent of respondents also expect their household finances to improve in the coming year while 12 percent anticipate a decline in their financial condition.
The survey also found that the optimism of Virginia Republicans and Democrats have dramatically changed since the presidential election.
Republicans were less optimistic than Democrats before the election but their optimism rose 22.4 points after Donald Trump’s victory and the GOP retained control of Congress.
The optimism of Virginia Democrats was 20 point higher than the state’s overall population before the election. That euphoria, however, vanished after the election, with optimism plummeting almost 37 points.
The Roanoke College Poll was conducted by the Institute for Policy and Opinion Research at the college. The survey is based on telephone interviews with 606 adult Virginia residents on Nov. 13-20. The poll’s results are subject to a potential sampling error of plus or minus of about 4 points.
Divaris Real Estate Inc. reports on new leases
Jollibee has renewed its lease for a 35,500-square-foot outparcel at the Brenneman Farm at 4540 Princess Anne Road in Virginia Beach. Jollibee is an international fast-food chain that serves hamburgers, rice-based meals, side orders and desserts.
Divaris also reports that Alexandria Child Care Services leased 11,866 square feet of space at 1000 Bernard St. in Alexandria. The Kiddie Academy franchisee currently operates one other childcare center in Ashburn. DRE's Brandon Howard handled lease negotiations on behalf of the tenant.
New retailers announced for Rutherford Crossing in Winchester
A national grocery store anchor, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc. and Valley Health Urgent Care will be coming to the Rutherford Crossing Shopping Center in Winchester in 2017, according to the center’s developer.
NVRetail said the tenants are expected to begin construction of their stores as part of a second phase of Rutherford Crossing, located at the intersection of Interstate 81 and Route 11. Phase one began in 2007 and includes tenants such as Lowe’s, Target and PetSmart. When totally built out, the center is expected to have more than over 400,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.
The new Valley Health Urgent Care center will provide a different use at the center: medical care on a walk-in basis for minor injuries and illnesses.
NVRetail, based in Vienna, is an owner, operator and developer of commercial real estate in the mid-Atlantic region. It also is developing the 440,000-square-foot plus West Broad Marketplace in Henrico County.
Synergy Installation Solutions renews 20,000-square-foot lease in Richmond
Synergy Installation Solutions has renewed its lease of 20,000 square feet at 1125 Commerce Road in Richmond. Isaac DeRegibus of Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer handled lease negotiations.
In other transactions reported by Thalhimer in the Richmond market:
Scott Insurance & Benefit Services Inc. has expanded to 14,563 square feet in the Bayberry Office Building at 1700 Bayberry Court in Henrico County. Brian K. Berkey handled lease negotiations on behalf of the tenant.
TF Courier Inc. renewed a 10,000-square-foot lease in Gaskins Centre at 9878-9898 Mayland Drive in Henrico County. Evan M. Magrill and N. Dean Meyer handled lease negotiations.
Buildings at Tysons take home several awards at annual NAIOP event
A lease for a new headquarters building at Tysons and the expansion of Capital One’s headquarters were some of the standout projects during NAIOP Northern Virginia’s annual awards event.
More than 750 people from the commercial real estate community attended the event last week at the The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner.
Some of the 26 awards are listed below:
Real Estate Transaction (Lease)
Opower headquarters submitted by Cushman & Wakefield and located in Arlington County. Team member includes: Carr Properties. Opower, a cloud-based software for the utility industry, is relocating its global headquarters in Arlington to a new building at 2311 Wilson Boulevard. Opower will occupy the top three floors of the building.
Interiors – Tenant space 50,000 square feet and above
Capital One headquarters expansion at Tysons submitted by HITT Contracting Inc. Team members include: Lerner and IA Interior Architects.
Buildings–Adaptive re-use
Award of Excellence for WeWork/WeLive ( a coworking and living space) – Crystal City submitted by Vornado/Charles E. Smith and located in Crystal City. Team members include: Perkins Eastman, ARExA, and James G. Davis Construction Corp.
Speculative Office Building
Award of Excellence for 1775 Tysons Boulevard submitted by Lerner Enterprises and located in Tysons. Team members include: Kohn Pedersen Fox and Whiting-Turner.
Membership — Firm of the Year
Award of Excellence to HITT Contracting Inc.
Member of the Year
Award of Excellence to Edward V. Zaptin, vice president of leasing, First Potomac Realty Trust and NAIOP’s vice chair/membership.
NAIOP Northern Virginia is a chapter of NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association. Its membership includes nearly 950 members serving the local Northern Virginia market.
Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer announces two sales transactions in Hampton Roads
MGP Retail Consulting has purchased a four-acre site in Virginia Beach from Mark IV Investments Inc. for $1.5 million. According to Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer, which brokered the sale, the land at General Booth Boulevard and Edison Road will be a new location for a retail development. Thalhimer’s Dean Martin, Geoff Poston and Eric Throne handled sale negotiations on behalf of the seller.
In another sales transaction, Integument Rx Suffolk LLC purchased a 9,000–square-foot office building at 1069 Centerbrooke Lane in Centerbrooke Office Park in Suffolk from Harvel One LLC for $1.2 million. Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer said the building will be used as a medical practice. Rob Wright handled sale negotiations on behalf of the seller.
Hilton names new head of corporate affairs
Hilton has named a former senior White House adviser as its senior vice president and global head of corporate affairs.
Katie Berine Fallon was director of legislative affairs for President Obama until earlier this year. Prior to that role, she was Obama’s deputy communications director. She also has held leadership roles in the U.S. Senate as a longtime aide to Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and was staff director for the Democratic Policy and Communications Center.
“As we continue to gain momentum and accelerate our growth around the world, finding additional ways to connect and engage with our most critical stakeholders becomes even more important,” Hilton President and CEO Chris Nassetta said in a statement. “Katie is widely admired by both high-ranking Republicans and Democrats, and her unique perspective on the strategic intersection between communications and policy will help us strengthen the Hilton brand and drive value for the business. Together with the entire corporate affairs team, we are extremely well positioned to further our industry leadership and differentiate ourselves in the marketplace.
Before entering politics, Fallon worked in investment banking and strategic consulting. She earned her bachelor of arts in government and international studies from the University of Notre Dame and completed two master’s degrees in political science at the London School of Economics and Queens University Belfast as a Marshall Scholar.
The benefits of an annual maintenance program on your business
As the end of the year approaches, many businesses are engaging in budgetary planning. One area that is often overlooked is building maintenance management. Providing proper, preventative care to your building can reduce the risk of major unforeseen expenses that can completely decimate your budget.
In most situations, the benefits of an ongoing maintenance outweigh the cost. Whether your building is corporate or industrial, it’s important to have a clean space that is welcoming, healthy and safe for employees and visitors. Additionally, a maintenance program ensures your facility will be good-as-new year after year.
It may seem extravagant to put in place a continual preventative care plan for your space, but routine maintenance will only get you so far — before long, health violations, fading carpets and scratched floors will begin to show themselves. Facilities need both routine cleaning and a maintenance program to truly flourish.
Furthermore, beginning a program for the long-term care of your facility allows for increased organization and communication within a business. For example, if the floors are getting stripped and waxed, staff can refer to the program schedule and know to place chairs on their desks in preparation. By keeping the process transparent, a maintenance program can keep all of the staff informed and ensure their workplace meets proper cleanliness and presentation standards.
Budgeting and planning
The first step is to calculate the amount you’re willing to spend on a building maintenance program ahead of time. Even if you have limited funds, deep-cleaning services should be prioritized, as they can prolong the life of your facility and cut down future prohibitive costs that can result from untimely repairs. In order to budget wisely, try to prioritize the services essential to every facility, such as carpet cleaning, floor finishing, and bathroom steam cleaning. In our experience, we’ve found these non-janitorial services should utilize between 20 and 25 percent of your overall janitorial budget.
As is the case with many facilities, unexpected repairs and damages come up and may prompt the need to reschedule, rearrange, or postpone a deep cleaning service. One general rule of thumb is to have a maintenance price associated for the year. The added structure can help with prioritization, allowing the facility manager to consider which services are most critical when developing a schedule.
Breaking the schedule down: carpet cleaning
Every building owner should prioritize a thorough carpet cleaning on the maintenance program checklist. Not only are clean carpets easier and less expensive to maintain, they also trap the facility’s airborne pollutants. This is great for a facility as long as the pollutants do not fester within the carpet. If they do, carpet pollutants can tamper with the indoor air quality of a workplace. In addition, moist soiling in carpets can result in the buildup of several unhealthy contaminants, allergens and bacteria.
Keeping these risks in mind, carpet cleanings should take place at least twice a year. Extraction cleaning methods are the most effective, as they significantly impact indoor air quality for employees and clients and also prolong the life of the carpet and help maintain the carpet warranty. In most cases, warranties require that professional cleanings take place regularly.
Breaking down the schedule: floor finishing
To keep your facility looking sleek and professional, a regular floor strip and wax is a must. Whether you have a VCT (Vinyl Composition Tile), laminated or linoleum flooring, go for higher protection and a spotless shine through floor finishing. Bear in mind that different types of flooring require different finishes.
We recommend this process be done every 12 months, at a minimum. For high-traffic flooring, it is recommended to strip and wax every four to six months. You’ll know it’s time for a finishing if the floor looks yellowed, dull, and is difficult to clean.
Breaking down the schedule: steam cleaning bathrooms
A restroom, especially a public restroom, can be a germ-filled environment for employees and visitors. For this reason, facility managers should consider implementing a bathroom steam cleaning in their maintenance plans. Steam cleaning also should be used routinely on glazed tile areas in order to remove soap scum, hard water deposits and mildew.
While this service is recommended quarterly, it is important to steam clean regularly throughout flu season. Many schools and daycares rely on this method when counteracting contagious illnesses.
Overall, an annual maintenance program is essential in the upkeep of any facility. Whether it’s significantly improving the health and well-being of your staff or providing a clean and welcoming environment for visitors, there are countless reasons why it is a worthwhile investment.
There are dozens of flexible options to consider in the planning and budgeting phase, so when you’re making your budget for 2017, be sure to include preventative building maintenance to save you big money down the road.
Chris Sweeney is the president of City Wide of Richmond, a management company for the building maintenance industry.
Virginia opens agricultural trade office in Southeast Asia
Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced the opening of a Virginia Agricultural Trade Office in Singapore.
The office of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is charged with promoting Virginia agricultural and forestry products throughout Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
Sarath Menon, managing director of the business-consulting firm Orissa International, will head the new office.
“As we work to build the new Virginia economy and open new markets for our agribusinesses and wood products companies, it is essential that we continue to strengthen our presence in growing areas like Southeast Asia,” Gov. Terry McAuliffe said in a statement. The governor made the announcement during a 10-day trade and marketing mission to Japan, Korea, Singapore and Australia.
Virginia companies will have the opportunity to work directly with the Southeast Asia representatives to obtain market research on specific sales opportunities in the region, as well as import regulations and tariffs, and to identify potential buyers and distributors.
VDACS's Office of International Marketing will also work with the Southeast Asia office to identify export opportunities for Virginia producers. Additionally, the representative will support events such as reverse trade missions and bringing agriculture and forestry product buyers to Virginia to meet in person with Virginia exporters.
In 2015 Virginia exported more than $238 million in agriculture and forestry products to Southeast Asia. Virginia's top agriculture and forestry exports to Southeast Asia are soybeans and soybean meal, lumber and logs, animal feed and poultry.
VDACS now has international trade offices in Canada, China, Europe, India, Latin America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, in addition to a full-time employee in Hong Kong.