A lifelong entrepreneur and self-described “electronics nerd,” Crutchfield was only 13 when he built what he believes to be the first stereo system in Virginia. By age 15, he formed his first business, installing stereo equipment in homes throughout Charlottesville.

The war in Vietnam put a hold on his business plans when he joined the U.S. Air Force, where he commanded a Titan II intercontinental ballistic missile crew and attained the rank of captain. However, entrepreneurship was in his blood, and in 1974, while restoring old Porsche 356s, he saw an untapped niche for installing stereos in them. Today, his mail-order car stereo business celebrates 50 years in business, employing 750 people in Virginia and selling everything from televisions to drones, with 2023 sales totaling $436 million.

A University of Virginia graduate, Crutchfield is a member of the UVA Health System board and the Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame.

WHERE I SEE MYSELF IN 10 YEARS: Still working. I’ll be 91 then!

ADVICE FOR NEW COLLEGE GRADUATES: Treat people with civility. The lack of civility which we see in society today is very troubling.

A former defensive coordinator at Vanderbilt University and Penn State and a player for the University at Buffalo until he suffered a career-ending injury, Pry became the Hokies’ 35th head coach in November 2021. His first season, not surprisingly, was not exactly stellar, with a 3-8 record, but in 2023, the Hokies improved to 7-6 and beat Tulane in the Military Bowl. As for the future, Pry has some exciting recruits, including AJ Brand, an incoming 2025 freshman quarterback from South Carolina.

A Lexington native, Pry grew up in a football family; his father, Jim Pry, was a quarterback at Marshall University beginning in 1971. He helped rebuild the team after the catastrophic 1970 plane crash that claimed the lives of 37 players and five coaches. This is Pry’s second time on the Virginia Tech coaching staff; from 1995 to 1997, he was a graduate assistant coach for the defensive line when the Hokies appeared in back-to-back bowl games.

Pry previously spent eight seasons at Penn State, including six as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, before returning to Blacksburg in 2021.

Since 2018, Haymore has led the global economic development consultancy within Hunton Andrews Kurth, one of the nation’s largest law firms. He previously served as Virginia’s secretary of commerce and trade under Gov. Terry McAuliffe and secretary of agriculture and forestry for Gov. Bob McDonnell.

A Danville native, Haymore earned business experience as an executive for tobacco companies Universal Leaf Tobacco and Dimon (now Pyxus International).

He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Richmond and an MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University, where he is serving a second term as rector. Haymore also is chairman of GO Virginia’s Region 4 Council, which spans from Hanover County to Emporia.

IF I HAD A TIME MACHINE, I’D MEET: Abraham Lincoln. The former president’s leadership and actions at a time of significant political divide profoundly changed our country for the better. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss all this and much more with the former president.

ADVICE FOR NEW COLLEGE GRADUATES: Bottom line: Remember to work hard, be accountable and have fun along the way.

Twenty-one years after joining not-for-profit federal contractor Noblis as a computer scientist, software architect and manager, Corrigan was named president and CEO in 2022. Her promotion began a round of C-suite changes at the company, including the promotion of Mark Lay to chief information officer in March.

Holding a bachelor’s in management science and information technology from Virginia Tech and an MBA from Georgetown, Corrigan previously served as Noblis’ executive vice president and before that as senior vice president of its Federal Civilian Solutions division.

According to ProPublica, Noblis earned $536 million in revenue in fiscal 2023. In June, Noblis announced it had been selected to take part in an $8 billion information technology contract with the FBI and a 10-year, $4 billion contract as the prime contractor for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction program.

Corrigan serves on the executive committee of the Northern Virginia Technology Council and the board of Women in Aerospace. She was named one of the top 35 executives to watch by WashingtonExec last year.

After becoming ASGN’s CEO in May 2019, Hanson moved the Fortune 1000 IT and professional staffing services firm’s headquarters from California to Henrico County in 2020. Hanson previously worked for Apex Systems, one of ASGN’s subsidiaries, serving as its chief financial officer for 15 years. After Apex was purchased by ASGN in 2012, Hanson became executive vice president of the parent company, then president in 2016. 

In fiscal 2023, ASGN earned $4.45 billion in revenue, down 2.8% from the previous year. In June, ASGN’s federal government segment, ECS, announced that it had inked a potential $8 billion contract to continue providing the FBI with IT services and support and technology solutions. The deal is the largest contract vehicle ever awarded by the FBI.

A graduate of Virginia Tech and Virginia Commonwealth University, Hanson serves on the advisory council of the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech. He also co-founded and serves as an emeritus board member of the Apex Center for Entrepreneurs at Virginia Tech. Hanson was inducted into the Greater Richmond Business Hall of Fame in 2023.

Since joining IBM in 2002, Wedge has taken on roles of increasing responsibility. In 2022, she was tapped to lead IBM Consulting’s U.S. public and federal market, a portfolio worth more than $2.2 billion that supports more than 4,000 U.S.-based consultants.

She also has served as IBM’s head of federal operational transformation practice, senior partner of the health and civilian portion of federal market business, and senior consultant and program manager supporting an intelligence community customer. Before IBM, Wedge worked at American Management Systems, serving as a consultant, senior principal and leader of initiatives for public sector clients.

In August 2023, IBM announced that its IBM Federal HR Cloud platform to support federal agencies had secured its Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program certification. In March, it debuted its new IBM X-Force Cyber Range in Washington, D.C. The training facility is specifically designed to help federal agencies, their suppliers and critical infrastructure organizations respond to threats posed by cyberattacks and AI.

Earlier this year, Wedge was named for the first time to Executive Mosaic’s Wash100 list of the most impactful government contracting executives. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia.

Sklaire says sharing the duties of running the Northern Virginia office with Laura Foote Reiff don’t involve the kind of constant tussles for power you see on television law shows. “When two people have [a] similar vision of how the office should be, it’s seamless,” he says. 

The job hasn’t changed much, Sklaire says, in the eight years he’s had it. “As we grow, we have a bigger presence in the Northern Virginia community, so recruiting gets a little easier, hiring gets a little easier, our name gets out there more.”

In April, Sklaire attended an event for first-year law students at his alma mater, American University, and talked to them about working at Greenberg Traurig, which is among the state’s 20 largest law firms. He describes recruiting attorneys from his former law school as “tremendously satisfying.” 

A litigator, Sklaire focuses on government investigations, business crimes, and financial litigation and regulation at Greenberg Traurig. Previously, Sklaire worked for the U.S. Department of Justice as a trial attorney, a special assistant U.S. attorney and an assistant U.S. attorney, with experience handling securities and procurement fraud.

He has a cockapoo named Winnie.

Founded in 1987, CoStar Group, a real estate marketplace and analytics company, runs industry-leading businesses like Homes.com, Apartments.com, LoopNet and STR. In February, it announced its plans to move its headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Arlington County, a $20 million investment on top of its $339 million purchase of the 560,000-square-foot tower on Wilson Boulevard. About 500 corporate employees are planning to relocate to Arlington by the end of the year, and CoStar said it plans to add 150 jobs at the new headquarters. 

CoStar reported $2.46 billion in revenue last year and employs more than 6,200 people in 14 countries. The company has already made significant inroads in Richmond, where it is building a
$460 million expansion of its downtown campus that is expected to house approximately 3,000 employees upon completion in 2026.

Florance started CoStar in 1986 in his Princeton University dorm room, and it went public in 1998. He serves on Virginia Commonwealth University’s board, and in 2023, CoStar made an $18 million donation to VCU, which will establish the CoStar Center for Arts and Innovation in Richmond. The building is expected to open in early 2027.

Chairman of his family’s real estate company since 2016, Lawson is focused on the strategic direction, mission and long-term goals of the 52-year-old firm.

A third-generation builder and developer, Lawson has long been a passionate advocate for equitable and affordable housing, testifying before Congress and using his leadership positions with the National Association of Home Builders to raise awareness. This passion is also reflected in the firm’s work.

In the past year, Lawson Cos. purchased a 6.5-acre tract in Richmond, where it plans to build a $20 million, 144-unit apartment complex that will be affordable for people making at or below 60% of the area median income. The developer also announced plans to build 180 income-restricted apartments in the city’s South Side
in June.

Previously, Lawson served as president for 17 years, during which time the multifamily division acquired or developed more than 20 apartment communities valued at more than $160 million. The single-family home division closed on 340 homes totaling approximately $100 million.

Lawson earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees from Duke University.