Virginia Innovation Partnership Corp. President and CEORobert “Bob” Stolle will step down from his role in September after 13 years with the not-for-profit state corporation and its predecessor.
Stolle became CEO of VIPC‘s predecessor, the Center for Innovative Technology, in 2020. Before that, he was the economic development organization’s senior vice president for operations. Joseph Benevento, Virginia’s deputy secretary of commerce and trade, will become VIPC’s interim CEO in September, and Stolle will stay on as an adviser during the transition through at least the end of October.
“I think that VIPC is at a really good position now to transition to new leadership. We’ve been through such a period of change over the last three years,” including rebranding in 2021, getting a new board and gaining funding and programs, Stolle said. He’s also proud of the organization’s role in increasing early-stage investments in Virginia-based startups and in helping universities recruit researchers for commercialization programs by assisting them with lab and equipment costs.
“But as I look at it, I recognize that … they need leadership that can look into the next decade, and I wouldn’t be here for 10 more years,” he added, “and I think the organization would greatly benefit from somebody coming in and bringing that vision.”
Stolle, who served as state secretary of commerce and trade under Gov. George Allen, doesn’t plan to retire but does not have his next step lined up, he said.
Looking forward, Stolle said he thinks “the first thing we need to do is make sure that we continue to have that exploratory role, that we’re looking for: ‘What are the new industries? What are the new opportunities?’”
As an example, VIPC identified unmanned aerial systems as an emerging industry sector that had opportunities for Virginia to take advantage of, Stolle said, and the corporation is exploring the potential for growth in new technologies like quantum computing.
“It’s all about workforce,” he said. “Companies will come in if we’ve got the workers, and so we want to make sure that we continue to grow the skill sets — and right now, that’s information technology and cybersecurity and others — that will help to attract the attention of the nation to Virginia for continued leadership in the workforce.”
VIPC is a not-for-profit corporation created in 1985 by the General Assembly as an economic development organization for the technology sector. VIPC provides strategic commercialization and funding support to Virginia-based tech startups.
Capshaw, the founder of 32-year-old music management company Red Light Management, is the driving force behind a newly approved 7,500-capacity riverfront amphitheater in Richmond. The $30 million project, expected to open in 2025, has drawn comparisons to Colorado’s famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Capshaw also developed the Ting Pavilion on Charlottesville‘s Downtown Mall and the Ascend Amphitheater in Nashville, Tennessee.
It’s the latest victory for the music lover who got his start booking Dave Matthews Band shows at a Charlottesville bar in the 1990s. DMB is now one of dozens of acts on Red Light’s roster, which also includes Phish, Maren Morris, the Smashing Pumpkins and Brandi Carlile. In 2000, Capshaw and Matthews co-founded ATO Records, an independent record label that includes artists Alabama Shakes, Drive-By Truckers, Rodrigo y Gabriela, and Black Pumas.
In addition to his other music ventures — which include e-commerce and marketing company Musictoday and concert promoter Starr Hill Presents — Capshaw also co-founded Starr Hill Brewery and provided financial backing for solar companies Sun Tribe Solar and Sun Tribe Development.
Brinker runs Intel‘s Fairfax-based federal contracting arm, overseeing strategy, business development, sales, contracts, program management and engineering. A University of Florida graduate, Brinker joined Intel in 2015 as director of extreme scale computing, and was promoted to his current position in 2019. Before that, he was a vice president at Silicon Graphics Federal.
Brinker is a leading voice in the call for restoring semiconductor chip manufacturing to the U.S. When President Biden signed the CHIPS Act in 2022, it was a victory for the industry, particularly for chipmaker Intel, which is building a $20 billion semiconductor chip manufacturing facility in Ohio.
Brinker has been named three times to Executive Mosaic’s Wash100 List of top government contracting executives. Earlier in his career, he was a vice president at Sony Group and worked in AT&T’s federal systems department.
In an October 2022 interview with GovCon Wire, Brinker said Intel is prioritizing edge artificial intelligence, which can be used to create smart cities and deliver intelligence to warfighters on the front lines.
In June, Arko, the nation’s sixth largest convenience store chain, with more than 1,500 company-operated stores in 30 states, made the Fortune 500 list for the second time, ranked at No. 460, 38 places higher than its 2022 debut.
The parent company of Henrico-based GPM Investments, Arko brought in $72 million in net income in fiscal year 2022, compared with $59.4 million the previous year.
Arko has 1,848 employees in Virginia and 13,901 worldwide, after a series of acquisitions of convenience store chains and fuel wholesalers.
An Israeli native who relocated to the U.S. in 1997, Kotler founded GPM in 2003, sold the business and reacquired it in 2011. In 2020, Arko merged with Haymaker Acquisition Corp. to create Arko Corp., a U.S.-listed public company.
Arko was unsuccessful this year in its attempt to acquire TravelCenters of America, but in June Arko completed its $140.2 million acquisition of the retail and fleet fueling assets of WTG Fuels Holdings, marking the company’s 24th acquisition.
HOBBY/PASSION: My business is my passion. I love to build. I work every day because I enjoy working with people and our great employees, and I am driven by creative, opportunistic dealmaking.
Well into his second year as CEO of the German travel insurance and assistance company’s U.S. subsidiary, Wright carries with him a “love for extreme technical financial concepts” that led him to choose a career in the insurance industry. Wright earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Richmond and his MBA at the University of Maryland. He is a member of the Greater Richmond Partnership Regional Leadership Circle.
Allianz Partners USA, which has 900 of its 20,000 employees in Virginia, announced in June that it will offer travel coverage to guests of The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection luxury cruise line. Last year, JetBlue Travel Products announced a multiyear partnership extension with Allianz Partners USA, reaffirming its status as JetBlue’s official travel insurance provider.
FAVORITE SPORTS TEAMS: New York Islanders or any University of Richmond team
WHAT I’VE LEARNED: Being a leader has nothing to do with whether you are the smartest person in the room. Most of the time you aren’t, and that’s a good thing. You should try and keep it that way.
SOMETHING I’D NEVER DO AGAIN: Check luggage on any flight connecting through Charles de Gaulle Airport
Earle-Sears wanted to be a lawyer, but after being accepted to law school, she had a change of heart, she says, and then “life got in the way.” Instead, she served in the U.S. Marine Corps, was elected to a term in the House of Delegates, managed a homeless shelter and spent a decade as owner of Shenandoah Appliance, Plumbing & Electric.
A Republican, she is the first Black woman elected to statewide office in Virginia and the state’s first female lieutenant governor.
In June, after a mass shooting outside a downtown high school graduation, Earle-Sears criticized Richmond leaders for not being able to keep the city safe, and blamed gangs for area violence. Democrats criticized her, pointing out that Earle-Sears delivered a keynote speech defending firearms rights during the National Rifle Association’s annual meeting in Houston, days after the mass shooting deaths of 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
MOST VALUED POSSESSION: U.S. passport and my family photos. When I lost some possessions after a nor’easter, I decided then that possessions are temporary.
HISTORIC PERSON I WISH I COULD BE: Daniel. How does one withstand lions?
McGlothlin has always had an innate sense for a good business opportunity. He built a fortune from coal mines and then pivoted to hospitality as the coal business began to recede.
A William & Mary alumnus, McGlothlin has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a law degree. He started out as a lawyer in Grundy, practicing with two cousins before co-founding United Coal Co. in 1970, going on to acquire dozens of smaller coal companies and mines in Appalachia. United Coal grew into a billion-dollar business by the time it was sold in 2009 to a Ukrainian billionaire’s company.
McGlothlin continued as chairman, CEO and sole owner of his remaining business entity, The United Co., which diversified into a hospitality and wealth management company, with activities including real estate development and coal, oil and gas exploration services and holdings including golf courses, RV parks and a stake in the Hard Rock Hotel & CasinoBristol.
Virginia Business’ 2022 Person of the Year, McGlothlin successfully led the effort to legalize casinos in Virginia. He stepped down as United’s CEO in 2022, remaining chairman, and is a significant art collector and philanthropist.
After stints with Westinghouse and Galloway, Mark Hourigan founded construction and development company Hourigan Group in 1993. The company has more than 200 employees, all based in Virginia.
Notable Hourigan Group projects include the 17-story VCU Health Adult Outpatient Pavilion and the University of Richmond‘s 8,700-seat Robins Stadium, as well as Apex Plaza, a mixed-use building in Charlottesville with Apex Clean Energy as its lead tenant. The 265,000-square-foot building, which opened in April 2022, is Virginia’s tallest large-scale mass timber building.
In 2022, the Greater Richmond Association for Commercial Real Estate (GRACRE) named Hourigan’s VCU Health pavilion as project of the year. Hourigan also received the GRACRE industrial lease award for Lowe’s lease of a distribution facility in the Deepwater Industrial Park in Richmond, as well as the public-private partnership project award for the NOVA Aquatics Center it built in a former department store at Regency Square mall in Henrico County.
Hourigan earned his bachelor’s degree at Gettysburg College and his MBA from the University of Richmond. He serves on the industry advisory board for Virginia Tech’s Myers-Lawson School of Construction and is a past chair of GO Virginia Region 4’s GROW Capital Jobs Foundation.
Founded in 1965 by Peterson’s late father, Milt, Peterson Cos. is responsible for some of the most prominent and successful mixed-use retail, residential and office developments in Northern Virginia and Maryland, including Fairfax Corner, Fair Lakes, National Harbor, Burke Centre and Tysons McLean Office Park.
In 2021, the company branched out to self-storage, opening its first new division in 35 years.
Peterson, who became executive committee chairman in 2016 and CEO in 2018, is a Middlebury College graduate and plays on its alumni lacrosse team. He also serves as secretary on George Mason University’s board of visitors and is a board member for the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance and Youth for Tomorrow, a nonprofit organization started by former Washington Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs.
MOST VALUED POSSESSION: The memory of my father
HOW I BALANCE WORK AND PERSONAL LIFE: When at home, there is no talk of business.
NEW LIFE EXPERIENCE: Played Augusta National Golf Club
President and CEO, Hampton Roads Workforce Council,Norfolk
Prior to the pandemic, did Hampton Roads Workforce Council allow hybrid or remote work?
We allowed employees to occasionally work remotely [due to] extenuating circumstances, such as car trouble, sick family members, etc.
What is your policy today, and how is it working?
Last year, we implemented a 4½-day workweek, plus a two-hour-a-week flex-time policy — closing all offices a half day on Friday. [We are] currently evaluating whether additional adjustments are possible.
What challenges do you foresee with remote/hybrid work among your staff?
Some of our positions are based in career centers where they work directly with job seekers. The Workforce Council also has robust, mobile outreach programming where team members work from a variety of places, including libraries and coffee shops. Lastly, the council has multiple administrative teams that work predominantly in nondirect roles. This complexity requires a flexible approach to remote/hybrid scheduling to ensure that the needs of both the community and our employees [can] be met.
What trends are you seeing among partner businesses?
Industries that are more focused on the traditional trades like shipbuilding and ship repair, manufacturing, construction, health care and the hospitality industry cannot typically accommodate a remote workforce. Consequently, those employers have had to increase wage rates to maintain and attract workers. … Ultimately, all industries have had to become more creative in how they onboard and communicate with new employees to remain competitive in their respective fields. From what we are seeing locally, as well as nationally, hybrid scheduling seems to be the new standard.
AMY BRODERICK
Photo courtesy Amy Broderick
Senior vice president, Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer, Glen Allen
What trends have you seen in commercial real estate due to remote and hybrid work?
Many companies are able to downsize their office footprint due to remote work, but because their business is still thriving, they don’t necessarily have to cut costs. In these scenarios, they are relocating to higher-quality, more desirable properties.
How has hybrid or remote work changed your day-to-day worklife?
If at all possible, I like to arrange property showings for Tuesday through Thursday. Office buildings tend to be more active and, as a result, more welcoming during the middle of the week. … I’m thinking about how we can improve these properties … to make a return to office more attractive for current tenants, prospective tenants and their employees. … Our office stock in Richmond is dated, and between the costs of construction and the limited rent growth here, a plethora of new construction is not on the horizon. … ‘Spec suites’ are a part of the conversation with many landlords. These are office suites that are move-in ready, with fresh paint and new flooring, and they are sometimes furnished. … In Richmond, a lot of property owners are hesitant [to make improvements] due to the cost. For tenants, many have shortened their timeline to occupancy and so waiting months for permitting and build-out isn’t feasible. … Landlords also need to consider that they may be competing for tenants with a sublease.
Is an office real estate “apocalypse” ahead, as some experts have warned?
I don’t foresee an apocalypse — at least not in Richmond. … There is still more vacancy to come. There are still companies expanding as well, so it will just take some time for the office needs of the community as a whole to balance out.
KATE ELLIS
General manager, Hotel Indigo Old Town Alexandria; Chairperson, Visit Alexandria Board of Governors, Alexandria
Photo courtesy Kate Ellis
How do area hoteliers view the shift to more hybrid and remote work?
Our key is to focus on what is, not what was, and what we see is that hybrid and remote is driving the need for business, government and association managers to meet in small groups to strategize. … So, as Alexandria hoteliers, we’re all focused on how we can share this beautiful small city and make our spaces and amenities fun and exceptional. We want people to come here, collaborate on their best work and then go home and tell their friends how great it was. They’re our secret sales force.
What challenges do hybrid and remote work create for the hospitality industry?
Our biggest challenge has most likely been the compression of the planning window. We get calls from meeting planners sometimes with just a week’s notice. And because workers are now meeting less frequently in person in an office, they need to do more high-value work in our hotels.
How has hybrid work shifted the type of traveler you see, as well as their meeting needs?
We’re seeing more local and regional guests. That’s a function both of hybrid work and a desire to meet in locations that are easy to get to. In terms of the experience, again, it’s as much about what happens outside the meeting room as in. Everyone already has state-of-the-art hybrid meeting space in their office, but what sets an organization apart is a meeting that reflects the personality of your organization, that everyone remembers and authentically connects you to the place in which you meet.
SUZANNE GARDNER
Photo courtesy Suzanne Gardner
Sales operations manager, Kopis, Blacksburg
How did you become a fully remote worker?
My personal life brought me to the [New River Valley] this summer, which led to a conversation about full-time remote work with [Greenville, South Carolina-based tech company] Kopis. They were incredibly accepting of the idea and were willing to provide anything I needed to get settled and be successful remotely.
What are the positives in working remotely?
I save money by not commuting or eating out for lunch. I don’t feel inclined to work late at the office, and I’m able to manage household chores throughout the day without sacrificing time in the evenings. I also have an incredibly clingy golden retriever who is a fan of midday walks on the Huckleberry Trail.
What are the challenges?
When I have been in the office, organic conversations with colleagues have always been a good way to build trust and rapport. Being remote, I have to make a conscious effort to ensure that I am touching base with my team throughout the day.
How have you connected with the broader community to find connections?
Even before I relocated to Virginia, I was searching online to see where I could get plugged in to meet people and get involved once I got here. … I reached out to several people through the Get2KnowNoke partnership in Roanoke and set up coffee meetings with them to connect and learn more about Roanoke. I got involved with Blacksburg Young Professionals and signed up for happy hours. Lastly, I was able to find the Roanoke-Blacksburg Technical Council and joined their Women in Technology group and signed up for their luncheons and networking events. … People want to see you succeed, especially when they know you are new, have a skillset and want to get plugged in.
Why did you establish your law firm as a remote workplace?
While working as an attorney in a large law firm, I saw brilliant women fleeing the profession because firm partners showed utter disregard for attorneys’ lives outside the firm. … As the mom of a baby and a toddler in 2011, I knew there had to be a better way to run a law firm that enabled women to be moms and successful lawyers, but I didn’t see an alternative model in existence, so I created one. … The Geller Law Group has grown to 33 women with 37 children among us, and the average age is 6 years old. Our kids get to grow up seeing their parents do work they care about while also being actively involved parents.
Prior to the pandemic, what were the biggest obstacles with remote work that your firm faced?
We have learned over the years that not everyone is successful in a remote work environment. Some people lack the technical skills, while others are better suited for an in-person team environment. … If someone is not suited for our workstyle, we both typically figure it out quickly.
The firm has offices in Fairfax and Washington, D.C. Why did you establish those offices, and how do your employees use them?
We … have office space for in-person meetings with clients, partners or other firm attorneys and team meetings/events. We also utilize the offices for notary services and document signings with our clients. Our administrative team regularly works in the office to handle tasks requiring a lot of paperwork and filings.
MICHELE LEWANE
Photo courtesy Michele Lewane
CEO, founder and lead attorney, Injured Workers Law Firm, Henrico County
When did your firm go back to the office 100%?
June 2020. … We had some staff alternate days [that] they came in so it wasn’t all at once. … By September 2020, everyone was back in office.
What prompted the firm to go back to the office full time?
Basically, many of us were longing for collaboration so we started going back to the office. We wore masks and were socially distanced. About a third of the positions needed to be in the office since the jobs required organizing and scanning medical documents. One individual had health issues and decided to continue to work from home for over a year.
Did the firm previously allow hybrid or remote work outside of COVID-related closures?
We have one remote worker who lives in Ohio. She has worked remotely for 12 years. She was an awesome employee and when her family moved back to her hometown in Ohio, we couldn’t [bear] to see her leave, so we created a remote position for her that worked and continues to work wonderfully.
How has being back in the office affected the firm?
We now see clients in the office, which is very different since we had been doing hearings and mediations and deposition via Webex or Zoom. … There has [been] a very slight issue with recruitment if individuals solely want to work from home, but we haven’t seen it much. Most of our clients prefer the convenience of not traveling to the office so they do not mind phone/Zoom appointments throughout their case.
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