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HEARD AROUND VIRGINIA

Alexandria venture capital firm Columbia Capital has indicated in regulatory filings that it has raised $977 million to keep investing in companies in the communications and technology fields. Documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Dec. 15, 2023, show the investment firm has reached its fundraising goal for two separate funds. The firm raised $654.7 million across a main fund and parallel fund for what it’s dubbed Columbia Capital Equity Partners VIII. Separate documents filed concurrently show that it pulled in $322.3 million for Columbia Capital Opportunities Fund I, also across a main fund and parallel fund.
(Washington Business Journal)

Roanoke-based banking data analytics startup KlariVis closed an $11 million Series B funding round, the fintech firm announced Jan. 12. KlariVis provides data analytics solutions for community banks and credit unions. La Jolla, California-based technology-focused equity firm Blueprint Equity led the funding round. The $11 million will be used for advancing KlariVis’ engineering, product development, customer success, and sales and . KlariVis has doubled its revenue and customer count year-over-year and has 100 clients, according to a news release. Kim Snyder, former chief financial officer of Valley Bank, founded KlariVis in 2019, launching the company in early 2020. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

PaintJet, a robotics and material sciences startup, is moving from the Nashville, Tennessee, metro area to Virginia. On Dec. 20, 2023, it announced a $10 million Series A, led by Outsiders Fund and featuring Pathbreaker Ventures, MetaProp, Builders VC, 53 Stations and VSC Ventures. The round follows a
$3.5 million seed led by Dynamo Ventures and brings PaintJet’s to-date funding up to $14.75 million. The move to Virginia is “to support our entry in the marine business and increasing engineering headcount to scale our technology stack for wider distribution,” according to CEO and cofounder Nick Hegeman. (TechCrunch)

-based software company PerformYard, founded a decade ago to make the employment performance management process easier for companies and managers alike, has scored its first major outside investment. On Jan. 8, Updata Partners announced it made a $95 million equity investment in PerformYard. Carter Griffin, a general partner with the D.C. growth equity firm, will join PerformYard’s board. PerformYard’s clients include Paytronix, Berkshire Grey and Mitsubishi Chemical America. (DC Inno)

Norfolk-based ReAlta Life Sciences has received Food and Drug Administration clearance for a Phase 2 trial of the company’s dual-targeting anti-inflammatory peptide in patients with Acute Exacerbations of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (AECOPD). ReAlta is a biotech firm focused on treating life-threatening acute inflammatory and rare diseases through its proprietary therapeutic platform. ReAlta was originally formed in 2018 to develop and commercialize promising research work conducted under a joint venture between Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters, Eriko Life Science Ventures and Eastern Virginia Medical School. (News release)

PEOPLE

Erica Cole, founder and CEO of -based adaptive apparel manufacturer No Limbits, was named to Forbes magazine’s 30 under 30
list in its December 2023/January 2024 issue. Cole, who appears in the list’s retail and e-commerce category, started her company, which specializes in clothing products for people with prosthetics and similar special needs, after losing a leg in a car accident. Her clothing is sold by Walmart, QVC and Moosejaw. No Limbits has raised $1.8 million and is planning a Series A funding round in 2024. (Forbes; VirginiaBusiness.com)

The 2024 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards

This February, during History Month, Virginia Business is pleased to honor 17 distinguished leaders from across the commonwealth in our second annual Virginia . This year’s cohort of honorees represent industries ranging from advertising, architecture, defense contracting, finance and to higher education and nonprofits. 

Our editors chose this year’s winners from a pool of 60 nominated executives submitted by our readers and last year’s honorees. Nominees were scored on factors including overall career achievement, community impact and mentorship. Additionally, we have named Salamander Resorts Sheila Johnson to our Virginia Black Business Leaders Hall of Fame, celebrating the first Black woman billionaire’s long, successful career and leadership in media, sports and hospitality. Check out her interview here.

With each of these 10 men and seven women, you’ll read about how they achieved success and what they’re doing to pass their wisdom on to younger generations. One common thread among our winning leaders is that they care a great deal about people — whether it’s employees, customers, family, students or mentees — and often put them ahead of the bottom line.

Acknowledging the history of their forebears, including family members who struggled amid the Jim Crow South and parents who immigrated to the United States, this group of executives is looking forward while remembering where they came from.

Congratulations to all the winners of the 2024 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards!

Abdullah

MAKOLA ABDULLAH

PRESIDENT, VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY, ETTRICK

Abdullah set his sights on a career in education because of his mother, who was a psychologist and adjunct professor, and an aunt who was a teacher. “I thought it was the coolest thing ever to help people become the best version of themselves,” he says.

Since arriving at VSU in 2016, that could be Abdullah’s job description. He admits that given social media and technology, students today are different than in his day. The solution, he says, is to work harder to keep their attention.

A graduate of Howard University and Northwestern University, Abdullah is part of President Joe Biden’s HBCU advisory board and chairs the Association of Public & Land-grant Universities board. He says that having a good support system is key — including the “best wife in the world,” Ahkinyala Cobb-Abdullah, a dean at Virginia Union University.

Ashton

KENDRICK ASHTON

CO-FOUNDER AND CO-CEO, THE ST. JAMES GROUP, RESTON

Ashton is the first to tell you he loves to work, taking energy and satisfaction from what he does. “What appeals to me is the opportunity The St. James creates for people of all ages to increase their abilities and perform better, while creating a community that ranges from 3-year-olds to 90-year-olds.”

He and his friend and business partner, Craig Dixon, opened St. James’ namesake sports, wellness and entertainment complex in Springfield in 2018.

After earning a law degree and MBA at the University of Chicago, he was a founding member and managing director of Perella Weinberg Partners, a financial services firm. Ashton is also a board member of Canadian cannabinoid company The Cronos Group and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

 

Bibbs

JIM BIBBS

CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER, LIFENET HEALTH,

Bibbs has had a storied career in human resources, with more than 20 years of leadership experience at the Port of Virginia and North Carolina-based health care company Quintiles, now part of IQVIA. In 2020, he joined LifeNet, the 40-year-old not-for-profit organization that helps match patients with organ, tissue and cell transplants. 

“I’m at a great point in my career, to work for an organization that does such great things for humanity,” Bibbs says. “The people we serve are going from one difficult moment to a better one, whether it’s receiving regenerative tissue or an organ transplant. It’s a very good feeling to be a part of something that’s bigger than me.”

Bibbs previously served as chair for the Urban League of Hampton Roads and the Hampton Roads Chamber.

 

Burton

DEBORAH BURTON

VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNITY BASED PROGRAMS, UMFS, NEWPORT NEWS

A former social worker who joined United Methodist Family Services of Virginia in 1995, Burton now oversees UMFS’ community-based programs serving children in foster care and families across the state.

A Norfolk State University alum, Burton knew she wanted to be in a helping field. She first did residential care, then moved to the state Department of Social Services, where she worked with children in foster care. At UMFS, she continues that work. “It’s an honor to be out in the community and be an advocate for those without voices.”

Burton, who loves being a mother, has come to two conclusions, the first being that her gifts and talents aren’t for her but to influence those coming up behind her. She’s also a strong advocate of self-care, taking time off to rest and recharge.

 

Dixon

CRAIG DIXON

CO-FOUNDER AND CO-CEO, THE ST. JAMES GROUP, RESTON

In the 2010s, Dixon and his business partner and friend, Kendrick Ashton (see entry, Page 22), identified an access problem for adults and children in the Washington, D.C., area who wanted to be active — facilities for different sports and activities were scattered all over the region. In 2018, they opened The St. James, a 450,000-square-foot sports, wellness and entertainment complex, in Springfield, later adding smaller, more streamlined versions in Reston and Bethesda, Maryland.

The son of Jamaican immigrants, Dixon grew up in a family focused on entrepreneurship and education. Dixon earned bachelor’s and law degrees from William & Mary, where he and Ashton met as roommates. He’s also a member of Vivid Seats’ board of directors and was senior counsel for Smithfield Foods.

Dixon says he’s learned the importance of relationships in business and to keep going regardless of challenges.

 

Foster

MOSES FOSTER JR.

PRESIDENT AND CEO, WEST CARY GROUP,

In 2007, Foster founded West Cary Group, a , communications and advertising agency, fulfilling a lifelong dream to run and grow a company. Under Foster’s direction, the firm serves big-name clients like New York Life, Richmond International Airport and Foster’s former employer, Capital One.

Foster also serves on the MCV Foundation’s board and is director emeritus for NextUp RVA, a nonprofit that recruits business leaders to mentor underserved Richmond Public Schools students. West Cary Group has won numerous awards for its creative work and has been recognized as a top workplace.

“One of my proudest moments was when an employee shared with me that she was buying her first house. This dream I had of running a company had matured to the point it allowed someone to buy a home,” Foster says.

 

Gandy

DEBORAH GANDY

SENIOR MANAGING DIRECTOR, WEALTH ADVISOR AND RELATIONSHIP MANAGER, CHEVY CHASE TRUST, McLEAN

Gandy has handled money her entire career, starting with her first job as a part-time bank teller as an undergrad at the University of North Carolina. Today, she’s an at Chevy Chase Trust, a top-ranked investment firm with over $35 billion in assets under management.

Gandy is also chairman of the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, the first Black woman to lead the organization’s board in its 100-year history.

“My parents came up in an era where career options for African Americans were limited, and my father, a teacher, said, ‘You now have opportunities not open to me.’ That’s one of the reasons banking appealed to me,” Gandy says. “I often hear, ‘There aren’t enough of us in the wealth management field.’ People think that you have to come from a wealthy family or have connections to be successful, and that’s not the case.”

 

Grinnage

KYM GRINNAGE

REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENT, GRAY TELEVISION; GENERAL MANAGER, WWBT NBC12, RICHMOND

Grinnage has been a news junkie since childhood, tuning into the nightly news with his grandmother. Today, as general manager of Richmond’s longtime NBC affiliate, he’s leading the people who report the news every day — although it was a sacrifice at first.

“I took a pay cut to come from New York and start all over in Richmond as a junior account executive, but getting hired at NBC12 33 years ago was one of the best things that ever happened to me,” he says.

Also, Grinnage adds, “It’s been good for the community to see a Black man leading a major TV station. Not only is it aspirational for a lot of people, but people feel their voice can be heard and projected back into the community.”

Grinnage is chair-elect of the Virginia Association of Broadcasters and was inducted into the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame in 2020.

 

Hines

LINDA HINES

VIRGINIA MEDICAID MARKET PRESIDENT, HUMANA, MIDLOTHIAN

Hines saw firsthand growing up in rural Virginia the challenges her community had accessing health care, and she made it her life’s purpose to improve health outcomes for vulnerable populations in the commonwealth.

“People had to drive 50, 60 miles to get care. No one was there to help them navigate the health care system or show them how to lead a healthy life,” recalls Hines.

Having earned two nursing degrees and an MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University, Hines received VCU’s top nursing achievement award in 2022 in recognition of her 25-year career in managed care leadership. In October 2023, she joined Humana as the Virginia Medicaid regional president, after serving in a similar role for .

Hines is also a board member for the nonprofit Rx Partnership and the VCU School of Business Foundation.

 

 

Hussein

MOHAMED HUSSEIN

CEO, PGLS, ARLINGTON COUNTY

Growing up in Northern Virginia with parents who spoke Somali and Arabic, Hussein was exposed to multiple languages from birth. Six years studying Arabic in Saudi Arabia helped him further polish his linguistic skills. So, in 2013, when he was 24, Hussein started Piedmont Global Language Solutions (PGLS), offering translation, interpretation and language training services. By 2021, the company’s revenue grew to $30 million, and it now has 120 full-time employees and more than 10,000 contract workers.

PGLS wasn’t even Hussein’s first entrepreneurial endeavor, a fact he attributes to his love of building and taking chances. “Building is easy; scaling is harder,” he says. “Taking something from a handful of employees to a several hundred-person operation is the challenge.”

In addition to running PGLS, Hussein works with organizations to connect with youths and other entrepreneurs.

 

 

Isom

PAMELA ISOM

CEO AND FOUNDER, ISADVICE & CONSULTING, DUMFRIES

When President Joe Biden issued an executive order last October aimed at ensuring America’s leadership in harnessing the potential — and mitigating the risks — of artificial intelligence, Isom’s company was already there, guiding the safer use of ethical AI.

Founded in January 2023, IsAdvice & Consulting is the result of Isom’s decades in the private and public sector, including serving as executive director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Artificial Intelligence and Technology Office. “I saw opportunities to blend AI and cybersecurity to solve some challenges, especially around equity, opportunity and sustainability,” she says. “I’m passionate about equity.”

Among her influences, Isom cites Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama and her mother, who taught her to embrace fear and move forward. Support and encouragement for her vision of entrepreneurship came from her husband and grown daughter.

 

 

Myers

J.D. MYERS II

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/EAST REGION MANAGER, COX COMMUNICATIONS, CHESAPEAKE

A military brat and Army veteran, Myers says that the communications industry is the hottest business to be in as the federal government extends broadband to last miles, so no one is left technologically behind. After joining Cox in 2006, he’s now in charge of the telecommunications and cable provider’s East Coast operations.

Myers traces his personal communication style to MLK and JFK, citing their “phenomenal ability to energize, galvanize and share a vision,” but when it comes to how he looks at the world, it’s his parents he thanks. He believes that the best leaders are also teachers.

“It’s not enough to have a seat at the table, you also have to know how to ‘eat’ — to bring value, to ensure your voice is heard and come prepared to make an impression to maintain your seat.”

 

 

Noel

TYRONE NOEL

HAMPTON ROADS MARKET PRESIDENT, BANK OF AMERICA; GREATER VIRGINIA MARKET EXECUTIVE, MERRILL LYNCH WEALTH MANAGEMENT, WILLIAMSBURG

In September 2023, Noel took over the Hampton Roads territory for Bank of America, combining the role with his work as Merrill Lynch’s market executive. He has been involved with financial services for more than 20 years.

“My first job in finance helped a lot of people get their first homes, then my pursuit as a financial adviser let me help them stay in their homes,” says Noel. “Leading a team of 106 advisers across the area, I love knowing that we are helping put their kids through college or pass their wealth to their children.”

Noel demonstrates a strong commitment to service both in and outside the workplace, serving as a mentor through the Merrill Women’s Exchange and Black professionals’ group, while engaging in nonprofit work throughout the state, including the Boys & Girls Clubs and various food banks.

 

 

Pinnock

BURT PINNOCK

PRINCIPAL AND CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD, BASKERVILL, RICHMOND

Pinnock quips that he’s had an interesting career arc: first as an intern at Baskervill, then starting his own architecture firm, and finally returning as board chair at Baskervill, which was founded in 1897.

Pinnock is keenly aware that his firm wasn’t always on the right side of history, having built the former monument to Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Richmond. “Selecting me as chairman of its board says a lot about who we are as a company and who we want to be, compared to where we started,” he says.

The Virginia Tech grad is also practice leader of the company’s civic and cultural division. Pinnock continues his commitment to the Storefront for Community Design, a Richmond nonprofit he founded to engage the next generation of designers. 

 

Pollock-Berry

DEBBIE POLLOCK-BERRY

CHIEF PEOPLE AND CULTURE OFFICER, PLEZi NUTRITION, ASHBURN

Although she’s held her position for less than a year, Pollock-Berry is all-in with PLEZi Nutrition, and not just because former first lady Michelle Obama is a co-founder and strategic partner of the startup. It was the company’s mission focused on the health and well-being of children that attracted her.

Pollock-Berry credits her leadership style to her former boss at AOL, Dave Harmon, but insists it’s her co-workers and employees who most influence her now. Rather than treat people as she’d want to be treated — her mother’s advice — she prefers to take the time to get to know people to find out how they want to be treated “because everyone is different.”

Her own advice to employees is to work hard and play hard. “My goal is to be profitable and to create a culture where everyone wants to work because they believe in the mission.”

 

 

Purvis

SHAWN PURVIS

PRESIDENT AND CEO, QINETIQ US, McLEAN

A 27-year defense contracting industry veteran, Purvis has held leadership roles at Northrop Grumman, Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) and Lockheed Martin. Now, she leads the U.S. operations of British aerospace company QinetiQ, a job she started in 2022.

Heading up what she considers a disruptor company, Purvis likes to create an organizational mindset that encourages employees “to see beauty in chaos,” and she values diversity and inclusivity over hierarchy.

“I love challenging the status quo, to learn from existing innovations and improve on them to solve hard problems for our customers,” says Purvis, who earned a master’s degree in information systems from George Mason University.

In 2022, she was honored with the distinguished alumni award by GMU’s College of Engineering and Computing. She is a former member of GMU’s board of visitors. 

 

 

Swann

ALEXIS SWANN

PRESIDENT – PENINSULA AND WILLIAMSBURG, TOWNEBANK, NEWPORT NEWS 

After a long and successful career at Wells Fargo, and years of being wooed, Swann joined TowneBank as president for the bank’s Williamsburg and Peninsula regional operations in 2019.

At TowneBank, Swann wears her “numbers and people hats” to help her team develop and grow, engage with the community for their banking needs and use her business acumen to grow the bank’s market share. “Ultimately, we help people to achieve their dreams by aligning their finances.” 

Outside of work, the William & Mary MBA graduate volunteers with the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula and Habitat for Humanity. She also advocates for financial literacy in various community settings. 

 

 

 

A walk through fire

Sheila Johnson’s career has spanned three parts.

An accomplished violinist and philanthropist, she started out as a music teacher, a job she held while she supported the growth of Entertainment Television, the network she co-founded and launched with her former husband, Robert “Bob” Johnson, in 1980 that turned her into a media mogul. Johnson became the first Black woman billionaire after BET was sold to Viacom in 2000 for $3 billion.

After being fired from BET by her husband, whom she has publicly alleged was unfaithful and emotionally abusive, her marriage of three decades ended. Johnson retreated to Middleburg, a town about an hour outside Washington, D.C., in Loudoun County’s horse and wine country. That’s where she founded her flagship Salamander Middleburg Resort & Spa, the first in what she’s built into a portfolio of seven luxury properties stretching from Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Charleston, South Carolina, to Anguilla, Jamaica and Aspen, Colorado.

In recognition of her remarkable career and excellence in business , Virginia Business has named Johnson to its Virginia Hall of Fame. (See past Hall of Fame winners and profiles of this year’s other Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards winners.)

Johnson describes her journeys as a “walk through fire,” which is also the title of her memoir, “Walk Through Fire: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Triumph,” published in September 2023 by Simon & Schuster.

Her father, a neurosurgeon, abandoned her family when she was a teen, and she took a job sweeping floors at a department store outside of Chicago to help support her mother, who had a breakdown over the split. Johnson also spent much of her marriage feeling abandoned by her husband, the public face of BET. In 1991, when BET was listed on the New York Stock Exchange and executives were to travel for the event, Bob Johnson told his wife not to come.

Those trials helped prepare Johnson for what might have been her biggest fight; establishing her resort in a conservative, largely white town where one business, a gun shop, still flew a Confederate flag. Johnson bought the shop, turning it into high end café and market. It took years for Johnson to convince the town to approve plans for her resort. Since its opening in 2013, the 168-room Salamander Middleburg Resort & Spa has raised the bar for the town. That year, Johnson also helped launch the Middleburg Film Festival, drawing stars like Brendan Fraser and Kenneth Branagh. The resort is also home to the annual Family Reunion, a multiday food and wine festival that highlights the work of Black professionals in hospitality.

Johnson also is the first Black woman to hold stakes in three professional sports franchises: the NBA’s Washington Wizards, the NHL’s Washington Capitals and the WNBA’s Washington Mystics. And she co-founded the venture capital consortium WE Capital to support women-led enterprises that advance transformational social change.

Salamander takes its name from Johnson’s farm outside town, which had once been owned by the late Bruce Sundlun, a former Rhode Island governor who was given the nickname “Salamander” by the French after his plane was shot down over Nazi territory during World War II and he made his way to France. According to legend, Johnson writes, the salamander is the only animal that can walk through fire and survive.

For Johnson, the moniker suits her just as well.

Virginia Business: You don’t hold back in your memoir. How did you approach writing it, and what has the response been?

Sheila Johnson: First of all, the response has been overwhelming. … I’ve been getting so much mail thanking me for being very transparent, very raw. … This has been something that I’ve been thinking about for about five years. So many people said, “It’s time for you to tell your story.” I’ve been through a lot with all three chapters in my life, from childhood to building a media company and then just trying to get the resort open here in Virginia. …  Now that I’ve written it, and it’s out there, I feel like there’s just been a huge load taken off my shoulders. I’ve been able to really share my story to so many men and women to inspire and to give them courage, to really open up and reexamine themselves in their lives and see where they can find happiness.

VB: The Washington Post and other media outlets have written about you for years, but you’ve said this is a way for you to tell your version of your story. What’s the challenge in getting that out there?

SJ: It was just a case where I’ve been reading all of this and what I’ve been through where I literally had been erased, especially out of the second chapter of my life where I helped build a company. It was probably the most painful period of my life. … It was just a case where people needed to know what I was going through. They knew what was happening, but I wanted to share with so many people what I personally was going through and how I had to deal with so much of it. Because it was already published, it was out there in the open. I suffered a lot. … I was afraid to open the newspaper because there was going to be another story about infidelities and betrayal and just all sorts of things. It was really humiliating, and it was just a case where there were so many people and even former employees [who] said, “You’ve got to tell your side of the story.” They said, “We’ll be there with you when you do it.” … I realized, as I’m writing the book, I was going through a lot of post-traumatic stress in doing this. I think more than anything, I wanted people to understand that during the process and what I suffered through that second period of my life, I had to go through a lot of therapy. I’m not afraid to talk about it.

BET co-founder Johnson became the first Black woman billionaire in 2000; she also is the first Black woman to hold an ownership stake in three professional sports teams. Photos by Shannon Ayres

VB: You sold your beloved Landolfi violin, which your parents paid $15,000 for when you were a child, to help keep BET running in the early days. Did your mother forgive you for that? Have you replaced that violin?

SJ: I did replace it. It’s not the same violin because I couldn’t find the same one because they’re rare violins. I had to sell it because I really believed in the vision and the mission of starting this media company. What people don’t realize when you’re starting companies, there are a lot of sacrifices that have to be made. That’s what I had to tell and convince my mother. She wasn’t really sold on the ex-husband anyway, so this just made it worse, but it was a case where I had to pay the bills.

VB: You built a very successful music teaching career before and after BET was started. What lessons did you take from that to BET?

SJ: People reminded me that, from the very beginning, I had a sense of an entrepreneur. During the BET days, when I had to continue to work and teach, you just have to do what you have to do. There were a lot of lessons learned as I was doing that. … I had to keep a roof over our heads and pay the bills, but I also was able to understand how to build a business.

That even started way before BET because as a schoolteacher, I was not making enough money for us to exist. After two-and-a-half, three years at Sidwell Friends [private school in Washington, D.C.], I had built up enough students where I could start teaching privately. I started out going house to house teaching violin and cello. Once I was able to accumulate enough money, then I was able to buy our first house over in Southwest [D.C.], but I also had to take an acting job in order to get this money. … I was building a company then, building a business in order to keep a roof over our heads.

VB: How did your past prepare you to take on the fight in Middleburg to get your resort approved by the town? And what did you learn from that?

SJ: First of all, I was very naive in doing this. If I realized how hard it was going to be, I probably would have never done it, but I’m glad I persevered and moved forward. … One thing that I learned from all of this — even with starting BET, we didn’t know anything about the cable business, nothing. It was a case where we hired people that were already in television that knew what they were doing. The problem with BET was the lack of leadership.

There were several things that were done wrong that I learned from. When I went to this third act of building this resort, first of all, I did a feasibility study to make sure that I was putting this resort in the right place and at the right time. I needed to also do a study to make sure who was going to be my guest, because remember back then, Loudoun County wasn’t even built up. What you’re seeing now is a total transformation.

I didn’t know anything about the hotel business. I do now. I had to make sure that I found the best in the business. … [Salamander President] Prem Devadas had been through a similar situation that I was getting ready to go through, and I needed his help. He helped me build an incredible team, who are … still with us to this day. The executive team has grown to about 38 people now. We have over 3,000 employees. It was just a case of bringing in the right person. Hey, this is where you become vulnerable and humble. I didn’t know anything about it, but I wanted to hire people that were smarter than me and that really understood my vision and didn’t come in with their own agenda.

VB: You write about Salamander as a place of comfort and warmth and inclusivity. How do you describe your leadership style?

SJ: I’m a leader that knows how to communicate, and I communicate with my executives my vision. … I try to lead by example. I make sure that I give them enough bandwidth to do their job. … We all want to excel to build the best company possible, and we’re all on the same wavelength. I make sure that I’m always there for them. I have an open-door policy. They come in and talk with me. We speak every day. I have so much respect for my executive team.

VB: Did you anticipate having a portfolio of resorts when you started this?

SJ: I can be very honest with you, when I brought Prem Devadas on, and we started building a team, I only could focus on what I was doing here in Middleburg. That was my only place that I could think and build that up. … I had also bought Innisbrook [golf resort in Palm Harbor, Florida]. … We had accolades from that. That put two [properties] in our portfolio. Then from there, people were starting to watch. I’ve always wanted to build the company and make it larger.

You can’t attract good people if they can’t see growth. That’s … really important with my employees. They weren’t going to be happy with one or two resorts. At that point, because we were able to prove ourselves that we are a fabulous hotel company, that we could continue to grow, and we did. … With all of these hotels now in our portfolio, we want to continue to grow. We would like to get up to 10. … I want to make sure I don’t lose the quality and the thumbprint of what we’re trying to build. I want every guest, every hotel that Salamander has its name on, either ownership or management, that they know it’s us.

VB: What is your experience like when you are traveling?

SJ: I try to learn from all the other brands. I take away what’s the best and what I don’t like. … You try to stay in the best hotels that are going to be your competitor. You learn from [it]. … I can find a spot on the rug where other people, they don’t pay attention to it. I walk my hotels, and I then report back to them what’s lacking, what the general managers have not paid attention to. Some-times it drives me nuts, it may drive them nuts, but that’s the way it’s got to be. We have got to keep striving for excellence.

VB: Salamander recently rebranded. Why?

SJ: It’s now Salamander Collection … because we have so many hotels … you want to keep it fresh. You don’t want to have the same old, same old.

VB: You’re a part owner in three sports teams, and you’re quite involved with the Washington Mystics. Why is that important to you?

SJ: I try to go as many games as I possibly can. No one really pays much attention to women’s sports. I’m in an ownership [partnership] with a lot of men. There’s only one other woman in there, and that’s Michelle Freeman [ and owner of firm Carl M. Freeman Cos.]. She comes to the games, too, to support the women. … I just think that women have to support women. There’s no question about it. If I didn’t support the WNBA team, my team, no one would pay attention to it. I’m constantly having to fight for sponsorship, fight for whatever they need, and I’ve got to keep an eye on it. That’s just what I do. Even my license plate says WNBA.

VB: How do you view your role as a Black woman and business leader?

SJ: I think the barriers aren’t breaking down. … It’s just important that I continue to push the buttons there to get people to start thinking about it because if I’m not doing it, and no one else is doing it, we’re going to fade in the background. That was the whole idea of even starting BET because that was the birth of all cable. If we hadn’t stepped forward, there would not have been a Black cable channel.  

Dominion offshore wind farm earns final federal approvals

Richmond-based has earned the final two federal approvals needed to move forward with the construction and operation of its $9.8 billion, 176-turbine offshore 27 miles off the coast of .

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management granted final approval of the construction plan for the () project, and the Corps of Engineers issued its permit to allow for permitted impacts to U.S. waters.

Construction on the turbines and three offshore substations in a nearly 113,000-acre area is expected to begin in May.

Once fully constructed in late 2026, the Fortune 500 electric utility’s will produce 2.6 gigawatts of energy, which would power about 660,000 homes.

“Virginia is leading the way for offshore wind as we near the start of offshore construction for Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind,” Bob Blue, Dominion Energy’s chair, president and , said in a statement. “These regulatory approvals keep CVOW on time and on budget as we focus on our mission of providing customers with reliable, affordable and increasingly clean energy.”

The project will be the nation’s largest offshore wind farm and aligns with a state mandate that Dominion Energy go carbon-free by 2045.

Dominion submitted the construction and operations plan in December 2020 and then updated it in June 2021, October 2021, December 2021, May 2022, February 2023, July 2023 and September 2023, according to . In her letter informing Dominion of approval, Karen Baker, chief of the bureau’s Office of Programs, writes that Dominion must submit annual reports certifying compliance with conditions of approval annually, beginning Jan. 31, 2025.

Some onshore construction began in November 2023 following BOEM’s favorable record of decision in October 2023. At that time, Dominion earned approvals from the National Environmental Policy Act review process and the Department of the Interior for its construction and operations plan.

Construction will ramp up with the final approvals, and initial offshore construction activities related to the export cable and monopile foundation installation is expected to begin in the second quarter.

In mid-October 2023, the first eight monopiles, the foundation posts for the massive wind turbines, arrived at Portsmouth Marine Terminal, and since then, another eight have been delivered and a third batch is en route. The monopiles, which are each about 272 feet long — about the length of a football field  — and 31 feet in diameter, will be driven into the seabed. Each turbine, when fully assembled, will be 836 feet high.

In late September 2023, BOEM announced it completed its environmental assessment of the project, a little more than two years after the review began.

Dominion is already operating two wind turbines off the Virginia Beach coast as part of a pilot project. The company said that more than 750 Virginia-based workers, about 530 of whom are in Hampton Roads, are working on the project or with businesses supporting it. Another 1,000 jobs are expected to be created to operate and maintain the turbines.

“In an important step forward, we are thrilled to see the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project receive two major approvals that will place the nation’s largest offshore wind farm right off the coast of Virginia,” U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott said in a joint statement. “The progress on this project to date speaks volumes about the level of cooperation between the Biden administration, the commonwealth of Virginia and Dominion Energy and their commitment to the future of green energy in the commonwealth. We look forward to continuing to work together to see this project through to the finish line.”

Buc-ee’s starts construction on Rockingham center

It won’t be too long before drivers on Interstate 81 in will see a sign bearing a friendly, hat-wearing beaver.

Texas-based chain Buc-ee’s started construction on its first travel center in Virginia with a ceremonial Tuesday. Gov. Glenn Youngkin was there, as well as founder and Arch “Beaver” Aplin III. Local officials attended as well.

Located at the intersection of I-81 and Friedens Church Road, the center will be 74,000 square feet and have 120 fueling positions. Buc-ee’s expects construction to take about 17 months, according to a spokesperson.

The company plans to hire more than 200 people for the center.

“One of the prettiest roads we could ever hope for, I-81 is full of folks seeking fun and all that Virginia has to offer,” Buc-ee’s Director of Stan Beard said in a statement. “We are the perfect pitstop for their road-trips and for the amazing people of Rockingham County.”

Buc-ee’s purchased 21.3 acres for the Rockingham center for $6.6 million in September 2023. The county revealed plans for the location in July 2023 by posting on its Facebook page that the company had applied for a special-use permit for review and approval of a sign plan.

A month earlier, Buc-ee’s paid $6.5 million for 27.68 acres in New Kent County, at Exit 211 off Interstate 64. The county’s department posted to its Facebook page in March 2023 that the chain filed for a conditional use permit for signage. Buc-ee’s is planning to have four total Virginia locations, according a June 2023 news release from S.L. Nusbaum Realty.

Founded in 1982, Buc-ee’s has 34 stores in Texas and 13 centers in other states.

Martin Agency has new CEO

Danny Robinson is taking over from Kristen Cavallo as of The , parent of Cos. announced Tuesday.

Robinson has been chief creative officer of the -based since 2020. Cavallo has headed Martin for the past six years, and IPG named her global CEO of MullenLowe Group 14 months ago. Under their , Martin was named industry publication Adweek’s Agency of the Year in 2020 and 2021, as well as Ad Age’s Agency of the Year in 2023. Ad Age named its 2022 Chief Creative Officer of the Year. Cavallo will remain in her position as MullenLowe Group global CEO and will continue to be based in Richmond.

“Our leaders don’t operate on an island. And that includes our CEO,” Robinson said in a statement. “Martin has an committee that works as a team on every major decision facing the organization and I have been an integral part of the team for the last five years. … Kristen, the entire executive team and all our people and partners have set this agency up for what will be its best chapter yet.”

Robinson, the first executive to lead Martin, has overseen ad campaigns for notable clients like UPS, Old Navy and Geico, and recently oversaw smokeless fire pit maker Solo Stove’s campaign with celebrity rapper Snoop Dogg. In 2023, Martin won several new clients, including Papa Johns, Skrewball Whiskey and Miracle-Gro, according to a news release.

Robinson joined Martin in 2004 and has held several roles, including group creative director and chief client officer, a new role Cavallo created for him in May 2019. Prior to joining Martin, Robinson co-founded ad agency Vigilante, which was behind Oprah Winfrey’s famous 2004 car giveaway.

“Moving from CCO to CEO is uncommon, but it shouldn’t be,” Cavallo said in a statement. “Our industry has become increasingly focused on consolidation and efficiencies, and we need to return the conversation to creativity. … Danny has held roles across the agency in preparation for just this moment.”

Robinson sits on the board of Creative Ladder, a nonprofit founded by movie star Ryan Reynolds, and is a former board chair of local nonprofit Feed More. He is a graduate of Hampton University (then Hampton Institute) and Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta University).

Jerry Hoak, executive creative director at Martin, will succeed Robinson as chief creative officer, Martin announced Thursday. Robinson will act as CEO/CCO during the transition. Hoak joined Martin in 2016 and led pitch teams that won DoorDash, Anheuser-Busch InBev, CarMax, Google and Papa Johns.

Editor’s note: Story updated Feb. 1.

Sentara Halifax hospital construction to start in fall

Sentara Health will begin construction in the fall on a modern acute care hospital to replace the aging Halifax Regional Hospital in , with plans to open the facility in summer 2026, the Norfolk-based regional system announced Monday as it also released the first renderings of the replacement hospital.

The new facility will be about 100,000 square feet, or about one-third the size of the existing hospital. Sentara, which expects to release more design and development details this spring, is building a new hospital instead of renovating the existing 70-plus-year-old building. It will be constructed where the Fuller Roberts Clinic is now, which incudes the green space behind the current hospital.

Halifax Regional Hospital’s patient volume has decreased in recent years due to a shrinking and aging local population, according to Sentara. Like many other hospitals serving rural areas, the facility has also faced physician recruitment and retention challenges. 

“The current hospital is over 70 years old with some very antiquated systems,” said Brian Zwoyer, the hospital’s president. “The plan right now will be to take that building down to allow us space for potential expansion in the future as well as access for our patients and visitors.”

He emphasized that in the current facility, there is a lot of unused space that can’t be used for patient care, so what Sentara is doing is transitioning and moving to a “much more effective space that still supports what we are currently doing … in a much more efficient and nimble facility.”

A rendering of the new Sentara Halifax Regional Medical Center in South Boston. Rendering courtesy

The new hospital will have inpatient medical, surgical, intensive care and observation beds, along with a cardiac catheterization suite, emergency department, operating rooms, a procedural room, helipad, imaging services, a laboratory, pathology, a pharmacy, rehabilitation space, respiratory therapy and other supporting departments, according to Sentara. However, it will not offer childbirth services due to a significant decrease in area births in recent years.

Services offered by the new hospital and local clinics will include anesthesiology, behavioral health, cardiology, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, critical care, dentistry, emergency medicine, endocrinology, family medicine, gastroenterology, general surgery, gynecology, hematology/oncology, home health, hospice, infectious disease, infusion services, internal medicine, laboratory, nephrology, occupational medicine, orthopedics, pathology, pediatrics, pharmacy, pulmonology, radiology, rehabilitation, respiratory therapy and sleep study.

The new hospital will have 40 to 45 beds, with eight to 10 in the intensive care unit, Zwoyer said. The current 300,000-square-foot hospital is licensed for 192 beds. The new hospital will provide the same services the current one is providing, he said, but in a building with a smaller footprint and fewer infrastructure challenges. Zwoyer added that Sentara wants to increase and retain services at the new facility, while decreasing the number of patient transfers. There are no plans to eliminate any staff positions.

“Anytime you say, ‘Well, I’m building something smaller or we’re changing things,’ — and it’s hard, change comes hard — it can be … anxiety producing. So what we want to make sure [of] is that we are here for the community in the future. We want to build a facility that … has good access, that has great services. We have great outpatient services, and that, we’re going to be here for the next 50 years. Because that’s what the community needs.”

RTX subsidiary lands $154M Army contract

Raytheon, a subsidiary of -based , received a $154 million contract to deliver independent viewer systems to the , the Fortune 500 aerospace and announced Wednesday.

Under the contract, , which, like its parent company, is also based in , will deliver Commander’s Independent Viewer (CIV) systems for the ‘s Bradley Fighting Vehicles. CIV is an electro-optical/infrared sight system that uses forward-looking infrared cameras and sensors to provide the infantry vehicle with 360-degree battlefield oversight and targeting capabilities.

“The CIV is a package of multiple systems all working together to increase the survivability and battlefield performance of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle,” Bryan Rosselli, president of Raytheon’s Advanced Products and Solutions business group, said in a statement. “These capabilities — early threat detection, 360-degree battlefield view and all-weather performance — increase a vehicle commander’s ability to locate, identify and defeat stationary and moving targets in any condition.”

Raytheon will produce the units in McKinney, Texas. The first delivery is expected June 2026.

Earlier this month, Raytheon announced it had received a $344.6 million U.S. Air Force contract modification to produce StormBreaker smart weapons.

RTX has more than 185,000 employees globally and had $68.9 billion in sales in 2023. The company rebranded from Raytheon Technologies to RTX in June 2023 and has three business units: Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney and Raytheon.

Home sales slowed in 2023 and in final month of year

Home sales in Virginia dropped 20% last year, compared with 2022, and were the lowest the market had seen since 2014, according to new data released Tuesday by .

Across Virginia, 98,464 homes sold in 2023, which is 24,780 fewer than the number of sales in 2022.

Nine out of every 10 counties and cities in the state had fewer sales last year than the year before, reflecting a widespread cooldown. And though there were fewer sales, Virginia’s median home price climbed nearly every month of the year.

The median sales price for all of 2023 was $390,000, an increase of $25,000, or about 4%, from 2022’s median sales price. Sale prices rose 11 out of 12 months in 2023, and price growth accelerated in the second half of the year, according to the report. The median sales price has climbed every year since 2019, when it was $295,685.

In December 2023, there were 6,929 in Virginia, and the median sales price was $382,725, a jump of 6.6%, or about $24,000, over December 2022. Most December 2023 sales were between $200,000 and $400,000 — about 42.6% — and a quarter of sales were between $400,000 and $600,000. Another 10.4% were sold for more than $800,000, and about 11.4% sold for less than $200,000.

Pending sales dropped in the final month of the year, down 2.1% from December 2022. There were also 3% fewer listings than in December 2022. But there were about 1% more active listings on the market, the first year-over-year increase in active listings in Virginia’s market in nine months.

5 SWVA projects recommended for $9.5M in federal grants

Five Southwest Virginia projects have been recommended to receive a cumulative $9.35 million in federal Economic Revitalization () grants, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith announced Thursday.

The projects are on sites where coal was mined before 1977. Funding for the federal AMLER Program comes through the Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation Enforcement, which has final approval over recommended projects. The Virginia Department of Energy administers AMLER funding for projects in the state.

“Repurposing land to create jobs and grow communities is a wonderful benefit of the AMLER program,” Youngkin said in a statement, “and we are excited to see these developments create opportunities in our Southwest communities.”

The five projects are:

The Data Center Ridge project is located on a 4,000-acre industrial site in Wise County known as the Bullitt site. The project will convert a 400-acre previously mined property into a 1-gigawatt, multitenant data center campus. It’s part of a planned clean energy development that could attract up to $8.25 billion in capital investments, resulting from a land development agreement between Energy DELTA Lab, Dallas-based Fortune 100 energy company Energy Transfer and Wise County. The AMLER funding would support site and infrastructure development for Data Center Ridge.

Funding for the Haysi High School site redevelopment project would support infrastructure development and land preparation for retail development. The Southern Gap Office Park project includes building a two-story commercial office building in the regional office park. The Norton project is constructing a spec building in the Project Intersection industrial park, where Atlanta-based high-speed internet service provider EarthLink is building a 28,000-square-foot customer support center. The Russell County bridge will add infrastructure supporting the Project Reclaim industrial park, which previously received close to $5 million in AMLER funding.

Virginia began receiving federal grant dollars for the AMLER program in 2017 and has recommended more than 40 projects since then. The state is one of six that receives AMLER grant funding.

“The AMLER Program, federal funding I championed, provides our communities in Southwest Virginia with opportunities to reuse old mine lands for new and exciting purposes. AMLER projects have contributed to job creation, economic growth and environmental renewal in the coalfields, improving the quality of life for residents in the surrounding areas,” Griffith, a Republican who represents Virginia’s 9th Congressional District, said in a statement.