Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

The Port of Virginia at a glance

In fiscal 2024, the moved 3.5 million 20-foot equivalent units (or TEUs), its second highest number in history, just below 2022’s 3.7 million record. The six-terminal port hit a major milestone in March 2024, completing the widening of its channels up to 1,400 feet at the Norfolk International Terminals, and the deepening phase is expected to be complete late this year. However, the Port of Virginia and every other port on the East and Gulf coasts shut down handling for three days in October 2024 during a strike by the International Longshoremen’s over wages and automation conflicts during contract negotiations. In March, ILA members confirmed a new six-year master contract that includes 62% higher pay over that period, costs that could impact Virginia’s port and others in the future. At the , Dominion Energy has leased space to use as a staging area for its Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind farm, which is halfway complete 26 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach, and is expected to be finished in 2026.

 

 

Virginia inland ports expand to meet shipping demand

SUMMARY:

The Virginia Inland Port in and Richmond Marine Terminal are making investments to keep ahead of freight- demand, while still determining whether there’s enough demand to justify a new inland port in Southwest Virginia.

The Port of Virginia’s improvements to its two inland properties come at a time when it’s also finishing deepening the harbor at its Norfolk terminal to accommodate larger ships and bigger volumes. In 2024, the port completed widening the harbor, allowing ultra-large container ships to pass two at a time.

The recently completed $15 million capital improvements at the 161-acre Virginia Inland Port complement the project, expanding railroad track that can handle larger trains. Additionally, the inland port added container handling equipment repurposed from a Hampton Roads terminal. The port spent $6.1 million to make upgrades at RMT, improving gate passage times and providing more light to extend barge loading and unloading into the evening.

“The time was right to get the Virginia Inland Port ready for the future,” says Port of Virginia spokesman Joe Harris. “The terminal is growing, volumes are growing, and we wanted to be ready so we don’t want to have to play catch up.”

The improvements have boosted efficiency at the port so trucks can move in and out more quickly, says Dale Bennett, president and CEO of the Virginia Trucking . “The biggest complaint you get about any port is drivers facing delays in delivering and picking up cargo,” Bennett says. The port’s capital improvements directly address that concern.

As for replacing older equipment with carbon-free, electric alternatives at the port’s facilities, that’s still rolling along, even with ‘s rollback of former President Joe Biden’s legislation, including federal funding to cut 3 million metric tons of carbon emissions through electrification and other methods.

“Right now as we speak, all of our terminals — Richmond, Virginia International Gateway, Norfolk, VIP, Newport News — are all powered by clean energy,” Harris says. “We are getting electricity off the grid for our terminals to use, and then backfilling exactly what we use with clean power taken from solar or wind or nuclear. We understand the administration has a different look at sustainability, but we’re going forward with our 2040 net-zero goal — not under a mandate, but our own goal.”

As for a Southwest Virginia inland port — much desired by politicians in that corner of the state, as well as economic development officials — there wasn’t much movement in 2025.

The Virginia Port Authority is currently conducting a study to determine the viability of adding an inland port at an industrial park in Washington County, and county officials are improving nearby industrial sites that may see more interest if the state’s second inland port is built nearby.
According to the port’s latest update to the General Assembly, filed on March 1, “The business case for the facility is complex.” Part of the complexity is lining up an inland port with local rail lines and other infrastructure, as well as the persistent question of whether there’s enough cargo volume to justify an inland port.

“It’s not one of those things we should venture out and build without substantial commitments from users,” says Devon Anders, president of Rockingham County-based third-party logistics company InterChange, situated near the Virginia Inland Port.

If it’s successful, the port could attract business from in Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia, and beyond. But the port authority should get commitments from shippers before it moves forward with construction, Anders advises.

Out and About Best Places To Work 2025

For the 15th year, and presented the . On March 31, the winners celebrated at a disco-themed awards banquet held at the Hilton Richmond Hotel & Spa in Short Pump. Photos by Matthew R.O. Brown for Virginia Business.


1. Employees from Richmond commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer celebrate their win as one of Virginia’s best workplaces.

2. The 2025 in Virginia awards were co-hosted by Best Companies Group Executive Vice President Jaime Raul Zepeda and
Virginia Business Associate Publisher Richard Foster, who set the tone for the evening’s lively festivities.

3. L to R: Virginia Business Sales Manager Toni McCracken presents Spurrier Group Donna Spurrier with an award recognizing the Richmond-based performance media marketing company as the No.1-ranked Virginia workplace among small companies.

4. Decked out in groovy 1970s-inspired finery, employees of Ashland’s Creative won the special Spirit Award for being the most spirited and fun workplace in attendance.

5. Patriot Group International President Al Buford (center) joins co-workers for a celebratory group photo. The Warrenton-based federal contractor was ranked the No. 1 best workplace in Virginia among large companies with 250 or more employees.

KPMG enters U.S. legal market with Arizona launch

 

Summary

  • receives license to offer
  • Move challenges traditional law firm ownership rules
  • Expansion raises potential for more Big Four firms to follow
  • Virginia unlikely to allow similar ownership changes soon

One of the Big Four accounting firms is expanding into the U.S. legal industry. In February, KPMG received a special license from the Arizona Supreme Court to practice law under the subsidiary KPMG Law US.

KPMG’s move into legal services is more of a milestone than it may seem: It potentially opens the door for other accounting firms to follow suit, which would usher in a new era for the legal services industry in this country.

The professional services firm, whose U.S. limited liability partnership KPMG US is headquartered in New York City, already has a global network of operating in 80-plus jurisdictions, and its U.S. audit, tax, and advisory firm predates the law firm.

KPMG Law US will offer a broad range of legal services that addresses the evolving needs of legal departments and helps clients gain efficiencies, according to a February statement from the firm.

“By combining cutting-edge artificial intelligence and advanced technology solutions with legal services, we are proud to be a first mover with this capability and to offer the most holistic range of tech-enabled services in the marketplace for our clients’ evolving needs,” Rema Serafi, vice chair for tax in KPMG’s U.S. firm, said in the statement.

Implications for Virginia

What does this mean for ? For now, the broader implications are limited, according to A. Benjamin Spencer, dean of the Law School.

That’s because Virginia doesn’t permit of firms practicing law, and KPMG can  provide legal services outside of Arizona only if those services comply with another jurisdiction’s requirements, although KPMG notes that it is partnering with law firms in other states so it can serve clients nationally. Co-counseling and referrals are also allowed, KPMG says, and this model has been common among U.S. law firms and staffing companies across different jurisdictions.

In 2020, Arizona became the first state to lift the American Bar ‘s rule that prohibits nonlawyers from owning a law firm and the following year, the state established a program to widen the public’s access to legal services. In 2020, Utah’s Supreme Court likewise relaxed that same restriction on law firm ownership, and Washington’s Supreme Court announced in 2024 a pilot program to similarly expand legal access.

What will be interesting to watch is whether other jurisdictions will loosen those same restrictions, though Spencer says he doesn’t expect Virginia to lead the way.

While some critics of KPMG’s expansion into legal services have expressed concerns over potential conflicts of interest, the court order approving stipulated that the firm can’t provide legal services to clients for which it also performs financial audits.

Even with safeguards in place, some lawyers are reluctant to embrace KPMG’s move into law.

But KPMG’s entry into the legal marketplace, along with the potential of the other Big Four firms, will bring “much-needed” competition, Spencer says. What’s more, these new entrants could bring about innovations in client services that law firms have thus far been unable to achieve, he adds.

“This is a net positive development for the industry as a whole because the competition will spur improved services for clients, potentially at better cost levels,” Spencer says.

What’s more, graduates of Virginia’s law schools could potentially benefit, he adds, with an additional avenue for employment in addition to traditional law firms.

But while a one-stop shop model for accounting, tax, and legal services could provide efficiencies that would benefit business clients for most routine matters, there’s still a place for traditional law firms in the market, Spencer notes.

“Traditional law firms — for now — retain a significant advantage in the level of expertise and experience that they can bring to bear on the most complex legal challenges that businesses face.”

This story has been corrected since publication.

Virginia universities provide expansive maritime education

SUMMARY:

  • debuts coastal science bachelor’s at VIMS this fall
  • $150M in gifts fund scholarships, research, and faculty hires
  • Program offers hands-on research and marine immersion semester
  • Other Virginia schools expand and logistics programs

Virginia’s first bachelor’s degree program in coastal and marine sciences at a public university gets underway this fall at ‘s Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences and the Virginia Institute of , adding to a plethora of maritime education offerings across the state.

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia formally approved the new bachelor’s degree program earlier this year. Applications for the first class were set to be accepted beginning in April.

The William & Mary program brings an undergraduate natural sciences option to Virginia’s existing maritime programs, while other universities focus more on logistics and supply chain management.

Entering the Batten program their junior year, students will receive an educational foundation in coastal and marine sciences along with an emphasis on hands-on learning and research. The new bachelor’s degree marks the first time undergraduate courses will be taught at VIMS’ Gloucester Point campus.

Currently, the Batten School offers master’s and doctoral degrees, a professional master’s degree and an undergraduate minor in marine science that prepare students to tackle challenges in estuarine, coastal and marine systems. Nevertheless, William & Mary’s undergraduate courses in coastal and marine sciences have tripled in popularity since 2019.

“We didn’t want to create an undergraduate degree that would only result in students going on to grad school,” explains Siddhartha Mitra, associate dean for academic affairs at the Batten School and VIMS. “With this degree, they will have a variety of career options in coastal and maritime fields available to them, such as coastal resilience or policy.”

Students will spend a marine science immersion semester at VIMS, be transported between Williamsburg and Gloucester Point for classes and conduct research alongside the school’s faculty and staff.

The first cohort is projected to have about 10 students. Over the next five years, the program will grow to approximately 50 students in the major.

“We really want to do this carefully to make sure that every student that goes through this program gets a really good education with opportunities for internships and research,” Mitra says.

Record-setting gifts are providing major funding for the Batten School and the new degree program. Last summer, Hampton Roads philanthropist donated $100 million to William & Mary, naming the school and establishing an endowment for its academic and research work in coastal and marine sciences.

Batten’s is the largest in the university’s history, as well as the most ever given to a research institution studying coastal and marine sciences. Through Batten’s support, William & Mary will hire new faculty members, and each coastal and marine sciences major will receive $5,000 for independent research or an internship.

In addition, William & Mary alumnus and former liver surgeon Dr. R. Todd Stravitz donated $50 million to create a full-tuition scholarship fund for each student in the undergraduate program. The endowment is the largest gift ever made to the university’s scholarship fund and the most for a school of coastal and marine sciences.

Other Virginia universities also offer maritime-related programs. Last fall, Old Dominion University launched its School of Supply Chain, Logistics and Maritime Operations, with about 60 students in undergraduate and graduate courses.

Undergraduate majors include a bachelor’s degree in supply chain and maritime logistics and a minor in supply chain management. Graduate programs cover maritime trade and supply chain management, with graduate certificate programs in , logistics and supply chain management.

The school is one of only a few maritime-based in the country, says its director, Kuntal Bhattacharyya, and its curriculum was designed to align with industry needs.

“Our uniqueness is the maritime focus with the port, shipbuilding and that are not taught in most supply chain programs,” he says. “The maritime industry is extremely supportive of our curriculum, and many industry partners teach in our program.”

He adds that students are encouraged to obtain multiple internships: “Employers are looking for problem solvers. Problem solving doesn’t happen when you learn from textbooks.”

ODU plans to enroll up to 30 students annually in the bachelor’s degree program and 40 to 60 students in online certificate courses this fall. Graduate certificate courses will be taught as eight-week asynchronous classes, which offers flexibility to working professionals, Bhattacharyya says.

Similarly, Virginia Wesleyan University in Virginia Beach offers a supply chain management and logistics certificate available to current students as well as nondegree-seeking students. The program requires students to obtain an internship to supplement their classroom work.

In Central Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Supply Chain Management and offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees in supply chain management, as well as master’s programs in decision analytics and certificates in supply chain management and decision analytics. The 30-credit master’s degree program is targeted to professionals in the corporate and military sectors seeking to advance in the global logistics management field.

Trump’s tariffs echo Hoover-era economic missteps

SUMMARY:

  • Trump’s 2025 caused $11.1 trillion in market losses as of early April.
  • Economists warn could trigger a recession.
  • Powell and Dimon express serious concerns over inflation and growth.
  • Trump’s approach mirrors Hoover-era Smoot-Hawley policies.

In a January 2024 interview on a MAGA-friendly online platform run by MyPillow Mike Lindell, President Donald Trump said he thought the U.S. was headed for a crash, adding that he hoped it wouldn’t happen during his then-hypothetical second term.

“When there’s a crash, I hope it’s going to be during this next 12 months because I don’t want to be ,” Trump said. “The one president I just don’t want to be [is] Herbert Hoover.”

It’s ironic then that Trump’s first 100 days in office could be confused with an historical reenactment of the Hoover administration. In fact, the president seems to be doing everything short of selling T-shirts and posters of himself decked out in Hoover cosplay.

First, a brief history lesson: Following the 1929 stock market crash and with the world entering the , Republican Hoover signed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act into in 1930. The GOP legislators who brought forward the protectionist trade law hoped it would boost U.S. manufacturing, but economists and the nation’s business leaders vehemently protested, saying it would bring disaster.

While the trade war initially sparked boosts in domestic production and employment, it ultimately resulted in plummeting exports and employment levels. Other nations either responded with retaliatory tariffs or found alternatives to American goods. The world economy worsened, and Smoot-Hawley has generally been cited as a contributing factor to what made the Great Depression so great.

Now, fast-forward to today: As of early April, Trump’s brief , with its whipsawing, on-again, off-again tariffs, resulted in the stock market losing about $11.1 trillion in value in just under three months.

Trump has cited various reasons for his trade war, including wanting to bring manufacturing back to America, fixing trade imbalances and responding to other nations’ tariffs on U.S. exports. (He’s also contradicted himself about whether the tariffs are meant to be a negotiating tactic.) None of these are bad goals on their face, but none can also be solved overnight without causing economic chaos.

Richard Foster. Photo by James Lee

On April 2, which he dubbed Liberation Day, Trump unveiled a fierce slate of virtually worldwide tariff hikes, sending the market into a spiral that marked the worst day in trading since 2020. A week later, acknowledging that Americans were getting “a little bit yippy, a little bit afraid” over the trade war’s economic impact, Trump paused most of his reciprocal tariffs for 90 days. But he left in place and ratcheted up tariffs on Chinese goods, some of which now may be as high as 145% to 245%.

During an April 9 Fox Business interview, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said that the “likely outcome” of Trump’s aggressive tariffs would be an economic recession. And on April 16, Chair remarked that Trump’s tariffs exceeded the Fed’s worst-case assumptions, saying the trade war could lead to higher, prolonged inflation and slower economic growth. Powell also signaled that the situation would prevent the Fed from lowering interest rates.

Trump’s response? He complained about interest rates and threatened to fire Powell before the chairman’s term ends.

If only there was some way we could have been warned this might happen. Oh, wait — we were.

The Hill ran a July 16, 2024, editorial titled, “Trump’s tariffs could mirror Hoover’s Depression-era results.” And in October 2024, just ahead of the presidential election, the nonpartisan Tax Foundation think tank published a cautionary essay, “Trump’s Tariff Proposals Would Raise Tariff Rates to Great Depression-Era Levels.” And these were hardly the only voices raising the alarm.

But everyday voters in the 2024 presidential election were largely ignorant about the potential threat and impacts of a trade war, and the business community chose to ignore the issue, preferring to believe that Trump would be more focused in his second term on economic growth and eliminating regulatory hurdles than on waging trade wars and political revenge.

Regardless of your politics, it’s a fact that Trump isn’t interested in preserving the status quo — and that’s a trait for which he’s beloved by his tens of millions of loyal followers.

But he’s also not invested in preserving economic stability, and that’s a problem for business and finance.

Northern Virginia business leaders’ confidence drops in Q2

SUMMARY:

  • business leaders report declining confidence in Q2 2025
  • Only 12% expect to increase hiring, down from 49% in Q1
  • Top concerns include , and
  • Chamber developing NOVA Roadmap strategy for economic stability

The confidence of business leaders with operations in Northern Virginia declined in the second quarter of 2025, according to a survey released today.

From April 21-25, 298 executives and company owners completed the survey, the second such study conducted by the (NVC) and Pinkston, a Falls Church-based communications firm.

Northern Virginia as a whole is bracing for an economic hit due to ‘s efforts to cut government spending. Since Trump returned to office in January, thousands of federal employees have been fired or put on leave. While continues to trickle in about the regional impact of cuts, we know that in 2023 about 175,000 federal jobs were held by residents of Northern Virginia, according to the Northern Virginia Regional Commission. The unemployment rate for Northern Virginia in March was 3.2%, up from 2.8% in January.A hub for , Northern Virginia will also likely take a hit from Trump’s cuts to federal contracts.

“The findings of this pulse survey reinforce what we’ve been hearing from our membership over the past few months: a significant and growing concern among business leaders regarding the trajectory of our regional , largely driven by the impact of federal actions,” Julie Coons, president and of NVC, said in a statement.

“DOGE is shaking up the Northern Virginia economy more than business leaders originally expected,” D.J. Jordan, senior vice president at Pinkston, stated in a news release. “It’s no surprise that business leaders are pessimistic, considering our region’s reliance on the federal government, however, there are signs within this survey that demonstrate Northern Virginia’s growth in other industries, such as technology and finance. While business leaders are pessimistic about the Northern Virginia outlook overall, there is a silver lining in that they are more optimistic about their own companies.”

The first survey by NVC and Pinkston, conducted in January, reported 60% of leaders queried believed Northern Virginia’s economy would grow over the next six months. This time around, 59% of those surveyed said they believe the region’s economy will decline over the next six months.

That said, more than half of the business leaders surveyed reported being very or somewhat optimistic about their companies’ performance over the next six months. That was a drop, however, from the 81% who expressed optimism in their own operations the first time around.

In the second quarter survey, only about 12% of business leaders expected to increase hiring, while 49% surveyed in the first quarter anticipated needing to grow worker head count. Less than 20% anticipated needing to cut employees in the second quarter, an increase over 6% who anticipated making cuts in the first quarter survey.

A healthy chunk, 43%, of business leaders with Northern Virginia operations expect their company’s capital spending to decrease in the next six months, while 21% of business leaders anticipate increasing capital spending. In the first quarter survey, 54% of leaders planned to increase capital spending.

Issues most impacting business growth, according to the leaders surveyed, are: federal layoffs (63%), inflation (62%) tariff policies (53%) workforce (30%) supply chain issues (29%) and federal procurement (27%).

NVC, according to Coons, is developing a report and policy strategy, called the NOVA Roadmap, to address challenges and ensure Northern Virginia’s economic future.

Northern Virginia’s $302 billion gross domestic product represents nearly 42% of Virginia’s gross domestic product and is larger than 24 other states, according to NVC.

Virginia junk fee ban awaits action from governor

SUMMARY:

  • Virginia lawmakers passed a bill requiring junk
  • Gov. Youngkin seeks a 2026 reenactment and exemptions for health clubs
  • Advocates say cost households hundreds annually
  • Governor must act by May 2

Virginia consumers could be free of costly junk fees if the governor signs off on a piece of legislation passed earlier this year. 

Twin bills in the Virginia House and Senate update the Virginia Act and force certain businesses to disclose the total price of services and products before a purchase. All and surcharges tacked on near the end of a purchase would become a transparent part of the advertised price, according to the legislation.

The bills cleared the General Assembly but are stalled at the governor’s office.

sent the bills back with the request to have a 2026 reenactment clause, which means it would go through the same legislative process next year. All 100 seats in the House of Delegates face an upcoming election, which could change the current Democratic majority and possibly sway the bill’s outcome next year.

Youngkin also asked for health clubs to be included in the list of businesses exempt from mandatory fee disclosure.

There was some bipartisan support among lawmakers, who rejected his changes. Now he has until May 2 to take any counter action, such as a veto.

Sen. Stella Pekarsky, D-Fairfax County, introduced Senate Bill 1212 and Del. Adele McClure, D-Arlington, sponsored House Bill 2515. Pekarsky first introduced the mandatory fee disclosure bill during the 2024 session, but it was shot down in the House after passing the Senate.

Pekarsky told the Senate General Laws and Technology Committee they worked on the legislation in the past year to ensure it was clear and understandable.

“This new version of the bill is modeled after legislation that was successfully passed in other states,” Pekarsky said.

 An average U.S. household spends around $650 in junk fees a year on the 10 most dominant industries that use junk fees. In addition to credit card and banking fees, some of the fees are from industries that include airlines, hotels and food delivery, according to a 2024 White House  report.

The amount paid in hidden or “junk” fees could be in the thousands of dollars for a household, according to Ryan O’Toole, the co-executive director of Freedom Virginia, a nonpartisan organization focused on economic security and affordability. These fees only help the industries make extra profit; customers don’t receive any additional benefits for paying these mandatory add-ons, he said.

“Especially in today’s , we feel like the General Assembly, state government, should be doing anything it possibly can to lower the cost of living for the working people,” O’Toole said.

Rhena Hicks, the other executive director, told the Senate panel that transparency is important for consumers making online purchases.

“Virginians deserve honesty and truth in pricing,” Hicks said. “We deserve to know the full cost upfront. Hidden fees undermine trust.”

Youngkin’s substitutes will delay Virginia consumers from making informed financial decisions, according to Jay Speer. He is executive director of the nonprofit Virginia Poverty Center, which advocates for low-income residents.

“It just basically says you have to pass the same bill again next year to make it go into law,” Speer said about the reenactment clause. “So it’s just to me another way of vetoing it.”

The governor’s action deadline is 11:59 p.m. on Friday, May 2.

Capital News Service is a program of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Robertson School of Media and Culture. Students in the program provide state government coverage for a variety of media outlets in Virginia.

 

Spire sells maritime business for $241M to Kpler

SUMMARY:

  • completes $241 million sale of its business to Belgian data and company .
  • Spire says it used proceeds to retire outstanding debt.
  • The sale resolved a Spire filed against Kpler in February, after Kpler failed to close the sale on Jan. 24.
  • Kpler says the will bolster its capabilities in maritime data and analytics.

-based Spire Global announced last week that it completed its roughly $241 million sale of its maritime business, Spire Maritime, to Belgian data and analytics company Kpler — bringing an end to a spat that arose when Kpler initially didn’t go through with the previously announced purchase.

Spire, a space-focused data and analytics company, said the sale was approximately $233.5 million before adjustments, plus a post-close $7.5 million agreement for services over a 12-month period. The company says it used the proceeds of the sale to pay off all outstanding debt and that the remaining proceeds will be used to invest in near-term growth opportunities.

The sale was initially announced in November 2024, with the companies anticipating the sale’s completion during the first quarter of 2025. However, Spire in February filed a complaint with the Delaware Court of Chancery seeking to compel Kpler to complete the sale. In a letter, Spire said that Kpler declined to consummate closing on Jan. 24, the designated closing date under the share purchase agreement.

“Kpler has offered no justification for its failure to close nor identified any unmet conditions to closing, all of which were met or could have been met as of the designated closing date absent Kpler’s breach,” a legal representative of Spire wrote in a Feb. 14 letter to Judge Colm F. Connolly. “Kpler’s ongoing failure to consummate the transaction for over three weeks has already caused significant harm to Spire, and such harm will continue to impact Spire’s business operations for as long as Kpler is allowed to avoid its obligations under the SPA.”

Other court documents redact the reasoning for Kpler’s initial reason for not completing the sale in January. Spire said earlier this month that it reached an agreement with Kpler on April 6 to resolve the and mutually release claims if the closing occurred by April 25.

Neither company immediately returned requests for comment. The case was dismissed with prejudice on April 25, with both companies bearing their own associated costs and attorney fees.

“This milestone marks a significant step forward in Kpler’s mission to deliver decision defining insights across the global trade sector,” said Kpler Mark Cunningham in a statement after the sale was completed. “The addition of this high quality data will unlock greater value for our customers and partners by providing increasingly comprehensive and timely insights into global trade flows. It’s about helping them navigate complexity, uncover opportunities, and make better decisions every day.”

Kpler said the acquisition will bolster its capabilities in maritime data and analytics. The company says it’s working closely with the relevant regulatory authorities and the UK Competition and Markets Authority in light of their review of the transaction.

In the meantime, Kpler said both businesses will continue to operate independently until the review is complete.

Founded in 2014, Kpler is a global company with more than 600 employees in over 35 countries, focusing on providing data and analytic services for global trade. It tracks more than 400,000 ships daily, according to its website.

Spire is a global provider of space-based data, analytics and space services that builds, owns and operates a fully deployed satellite constellation that observes the Earth in real time using radio frequency technology. Data from Spire’s satellites provides global weather intelligence, ship and plane movements and spoofing and jamming detection. Spire has more than 430 employees, with nine offices around the globe.

Professional Services Council names ex-Trump official new CEO

The , the -based trade organization for , has tapped a former official as its next .

James W. “Jim” Carroll, who served as principal deputy chief of staff in the first Trump administration, will step into the role May 19, succeeding David J. Berteau, who is leaving after leading the organization — which has 400 member companies — for more than nine years, according to a news release distributed Friday.

“‘s exceptional track record in public service, corporate governance and policy advocacy makes him the ideal leader to guide into its next chapter,” Zachary Parker, chair of PSC’s board, said in a statement.

Most recently, Carroll was a partner at Frost Brown Todd (FBT), an Ohio-headquartered firm, and was a principal at its subsidiary CivicPoint, a Tennessee-based firm. From 2018 to 2021, Carroll served as director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. In that role, he spearheaded efforts to tackle the national opioid crisis and oversaw an annual budget of $35 billion across 16 federal agencies.

During President Donald Trump’s first term, Carroll also served as principal deputy chief of staff, deputy White House counsel and general counsel of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.

During the George W. Bush administration, Carroll held various roles, including deputy general counsel and acting general counsel for the U.S. Department of Treasury.

During more than a decade working at the Ford Motor Co., Carroll served as the automaker’s Washington counsel and global director of compliance.

“Throughout our comprehensive search process, Jim distinguished himself not only through his impressive credentials but also through his commitment to collaboration and ethical ,” Babs Doherty, chair of the search committee for PSC’s CEO, said in a statement.

Berteau is leaving, a PSC spokesperson said, “to pursue other ventures.” His last day is May 19.