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University of Richmond law school dean stepping down next year

The University of announced Wednesday that Wendy Perdue, of the university’s School of Law, is stepping down as dean at the end of the 2025­-26 academic year.

Perdue has been the law school dean since 2011 and will remain on faculty as a professor of law following a sabbatical.

“Dean Perdue’s leadership, vision, and dedication have positively and permanently impacted our law school and the ,” said Executive Vice President and Provost Joan Saab said in a statement. “I am grateful to Dean Perdue for her thoughtful and steadfast leadership, deep commitment to the Richmond School of Law, and dedication to our faculty, staff, and students. The law school has flourished under her direction, and she has built a strong foundation for continued success.”

According to the university, some of the significant accomplishments that occurred under Perdue’s tenure include building a first-year legal writing program, launching the professional identity program, establishing a post-graduate Bridge to Practice program to help graduates launch their careers and completing a renovation of the law school building. She also engaged alumni, the legal community and others in helping support the law school through fundraising.

During her time as dean, she also served as president of the Association of American Law Schools, was inducted into the Virginia Lawyers Hall of Fame and was named as a Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2025 Circle of Excellence honoree.

A graduate of Wellesley College and the Duke University School of Law, Perdue clerked for former Supreme Court Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy when he was a judge for the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. She was an associate at the Washington, D.C., firm Hogan & Hartson (now Hogan Lovells) before entering academia. She was part of the Georgetown University Law Center’s faculty before joining Richmond.

The university says it plans to launch a national search to find Perdue’s successor by the start of the next semester.

According to the law school’s 2024 standard 509 information report, the school of law has 131 faculty and 392 students enrolled.

HII installs 3D printed valve manifold assembly on aircraft carrier

Huntington Ingalls Industries announced Tuesday that it has successfully used additive for the first time to build a valve manifold assembly for a new construction aircraft carrier at ‘s subsidiary.

NNS says it is integrating , also known as , into the process and is pursuing all opportunities to support construction with this process. Additive manufacturing produces objects by creating a series of consecutive layers, as opposed to “subtractive” manufacturing, which removes material to carve out an object.

By using certified 3D-printed parts, the shipyard says it has the potential to accelerate construction and delivery of vessels to the U.S. by cutting lead times and improving manufacturing quality for critical components.

The valve manifold assembly, which allows distribution of a single source of fluid to multiple points on the ship, is installed in a pump room on the Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier (CVN- 80). The assembly is approximately 5 feet long and weighs 1,000 pounds. NNS says it collaborated with DM3D Technology to manufacture the manifold body.

The company announced it has similar manifolds planned for the USS Doris Miller (CVN-81) and plans to use additive manufacturing instead of traditional casting methods to reduce schedule risk and improve efficiency.

“What started as a proof of concept quickly turned into a tangible result that is making a meaningful difference to improve efficiencies in shipbuilding,” said Dave Bolcar, NNS vice president of engineering and design in a statement. “The benefits of this innovation will extend well beyond Enterprise (CVN 80), as we incorporate our expertise in additive manufacturing into the fundamentals of shipbuilding.”

NNS says this recent milestone in utilizing additive manufacturing builds on the company’s certification and approval as a supplier for additive manufacturing components on Naval Sea Systems platforms.

As of Tuesday, the shipyard has created more than 55 additively manufactured parts installed on both new construction vessels and those currently in the fleet, with plans to install more than 200 additional parts this year.

NNS is the state’s largest industrial employer, with 26,000 shipbuilders.

Henrico sends default notices to $2.3B GreenCity project developers

Updated March 10

The $2.3 billion development in appears to be in jeopardy, unless developers make an overdue payment by the end of the week.

County has sent two notices of default — one in regard to the property purchase agreement and one relating to the development agreement — to the developers of the planned 220-acre GreenCity mixed-use development, which was proposed in 2020 as an environmentally friendly development that would be anchored by a 17,000-seat sports and entertainment arena. It was expected to include two hotels with 600 rooms, about 2.2 million square feet of office space, 280,000 square feet of retail space, 2,100 residential units, and green space and plazas.

The developers, of Los Angeles-based Future Cities and Susan Eastridge of Falls Church-based Concord Eastridge, head development entities Green City Partners and Green City Development Corp. LLC.

According to a March 3 default notice, Green City Development Corp. failed to make the final payment on the roughly 93-acre land, the site of the former Best Products headquarters, for the planned arena: more than $5.22 million was due Feb. 28.

Henrico County Manager John Vithoulkas on Feb. 15 sent the developers a notice of default on the development agreement between the county, the EDA and the developers, following a nonperformance notice sent in December 2024. Under the development agreement, Green City Partners had a 60-day cure period to address the nonperformance.

The purchase agreement between the county’s authority and the developers included an initial payment of $500,000 due on Feb. 28, 2023, and a second payment of the same amount due Feb. 28, 2024.

GCDC has a 10-day cure period for the remaining payment from receipt of the March 3 notice. Should the developers fail to make the payment by March 13, the EDA has the right to repurchase undeveloped property and has “all rights and remedies available at law and in equity.”

According to the notice, if the developers fail to cure the default within the time limit, “the EDA will exercise the rights available to it under the purchase agreement, including, without limitation, the right to exercise the repurchase option.”

In a March 8 Richmond Times-Dispatch story, Eastridge said the company plans to make the payment before the March 13 deadline. She did not return Virginia Business’ messages Monday requesting comment.

Vithoulkas issued a statement Monday that says the county is “eager to move forward with development and believe it’s appropriate for the Best Products property to revert to the county’s control. Our purchase agreement with Green City Partners and Green City Development Corporation provides the company with a 10-day cure period in which they must make a $5.2 million payment to complete the purchase of the Best Products property. That period will close March 13. We look forward to a resolution.”

If the developers do not meet the deadline, the repurchase option remains in effect for 12 months and requires the EDA to provide a 30-day prior notice to the developers. The EDA would pay the per acre price that the developers paid on the number of acres of the property it repurchases, minus the balance the developers owe.

The development agreement also allows the county to repurchase the property following the nonperformance default notice, although it requires negotiations to start within seven days of the notice and conclude within 30 days.

“We included extensive provisions to protect the interests of Henrico County and our taxpayers when we entered into agreements with Green City Partners and Green City Development Corporation,” Vithoulkas said in a statement last week. “Simply put, the GreenCity developers have not performed to the terms of the agreements.

“We believe it’s time to move forward and return the Best Products property to the county, as stipulated in the agreements,” he added. “As a county, we remain bullish on the concept of a large, mixed-use development at this extraordinary location and believe it is perfectly suited to a privately funded arena for sporting events, concerts and other entertainment.”

Eastridge declined to comment due to the ongoing cure period. Hallmark did not respond to a request for comment.

In the Dec. 16, 2024, nonperformance notice from Vithoulkas, he alleged that the developers had failed to perform obligations under the development agreement by failing to schedule or finance the project “in a good faith manner using commercially reasonable efforts to advance the development of the project in a timely fashion.”

The notice lists several projected development schedules from the developers that have passed or that progress has not been made on. In November 2022, the EDA and Green City Partners renegotiated the real estate purchase and sale agreement for the Best Products site, creating the three-payment schedule.

“At the end of 2023, Developers had not secured financing, completed any designs, or begun any construction for the project. This year (2024) has also been bereft of progress on the project,” the notice states.

Green City Partners also originally “intended to purchase the Scott Farm property [to the north] and include it in the overall development of GreenCity,” when the county approved the rezoning and provisional use permit for the Best Products and Scott Farm sites in October 2021, according to the notice.

Progress on residences

Henrico County and the EDA partnered with a different developer — Markel|Eagle Partners — and contributed more than $18 million to the $35.1 million Scott Farm property purchase that closed on August 31, 2023. The agreement included a leaseback on part of the property for the EDA to use as additional parking for GreenCity.

In mid-February, the county had started sewer work for the residential portion and was working on road infrastructure improvements along Magellan Parkway, and Markel|Eagle hoped to begin construction in 2025, Cari Tretina, the county manager’s chief of staff, told Virginia Business then.

The county, EDA and Henrico Sports and Entertainment Authority also purchased the neighboring St. Gertrude’s property in 2023 “for additional land that could be developed in coordination with he project.”

The county also created in January 2023 a community development authority to support public infrastructure for GreenCity, including issuing up to $295 million in bonds supported by taxes and assessments on development within the Best Products property, but because no development has begun, the CDA’s funding is currently limited to funding from the property’s sale.

The county also created a second CDA in December 2023 to provide public infrastructure and included the Best Products, Scott Farm and St. Gertrude’s properties.

“In sum,” the notice states, “Developers have not used commercially reasonable efforts to advance the project in good faith over the past four years, despite continued extraordinary support from the County. This failure is inexcusable and cannot be ascribed to external market forces, as many other commercial, residential and multifamily developments have begun and been completed in the County during this same timeframe.”

Problem-plagued projects

Hallmark, who designed the Crypto.com Arena (formerly the Staples Center), and Eastridge have been the lead developers for several failed projects in the region. Hallmark was set to be lead developer for the $1.4 billion Navy Hill project to replace the shuttered Richmond Coliseum that was voted down by Richmond City Council in early 2020 following major pushback by city residents.

Hallmark and Eastridge were also part of the team that proposed a second project in downtown Richmond in 2021 — a $325 million VCU Health System medical office tower with other mixed-use development — but VCU Health backed out of the deal in 2023.

Future Cities, of which Hallmark is a founding partner, also has proposed turning a historic electric substation in Richmond’s Carver neighborhood into a mixed-use development called Carver Station with a food hall, coworking space and micro-retail. Future Cities purchased the property in 2021. Richmond Planning Commission recommended the special use authorization for approval in August 2023 and the City Council adopted it in September 2023, but as of March, there has been no visible progress.

Former Tyson Foods executive to become Dollar Tree CFO

Chesapeake-based Fortune 500 discount retailer announced Wednesday that former Tyson Foods executive will become the company’s next , effective March 30.

Glendinning joined the company earlier this year in a senior role focused on transformation initiatives, including key areas within the company’s finance organization. He is succeeding Jeff Davis, who earlier announced plans to step down. Davis will remain with the company for a brief period to ensure a smooth transition, according to the company’s news release.

“Stewart is a proven leader with a strong track record of driving financial excellence,” Dollar Tree CEO Mike Creedon said in a statement. “In his short time with us, he’s contributed significantly to the review of strategic alternatives for our business, where we continue to make good progress. I look forward to working closely with Stewart as we seek to accelerate growth at Dollar Tree in 2025.”

Before Dollar Tree, Glendinning held numerous leadership roles, including CEO of Express and global CFO roles at Tyson Foods and Molson Coors Brewing Company.

He has a bachelor’s degree from William & Mary and a law degree from the University of Miami Law School. He is also a member for The North West Co., a Canadian grocery and retail chain.

“I’m honored to step into the CFO role at Dollar Tree at such a pivotal time,” Glendinning said in a statement. “What attracted me to Dollar Tree is its amazing culture, the passion of its , and a very meaningful opportunity to drive a huge amount of value for the business. I look forward to working with the leadership team and our talented finance organization to drive continued growth and financial strength.”

As of Nov. 2, 2024, Dollar Tree operated 16,590 stores across 48 states and five Canadian provinces. The stores operate under the Dollar Tree, Family Dollar and Dollar Tree Canada brands. According to the company’s website, it had more than 211,000 employees as of February 2024.

Dollar Tree plans to report financial results for the fourth quarter of 2024, the period ending on Feb. 1, before the stock market opens on March 26. This will be followed by a conference call for investors and analysts.

In its fiscal 2024 third quarter results, Dollar Tree reported $7.56 billion in consolidated net sales, up 3.5% compared with the third quarter of fiscal 2023. In its full-year 2024 outlook, the retailer said it anticipates net sales of $30.7 billion to $30.9 billion for the year, slightly up from $30.6 billion in revenue reported last year.

In March 2024, Dollar Tree announced plans to close 1,000 Family Dollar stores, and two months later it laid off 54 corporate employees. However, in December 2024, Dollar Tree announced that it had opened 249 new Dollar Tree and six new Family Dollar stores.

Retired Newport News Shipbuilding prez joins Armada Hoffler board

Virginia Beach-based investment trust announced Monday that it has appointed former Newport News President to the company’s of directors.

“We are excited to welcome Mrs. Boykin to our ,” Armada Hoffler President and CEO Shawn Tibbetts said in a statement. “Her extensive leadership experience and strategic vision will significantly enhance our board’s ability to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of our industry. We look forward to benefiting from her insights as we continue to execute on our long-term goals and drive sustainable growth for the company.”

Boykin had worked for NNS for 37 years — starting as an engineer. She became the first woman president of the company in 2017 and led the business through a significant digital shipbuilding transformation with the adoption of digital shipbuilding tools replacing traditional drawings. NNS is the state’s largest industrial employer, with 26,000 shipbuilders.

She also served as construction superintendent during the building of the USS John C. Stennis and USS Harry S. Truman .

Boykin retired from NNS at the end of 2024 and was succeeded by Kari Wilkinson.

According to Armada Hoffler, Boykin has advocated for STEM education and workforce development and has served on several boards, including the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and the Women’s Initiative Network Board at Old Dominion University.

Boykin holds a bachelor’s degree in marine engineering from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and a master’s in engineering management from The George Washington University School of Engineering.

Founded in 1979, Armada Hoffler operates in eight mid-Atlantic states and has more than 160 employees. It is perhaps best known as the developer of ‘s Town Center. As of summer 2024, Armada had 6.2 million rental square feet in its portfolio, which had an enterprise value of $2.6 billion, and had $630.5 million of projects in its development pipeline.

Introducing Behind the Deal: A new feature for showcasing your business deals

Virginia Business and are pleased to introduce our new BTM Behind the Deal program, which will allow Virginia law firms and other organizations to spotlight their successful business — mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, financings, initial public offerings, etc. — for the local legal and business community. 2025 is expected to be a strong year for deals, including , and will assist you in spreading the word about your successes.

As with our other programs, like Business Connect, Behind the Deal allows for a seamless submission of announcements, offers options that best fit your needs, and helps ensure we can publish these promptly in both our online and print editions.

Behind the Deal features two types of submissions: a standard format that allows for a short announcement in print and a slightly longer announcement online; or a featured announcement that allows for a greatly expanded presentation, both in print and online. Both formats require the submission of a photo or logo. And you’ll be able to easily share the online published announcement on your favorite social media platform.

There will be charges for these announcements, which can be handled via the online submission form.

Virginia Business also offers various multimedia options beyond Behind the Deal, including print, co-branded emails, native content and more.

We hope our new format is convenient for you and provides the options you need to announce your organization’s latest deals. If you have any suggestions for us, please feel free to reach out to Associate Publisher Richard Foster at [email protected].

Mitre names new chief HR officer

Not-for-profit research and development company has named April Castañeda as its new and .

The company, founded in 1958 with a focus on and operating from dual headquarters in and Bedford, Massachusetts, manages federally funded R&D centers.

Castañeda started in the new role March 3 and brings more than 20 years of experience in human resource strategy design, communication and execution. The role was previously handled by Kathleen Federico, who left in September 2024.

“April has consistently created high-performance teams, and she will undoubtedly bring that leadership and expertise to Mitre in service to our sponsor’s mission and our commitment of Mission First, Always,” Mitre President and CEO Mark Peters said in a statement. “April’s passion for uplifting organizational cultures with transparency, trust, and respect, aligns with Mitre’s own mission, vision, and values.”

In her new role, Castañeda will be part of an executive leadership team and direct long-range development of strategic plans and transformation initiatives. She will also lead all functional areas of the company’s people, learning and growth sector — including its leadership and education centers, talent , talent engagement, HR business partners and benefits programs.

Before joining Mitre, Castañeda was the chief human resources officer at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, a Department of Energy national lab. According to Mitre’s website, she previously led human resources programs at Caltech and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in women’s and cross-cultural studies from the University of California, Los Angeles and a master’s degree in industrial/organizational social work from the University of Southern California.

She sits on the American Association for the Advancement of Science Professional Standards & Review Committee and the of Oversight’s Operations Committee for SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, a national lab operated by Stanford University for the Department of Energy.

Mitre is a member of the Coalition for Health and participated in the creation of the Blueprint for Trustworthy AI Implementation Guidance and Assurance for Healthcare. It’s also involved in developing tools to identify and mitigate supply chain threats.

Norfolk casino hires general manager

Ron Bailey has been selected as vice president and general manager for ‘s forthcoming , its operators announced Monday.

He most recently was vice president and general manager of the Valley Forge Casino Resort in Pennsylvania, which is owned by , a partner in the $750 million Norfolk resort with the .

Construction of the permanent started earlier this year, and a temporary casino is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Bailey, who will live in the Hampton Roads area, will oversee the development of the casino, as well as hiring employees and engaging with the community.

Bailey has worked in the industry for 25 years and joined Nevada-based Boyd Gaming in 2012. He held senior leadership positions at in Shreveport, Louisiana, and Las Vegas, and he was director of Gaylord Entertainment’s National Harbor hotel in Maryland as well. He expects to move to Virginia in March.

“Once I get up and running, I’ll have weekly meetings with the tribe and the chief, and make sure that this can be a great collaboration,” Bailey said in an interview with Virginia Business. “We’re very committed to hiring within the Hampton Roads area. I think there are going to be a lot of jobs that are going to be available, and we’re going to be pushing toward interviewing folks in this area to take those jobs. The tribe’s committed to that.”

He said the resort will be training slot machine tech workers who will be working in the transitional casino, as well as a dealer school that will train to run table games once the permanent casino is open. Bailey said the team is working now to determine how many people will be hired for the temporary casino later this year.

‘s S.B. Ballard Construction and Mississippi-based Yates Construction are leading construction of the resort casino, after building Rivers Casino Portsmouth. The permanent Norfolk casino is expected to be completed in late 2027.

The resort was approved by Norfolk voters in fall 2020, but building was delayed due to conflicts between the Norfolk City Council and the operators over the design plans. An earlier partnership between the Pamunkey tribe and Tennessee investor Jon Yarbrough ended last year, and Boyd Gaming entered the picture. In September 2024, Norfolk City Council approved the development agreement between the city, the tribe and Boyd, and since then, the project has moved forward.

The permanent resort is set to have a 45,000-square-foot deck, 13,000 square feet of meeting space, 4,000 square feet of spa and gym space, 1,500 slot machines, 50 table games, a 200-room hotel, and eight food and beverage outlets.

Virginia has three operating casinos in Danville, Bristol and Portsmouth, and Petersburg voters approved a referendum last fall to build Cordish Cos.’ $1.4 billion Live! Casino & Hotel. Last month, city officials approved zoning permits for site development work on that multi-phase project.

CoStar completes $1.6B acquisition of Matterport

Arlington County-based data and analytics company Group announced Friday that it had completed the of Sunnyvale, California-based 3D digital twin technology company .

CoStar says the $1.6 billion acquisition, which was announced last year, will allow the company to accelerate the adoption of -driven digital twin technology across the global real estate landscape and digitize the real estate industry.

“Matterport’s cutting-edge 3D capture and AI-powered property insights have already transformed how residential and commercial properties are marketed and experienced,” CoStar founder and CEO Andy Florance said in a statement. “By integrating Matterport’s groundbreaking digital twin technology with our vast property data and online marketplaces, we are creating an unparalleled solution for buyers, sellers, and renters to explore properties with greater depth and insight than ever before.”

Matterport announced last week it had a total revenue of $169.7 million for fiscal year 2024, up 8% from the previous year. The company’s 3D digital twins enable property owners, buyers and renters to experience properties with immersive accuracy from anywhere in the world. Its spatial data library has over 14 million spaces and 50 billion square feet digitized across 177 countries.

“This is an exciting milestone for Matterport, as we join forces with to accelerate our impact on the global real estate industry,” said RJ Pittman, chairman and CEO of Matterport, in a statement. “From residential to commercial, our technology is redefining how residential and commercial spaces are discovered, marketed, and transacted. With CoStar Group’s scale and resources, we can fast-track innovation, deepen AI-driven analytics, and deliver even greater value to our customers worldwide.”

According to CoStar, there are more than 4 billion residential and commercial buildings on the planet, but most of these spaces remain largely undigitized. The company says the need for accurate, data-driven insights “has never been greater.”

CoStar says it and Matterport are committed to further investing in AI, computer vision and machine learning to improve property analytics, optimize operational efficiency and broaden the use of digital twin technologies throughout the real estate industry.

Last week, CoStar announced plans to fill more than 1,000 new positions, including 500 new Homes.com sales professionals. However, the company also said it planned to eliminate roles from efficiencies gained by using AI and anticipates reducing some roles during normal annual performance management. The company did not say how many would be laid off.

CoStar established a global operations center in in 2016 and has since grown that office to over 2,350 employees, becoming one of the area’s larger employers. CoStar announced it will complete a 1-million-square-foot campus development along the James River in May 2026 and that the campus will house 3,500 employees. In November 2024, the company announced plans to move its headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Arlington.

Real estate company names president of New Homes Division

Chesapeake-based Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices RW Towne Realty announced Tuesday that it has promoted Dianne Gordonn to president of its New Homes Division.

Gordonn has about two decades of experience in the industry. According to her LinkedIn account, she has served nearly two years as chief operating officer of the new homes division and previously worked 17 years in various roles at Rose & Womble Realty. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and Rose & Womble Realty merged in 2023.

In her new capacity, Gordonn will lead the team that helps represent builders and sell new homes for the builder. She will continue her responsibilities as chief operating officer and human resources director.

In a news release, the company said Gordonn “has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership and business acumen, earning the admiration of both our agents and builder clients.”

Gordon is succeeding J. Van Rose Jr., who led the division for over 30 years. Van Rose continues to serve as the company’s CEO and executive chairman of the .

“Dianne is someone I hold in the highest regard within the industry,” Van Rose said in a statement. “Her qualifications and dedication make her the perfect fit for this significant role, and I am genuinely excited for her and the future of our company.”