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Century-old Birdsong Peanuts to modernize Suffolk plant

-based is investing $25.1 million to modernize Suffolk shelling facility, announced Tuesday.
The company plans to refurbish and automate production lines at the Suffolk plant. It is also committing to additional growing opportunities for Virginia peanut producers, a news release said. Additional details about those opportunities and whether the investment includes new jobs were not immediately available Tuesday.
“When long-term corporate partners like Birdsong Peanuts reinvest in Virginia, it underscores that Virginia is open for business,” Youngkin said in a statement. “Birdsong has positively impacted the region’s economy and Virginia’s industry for over a century. This market leader facility expansion reinforces Suffolk’s reputation as the ‘peanut capital of the world.’”
Founded in 1914 by T.H. Birdsong in Courtland, Birdsong moved its operations to Suffolk in 1939 after the company’s shelling plant burned, and founder Amedeo Obici requested that Birdsong relocate near his factory there, according to the company’s website. Birdsong now operates shelling plants in Virginia, Georgia and Texas, and partners with farmers in 11 states to sell peanuts worldwide.
“Birdsong Peanuts chose to reinvest in Suffolk because our corporate headquarters is here, there is a thriving peanut producer base here, there is good access to domestic and export markets, and also because of the region’s talented workforce,” Birdsong President Charles Birdsong said.
The Virginia Partnership and the worked with Suffolk to secure the project and Youngkin approved a performance-based grant of $250,000 from the Virginia Investment Performance Grant, an incentive that encourages continued investment by existing Virginia . A $250,000 grant from the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund also helped finalize the deal.
“The Virginia peanut is perhaps the commonwealth’s most famous contribution to world cuisine and few families have done more than the Birdsongs in bringing Virginia peanuts to the world,” Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Matthew Lohr said. “It is always a cause to celebrate when we see companies make major investments into the infrastructure that supports Virginia’s farmers, but this is especially true when that investment is being made by a homegrown, family-owned business in support of one of our most iconic agricultural products.”

West Creek Medical Park land sells for $3.7M

Emerson Ventures LLC has purchased 7.68 acres of land within the West Creek Medical Park in and plans to develop a .

Lingerfelt Commonwealth Partners sold the land, located at 1612 Wilkes Ridge Parkway, for $3.7 million, according to Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer, which announced the deal May 17.

David M. Smith, of Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer, handled the sale negotiations on behalf of the seller.

Carilion receives $1M gift for cancer program

Roanoke Maury Strauss has donated $1 million in honor of his late wife to support the expansion of ‘s program, Carilion announced Tuesday.

Sheila Strauss died of bladder cancer in 2016; the couple were married 65 years. Maury Strauss is the founder of Strauss Development Corp.

“We are so grateful to Maury for the opportunity to honor Sheila’s memory as we continue to advance cancer care for our region,” Carilion President and CEO Nancy Howell Agee said in a statement. “The thousands of patients in our region diagnosed each year with cancer deserve access to the latest, most advanced care right here.”

Since 1979, Carilion’s oncology program has been accredited by the Commission on Cancer. Carilion provides cancer care from diagnosis and treatment to rehabilitation for adult and pediatric patients in partnership with Blue Ridge Cancer Care. Carilion also participates in and clinical trials.

Carilion’s current cancer center is operating at capacity. The health system has seen a 40% increase in patient volume over the past 10 years and the system treated more than 2,000 new cancer patients in 2021.

When Sheila Strauss received her diagnosis, the Strausses traveled out of state so that she could participate in a clinical trial. Maury Strauss seeks to expand the number and scope of locally available clinical trials through his .

“ is one of the most important things in any community, and what Carilion has done to advance care in the Valley is remarkable,” Strauss said in a statement. “I want to see that continue for generations to come.”

Colonna’s Shipyard promotes three execs

Norfolk-based Inc. announced Monday had promoted three executives to senior management positions, effective in July.

CSI has promoted Jordan Webb from vice president of contracts to vice president of shipyard operations; Randall Crutchfield from chief experience officer and executive director of America and Weld America to vice president of industrial operations and facilities; and Chris Marsh from director of trades to executive director of waterfront operations.

“These key along with a strategic organizational realignment reflect our response to the emerging dynamics of the marketplace and demonstrate to our customers and key stakeholders the continuity of experienced leadership within our company,” CSI President and CEO Tom Godfrey said in a statement.

Webb will be responsible for all legacy waterfront business, including its Down River Division work. He has led the CSI contracts department since 2017. Webb started as a ship superintendent, became a shipyard project manager and contract manager and then served as operations manager of Steel America.

Webb has a bachelor’s degree in business management from Virginia Tech and completed his project management professional curriculum through Villanova University.

Randall Crutchfield photo courtesy Colonna’s Shipyard Inc.

In his new position, Crutchfield will be responsible for CSI fabrication and operations, including off-site and machining and capital project planning and execution. He is also vice chair of the CSI Board of Directors. Crutchfield has worked in several departments across CSI and its subsidiaries, including procurement, Down River operations, contracts, project management and facilities.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in international trade and development from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MBA from Regent University.

Marsh will now lead enterprise-wide legacy waterfront business and Down River operations and will oversee operations of Colonna’s Shipyard West in San Diego. He was most recently CSI’s director of trades. Before joining CSI, Marsh was production director for General Dynamics NASSCO- for five years.

Marsh is a marine pipefitting and welding apprenticeship graduate of Shipbuilding and is an American Weld Society certified weld inspector. He is currently studying business management at Old Dominion University with a focus on project management.

Founded in 1875, Colonna’s provides ship repair, marine and industrial machining and steel fabrication. Between its headquarters and its San Diego location, Colonna employs approximately 700 . In 2020, it received an $800,000 grant for new welding machines through the Small Shipyard Grant Program operated by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration.

Gainwell Technologies hires new client engagement officer

-based has named Karen Shields as its chief client engagement officer, the health and human services provider announced last week.

Shields will work in collaboration with Gainwell’s project team to anticipate and fulfill client needs, according to a news release. She previously served as deputy director for the Center for Medicaid and Child Health Insurance Program, led development of Herndon-based company Serco Inc.’s business and also was deputy director of operations for the ‘ Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight.

“One of the hallmarks of a market-shaping culture is the ability to anticipate clients’ needs and proactively solve them. Gainwell has been at the forefront of this effort, and with Karen joining our leadership team, her health care and technology background will be invaluable as we help clients improve the health and human services they deliver to members, all while modernizing systems and processes, and reducing costs,” Gainwell CEO said in a statement.

Gainwell was carved out of Ashburn-based IT services company Technology when it sold its health and human services business to private equity firm Veritas Capital in 2020 for $5 billion.

“I’m excited to join the Gainwell team and apply my experience in health care, technology and government to further support our nation’s essential health care programs,” Shields said. “I will be laser-focused on listening to our clients’ priorities and working alongside them to help them deliver innovative solutions that will improve health and human services’ outcomes in the communities they serve.”

 

Fairfax medical building sells for $21M

Prosperity Plaza, a less than a mile from Inova Hospital, has been sold for $21 million, Avison Young announced last week.

Bethesda, Maryland-based Global Medical REIT purchased the 96,070-square-foot building at 3020 Hamaker Court in Fairfax from the original developer, The Tomares Cos. Built in 1986, is seven stories with a two-level parking garage. ‘s on three acres of land.

The building is 84% leased to medical and traditional office tenants, including MedStar Health, Inova Health System, the Neurology Center of Fairfax and company Gates, Hudson & Associates Inc.

Avison Young brokered the sale of the property. Jim Kornick, Mike Wilson, Jon Goldstein and Joe French, all of Avison Young’s U.S. medical office sales department, represented the seller.

Breeden breaks ground on Newport News apartments

The Breeden Co. is breaking ground on a $33 million apartment project in the Huntington Pointe area of , the Virginia Beach-based firm announced Thursday.

Avant, located off Denbigh Boulevard, will have 176 one-, two- and three-bedroom between 672 and 1,517 square feet each.

Breeden Construction will serve as the general contractor, and Breeden’s property division will manage the apartments after construction is complete.

The company has three other residential projects in development in :

  • Lake Taylor Pointe in , a $43 million development under construction since April, will have 198 garden-style and carriage home apartments in 20 buildings. This project is set for completion November 2023.
  • The Pinnacle on 31st Street in Virginia Beach will have 240 apartments. Construction on the $69.1 million project started in May 2021 and is scheduled to finish in May 2023. The triangle-shaped building is more than 540,000 square feet and is at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.
  • The $24.5 million 15Hundred Hilltop in Virginia Beach will have 113 garden-style apartments in six buildings. is expected to be complete in November 2023.

Booz Allen Hamilton promotes exec to COO

McLean-based global consultant Inc. announced Friday that had promoted executive Kristine Martin Anderson to , effective June 1.

Anderson is currently an executive vice president and president of the firm’s civil sector division.

“She has demonstrated the ability to grow and manage -first businesses, develop talented leaders, help senior clients transform and integrate acquisitions, all while consistently delivering strong financial results,” Booz Allen President and CEO Horacio Rozanski said in a statement. “As , Kristine will work closely with me as well as other leaders to drive operational performance, accelerate the execution of our strategy and help us gain efficiencies that lead to faster growth.”

Anderson has been with Booz Allen for more than 16 years. She has led the company’s civil sector business for the past four years and previously led Booz Allen’s health business. “Booz Allen has the benefit of both incredible leadership talent and strong market positioning across the entirety of government,” Anderson said in a statement. “As COO, I look forward to working with a broad group of those leaders to unlock the next level of performance.”

Before joining Booz Allen in 2006, Anderson was vice president for operations and strategy at CareScience, a Philadelphia-based software solutions company.

She serves on the board of directors for Executives for Health Innovation and is co-chair of the National Quality Forum’s Cost and Resource Use Standing Committee.

Anderson holds a bachelor’s degree in neurobiology from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Rich Crowe, an executive vice president serving as Booz Allen’s chief growth officer, will succeed Anderson as president of the firm’s civil sector. He has been with Booz Allen for 17 years.

Booz Allen employs approximately 29,500 workers globally, with about 10,000 employed in Virginia. For the 12 months ended March 31, 2021, Booz Allen reported revenues of $7.9 billion.

Parsons to acquire Xator for $400M

Parsons Corp., a -based specializing in -focused defense, intelligence, security and infrastructure engineering, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire -based Corp. for $400 million, the company announced Monday.

Founded in 1944, Parsons is a publicly traded corporation with more than 16,000 employees working in 24 nations. posted $3.6 billion in 2021 revenue. Xator, a privately held federal contractor with more than 900 workers, was co-founded in 2005 by Jerry Pfeiffer and David Scott, who has served as the company’s CEO since 2011. The company is expected to generate approximately $300 million in revenue in 2023.

The , which is expected to close by June 30, will add to Parsons’ client base the U.S. Department of State, which is expected to be a growth area. Xator will also expand Parsons’ business with the U.S. Special Operations Command, the intelligence community, federal civilian agencies customers and global critical infrastructure markets, according to a news release.

“The addition of Xator is a natural extension of our growth strategy, adding important solutions and technologies that advance global security and protect critical infrastructure during a time of increasing and evolving threats,” said Parsons Chair, President and CEO Carey Smith in a statement. “This acquisition strengthens our position across our two complementary markets and continues our strategy of buying accretive, mission-focused aligned with global macroeconomic trends. I look forward to welcoming Xator’s talented team of more than 900 employees to the Parsons family as we collectively create the future.”

The $400 million transaction includes the net present value of a $57 million transaction-related tax benefit, or approximately 10.7 times Xator’s estimated 2023 adjusted EBITDA. Parsons was advised on the deal by Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and Latham & Watkins LLP. Xator was advised by Rees Broome PC.

Xator addresses critical infrastructure protection, national security and mission training requirements for U.S. government agencies worldwide. It specializes in C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance), national security and intelligence solutions.

“Xator was built on a commitment to the customer’s mission and support for the professional development of our employees. Today we are excited to announce the combination with Parsons — a company that shares our passion for supporting our customers’ mission and is recognized consistently as a top employer,” Scott, Xator’s CEO, said. “The joining of Parsons’ impressive capabilities in infrastructure and national security solutions, along with Xator’s capabilities in infrastructure protection, engineering, C4ISR and national security will be a competitive force in the global infrastructure and national security markets.”

 

 

34 Va. companies make 2022 Fortune 1000 list

Thirty-four Virginia-based made Fortune magazine’s 68th annual Fortune 1000 list, which was released Monday. The list ranks the 1,000 largest United States corporations by total revenue, including public companies and private companies for which revenue information is available.

Twenty-one companies made the elite Fortune 500 list, including Henrico County-based convenience retail holding company Arko Corp., which debuted this year on the Fortune 500 at No. 498. Arko is the parent company of Henrico-based GPM Investments LLC. One of the nation’s largest convenience store chains, GPM’s brands include Fas Mart and E-Z Mart. Earlier this year, Arko completed its 21st acquisition since 2013. Arko has business across more than 3,000 locations, with 1,396 company-operated stores as well as 1,625 dealer sites for which it supplies fuel.

“We’re incredibly proud to be named to this year’s Fortune 500 list, an important confirmation that our growth strategy, disciplined investment approach, and our people continue to deliver excellent results,” said Arko Chairman, President and CEO Arie Kotler in a statement. “This is a significant achievement since joining NASDAQ less than two years ago, and a testament to our continued success. We will continue to drive growth and execute our strategy to deliver long-term value for our stakeholders.”

Last year, Virginia had 39 companies on the , including 22 in the top 500. 

Notably, following its late 2021 move to Atlanta, No. 332-ranked railroad corporation Southern is no longer a Virginia-based company. Similarly, Chantilly-based publicly traded Perspecta Inc,, which ranked No. 575 last year, was acquired by the privately held federal contractor Peraton Inc. in May 2021 and is no longer on the list. Federal contractor CACI International Inc., which debuted on the 2021 Fortune 500 at No. 473, was ranked at No. 522 this year, falling 49 places. 

The only companies that moved up on the Fortune 500 this year were Goochland County-based Performance Group, a food products distributor that moved up two slots to No. 112, and Henrico County insurance company Markel, which moved up 22 places to No. 289. Several companies tumbled significantly lower down the list, including Henrico-based insurer Genworth Financial, which fell 86 places to No. 434, and Richmond utility Dominion Energy, which slid 64 slots to No. 257. McLean-based global hotelier Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc., which fell off the Fortune 500 last year as it endured major revenue losses during the pandemic, rose from No. 598 last year to No. 536 on this year’s list.

Nine of this year’s 21 Virginia Fortune 500 companies are based in .

These are the Virginia-based companies that made the 2022 Fortune 1000 list, in order of ranking:

56) Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.  (“Freddie Mac”), McLean

94) General Dynamics Corp., Falls Church 

101) Northrop Grumman Corp., Falls Church

108) Capital One Financial Corp., McLean

112) Performance Food Group Co., Goochland County

137) Dollar Tree Stores Inc., Chesapeake

165) Altria Group Inc., Henrico County

174) CarMax, Goochland County

207) DXC Technology, Ashburn

257) Dominion Energy Inc., Richmond

274) Leidos Holdings Inc., 

289) Markel Corp., Glen Allen

333) AES Corp., Arlington

361) Owens & Minor Inc., Mechanicsville

370) Huntington Ingalls Industries, 

389) NVR Inc., Reston

434) Genworth Financial, Henrico County

436)  Holding Corp., McLean

456) Science Applications International Corp., Reston

478) Beacon Roofing Supply, Herndon

498) Arko Corp., Henrico County

522) CACI International Inc., Reston

538) Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc., McLean

663) ASGN Inc., Glen Allen

667) Maximus Inc., Reston

675) Brink’s Co., Henrico County

733) Parsons Corp., 

801) Gannett, McLean

804) Graham Holdings Co., Arlington

832) Tegna Inc., McLean

915) ManTech International Corp., Herndon

947) NewMarket Corp., Richmond

960) AvalonBay Communities Inc., Arlington

995) BWX Technologies Inc., Lynchburg

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that 35 Virginia-based companies made the 2022 Fortune 1000 list; only 34 companies from Virginia made the list this year.