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Counties collaborating on industrial park

In the coming months, the rubble of a demolished furniture factory on a roughly 70-acre property in will be hauled away to make room for an .

is teaming up with Bland and Washington counties, forming the Pathway Regional Industrial Facilities Authority to create Pathway Park, which will feature rail service and access to Interstate 81.

“Successful and job creation is not confined by borders,” Administrator Eric Workman says of the tri-county collaboration. “The effects have resounding positive impacts on all surrounding communities in terms of job creation and synergy of economic resurgence.”

Smyth County has owned the park property for several years. It received grants to help demolish the derelict American Furniture factory and plan for new development. The caveat: Grants available to single localities were drying up.

“At the same time, we are winding down a similar regional partnership with [the Smyth-Washington IFA to develop Highlands Business Park] and felt it was a successful venture,” says Smyth County Administrator Shawn M. Utt. “Add in Bland County’s willingness to partner in these types of projects [and] we felt we had the makings of a great partnership.”

Pathway RIFA has been awarded two $600,000 grants from GO Virginia and the Virginia Region Revitalization Commission to help replace the utility infrastructure.

“These two grants would not have been possible if it weren’t for the regional partnership,” Utt says. “These funds will be used to build new water lines, replace a collapsed sewer line that crosses the Middle Fork of the Holston River and help fund a new entrance from Route 11.”

Costs and revenue share from the park are still being worked out by the counties but, Utt says, “realistically, our three jurisdictions will share equally in the costs and equally in the future revenues.”

Once the RIFA is registered with the State Corporation Commission, design work for the sewer and water lines will begin.

“We also have to get with the Virginia Department of Transportation for the entrance road,” Utt says. “As far as breaking ground on the utility work, we hope to have the design work and bidding complete by late summer, with construction beginning later [in] 2022.”  

Tilting toward windmills

‘s October 2021 announcement that it will build the nation’s first offshore-wind blade factory at (PMT) has put Hampton Roads on a trajectory to become a supply chain hub for the country’s nascent offshore- industry.

The Spanish wind turbine company is investing $200 million to build the factory, including more than $80 million to construct buildings and install equipment on an 80-acre leased site at PMT. Upon completion in early 2023, the factory will be able to produce patented Siemens Gamesa Offshore IntegralBlades for 100 wind turbines annually.

That includes providing blades for the 176 turbines Dominion Energy Inc. plans to erect in federal waters 27 miles off the coast for its 2.6-gigawatt, $9.8 billion Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project. Installation of the wind turbines is expected to begin in 2024. When completed in 2026, the CVOW project will be the nation’s largest offshore wind farm, powering up to 660,000 homes with clean, renewable energy.

Siemens Gamesa is partnering with Dominion on the offshore wind farm, and the blade factory will be up and running in time to support deliveries to the project. Additionally, about 50 of the 310 jobs planned at the factory will be service technician roles to support the CVOW farm. Overall, 1,100 direct and indirect jobs are expected to come to Hampton Roads from Dominion’s wind farm, along with almost $210 million in economic activity. Other wind energy companies are also looking to establish operations in Hampton Roads.

Dominion also is leasing 72 acres at the 287-acre terminal over 10 years to stage and preassemble the foundations and massive, 800-foot-tall wind turbines. And, Danish offshore wind developer is leasing 1.7 acres at PMT to stage equipment through at least 2026, with the option to expand to 40 acres.

“This location at the is second to none,” Dominion Chair, President and CEO Robert Blue said in August 2021. “It has deep water access, no overhead restrictions, a strong, experienced maritime workforce and sufficient space for these large wind infrastructure components. It is perfectly situated to serve the Virginia offshore wind project and grow the domestic supply chain needed to complete other offshore wind projects in the United States.”

The combination of PMT’s facilities, proximity to the CVOW project and state incentives for site improvements factored into Siemens Gamesa’s decision to come to Virginia, says Steve Dayney, the company’s head of North American offshore wind operations. “Siemens Gamesa carefully considered all options for U.S. blade localization. Virginia moved swiftly to create a positive environment focused on spurring development of offshore wind in a competitive market.”

“Hampton Roads has incredible advantages for offshore wind,” says industry consultant Jennifer Palestrant, formerly chief deputy for the Virginia Department of Energy. Photo by Mark Rhodes
“Hampton Roads has incredible advantages for offshore wind,” says industry consultant Jennifer Palestrant, former chief deputy for the Virginia Department of Energy. Photo by Mark Rhodes

Dayney adds that the blade facility is the first step in developing PMT into an offshore wind hub. “We believe a local supply chain is the right choice for offshore wind in the U.S.” he says. “The establishment of a blade manufacturing facility is a major investment. Siemens Gamesa will look to potentially expand the facility if awarded future projects in the region and create additional jobs in the future.”

State and local boosters have touted Hampton Roads as the ideal supply chain hub for the offshore wind industry.

“Hampton Roads has incredible advantages for offshore wind,” says Jennifer Palestrant, former chief deputy for the Virginia Department of Energy and now an offshore wind consultant. As she points out, the region boasts a deep, wide harbor free of air-draft restrictions from bridges and other overhead structures, not to mention an abundance of waterfront industrial sites with lay-down room for the large components used in wind projects.

Plus, she adds, the local maritime workforce is one of the best in the nation. “People ask me what we do well here in Hampton Roads, and I tell them large-scale maritime steel.”

About 90% of the skills required to work in offshore wind are comparable to those in other local maritime industries such as shipbuilding. To maximize those skills, the state has launched training programs at Virginia Beach’s , Norfolk’s and Martinsville’s , all of which provide wind-related training courses certified by the Global Wind Organisation. Community colleges and universities also offer similar courses.

Dominion also expects its $500 million, 472-foot wind component installation vessel, Charybdis, to help establish Hampton Roads as a supply chain hub. The nation’s first offshore wind vessel built in compliance with the Jones Act, which requires goods shipped between U.S. ports to be carried aboard American-built ships, Charybdis will be homeported in Hampton Roads when it enters service in 2023. As of March, shipbuilders in Brownsville, Texas, were about halfway done building the vessel.

“It starts to create a domestic supply chain that can serve nationally,” says Dominion spokesperson Jeremy Slayton. “It will maximize local opportunities.”  

Sound investments

Let’s simply call it a magazine publisher’s reality check.

When news reports of supply chain disruptions and record backups at West Coast ports began to appear last year, I immediately thought, “What’s going on at the ?” When I leave downtown Norfolk, it is almost always via the Midtown Tunnel. Emerging from the tunnel into Portsmouth, the first thing visible on the left is the Pinners Point Container Yard. Perhaps it’s wholly unscientific, but my simple reality check measure was to see whether the containers appeared to be stacked much higher than usual. They were not.

Virginia’s ongoing investments in its ports are paying off big time. As consumers increasingly shift to e-commerce and home delivery, demand for container and intermodal capacity has never been higher. West Coast port congestion and labor problems are well documented and ongoing. The “Virginia Model,” in which the Virginia Port Authority owns and operates terminals and manages a chassis fleet — as well as having shipping channels that are wider, deeper and therefore safer — is working. The commonwealth’s investment and support ensure that Virginia stays competitive, ranking among the top ports of entry and egress for East Coast imports and exports. In terms of trends, Virginia is arguably already at the top in terms of efficiency; more container volume will inevitably follow.

Such trends are the result of investment. Wider and deeper channels come at a significant cost; it is the oceangoing equivalent of taking a well-worn path and converting it to a superhighway. Scheduled for completion in 2024, the dredging project to give the Port of Virginia the East Coast’s deepest harbor will allow the largest modern container ships to make Virginia a fully loaded first port of call from across the Atlantic or the Pacific via the Panama Canal. What’s more, a wider channel will provide the berth needed for the biggest ships to move two ways simultaneously. That’s a huge competitive advantage for the commonwealth.

Virginia’s industry is vibrant and innovative. Offshore wind turbines and the accompanying supply chain necessary to construct and supply them are also developing opportunities. That’s not to say that all these prospects don’t come with obstacles such as labor shortages, trucking shortages and global supply chain disruptions. These factors all present challenges that Virginia’s maritime, , and educational institutions all are working hard to overcome.

Our hope is that the 2022 Virginia Maritime Guide will provide you with a wealth of information on each of these investments, opportunities, challenges and more. To compile this guide, we worked closely with the Virginia Maritime Association and the Port of Virginia. We thank them for their assistance and look forward to the maritime industry’s ongoing success in the commonwealth.

Bernie Niemeier
President & Publisher, Virginia Business

For the Record May 2022

CENTRAL 

Henrico County-based , parent company of tobacco company Philip Morris USA, has agreed to buy power from a wind energy development in Texas. Altria says the purchase is aimed at offsetting emissions from electricity demand at all of Altria’s U.S. operations. Announced in April, the deal is Altria’s first virtual power purchase agreement. Altria has set a goal of achieving 100% renewable electricity and reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030. The wind farm is located in Haskell and Throckmorton counties in Texas. ( Times-Dispatch)

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville is receiving a $5.75 million grant from writer and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, founder Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife, the nonprofit announced in late March. The local chapter’s president and CEO, Dan Rosensweig, said the grant will help the organization maintain its homebuilding pace and continue its redevelopment of Southwood Mobile Home Park. Scott, who has given billions to nonprofits and colleges across the country, pledged $436 million in unrestricted donations to Habitat for Humanity International and 84 affiliates. (The Daily Progress)

Mechanicsville-based Fortune 500 company Owens & Minor Inc. announced in late March it had closed its acquisition of Indianapolis-based Apria Inc. for a cash consideration of $1.6 billion. Owens & Minor funded the purchase with a combination of debt and cash on hand. The company will combine Apria with its Byram Healthcare Centers Inc. business to form a Patient Direct segment, expanding Owens & Minor’s home health care business’ geographic reach. Daniel J. Starck, Apria’s CEO since 2015, will serve as president of the new segment. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts announced in March that Bristol-area philanthropists James W. and Frances Gibson McGlothlin donated nearly $60 million toward the Richmond museum’s expansion campaign, including 15 paintings, featuring works by Norman Rockwell, John Singer Sargent and Andrew Wyeth. Alex Nyerges, the museum’s director and CEO, said that a 170,000-square-foot wing will be named for the McGlothlins, who in 2010 made a $30 million toward an earlier addition and, in 2015, donated 73 paintings and other artwork to the museum’s permanent collection. James McGlothlin, chairman and CEO of The United Co., a former coal mining company, is co-developer of the forthcoming $400 million Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

The Washington Commanders are unlikely to opt for another one-week visit to Richmond in the team’s training camp plans. During an NFL league meeting in late March, Coach Ron Rivera didn’t rule out a return, but he said that the short visit is “not financially equitable,” now that the team is required to pay $100,000 to rent the city facility for a week. From 2013-20, the previous contract called for the Richmond Economic Development Authority to pay $500,000 in cash and in-kind services for the team’s appearance. With this turn of events, there is speculation about whether Virginia Commonwealth University will use the site, which is a mile from its nascent athletics village. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

PEOPLE

Longtime Richmond Raceway President Dennis Bickmeier was named to lead Henrico County‘s new sports and entertainment authority, effective April 18. The county Board of Supervisors established the authority in April 2021 and approved $585,896 for its personnel and operations budget in fiscal 2021-22. Dawn H. Miller serves as tourism supervisor, and Michael McCormack is sports tourism coordinator. Bickmeier, who oversaw $30 million in improvements at the racetrack in 2018, has held positions with other racetracks, as well as the Los Angeles Rams and the L.A. Angels teams. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

EASTERN 

The Army Corps of Engineers allocated an additional $223.9 million to Hampton Roads-based projects, including $72.4 million for the Norfolk Harbor Deepening and Widening Project, $40 million to deepen and widen the Thimble Shoal west channel and $32.4 million to complete the channels to the Atlantic Ocean and Newport News. The new funds, announced in early April, come from last year’s federal infrastructure act and are in addition to
$402 million previously appropriated under the act and this year’s omnibus spending bill. In March, the Norfolk International Terminals concluded its $450 million optimization project with the installation of two 170-foot-tall cranes that cost about $10 million each. (The Virginian-Pilot)

Developers of the HeadWaters Resort & Casino are pitching Norfolk City Council members on plans to construct a limited, temporary gaming facility inside Harbor Park. The casino and restaurant would be located on the right side of the baseball stadium in the current Norfolk Boxing Center and the Hits at the Park restaurant. Last year, the team proposed a sports betting operation at the restaurant, but the Virginia Lottery board has not issued a facility operator license to the casino operator. Construction has yet to begin on HeadWaters, which is set to open in early 2024. (The Virginian-Pilot)

Huntington Ingalls Industries‘ REMUS 300 underwater drone will spearhead the U.S. Navy’s acquisition program for its next generation of small, unmanned vessels, the military branch announced in March. The parent of Newport News Shipbuilding has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in unmanned vessels over the past two years, including opening a new manufacturing and testing center in Hampton. The 6-foot, 100-pound drone built by HII’s Hydroid subsidiary can dive to depths of more than 1,000 feet and run for up to 30 hours on batteries. Introduced for military in the Iraq war in 2003, REMUS drones are used for underwater surveying, search and rescue, and fisheries management. (Daily Press)

Old Dominion University will launch Virginia’s first four-year major in manufacturing engineering technology at its Norfolk campus and a satellite campus at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville, the university announced in March. Housed at the Batten College of Engineering and Technology, the program will be available for students entering from community colleges, IALR’s Academy for Engineering and Technology, and dual-enrollment programs. Patrick & Henry Community College in Martinsville will launch a corresponding associate’s degree. The two programs are part of the Virginia Maritime Industrial Base Consortium’s Talent Pipeline Initiative. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Terry Horan was named president and CEO of Stihl Inc., effective April 1, 2022.
Terry Horan was named president and CEO of Stihl Inc., effective April 1, 2022.

In late March, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced that Perdue AgriBusiness, an affiliate of Perdue Farms Inc., will invest $59.1 million to expand its operations in the city of Chesapeake. The company plans to modernize its facilities and increase production of high protein soybean meal, soybean oil and hulls. Perdue Farms employs more than 2,800 people in Virginia, and it buys 80% of Virginia’s soybeans and purchases grain from more than 700 Virginia farmers. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

PEOPLE

Stihl Inc., the Virginia Beach-based chainsaw and outdoor power equipment manufacturer, named Terrence “Terry” Horan as its president and CEO effective April 1. Stihl Inc. is the largest subsidiary of the global Stihl Group, employing more than 3,000 U.S. workers. In October 2021, Stihl announced that its U.S.-based president of operations, Bjoern Fischer, and its vice president of U.S. sales and marketing, Nick Jiannas, were leaving by mutual agreement. Horan was previously president of RPM Consumer Group, a segment of Ohio-based RPM International Inc. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

NORTHERN

The Arlington Planning Commission voted on April 4 to rezone a piece of Pentagon City to accommodate Amazon.com Inc.‘s proposed PenPlace, recommending the project for county board approval. PenPlace, the second phase of Amazon’s HQ2 East Coast headquarters, is proposed to include nearly 3.3 million square feet of development on 10.4 acres. JBG Smith Properties plans to close the sale of PenPlace to Amazon for $198 million during the second quarter of this year. The first phase of HQ2, Metropolitan Park, is under construction and should be open by the third quarter of 2023. (Washington Business Journal)

In March, Falls Church-based General Dynamics Information Technology was awarded a contract from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency worth $4.5 billion over a 10-year period to build, design and operate an agencywide IT system. A business unit of Reston-based Fortune 500 aerospace and defense contractor General Dynamics Corp., GDIT will advance geospatial intelligence capabilities and support users with a range of services including high-performance computing, virtual desktop and mobile wireless security across multiple networks and global agency locations. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

More than two dozen large companies have pledged to invest $4.7 billion over the next five years to boost minority-owned businesses and organizations in a region stretching from Richmond to Baltimore. The pledge by members of the Greater Washington Partnership was formally unveiled March 30 by Vice President Kamala Harris at Washington’s Howard University. The effort to boost minority business ownership over the next five years comes from
25 major players across the region, including Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and Capital One Financial Corp. A supplier diversity portion of the pledge is expected to generate nearly $3.5 billion in revenue for small and midsize businesses, creating about 4,000 jobs annually. (Richmond Times-Dispatch; VirginiaBusiness.com)

After nearly 40 years in downtown McLean, Mars Inc. has filed plans to expand and modernize its global headquarters site to accommodate growing demand. The company, whose products range from candy to food brands to pet care, plans to expand the building at 6869 Elm St. that has served as Mars’ corporate headquarters since 1984 by nearly 31,000 square feet. Planning documents list Cozen O’Connor as Mars’ land-use counsel and NBBJ as the project’s architect. With 133,000 employees worldwide and 2020 revenue of $40 billion, Mars is the largest privately owned company in Virginia. (Washington Business Journal)

Despite NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s late March statement that Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder would not be involved in the Ashburn-based team’s daily business for the “foreseeable future,” the billionaire has resumed his day-to-day role with the Commanders, a highly-placed source told The Washington Times. Meanwhile, the congressional committee investigating the NFL’s handling of widespread sexual harassment in the Washington Commanders’ workplace is now also looking into allegations of financial improprieties under Snyder’s ownership. The Commanders issued a statement April 4 refuting claims that Washington withheld ticket revenue from opposing teams. (The Washington Times; The Washington Post; Sports Illustrated)

PEOPLE

On March 31, JB Holston stepped down as CEO of the Greater Washington Partnership. Holston will continue as a senior adviser to the partnership’s board and leadership through 2022, and the search for a new CEO is underway. Holston joined the partnership in September 2020 after a national search and previously served as dean of the Daniel Felix Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Denver. He also served in senior executive positions at General Electric and NBC. Holston and his family planned to return to Colorado, according to Partnership Chair Peter Scher. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

/ NEW RIVER VALLEY

Roanoke-based Carilion Clinic and Richmond’s BrainBox Solutions Inc. are part of a $3.5 million National Institutes of Health grant to research and develop a new way to diagnose brain injuries in the elderly. The research will include enrolling 300 patients with head trauma and 70 patients as controls. Patients will be followed for a year, and the study will run for 3.5 years. The University of Pennsylvania is also included in the . Researchers will design a panel of blood markers and cognitive tests to identify brain injuries, including those with cognitive impairments such as dementia. A second phase will determine the tests’ accuracy. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

The Mountain Valley Pipeline slipped deeper into doubt April 1, when an appellate court declined to reconsider its decision striking down a vital permit for the deeply divisive project. In a brief order, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it will not revisit the ruling of a three-judge panel, which in February invalidated the federal Fish and Wildlife Service’s opinion that the natural gas pipeline would not jeopardize endangered species. The move came one week after a similar decision by the Fourth Circuit regarding the panel’s rejection of a second permit from the U.S. Forest Service that allowed the pipeline to pass through the Jefferson National Forest. (The Roanoke Times)

The Roanoke Times‘ newsroom union said April 12
it has agreed on a new two-year contract with owner Lee Enterprises, following a brief picket line. Members of the Timesland News Guild, which represents 30 employees of The Roanoke Times and Laker Weekly, will receive 2% annual raises, and minimum full-time pay will rise about 12% to $40,000 per year between now and 2023, according to a statement by the union. Equity adjustment raises also will take place, meaning that nearly half of the guild will receive raises of more than 2% this year. Negotiations started in mid-February, with sticking points on wages and mileage rates. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Volvo Trucks North America received its largest global order of Class 8 electric trucks to date in early April — and the trucks will be produced at the company’s Pulaski County facility. The trucks were ordered by Performance Team, a California-based warehousing and distribution subsidiary of Danish shipping company Maersk, which has committed to purchase 126 Volvo VNR Electric trucks. Last year, Performance Team placed its first order of 16 Volvo VNR Electrics, which the company will begin operating soon along its Southern California routes. It added an additional 11 trucks to its zero-tailpipe emission freight logistics fleet this year. All 126 trucks from the new order are scheduled for deployment by early 2023. (The Roanoke Times)

PEOPLE

Roanoke College‘s 12th president will be Frank Shushok Jr., the college announced March 22. Shushok, Virginia Tech’s vice president for student affairs, will succeed Michael C. Maxey, who served as president for 15 years and is retiring in July. “I am thrilled to welcome President-elect Frank Shushok to the Maroon family,” Maxey said in a statement. “Terri [Maxey’s wife] and I found Frank and his wife, Kelly, to be a dedicated couple who are excited about the Roanoke College community. What struck me about Frank is how engaging he is and how interested he is in getting to know others.” (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Salem‘s new economic development director, Tommy Miller, says he has “the entrepreneurial gene,” a trait that should come in handy. “Any entrepreneurial venture should be both calculated and gut-driven,” he said in a news release announcing his hire. “I am always interested in seeing what the next best venture is in the market.” Miller, who was set to start on April 18, comes to Salem from the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, where he was a senior business investment manager for five years. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

SHENANDOAH VALLEY

A million-dollar gift from the chair of Bridgewater College‘s board of trustees will help the school break ground this summer on a new outdoor gathering area. Bridgewater College will use the gift, given by Bruce Christian and his wife, Spas, to create the Rebecca Quad, which will be located adjacent to the Kline Campus Center and the campus mall. Plans include hardscape walkways and gathering areas with dining tables, Adirondack chairs, landscaping to complement the campus mall and a nod to Bridgewater College’s original walkway and historical entrance to campus, highlighted by a large inlay of the school’s seal. (Daily News-Record)

The Rockingham County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a rezoning request for Northside Gateway Plaza, a shopping center that will be about 5.5 acres in Harrisonburg and developed by Holtzman Oil Corp. Roughly an acre of the property is in the county, and the rest is in the city. The rezoning in the county was from an agricultural district to a business district. Draft site plans of the property show seven buildings: a gas station and convenience store area, and six mixed-use buildings that could serve as restaurants, retail stores, banks, drive-thrus or medical offices. (Daily News-Record)

There has been a “steady increase” of short-term rentals across Rockingham County. In 2019, the county had 245 short-term rental units listed, but now there are more than 313 short-term rentals listed on sites like Airbnb or Vrbo. That data does not include the three campgrounds in Rockingham, nor the six bed and breakfast facilities and Massanutten Resort-affiliated lodging. In 2021, short-term rentals and timeshares accounted for $1.05 million out of $1.5 million in county tax revenue from all forms of lodging. (Daily News-Record)

As solar farm companies continue to seek land in the Shenandoah Valley to set up their panels, Shenandoah County has created a committee to study whether solar arrays are helpful or harmful to the county. During a March 31 special meeting, the Shenandoah County Planning Commission discussed the charter for the newly created Solar Ordinance Review Committee, which aims “to balance the need for clean, renewable energy resources and the need to protect the public health, safety, welfare and natural beauty of Shenandoah County.” Late last year, the planning commission tabled a vote on a proposed 168-acre MSolar Industries LLC facility in Edinburg in order to study pros and cons of solar arrays. (The Northern Virginia Daily)

Phillips

Demolition began March 21 at the Staunton Mall, located in Augusta County just outside the city limits. The mall, which was sold in late 2020 and officially closed in 2021, ended almost all its leases with its tenants after Commonwealth Commercial said that the mall would be demolished to make way for new retail, flex and multifamily options. Staunton EM 2 LLC purchased the mall for $3.67 million in November 2020. Stores remaining on the property include Dollar Tree, Belk, McDonald’s, Red Lobster and a T-Mobile store. (News Leader)

PEOPLE

Valley Health Senior Vice President of Acute Care and Winchester Medical Center President Grady W. “Skip” Philips III retired from Valley Health effective April 30.  Philips worked for Valley Health for eight years, capping a 35-year career in health care, and became president of Winchester Medical Center in June 2016. Under Philips’ leadership, WMC opened the Valley Health Cancer Center and expanded the Heart and Vascular Center. Philips has served on the boards of the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, Healthy Families, and the Sinclair Health Clinic. (The Winchester Star)

 

 

SOUTHERN

The town of Chase City will receive $131,500 in grant funding from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development to restore three iconic buildings in the town’s historic district: the Mecca Theater, the Robert E. Lee Community Center and the Garrett Building. Town Manager Dusty Forbes said he received word from DHCD on March 21 that Chase City was awarded a $31,500 Industrial Revitalization Fund planning grant for the Lee and Garrett buildings, and another $100,000 IRF planning grant for the Mecca Theater. (SoVaNow)

Danville is on the cusp of becoming the first locality in Virginia to create a year-round zone where visitors can carry beer and cocktails on the sidewalks and into stores. The Danville City Council on April 5 approved an ordinance that will allow the city to create a so-called Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area, or DORA, in its River District. Virginia ABC must now approve a license, a process that could take 60 to 90 days [from approval] according to Lee Vogler, the council member who has spearheaded the city’s effort. “I was worried that maybe somebody had gotten ahead of us, but no, we’re still going to be the first, so I’m happy about that,” Vogler said. (Cardinal News)

Zoning rules for solar projects in Mecklenburg County will become more restrictive if the Board of Supervisors adopts changes recommended in early April by the Mecklenburg County Planning Commission. During its regular meeting in Boydton March 31, the Planning Commission voted 9-0 to recommend that the Board of Supervisors amend the county’s zoning ordinance by adding limitations to the size and location of utility-scale, small-scale and community solar facilities. If approved, no new utility-scale solar facility will be built in Mecklenburg County if it is located within one mile of any town boundary, or within two miles of an existing solar facility, regardless of size. (SoVa Now)

Pittsylvania County authorities are warning local skill game operators they are running afoul of a somewhat confusing Virginia law. Over the last few months, the machines have rapidly appeared at stores and game rooms throughout the county. There are 16 area convenience stores currently able to operate the games legally. Since an unknown number of games have popped up, Pittsylvania County officials gave other operators 15 days to shut down the operations or face civil and criminal charges. Danville is also considering whether to lump facilities that offer the games in with adult businesses, such as adult bookstores, adult theaters and cabarets, under city code. (Danville Register & Bee)

PEOPLE

Thornton

Chatham-based Davenport Energy Inc. promoted Harold E. “Hal” Thornton Jr. to president, the company announced March 22. Thornton has been with Davenport, a provider of gas, diesel fuel, propane and petroleum products, for 27 years. He was initially hired as human resources director in 1995, rising through the ranks to supervisory and management positions. Most recently he was executive vice president, a role he had held since 2002. “Hal has been a key part of our success, and we are thrilled to promote him to this important position,” Davenport CEO Lewis E. Wall Jr. said in a statement. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Retired South Boston business owner Rick Harrell was elected chairman of the Halifax County Industrial Development Authority on March 18, with Jeremy Satterfield of Microsoft TechSpark named to another term as vice chairman. Harrell was voted in as chairman by fellow IDA board members after Robert Bates, the current chairman, asked not to be elected to another term. Bates, who remains on the board, joined the unanimous vote for Harrell. (SoVaNow)

SOUTH WEST

Abingdon‘s long-awaited 30-plus-acre sports complex opened April 9 after almost a decade in planning and preparation. The project cost more than $12 million, paid from funds including bond sales and American Rescue Plan Act funding. “Building a sports complex of this nature is truly investing in the future of the town,” Mayor Derek Webb said. “We fully expect to realize a tax revenue stream that we’ve never benefited from before with the addition of restaurants and other businesses for the community in The Meadows retail complex that stands adjacent to the sports complex.” (Bristol Herald Courier)

A public-private project to evaluate the critical minerals in coal waste products in Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky launched in mid-March. The project, Evolve Central Appalachia (Evolve CAPP), is part of an almost $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Energy Department to the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research (VCCER) at Virginia Tech. Critical minerals — used in computers, household appliances, clean energy technology and other products — include rare earth elements plus lithium and cobalt. A study analyzing what minerals the areas have and how they can be extracted will take about three years. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Hard Rock International Inc. will open its temporary casino in Bristol July 8. The 30,000-square-foot temporary full-service casino featuring 900 gaming slots and 20 tables for gaming operations will open at 500 Gate City Highway, the former Bristol Mall. It is expected to generate 600 jobs. The permanent casino remains on track to open in July 2024, two years after the opening of the temporary casino, a spokesperson said. The 90,000-square-foot permanent facility will include a 3,200-seat performance venue and a 20,000-person capacity outdoor entertainment venue. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

The presidents of Mountain Empire Community College, Southwest Virginia Community College, Virginia Highlands Community College and Wytheville Community College signed a memorandum of understanding on March 30 to establish a wind manufacturing workforce development partnership. Last year, InvestSWVA commissioned an energy consulting firm to assist with the region’s efforts in wind manufacturing. In addition to the MOU, the firm recommended identifying a “major tier company” to help form relationships with global equipment manufacturers. Other recommendations included designating a regional entity to act as a single point of entry into offshore wind and coordinating campaigns to promote worker retention and offshore wind careers. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Broadband services could be coming to the most remote portions of the Virginia Creeper Trail. On March 22, the Washington County Board of Supervisors approved spending up to $610,000 for international consulting firm Ernst & Young to set up a plan to establish the service on the eastern half of the Virginia Creeper Trail and the most remote sections of the Mendota Trail, a rail-trail project that is still under construction. The plan is to focus on having broadband services on the Virginia Creeper Trail from Damascus to the Grayson County border at Whitetop Station. (Bristol Herald Courier)

Companies with three or more years of mining and reclamation experience may apply for a chance to bid on the state’s Abandoned Mine Land projects, the Virginia Department of Energy announced in late March. Projects involve removing safety hazards and environmental issues resulting from coal mining before 1977. Virginia has several thousand AML projects, but the state has only been able to complete those that pose the greatest danger because of a lack of funds. Virginia is expected to receive nearly $23 million for AML cleanup for the next 15 years. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

 

Amazon be nimble, Amazon be quick

When it comes to building warehouses and , one company has sought out Virginia over and over again:

The e-commerce giant began opening facilities in Virginia in 2006 and since then has opened more than 30 facilities in the commonwealth, with more on the way as it seeks to shrink the time between a customer’s click and the delivery of their package — in spite of the nation’s labor shortage and supply chain woes.

Virginia’s officials have made a flurry of announcements of new Amazon fulfillment and distribution centers, which now employ more than 30,000 full- and part-time workers in the state, following the company’s 2018 decision to build its East Coast headquarters — HQ2 — in Arlington. The company expects to hire at least 4,000 more people in the commonwealth after current industrial projects are completed during the next two years.

In February, Amazon announced it will bring a 1 million-square-foot, nonsortable to Augusta County, creating 500 jobs. It’s expected to be operational in spring 2023. Before that, in November 2021, Amazon said it would build a 630,000-square-foot facility at Northern Virginia Gateway in Stafford County, set to open in the second half of 2022, creating 500 jobs. A similar facility is planned in Chesapeake, set to open by July. And those are just a few of the recent announcements.

 “Amazon operates more than 30 facilities in Virginia, from Norfolk to Bristol and everywhere in between. We are proud to provide jobs for more than 30,000 [workers] while boosting the overall economy,” says Maura Kennedy, Amazon’s economic development manager for Virginia. “Amazon’s success and our ongoing expansion efforts in the Old Dominion are a tribute to the diverse and skilled workers that call Virginia home. I look forward to seeing our continued growth for years to come.”  

Some of Amazon’s largest projects in Virginia are set to come online this year, including the 3.8 million-square-foot multistory robotics fulfillment center in that is set to create 1,000 jobs. When it opens this spring, it will be the largest industrial building in the state. Meanwhile, in , a 650,000-square-foot Amazon robotics fulfillment center is being built on a 119-acre site adjacent to Richmond International Raceway. Set to be finished in October, that project also is expected to create 1,000 jobs.  

Amazon has “a pretty significant presence in Henrico, beyond the facility that they’re building,” says Anthony Romanello, executive director of the Henrico Economic Development Authority. Amazon rents space for last-mile delivery in Westwood and near the racetrack, and Romanello says Amazon’s expansion there has been well-received by other county businesses. 

“Everything I’m hearing has been very positive,” Romanello says. “There’s a lot of excitement about the project. Certainly right now, in industrial construction, it’s been challenging to find materials [and] to find skilled labor, so when you have a project of this magnitude, it certainly exacerbates the market forces there.”

However, he notes, those challenges were in place before the Amazon project came along.

Compared with industrial projects that require megasites of more than 100 acres, Amazon needs less land for its buildings, says President and CEO . However, the e-tailer does have to have utilities, fiber-optic cable and other “shovel-ready” components in place, Romanello says.

Amazon is building a 650,000-square-foot robotics fulfillment center expected to open in October in eastern Henrico County. Photo by Kira Jenkins
Amazon is building a 650,000-square-foot robotics fulfillment center expected to open in October in eastern Henrico County. Photo by Kira Jenkins

Giant footprints

Aside from job creation, Amazon also is having a major impact on commercial real estate, both in creating higher demand for land and causing prices to rise in some markets.

“They’re growing at such a rapid pace, they are singlehandedly driving a lot of demand and taking up a lot of space all on their own,” says Geoff Poston, senior vice president of ‘s Hampton Roads industrial group. 

Amazon mostly leases property, but sometimes the company buys land, though Poston expects the company will acquire more properties once the pandemic-driven demand for warehousing slows down. 

Going back to 2020, he points out, five of the top six commercial real estate deals in the Hampton Roads region that year were made by Amazon. 

“It’s pretty astonishing for our market,” he says. “Hampton Roads is the 38th [largest] metro [area in the nation], and to have them take down that much space in our market, it’s got to have an effect. As the market tightens and there is less space, rates will go up and demand gets higher, and there is more competition. Maybe in an indirect way or a small way, they are having an effect.”

For example, Poston says, in Suffolk, land near Amazon’s robotics fulfillment center is at a premium, and individual leasing costs also have been affected by the e-tailer. “They have so much money and are able to afford more and muscle other tenants out if they are competing over a space,” he says. “They’re not afraid to pay.” 

Amazon is likely to remain a significant player in the state’s industrial real estate market for some time to come, driving prices up but also increasing interest in Virginia among other companies, particularly in the space.

In essence, says El Koubi, Amazon’s outsized Virginia presence has allowed the state to attract and retain other industrial projects during the past couple of years, “reinforcing the advantages that make the commonwealth a leader in the supply chain industry.” ν

The Royals of Regent

Although Lynchburg’s Liberty University has grabbed plenty of headlines in recent years, -based Regent University can more than hold its own as a politically influential private Christian institution.

Founded and still run by the 92-year-old televangelist and culture warrior M.G. “Pat” Robertson, Regent now has 11,000 students, 80% of whom are enrolled online. The average student’s age is 37, and the university’s programs are squarely focused on the Bible — to the point that law classes are 10 minutes longer than usual to allow time for Christian devotions.

Robertson started The Inc. (CBN) in 1960, and he revolutionized religious broadcasting when he launched its flagship program, “The 700 Club,” in 1966, adopting a daily newsmagazine format instead of televising sermons and church services.

Regent was incorporated as CBN University in 1977, offering only graduate-level classes at first. The next year, it welcomed about 70 students for graduate studies in communications and the arts. In 1990, CBN University was renamed Regent University, and as of 2022, the university offers more than 150 areas of study and an athletic program established in 2016 with the nickname “Royals.”

Similar to the late Jerry Falwell, Robertson was a pioneer in marrying evangelical Christianity to , helping change the way the nation thinks about both. That connection carries through at Regent, whose alumni include Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, former Gov. Bob McDonnell, Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer, 53 sitting judges, hundreds of professors at various colleges and 14 university presidents.

“Before my time, no one took evangelical Christians as serious members of the political class,” Robertson said via email. “They were always on the outside looking in. Since my work, evangelicals have become a major factor in public elections and in truth make up part of a winning coalition that has seen conservatives elected as mayors, city council members, state legislators, congressmen, senators and presidents. Without evangelicals, this remarkable transformation wouldn’t have taken place.”

A graduate of Yale and Washington & Lee University who ran unsuccessfully for the presidential nomination in 1988, Robertson no longer grants in-person interviews, the university says, but he’s still actively involved in the university’s operations. In October 2021, Robertson retired from hosting “The 700 Club,” handing the mantle to his son Gordon Robertson.

But the senior Robertson, who has sparked many controversies over the years for his on-air comments about everything from Islam and 9/11 to abortion and the LGBTQ community, has not forgotten how to shake things up. In February, Robertson made headlines for declaring that Russian President Vladimir Putin was “compelled by God” to invade Ukraine, fulfilling a biblical prophecy that would lead to an invasion of Israel predicted in the Bible’s New Testament.

When asked how he would like to be remembered, however, Robertson doesn’t mention the prophecies and predictions that have long played a part in his charismatic ministry. “I hope my legacy will be this: ‘He served God and his generation,’” Robertson says simply.

It is not clear who will succeed Robertson as the head of Regent, when that time comes.

“The board of trustees does not want that to be public knowledge,” says Chris Roslan, a Regent spokesman, who also would not say whether members of the Robertson family might be involved in leadership roles at Regent in the years to come.

Currently, all Regent vice presidents and executive vice presidents report directly to .

Virtual reach

Like fellow Christian institution Liberty University, Regent has seen its enrollment grow from offering online degree programs, which it first rolled out in 1997.

“For 10 consecutive years, Regent’s online bachelor’s program has been recognized as the best online bachelor’s [program] in Virginia by U.S. News & World Report,” says William L. Hathaway, Regent’s executive vice president for academic affairs.

Regent has taken steps to ensure the quality of its online degrees, taking a different tack from other colleges, which set up their virtual programs to function as parallel online universities, Hathaway says. “Instead, we choose to house our distance programs or offerings in the same academic units that offer our on-campus programming. There is no difference in the curricular expectations or quality standards among the faculty in our various disciplines between our online and on-campus programs.”

However, prospective students sometimes do want to know whether being taught from a Christian perspective will impact the quality of they receive.

“They want to make sure our education really is a distinctively Christian education without compromising the standard professional or disciplinary training that is being received, even if they are not personally identified with some Christian tradition,” he says. “In short, they hope our Christian mission is a ‘value-added’ component to the education.”

While Regent is a Christian university, its students represent many denominations. “From Roman Catholics to Pentecostal, we have a wide range of faith expressions here,” Hathaway says.

The preponderance of classes at Regent are taught by adjunct faculty, who represent about 80% of the university’s nearly 1,500 faculty members.

Because students involved in distance education are taught by faculty who are located away from Virginia Beach, the university has a greater pool of qualified faculty to draw from — as well as a financial consideration. Adjunct faculty complement the full-time faculty and add “substantial, cost-effective capacity to our university, allowing us to keep tuition and other costs competitive,” according to Hathaway.

In a region dominated by military installations, Regent also has been active in enrolling and supporting veterans and their spouses.

Political influence

A 2012 candidate for the GOP presidential nomination, former U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann is dean of Regent's Robertson School of Government. Photo courtesy Regent University
A 2012 candidate for the GOP presidential nomination, former U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann is dean of Regent’s Robertson School of . Photo courtesy Regent University

While Regent’s scholarship and educational offerings represent conservative perspectives more than many other colleges and universities, its students represent a range of sociopolitical perspectives because they are drawn from a pool of applicants both national and worldwide, Hathaway says.

However, a lesbian Regent law student joined a class-action lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education last year to challenge the religious exemption to Title IX, which the 40 plaintiffs say allows discrimination against LGBTQ students at Christian colleges and universities.

Among Regent’s faculty are some Party luminaries, including former U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, who sought the GOP nomination for president in 2012.

Bachmann is the dean of Regent’s Robertson School of Government, which offers master’s degrees in five subjects: American government, national security studies, campaigns and leadership, public administration, and international development.

Bachmann, who grew up in a Democratic family, supported and campaigned for Democrat Jimmy Carter for president but switched her allegiance to Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980.

A mother of five, Bachmann has been a vocal opponent of abortion and once introduced a proposed constitutional amendment in the Minnesota Senate to bar the state from recognizing same-sex marriage. News accounts have characterized her as a vocal skeptic of global warming.

But Bachmann says the Robertson School of Government — which has 174 students in its master’s programs, the majority of whom study online — encourages students to form their own opinions.

“Our students come to us from all over the world and from diverse backgrounds,” she says. “At RSG, we work hard to offer the finest instruction possible in accordance with biblical principles. Students form their own personal and political viewpoints.”

A rising GOP star, Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears received a full scholarship to attend Regent’s School of Business & Leadership, from which she earned a graduate degree in organizational leadership.

One of the takeaways from her Regent education, the lieutenant governor says, was the idea of servant leadership.

“You have to earn respect; you don’t demand respect,” she says. “But once you sit in the big chair, you better be able to lead, so you better know what you’re doing. So, I got that from Regent.”

Another big-name faculty member at Regent is former Virginia governor and attorney general Bob McDonnell, who attended Regent when it was known as CBN University.

McDonnell was a decade away from his graduation from the University of Notre Dame — having served in the military for four years and later worked in business — when he began thinking about taking advantage of his G.I. Bill and getting more education.

“I also really became interested in the integration of faith and learning and the founding of our country, and I wanted to find out more about government. Having been raised in the Catholic Church, I was always interested in how faith affects all aspects of life, especially government,” McDonnell says. “I thought Regent would be a great place to learn.”

He earned a master’s degree in public policy and a law degree from Regent. Today, McDonnell teaches a limited number of law classes at Regent’s law and government schools. He also continues to practice law and provides consulting services.

“I practiced law for 33 years, and I have experience in government. I am able to translate to the students between the theoretical and academic versus the practical world of politics and government,” McDonnell says, adding that he also helps students find internships and make connections with those who might help them in their careers.

Legal precedents

Seen here in 2005, now-92-year-old Regent Chancellor Pat Robertson stepped down in October 2021 as the longtime host of “The 700 Club,” the flagship TV show on his Christian Broadcasting Network. Photos courtesy Regent University
Seen here in 2005, now-92-year-old Regent Chancellor Pat Robertson stepped down in October 2021 as the longtime host of “The 700 Club,” the flagship TV show on his Christian Broadcasting Network. Photo courtesy Regent University

Regent is best known perhaps for its School of Law. Founded in 1986, Regent’s law school has launched many prominent careers, particularly in conservative politics.

Regent Law is led by Dean Mark Martin, a former North Carolina Supreme Court chief justice who was also an informal legal adviser to President Donald Trump during his attempts to contest the 2020 election.

According to The New York Times, Trump told Vice President Mike Pence that Martin had counseled Trump that Pence could stop Congress from certifying the Electoral College results in the weeks following the 2020 election. Pence affirmed that the vice president doesn’t have the power to overturn a presidential election.

The Regent law school’s start was unusual, recalls Bachmann, who was enrolled at Oral Roberts University’s O.W. Coburn School of Law in Tulsa, Oklahoma, when that school closed in 1986 and moved to Virginia Beach to become a part of what was then CBN University.

“Virtually the entire law school was put on a moving truck,” Bachmann recalls, noting that she and her husband moved with the law school to Virginia, where she went on to receive a Master of Laws degree in taxation from William & Mary. “I shared the same moving truck as the law school.”

Today, with 861 students enrolled on campus and online, Regent’s law school offers a variety of study opportunities. Its structure demonstrates the close relationship between the university’s academic programs and its mission to provide “Christian leadership to change the world.”

“Every law class is 10 minutes longer than required to have time for a devotion,” notes Associate Dean of Administration and Admissions S. Ernie Walton. “The devotion often focuses on biblical principles that are relevant to the material that will be studied. During class, professors spend time not just teaching the substantive law, but analyzing and debating the law in light of Christian principles.”

Looking back over the development of Regent University from its origins 45 years ago to where it is today, founder Pat Robertson continues to hold to his original concept for the school.

“The vision of Regent is to be the most influential, transformational university in the world,” he says. “My goal with Regent is to see it not just rival Harvard and Yale, but to rival Oxford and [the] Sorbonne in the Middle Ages as a school that can impact the whole society. I believe that Regent is just getting warmed up, and the best is yet to come.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated to correct the fact that Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears earned her graduate degree from Regent’s School of Business & Leadership, not the Robertson School of Government, as originally reported.

At a glance

Founded
Regent was founded in 1977 by televangelist M.G. “Pat” Robertson as CBN University, a nod to the school’s close ties to the Christian Broadcasting Network, which Robertson started in 1960. The school was renamed Regent University in 1990.

Campus
The university’s 70-acre campus is dotted with stately neo-Georgian red brick buildings, including Robertson Hall, home to Regent’s School of Law and Robertson School of Government.

Enrollment
10,386 students

Student profile
Average age: 37
35.75% male; 64.24% female
42.42% full-time students;
57.57% part-time students
43.5% undergraduates;
46.2% graduate students
Minority: 47%

Employees
510 staff members
Faculty
Full-time faculty: 134
Part-time faculty: 675

Tuition and fees, housing and financial aid
Tuition and fees: $18,820
Room and board: $7,004
Average need-based financial aid awarded to first-year students seeking assistance: $5,417

SOURCE: U.S. News & World Report data for 2021-22 school year

Carilion Clinic receives $1M gift for education program

An anonymous couple has given a $1 million to support its employee career advancement program, the health system announced Thursday.

The Your Efforts, Supported program (YES) will launch later this year, with a goal to assist entry-level employees to earn certifications and further their to meet career goals. The gift — which will benefit Black employees enrolled in the program — will help Carilion pay to workers’ enrollment fees in degree, credential or certificate programs, as well as associated costs and their regular wages and benefits while they are in school. The YES program is open to entry-level employees of any race or ethnicity.

“This gift makes a profound statement about the value of education and its potential to transform lives through new opportunities while meeting urgent staffing needs,” President and CEO Nancy Howell Agee said in a statement. “We’re grateful to these donors who came forward at just the right time.”

The gift will set up the John Cooker Endowment Fund, in honor of a Black man who was enslaved by the donor’s grandfather’s family and continued to work for them after emancipation. According to the donor, his grandfather as a young boy called the man “John Cooker.”

“Although John Cooker has long since passed, his memory will live on through other African Americans who’ll have the opportunity to achieve the dreams John was never able to realize,” the donor said. “It’s the key reason why we will remain anonymous, and John will not. Our hope is that this gift will inspire others to help hard-working employees improve their lives through education.”

FDA moves toward menthol cigarettes ban

The said Thursday that it plans to ban sales of menthol cigarettes, a billion-dollar industry in which has a 9.4% market share.

Philip Morris USA, a subsidiary of -based , manufactures Marlboro menthol among its other brands, but R.J. Reynolds Co.’s Newport cigarettes are the top-selling menthol brand in the United States. The ban, which was widely anticipated after the FDA announced its intentions in spring 2021, would affect only traditional menthol cigarettes, not heated tobacco products like Altria’s IQOS and Marlboro HeatSticks. Those products, however, were pulled from the U.S. market in November 2021 after the federal International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled that the products violated patents held by rival Reynolds.

“We believe harm reduction, not prohibition, is the better path forward,” Altria Group spokesman Steven Callahan said in a statement Thursday. “Taking these products out of the legal marketplace will push them into unregulated, criminal markets that don’t follow any regulations and ignore minimum age laws. We will continue to engage in this long-term regulatory process.”

Proponents of the ban, however, contend that the menthol ban could reduce the number of Black and younger smokers who are more likely to purchase mint-flavored cigarettes.

“The proposed rules would help prevent children from becoming the next generation of smokers and help adult smokers quit,” U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. “Additionally, the proposed rules represent an important step to advance health equity by significantly reducing tobacco-related health disparities.”

According to the FDA, there were more than 18.5 million U.S. menthol smokers ages 12 and older in 2019, and studies have suggested that the nation could see a 15% reduction in smoking within 40 years if menthol cigarettes were banned, as well as a reduction of 324,000 to 654,000 deaths attributed to smoking over that time.

Altria also reported its 2022 first-quarter earnings Thursday, recording net revenue of $5.89 billion since Jan. 1, a decrease of 2.4% compared with the first quarter of 2021. The report says that supply chain disruptions and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have contributed to higher energy prices, changes in consumer behavior and overall inflation.

Martin Agency’s Robinson wins Ad Age CCO of the year

Danny Robinson, ‘s , was named Ad Age’s chief creative officer of the year on Thursday, as the publication lauded him for having “revved up the agency’s creative output, turning out great ideas at a quicker pace across multiple categories and brands.”

Among -based Martin’s clients are Geico, UPS, Old Navy, Doordash and Axe, and noted the agency’s move into the world of products with the debut of “Scoop There It Is” ice cream, which was developed after the popular Geico ads featuring rappers Tag Team performing “Whoop! There It Is!”

Robinson, who became CCO in 2020, was previously Martin’s chief client officer. He also is a former copywriter who founded New York-based agency Vigilante (which orchestrated Oprah Winfrey’s famous car giveaway show), and he joined Martin in 2004 as part of the agency’s winning bid for Walmart’s account. He is Martin’s first Black CCO and remains one of the few at a non-Black-owned agency, Ad Age notes. He has restructured the creative department and diversified its workforce, with 55% of all creative staffers hired in 2021 being women or Black, Indigenous or other people of color.

“There’s an eclecticism to Danny’s journey,” jury chair Chaka Sobhani, global chief creative officer of Leo Burnett, told Ad Age. “Hope comes from the fact that you don’t have to come from certain universities, a certain background. Danny had all these different roles, and then ultimately found his place.”

In December 2021, Martin was named Adweek’s U.S. agency of the year for the second consecutive year.