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JMU receives $2.5M gift for new library wing

James Madison University has received a $2.5 million for the new wing of its Carrier Library.

residents Stan and Rosemary Jones provided the , which the public university announced in late November. A 1954 physics and math alumnus of what was then Madison , Stan worked for McLean-based Mitre as an engineer for five decades, specializing in antennae design and development. He holds a master’s degree from the University of Delaware. Rosemary is a retired associate broker.

“We certainly care about libraries, and we both use our library here in Alexandria,” Rosemary Jones said in a Madison magazine feature.

The couple previously committed $1.3 million to in 2019 for scholarships for first-generation Honors College students in the university’s College of Science and Mathematics and the College of Integrated Science and Engineering. In March 2019, Jones received JMU’s College of Science and Mathematics Alumni Achievement Award at the JMU Alumni Association awards banquet.

Bob Kolvoord, who is JMU’s interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, as well as the former dean of its College of Integrated Science and Engineering, met the Joneses around the time of their previous donation.

“Stan is, at his heart, a systems analyst and engineer,” he said in a Madison magazine feature. “And what I’ve observed is that both of them really have an eye toward the future and wanting to help provide opportunity for students.”

JMU began renovating and expanding the Carrier Library in summer 2023 and expects to reopen it for the fall 2026 semester. The university is renovating 138,224 square feet and building 56,887 square feet; the new Stan and Rosemary Jones Wing will be more than 56,000 square feet.

A rendering of the Carrier Library's Stan and Rosemary Jones Wing, looking southeast across Grace Street in Harrisonburg. Image courtesy James Madison University.
A rendering of the Carrier Library’s Stan and Rosemary Jones Wing, looking southeast across Grace Street in Harrisonburg. Image courtesy

“I think it’s a really beautiful building,” Stan Jones said in a Madison magazine feature. “That was the first thing that caught my eye.”

The expanded library will have a makerspace, media production and digitization studios and an experimental tech classroom. It will also have an anatomy room, consultation and group study rooms, a lactation space, new facilities for Special Collections and a lab for book and manuscript conservation, a café, a student kitchenette and other new rooms and features.

Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, JMU is a public research university with an R2 classification from the Carnegie Commission on . In the fall semester, the university had 21,112 and 1,767 graduate students enrolled.

ECS Federal wins $96M award to support health research funding agency

A U.S. Department of and Human Services agency has named as the prime contractor on a four-year, $96 million contract to provide support services, the County IT announced Tuesday.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) was created in 2022 to improve the government’s ability to quickly develop biomedical and health solutions.

Under the contract, ECS will provide programmatic support services, including thought in areas like biotechnology and regenerative medicine, to two ARPA-H mission offices: Health Science Futures (HSF), which works to eradicate limitations that stymie progress with health developments, and Scalable Solutions (SSO), which tackles challenges to developing health solutions like geography and economies of scale.

“We are excited to provide foundational support to HSF and SSO, help drive health care system innovation, and act as a health transformation agent,” John Heneghan, president of ECS, said in a statement.

Additionally, ECS will help HSF and SSO address scalability challenges with access to health care and equity, as well as the global supply chain. The company, a subsidiary of -based Fortune 1000 IT and professional staffing services firm , will also provide strategic planning and advisory support services, including program and financial management.

In March, ECS, which has about 4,000 employees, announced it was one of five companies awarded a potential $500 million indefinite-delivery, indefinite quantity Strategic Technical ARPA-H Talent Support Contract vehicle.

ASGN reported revenue of $4.45 billion in fiscal year 2023.

Directory of business schools in Virginia

(Editor’s note: Listings with logos and longer descriptions are paid listings from display advertisers.)

PUBLIC COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES

(nonprofit, based in Virginia)

CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT UNIVERSITY
Joseph W. Luter III School of Business
Newport News
cnu.edu/schoolofbusiness

Business programs: Bachelor’s degrees in accounting, finance, management and marketing. Graduate: Master’s degree in financial analysis

GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY
Donald G. Costello College of Business

business.gmu.edu

Business programs: Bachelor of Science in business (with concentrations in accounting, business analytics, finance, financial planning and wealth management, management, management information systems, marketing, and operations and supply chain management). Graduate: MBAs, master’s degrees in accounting, business analytics, finance, management, development; Ph.D. in business

JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY
College of Business
Harrisonburg
jmu.edu/cob

Business programs: Bachelor’s degrees in accounting, business management, computer information systems and business analytics, economics, finance and business law, international business, marketing, and quantitative finance. Graduate: MBAs, master’s degree in accounting

LONGWOOD UNIVERSITY
College of Business & Economics
Farmville
longwood.edu/business

Business programs: Bachelor’s of business administration (with concentrations in accounting, economics, finance, information systems and cybersecurity, management, marketing, real estate and supply chain management endorsement); Bachelor of Science in economics. Graduate: MBA (with tracks in accounting, economics, finance, real estate, marketing, data analytics and a general track)

NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY
School of Business
Norfolk
nsu.edu/business

Business programs: Bachelor of Science in accountancy and tourism and hospitality management; Bachelor of Science in business (with concentrations in business intelligence and data analytics, entrepreneurship, finance, financial services, management, management information systems and marketing); Ernest M. Hodge Institute for Entrepreneurship

OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY
Strome College of Business
Norfolk
odu.edu/business

Business programs: : Bachelor of Science in business administration (with concentrations in accounting, business analytics, database administration, digital marketing, e-business and e-commerce, economics, enterprise cybersecurity, finance, information systems and technology, international business – east Asia, international business, management, maritime and supply chain management, marketing, marketing analytics and research, network engineering, personal financial planning, professional sales, real estate, risk management and insurance), public administration early start. Graduate: master’s programs in accounting, economics, maritime trade and supply chain management; MBA in business administration; master’s in public administration; Ph.D. programs in business administration, public administration and policy

RADFORD UNIVERSITY
Davis College of Business and Economics
Radford
radford.edu/cobe

Business programs: Undergraduate: Bachelor of business administration in accounting, finance (with concentrations in general finance and insurance and real estate), management (with concentrations in entrepreneurship, human resources management and general business), marketing (with concentrations in general marketing, digital marketing and professional sales, economics); Bachelor of Science in economics, information science and systems (with concentrations in information systems and security management and information systems and decision analytics). Graduate: MBA program, MBA with business analytics concentration

UNIVERSITY OF MARY WASHINGTON
College of Business
Fredericksburg
business.umw.edu

Business programs: Undergraduate: Bachelor of Science in business administration (with accounting, business administration, international business, management and entrepreneurship, and marketing majors). Graduate: MBA program

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
Darden School of Business
Charlottesville; Arlington County
darden.virginia.edu

Business programs: MBAs, M.S. in Business Analytics, Ph.D., Executive Education & Lifelong Learning

Darden’s unparalleled, transformational learning experiences are delivered by faculty ranked the best in the world for bringing out the best in you.

We put your purpose in motion, leading to a lifetime of career advancement and impact. All our learning pathways are intensely relational by design: immersive, learner-centered and dialogue-driven experiences that prepare you with the skills, smarts, and sense of purpose and ethics to forge the future.

A world leader in business ethics, leadership and general management, we shape how business is conducted through ideas emerging from the intersection of academic research and practice. We define high performance in business by a singular purpose: bringing people together to create value for business and society.

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
McIntire School of Commerce
Charlottesville
commerce.virginia.edu

Business programs: Bachelor’s degree in commerce. Graduate: Master’s degrees in accounting, business analytics, commerce, global commerce and management of information technologyUVA Darden’s unparalleled, transformational learning experiences are delivered by faculty ranked the best in the world for bringing out the best in you.

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA’S COLLEGE AT WISE
Department of Business and Economics
Wise
uvawise.edu/academics/departments/business-economics

Business programs: Bachelor of Arts in accounting, business administration, economics; Bachelor of Science in accounting, business administration, economics, and hospitality and tourism management

VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY
School of Business

business.vcu.edu

Business programs: Bachelor of Science in accounting, economics, finance, information systems, real estate, management and entrepreneurship (with concentrations in management/business administration, management/entrepreneurship, management/industrial management, human resource management), marketing, supply chain management.

Graduate: Master of Accountancy, Master of Decision Analytics, M.S. in business (with concentrations in branding/art direction, branding/copywriting, branding/strategy, branding/ creative brand management), business (concentration in finance), information systems, marketing – business (concentration in marketing management), M.A. in economics, MBA, Master of Sport Leadership, Master of Supply Chain Management; Ph.D. in business (concentration in management), business (with concentration in accounting), business (with concentration in information systems).

Everyone’s path is unique. At VCU Business, we believe in creating unlimited opportunities for your future. Our range of graduate programs are designed with working professionals in mind, offering flexibility in both pace and delivery. Whether you choose to study on-campus, online, evenings or, in some cases, weekends, we guide you to the path that best aligns with your goals, all while staying connected to Richmond’s dynamic business community.

VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE
Department of Economics and Business
Lexington
vmi.edu/academics/departments/economics-and-business/

Business programs: Bachelor of Arts in economics and business (with concentrations in decision analytics, financial analysis and global business)

VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY
Reginald F. Lewis College of Business
Petersburg
vsu.edu/business/

Business programs: Bachelor of Science in accounting, management information systems (with a concentration in cybersecurity and forensics), management, management (with a concentration in human resources), marketing. Graduate: MBA program



Blacksburg
pamplin.vt.edu

Business programs: Undergraduate degrees with majors in accounting and information systems, business information technology, finance, management, marketing, real estate, and hospitality and tourism management. Graduate: Evening MBA, Master of Science in Business Administration (concentrations in Hospitality and Tourism Management, Global Business Analytics, and Business Analytics), Online MBA, Online Virginia Tech Master of Information Technology, Master of Accounting and Information Systems, and Executive Ph.D. in Business.

Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business is a globally recognized institution committed to academic excellence, transformative research, and preparing the next generation of business leaders. Located in Blacksburg, with a new academic campus in , Pamplin’s diverse programs span seven disciplines, blending theoretical foundations with practical applications.

Pamplin’s faculty are renowned for cutting-edge research, addressing critical issues shaping industries and workplaces worldwide. Their work fosters solutions that drive business forward. The college cultivates entrepreneurial mindsets, ethical decision-making, and global perspectives in its students.

Pamplin’s graduate programs equip professionals with skills and knowledge to advance careers and lead in an evolving marketplace. These programs leverage academic rigor, interdisciplinary collaborations, and industry connections for a transformative learning experience.

Through its dedication to research, innovation, and student success, Pamplin upholds its mission of shaping the future of business and cultivating leaders equipped to make meaningful impacts.

WILLIAM & MARY
Raymond A. Mason School of Business
Williamsburg
mason.wm.edu

Business programs: Majors include accounting, business analytics, finance and marketing and concentrations include accounting, business analytics (with emphases in data science and supply chain), consulting, finance, management and organizational leadership, innovation and entrepreneurship, marketing, supply chain analytics, sustainability. Graduate: MBAs, master’s degrees in business analytics, accounting, marketing and finance

PRIVATE COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES

(nonprofit, based in Virginia)

AVERETT UNIVERSITY
Department of Business Administration

averett.edu

Business programs: Major in business administration (with concentrations in accounting, management science and marketing management). Graduate: MBAs (with concentrations in marketing, leadership and human resource management)

BLUEFIELD UNIVERSITY
Caudill School of Business
Bluefield
bluefield.edu/academics/colleges-schools/caudill-school-of-business/

Business programs: Bachelor’s degrees in business administration (with concentrations in accounting, cybersecurity, information technology, management and sport management), cybersecurity and leadership and innovation. Graduate: MBAs (with specializations in finance, health care management, human services justice administration and leadership)

BRIDGEWATER COLLEGE
Nolen School of Business and Professional Studies, Department of Economics and Business Administration
Bridgewater
bridgewater.edu

Business programs: Majors in business administration (with concentrations in accounting, finance, financial economics, marketing, organization management) and economics. Graduate: Master of Arts in nonprofit management, Master of Science in human resources management

BRYANT & STRATTON COLLEGE
Chesterfield County, Hampton, Virginia Beach
bryantstratton.edu/degrees/business

Business programs: Associate degrees in accounting, business, digital marketing, graphic design, hospitality management, human resources specialist, office management and restaurant and hotel management; bachelor’s degrees in business administration (with concentrations in accounting, digital marketing, general management and human resources), bachelor of professional studies (with a concentration in organizational leadership) accounting, digital marketing, general management, human resources, organizational leadership

EASTERN MENNONITE UNIVERSITY
Business and Leadership
Harrisonburg
emu.edu/business

Business programs: Majors in accounting, business administration, business analytics, international business, economics, marketing, organizational leadership, recreation and sports management. Graduate: MBA program, MBA and Master of Science in Nursing dual degree program.

EMORY & HENRY  UNIVERSITY
School of Business
Emory
emoryhenry.edu/academics/school-business/

Business programs: Bachelor of Science in accounting, business administration, business – teacher preparation, and concentrations include hospitality management, innovation and entrepreneurship, international business, leadership. Graduate: MBA program.

FERRUM COLLEGE
School of Business and Technology
Ferrum
ferrum.edu/directory/departments/school-of-business-and-technology/

Business programs: Undergraduate degrees in accounting and business administration with emphases in business analytics, financial management, management, marketing and sports management

HAMPDEN-SYDNEY COLLEGE
Economics & Business
Hampden Sydney
hsc.edu/academics/economics-and-business

Business programs: Undergraduate degrees in economics, economics and business, mathematical economics

HAMPTON UNIVERSITY
James T. George School of Business
Hampton
home.hamptonu.edu/business

Business programs: Bachelor of Science degrees in accounting, finance, business administration, entrepreneurship, economics, marketing and management. Graduate: MBAs, Ph.D. in business administration

HOLLINS UNIVERSITY
Department of Economics and Business
Roanoke
hollins.edu

Business programs: Bachelor’s degree in business with concentrations in general business, finance, international business and entrepreneurship; bachelor’s degree in economics

LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
School of Business
Lynchburg
liberty.edu/business

Business programs: Bachelor’s degrees in accounting and data analysis, business administration and data analysis, computer science, coaching, hospitality management, health care administration, computer science cybersecurity, informatics, information systems, information technology, sport management. Graduate: MBAs, master’s degrees in accounting, cybersecurity, executive leadership, finance, health care administration, health informatics, human resource management, information systems, information technology, marketing, nonprofit management, project management, sport management; doctoral degrees in business administration, organization and management, and strategic leadership

MARY BALDWIN UNIVERSITY
Staunton
marybaldwin.edu/programs

Business programs: Bachelor’s degree in business, (with concentrations in accounting, human resource management, management, marketing, project management), health care administration, marketing (with concentrations in marketing management, integrated marketing and consumer insights), and public policy. Graduate: MBA program, MBA/Master of Healthcare Administration dual degree program

MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY
College of Business, Innovation, Leadership and Technology
Arlington County
marymount.edu/academics/college-of-business-innovation-leadership-and-technology/

Business programs: Bachelor’s degrees in accounting, business administration, economics, fashion merchandising and marketing, information technology, AI, computer science Graduate: MBA, master’s degrees in cybersecurity, information technology, emerging technology, technology management and dual degree programs; doctoral programs in business administration and cybersecurity

RANDOLPH COLLEGE
Economics and Business
Lynchburg
randolphcollege.edu/economics/

Business programs: Bachelor’s degrees in business, economics

RANDOLPH-MACON COLLEGE
Ashland
rmc.edu/academics/areas-of-study/business/

Business programs: Undergraduate degrees in business (with concentrations in finance, management and marketing), accounting, economics

REGENT UNIVERSITY
School of Business and Leadership
Virginia Beach
regent.edu/school-of-business-and-leadership/

Business programs: Bachelor’s degrees in leadership studies, accounting, business (with concentrations in accounting, economics, financial management, general management, human resource management, international business, marketing and sports management), business analytics, management, marketing, Christian leadership and management, financial management, health care management and human resource management. Graduate: MBA programs, master’s degrees in organizational leadership, accounting, business analytics, cybersecurity; doctoral programs in business, business administration, strategic leadership and organizational leadership.

ROANOKE COLLEGE
School of Business, Economics and Analytics
Salem
roanoke.edu

Business programs: Undergraduate programs in business administration, actuarial science, economics, economics-finance, finance, marketing and sports management. Graduate: MBA program

SHENANDOAH UNIVERSITY
School of Business
Winchester
su.edu/business

Business programs: Bachelor’s in business administration with concentrations in accounting, aviation studies, digital marketing, economics and finance, entrepreneurship, esports management, health care management, information systems and technologies, management, marketing, sport management); e-sports management; e-sports media and communication. Graduate: MBA programs (with specializations in business analytics, cybersecurity management, digital marketing, esports management, health care management and sustainable business)

SOUTHERN VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY
Business management and leadership
Buena Vista
svu.edu/academics/programs/business

Business programs: Undergraduate degree in business management and leadership

SWEET BRIAR COLLEGE
Sweet Briar
sbc.edu/academics/business

Business programs: Bachelor’s degrees in business, economics

UNIVERSITY OF LYNCHBURG
College of Business
Lynchburg
lynchburg.edu/academics/college-of-business

Business programs: Bachelor’s degrees in accounting, economics, financial economics, business administration, management, marketing, digital media marketing, sport management. Graduate: MBA program

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND
Robins School of Business
Richmond
robins.richmond.edu

Business programs: Undergraduate degrees in accounting, business administration, economics; concentrations: accounting, business analytics, economics, finance, international business, management consulting, entrepreneurship, marketing. Graduate: MBA program, master’s in management

VIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITY
Sydney Lewis School of Business
Richmond
vuu.edu

Business programs: Bachelor’s degrees in accounting, finance and banking, business analytics, entrepreneur management, hospitality management, marketing. Graduate: program (with concentrations in church management, entrepreneurship, general MBA, global supply chain management, hospitality management), M.S. in hospitality management

VIRGINIA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY
Management, business and economics department
Virginia Beach
vwu.edu/academics/majors/business

Business programs: Bachelor’s degree in business (with concentrations in international business, marketing and public relations, human resource management, law and public administration, accounting and finance, general management and supply chain and operations management). Graduate: MBA program, master’s degrees in human services and leadership and nonprofit management

WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY
The Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics
Lexington
my.wlu.edu/the-williams-school/departments-and-programs

Business programs: Undergraduate degrees include accounting, business administration and economics.

TWO-YEAR, RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE

RICHARD BLAND COLLEGE OF WILLIAM & MARY
Business administration program
South Prince George
rbc.edu

Business programs: Associate of Science in business administration

 

Amid financial concerns, Averett University names new leadership

Averett University announced Wednesday that its board has appointed David Joyce as its 15th president. Tiffany Franks, who has served nearly 17 years as president of the private university, will retire Jan. 5, 2025.

The change comes following months of headlines about the school’s financial woes and cost-saving measures like staff furloughs and program cuts.

Don Aungst, who came on board as Averett’s vice president and chief financial and operating officer, in 2020, no longer works at the university. His employment ended April 1, 2024, according to Cassie Jones, Averett’s spokesperson.

In September, Averett announced that Donald Merricks, a retired bank president, former state delegate and a two-time alumnus, had stepped in as the school’s interim chief financial officer. A news release did not address why the position was empty.

Averett also hired Susan Nelson as its director of finance in October. “This reorganized position encompasses the controller functions of accounting and financial reporting, and also incorporates the strategic fiscal management of budgeting, planning, processes and controls,” Jones wrote in an e-mail. 

And in November, the university decided to eliminate five majors — art, chemistry, math, modern languages and religion — as well as the criminal justice master’s degree and the symphonic band program. One staff position at Averett is expected to be cut in January 2026 as a result of the cuts.

A news release about the newly selected president alluded to the university’s financial struggles.

“Dr. Joyce is the right leader for Averett,” Emma Maddux Kozlowski, vice chair of the school’s board of trustees, said in a statement. “He understands the urgency to put Averett back on strong financial footing and will find innovative ways to maximize operational efficiency.”

The board used Academic Search, a Washington, D.C. higher- executive search firm, with their search.

Joyce comes to Danville with nearly three decades of experience as a . For eight years he led Union in Kentucky. He spent another 10 years as president of Ripon College in Wisconsin and most recently worked for nine years as president of Brevard College in North Carolina.

Joyce holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Pfeiffer University, a master of divinity in pastoral psychology from the Yale Divinity School, a master’s in psychology from North Carolina State University and a doctorate in human resource development from Vanderbilt University.

He began his career at Elon University as associate dean of student affairs, before joining Pfeiffer as college minister. Joyce is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church.

Joyce will be installed as president on January 6, 2025. A “welcoming event” will be planned for that month for Joyce and his wife Lynne, according to the announcement.

“In our search for the next president of Averett, the Board of Trustees knew that Averett needed a strong leader with a proven record of turning around a college or university that was facing headwinds,” said Dan Carlton, chair of the university’s board.

A woman wearing pearls and a yellow blazer smiles.
Tiffany Franks will retire as Averett’s president in January 2025. Photo courtesy

The  announcement noted several achievements Averett accomplished during Franks’ tenure, including setting enrollment records, joining the Old Dominion Athletic Conference and strengthening ties with the Danville community.

“Nearly 17 years ago, she walked onto this campus and changed Averett,” Carlton said.  “She has been an ambassador of Averett in the community, a champion for our students and a tireless leader of the outstanding faculty and staff assembled at Averett.”

As of September, Averett had nearly 1,450 students enrolled, a 7% increase from the previous academic year, and including 550 students enrolled in Averett , its virtual educational offering. In 2022, Caesars announced a gift of $504,000 to the university to establish a hospitality and tourism academic program, and the school became Danville Regional Airport’s fixed-base operator in July 2021. Averett has offered flight training since 1981.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to add information from Averett University’s spokesperson.

Richmond’s Movieland at Boulevard Square to undergo $5M glow-up

Movieland at Boulevard Square, the city of ‘s only first-run movie , is undergoing approximately $5 million in and upgrades.

The project, which began in October and is expected to be completed in spring 2025, represents “the most extensive enhancements to the theater since it opened in 2009,” according to a Wednesday news release.

Located at 1301 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd. in the city’s area at the intersection with Leigh Street, is owned by New York-based , a family-owned and company. Bow Tie Partners also owns a Richmond site at 301 E. Main St., a city block that is primarily a parking lot.

Over the next six months, the theater will undergo renovations and upgrades, including:

  • Two new BTX: Bow Tie Extreme large format auditoriums with 50-foot-wide screens, Dolby Atmos sound and electric recliner seating;
  • Luxury electric recliners with integrated tables in all auditoriums;
  • Increased screen sizes in several auditoriums;
  • A Playland Arcade at Movieland, with an arcade and duckpin bowling;
  • An expanded kitchen and bar facility.

The interior of the existing building is being reconfigured to accommodate the upgrades, according to Ben Moss, co-founder and managing partner of Bow Tie Partners. Movieland currently has 17 auditoriums and will have 15 when the project is completed, as two auditoriums are being converted into a new kitchen and bar and duckpin bowling lanes.

Six of the renovated electric recliner auditoriums will be open by Christmas, and some recliners are currently in the theater’s lobby for guests to try out.

Movieland at Boulevard Square is an adapted 53,000-square-foot former locomotive assembly plant. Boulevard Square also includes a 6,000-square-foot former brass foundry available for lease and a parking lot with more than 750 spaces.

New dockworker strike threat looms for Port of Virginia

Shippers in are bracing for a renewed dockworker in mid-January after contract negotiations between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance stalled in November.

More than 45,000 walked off their jobs for three days starting Oct. 1 at ports from Maine through Texas, including at the , leading to panic buying at some grocery stores. , the union that represents the workers, and USMX, which supports the industry and ports, reached a tentative agreement on a wage increase of 62% over six years, setting a Jan. 15, 2025, deadline to agree to a new master contract, but bargaining broke down in mid-November, amid ILA concerns that automation would eliminate jobs.

In a statement, USMX said it is seeking continued modernization, while ILA said in its own statement that it embraces “technologies that improve safety and efficiency, but only when a human being remains at the helm. Their endgame is clear: Establish semi-automation now, and pave the way for full automation later.”

The Port of , which declined to comment for this story, is considered one of the most automated ports in the nation. According to CNBC, it currently has 116 electric semiautomatic stacking cranes, with plans to increase that number to 152, and is in the midst of a $1.4 billion modernization and expansion effort. The Virginia Maritime Association, which advocates for the state’s shipping industry, also declined to comment.

Scott Swan, a William & Mary professor who has studied the port’s economic impact, says striking a balance between labor and automation will be crucial, particularly as ships get larger and shippers and ports seek efficiency.

As the Jan. 15 deadline looms, Rachel Shames, vice president of pricing and procurement at CV International, a Norfolk-based logistics and trade compliance company, has been warning customers that dockworkers could again walk off the job. Added complications from the Chinese Lunar New Year, which is expected to shutter plants in China for a week or more starting Jan. 29, as well as President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs, could lead to shipping rushes as well as shifts, Shames says.

“I expect in the lead-up to Jan. 15 that we will see more volume moving over the West Coast as shippers just say, ‘You know, I don’t want to take any chances.’”

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Developer plans $3B data center in Appomattox County

A Connecticut developer plans to build a $3 billion on a 452-acre site in .

AVAIO Partners announced Tuesday it had signed an agreement with the County Authority to purchase the industrial site.

“This project in Appomattox County exemplifies our strategy of expanding ‘s thriving data center industry beyond traditional hubs, bringing high-tech jobs and significant investment to communities across the commonwealth,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin said in a statement.

The site will receive 300 megawatts of power from the Central Virginia Electric Cooperative, and Dominion Energy and will have “substantial onsite green power,” according to a news release.

The site is fully zoned for and is cleared and ready for “rapid construction,” according to a news release.

“We are delighted to be working with Appomattox County, Virginia, to make a major investment in the region’s digital and electrical infrastructure that will address the growing demand for digital services in a highly sustainable manner,” AVAIO Digital Managing Partner Mark McComiskey said in a statement.

is a data center managed by AVAIO Capital. The company focuses on developing and construction hyperscale data centers in the U.S. and Western Europe. It has secured more than 1.2 gigawatts of power from utilities “at sites across the country” and is planning to build out the full capacity, with almost 600 megawatts available by 2027.

Micron gets $275M in federal funding for Manassas expansion

Micron is set to receive up to $275 million in to expand its manufacturing plant in Manassas, U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine announced Tuesday.

The U.S. Department of Commerce has signed a preliminary, nonbinding agreement for the funding as part of the 2022 and Science Act, legislation Warner co-wrote. The law provides $52 billion in subsidies for domestic companies researching and , and Tuesday’s award means Micron will move its manufacturing of dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) chips for automobiles from Taiwan to .

“I am proud to announce that $275 million should soon be headed to Virginia for to manufacture more cutting-edge semiconductors here in Virginia,” Warner said in a statement. “Making more of these chips in America will strengthen our national security and create jobs, which is why I pushed to pass this funding through Congress, why I am working with Micron and the Biden administration to secure this investment in Virginia, and why I’m going to be making the case to the incoming administration that we need to keep investing in domestic manufacturing of critical and emerging technologies like semiconductors.”

Warner says that the expansion of Micron’s facility would create nearly 950 construction jobs and more than 400 manufacturing jobs. Micron currently employs 1,230 people in Manassas.

The White House announced that the Department of Commerce signed a nonbinding preliminary memorandum of terms with Micron for the $275 million in proposed funding.

“As the only U.S.-based manufacturer of memory, Micron is uniquely positioned to bring leading-edge memory manufacturing to the U.S., strengthening the country’s technology and fostering advanced innovation,” Micron President and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said in a statement. “Micron’s investments in domestic manufacturing capabilities, supported by the bipartisan CHIPS Act, will help drive economic growth and ensure that the U.S. remains at the forefront of technological advancements.”

Although the timeline of the expansion has not been announced, the Idaho-based company expects to invest $2 billion in the project, and the state also will be pitching in about $46 million, approved by the Major Employment Investment Project Review Commission in May.

According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the state repackaged a $70 million economic development incentive package awarded to Micron in 2018 to provide $46 million in unspent financial incentives for the expansion of the Manassas plant.

The U.S. Department of Commerce awarded Micron up to $6.165 billion in direct funding to expand DRAM production in Idaho and New York, creating approximately 20,000 jobs and helping the U.S. grow its share of advanced memory manufacturing from less than 2% now to about 10% by 2035, according to the Biden administration.

Micron reported fiscal 2023 revenue of $15.54 billion, compared with $30.76 billion for the previous year.