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BAE Systems wins $251M contract to support Navy AEGIS Combat System

The U.S. has awarded -based with a five-year, $251 million contract to provide critical system and on-site technical expertise to the Technical Representative (AEGIS TECHREP) organization.

Under the contract, which was awarded in November 2024 and announced Feb. 17, BAE Systems will support the complex combat system configurations for the Navy, the Missile Defense Agency and the Foreign Military Sales program.

The work will support Navy sites in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey; Bath, Maine; and Pascagoula, Mississippi. Services offered included logistics, engineering, test and evaluation, system acquisitions and .

BAE Systems says that has developed and deployed “unparalleled digital analytic tools across all these task areas,” and that these tools provide near real-time mission impact assessments caused by software deficiencies. The company says these assessments result in a greater focus on where best to invest in advancing critical combat capability to the Navy.

“For more than 40 years, BAE Systems personnel have collaborated closely with Sailors and civilians to enhance and modernize the fleet of AEGIS-equipped surface ships,” said Lisa Hand, vice and general manager of BAE Systems’ Integrated Defense Solutions business in a statement. “Our team possesses extensive expertise in AEGIS and Ship Self-Defense Combat Systems, combined with the agility, innovation, and technical skills necessary to provide the U.S. Navy with the safe and effective combat capabilities required to achieve its mission goals.”

Also in November 2024, BAE Systems won an up to $238 million Navy contract to maintain, modernize and repair a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship.

BAE Systems has about 41,000 employees worldwide and reported $13.6 billion in 2023 revenue. In addition to its California shipyard, the company has one in Norfolk and one in Florida. Its Norfolk shipyard team received two Navy contracts in mid-October, 2024 worth a combined $202 million for the maintenance, modernization and repair of two vessels.

VCU Health resumes gender-affirming care for existing patients, following U.Va. decision

VCU Health and the Children’s Hospital of at VCU announced Tuesday that the system will resume gender-affirming medical treatments for under 19 if they are existing patients, but the system will not offer gender-affirming surgeries or medically treat new young patients.

and suspended all gender-affirming medical care for patients under 19 on Jan. 30, following Donald Trump’s executive order prohibiting health care providers from prescribing puberty blockers, hormone medications and certain surgeries to minors and the state attorney general’s issuing a letter to VCU Health and UVA Health directing both systems to halt all gender-affirming medical care to such patients immediately.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Virginia Attorney General , both Republicans, have voiced support for the executive order’s limitations on medical care, and Miyares issued a directive to UVA Health and VCU Health enforcing Trump’s order last month, despite the Virginia Human Rights Act in the state code explicitly protecting people from discrimination related to their gender identity.

A few days after Trump’s order took effect, a group of transgender youth, young adults and family members joined the ACLU, GLMA and PFLAG in a federal lawsuit challenging Trump’s executive order filed in a federal court in Maryland.

One 17-year-old plaintiff, Willow, and her mother live in Richmond; according to the , Willow had a Jan. 29 appointment canceled at VCU Health, where she sought gender-affirming medical treatment with her mother’s permission.

UVA Health resumed care for transgender patients under 19 after a federal judge placed a two-week restraining order on Trump’s order on Feb. 13, and on Feb. 21, the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors passed a resolution that its health system will provide gender-affirming treatment only to current patients under 19, and new patients will be referred to private health care providers until further notice. VCU Health’s Feb. 25 announcement is similar in nature to UVA Health’s policy.

Before Feb. 25, VCU Health had not resumed after receiving “verbal guidance from the ‘s office that the Virginia attorney general’s prior directive that prohibits gender-affirming services outlined in the White House’s executive order still stands,” according to an earlier statement.

VCU Health said Feb. 25 it will provide education, counseling and mental health services for young people seeking gender-affirming care, but will not provide medication or surgery to new patients, and the system will “as soon as possible” try to transfer the care of existing patients requiring gender-affirming medication or surgeries to non-VCU Health providers.

“We will continue to keep you informed regarding this evolving situation,” the hospital said in a statement posted online. “We are grateful for your support as we navigate these times and continue to advocate with a focus on the health of our patients and providers.”

Best at Work Insights: Employees’ happiness is overrated

Do we worry too much about how happy employees are? I lead , a research and advisory firm focused on helping organizations create high-engagement and high-performance cultures, and I certainly believe so. If anything, I think caring about employees’ happiness is overrated. Let me explain.

levels have been dropping for years. Per a recent Gallup survey, currently sits at 31%. This means only 3 out of 10 are actively engaged in the work they do. The other 7 are mentally checked out; they attend meetings and do the work but with only a fraction of their effort.

When you have a lot of your employees disengaged, you are faced with an existential risk to your business. It’s proven that disengaged employees are less productive, less innovative, less focused, and more likely to leave the organization. The cost of replacing someone you didn’t want to see go? Between 50% and 200% of their salary. Disengagement means you’re burning dollars all day.

There are a lot of theories on why engagement has been so low for years (the recent “peak” was 36% in 2020). This is a complex issue that doesn’t have one root cause. There is one cause that I believe is underappreciated: the obsession with employee happiness.

Look up books, white papers, or blogs on the topic of “employee engagement” and you get plenty of them pointing toward bringing smiles to employees’ faces. But this is all wrong. Happiness is not the goal. It’s not even the journey. It is a byproduct of something much more important: thriving.

If I asked you, what is the goal of a manager, you’d likely tell me it’s about getting business results and keeping their teams focused on the right things. You’re likely right. Now, if I asked you how a manager should achieve this goal, what would you say? Often organizations think this is done by making sure employees have a great experience. Success and happiness don’t often go together.

Take Nick Saban, the celebrated former coach at the University of Alabama. One of the hallmarks of his coaching style was the demanding intensity he’d put on his players. One famous anecdote illustrating Nick Saban’s intensity dates back to a game Alabama won by a wide margin. As soon as the team entered the locker room, players expected a round of congratulations. Instead, Saban zeroed in on one missed assignment — a seemingly minor slip-up that had no impact on the final score. He immediately launched into a sharp critique, breaking down every detail of the play. Over the next several minutes, he painstakingly analyzed footwork, angles, hand placement — anything that could have been done better.

Were his players happy to hear this? Unlikely. Did they become better because of it? All those championships would say so. Did they admire him for putting them through this demanding, yet fulfilling process? Absolutely.

The hallmark of a great culture is not whether people are happy or comfortable. It is whether they are excited about being a part of it. Excitement comes from being a part of something bigger, growing as an individual, and seeing progress from that effort.

There’s nothing wrong with caring about your people’s mood. But in a world where many things are happening at the same time, that is the wrong North Star. Instead of caring about their smiles, care about their souls, and are they being fired up. Are you helping them grow and win by giving them great coaching, great resources, and great recognition?

The rest will take care of itself.

Jaime Raul Zepeda is EVP, Principal Consultant for Best Companies Group and COLOR Magazine, part of .

Wondering whether your organization is on the right path to win? Talk to us at Best Companies Group so we can analyze your organization’s health, your team dynamics, and your leadership’s effectiveness. We’ve helped over 10,000 companies understand and improve their workplace using data-driven strategies. Send me a note at [email protected]

Best Places to Work in Virginia awards is scheduled March 31, 2025. 

Conn. developer files amended complaint in $40M Diamond District lawsuit

After a Circuit Court judge dismissed a Connecticut developer’s $40 million over the city’s $2.44 billion project, the developer has filed an amended complaint with a change in language.

Judge Bradley B. Cavedo ruled Jan. 22 in favor of defendants Realty Partners, a subsidiary of Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer, and Chicago-based Holdings, which requested a demurrer on the complaint. Republic Projects, a limited liability company affiliated with Connecticut developer Republic Properties, sued the two companies and employees of the two firms in July 2024, alleging that they cut Republic out of the development deal sometime between June and December 2023 and formed their own development partnership, Diamond District Partners, behind Republic’s back.

In his ruling, Cavedo wrote that “the court finds a distinction between pursuing a contract and carrying on as co-owners of a business. The course of dealing between the parties was considered in the court’s determination of whether a partnership was adequately pled. …

“However … the court finds that the plaintiff has not advanced facts that, if taken as true, would support plaintiff’s claims against the defendants,” Cavedo continued. The ruling gave the plaintiff 28 days to amend its lawsuit.

In the amended complaint, filed Feb. 19, Republic claims created a “business venture” with Thalhimer and Loop. In the previous complaint, Republic referred to the deal as a “partnership” in its initial lawsuit.

“Plaintiff Republic and defendants Thalhimer and Loop created a business venture, joining together to prepare a response to the [Request for Information] to win the Diamond District Project, and they would jointly own the response to the RFI,” Republic alleges in the amended complaint.

Additionally, Republic claims that the “Republic/Thalhimer/Loop business venture constitutes a partnership or joint venture under Virginia law.”

Republic requests a judgment of $40 million in damages, the costs of the lawsuit and other relief deemed proper by the court.

The amended complaint does not include the four named in the original suit, where were local Thalhimer principal Jason Guillot, Loop Capital Chairman and CEO James Reynolds Jr. and Loop advisers Susan Cronin and Gregory Peck.

Loop is no longer part of the partnership, leaving Thalhimer as the only original partner of the joint venture.

Thalhimer declined to comment on the amended complaint Monday. Dan Herbst, an attorney with Reed Smith representing Loop, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The 67-acre Diamond District mixed-use redevelopment project centers on a new stadium for the Richmond Double-A baseball team. The project’s first phase is expected to cost $627.6 million, and includes an 8,000-capacity, $117 million-plus baseball stadium dubbed CarMax Park, which is set to open in time for the 2026 baseball season. The development is also set to include a hotel with at least 180 rooms from a high-end brand, such as Hilton or Westin, and 2,800 residential units, 935,000 square feet of office space, 195,000 square feet of retail and community space, and another hotel.

Originally, in May 2023, Richmond City Council approved a development agreement with RVA Diamond Partners LLC, a joint venture that including Connecticut-based developer Republic Projects, , Loop Capital Holdings and San Diego venue developer JMI Sports.

In May 2024, the city of Richmond, Richmond Economic Development Partners and Diamond District Partners — a different entity — signed a development agreement.

Diamond District Partners includes Capstone Development, Pennrose, Maryland-based NixDev and M Cos., “as well as a deep bench of design and construction experts,” according to a Thalhimer statement from November 2024.

Loop Capital was no longer affiliated with the development partnership as of November 2024 and said in a statement then: “Loop never signed onto any partnership agreement that is the subject of Republic’s lawsuit.”

In its complaint, Republic Properties argues that Loop did not sign the “venture agreement” between Republic and Thalhimer’s Richmond RVADP LLC affiliate but alleges, “Defendants Loop and Thalhimer and plaintiff Republic continued to carry on the business venture to win and carry out the Diamond District Project.”

Diamond District Partners then reached an agreement with the city “in or about April 2024,” the complaint says. “The terms of that development agreement are very different, and far more favorable to defendants Thalhimer and Loop and their Diamond District Partners entity than the development agreement which was approved by the city council on April 24, 2022.”

Diamond District Partners is developing the first phase of the mixed-use component surrounding the planned new baseball stadium. The three-part first phase of the project, according to the development agreement between the city, the EDA and Diamond District Partners, is 22.5 acres. Phase 1 is expected to be completed by 2034.

The Richmond Flying Squirrels team is working with Texas-based development management consultant Machete Group for the stadium itself. In July 2024, Rhode Island-based Gilbane Building announced it and Chesterfield County-based Prestige Construction Group had won a contract to build the stadium. Having a separate development team chosen by the Squirrels for the stadium was a change from the original development agreement.

In August 2024, the Richmond Economic Development Authority’s board approved a 30-year lease and stadium development agreement between the EDA and the Flying Squirrels, in which the Squirrels will pay $3.2 million in annual rent for the next 10 years, with the rates decreasing after that point.

Virginia Agribusiness Council appoints new CEO

The Virginia Council announced Monday that is appointing , an industry veteran, as its new and effective March 3.

The council is a nonprofit member organization that advocates for government policies that support Virginia’s agriculture industry and provides resources and education for agribusiness professionals. In his new role, Davis will focus on enhancing the council’s advocacy efforts at state and federal levels and driving new revenue opportunities. His priorities include expanding membership and fostering partnerships among agribusinesses, government agencies and other stakeholders to create more opportunities for Virginia’s agricultural sector.

“I’m humbled and honored to guide VAC through a new era of leadership and advocacy and work alongside our members, partners, and stakeholders to ensure that Virginia remains a national leader in agriculture,” Davis said in a statement.

Davis will replace executive director Cliff Williamson, who wrote in an email that he is leaving March 1.

“The ‘s Board of Directors have determined that a change in leadership is needed,” Williamson wrote.

Williamson, who has served as executive director since November 2022, declined to elaborate on why the change in leadership was happening when contacted Monday. He said he was grateful for the opportunity to have spent the last two and a half years “with such a substantial group of leaders, producers, and change makers.”

“Serving Virginia’s agricultural and forestry communities has always been my dream, and I am grateful for the chance to play a small part in this great work,” he wrote in an email. “I am grateful for words of encouragement I have received of these last few days, and I hope to find a new opportunity within Virginia’s great agricultural community.”

Board member Lindsay Reames explained that the Virginia Agribusiness Council restructured the role from president and CEO to an executive director a few years ago. She said the council tried the executive director role for a couple of years but decided to return to a president and CEO position to represent their interests better. She said the new position has different requirements and more responsibilities, and “we wanted to find a candidate that could really meet those requirements of executive-level leadership.”

She said the council felt based on Davis’s expertise and leadership in this area, “he was a really good fit for this goal to really take the council to the next level.” She declined to elaborate on Williamson’s performance as executive director, saying she couldn’t comment on personnel matters.

According to a news release from the council, Davis has more than 17 years of agriculture industry and leadership experience and previous government relations roles at the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, Monsanto, Bayer CropScience and Tetra Pak. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech and his master’s in business administration from Virginia Commonwealth University.

“We are excited to have Trey Davis at the helm of the Virginia Agribusiness Council,” VAC Board Chair Paul Franklin said in a statement. “His combination of strategic vision, industry experience, and passion for agribusiness makes him uniquely qualified to lead VAC through its next phase of growth and reinvention.”

Matthew Lohr, Virginia’s secretary of agriculture and forestry, said in a statement that he’s worked alongside Davis and that he has “relentless passion for Virginia’s agribusiness community firsthand.”

Youngkin announces resources to support federal workers

Amid facing the threat of , Virginia announced on Monday that Virginia has 250,000 jobs open across various industries and unveiled an initiative to help connect the state’s workforce to these positions.

Tens of thousands of workers have been fired under ‘s administration. During a press event at the Capital One Financial headquarters in McLean, Youngkin said he had “extraordinary empathy” for Virginians in the federal workforce who “are experiencing real concerns.” However, he indicated support for the ‘s goals.

“Listen, we have a federal government that is inefficient, and we have an administration that is taking on that challenge of rooting out waste, fraud and abuse,” Youngkin said. “And driving efficiency in our federal government needs to happen.”

While Youngkin said he didn’t believe the federal workforce was “at fault,” he said, “any who steps into a position where there is an organization that has got such deep financial challenges is going to have to make a change.”

Youngkin acknowledged the large number of federal workers in the state and said he wants to help those who experience job dislocation to find a new career in Virginia. He announced the launch of the VirginiaHasJobs.com online resource can use to connect with those opportunities, which he said “stretch across every industry imaginable,” including advanced manufacturing, health care, space, education and law enforcement.

Federal employees started receiving emails Saturday asking them to explain what they did for work last week. , head of the Department of Government Efficiency, wrote on social media platform X that “failure to respond will be taken as resignation.”

Musk argued the email is meant to identify “outright fraud.”

“The reason this matters is that a significant number of people who are supposed to be working for the government are doing so little work that they are not checking their email at all!” he wrote on X.

However, The Washington Post reported Monday that administration officials at defense and intelligence offices, including Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, have advised their staff not to respond, noting the agency’s sensitive and classified work.

The Washington Post also reported that the email sent to workers didn’t mention the potential consequence of being fired for not responding, which lawyers have said would be illegal.

Youngkin also announced a federal worker support resource package to support Virginians affected by federal workforce changes and help match their skills with open positions. All state resources for federal workers are available on the ‘s website.

The Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus released a statement Monday criticizing Youngkin’s comments on federal job losses as “nothing more than empty rhetoric lacking both transparency and accountability.” While the caucus expressed appreciation for the governor compiling a list of employment resources, they accused him of failing to stand up for his constituents as job losses rise.

“This isn’t just ‘workforce realignment’ or ‘separating from an employer,’ this is Elon Musk wreaking havoc in D.C., the President giving him free rein to fire qualified federal employees, and Governor Youngkin standing by in complete silence as the lives of his constituents hang in the balance,” the statement said.

Real Estate News Heard Around Virginia and the nation

NORTHERN 

Gilbane pitches office-to-apartments conversion in Virginia Square 
Washington Business Journal 

Fredericksburg City Council unanimously approves controversial data center project in Celebrate Virginia South 
The Free Lance-Star 

Tactical-gear manufacturer Aspetto relocating headquarters to Stafford County 
Inside NoVa 

Middleburg’s Market Salamander was Sheila Johnson’s first foray into hospitality. She just sold the building. 
Washington Business Journal 

CENTRAL 

Chesterfield board OKs 260-home development on Swift Creek Reservoir 
Times-Dispatch 

EASTERN 

Bulk of Chesapeake’s Greenbrier Mall sold at auction 
The Virginian-Pilot 

Virginia Beach property values, tax bills will climb, thanks to rising assessment values 
The Virginian-Pilot 

Former Williamsburg Wells Fargo building to become apartments 
Williamsburg Yorktown Daily 

ROANOKE/ NEW RIVER VALLEY/ LYNCHBURG 

Hotel proposed to be built near Dixie Caverns 
The Roanoke Times 

 69-unit development proposed in Roanoke County at city border 
The Roanoke Times 

Air Filter Systems relocating to Bedford County 
 The News & Advance 

SOUTHERN 

Residents file suit against Axton solar company 
Martinsville Bulletin 

SHENANDOAH 

Townhouse development planned near Culpeper’s Kestner Wayside 
Culpeper Star-Exponent 

4 bids received for Stephens City schoolhouse renovation 
The Northern Virginia Daily 

Rockingham County supervisors discuss whether to limit future developments 
Daily News-Record 

SOUTHWEST 

Board of Supervisors consider providing assistance to develop lots near proposed inland port 
Cardinal News 

Washington planners approve revisions to county’s solar project policy 
Bristol Herald Courier 

OTHER NEWS 

DOGE risks a new $5B headache for struggling US landlords 
Bloomberg 

The investor who won big on zombie malls is going all in on empty offices 
The Wall Street Journal 

Herndon tech distributor names new president

Four Inc., a distributor of products to the government, announced earlier this month that has named a new and to replace former leader and co-founder Jeff Nolan, who is now executive vice chair of ‘s board.

David Stewart, previously Four’s chief operating officer, began his new role Feb. 5, according to a news release.

Nolan, who has four decades of experience in and , founded Four in 2006 with his wife Greta Nolan, chair of the company’s board.

Stewart joined the company in 2018 as vice president of corporate development and was named COO in 2023, according to his LinkedIn page.

“David has been with us for seven years, playing a crucial role in shaping and executing the company’s strategic direction while providing invaluable leadership that has driven bottom-line growth,” Jeff Nolan said in a statement. “As [the company] continues to enhance its public sector IT distributor platform, David is the perfect leader to oversee our ongoing growth and transformation.”

Stewart, who has more than 40 years of experience in the information technology industry, previously worked for IBM and Unisys. Most recently, he was vice president and general manager of the public-sector business unit at Arrow Electronics, a Colorado headquartered technology distributor.

Four became a portfolio company of Sverica Capital Management, a Texas private equity firm, in September.

RTX subsidiary secures $1.5B Air Force contract

Pratt & Whitney, a subsidiary of Fortune 500 aerospace and defense contractor , secured a three-year award valued at up to $1.5 billion to sustain F119 engines powering the U.S. ‘s F-22 .

RTX announced the contract award to its aerospace manufacturing subsidiary, headquartered in Connecticut, Thursday. The maintenance and support services provided will “improve readiness and reduce costs” for the F119 fleet, which contains more than 400 engines that have flown over 900,000 engine flight hours, according to a news release.

“The F119’s readiness and reliability rates have never been more important, and we are improving both while lowering lifecycle costs,” Jill Albertelli, of military engines at , said in a statement. “We are committed to helping our U.S. Air Force customer maintain the F-22’s combat edge.”

The F119 is a turbofan engine that powers the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. The F-22 Raptor’s two F119 engines generate over 35,000 pounds of thrust, enabling altitudes above 65,000 feet, according to a news release. A feature known as supercruise allows the F-22 to achieve supersonic speeds without afterburning and gives the aircraft an extended operational range.

Pratt & Whitney says has lowered costs on the F119 engines through a “Usage Based Lifing program” that uses real-time data to enhance maintenance efficiency and extend engine life while also improving the engine’s kinematic performance with an engine control schedule update.

RTX has more than 185,000 employees and reported sales of more than $80 billion in 2024.

Charlottesville-area apartment complex sells for $57M

A 324-unit just outside has sold for $56.75 million.

-based Willow Creek Partners sold the property, Barracks West Townhomes & , to West End Capital Group, according to a Feb. 14 news release from brokerage KLNB, which arranged the sale. Willow Creek Partners acquired the apartment complex at 255 Saponi Lane in Albemarle County for $44.9 million in 2021.

Washington, D.C.-based West End Capital Group plans to make extensive improvements to the common area amenities and living spaces. The apartment complex features a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom traditional and townhome-style residences spanning 459 to 1,176 square feet.

“West End is well-positioned to build on the existing foundation and further enhance the community to drive long-term value,” Rawles Wilcox, principal of KLNB’s multifamily capital markets platform, said in a statement.

Barracks West is within a mile of the University of Virginia, 3 miles from Charlottesville’s downtown district and 8 miles from Charlottesville Albemarle Airport. KLNB senior vice Jared Emery said in a statement that interest in Charlottesville multifamily assets “is at an all-time high.”

“This opportunity attracted offers from groups across the investor spectrum, ranging from family offices and regional firms to large institutions,” Emery said. “This area of Virginia is highly sought after due to its high barriers to entry and strong demographic profile.”

Managing partners Jimmy Barter and Jeff Wainwright founded privately held real estate investment firm West End Capital Group in 2013. has since acquired more than $500 million of real estate, including over 4,000 apartment units and nearly 1 million square feet of commercial space.

West End Capital Group did not return requests for comment by press time.

KLNB’s Wilcox and Emery coordinated the sale.