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Three CEOs from Virginia return to Fortune’s most powerful women list

Three Virginia contractors’ CEOs returned to ‘s in business list for 2025, the publication announced Tuesday.

Phebe Novakovic, chairman and of -based , is ranked at No. 36 and is the highest placed Virginia executive on the global list. However, she fell 10 spots from her ranking at No. 26 in 2024.

Novakovic, now in her 12th year as CEO, saw a nearly 13% increase in revenue in 2024 to $47.7 billion, but General Dynamics has encountered some supply chain difficulties, as well as shareholder pushback over the use of its weapons in Gaza, Fortune notes.

Kathy Warden, the chair, CEO and president of -based , is ranked No. 68 — down 43 places from her 2024 ranking. According to Fortune, in 2025 NG has “faced some difficulties — including posting losses on the initial production of its stealth bomber program due to higher manufacturing costs and inflation.”

At No. 82 is Toni Townes-Whitley, CEO of Reston’s Science Applications International Co. (), who rose from her debut on the list last year at No. 95. Named SAIC’s chief executive in 2023, Townes-Whitley said in March during an earnings call that the Trump administration’s cuts in federal spending have had a “nominal” impact on the company’s finances, Fortune notes.

Fortune’s list of the world’s most powerful business women is now in its 28th year, and it again is led by General Motors CEO Mary Barra, who has been No. 1 on the list two years in a row. In second place is Accenture Chair and CEO Julie Sweet, who formerly was based in the professional services company’s office. Rounding out the top five spots are Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser, AMD Chair and CEO Lisa Su and Banco Santander Executive Chair Ana Botín.

Fortune says that it ranked the 2025 list with numerical scores based on six factors: business size, business health, executive’s influence, innovation, career trajectory and efforts to make business better. The metrics take into account 12-month and three-year results, the publication says. Only 20 female Fortune 500 CEOs made the list this year, out of more than 50 women leading Fortune 500 companies, and 52 of the women on the 2025 list are based in the United States.

US stocks drift as S&P 500 flirts with its first drop in 7 days

SUMMARY:

  • , Dow, and all dipped amid slowing momentum.
  • Travel stocks like Airbnb and cruise lines posted major losses.
  • D-Wave Quantum surged 30% with new release.
  • rallied as central banks cut interest rates

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes are drifting lower on Tuesday, as momentum slows for Wall Street after it rallied from a deep hole nearly all the way back to its all-time high set earlier this year.

The S&P 500 was down 0.3% in afternoon trading but still within 3.2% of its record. The Industrial Average was down 89 points, or 0.2%, as of 2:03 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.3% lower.

were also drifting in the bond market, while the value of the U.S. dollar was relatively stable against other currencies following a brief jolt Monday morning after Moody’s Ratings said the U.S. government no longer deserves a top-tier credit rating because of worries about its spiraling debt.

Companies in the travel industry fell to some of the U.S. ‘s worst losses, as doubts continue about how much U.S. households will be able to spend on vacations. Airbnb dropped 3.2%, Norwegian Cruise Line fell 3.4% and Las Vegas Sands lost 2.2%.

On the winning side of Wall Street was D-Wave Quantum, which jumped 32.1% after releasing its latest quantum computing system. The company says it can solve complex problems beyond the reach of classical computers.

Home Depot slipped 0.7% after it reported better revenue than analysts expected for the start of the year, though its profit came up just short of forecasts. Perhaps more importantly for Wall Street, the home-improvement retailer also said it’s sticking with its forecasts for profit and sales growth over the full year.

That’s counter to a growing number of companies, which have recently said and uncertainty about the economy are making it difficult to guess what the upcoming year will bring. President Donald Trump has launched stiff tariffs against trading partners, only to delay or roll many of them back. Traders are hopeful that Trump will eventually lower his tariffs after reaching trade deals with other countries, but that’s not a certainty.

Target and Home Depot rival Lowe’s will report their latest results on Wednesday.

In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.48% from 4.46% late Monday. The two-year yield, which more closely tracks expectations for action by the , edged down to 3.96% from 3.97% late Monday.

Concern still remains that Trump’s tariffs could push the into a recession, even if it’s held up OK for the time being. If a recession does happen, the U.S. government may have less room to offer support for the economy through big spending plans or direct stimulus checks to households than in prior downturns. That’s because the U.S. government’s debt is so much higher now, and it could be set to get even bigger with Washington debating more cuts to taxes.

If the U.S. government can’t offer as much fiscal support for the economy, that could make the next recession deeper and last longer, according to James Egelhof, chief U.S. economist and other strategists at BNP Paribas. That could put more pressure on the Federal Reserve to prop up the economy by itself through lower interest rates.

Other central banks around the world have already begun cutting interest rates.

China’s central bank made its first cut to its loan prime rates in seven months in a move welcomed by investors eager for more stimulus as the world’s second-largest economy feels the pinch of Trump’s higher tariffs. Tuesday’s cuts probably won’t be the last this year, Zichun Huang of Capital Economics said in a report.

The Reserve Bank of Australia reduced its benchmark interest rate by a quarter of percentage point for a second time this year, to 3.85%, judging inflation to be within its target range. The earlier reduction, in February, was Australia’s first rate cut since October 2020.

Following the cuts, stock indexes rose across much of the world. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng jumped 1.5% for one of the bigger gains.

Shares in China’s CATL, the world’s largest maker of electric batteries, jumped 16.4% in its Hong Kong trading debut after it raised about $4.6 billion in the world’s largest IPO this year. Its shares traded in Shenzhen, mainland China’s smaller share market after Shanghai, gained 1.2% after dipping earlier in the day.

Dollar Tree announces CEO of Family Dollar, soon to be sold

Chesapeake-based announced Monday that its soon-to-be-sold property will be led by Duncan MacNaughton, who will serve as chairman and of the discount chain.

Jason Nordin will continue to serve as Family Dollar’s president, the company said in its announcement along with future owners Brigade Capital Management and Macellum Capital Management. The two private equity firms are set to purchase Family Dollar for $1 billion this quarter, Dollar Tree announced in March. Family Dollar is set to be headquartered in , as will MacNaughton, a spokesperson said.

MacNaughton previously was president and chief operating officer of Family Dollar from 2017 to 2019, and he held several executive roles at Walmart and Supervalu.

In March, Dollar Tree announced that MacNaughton would become chairman of Family Dollar following the sale.

“This leadership structure brings together two highly experienced and complementary leaders who share a deep commitment to Family Dollar’s success,” Mike Creedon, Dollar Tree’s CEO, said in a statement. “Duncan’s leadership experience and passion for value retail, combined with Jason’s strategic and operational expertise, position Family Dollar for a strong future as an independent company.”

The transaction, which comes after Dollar Tree’s purchase of Family Dollar in 2015 for $8.5 billion, is expected to close in the second quarter of the year.

RTX subsidiary secures $580M Navy contract

Raytheon, a subsidiary of -based 500 and , has received a $580.58 million U.S. contract, the Department announced last week.

The award is a follow-on production contract for the Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band system, according to an RTX news release from Friday. Operated in a joint cooperative program between the Defense Department and the Australian Department of Defence, NGJ-MB is an airborne electronic attack system made of two pods containing active electronically scanned arrays that radiate in the mid-band frequency range.

The uses NGJ-MB on the EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft to target advanced radar threats, communications, data links and non-traditional radio frequency threats.

Under the fixed-price incentive contract, will provide additional production NGJ-MB pod shipsets, including pods for the Royal Australian Air Force, as well as spares and specific support equipment. This contract was not competed.

Raytheon previously received a $590.8 million contract in December 2024 to provide nine NGJ-MB sets for the Navy and four more sets for the Royal Australian Air Force. In October 2024, Raytheon announced a $192 million award to develop an upgrade to the NGJ-MB system.

More than half (53%) of the work will occur in Forest, Mississippi, with 41% occurring in McKinney, Texas; 5% in El Segundo, California; and 1% in Andover, Massachusetts. Work is expected to be completed in November 2028.

RTX has more than 185,000 employees globally and reported more than $80.73 billion in 2024 sales.

Atlantic Union names new chief risk officer

Atlantic Union Bankshares has appointed Bradley S. Haun as chief risk officer, the -based bank holding company announced last week.

Haun succeeds Sherry Williams, who will retire July 1. She is serving as an adviser until then.

Haun joined Atlantic Union in 2011 as director of financial reporting and accounting policy before he became corporate controller. He most recently was chief audit executive, a role he assumed in 2021, and an executive vice president.

“Brad brings experience and proven leadership to this important role,” John Asbury, president and of and CEO of the bank, said in a statement. “He has risen through the ranks at Atlantic Union since joining the company, and he has built highly engaged teams at every stop.”

Haun began his career at Cherry Bekaert, in its audit practice. He is a Virginia Tech alumnus.

As of March 31, Atlantic Union had $24.6 billion in total assets and $20.5 billion in total deposits. As of Dec. 31, 2024, had 129 branches across Virginia and parts of Maryland and North Carolina. With its $1.3 billion acquisition of Maryland’s Sandy Spring Bancorp, the bank gained 53 branches across Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.

VTG acquires 3 Northern Virginia tech companies

Chantilly-based engineering firm announced last week that it has acquired three Northern Virginia firms in an effort to expand its footprint.

The newly acquired firms include -based , known for its cyber and information security services for and intelligence operations, as well as limited liability companies in and , based in Leesburg. Byte Systems offers secure network, data engineering and analytics solutions, and iota IT specializes in critical engineering and software development solutions.

Backed by A&M Capital, VTG says the acquisitions will enhance its offerings for customers in the defense and intelligence community. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed in the announcement, and VTG did not return requests for comment.

“The simultaneous acquisition of Byte Systems, iota IT and Tunuva Technologies represents a significant milestone for our company,” VTG John Hassoun said in a statement. “We believe that their combined expertise in advanced technology solutions will greatly enhance our ability to provide top-tier services and products to our clients in the national security sector. Together, we will drive innovation and deliver enhanced capabilities that meet our customers’ dynamic requirements.”

Len Hickey, David Eagan and Brad Philips — CEOs of Byte Systems, iota IT and Tunuva Technologies respectively — said in a joint statement that they were “thrilled to join forces with VTG.”

“This acquisition positions us to deliver even greater mission impact and compete for larger prime contracts, driving innovation and growth for our customers,” they said in a statement.

On April 30, VTG announced it had acquired another firm, Fulton, Maryland-based , a firm that provides radio frequency solutions to the military.

“The combined resources [and] talent will scale exponentially across VTG’s diverse defense and intelligence community program portfolio,” Triaplex CEO David Lee said in a statement.

Justice Department says it may drop criminal prosecution of Boeing over Max crashes

SUMMARY:

  • U.S. may drop criminal prosecution against
  • Criminal trial set to start in June
  • County-based Boeing is charged with allegedly misleading federal regulators about the 737 Max jet before two planes crashed in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people
  • There was a 2021 settlement, but in 2024, the DOJ decided to press charges after midair blowout of door on Boeing jet in January 2024

The Justice Department may drop its criminal prosecution of Boeing for allegedly misleading U.S. regulators about the 737 Max jetliner before two of the planes crashed and killed 346 people, according to a weekend court filing.

The department said in a Saturday status report that two representatives had met with the families of some crash victims to discuss a potential pretrial resolution that would involve dismissing the criminal fraud charge against the -based company.

The Justice Department said no decision had been made and that it was giving the family members more time to weigh in. A federal judge in Texas has set the case for trial starting June 23.

Paul Cassell, an attorney for many of the families in the long-running case, said his clients strongly oppose dropping the criminal case.

“We hope that this bizarre plan will be rejected by the leadership of the department,” Cassell said in a statement. “Dismissing the case would dishonor the memories of 346 victims who Boeing killed through its callous lies.”

Many relatives of the passengers who died in the crashes, which took place off the coast of Indonesia and in Ethiopia less than five months apart in 2018 and 2019, have spent years pushing for a public trial, the prosecution of former company officials, and more severe financial punishment for Boeing.

Boeing was accused of misleading the Federal Aviation Administration about aspects of the Max before the agency certified the plane for flight. Boeing did not tell airlines and pilots about a new software system, called MCAS, that could turn the plane’s nose down without input from pilots if a sensor detected that the plane might go into an aerodynamic stall.

The Max planes crashed after a faulty reading from the sensor pushed the nose down and pilots were unable to regain control. After the second crash, Max jets were grounded worldwide until the company redesigned MCAS to make it less powerful and to use signals from two sensors, not just one.

Boeing avoided prosecution in 2021 by reaching a $2.5 billion settlement with the Justice Department that included a previous $243.6 million fine.

A year ago, prosecutors said Boeing violated terms of the 2021 agreement by failing to make promised changes to detect and prevent violations of federal anti-fraud laws. Boeing agreed last July to plead guilty to the felony fraud charge instead of enduring a potentially lengthy public trial.

But in December, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor in Fort Worth rejected the plea deal. The judge said the diversity, inclusion and equity or DEI, policies in the government and at Boeing could result in race being a factor in picking a monitor to oversee Boeing’s compliance with the agreement.

Lawyers for the government and Boeing have spent months discussing a new deal. The Justice Department said in its latest filing that the two sides “discussed a possible framework for a nonprosecution agreement — but have not exchanged a draft written agreement — that would impose obligations on both parties,” including Boeing paying an additional fine and compensation.

Lawyers for the families said they learned during Friday’s meeting with the acting head of the Justice Department’s criminal fraud section and the acting U.S. attorney for northern Texas that Boeing no longer was willing to plead guilty.

The Justice Department said it had agreed to consider any written submissions by the family members through May 22. After that, the department said it would notify O’Connor promptly about how it wants to proceed.

Strike averted as submarine designers in Connecticut agree to contract with Electric Boat

SUMMARY:

  • There’s no strike at submarine builder in Connecticut as the union for about 2,500 designers has tentatively agreed to a new contract.
  • The deal was reached late Sunday between the company and the Marine Draftsmen’s Association-United Auto Workers of America, Local 571.
  • A strike would have begun Monday. Union members will now vote on the proposed deal.
  • Union leaders say the tentative contract includes unprecedented pay raises of more than 30% over the five years.

GROTON, Conn. (AP) — The union for about 2,500 submarine designers at Electric Boat in Connecticut has tentatively agreed to a new contract with the company, averting a strike that would have begun Monday.

The Marine Draftsmen’s Association-United Auto Workers of America, Local 571, essentially the workers responsible for designing the U.S. ‘s nuclear submarine fleet, had threatened to strike earlier this month if the company did not make greater wage and benefit concessions.

The local’s negotiating committee announced the tentative contract agreement late Sunday, saying it contains “unprecedented” wage increases of more than 30% over the five-year term as well as increased retirement security. The deal now goes up for a vote by union members. Union officials did not say when the vote would be.

“We’ve been saying it all along: The company didn’t want a work stoppage, we did not want a work stoppage,” William Louis, president of Local 571, said in a video posted on union social media sites Sunday night. “And as we’ve been telling you for a long time, we have been working endlessly to get to the table with the company and have something put together that we both agree on.”

Electric Boat, a subsidiary of -based , was recently awarded a contract worth more than $12.4 billion by the Navy for the construction of two Virginia-class . The funding also covers improved pay for workers including the Marine Draftsmen’s Association. The contract offers options to increase the total of $17.1 billion, along with $1.2 billion for Newport News-based Huntington Ingalls Industries and Newport News Shipbuilding.

“This package recognizes the essential role of the MDA members in the production of submarines for the ,” Electric Boat said in a joint statement with the union.

The union’s contract expired April 4, but leadership had agreed to continue bargaining with EB.

Electric Boat employs more than 23,000 people at his shipyard in Groton, Connecticut, engineering facilities in New London, Connecticut, and operations in Quonset Point, Rhode Island.

The company said its earlier offer included a 23.3% general wage increase over the life of the contract, plus benefits and an increased retirement package.

Stocks, bonds and the dollar drift after the latest downgrade to US government’s credit rating

SUMMARY:

  • U.S. , bonds and dollar value fell Monday morning after said the U.S. government doesn’t deserve a top-tier “Aaa” rating
  • Losses were significant at start of trading, but improved by afternoon

NEW YORK (AP) — After recovering from an initial jolt, U.S. stocks, bonds and the value of the U.S. dollar drifted through a quiet Monday following the latest reminder that the U.S government may be hurtling toward an unsustainable mountain of debt.

The edged up by 0.1% after Moody’s Ratings became the last of the three major credit-rating agencies to say the U.S. federal government no longer deserves a top-tier “Aaa” rating. The Industrial Average added 137 points, or 0.3%, and the composite inched up by less than 0.1%.

Moody’s pointed to how the U.S. government continues to borrow more and more money to pay for its expenses, with political bickering making it difficult to either rein in Washington’s spending or raise its revenue in order to get its ballooning debt under more control.

They’re serious problems, but nothing Moody’s said is new, and critics have been railing against Washington’s inability to control its debt for many years. Standard & Poor’s lowered its credit rating for the U.S. government in 2011.

Because the issues are so well known already, investors have likely already accounted for them, according to Brian Rehling, head of global fixed income strategy and other analysts at Wells Fargo Investment Institute. They’re expecting “limited additional market impact” following the initial reactions to the Moody’s move.

Stocks and U.S. government bond prices at first fell sharply early in Monday’s trading, but they trimmed their losses as the day progressed. The S&P 500 went from a loss of 1.1% to a modest gain of 0.2% before drifting through the afternoon.

The move by Moody’s essentially warns investors globally not to lend to the U.S. government at such low , and the yield on the 10-year Treasury briefly jumped above 4.55% early Monday morning. That number shows how much in interest the U.S. government has to pay in order to borrow money for 10 years, and it was up sharply from 4.43% late Friday. But it later regressed to 4.45% as more calm returned to the market.

The yield on a 30-year Treasury bond briefly leaped above 5% before likewise receding, up from less than 4% in September.

The downgrade by Moody’s comes ahead of a tense period for Washington, where it’s set to debate potential cuts in tax rates that could suck away more revenue, as well as the nation’s limit on how much it can borrow.

If Washington has to pay more in interest to borrow cash to pay its bills, that could filter out and cause interest rates to rise for U.S. households and businesses too, in everything from mortgage rates to auto loan rates to credit cards. That in turn could slow the economy.

The downgrade adds to a long list of concerns that have already weighed on the market. Chief among them is President Donald Trump’s trade war, which itself has forced investors globally to question whether the U.S. bond market and the U.S. dollar still deserve their reputations as some of the safest places to park cash during a crisis.

The seems to be holding up OK so far despite the pressures of , and hopes are high that Trump will eventually relent on his tariffs after striking trade deals with other countries. That’s a major reason the S&P 500 has rallied back within 3% of its all-time high after falling roughly 20% below that market last month.

But big companies have been warning recently they’re uncertain about the future. Walmart, for example, said recently that it will likely have to raise prices because of tariffs. That caused Trump over the weekend to criticize Walmart and demand it and China “eat the tariffs.”

Walmart’s stock slipped 0.1% Monday.

Other big retailers on the schedule to report their latest quarterly results this upcoming week include Target, Home Depot, Lowe’s and TJX Cos.

On the winning end of was Novavax, which rose 15% after it said U.S. regulators approved its COVID-19 vaccine under some conditions. The approval triggered a $175 million milestone payment under the company’s collaboration agreement with Sanofi.

All told, the S&P 500 rose 5.22 points to 5,963.60. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 137.33 to 42,792.07, and the Nasdaq composite rose 4.36 to 19,215.46.

In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed amid mostly modest movements across Europe and Asia.

Indexes were close to flat in both Shanghai and Hong Kong after the Chinese government said retail sales rose less in April than expected. Growth in industrial output slowed to 6.1% year-on-year from 7.7% in March.

In the foreign currency markets, the value of the U.S. dollar fell against everything from the euro to the Australian dollar.

AP Writers Jiang Junzhe and Matt Ott contributed.

Sumitomo Drive Technologies to invest $9.3M to automate Chesapeake warehouse

SUMMARY:

  • is investing $9.3 million to automate its and in , aiming to consolidate space and improve efficiency using advanced storage systems and automated guided vehicles
  • The project will not lead to layoffs; instead, 42 employees will be retrained to operate and support the new automated systems, enhancing their roles and skills
  • The company says the project is expected to boost productivity, improve workplace safety and expand the company’s foreign trade zone from 60,000 to 100,000 square feet
  • The initiative, contracted to Swisslog, is in the design phase and scheduled to go live in early second quarter of 2026

The announced last week that global power transmission manufacturer Sumitomo Drive Technologies will invest $9.3 million to automate a warehouse and distribution center in Chesapeake, as well as retraining 42 employees.

Sumitomo has maxed out its warehouse space at its U.S. headquarters at 4200 Holland Blvd. in Chesapeake. To address this, Sumitomo says that installing and implementing an automated storage and retrieval system will consolidate 27,000 square feet of inventory to 7,000 square feet. The company will also transition from using forklifts to automated guide vehicles to help manage all inventory.

“This $9.3 million investment in our distribution center is more than just — it’s a bold step toward the future,” Sumitomo Drive Technologies Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Tony Barlett said in a statement. “We’re transforming how we operate by embracing advanced automation that will dramatically improve efficiency, speed and service for our customers.”

According to Barlett, the company will not eliminate any jobs. Instead, the company will retrain 42 employees, most of whom will learn to operate the new automated warehouse.

“In fact, one of the most critical aspects of the project is the opportunity it creates to retrain and upskill our workforce,” he said in an email. “The goal of automation is to enhance safety, speed, and efficiency — not to replace people. Our employees remain essential to operations, now supported by smarter tools, expanded roles and growth opportunities.”

According to Barlett, the concept for the project began in the first quarter of 2024, and the contract was awarded in April to Swisslog, a Swiss automation company with U.S. operations in Newport News. Barlett says the project is currently progressing through the design phase. The automation systems are scheduled to go live in the early second quarter of 2026, following testing and employee training.

In addition to being more space efficient, Sumitomo expects the project to increase productivity, with 10 automated guided vehicles supporting material movement. Barlett also says automation creates a safer, more structured work environment. He said the company’s foreign trade zone in Chesapeake will expand from 60,000 to 100,000 square feet to further enhance its distribution operations.

Sumitomo broke ground at its Chesapeake headquarters in April 1988. Today, the company manufactures power transmission and control products for a variety of applications serving customers in food and beverage, parcel handling, automotive and mining. It supplies Cyclo, BuddyBox, Hyponic and Paramax products to customers nationwide. The company is a subsidiary of Tokyo, Japan-based Sumitomo Heavy Industries.

VEDP worked with Chesapeake Economic Development and the to secure the project for Virginia. VEDP will support the company’s employee retraining through the state-funded .