OurView: How did it get so late so soon?
Published
On the subject of time, the much-beloved children’s book author Dr. Seuss once wrote, “How did it get so late so soon?” With December here, that’s an almost perfect description of 2020. How did it get so late, so soon? Most of the past 8 to 9 months have been characterized by an almost immutable
Walking around
Published
Back in 1982, Tom Peters and Robert Waterman Jr. co-authored a business book titled, “In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America’s Best-Run Companies.” Among many topics popularized by this bestseller was a concept called “management by walking around.” This wasn’t an entirely new idea. It was practiced in the 1970s at Hewlett-Packard and had roots
Privacy matters
Published
That unintended consequences come with innovation should be no surprise. Today, technology and social media are global cultural obsessions with a tremendous impact on business. Not that long ago, who would have thought a wallet-sized object like a smart phone would replace nearly every piece of office equipment — telephones, typewriters, copiers, cameras and, to
Big accomplishments
Published
The motto of Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. (HII) is “Hard Stuff, Done Right.” That easily fits the work of HII, parent company of Newport News Shipbuilding, Virginia’s largest industrial employer. Its projects — including the construction of U.S. Navy submarines and aircraft carriers — are huge, require complex engineering and are vital to our national
The power list
Published
Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Virginia 500 — The 2020 Power List. This project has taken more than a year from concept to completion. Our hope is that you will find it to be an insightful and helpful resource on leadership in Virginia. Five hundred is a big number. Just who should be
Antitrust matters
Published
On a bright spring day in May 2009, I was on the campus of Hampden-Sydney College near Farmville for my son’s graduation — obviously a proud moment for any parent. U.S. Sen. Mark Warner delivered the commencement’s keynote address. During his first term as senator and one of the first times I had heard the
What’s normal?
Published
When things get back to normal. How many times have you heard that? How many times have you said that? What’s normal? Sometimes there’s a qualifier, like what’s the “new” normal? Who knows? If you think you do, wait and see. It’s not just the normalcy that is intoned by such nostalgic statements, it’s the
A shining light
Published
Welcome to the 2020 Virginia Maritime Guide! This annual publication is distributed to business readers statewide. It highlights the important contributions made by the maritime, distribution center and logistics industries to the economy of Virginia. It also serves as a valuable resource, including information on the companies and organizations serving these industries. Over the past
Setting the rules of the game
Published
In mid-March, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, and two weeks later, on April 3, the Steven Mnuchin-led U.S. Department of Treasury finalized its plan to provide emergency loans to small businesses. This extraordinary action signaled a dramatic break from contemporary politics. The presumed correlation between capitalism and democracy was
A message to our readers
Continuing our mission to bring you timely business intelligence during a global crisis
Published
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Virginia Business continues to gather the most timely and informative news each day, disseminating it through our daily e-newsletter, as well as breaking news alerts. Our upcoming April issue, which will be available both in print and online, will include a cover story special report on the coronavirus crisis. Although news