Elizabeth Cooper

China is historically Virginia’s top trading partner but it raised tariffs on Virginia exports such as soybeans and lumber in response to the trade war begun during the Trump administration. Photo courtesy Port of Virginia

A fair trade?

U.S.-China tensions still impact Va. economy

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While President Joe Biden will likely strike a more diplomatic tone with China than his predecessor, economists and other observers believe the United States’ rocky trade relationship with its biggest economic rival will remain contentious — which will impact Virginia’s economy. Under former President Donald Trump, the U.S. and China were immersed in a grueling…

Former Philip Morris USA President and CEO Cliff Fleet became Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s ninth president and CEO in January 2020, just two months before the pandemic started. Photo by Mark Rhodes

History in the making

Colonial Williamsburg emerges revitalized from pandemic

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Cliff Fleet took the helm of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in January 2020 with a mandate to curb declining attendance and revenue at the nation’s largest outdoor living museum while maintaining its relevance to diverse 21st-century audiences. It was a tall order and one that became even more challenging two months later when the COVID-19…

Offshore wind presents “a generational opportunity to change the economics of Hampton Roads,” says Matt Smith, director of offshore wind business development for the Hampton Roads Alliance. Photo by Mark Rhodes

Wind at their backs

Region closes in on becoming offshore wind hub

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Hampton Roads is on the cusp of becoming a supply chain hub for the thousands of components used to construct the massive turbines that will propel offshore wind farms being developed off the East Coast.  American offshore wind projects currently rely on a European supply chain for turbine components, but shipping the enormous turbines, blades…

The $300 million Rivers Casino in Portsmouth will include a four-star hotel, theaters, restaurants and retail. Rendering courtesy Rush Street Gaming

Double play

Two casinos, just miles apart, will debut in Hampton Roads

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Hampton Roads will be home to two Las Vegas-style casino complexes after Norfolk and Portsmouth voters overwhelmingly approved November 2020 referendums greenlighting the projects in their cities. The referendums passed with 64.4% of the vote in Norfolk and 66.7% in Portsmouth. The Pamunkey Indian Tribe is working with Tennessee billionaire Jon Yarbrough to build the…

In Suffolk, Amazon.com Inc. is building what will be the state’s largest industrial building, a robotics fulfillment center. Photo by Mark Rhodes

Bigger boxes

Manufacturing sector expanding in the region

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Online retailing giant Amazon.com Inc. continues to expand its footprint in Virginia, bringing 1,500 jobs total to Suffolk and Chesapeake with the construction of operations facilities in those cities. Located less than two miles apart, both facilities are slated to open this year.    In Suffolk, Amazon is building a $230 million, multistory robotics fulfillment…

Kate Staples, Dominion Energy’s manager of electrification, is working to spread the statewide adoption of electric vehicles such as this Dominion-branded car.

Charging ahead

Dominion Energy encourages electric vehicle adoption

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Greener rides are on tap for schoolchildren and commuters as Dominion Energy Inc. accelerates efforts to increase the number of electric vehicles on Virginia roads. Electric transportation is a key component of the Richmond-based utility’s 10-year Grid Transformation Plan, which sets targets for reducing carbon, adding renewable energy sources and transforming the electric grid for…

Brian Solis, an assistant to Virginia Beach’s city manager, is starting up the city’s new Resort Management Office.

Virginia Beach revives resort office to bolster Oceanfront tourism

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This summer, visitors to Virginia Beach’s resort area will be greeted by spruced-up properties, enhanced entertainment options and new tourism ambassadors. These are just some of the city’s efforts to improve the 40-block commercial district through its restored Resort Management Office. City Council is allocating $1.1 million from its tourism tax fund to revive the…

Scheduled for completion in summer 2021, the Midtown Row mixed-use development near William & Mary will feature office and retail space and 240 apartments.

Hope springs eternal

After tough pandemic season, Williamsburg seeks 2021 renewal

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Williamsburg’s tourism-steeped economy was on track for a banner year when COVID-19 knocked it off course. Businesses, including tourist attractions Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Colonial Williamsburg shut down, William & Mary sent students home, and hotel and motel occupancy rates plummeted. As of late October, with capacity restrictions gradually lifted, Williamsburg was striving to get…

Photo by Elizabeth Cooper

Change in the air

Dominion debuts offshore wind farm

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After almost a decade of planning, Dominion Energy Inc. will begin harnessing offshore wind power this fall as two massive test turbines go into operation off the coast of Virginia Beach. Standing about 600 feet tall, the 12-megawatt turbines are the cornerstone of Dominion’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) pilot project. The company, the first…

The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel is set to expand to eight lanes by 2025. Photo by Mark Rhodes

The big dig

Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion incorporates new tunnel boring technology

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With construction beginning this fall to expand the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT), relief is on the way for travelers weary of sitting in traffic jams along one of south-eastern Virginia’s most congested corridors. The $3.8 billion expansion is the largest project in the history of the Virginia Department of Transportation and one of the largest…