World view
Cranwell International Center supports global Hokies
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Want to see the world? Head for Blacksburg. Well, at least that’s one way you might look at it. Virginia Tech, which sits in the New River Valley (population: approximately 44,300), boasts the largest number of international students of any college or university campus in the state. In pre-COVID years, about 4,000 international students populated
Preparing for the worst
Amid pandemic, CFOs positioned businesses for recovery
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Read about the 2021 Virginia CFO Award winners. John Brocato’s coveted tickets to the Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball tournament suddenly became void in March 2020 after the ACC canceled the tournament as the COVID-19 pandemic began turning the world on its head. And as the chief financial officer of a small building supply company
Course corrections
William & Mary adjusts for budget gaps, shifting demographics
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Can an old college learn new tricks? William & Mary, the second-oldest institution of higher education in the country by virtue of its establishment in February 1693, is proving that it can. It has had little choice. The pandemic pushed the faculty into a steep learning curve to master online teaching, with 2,000 courses moving
Making it rain
Increased e-commerce fuels wave of distribution centers
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For Hanover County Economic Development Director Linwood Thomas, things couldn’t get much better. “It’s really been a perfect storm,” Thomas says. That storm — the good type — is a deluge of distribution centers and warehouses that have opened recently or are currently in the pipeline for the county of about 108,000 residents, located about
A growing legacy
Exiting Radford president bolstered finances, enrollment
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Since his selection as president of Radford University five years ago, Brian Hemphill has fulfilled the mission he set when he was hired: to increase fundraising and open channels to boost enrollment. During Hemphill’s tenure, he has seen the university reach record enrollment numbers and grow its endowment by $20 million. But all things must
Moving forward
Tough year for some sectors, but region sees progress
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In a difficult year haunted by the coronavirus pandemic, the Central Virginia region persevered — and in some cases made economic progress. Henrico County led all other localities with a blockbuster endorsement of a $2.3 billion project, GreenCity, that would promote environmental sustainability and bring a 17,000-seat arena to the area. The 204-acre property off
Seeing green
Navy Hill developers look to Henrico for newest project
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You can almost see the dollar signs flashing as John Vithoulkas talks about the revenue that he hopes will flow to Henrico County from the $2.3 billion GreenCity development, anchored by a 17,000-seat, $250 million arena. “Once it’s running and out of the ground, fully built, it will be producing revenues greater than our top
VCU thinks small for COVID-19 innovations
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The novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has upended life across the globe, but it also has spurred innovation and invention. At Virginia Commonwealth University, two researchers have been working on projects that, if successful, might have far-reaching applications for preventing and detecting COVID-19. A vaccine patch the size of a fingernail has the attention of
Essential workers
With the pandemic’s disruption, CFOs have taken on more duties
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The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted business models. It has forced employees to seek new office sites in their kitchens, bedrooms and basements. It has ushered in hybrid educational models involving in-person and virtual learning, and imperiled funding for colleges and universities. And nobody really knows what’s coming next or when. Meanwhile, who’s minding the store?
This burg has grown
Fredericksburg region retains small-town feel amid population boom
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Three-term incumbent Fredericksburg Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw recalls when her city moved at a slower pace, as did surrounding Spotsylvania and Stafford counties. All that has changed, profoundly. Fredericksburg’s population has jumped by more than 50% during the past 20 years, from 19,279 in 2000 to an estimated 29,036 in 2019, according to the U.S.