James Heffernan

In the big leagues

Port’s expansion projects put state in a leading position

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Virginia is strengthening its claim as a leading port on the East Coast.    The Port of Virginia is midway through a $700 million project to expand its two largest terminals, which will allow the port to handle an additional 1 million container units per year. The $320 million expansion of Virginia International Gateway in…

Inland empire

Ports in Richmond, Front Royal receive upgrades

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The Port of Virginia is investing in its two inland ports to boost capacity and maintain efficiency while handling greater volume from its Hampton Roads terminals. A record 2.93 million 20-foot equivalent units, or TEUs, passed through the Port of Virginia system in 2019, a 3% increase over 2018. “As we expand our primary terminals…

The Hershey Co. is investing $135 million to expand its Stuarts Draft factory. Photo courtesy The Hershey Co.

Banner year

With Merck and Hershey deals, valley hits investment record

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You’d be hard pressed to find an economic development official who had a better first year on the job than Jay Langston did in 2019. With Langston at the helm, the Shenandoah Valley Partnership, a regional economic development group, announced a record $1.5 billion in business investment last year, anchored by Merck & Co.’s expansion of its longstanding pharmaceutical production facility…

James Madison University's Melissa Lubin and Blue Ridge Community College's John Downey. Photo by Norm Shafer

A continuum of learning

JMU, BRCC partner to secure Merck investment

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While grocery shopping one evening in February 2019, Melissa Lubin received a phone call from Jay Langston, the new executive director of the Shenandoah Valley Partnership. A major employer in the region was looking to expand its operations, Langston told her, with more than 100 high-paying jobs and a multiyear investment that could reach $1…