February 2020

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Tax revenues trending up

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Charlottesville’s consumer tax revenues continue to grow. The city’s meals tax alone brought in more than $12.2 million last year — up 3.66% from the year before. Sales tax dollars have also increased by 2.21%, approaching $11.9 million. Lodging tax revenue, at $5.7 million, shot up by almost 10% in a year in which the…

Financial losses

Rural communities struggle with shrinking access to banking

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When one of Caroline County’s two banks, Virginia National Bank, shut its doors six years ago, Gary Wilson, the county’s director of economic development, wanted to do something about it. He launched a widespread effort to find a second banking institution to open a branch in Caroline, which is sandwiched between Fredericksburg and Richmond. “I…

Ken Ball, dean of George Mason University's Volgenau School of Engineering

Now hiring: Computer science faculty

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Virginia universities are getting ready for Amazon.com Inc.’s arrival, which will require the schools to produce thousands of computer scientists and engineers during the next two decades.  In November, Gov. Ralph Northam announced the Tech Talent Investment Program, which allocates $16.6 million to 11 state colleges and universities to help graduate 31,000 more computer science…

Walking out the door

Law firms grapple with gender equality

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During her 13 years of practicing law, Christy L. Murphy has been called “honey” and “sweetie” by older men when they were adversaries in legal cases. “This is an old boys’ network,” says Murphy, 40, a partner at Bischoff Martingayle in Norfolk. “It’s hard to get people out of the mindset.” Law firms are modernizing…

Space race

Building boom boosts Charlottesville’s office space

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Charlottesville is experiencing a building boom that will expand its premium commercial office space by 500,000 square feet in the next two years. “That’s a ‘wow,’” says Chris Engel, Charlottesville’s economic development director. “That’s a big number. We’ve never experienced that before.” It also gives Charlottesville the chance to attract businesses seeking newly built office…

The Western Front Hotel

In St. Paul, renaissance is on the agenda

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People once called St. Paul the Western Front. “St. Paul was a coal town, so the railroad would run in and drop people off there,” says Kimberly Christner, president and CEO of Williamsburg-based Cornerstone Hospitality. “One side of the railroad was dry and … the other side was wet with alcohol, and that was the…

Kurt Plowman, Staunton's chief technology officer

Shentel installs residential fiber optic across valley

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A growing number of Shenandoah Valley communities are seeing more competition among broadband providers. Edinburg-based Shenandoah Telecommunications Co., or Shentel, founded more than a century ago by farmers seeking improved telecommunications services for their rural communities, is still focused on that mission, though these days it’s a little more high-tech than it was in the…

Special mission

75% of Patriot Group International’s workforce are veterans

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Ever since Army veteran Greg Craddock founded Patriot Group International, his fellow veterans have been foremost in his thoughts. “The leadership of our company is comprised almost 100% of veterans,” says Craddock, CEO of the Warrenton-based defense contractor. “We’ve always been committed to giving back and doing more for that community in particular.” In doing…

2020 Virginia Business Best Places to Work Awards

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Virginia Business unveiled its 2020 list of the Best Places to Work in Virginia at its 10th annual awards luncheon, held Jan. 31 at The Boars’ Head Resort in Charlottesville. Top category winners were: Small employers: Patriot Group International Inc. Midsize employers: Dynamis Inc. Large employers: Accounting Principals, Parker + Lynch and Ajilon A complete list of…

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