Cover Story
‘Behind the eight ball’
Officials rush to correct looming site shortage
David Manley had a good feeling. The site visit was going well. During their spring 2021 tour of the Progress Park industrial site in Wytheville, the leaders of a manufacturer
Opinion
The bigger picture
Published
Welcome to the 10th edition of The Big Book. Virginia Business Publisher Bernie Niemeier had the inspiration for this annual issue more than a decade ago when he was retrieving
From This Issue
Compounding interest
More companies considering valleys for expansion
Published
The Roanoke Valley enjoyed a constant stream of nibbles from prospective corporations considering the area in 2021, according to John Hull, executive director of the Roanoke Regional Partnership, which promotes
Code red
Hospitals face major staffing shortages
Published
Although many business sectors focused on moving on from the COVID-19 pandemic once vaccines became broadly available in 2021, Virginia’s health care industry has remained heavily burdened by continuing caseload
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Retaining walls
Focus is on keeping businesses happy, growing
Published
With COVID-19 limiting travel and site visits for companies considering coming to Hampton Roads, economic development officials focused on shoring up existing businesses in 2021. That strategy appears to have
Thinking big
Va.’s major public companies made billions in 2021
Published
At Virginia’s largest publicly traded companies, the past year has been a constant exercise in challenging the status quo. Some major changes could be seen at the consumer level, as
The great rethink
Work-life balance becomes an economic factor
Published
As we enter Year 3 of the COVID-19 pandemic, the overwhelming question has become less, “When will we return to normal?” and more, “What do we want ‘normal’ to look
Chambers of commerce
A sampling of statewide chambers and business organizations from around the commonwealth
Published
STATEWIDE Asian American Chamber of Commerce Tysons (571) 633-9754 asian-americanchamber.org Virginia Asian Chamber of Commerce Ashland (804) 344-1540 aabac.org Virginia Chamber of Commerce Richmond (804) 644-1607 vachamber.com Virginia Hispanic Chamber
Stronger together
Community banks gain scale from mergers
Published
Bank acquisitions and mergers, particularly among Virginia’s community banks, continued apace in 2021. Banks sought scale for efficiency and flexibility, as well as to acquire resources in anticipation of potential
A sampling of Virginia’s major road projects
Published
HAMPTON ROADS Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Expansion Project Construction on the $3.8 billion Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT) expansion — the largest highway construction project in Virginia’s history — began in October
Tilting toward windmills
Siemens Gamesa positions region as offshore wind hub
Published
Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy S.A.’s October 2021 announcement that it will build the nation’s first offshore-wind blade factory at Portsmouth Marine Terminal has put Hampton Roads on a trajectory to
Signs of promise
Corporate headquarters drive development
Published
A second year of COVID came and went, but 2021 proved more fruitful and less uncertain for businesses in Northern Virginia, where vaccination rates were the highest in the commonwealth.
