Central Virginia
Chester strip mall sold for $6M
N.C. company buys The Shoppes at River Forest
Published
Chester’s The Shoppes at River Forest, a 30,720-square-foot strip mall anchored by a Wal-Mart, was purchased on Feb. 26 for $6 million. Raleigh, North Carolina-based PGP River Forest purchased the property from Bogese Cos., a Richmond-based real estate development group. At the time of the sale, the center was 82% leased to tenants that include
Ministry buys Chesterfield building for $1.2M
Mountain Movers Ministry to relocate
Published
Chesterfield County-based Mountain Movers Ministry has purchased a building near the intersection of Hull Street and Courthouse roads for $1.175 million. The ministry will relocate to 3300 Old Courthouse Road and occupy the entirety of the 8,942-square-foot building. The property is situated on 7 acres. Gray Bryant, an associate with Colliers International Virginia, represented the
U.Va. gets $5M gift to establish scholarship for PVCC students
25 recipients to be chosen per year
Published
An anonymous $5 million gift to the University of Virginia will be used to provide scholarships to Piedmont Virginia Community College students who wish to transfer to the university, U.Va. President Jim Ryan announced Friday. The endowed fund will provide scholarships to PVCC students who have been selected as U.Va. University Achievement Award recipients. The
Dominion joins initiative to create electric vehicle charging network
Newly announced Electric Highway Coalition aims to expand travel options for electric vehicle drivers
Published
Dominion Energy Inc. and five other major utilities announced a plan Tuesday to create a network of charging stations for electric vehicles across major highway systems stretching from Washington, D.C., to Chicago to West Texas and the Florida Heartland. The newly announced Electric Highway Coalition — made up of American Electric Power, Dominion, Duke Energy
Eastern Virginia
Chesapeake office building sells for $7.5M
The Runnymede Corp. purchases Crossways Commerce Center IV
Published
Virginia Beach-based property management company The Runnymede Corp. purchased Chesapeake office building Crossways Commerce Center IV for $7.5 million on Feb. 8. Located at 1408 Stephanie Way, the 51,209-square-foot building was purchased from Washington, D.C.-based real estate investment company DSC Partners. The flex building is 91% occupied by Leidos Holdings Inc. and 9% occupied by
Norfolk’s MacArthur Center may meet the wrecking ball
City considers mall’s future
Published
Downtown Norfolk’s MacArthur Center, a 140-store mall that opened in 1999, may have a future date with a wrecking ball. According to a newsletter released March 2 by Norfolk’s economic development department, a complete teardown of the 1.1 million-square-foot structure is one of three possibilities envisioned for MacArthur Center’s future by the city, which does
Huntington Ingalls names new executive VP
Kari Wilkinson to replace Brian Cuccias
Published
Newport News-based Huntington Ingalls Industries announced Friday its board of directors has elected Kari Wilkinson to serve as executive vice president of HII and president of HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division, effective April 1. She will succeed Brian Cuccias, who announced his April 1 retirement. Cuccias took on his role in 2014, and before that had
Atlantic Diving Supply awarded $100M federal contract
Virginia Beach-based equipment vendor receives Defense Logistics Agency order
Published
Virginia Beach-based equipment vendor Atlantic Diving Supply (ADS) been awarded a five-year, $100 million contract from the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to deliver patient monitoring technology, associated accessories and training support to military and federal civilian customers. DLA selected ADS from 54 bids the agency received for the firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, the U.S. Department of
Northern Virginia
Report: Washington Football Team probe recommends Snyder divest ownership
Parts of report leaked to "The Sports Junkies" radio show
Published
“The Sports Junkies,” a Washington, D.C.-based sports radio show, reported Friday that an attorney investigating the Washington Football Team has recommended majority owner Daniel Snyder divest his ownership of the NFL team. The show’s hosts at WJFK 106.7 FM The Fan said they received parts of a report written by Beth Wilkinson, the lawyer conducting
General Dynamics wins $99M FAA contract
Reston contractor to provide radio receivers
Published
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded Reston-based Fortune 100 defense contractor General Dynamics Corp. a $99 million contract to provide URC-300E transceivers as part of its Emergency Transceiver Replacement (ETR) program, the company announced Thursday. The program replaces current legacy radios with very high frequency (VHF) and ultra high frequency (UHF) radios for civil
Northrop Grumman wins $84.5M NASA contract
Falls Church company to provide products, support for Mars mission
Published
NASA announced Thursday it has awarded an $84.5 million contract to Falls Church-based Fortune 500 defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. to provide propulsion support and products for spaceflight missions. Under the Mars Ascent Propulsion System (MAPS) contract, Northrop Grumman will provide support and products at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The
Germany-based workforce tech developer buys Vienna AR developer
TeamViewer buys Upskill
Published
TeamViewer, a German workforce technology developer, announced Tuesday it has acquired Vienna-based augmented reality software developer Upskill. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 2010, Upskill provides technology that uses smart glasses and handheld devices to help manufacturing, inspection and auditing workers for customers including The Boeing Co. and Merck & Co.
Roanoke/New River Valley
Virginia Tech to lead DoD’s new Acquisition Innovation and Research Center
Center to focus on acquisition system efficiency
Published
The U.S. Department of Defense has selected Virginia Tech as one of three schools to lead its new Acquisition Innovation and Research Center (AIRC). The AIRC is funded by the DoD and directed by the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. The goal of the center (which also includes the New
Va. Tech Transportation Institute director to step down
Tom Dingus to return to faculty after 25 years in position
Published
Tom Dingus, the director of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) for the past 25 years, will step down from his position and return to the faculty, the university announced Monday. The endowed professor has been a driver safety researcher for the past 35 years and has had a keen focus on autonomous technologies for
Roanoke Valley office occupancy increases by 1%
Region closes 2020 at 88% occupancy
Published
The Roanoke Valley office market saw a 1% increase in office occupancy in 2020, ending the year with an 88% occupancy rate, according to Poe & Cronk Real Estate Group’s 34th Annual Office Market Survey. These figures are a promising sign “in one of the most challenging years in recent memory,” Poe & Cronk states,
A diversified portfolio
Region brings in companies of different stripes
Published
From tea to trucks to technology, an eclectic blend of industries settled into the Roanoke/New River Valley region in 2020. Some companies brought new operations to the region, while others expanded existing facilities. Traditional Medicinals kicked off 2020 with its January announcement of a new facility in Franklin County, manufacturing herbal teas and supplements —
Shenandoah Valley
A turnaround in fortunes
Transportation, manufacturing drive valley’s recovery
Published
After taking a hit from the coronavirus, economic activity in the Shenandoah Valley recovered in the second half of 2020, powered by the transportation, manufacturing and food-processing sectors. “The valley really showed its resilience,” says Jay Langston, executive director of the Shenandoah Valley Partnership, a regional economic development group serving Augusta, Bath, Highland, Page, Rockbridge,
‘Miles of files’
After 16 years, FBI records complex opens in Frederick County
Published
After 16 years in the making, the $135 million FBI Central Records Complex opened in Frederick County in August 2020. The 225,000-square-foot facility off Millwood Pike (U.S. 50) is designed to archive billions of pages of FBI records — some dating back to the bureau’s earliest days — from its 56 field offices and other
Mary Baldwin names interim provost/chief academic officer
Tynisha Willingham is dean of university's education college
Published
Tynisha Willingham, dean of Mary Baldwin University’s College of Education, has been named the Staunton school’s interim provost and chief academic officer. She replaces Ty Buckman, who joined the Foundation of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture as its executive vice president this month. “I am delighted to lead and shape the academic enterprise
Virginia, other states sue Augusta County company Nexus Services
Company 'preys on consumers' in ICE detention centers, state alleges
Published
Updated 3:30 p.m. Feb. 22 Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring joined Massachusetts and New York in suing Virginia-based bonding company Nexus Services Inc., alleging in the suit that its Libre by Nexus subsidiary “preys on consumers held in federal detention centers by offering to pay for consumers’ immigration bonds to secure their release.” In exchange
Southern Virginia
A jackpot for Danville?
Casino set to open in 2023 on former mill property
Published
The now-blighted property that was Dan River Mills when textile was king in the city of Danville will soon morph into the gleaming, $400 million Caesars Virginia casino and resort. At one time, the 80-acre site in the Schoolfield neighborhood was the world’s largest single-unit textile manufacturing site. Now abandoned, the unsightly property represents the
Growth and development
Southern Virginia weathers pandemic with economic boosts
Published
Despite dealing with the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, Southern Virginia is celebrating the development of a resort casino, new investments in the area and several company expansions. The pandemic has presented localities in the region like Danville with a number of challenges they haven’t seen before, but the city continues to look for
Martinsville credit union names chief information officer
Cheri Spence joins ValleyStar
Published
Martinsville-based ValleyStar Credit Union announced Thursday it has hired Cheri Spence as its first chief information officer. Spence joined the ValleyStar board of directors in 2019 as the result of a merger with Entrust Financial Credit Union, where she served as chairwoman. She most recently served as vice president and CIO of Richmond-based nonprofit ChildFund.
Averett University hires VP for philanthropy
Melissa Wohlstein joins the Danville university
Published
Averett University announced Wednesday it has hired Melissa Wohlstein as vice president for philanthropy, effective Tuesday. Wohlstein has nearly 20 years of experience in higher education settings. She most recently served as the associate vice president of development at Hollins University. “With her existing connections to Virginia and her commitment to Averett’s mission, she will
Southwest Virginia
Tempur Sealy to invest $16.7M in Scott County manufacturing facility
Expansion expected to create 25 jobs
Published
Bedding product designer, manufacturer and distributor Tempur Sealy International Inc. will invest $16.7 million to expand its Scott County operation, creating 25 jobs, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday. “Southwest Virginia has been an ideal base of operations for Tempur Sealy for nearly 20 years because of the region’s proximity to major interstates and access to
SW Va. aims to attract data centers via regional tax pact
Joint effort by five localities will build on recently passed state legislation
Published
As part of an effort to entice data centers to locate in the region, Southwest Virginia leaders announced Tuesday a joint agreement to set what will be Virginia’s lowest regional property tax rate on data center equipment. The localities comprising the Lonesome Pine Regional Industrial Facilities Authority — Dickenson, Lee, Scott and Wise counties and
Regional reboot
Southwest looks to high-tech biz for new direction
Published
Public and private investments are boosting the economy in Southwest Virginia, bringing in a diversified group of new companies, from indoor salmon farming to medical information technology firms — as well as a long-awaited casino. Addressing the region’s steady decline in the coal industry, officials in the Southwestern region continue to lay out the roadmap
Payout on a dream
Bristol started casino quest in 2018
Published
“Get it done!” Those three words sent Jason Eige and Martin Kent on a mission to bring a casino to Bristol Mall before commercial gaming resorts were even legal in Virginia. Eige, general counsel for The United Co., and Kent, the oil and gas company’s president and chief operating officer, vividly remember the day they
