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What’s good for HBCUs is good for Virginia business
It's time to increase state support for historically Black colleges and universities, former Gov. Wilder writes
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Earlier this year, I issued a call for the commonwealth to confront and reassess its disproportionate support of its historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). I wrote a letter to the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and the respective leadership of the General Assembly. At this juncture, I have not received any acknowledgment or response
Making history (belatedly)
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Virginia, sometimes better known for its history than anything else, is poised to make more of it this November. There will be two female candidates on this year’s ballot for lieutenant governor. It has been nearly three decades since Mary Sue Terry served as Virginia’s attorney general from 1986 to 1993. Heretofore, Terry has been
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Seizing our future by creating value together
What must we do as business leaders to cultivate the co-creation economy?
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Here in Virginia and across the nation we are witnessing an unprecedented effort to create greater equity — in consideration, treatment, opportunity and investment — throughout our society. Media attention has focused intently on what governments are doing to evolve their policies, but businesses are rapidly transforming as well, confirming the effectiveness of existing practices
Are big tech firms more like nations?
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Roughly two years ago, Facebook announced plans to lead a consortium of companies creating a new digital token currency called Libra. The partners were to include major payment processors Visa, Mastercard, PayPal and Stripe, among others. However, strong opposition from financial regulators around the world led to its shelving. Fast-forward to 2021, as global acceptance
Lessons from COVID-19
With pandemic’s end in sight, what are our takeaways?
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For most of us, March 13 marked the one-year anniversary of our worlds ceasing to operate normally. We remember institutions closing, schools shuttering, and that last day in the office. These pandemic times have compelled me to reflect, learn and remember. I was making ham biscuits for Easter when I heard Merle Haggard’s song, “Are
A supersized lesson
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In late March, the shipping industry almost went sideways. In darkness and buffeted by sandstorm winds, the supersized 1,312-foot Ever Given container ship’s bow snagged a sandbar on a bank of the Suez Canal. Its stern drifted toward the other bank, leaving the ship diagonally blocking one of the world’s busiest waterways. For days, it
Guest opinion: A pandemic game-changer
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Each year, we lament the relative instability of the international shipping industry, analyzing unpredicted challenges and looking for signs of smoother sailing in the months ahead. It goes without saying that 2020 set a new bar for instability across the board. As the COVID-19 pandemic spread and lockdowns were implemented in the United States, importers
The future is now
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One of the biggest and yet to be fully felt impacts of the global pandemic is the way it has accelerated trends, many of which were less apparent before the COVID crisis than they are today. Even as public health concerns might begin to subside, the impact of many business trends will remain. Much of
Better times ahead
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Back in the early 1980s, a co-worker of mine and his wife became first-time homeowners. They felt pretty good about getting their new house and signing a mortgage note at a whopping 18% interest rate! By today’s standards, that’s pretty unthinkable. While much time has passed since those days, we’ve had only six new presidents
35 years of storytelling
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My favorite day every month comes when a new issue of Virginia Business lands on my desk. Each magazine tracks emerging economic trends and the ongoing evolution of business leadership in the commonwealth. But for me, the impact is much more than just a good read about important business topics. Each issue of this magazine