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Published August 29, 2022 by Virginia Business
Goochland County supervisors gave their unanimous stamp of approval to a proposed 650,000-square-foot e-commerce fulfillment center in August, clearing the way for what promises to be one of the most significant economic development projects in the county’s history. While board members were aligned in support of the $500 million project — noting, among other benefits, the fact that the 105-acre property at 1990 Ashland Roa d is in an area designated for industrial development — dozens of residents who live near the site took the opposite view. They waged a well-coordinated campaign against the plan, dubbed “Project Rocky” in county filings. While the company behind the project has not been revealed, many have suggested it could be Amazon.com Inc. (Goochland Gazette)
In August, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) faced intense criticism from U.S. senators and health experts who accused the Richmond nonprofit of failing in its duty to oversee the transplantation of kidneys, livers, lungs and other organs to dying patients across the country. Experts questioned whether UNOS should be awarded the next federal contract for overseeing organ transplantation in the United States, which the nonprofit has received every time since the first contract was awarded in 1986. A White House report concluded UNOS’ IT infrastructure is old, slow and cumbersome. The shortcomings have led to patient deaths and increasing the cost for care, lawmakers said at a Senate Finance Committee hearing. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
After threatening legal action when state lawmakers passed legislation that undermined his company’s plans to build a casino in Richmond, Urban One Inc. CEO Alfred Liggins said in August that his Maryland-based media company will focus on promoting a second casino referendum in 2023 instead of this fall. Urban One has sought to build a nearly $600 million casino resort in Richmond, a proposal that failed in a 2021 referendum. City officials hoped to hold a second referendum this year, but it is currently blocked by state law. Liggins said at a community meeting that he has asked the city to suspend efforts to seek another referendum this year because of uncertainty about whether it could be litigated and resolved before the election process would start in September. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
The Virginia State Corporation Commission ruled in August that the Chesterfield County-based Virginia Credit Union cannot expand its membership to the Medical Society of Virginia , possibly resolving a three-year battle between the credit union and the state banking industry. The dispute started in August 2019, when the Virginia Bankers Association and seven small community banks appealed to the SCC in protest after the state Bureau of Financial Institutions approved VACU’s request to offer membership to the medical society’s 10,000 members. SCC commissioners found that the credit union did not meet the standard of proof that the medical society was unlikely to be able to form its own credit union, which is preferable under state law. VACU could appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court but had not decided as of August. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Virginia State University and Virginia Union University , the Richmond area’s two historically Black universities, intend to build college partnership laboratory schools, seizing an opportunity introduced by Gov. Glenn Youngkin and backed with $100 million in startup funding for a statewide effort. Details were scant in August, with neither university saying where the K-12 schools would be built, how many students would populate them or who would teach the classes. The law allows private and public colleges and universities with teacher education programs to open lab schools. Community colleges are also eligible. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Amazon.com Inc. opened its new, 640,000-square-foot processing facility in Chesapeake in late July. It is the global e-tailer’s first cross-dock fulfillment center in Virginia. About 900 of the 1,000 workers that Amazon announced it would be hiring for the facility are already on the job. The Chesapeake center receives and consolidates products from vendors and ships them to surrounding fulfillment centers within the company’s network. Amazon, which is building its $2.5 billion HQ2 East Coast headquarters in Arlington County, launched its Virginia operations in Sterling in 2006 and has invested more than $34 billion in Virginia through fulfillment centers, cloud infrastructure and research facilities since 2010. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
The $350 million Atlantic Park surf park development planned for Virginia Beach’s Oceanfront will start construction in October or early November. Virginia Beach-based Venture Realty Group has been co-developing the 10-acre park with music icon and Virginia Beach native Pharrell Williams . In planning stages since at least 2017, Atlantic Park is scheduled to be completed in summer 2024. Its first phase calls for 120,000 square feet of mixed-use retail — restaurants, shops and admissions attractions — and 310 apartments, plus 15,000 square feet of office space. It also includes an entertainment venue and a 2-acre wave lagoon. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
The Virginia State Corporation Commission on Aug. 5 approved Dominion Energy Inc. ’s application for its proposed $9.8 billion, 2.6-gigawatt Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, which calls for the Fortune 500 utility company to construct 176 wind turbines 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. The SCC also paved the way for Dominion to recoup costs through customer rate increases, which could reach as high as $14.22 per month in 2027. Installation of the offshore wind farm is expected to begin in 2024. When completed in 2026, it will be the nation’s largest offshore wind farm. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Norfolk’s Military Circle Mall will close by the end of the year to make way for its demolition in the first quarter of 2023. The decision to close the mall came after Norfolk Economic Development Authority members toured the aging facility Aug. 3 and then voted to approve the closure. City officials are in “early negotiations” with the development team behind Virginia Beach’s Atlantic Park, Venture Realty Group and Pharrell Williams, to redevelop the property into Wellness Circle, a $1.1 billion mixed-use community. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Norfolk State University is joining the Grow with Google HBCU Career Readiness Program to help students from historically Black colleges and universities prepare for digital careers. Started in 2020 in partnership with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, the program provides funding for career centers, as well as workshops and other resources in design thinking, project management and professional brand building. Google donated $3 million to TMCF for the program, which aims to train 100,000 students by 2025. (The Virginian-Pilot)
Chesapeake-based Fortune 500 discount retailer Dollar Tree Inc. on July 21 announced that it hired Bobby Aflatooni , executive vice president and chief information officer for real estate developer The Howard Hughes Corp., as its CIO. The hire comes less than a month after Dollar Tree, which also owns the Family Dollar chain, announced a shakeup of its C-suite. Aflatooni joined Texas-based Howard Hughes Corp. in 2018, coming from Tennessee-based Dollar Tree competitor Dollar General Corp. Dollar Tree is seeking permanent replacements for its chief operating officer, chief strategy officer, chief financial officer and chief legal officer. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Axios Media Inc. announced it will be sold to Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises Inc. for $525 million in a deal reached Aug. 7. The Arlington-based digital media company and news outlet’s three co-founders — CEO Jim VandeHei, President Roy Schwartz and journalist Mike Allen — will retain seats on Axios Media’s board, along with Cox Chairman and CEO Alex Taylor. Meanwhile, Axios HQ, the company’s software division, will be spun off into a separate company led by Schwartz, with VandeHei as board chairman. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Dominion Energy Inc. CEO and President Bob Blue confirmed Aug. 8 that Loudoun County’s data center industry has outpaced the utility’s capacity to deliver electricity. Blue said the Richmond-based Fortune 500 utility needs to “act now” and accelerate plans for new transmission lines and substations in eastern Loudoun to accommodate growth. Dominion paused connecting new data centers in Loudoun to the grid, with Blue adding they would resume soon, though “how much and how quickly is still being determined.” Since 2019, Dominion has hooked up some 70 data centers statewide with enough juice for 650,000 homes. (Washington Business Journal)
Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will expand its Fairfax County headquarters, creating 350 jobs during the next five years, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Aug. 4. The Fortune 1000 global hospitality company will add a variety of roles in areas created to support growth. Hilton currently has about 800 employees in McLean, where its headquarters has been since 2009. Hilton did not release the amount it’s investing in the project; it received $5 million in state incentive funds, and Fairfax County received $1 million from the state to assist the project. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
The NFL received the third in a series of reports on the Washington Commanders organizational culture in early August, a condition imposed after the league’s investigation into alleged sexual misconduct by team executives. The report surveyed employees anonymously and gave the team high marks in its efforts to create a diverse and inclusive culture but noted that media attention around continued investigations into co-owner Dan Snyder is obscuring that work. Meanwhile, on July 28, Snyder participated remotely in a sworn deposition with the House Committee on Oversight and Reform for more than 10 hours after he and the committee agreed on terms of the interview following weeks of negotiations. Snyder voluntarily answered questions related to the team’s workplace. (The Washington Post; Richmond Times-Dispatch)
The Greater Washington Partnership on Aug. 2 named Kathy Hollinger its new CEO. Hollinger has led the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington since 2012. Her first day will be Oct. 3. In June, the partnership unveiled its $4.7 billion Regional Blueprint for Inclusive Growth, a 10-year plan to increase equity and create a more inclusive economy in a region reaching from Baltimore to Richmond. Hollinger replaces JB Holston , who had led the organization since September 2020. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
MicroStrategy Inc. founder and CEO Michael Saylor stepped down as CEO to take on the position of executive chairman on Aug. 8. MicroStrategy President Phong Le is the Tysons-based tech company’s new CEO and was also appointed to its board of directors. The news comes as MicroStrategy reported a $1.98 billion impairment loss on its bitcoin holdings, due to a slide in the cryptocurrency’s value. As of June 30, MicroStrategy held approximately 129,699 bitcoins, for which it paid a total of $3.97 billion. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Blue Ridge Community College , Bridgewater College and James Madison University are reporting enrollment growth that hasn’t been seen since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Blue Ridge Community College began seeing an increase in full-time enrollment last spring. Enrollment is now up 15% over last fall. Bridgewater College is expecting about 60 more students this fall than it had last year, making the incoming class of freshmen around 440. JMU is expecting 4,750 new students this fall, slightly more than last year. (Daily News-Record)
Bridgewater Town Council approved on Aug. 9 a special-use permit for a 139-unit townhouse development. The development, The Glen at Cooks Creek , will occupy 14 acres along Oakwood Drive, behind Turner Ashby High School, and the development plan includes extending Turner Ashby Drive to Oakwood Drive. Developer Evergreene Homes must complete the extension within 42 months. Evergreene currently operates the Preston Lake development outside Harrisonburg and has similar properties in Northern Virginia and Louisa County. Ten speakers during the public hearing said they were against the proposal or had questions about it, and one area resident spoke in favor of it. (Daily News-Record)
A civil jury in Warren County Circuit Court found in favor of most of the Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority ’s claims against Truc “Curt” Tran and his company, ITFederal LLC , on July 28. Jurors awarded $11.91 million to the EDA. Tran and ITFederal were named as defendants in the EDA’s suit against former EDA Executive Director Jennifer R. McDonald. According to information presented to the jury and witness testimony, Tran and ITFederal promised almost seven years ago to build a data center on a 30-acre parcel owned by the EDA, but only built an unusable building one-third the size originally promised. (The Northern Virginia Daily)
Laurel Ridge Community College held a groundbreaking on Aug. 2 for a center that will offer skilled trades classes to college and high school students in Fauquier County. The 8,000-square-foot Skilled Trades Center will house training programs for students pursuing careers in plumbing, carpentry, welding and heavy equipment operation. The college previously had to borrow or lease space in Vint Hill to hold its trades programs in Fauquier. In December 2019, the county Board of Supervisors voted to donate 50 acres of county land to the college’s foundation. In 2021, the board donated an additional 12 acres, where the new facility will be located. (Fauquier Now)
Valley Health is undergoing a $50 million, 16-month process to implement its own version of Epic, the electronic medical record system it has used since 2014, Valley Health President and CEO Mark Nantz said on Aug. 1. Valley Health has been using Epic through a partnership with Inova Health System, but the project will allow Valley Health to transition to its own upgraded system. The process, dubbed Project Elevate, is expected to be completed by November 2023. The system will spend about $17 million of the $50 million in funding on outside labor and expertise. (The Winchester Star)
On Aug. 2, Woodstock Town Council approved the final plat and a $932,777 bond for the 37-home Sunset Crest subdivision. The planned development will be located on Sunset Drive off West North Street, and the developer has already built one house there. GeoEnv Engineers and Consultants LLC had originally submitted a plan that the Town Council approved in February 2021, but the town did not record the plat within six months after that approval, voiding it. The recently approved plan has a few minor changes from the original. (The Northern Virginia Daily)
New Jersey-based leafy greens producer AeroFarms plans to add 66 more jobs as it increases production at its vertical farm in Pittsylvania County, the governor’s office announced in late July. This is in addition to the 92 jobs AeroFarms promised to create at Cane Creek Centre, where the company has invested $42 million in what it bills as the world’s largest indoor vertical farm. The company, a certified B Corporation that is one of the leading producers of salad greens, said it is expanding to meet increased customer demand. Greens grown in Pittsylvania will primarily be sold in grocery stores in the mid-Atlantic and Southeast U.S. markets, within a day’s drive. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
On Aug. 10, Caesars Entertainment Inc. announced that it upped its investment in the forthcoming Caesars Virginia casino and resort in Danville from $500 million to $650 million, while adding the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians as a joint venture partner in the casino project. Caesars, EBCI and a local minority investor will be partners in the venture, according to news release. The casino broke ground in early August, and completion is expected in late 2024. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Danville’s Office of Economic Development is seeking a $5 million industrial revitalization grant from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development to help pay for the White Mill project. The Danville Industrial Development Authority also is seeking a $26.5 million loan from American National Bank for the IDA’s portion of the project. Construction of the $85 million project is expected to begin as soon as October, with the first phase expected to be complete by the end of 2024. The Alexander Co. , in a joint venture with the IDA, plans to bring new apartments and new commercial space to the White Mill building. (Danville Register & Bee)
New College Institute in Martinsville announced Aug. 11 that it intends to establish a K-12 lab school under a new state program established by the Youngkin administration. The General Assembly has made $100 million in funding available to establish lab schools at private and public colleges and universities that offer teacher education programs. NCI notified the state secretary of education of its intent to apply. Its lab school will focus on information, health care and manufacturing maintenance technologies, but also other emerging, high-paying career fields, according to the institute. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Patrick & Henry Community College now has a Fab Lab in Patrick County, and classes for the public are being held for family projects and in-depth instruction. The lab, which opened in August at 212 Wood Brothers Drive in Stuart, is stocked with tools such as a universal laser cutter, 3-D printers, a shopbot computer numerical control (CNC) router and a vinyl cutter. Hobbyists can complete projects, entrepreneurs can innovate and anyone can “discover, design and bring their dreams to life,” according to the college. (Martinsville Bulletin)
Alan Larson , CEO of Sovah Health-Danville community hospital, announced Aug. 9 he will retire at the end of 2022. Larson, who has led the hospital since 2015, also serves as market president for its parent health care system, Sovah Health, which also operates a hospital in Martinsville. He will stay on the job while Sovah officials search for a new leader, according to a news release. “It’s been a true honor and privilege to have served alongside an incredible group of employees, physicians, board members and volunteers to improve the health of our Southern Virginia communities,” Larson said in a statement. (Danville Register & Bee)
A new $250,000 mobile clinic will deliver free health care services to rural patients across Ballad Health System ’s Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia coverage area. Ballad officials unveiled the clinic on Aug. 3, but the unit will go into service in September. Grants from the East Tennessee Foundation, James Madison University, management and consulting firm PYA and the Tennessee Department of Health are funding the clinic, which will focus on delivering general medical care and women’s health services, expanding on Ballad’s current mobile mammography unit. (Bristol Herald Courier)
FedEx Corp. is building a FedEx Ground distribution center in Washington County that is expected to open in 2023. County Administrator Jason Berry said in late July that the $30 million project is expected to create 250 jobs. FedEx is building the 251,000-square-foot facility on 30 to 50 acres of a 75-acre site, the back of which is adjacent to an Amazon.com Inc. delivery station that opened in September 2021. A site selector initially contacted the county about the site off Bonham Road nearly two years ago. (Bristol Now)
On Aug. 2, Norton City Manager Fred L. Ramey Jr. told the City Council that Norton has received a permit from the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority to establish a designated outdoor refreshment area. The permit will allow up to 16 events a year. City Council initially voted to direct the city administration to apply for the permit on June 21. Customers must purchase beverages from a permanent ABC-licensed vendor within the designated area, and beverages must be in disposable containers of up to 16 ounces. (The Coalfield Progress)
Mechanicsville-based Fortune 500 global health care logistics firm Owens & Minor Inc. ’s foundation, the Owens & Minor Foundation, announced a $10,000 donation to United Way of Southwest Virginia ’s Buchanan County 2022 Disaster Fund in early August. The fund supports the long-term relief effort following the July 12 flooding in the Dismal River, Hale Creek, Jewell Valley, Patterson, Pilgrim’s Knob and Whitewood areas. The Virginia Department of Emergency Management reported that the flood — caused by 5 to 6 inches of rain falling within a few hours — destroyed 33 structures and damaged another 60. (Bristol Now; Cardinal News)
The University of Virginia’s College at Wise and Mountain Empire Community College have partnered to improve rural students’ access to college degrees. A $75,000, two-year grant from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia will fund a yearlong data analysis and pilot development phase, and in fall 2023, the colleges will implement pilot programs. The grant is expected to increase the number of students earning business and technology degrees and to help address the teaching and nursing shortages by making it easier for students to earn bachelor’s degrees in those areas. (The Coalfield Progress)
Former Virginia Del. Joe Johnson died on Aug. 5 at age 90. A Washington County native, Johnson served in the House of Delegates from 1966 to 1970 and then from 1990 to 2014. After redistricting, he ran unopposed in 11 consecutive elections to represent the 4th District. Johnson had a law practice based in Abingdon. From 1971 to 1989, he served as a substitute judge for the 26th General District Court. An Air Force veteran and a Democrat, Johnson had a reputation for working across the aisle. (Bristol Herald Courier)
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