Appointed/elected

Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced additional board appointments. William Gwaltney of Windsor, president of Indika Farms Inc., was appointed to the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Retiree Ellen Davis of New Kent County was appointed to the Small Grains Board. Raymond Keating of Norfolk, director of the Chesapeake port and international merchandising for Perdue Agribusiness; and Tom Taliaferro of Norfolk, president of Montague Farms; were appointed to the Soybean Board. Michael F. Berlucchi of Virginia Beach, CEO of Arts Alliance and Virginia Beach City Council member, was appointed to the Virginia LGBTQ+ Advisory Board. Donald Groh of Chesapeake, Southeast area coordinator for the National Elevator Industry Educational Program, was appointed to the Board for Contractors. Xavier L. Beale of Smithfield, vice president of human resources for Newport News Shipbuilding; Blair Durham of Portsmouth, co-founder/CEO of Black BRAND; Lara Overy of James City County, Compass Wealth Strategies; and Cal F. “Cash” Jackson-Green, Virginia Beach City Council member; were appointed to the Virginia Board of Workforce Development. William Bransom of Virginia Beach, retired Navy captain and commercial captain for SeaTow Hampton Roads, was appointed to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. Donald T. Robertson, Isle of Wight County administrator, was appointed to the Virginia Aviation Board. Lance Lesher, retired Navy captain and advocate of Virginia Beach and representative of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, was appointed to the Joint Leadership Council of Veterans Service Organizations. Christopher Davidson of Seaford, president of Orca Strategies, was appointed to the Fort Monroe Authority board of trustees. Michael W. Coleman of Virginia Beach, president and CEO of CV International Inc./Capes Shipping Agencies, was appointed to the Committee on International Trade. Patrick Y. Shim of Chesapeake, managing director of LS Cable & System Ltd., was appointed to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts board of trustees. Susan S. Murphy of Virginia Beach, certified neonatal intensive care nurse for Sentara Princess Anne Hospital, was appointed to the Maternal Mortality Review Team. Judith Canty of Virginia Beach, territory sales manager for Luzerne Optical Labs, was appointed to the Board for Hearing Aid Specialists and Opticians. Michelle Ellis Young of Virginia Beach, CEO of YWCA South Hampton Roads, was appointed to the Advisory Committee on Sexual and Domestic Violence. Matthew Scalia of James City County, retired Army colonel, was appointed to the Veterans Services Foundation board of trustees. Jenny Sachs of Virginia Beach, owner and psychotherapist of Beach Counseling Center, was appointed to the Opioid Abatement Authority. Justin Beale of Virginia Beach, vice president of sales and marketing at Cavalier Resort for Gold Key/PHR, was appointed to the Virginia Tourism Authority. Urjita Dani of Chesapeake, interim director of finance, HR and e-commerce systems at Old Dominion University, was appointed to the Virginia Council on Women. Bonnie Bradshaw of Suffolk, owner of Royal Oak Academy, was appointed to the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Commission. Stephen Huebner of Toano, retired vice president of Bon Secours Health System, was appointed to the Renal Disease Council. Amanda Forry-Fino of Williamsburg, certified disability self advocate and author with CP Gal’s World, was appointed to the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities. Harshad Barot of Virginia Beach, owner of Galaxy Corp., was appointed to the Small Business Commission. Anne Marie Morgan of Powhatan County, news director for Virginia Capitol News Network, was appointed to the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation board of trustees. Student Jonathan D. Stallings of Suffolk was appointed to the Advisory Board on Service and Volunteerism. Cyrus Williams of Virginia Beach, professor at Regent University; owner, Impact Counseling; CEO, Rapha Counseling Services; was appointed to the Board of Counseling. Catherine Paler of Virginia Beach, registered nurse at Sentara Health and adjunct nursing professor, Mason and Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University, was appointed to the Board of Nursing. Jamie Holland of Virginia Beach, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, Coast to Coast Counseling and Wellness, and director, School of Nursing, Regent University, was appointed to the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority. Corinne Mastronardi of Virginia Beach, CEO of Guardus Security Services, and Krystyn Reid, York/Poquoson commonwealth’s attorney, were appointed to the Criminal Justice Services Board.

Norfolk-based ReAlta Life Sciences, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, named Ellen Lubman as chief business officer. In this role, she will oversee business development, capital formation and corporate strategy. Lubman was chief business officer at Werewolf Therapeutics in Massachusetts, ushering the company through multiple financings, including an initial public offering, as well as business development transactions.

Nick Stanage (Courtesy of HII)

HII elected Nick Stanage, former chairman, CEO and president of Hexcel Corp., to its board of directors. Stanage has decades of industrial manufacturing experience in the aerospace, automotive and construction equipment industries.

The Up Center’s 19th Street location in Norfolk received a vibrant refresh in August thanks to volunteers from KPMG, as part of the company’s national Community Impact Day. Over a dozen employees, including incoming Up Center board members Trey Oglesby and Justynne Friend, joined forces with The Up Center team to revitalize the campus grounds and lobby area. (Courtesy of The Up Center)

Awards and honors

The Virginia Beach Arts & Humanities Commission unanimously selected Jane P. Batten and Joan P. Brock as the 2025 Virginia Beach Champions for the Arts, as they continue to redefine the cultural landscape of the city through their extraordinary commitment to the arts. They contributed to the $30 million expansion and relocation of the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art to the campus of Virginia Wesleyan University.

Virginia Professional Communicators said 13 of its members received 18 national awards in the 2025 NFPW Professional Communications Contest. Virginia winners included second place to Deana Ricks, Tracy Perkins and Meghan Van Joosten of York County for the marketing campaign for “Ruth E. Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design” and honorable mentions to Ricks for web and social media for “You Can Help > Moving Forward” and regular publications for “To Do Justice – Voluntary Honor Tax.”

Multifamily awards

The Coastal Multifamily Housing Council announced the winners of its 40th annual Awards of Excellence Competition in July. Merit Award winners include: Maintenance Employee of the Year DeAndre Jones of Pembroke Realty Group, Maintenance Supervisor of the Year Steve Rapasky of Lawson Cos., Leasing Consultant of the Year Shajada Moore of Lawson, Property Manager of the Year Autumn Ramsey of Pembroke, Regional Property Manager of the Year Monica Jackson of Frye Properties, Above & Beyond winner Karen Baez of Lawson, Multifamily Executive of the Year Debra Guerrero of Pembroke, Lifetime Achievement winner Gloria Harrison of Franklin Group Cos. and Associate of the Year winner Danielle Scott of Cox Communities. Residents’ Choice was Two Hundred West Apartment Homes (Franklin).

Expansion

Rush Street Gaming and Rivers Casino Portsmouth tapped S.B. Ballard Construction Co. in Virginia Beach to be the general contractor of The Landing Hotel, a $65 million, eight-story addition to the casino expected to open in early 2027. S.B. Ballard completed the construction of the casino in January 2023. The hotel project will use local minority-, women- and veteran-owned businesses in every phase of its construction and operation. It will bring roughly 200 temporary construction and 60 permanent positions.

Kilmarnock-based Chesapeake Bank opened a lending office at 5309 Commonwealth Centre Parkway in Midlothian in August. This 2,600-square-foot space marks the community bank’s sixth location in the greater Richmond market. The 125-year-old community bank first entered the Richmond market in 2011 and operates full-service branches and lending offices in the Westhampton and Chesterfield areas. The bank also serves residents in three retirement communities: Lakewood, Cedarfield and Westminster-Canterbury. The new Midlothian office will house both commercial and mortgage lending teams, as well as Chesapeake Wealth Management.

Warwick Animal Hospital in Newport News added veterinarian, Dr. Kirren Tessa Miller, in June. She is a recent graduate from Lincoln Memorial University College of Veterinary Medicine who grew up in Tennessee. Tessa Miller has always loved working with dogs and cats, but is looking to expand into exotic animal medicine in the near future.

Primrose Schools in Chesapeake, at Cahoon Commons and at Edinburgh Commons, hosted Spring Fling events, such as family carnivals and student art auctions, to raise $6,214 split between Primrose Schools Children’s Foundation and ForKids Inc., a charity local families chose to support. (Courtesy of Primrose Schools)

Grants and donations

The Salvation Army of The Virginia Peninsula received $3,500 and its Gloucester service center received $3,000 from the Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation.

Suffolk-based Nasoni was awarded a $2.5 million grant over two years from the Department of Health and Human Services. The funding will advance Nasoni’s research to support Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. Specifically, the company plans to integrate advanced sensor technology into faucets that help patients perform essential hygiene tasks safely with independence.

The Lawson Family Foundation awarded a three-year grant to nonprofit partner ForKids to support its economic mobility program for residents of The Retreat at Harbor Pointe. The program offers one-on-one coaching to up to 10 households.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin awarded $40 million in Virginia Business Ready Sites Program development grants for 13 sites across the commonwealth in August. They include $500,000 for Hampton Roads Executive Airport in Chesapeake.

Volunteer Hampton Roads, in partnership with Communities In Schools of Hampton Roads, collected more than 2,800 school supply items to benefit local students in 33 schools across the region in July. Participating companies included Dollar Bank, Coldwell Banker Premier, ECPI University, Rivers Casino, Trame, VIA Design, Virginia Wesleyan University, Ideas By Mike, Defense Maritime Solutions and other engaged partners through the Hampton Roads Chamber and LEAD757 Program.

Export program

Thirteen companies graduated from the Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s Virginia Leaders in Export Trade (VALET) program. They include Atlas Systems Inc. of Virginia Beach, Bauer Compressors Inc. of Norfolk and Sentry Products Group of Virginia Beach. Another 13 companies have joined the two-year program. They include: BMZ USA Inc. of Virginia Beach, Oceaneering International of Chesapeake and Paramount Sleep of Norfolk.

Panda Express, a family-owned and operated chain, opened its latest location in Norfolk at 1166 N. Military Highway in August. The location offers all of Panda’s iconic dishes, including the popular orange chicken, honey walnut shrimp and broccoli beef. (Courtesy of Panda Express)

Openings

D1 Training, a youth fitness facility, opened its first Chesapeake location on July 14, bringing the same science-backed training used by college and professional athletes to local kids. It is owned and operated by local entrepreneur Marvin Brown, a Hickory High and James Madison University alum who was part of JMU’s 2004 national championship football team. He brings 15 years of experience in health care leadership.

Hotworx Hampton, owned by Ro Johnson, opened at 2040 Coliseum Drive on Aug. 16. The fitness studio combines infrared heat with virtually instructed 15- and 30-minute workouts inside patented saunas.

The remodeled Walmart neighborhood market store at 1720 E. Little Creek Road in Norfolk celebrated a re-opening on July 25.

Outlets Nags Head announced that J.Crew Factory will be returning to the shopping center next year. The 6,600-square-foot store will be located next to Aerie. J.Crew Factory sells a selection of stylish, high-quality apparel and accessories for men, women and children.

Academy Sports + Outdoors, a sporting goods and outdoor recreation retailer, opened its first store in Virginia Beach near Lynnhaven Mall in September. The 65,000-square-foot store marks Academy’s fifth location in Virginia.

Suffolk Christian Academy opened its new lower school campus with a capacity for 230 students at 116 Romans Road. The school is serving students in prekindergarten through fourth grade this fall. The facility has been updated with fresh paint, new lighting and enhanced classroom technology. The lower school is expected to remain at this location for at least the next five years, as SCA actively explores long-term solutions to secure a permanent, school-owned campus that supports its rigorous academic curriculum and space for athletics, extracurricular programs and the community. Upper school students (grades five-12) will continue attending classes at First Baptist Church in Suffolk.

Workforce development

Virginia Peninsula Community College broke ground on its newest workforce training facility at 520 21st St. near Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News in August. The 16,000-square-foot Newport News Trades Center is designed to prepare more than 400 students each year for in-demand maritime and residential construction careers. Funded through a partnership between VPCC, the maritime industrial base and the city of Newport News, the training center will offer hands-on programs in welding, marine electrical, structural fitting, coatings, electrical, HVAC, plumbing and facilities maintenance. The $9 million project, designed by RRMM Architects in Chesapeake and under construction by Newport News-based W.M. Jordan Co., is slated for completion in January.

The Hampton Roads Realtors Foundation joined Habitat for Humanity of South Hampton Roads for a day of service during the 2025 Women Build Weeks. The homes under construction will provide safe, affordable housing for two local mothers who have overcome significant challenges and are working toward a better future for their families. This initiative is powered by volunteers — 85% of each home is built by community members. (Courtesy of HRRA)

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