Virginia Economic Review

As one of the 13 original colonies, Virginia claims many historic firsts among American states. These firsts span numerous fields and industries, from energy generation to food and beverage production to transportation.

Governor Glenn Youngkin announced today that Nightingale Ice Cream Sandwiches, a Richmond-based, handcrafted, small batch ice cream company, is investing $5.8 million to move into a new production facility and corporate headquarters in the City of Richmond.

Governor Glenn Youngkin announced today that Red River Foods, a fully integrated supplier of nuts, seeds, dried fruits, snacks, and grains ethically sourced worldwide, will invest $15.5 million to expand its Henrico County headquarters.

Food and beverage and pharmaceutical companies rely on Virginia’s cold chain infrastructure to succeed.

New or expanding companies want to know that they will be able to hire workers with the skills they need. While outside training providers offer established but generic faculty, facilities, and programs, in-house solutions allow for customization but require significant investment.

Virginia’s transportation network faces congestion issues that come with population growth, and air travel is no exception.

As Virginia businesses build out and improve their cold chain infrastructure, they must be creative to grab a stake in the nation’s $42 billion business.

Warren M. Thompson is founder, president, and chairman of Thompson Hospitality Corporation, one of the largest contract food service and facilities management companies in the United States, with a portfolio of more than 65 restaurants across 17 different brands.

Drake Goolsby is chief commercialization officer at Luna Labs, a Charlottesville-based company that helps develop advanced technologies in biotech, advanced materials, and engineered systems for government, military, and industrial clients.

Brett Vassey is president and CEO of the Virginia Manufacturers Association (VMA), a trade association that supports manufacturing operations across Virginia.

Imagine using a bow and arrow to hit a target the size of a DVD that’s 70 meters away — the wingspan of two Boeing 737 airplanes side by side. That’s the challenge faced by Olympic archers. Ben Summers and his family know it well.

A trilateral security partnership to share technology and military resources is poised to benefit the Hampton Roads economy and Virginia’s defense ecosystem. The United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom formalized the AUKUS partnership in 2021.

When Jeremy Moyer was 6 years old, he started following his dad around their 1,000-acre dairy farm in Amelia County. By the time he was 12, he was getting paid to do chores around the farm. Now, at 42, he runs the farm with his father and brother.

Speed and efficiency are essential competitive edges for any manufacturing operation. Yet the growing adoption of advanced manufacturing techniques isn’t just boosting efficiency with how goods are produced — it’s changing the types of goods that can be made and where they are produced.

Sixty years after The Jetsons promised a future of personal-sized spacecraft that moved people and things safely through crowded skies, that vision, or something like it, is ever closer — thanks to a Virginia company that’s a global leader in building digital air highways.

The global aerospace industry is reinventing itself, with innovation spanning materials, engineering, and a more expansive vision for how we take to the skies. Virginia sits at the heart of this transformation as a breeding ground for ingenuity.

On 462 acres in Albemarle County, a plot of land along U.S. Route 29 adjacent to a federal intelligence hotspot is the latest addition to a growing cluster of industries coming to define the Charlottesville area.

Ask a major importer or exporter what constitutes an optimal air cargo partner for their supply chain, and you’ll hear the usual desired qualities: location, transit time, Foreign Trade Zone incentives, carbon footprint, and even weather.