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.

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.

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.

The LEGO Group’s new manufacturing facility in Chesterfield County is designed to support the company’s sustainability ambitions. From building practices to construction materials to operating functions to landscaping, the LEGO Group’s only U.S.

Modern life is shaped by electronic devices that employ many frequencies of electromagnetic radiation, from radio and television broadcasts, to cell phone, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi signals, to visible light displays and high-frequency medical imaging.

Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) describes a variety of systems that use technology to provide optimal growing conditions for crops, from simple hoop houses and traditional greenhouses to fully indoor vertical farms.

In 2001, when cousins Ryan and Travis Croxton took over their family’s 100-year-old oyster bed leases on Virginia’s Middle Peninsula, the Commonwealth’s oyster industry was on life support.

Consider the strawberry. Its skin, slightly glossy in a deep crimson hue, warmed by gentle light. A burst of sweet juice when first pierced by the teeth, giving way to tart flavors and a subtly gritty texture from dozens of tiny seeds.

Labor shortages have long been a challenge in agricultural operations, spurring innovative new ways of operating. Today’s farms rely as much on GPS-guided technology and artificial intelligence-driven automation as they do on manual labor.