News & Features
Virginia Economic Review
Our quarterly publication, Virginia Economic Review, provides an insider look at Virginia’s economy, its diverse array of world-class companies, its amazing talent, and its stunning natural beauty, as well as insights from national thought leaders.
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12.08.2023
Making Up for Lost Time
When a naval ship is at sea, dozens of critical electronic systems onboard need to operate perfectly, or missions and lives could be in jeopardy. Those systems require consistent power to operate, but the power provided by the ship’s generators is often unreliable.
12.08.2023
Nuclear’s Role in the Future of Clean Energy: A Conversation With April Wade
April Wade is executive director of the Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium (VNEC), which represents stakeholders invested in research and development, workforce development, innovation, and advocacy for the nuclear energy industry.
12.08.2023
Betting on Energy Innovation: A Conversation With Will Payne
Will Payne is managing partner of economic development firm Coalfield Strategies, the director of InvestSWVA, a public-private partnership aimed at attracting companies to the western portion of Virginia, and an adviser to the Energy DELTA Lab research and development facility in Wise County.
12.08.2023
Charting a Cleaner Energy Future for Virginia: A Conversation With Bob Blue
Bob Blue is chair, president, and CEO of Dominion Energy, Inc., an integrated energy utility headquartered in Richmond that operates in 15 states and provides energy to 7 million customers.
West Piedmont Higher Education Center, Martinsville
Delta Star, Inc., Lynchburg
12.08.2023
Virginia’s Transformer Manufacturers Power Up
Transformers are an essential component for maintaining the national electric grid and ensuring continuous power in regions affected by aging components and sensitivity to storms and natural disasters.
Energy DELTA Lab rendering
12.08.2023
A Hub for Energy Research in Southwest Virginia
His hair and mustache grayed, 74-year-old Mike Quillen is no longer flexible enough to regularly walk the mines of Southwest Virginia, where he started a career that saw him build a company that became the sixth-largest coal supplier in the world — although he does plan to be underground for his 75th birthday.
12.08.2023
Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project Hits Major Milestones
CVOW — or “sea” and “vow,” if you will — is a fitting acronym for a transformational offshore wind farm. CVOW, or the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, has been in the planning stages for years by Dominion Energy, a state-regulated public electric utility company.
12.08.2023
Preparing to Meet Virginia’s Long-Term Energy Needs
The best way to conceptualize Virginia’s energy ambitions is to look to its past of supporting one of the most power-intensive industries in existence.
12.08.2023
State of Acceleration
After passage of the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA) three years ago got the ball rolling toward a cleaner, more productive energy future, the Commonwealth of Virginia’s 2022 Energy Plan has the Commonwealth poised to meet significant needs in the future.
Selling Virginia Delicacies Along the Commonwealth's Tourist Trails
From fourth-generation oyster farms to award-winning distilleries, Virginia’s food and beverage trails offer a bounty for hungry travelers. Here’s how some of those businesses have benefited from being on these trails.
09.26.2022
Following The Crooked Road: A Conversation With René Rodgers
Dr. René Rodgers is head curator at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol, where she leads the museum’s collections, permanent and special exhibits, and other educational programming.
Carter Family Fold, Scott County
09.26.2022
Heritage Music Shapes the Future of Southwest Virginia on The Crooked Road
As U.S. Route 58 winds west along the southern border of Virginia into the Blue Ridge Mountains, the road takes on another name — drawing on the distinctive music for which southwestern Virginia is known.
McAfee Knob, Roanoke County
09.15.2022
The Heart of the Appalachian Trail
Virginia Offers Challenge and Respite as Midpoint for Thru-Hikers It happens every spring and fall in Virginia. In the south, on the Tennessee border, they come just as the dogwoods bloom.
09.13.2022
The Story Behind an Iconic American Hike: A Conversation With Philip D'Anieri
Philip D’Anieri is a lecturer in urban and regional planning at the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning, where he teaches courses on the built environment.
Positioned to Thrive
Medical Device Manufacturer Embody Sets Stage for International Growth For Norfolk-based Embody, Inc., the six-year process of product development, preclinical testing, and compliance hurdles to get its collagen-based tendon and ligament implant, Tapestry, into the U.S.
James Madison University
Creative Partnerships Solve Workforce Needs in the Shenandoah Valley
Partnership With JMU, BRCC Helps Merck Fill Need for HPV Vaccines In 2019, Melissa Lubin learned that pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co., Inc., was competing for a billion-dollar expansion in Elkton, a town in the Shenandoah Valley.
Research Partnerships and Treatment Breakthroughs in Hampton Roads
The highly transmissible omicron variant of the novel coronavirus upended perceptions about proper mitigation. People who had been wearing fabric masks began switching over to N95 and KN95 respirators, leading to greater demand for respirators.



