Cover Story
While President Joe Biden will likely strike a more diplomatic tone with China than his predecessor, economists and other observers believe the United States’ rocky trade relationship with its biggest economic rival will remain contentious — which will impact Virginia’s economy. Under former President Donald Trump, the U.S. and China were immersed in a grueling
New port CEO offers vision for building on success
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In January, Stephen Edwards became the new CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority, which oversees the Port of Virginia. The former CEO of Los Angeles-based TraPac, which operates container terminals in California and Florida, Edwards succeeds John Reinhart, who retired after seven years at the authority’s helm. During his tenure, Reinhart steered
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Each year, we lament the relative instability of the international shipping industry, analyzing unpredicted challenges and looking for signs of smoother sailing in the months ahead. It goes without saying that 2020 set a new bar for instability across the board. As the COVID-19 pandemic spread and lockdowns were implemented in the United States, importers
From This Issue
Richmond, Front Royal terminals expand port shipping capabilities
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Now more than 80 years old, Richmond Marine Terminal is hardly acting like an old-timer. Nestled along the west side of the James River, about five miles south of downtown, it’s one of two inland ports operated by the Port of Virginia — terminals situated in the interior of the commonwealth that extend the reach
Truckers able to handle influx of shipments
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The Port of Virginia is benefiting from pent-up demand for goods, seeing a significant uptick in cargo volume since last fall, which translates into more work for truckers. The $800 million-plus investment made in the port’s Virginia International Gateway and Norfolk International Terminal has allowed more room for vessels, and “cargo is flowing really well,”
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Major road projects are happening across the state, but the undeniable headliner is the largest infrastructure project in state history, the $3.8 billion Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion. In October 2020, crews broke ground on the HRBT expansion, which will increase tunnel and interstate capacity along 9.9 miles of Interstate 64 between Hampton and Norfolk to
John Reinhart, port board members talk legacy of growth
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John F. Reinhart Former CEO, executive director of Virginia Port Authority Reinhart retired at the end of March as CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority, a position he began in 2014. During his tenure, the Port of Virginia started and completed a nearly $800 million expansion of its terminals in Hampton Roads
Increased e-commerce fuels wave of distribution centers
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For Hanover County Economic Development Director Linwood Thomas, things couldn’t get much better. “It’s really been a perfect storm,” Thomas says. That storm — the good type — is a deluge of distribution centers and warehouses that have opened recently or are currently in the pipeline for the county of about 108,000 residents, located about
ODU aims to lift all boats in global maritime industry
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When it comes to Old Dominion University’s role in the maritime industry, Nancy Grden has high aspirations. “We’re not globally recognized today,” says Grden, associate vice president of ODU’s Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, “but that’s our goal.” ODU’s leaders decided on that target following the 2019 efforts of an economic development catalyst task force
Virginia’s wind energy training program picks up speed
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Dante Billington-McCoy wanted to be ready to launch a new career when he leaves the Army next fall. So, he made a call to Tidewater Tech to get information about their automotive technician program. Or he intended to. Instead, the 24-year-old Hampton Roads resident got Virginia Beach-based private, for-profit Centura College on the line, thanks
Newport News Shipyard steams ‘full speed ahead’
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In a year when the world stood still, forcing businesses to adjust, the shipbuilding industry in Hampton Roads was told from the start to keep working. In early spring 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic raised the question of who qualified as “essential personnel,” the U.S. Navy made one thing clear — that designation definitely included
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By 2024, the Port of Virginia expects to be the deepest port on the East Coast at 55 feet, with room for two-way traffic for some of the world’s largest vessels. The port has six terminals and has invested more than $1 billion in infrastructure since 2015, producing 390,000 port-related jobs across the state, $23