By Anne Cosgrove
From the September/October 2024 Issue

Site development across Virginia is in motion, with the state having introduced a targeted effort in 2022. This past July, Governor Glenn Youngkin awarded a total of $126 million in Virginia Business Ready Sites Program (VBRSP) development grants for 23 sites across the Commonwealth. Administered by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP), this discretionary program partners with localities, utilities, and state agencies to fund infrastructure improvements that build operations-ready sites. 

In addition to developing the project-ready sites, the VBRSP program assembles permits and approvals to make way for a smooth construction process. VBRSP identifies, assesses, and improves industrial sites with at least 100 contiguous, developable acres, or 50 acres in the western part of the Commonwealth and in areas with other qualifying conditions.

“Speed to market is a major consideration in site selection decisions, and the Virginia Business Ready Sites Program has helped Virginia increase its inventory of suitable sites for major projects,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Caren Merrick at the July announcement. “This round of the Virginia Business Ready Sites Program will enhance 23 sites across the Commonwealth, ensuring all of Virginia is positioned to fully capture economic development and job creation opportunities for years to come.”

Since the program’s inception in 2022, 45 sites have received funding, and to date, 3,720 direct jobs have been announced on sites that have received VBRSP grants. In 20224, 23 sites representing more than 10,000 acres of developable land are receiving funding.  

“Virginia has worked strategically to create a diverse portfolio of project-ready sites to meet company needs in a variety of target sectors, and these grants are a primary reason why Virginia is recognized as a national leader in site development,” said Jason El Koubi, VEDP President and CEO. “I am incredibly proud of the results of the program’s efforts. This investment in Virginia’s infrastructure will continue to accelerate economic development in every region of the Commonwealth for years to come.”

VBRSP was developed by a team of state, regional, and local partners including VEDP, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, railroad representatives, utility representatives, civil engineers, and other government, business, and industry representatives.

Richmond Airport Handles Record Cargo

According to reported statistics, activities attributable to the Richmond International Airport (RIC) create nearly 16,000 jobs and contribute about $2.1 billion in annual economic activity. Commercial activity at RIC reflects operations by Allegiant, American, Breeze, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit, Sun Country (seasonal), United and their regional airline affiliates, as well as cargo operations by Amazon, DHL, FedEx, and UPS.

Over the past two and a half years, an average of 16 million pounds of cargo has moved through RIC each month. The May 2024 data reporting 20.3 million pounds was the most cargo through the facility since at least January 2014. Since January 2022, cargo moving through the airport has increased an average of 1% per month.

Canon Virginia Expands, Plenty Unlimited Opens

Canon Virginia, Inc., the global manufacturer of consumer and office products, will expand its manufacturing facility in the City of Newport News. The expansion will support Canon’s initiative to scale a method of isolating natural silk protein to create a solution with applications for multiple industries. Canon Virginia will retrain 30 employees to staff the new line, which is one of the company’s first ventures outside their longstanding core business of image-related products.  

“This announcement brings great opportunity for Canon Virginia to continue our commitment to innovation, growth and development in Virginia,” said President & CEO of Canon Virginia, Inc. Shingo Shigeta.

“With this expansion, we will make silk protein a viable commercially scaled technology with broad application use in various segments,” continued Shigeta. “Virginia’s conducive business environment and the healthy business ecosystem has helped us achieve this goal—this is only possible through unwavering support from the Commonwealth of Virginia, Gov. Youngkin, VEDP, the City of Newport News, and the Hampton Roads Alliance.”

Canon Virginia, Inc., a subsidiary of Japanese corporation Canon Inc., serves as the Canon manufacturing, engineering, recycling and technical support center for the Americas. Canon Virginia produces products such as the new silk protein using advanced manufacturing methodologies while also serving as a factory service center providing customer service in the repair and refurbishment of Canon products. Canon Virginia’s manufacturing services extend to injection mold making, contract manufacturing, medical contract manufacturing and aftermarket services. 

VEDP worked with the City of Newport News to secure the project and will support Canon Virginia’s retraining efforts through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program. Gov. Youngkin also approved a performance-based grant of $350,000 from the Virginia Investment Performance Grant, an incentive that encourages continued capital investment by existing Virginia companies.

The first set of strawberries from the farm is expected to be available in early 2025.

Check out all the latest news related to Virginia economic development, corporate relocation, corporate expansion and site selection.

Virginia was handed its third-straight loss in disastrous fashion on Saturday, getting blown off the field by North Carolina, who had lost its previous four games, 41-14 in Charlottesville. As we break down what we saw from the Cavaliers in their defeat to the Tar Heels and what it means moving forward, let’s hand out some report card grades for various players, position groups, and other categories to help evaluate Virginia’s performance in week 9.

Anthony Colandrea: D
Eight games into the season, Anthony Colandrea has, overall, been much better at taking care of the football than in his freshman year. Unfortunately for Colandrea and the Cavaliers, his two worst games in that regard have contributed to disastrous and costly defeats – first to Maryland in week 3 (2 interceptions in a 27-13 loss) and then on Saturday against North Carolina. While Colandrea was under duress for most of the game – taking nine sacks and getting hurried five more times – he didn’t deal with that pressure very well, failing to adjust with quicker decisions and quicker throws. And though he finished 16/28 for 156 yards, Colandrea was just 3/6 for 30 yards in the first quarter and 2/8 for 43 yards in the second quarter, leading to the lopsided 24-6 halftime deficit. Then came the interceptions, as Colandrea threw his first pick in 146 passing attempts on the first drive of the second half and broke a streak of four-straight games without an interception, then had a second interception returned 84 yards for a touchdown by Jahvaree Ritzie. Virginia had a lot of problems as a team on Saturday, but Colandrea having one of his worst games of his career was one of the biggest problems.

Offensive Line: F
Injuries were a major factor, as the Cavaliers were without starters Brian Stevens and Ty Furnish, who also happen to be the starting center and backup center. But even with those injuries, this was a horrendous showing for the UVA offensive line. Virginia gave up 10 sacks and finished with only seven total rushing yards on 29 attempts. On UVA’s first drive of the game, Noah Josey, who served as the center with Stevens and Furnish out, snapped the ball over Colandrea’s head, turning a 1st and goal from the 1-yard line into an eventual field goal. Virginia still took the lead, but you have to feel the game could have gone differently if the Cavaliers had set the tone with a touchdown there. UVA’s offensive line not playing a great game was somewhat expected with the injuries, but injuries seem to be a constant for this unit, and they must find a way to play well consistently even when a starter or two is out of the lineup.

Red Zone Offense: F
For the season, Virginia is now 12/33 in scoring touchdowns on red zone trips, just 36%. This time, the Cavaliers scored six total points on three red zone trips. There was the bad Noah Josey snap that cost UVA a nearly guaranteed touchdown. Virginia also had a 1st and 10 from the UNC 12-yard line, but two incomplete passes sandwiched around a short Colandrea scramble resulted in the Cavaliers settling for another short Bettridge field goal. Then there was the biggest disaster play of the game. Virginia had 1st and 10 at the UNC 16-yard line with a chance to make it 31-14 – still likely out of reach, but maybe on the way to making the final score respectable. Instead, Colandrea was intercepted by Jahvaree Ritzie and, partially due to a lack of hustle by the Cavaliers, the 6’4″, 290-pound defensive lineman was able to rumble 84 yards down the sideline for the touchdown, formally putting the nail in the coffin. UVA’s inability to execute in the red zone continues to be one of the team’s biggest issues. With just four games left in the season, it seems unlikely it’ll ever get resolved.

Tony Muskett: A
Before you ask: no, we’re still not pining for Tony Muskett to start over Anthony Colandrea; at least not yet. With that said, Tony Elliott said he’d be “evaluating” the quarterback position moving forward into the bye week. It must be acknowledged that Muskett has played well in his late-game opportunities recently and has also had a few good spot moments this season when he came in for single plays when Colandrea had to leave the field. On Saturday, Muskett completed 8/13 passing attempts for 125 yards and a long 68-yard touchdown pass to JR Wilson. That’s the second week in a row Muskett has nearly produced as many passing yards as Colandrea in significantly fewer snaps. While that production has usually been against the opponent’s backups in garbage time, the offense has generally looked better with Muskett running the show late than it has with Colandrea over the last three or four weeks – even the Boston College win had more to do with the defense. Even if Virginia considers a quarterback change, we’re not sure that’s gonna change the team’s fortune considering the way the entire team has played during this three-game losing streak.

Overall Offense: D

By the Numbers: Breaking Down Virginia’s Loss to North Carolina

Pass Defense: F
The Cavaliers were carved up by a third-string quarterback, as Jacolby Criswell completed 19 of 30 passing attempts for 293 yards and two touchdowns. Most of that went to J.J. Jones, who went for 129 receiving yards and two touchdowns on just seven targets. The Tar Heels had 10 big passing plays (15+ yards), including touchdowns that came on 37-yard and 31-yard completions. UVA’s defensive line had zero sacks for the second week in a row.

Run Defense: C
All things considered, this was not a terrible showing for the Virginia defense against one of the nation’s best running backs. Omarion Hampton racked up 105 rush yards on 26 carries and scored two touchdowns. Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, Hampton didn’t have more production in part because UNC was having so much success passing the ball and because Hampton didn’t need to even be on the field late in the game. Virginia totaled four tackles for loss, but tackling was otherwise a significant issue for the Cavaliers.

Overall Defense: D

Special Teams: A
Will Bettridge made both of his chip shot field goals. Daniel Sparks punted four times for an average of 44.8 yards, including one that went 60 yards. There were no big returns allowed and no massive miscues. Of all of the things that went poorly for the Cavaliers on Saturday, special teams were not one of them.

By the Numbers: Breaking Down Virginia’s Loss to North Carolina

Virginia Football Suffers 41-14 Loss vs. North Carolina

Five Takeaways from Virginia Football’s 41-14 Loss to North Carolina

Virginia vs. North Carolina Live Score Updates | NCAA Football

1. 3rd Down Efficiency

The Hokies converted just 13% of their third-down attempts yesterday and struggled to move the football in the running game, which is their primary offensive strategy. This week, the Hokies will face Syracuse, a team with a very explosive offense, meaning they cannot afford to take risks as they are more likely to pay for mistakes than they did against Georgia Tech. Syracuse is currently averaging 30.9 points and 469.9 total yards per game. If the Hokies third-down struggles continue, it’s likely that Syracuse will win this game by a wide margin.

2. The Run Game

The Hokies running game wasn’t as effective as Virginia Tech fans are used to seeing, which could be a significant problem if it continues this week. The team is currently averaging 195.5 rushing yards per game, but they managed only 89 total rushing yards yesterday, as Georgia Tech shut down their ground attack throughout the game. Adding to the concern, star running back Bhayshul Tuten was injured in yesterday’s game, and it is uncertain whether he will play next week. Reports indicate that he was seen in a walking boot at the end of the game. It is also important to note that as a result, Tuten’s streak of nine consecutive games with a touchdown has ended, and this marks the third time this season he has been held to under 100 rushing yards.

3. Passing game needs to be more consistent

This year we have seen the Hokies offense come out slow or struggle with throwing the football and that was no different yesterday. The Virginia Tech offense managed only 134 passing yards and averages 181.5 yards per game this season. This will likely need to improve, as we saw yesterday, teams will focus on stopping the run and force the Hokies to rely on the passing game. You also can’t rely on your defense to hold opponents to just six points and consistently provide your offense with great field position, especially against a potent offense like Syracuse’s.

Additional Links:

Virginia Tech Football: 5 Big Takeaways From Virginia Tech’s Win vs Georgia Tech

Virginia Tech Football: Three Keys To Victory For The Hokies Against Georgia Tech

Virginia Tech Football: Hokies Reveal Uniform Combination For Matchup With Georgia Tech