This month, the number of Fortune 1000 companies headquartered in Greater Richmond increased to 11. This ranks Greater Richmond 13th best of all metros in the number of Fortune 1000 companies per 100,000 residents.  

NewMarket Corporation was added this year by being ranked 943 on Fortune's list. NewMarket began in Richmond in 1887 and is the parent company of Afton Chemical Corporation and Ethyl Corporation. NewMarket is located in downtown Richmond  

Gregory W. Wingfield, president and CEO of the Greater Richmond Partnership, Inc. said, "For a city of our size, it is impressive to have 11 Fortune 1000 Companies who choose to be headquartered in Greater Richmond, of which six are ranked as Fortune 500."

  

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In early May, abakus solar USA opened its first U.S. operation in the City of Richmond. abakus solar USA is a subsidiary of abakus solar AG, located in Germany. Founded in 1995, abakus solar AG engineers and operates photovoltaic turnkey plants renowned internationally. The company has special competence in high-quality BIPV (building integrated photovoltaic), tailor-made according to the requirements of customers and architects.

  

James Huff, CEO of abakus solar USA, said, "Access to the Port and being at the crossroads of I-95 and I-64 were critical for our decision to locate in Richmond." He added, "The Greater Richmond Partnership and the City of Richmond were a tremendous help to abakus solar in making our business decision on where to locate and then supporting us as we established our facility."

 

Mayor Dwight C. Jones said, "abakus solar AG has chosen the right city for its first USA location! The decision by this German company reaffirms Richmond's most recent accloade as the Best Small American City of the Future by Foreign Direct Investment (fDi) Magazine. Having recently launched our own sustainability planning process, we are extremely pleased to welcome and support businesses at the cutting edge of alternative energy solutions. We welcome abakus solar USA to our city."

 

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The Richmond region has seen a significant uptick in commercial real estate activity in the first four months of 2011, according to Richmond BizSense. During that time, real estate firms have reported $160.6 million in sales from 34 deals, up more than 200 percent from $47.9 million for the same period in 2010.
  

The second largest deal took place in downtown Richmond: a $63.7 million sale of Riverside on the James to McLean-based American Real Estate Partners. Walton Makepeace, a broker with CB Richard Ellis who was involved stated, "I think that deal will start some momentum in downtown Richmond for office building sales."

In addition to sales, Richmond is experiencing a number of expansions. Union First Market Bank is movong its corporate headquarters from the Turning Basin building in Shockoe Slip to Three James Center, which will offer the $3.8 billion bank's headquarters 50 percent more space. The Hodges Partnership, a PR firm located in Shockoe Bottom, has expanded its office by adding a modern addition to its historic-looking building.

  

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Reported in a May 25, 2011 Richmond Times Dispatch article, the Virginia Port Authority (VPA) has approved an agreement to lease the Port of Richmond, beginning July 1. The VPA announced it would retain Delaware-based Port Contractors Inc. as the terminal's operator.

  

VPA Executive Director Jerry A. Bridges said in a statement that, "This is an opportunity for the port to expand its contributions to the commonwealth on multiple levels." He cited economic advantages of having terminals managed by the VPA as well as reduced vehicle emissions and truck traffic on Interstate 64 by allowing containers to be carried by barge between Hampton Roads and Richmond.

  

According to the Port of Virginia website, the VPA's terminals in Hampton Roads are linked to the Port of Richmond by a barge service that moves about 200 containers per week. Port authority officials believe that the weekly barge service can be expanded to twice weekly, possibly starting in mid-August.

  

"An expanded barge service has drawn interest from customers that move overweight cargo that is not time-sensitive," said J.J. Keever, the VPA's senior deputy executive director. "Bringing the Port of Richmond aboard gives us the opportunity to try some innovative things with the barge that we think will attract interest from shippers and private investment that seek to capitalize on the Port of Richmond given its proximity to I-95 and its water link to Hampton Roads.

  

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On May 4, 2011, Governor Bob McDonnell announced that Academy Award-winning filmaker Steven Spielberg will shoot his highly anticipated major feature film Lincoln in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Based on the book, "Team of Rivals" by Doris Kearns Goodwin, the movie will be shot in the Richmond and Petersburg areas. Filming begins in the fall and the movie is slated to release in 2012.

  

Steven Spielberg noted, "Virginia's rich historic legacy, coupled with the remarkable period architecture found in Richmond and Petersburg, making Central Virginia the ideal location for this production."

  

Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones commented, "Richmond played a central role in the Civil War, and we are honored that our city will be featured in a film about this important time in American history. We welcome this extraordinary opportunity to be part of this film."

  

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