For the third straight year, Virginia has been named the Best State for Business by Forbes. Virginia ranked 7th in labor supply, 6th in quality of life, and 6th in economic climate. It was also ranked 1st for regulatory environment, thanks in part to the second-best incentive programs in the country. Only two other states,… Read more »
Aaron Kremer
Aaron Kremer is the founder of Richmond BizSense. Email him at [email protected].
The van is cool again, or at least cheaper than commuting solo
But the number of vanpools cruising from Richmond to Hampton Roads or D.C. could jump 20% this year alone. And for in-town commuters, sharing a van could cut the cost of getting to work by almost 70% in the most extreme cases.Peyton Youmans, manager of the Richmond office of the vanpooling provider VPSI, said he… Read more »
45,000 sign up for Ukrop’s gas promotion
Richmonders have knocked $256,000 off their gasoline bill by swiping their Ukrop’s member cards at Uppy’s gas stations. Las month, Ukrops and Uppy’s launched a joint promotion last month called fuelperks!. BizSense reported it here. For every $50 spent on groceries at Ukrop’s, customers get 10 cents off each gallon of gas at Uppy’s. If… Read more »
Business loans harder to get
Bankers are taking longer to issue business loans and asking for more collateral when they do issue them, according to bankers around Richmond. Even companies with solid credit and long-established relationships are having more trouble getting financing, which is an essential ingredient for growth. The number of loan requests, meanwhile, is also falling. “Entrepreneurs feel… Read more »
CFO and CAO leave S&K
Long-time S&K Menswear CFO Bob Knowles has left the company. Controller and Senior Vice President & Chief Accounting Officer Janet L. Jorgensen has also left the company. Knowles was with the company for more than 25 years. S&K announced last week that it was cutting 50 local jobs. CEO Joseph Oliver could not be reached… Read more »
Booted from Craigslist: Oldest profession needs to find new ways to market
Richmond’s call girls and their customers are no longer using Craigslist as a virtual bulletin board to arrange business. The popular website has a new warning, “Human trafficking and exploitations of minors are not tolerated – any suspected activity will be reported to law enforcement.” Postings about intimate nights for sale are getting flagged and… Read more »
Gas station asks customers to pay with cash
High gas prices are squeezing the gas stations, too – in particular, the rapidly rising credit-card fees, which can run around 3% of the total cost. When gas was $2 a gallon, that meant a charge of 6 cents per gallon to the gas station for the convenience of processing the transaction. Now that’s up… Read more »
Most promising startups in Richmond?
The search is on to find the most promising startups in the Richmond area. The fourth annual Greater Companies to Watch series is now accepting nominations on its freshly-launched website. The winners will be announced on October 29 at a celebration at Toad’s Place, and will then be featured in a widely read brochure.
Locked and loaded (with a staple gun and flyers)
While waiting for my coffee one morning at the Starbucks in the Fan, I noticed a bulletin board on the wall with a handful of posters and flyers hung up for different events. A few rough drafts later BizSense had an 8×10 pull-tab flyer (you know, the ones where you tear the little piece of… Read more »
Handmade Soaps to Clean up Main Street
A transplanted couple from Arizona wants to cleanup a block of East Main Street – by making and selling soap in a formerly dilapidated store. Michael and Sharon Walsh started making soap 18 years ago after receiving a how-to book as a gag gift. “The book was horrible. I was forced to find a way… Read more »