Al Harris

Sports bar franchise eyes Richmond

Maryland-based Greene Turtle Sports Bar & Grille  is looking to add one or more locations in Richmond within the next four years. The Washington Biz Journal reveals that the sports bar chain plans to target Richmond as they add up to 150 new locations. They also plan to grow locations in Philadelphia, Charlotte, N.C., and… Read more »

An outsider’s view of Richmond

Last month Richmond received 140 visitors from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The city was selected for the Baton Rouge Area Chamber’s annual canvassing trip. Julio Melara, president of BusinessReport.com, was on the trip and shared some of his observations on his website. The site is to Baton Rouge as BizSense is to Richmond. Below are a… Read more »

Garnetts Cafe coming to The Fan

A new restaurant is in the works at the corner of Park and Meadow, with a veteran of vegetarian cuisine at the helm. The restaurant, Garnetts Cafe, will be at 2001 Park Ave. The business is registered to Kendra Feather, owner and operator of Ipanema Cafe. The new restaurant applied last week for wine, beer… Read more »

Local firm nominated for Business Week award

Impact Makers, a local healthcare and IT consulting firm, is finalist for a Business Week Social Entrepreneurship Award. The company is among 25 finalists out of more than 200 nominees. Business Week will announce five winners on May 2, which will be chosen by an online vote. So what makes Impact Makers a social entrepreneur?… Read more »

Two more Virginia banks merge

Eastern Virginia Bankshares and First Capital Bancorp announced today that they plan to merge. The all-stock deal is valued at about $27 million, with First Capital common stockholders receiving .98 shares of Eastern Virginia for every share of First Capital. Both banks are publicly traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange.

Home builders call cul-de-sac rules a dead end

It’s the end of the road for the cul-de-sac. New regulations will greatly reduce the number of the bulbous-ending streets allowed in neighborhoods, and Virginia home builders say the move will hamper their business. The requirements were passed last month by the Commonwealth Transportation Board, which establishes policy for Virginia’s transportation system.

Two more businesses hit with ADA lawsuits

A Maryland lawyer has sued two more Richmond businesses for failing to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act. In March, RBS reported that Joel Zuckerman had filed more than 70 ADA compliance lawsuits on behalf of a handful of plaintiffs. Two more cases have been filed by Zuckerman since that report. Full Kee restaurant and… Read more »

Richmond’s piece of the coming commercial real estate shakedown

Riverside on the James, Richmond’s FBI Headquarters on Parham, a former Circuit City headquarters building. All three are among the local properties that have large commercial mortgages coming due in the next two years. Between now and the end of 2010, there are 27 CMBS loans coming due in the Richmond metropolitan area with $178.2… Read more »