Construction activity is slowing at an increasing rate in Richmond, leading to more layoffs, longer pay terms and downward pressure on the prices subcontractors can charge. For the first time in recent memory, builders say foreign laborers are also starting to return to their countries of origin. In January, builders filed 123 residential building permits… Read more »
Al Harris
Boycotting the recession
The recession is being felt by business owners everywhere, but at least one Richmond firm decided not to participate. Graphics Gallery, a West-End based producer of graphic displays, is urging other businesses to join their chorus of recession-deniers. The company is giving away a series of signs that state: “We heard about the recession, and… Read more »
Local duo zips up distribution deal
A local husband-and-wife design team will soon have their product sold through direct-response TV and at major retailers nationwide through a licensing agreement with Massachusetts-based distributor Harvest Direct. Chris and Kat Costello, owners of Green Alley LLC, started developing the “zpr bag” in 2007. The product is a customizable handbag designed for teenage girls. Z-P-R… Read more »
Laid off alumni turn to resume database
More than 45 job hunters have posted their resume to Virginia Commonwealth University’s alumni database that launched on January 26, according to Katherine Oliver, communications director for the School of Business. “We definitely have people from Circuit City, lots from Qimonda,” Oliver said. Other job seekers have been laid off from Wyeth, insurance companies, and banks,… Read more »
Contractor sues Qimonda over unpaid invoices
Richmond-based ColonialWebb Contractors filed a lawsuit against Qimonda seeking $369,495 in unpaid invoices. The lawsuit was filed in Henrico County District Court last Monday. Qimonda announced that it was shutting down all operations at its Sandston manufacturing facility the next day. According to the filing, ColonialWebb was contracted by Qimonda in December 2006 to service… Read more »
Richmond’s $11,000 coffee maker
Ellwood Thompson’s, the specialty grocery store in Carytown, scooped up a Clover just before the rights were sold. The Clover is the most expensive, with a price tag of $11,000. It’s hailed by coffee lovers as producing the most delicious cup of java. This is not satire. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz was so impressed by… Read more »
Sandston shops mourn Qimonda
Sandston, the small Henrico village near the airport, isn’t exactly a company town. But the thousands of employees at Qimonda helped support a handful of locally-owned shops and eateries. One of the first customers at Lizzy Peas Express was a Qimonda worker, according to manager Ollie Taylor (pictured above). “She went back and told other… Read more »
Ballpark debate heats up in cyberspace
The debate over a ballpark in Shockoe Bottom has hit the World Wide Web. Charlie Diradour, president of Lion’s Paw Development Company, recently launched the site Baseball on the Boulevard as place for the Richmond community to discuss the many different sides of the prospect of a downtown stadium.
And the incentive money goes to …
When it comes to selecting filming locations, the movie industry takes a cue from Jerry Maguire: “Show me the money.” Unfortunately for Virginia, there isn’t much to show. But that could change if plans to provide more incentives to studios take hold in the General Assembly.
Virginia bank acquires 4 branches in Md.
Another failed bank is just another opportunity for Tappahannock-based Bank of Essex. On Saturday, the Bank of Essex assumed operations of Suburban Federal Savings Bank in Crofton Md. after it was seized by federal regulators on Friday. The Bank of Essex, which is owned by Community Bankers Trust Corporation in Glen Allen, purchased all $312… Read more »