The chairman and chief executive started Divaris Real Estate with his first cousin, Michael Divaris, in South Africa in March 1974. This year, the Virginia Beach-based company celebrates 50 years of staying power.

With about 250 employees and 15 offices throughout the U.S., Divaris keeps its pulse on the commercial real estate industry in Hampton Roads and beyond.

“Real estate is an exciting business,” Divaris said. “I keep telling my grandson that the beauty of it is that nothing is the same; no single project is going to be identical.”

Its two initial companies, commercial real estate and property management, now have more than 40 million square feet of office, retail and industrial space throughout the U.S. in its charge.

The Divaris cousins started out by building one of the largest commercial real estate firms in brokerage in South Africa before Gerald Divaris left to pursue the American dream in 1981. Michael Divaris, president in charge of the office division, stayed in South Africa for another five years before he immigrated to the U.S. in 1986.

“I had really created a pretty interesting platform,” Gerald Divaris said.

He excitedly recalled his involvement with the public-private partnership for Cape Town’s 250-acre mixed-use development at its port that was in its early stages before he relocated his family and business across the water.

“The United States, to me, was a country that you could really count on the preservation of private enterprise,” he said. “And the fact that you could reach for the stars without any limits.”

Born in the former British colony of Rhodesia, Divaris earned degrees from the University of Cape Town in accounting and real estate marketing. He was accepted to study for his doctorate in real estate, but opted instead to focus on his established business.

___

Virginia Beach beckons

So well-established early on, Divaris Real Estate was garnering clients from the U.S., and one of them was a Virginia Beach developer.

With his California broker’s license in hand and plans to settle on the West Coast, Divaris made a stop in Virginia Beach to say hello to his client, became enamored with the area and never left.

“To me, it was like a very small pond with very small fish,” Divaris said. “California was a very big pond with very big fish.”

From the start, Divaris thought outside the box, opting to base his company in Virginia Beach when, back then, most were in Norfolk. In 1982, as One Columbus Center on Constitution Drive was being completed, he became the building’s first tenant, moved his “world headquarters” in and got busy doing what he does best — signing other tenants.

A visionary from day one, Divaris saw the vacant swath of land surrounding his business and planted the seed for a city center.

“I said, ‘We need to create our own heart and soul — something we could really call and identify with for Virginia Beach,’” he said.

Divaris joined efforts in 1986 to create the Central Business District Association as the area was zoned as a central business district since 1976. The city established a commission to modify the zoning conditions to create what stands today as a true urban city center.

Growth came quickly for Divaris Real Estate as the company opened offices in Richmond and Newport News; Charlotte, North Carolina; Atlanta; Washington, D.C.; and Tampa and Miami, Florida, in the late 1980s to help recover and redevelop properties facing foreclosure when tax regulations changed.

It was around this same time that Divaris was diligently expanding Town Center, bringing in Armada Hoffler as a partner to handle the development and construction while his business oversaw management and leasing.

Lou Haddad, CEO of  Armada Hoffler Properties, said in an email that Divaris Group is a key component in their success at Town Center as well as other markets within the state and into the Carolinas.

“Our business model is reliant on quality firms providing top-notch services at our properties,” Haddad said. “The Divaris Group has set a standard of excellence that answers that challenge.”

Throughout the years, Divaris worked his charm convincing retailers new to the Virginia Beach market — such as Anthropologie, Lululemon, Free People, Bluemercury and, most recently, Lego — to open stores in Town Center.

“Retail is the glue that ties everything together,” he said.

Divaris was also responsible for bringing national retailers, including Ikea, Best Buy, Walmart, Kohl’s and Ross, to Hampton Roads.

The look and feel of Virginia Beach today is a much different one than Divaris remembers when he first set eyes on it. He credited the leadership of Jim Spore, the former Virginia Beach city manager, for much of it. Spore equally credits Divaris for amazing changes within the community.

“It was a marriage made in heaven, so to speak,” Spore said. “He’s probably one of the most connected retail experts in the country.”

___

‘Stick-to-it-iveness’

Divaris has ventured into creating new and exciting architecture, such as with 3556 on the Bay. The condominium building’s beach is secured with two seawalls to help protect it from erosion.

“That is the only project in this entire city, to this day, that has the wall under the beach,” he said. “It really worked very well; the beach increased in size.”

Such work ties into what Divaris calls his four pillars of success: work hard, think outside the box, think about benefiting the community you serve and treat your employees like family.

Vince Mastracco, an attorney with Kaufman & Canoles, said he is honored to have done business with Divaris throughout the years.

“He’s got enormous credibility and veracity in the community in which he does work,” Mastracco said.

Mastracco was one of more than 350 attendees, including employees, clients, family and elected officials, at a celebration marking the company’s anniversary in mid-June at the Virginia Beach Westin hotel.

“I told him there was a lot of love and admiration in that room for him and what he’s done,” Mastracco said.

Tom Frantz, an attorney marking 50 years with Williams Mullen, said he met Divaris the same year he arrived in Hampton Roads. Frantz said his longtime friend is a visionary with an incredible work ethic who possesses a stick-to-it-iveness unlike others.

“We’re proud to be associated with him,” Frantz said. “He’s done a lot for the whole region.”

Divaris said he is proud of what he and his team have accomplished, but they are far from done. The company is continuing to grow its footprint in Washington, D.C., and California and plans to expand into Texas and Florida. The Divaris Group has also grown to include Creative Development Partners, Cobalt Real Estate Solutions, Ingenuity Development, KLNB Asset Services, The McGarey Group and S.T. Burke Retail Partners.

He also continues to ensure that the future of commercial real estate thrives. The company maintains a healthy internship program, which Divaris’ grandchildren, Gabriel Divaris, 14, Hazel Divaris, 12, and Max Hammerson, 13, look forward to taking part in.

After losing his son Alexander in April 2019 at the age of 40 from colon cancer, a scholarship was established in his name to benefit a senior from Princess Anne High School. Alex Divaris had worked as executive vice president of the company and director of Creative Synergy. He was also a founding member of CBDX, the young professionals division of the Central Business District Association.

“We were grooming him to take over,” Divaris said, noting his daughter, Maria Hammerson, runs the company’s Beverly Hills office and his nephew, Tony Divaris, is chief operating officer.

“So now my challenge is to keep alive to wait for my grandchildren, Gabriel, Hazel and Max, to get ready to join us,” he said.

As for his roots, Divaris said he and his family traveled back to South Africa in 2022 for the first time in more than 40 years for his niece’s wedding.

“I got to see the waterfront finished, opened and operating,” Divaris said. “It was fantastic to see it.”

Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-652-5836, sandra.pennecke@pilotonline.com

The 3.4-acre site in the Phoebus section of Hampton had been where wild-caught scallops, shrimp, oysters and other seafood arrived for processing and packing at Wanchese Fish Co. for decades before the operation relocated to Newport News two years ago.

The property at 28-38, 48 and 52 Water St. was listed in May for $4 million with Hampton Carver, principal with Richmond-based CarverCo, handling the sale. Zoned for mixed-use development, the site includes over-water development rights with 10 feet of water depth at its docks.

“The site’s transition from long-time seafood waterfront to mixed-use illustrates the transition of Hampton Roads’ economy from seafood-centric to one of residential and commercial uses,” Carver said.

Interested parties to date have included restaurant owners and residential developers.

“I think it really presents itself as a lifestyle development on the water. …The views are such that it really demands a high-quality product,” Carver said. “I think it could be a real hub to help kick off more development in the area.”

Water Street, accessible by foot, bike, car and boat, is situated between the historic village of Phoebus’ growing restaurant district and Fort Monroe’s more than 500 acres of parklike amenities, including beaches and walking trails. Virginia Capital Trail, in cooperation with the Tidewater Trail Alliance, is planning a bike trail from Richmond to Fort Monroe that will run adjacent to Water Street.

A familiar marker to generations of residents and visitors, the property is visible to more than 3 million vehicles that traverse the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel each month, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Carver referred to the site — noted as a gateway property by the city — as a local landmark for Interstate 64 travelers.

“I remember it as a child. We would always look over there and see the shrimp, scallop and other fishing boats,” Carver said. “The working waterfronts — from the standpoint of seafood, the culture of the watermen and people working on the water — are diminishing. It’s sad to see it, but it’s just an interesting feature of the changing economies.”

Wanchese Fish Co., which dates back to 1936, was based in Manteo, North Carolina. Canadian-based Cooke Seafood bought the company in 2015 and relocated the Phoebus operation to the Seafood Industrial Park in Newport News due to a need for larger dock facilities. The company maintains a corporate office and processing facility in Suffolk.

While Carver said part of him is sad to see the transition, he also wants to make sure the property is positioned to be a long-term asset for Hampton and Phoebus because of the catalyst it could be for further development.

“I believe Water Street’s future includes high-quality multifamily and waterfront restaurant/marina uses and that its development will catalyze Phoebus’ emergence as a center for investment and development,” he said.

Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-652-5836, sandra.pennecke@pilotonline.com

“Aviation is a cornerstone of growth for any region,” owner Steve Fox said.

Although the 634-acre facility at the intersection of four major highways — Interstates 64, 664 and 264 and U.S. 58 — had its share of hardships in the past, it continues to soar and act as a gateway to Hampton Roads. The bulk of the public-use, privately owned reliever airport, known by the code KPVG, is in Chesapeake with a portion of its western side just over the Suffolk line.

Dating back to the 1940s, the facility was originally called Portsmouth Airport. It was started by Capt. Henry Pascale, a World War I veteran eager to provide a place for flying lessons for other service members returning home. After a rocky start, Pascale saved the airport from foreclosure. At the time, it consisted of about 200 acres, three grass runways and gravel roads.

More than 60 years later, three pilot businessmen, Steve Fox, Jack Fox and David “Andy” Gibbs, stepped in to purchase the airport in 2000 from a bankruptcy auction.

“It included 13 buildings, an old terminal, an old runway and 90 T-hangars — pretty much everything was at least 20 years old or older,” Fox said.

The following year, they bought an additional 404 acres for construction of a new runway and future development of the airport.

Today, Steve Fox and his wife, Bee, retired city attorney for Virginia Beach, are the majority owners of Virginia Aviation Associates, which owns the airport. The Foxes’ son, Luke, serves as the airport’s director of finance and managing engineer. Fox bought out his father, Jack Fox. Gibbs, the airport’s former helicopter instructor, died in 2013.

“I’m the last man standing from the original three owners,” said Steve Fox, a third-generation pilot whose grandfather, Martin Fox, was a pilot in World War I. “It was in the stars, I guess.”

___

Revamping for jets

Fox explained that when he purchased the airport, there were three detriments: the condition of the buildings, its 4,000-foot runway and the lack of an instrument landing system. Insurance companies generally require turbine-powered aircraft, or jets, to operate on a 5,000-foot runway.

Eager to improve the airport, its capabilities and amenities, Fox learned about grant funding from the Virginia Department of Aviation and the Federal Aviation Administration’s capital improvement program, both geared to help with privately owned airports. The FAA has supported the airport’s growth with more than $30 million in grants.

“One of the conditions is that we have to keep the airport open forever,” he said.

The first phase in the redevelopment, completed in 2015, included the construction of the 5,350-foot-long, 100-foot-wide runway. The price tag for that alone was $30 million, Fox said.

The new runway sits parallel to the original 4,000-foot-long, 75-foot-wide main runway that was lengthened and repaved and became the new taxiway. Both runways were equipped with new lighting.

Phase one included construction of a new 6,800-square-foot public use terminal with a lounge/lobby, 20-seat conference room, pilot lounge with a nap room, kitchenette, office space, concierge, crew cars and covered vehicle porch. The revamp included the installation of a dozen more hangars, connecting the airport to the public sewer system and adding high-speed internet. These projects cost another $25 million. The state aviation department provided a $500,000 grant for the instrument landing system.

“Any jet, up to the size of a Gulfstream business jet, can land here in any weather condition because we have a proper length runway and an instrument landing system,” he said.

Phase two addressed the need for more and newer hangars. The airport expanded from 13 to 37 buildings ranging from 4,000 to 40,000 square feet. The $10 million project included a second fuel farm and an aircraft washing station.

___

Welcoming new technology

Phase three started this month to add more than $10 million in infrastructure improvements over the next 18 months, Fox said. The project involves the construction of a 36,000-square-foot combined jetport and research and training center, new aprons, three large buildings, hangars and electric-charging stations for new electric aircraft, Fox said.

The state aviation board awarded the project a $6.5 million grant, the airport said.

The center will enable different companies — startups from around the world — to test alternative fuels and alternative fueled aircraft right here in Hampton Roads. Fox said in the past 24 years of owning the airport, he has not seen the amount of investment and focus on new aircraft that he has seen in the last two years.

“Innovation in both aircraft design and alternate fuel sourcing is flourishing,” he said. “The public will be excited to know that the cost of flying should come down significantly as the new technology emerges.”

Phase four will bring down nine of the original 13 T-hangars still standing, and phase five will address development of 200 acres of raw surplus land for future use by aircraft manufacturers, Fox said.

___

Regional transportation hub

The ambition of the airport is high for a staff of 13. The airport, with 160 planes based there, sees close to 90,000 operations yearly.

Throughout the years, it’s had countless notable arrivals and departures from its property, including President Joe Biden and Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Ambulance helicopters also use the airport regularly.

“Our facility is not about rich people with jets; our facility is servicing people in need, both financial and medical and fostering increased employment,” Fox said.

More than 30 businesses are based at the airport, including Prevailance Aerospace, Hampton Roads Charter Service and Hampton Roads Helicopters. Dave Hynes has been a part of operating the last two businesses from a large complex at the airport since their inception in 2005. Gibbs was his business partner.

Hynes said the expansion and growth at the airport has been beneficial for both of his businesses — whether providing management, hangaring and piloting services, teaching people how to fly helicopters or providing tours or photo mission flights.

“It’s helped us grow the businesses, helped us to be able to employ more employees and be able to contribute more into the local economy because we’re growing and expanding as the airport is growing and expanding, too,” Hynes said.

Another area of growth involves the roadway just outside the airport.

“The blessing of the airport is that we’re on U.S. 58 right at the intersection of four highways,” Fox said. “The curse is that we’re on U.S. 58 right at the intersection of four highways.”

Both Fox and Hynes are anxiously awaiting better traffic flow now that $14 million to improve intersection access to the airport from U.S. 58 was approved, with work starting in 2026. 

“Our vision of converting Hampton Roads Executive Airport’s 80-year-old barnstormer airfield into a modern executive regional transportation hub continues with this next phase of development,” Fox said.

Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-652-5836, sandra.pennecke@pilotonline.com

She planned to go home to Chester for an internship, but that opportunity fell through. And she needed documentation of an internship to walk at the spring commencement.

Fortunately for Wattie, the Monarch Internship and Co-op Office was there to help. The on-campus office, with a mission to empower students with access to transformative internship opportunities, marked its one-year anniversary on July 1.

Since opening, more than 1,200 students have reached out to the office, said Barbara Blake, the department’s executive director. ODU has 24,000 students.

Wattie, a McNair Scholar majoring in human services and criminal justice, was the first student to receive assistance thanks to recent grant funding.

Wattie secured a 10-week summer internship at a counseling group in downtown Norfolk, but her lease was up at the end of May. She said the internship office helped her secure on-campus housing, a meal plan and parking for the summer.

“They handled everything and were very helpful from start to finish,” Wattie said. “I’m forever grateful. …I was not aware of my resources.”

Blake said the office has seen a tremendous outpouring of support from faculty, regional, state and national employers and organizations during its first year. Equally, Blake said students have been engaged, eager to learn about the value of internships and the work-based learning experience pipeline.

The support and guidance is needed now more than ever, Blake said, as the pandemic affected the latest cohort of students ages 18 to 24. And many internship programs have reached out as they get their footing back post-pandemic.

“Our office is at the right place at the right time for a few different types of reasons,” she said.

The Monarch Internship office received a $5 million grant from the Mellon Foundation, which supports internships for specific humanities majors. It also received $200,000 in grant funding from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to help eliminate financial barriers, such as transportation, appropriate attire and expensive housing costs, to ensure every student could participate in an internship regardless of financial background, Blake said.

When the office opened up applications for financial help from the SCHEV grant in May, it had an overwhelming response within the first 48 hours, Blake said. The application link closed within a few days.

Awards dispersed to date range from about $150 for a uniform expense to $2,310 for housing support. The funds can also help with pre-internship requirements such as creating a portfolio, background checks and drug testing, she said.

“This support enables students to focus on their professional growth and future success,” Blake said.

Alvin Spruill, a mechanical engineering student from Fredericksburg, is entering his junior year at ODU this fall.

After applying for more than 50 internships, Spruill was delighted to be accepted into BMW’s program in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He is in the throes of a 12-week summer internship and is relishing the experience.

He referred to the people at the Monarch Internship and Co-op office as his heroes. The office helped Spruill, who is autistic and the first in his family to go to college, with interview techniques and application completion and helped him secure housing at the University of South Carolina Upstate to align with his internship.

“They were paramount in my success in getting an internship,” he said.

The office is fully geared to help solve the “brain drain” in Hampton Roads and improve the region’s labor market, Blake said.

“That’s what we’re all about and that’s what we’re trying to do,” she said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do, but it’s very exciting and fulfilling work.”

Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-652-5836, sandra.pennecke@pilotonline.com

Over the past 11 months, he estimates he has baked and sold thousands of New Haven, Connecticut-style pizzas. But, with the redevelopment and planned growth within the historic industrial area taking a bit longer than hoped, he decided to close his business on June 24 just shy of a year after opening.

“We took a chance on where we thought the center of gravity was moving for Norfolk in terms of entertainment and dining,” Albano said.

The city of Norfolk conducted a charrette in July 2023 to see what ideas architects, consultants and the public had in mind for the Railroad District. The results showed that people want hip local restaurants, public art, shared spaces, landscaped park areas, rooftop hangouts and bike and pedestrian infrastructure improvements.

Last June, Albano and two business partners signed the lease for 2411 Granby St., began the build-out and hired a staff of about 25. The 7,200-square-foot building, dating back to circa 1920, used to house a former tractor supply company.

Kyle Fleming, the restaurant’s executive chef, died on May 24, but the owner said his loss was not the reason for the closure.

“He was a talented chef, a wonderful person and a good friend,” Albano said. “We miss him very much.”

The sudden closure of District Apizza was met with disappointment among both New England transplants familiar with the crispy thin crust pizza and those recently acquainted with the regional pizza variety.

“It was like getting a piece of home for Connecticut natives,” said Albano, who hails from the state.

Pronounced “ah-beetz,” the business affectionately carried the name Neapolitan immigrants gave the style of pizza well before they brought it to the U.S.

“Thank you for great pizza. …I enjoyed every minute I ate there,” one regular on Facebook wrote.

“You were our favorite pizza place. That’s tough to say when you are from the Northeast,” another said.

The social media thread also included comments on the pizza’s characteristic New Haven char along with compliments about the character of the building’s remodel, its wait staff and overall delicious food, which included handmade pasta.

“Although the restaurant was popular, it wasn’t popular enough,” Albano said.

He said they theorized the neighborhood itself was going to be a draw, but the spark has yet to be ignited. He stressed that he’s not pointing any fingers because running a new business and the finances linked to that were other factors for the closure.

Now, with plenty of people hooked on the New Haven-style pizza, Albano said maybe they’ll be able to give it another shot one day.

Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-652-5836, sandra.pennecke@pilotonline.com

Hampton Roads entrepreneurs Dave Reisch and Josh Shelly created their business, Sunset Messages, to do just that. The conduit enables people to leave a legacy of personal, heartfelt and meaningful communication.

Each message includes five photos, one five-minute audio recording, one five-minute video and up to 10,000 words of text that can be sent to unlimited recipients. Package deals range from one, three, five or 12 messages. All of the messages have unlimited editing capability and are kept completely private and secure in an online message vault.

The messages can include words of wisdom, encouragement, life lessons or acknowledgement that it’s OK for the recipient to move on with their lives. Audio messages enable the recipient to keep a loved one’s voice fresh in their mind while photos and videos can provide fond memories.

“These messages will bring comfort to the folks that we leave behind,” Shelly said. “It’s hard to put a dollar sign on that level of comfort.”

Valarie Austin of Norfolk lost her husband, mother and father all within the span of five years. Because of those losses, Austin wants to make her death as easy as possible on her daughter, who is her only child.

She intends to write messages for her family, which also includes her significant other, a son-in-law, siblings and two grandchildren.

“I think the concept is pretty awesome,” Austin said. “I’ve prearranged my funeral cremation services and this ties in with that to a certain degree.”

Beth Hughes of Norfolk said she thinks Sunset Messages is not only a needed product, but also an insightful one. She intends to leave messages for her daughter, granddaughter and sister.

“I’ve never thought about it, but I think it’s a fabulous idea,” Hughes said. “You can just be the author of it and then make sure it’s taken care of when the time is appropriate.”

A real estate agent by day, Reisch conceived the business idea in 2019. He originally planned to start it with his sister, Renee Reisch Payne, but she died suddenly in April 2020 at the start of the pandemic.

The name of the business changed to Sunset Messages following Payne’s death. Reisch said one of his sister’s favorite pastimes was watching the sun set.

“I can’t think of anything I’d want more than to receive a Sunset Message from her,” Reisch said.

Reisch then pitched the concept to his friend, Shelly, a software consultant, and he immediately jumped on board.

“I was fascinated by the idea,” Shelly said.

In May 2022, Reisch and Shelly secured a spot in 757 Startup Studios, gaining mentorship, free programming and access to amenities within the Assembly building in downtown Norfolk. Both Reisch and Shelly credit the program for helping the business get off the ground. In July 2023, Sunset Messages’ site officially went live.

As of today, the messages are delivered via email and text upon confirmation of the sender’s death via an assigned delegate, but the duo is working to create a functionality that delivers them on special days such as birthdays and anniversaries. The “death tech” startup would like to expand beyond that at some point to possibly include events that can’t be predetermined, like recipients’ wedding and graduation days or first days on the job, Reisch said.

The entrepreneurs would like to partner with florists or other gifting companies for message-giving and want to bring on equity partners, including a web developer and a social media marketing professional.

“It’s an honor to have this ability to offer the service,” Reisch said. “This is a very different way to stay connected after you pass.”

For more information, visit sunsetmessages.com.

Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-652-5836, sandra.pennecke@pilotonline.com

The Hampton Roads Workforce Council, in collaboration with the Hampton Roads Alliance, forged a new partnership with South Metropolitan TAFE, a technical college in Western Australia, to train the next generation of global shipbuilders as more workers are needed to meet the coming demand for submarines.

The partnership will leverage the workforce development and training strengths of both regions to help future submarine builders with the necessary skills and knowledge to bolster the defense maritime sector, they said. A memorandum of understanding was signed during a ceremony on June 12 at the Mariners’ Museum in Newport News.

Hampton Roads Workforce Council President and CEO Shawn Avery said the agreement is about identifying workforce development opportunities between the two regions and sharing relevant resources in the future.

Australia has a long history of working in maritime defense, but not with nuclear-powered submarines, Darshi Ganeson-Oats, managing director for South Metropolitan TAFE, said in the news release.

“To support the sustainment and the maintenance of nuclear-powered submarines, we need to understand the skills needed for that,” she said. “Then, looking at those skills that are needed, we need to know what training to provide to the workforce to get those skills.”

Australia, with U.S. technology and support, plans to ramp up its own production of nuclear-powered submarines in the coming years.

The U.S., Australia and the United Kingdom signed a trilateral security partnership for the Indo-Pacific region in 2021 known as AUKUS. Per the agreement, Australia will buy U.S.-made Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines to replace its current fleet of diesel electric subs. Newport News Shipbuilding is one of two builders of nuclear-powered submarines for the U.S. Navy.

The latest, EVO Entertainment, abruptly closed its doors June 17. Attempts to reach the Austin, Texas-based management group via its website, phone and email were not successful.

The movie theater opened in June 2010 as CineBistro, a concept developed by a Birmingham, Alabama-based theater company. In addition to eight movie theaters featuring 40-inch leather seats with swing-away dining tables, the roughly 50,000-square-foot building also housed a bistro, bar and nine-lane bowling alley. Moviegoers enjoyed an upscale menu that included salmon and steak, wine and cocktails. At the time, the venue was only open to people over 21 years old after 8 p.m.

CineBistro’s then executive director, Fred Meyers, said in a 2010 Daily Press story about the opening that the theater was taking the age-old dinner and a movie to “new heights.” Seven years later, in July 2017, the complex was under new management and renamed Peninsula Movie Bistro.

Knoxville, Tennessee-based Phoenix Theatres Entertainment installed electric recliner seating and call buttons. The bowling venue, Score Bowling, remained in operation. The company also added theater-type food including soft pretzels, hot dogs and flatbread pizzas. Under Phoenix’s management, Peninsula Movie Bistro lowered its age policy to make it more family-friendly.

But in less than two years, the movie theater was again under new management. In February 2019, Studio Movie Grill opened its first location in Virginia within the Peninsula Town Center establishment. The Dallas-based company was known for operating venues with in-theater dining and kept the facility as it was.

Studio Movie Grill temporarily closed all of its locations in March 2020 due to the pandemic and the Hampton location remained shuttered, according to a 2022 Daily Press story.

By May 2022, EVO Entertainment Group opened the eight-screen venue anew after renovating the theater and bowling alley and adding an arcade. The Hampton location was the company’s expansion outside its Texas market.

Now, the EVO website only lists 12 cinemas in its charge and the Hampton location is no longer shown. The company, maintaining EVO as a brand, rebranded as Elevate in October 2023.

Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-652-5836, sandra.pennecke@pilotonline.com

He launched a clothing brand called City On My Chest and opened a store in Patrick Henry Mall. He also expanded his community involvement by launching a nonprofit called Uplift Your City.

Reamon Jr., who initially envisioned playing in the NFL like his dad, previously pursued football as a career. He worked as a part of the football coaching teams at the University of Miami, University of Virginia, Christopher Newport and Virginia Tech before landing a coaching internship for the Pittsburgh Steelers that led to his role as a scouting assistant for the New Orleans Saints. The Newport News native had played football for Old Dominion University, where he earned a bachelor’s in recreation management in 2012, and had been a star player at Gloucester High School, where he graduated in 2008.

But several years into his coaching career, he couldn’t ignore the business bug anymore. While at ODU, he had started a custom T-shirt line highlighting individual cities and, before long, customers were ordering shirts from across the country.

“I started with Newport News, Hampton, Norfolk and Virginia Beach and the idea just caught on through social media,” he said.

Some people wanted area codes and others wanted their street names, he said.

“It was whatever they were proud of,” he said. “And it was almost like the smaller the town, the better, because a lot of small towns don’t have any kind of merch that can represent, so people were extremely proud to finally have something to show people where they come from even if it was the smallest town in the state.”

The product inventory expanded to include hats, shorts, jackets, pants, sweat suits, flip flops, workout tights, socks, sunglasses and football accessories. And as a way to incorporate his passion for community, the apparel now includes the term CITY standing for “creatively inspiring the youth” or quotes about community empowerment.

Like many successful small businesses, Reamon Jr. initially operated out of a garage — his father’s in Newport News. After two years, in November of 2020, he moved City On My Chest into a 600-square-foot space in the food court of Patrick Henry Mall. From there, he quadrupled his square footage and relocated the business into another section of the mall. He has five employees.

The business owner’s dad, Tommy Reamon Sr., showed him the power and importance of community. His father is in his 35th season of coaching high school football in Hampton Roads and mentored hundreds of players, including former NFL quarterbacks Michael Vick and Aaron Brooks. Reamon Sr. had been drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and played for the Kansas City Chiefs and briefly for the team now known as the Washington Commanders.

Reamon Jr. plans to instill the same lessons and values he learned from his father in his almost 1-year-old son, Tommy “Trey”  Reamon III. And like his dad did, he’ll encourage his son and other youth in the community to pursue their dreams.

Through the Uplift Your City foundation, he plans to help people get involved in numerous ways, including with a youth football camp, mentoring, festivals, school pep rallies, financial literacy classes, entrepreneurship seminars and community service programs.

“The community part is just the icing on the cake for me,” Reamon Jr. said. “It’s one thing to buy my merch, but it’s a whole different level to impact young lives.”

Marcellus Harris, Newport News City Council member, said Reamon Sr. was his high school football coach years ago and he has known Reamon Jr. since he was a toddler.

“I’ve seen Tommy Jr. develop into what his father was for so many, ” Harris said. “He’s sharing the wisdom he gained with the next generation.”

For more information, visit cityonmychest.com.

Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-652-5836, sandra.pennecke@pilotonline.com

Sometimes, even the right soil mix and amount of water, plenty of sunshine and lots of tender loving care isn’t enough to keep it alive.

That’s exactly where things stand for the beloved nursery and garden center that has maintained 56.1 acres of property and a business that included 20 acres of climate-controlled commercial greenhouses in Deep Creek for 68 years.

After an extremely challenging operating year in 2023, with reduced customer demand and rising interest rates, the business was negatively impacted beyond repair. The business announced the decision to close earlier in June.

“The business of flowers is different from the enjoyment and serenity that the garden center brought to people,” said Tal White, son of the founder, 91-year-old Norm White.

After they learned the lender no longer wanted to back the business, Tal White said they tried to downsize by keeping the garden center along with its e-commerce shipping and an acre of greenhouses in operation, but it was not meant to be.

They had four to five meetings with a publicly traded company that showed interest in investing in the business, but cold feet prevailed, he said.

Now the family-owned and -operated business is busy auctioning off items for commercial growers, including the greenhouses, numerous plant carts and hanging basket display racks, pallets, industrial storage tanks and other equipment through SecondBloomAuctions.com. The online auction ends on July 1.

“It’s not the direction we wanted to take,” Tal White said. “But we’re trying to take care of all of our obligations.”

Coke bottles — close to 2,000 used for drip irrigation — are a hot commodity that locals are requesting as White’s Old Mill mementos.

As for the future of the property, Tal White said the family is taking it one step at a time.

“This is literally our life and our work in our backyard,” he said.

Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-652-5836, sandra.pennecke@pilotonline.com