Reporter's Notebook

Virginia Business
December 2005

The election of Democrat Tim Kaine as Virginia’s new governor brought out people of all ages to his victory party last month. In the crush of the crowd at the Richmond Marriott stood 17-year-old Justin Lowenhagen, a Varina High School junior in Henrico County. Although too young to vote, he campaigned for Kaine because “we share many of the same viewpoints, and we are both Catholic”

Also in the crowd were Henrico County Realtor John Statton and his wife, Diane, a nurse, who also campaigned for Kaine. “What it boils down to is this: we’re the best run state in the nation. Why switch?” asked Statton, referring to the state’s top ranking by the Government Performance Project earlier this year. “I’d rather have the state’s business run by Kaine,” Virginia’s lieutenant governor and ally of Gov. Mark R. Warner.

Indeed, election night appeared to belong to Warner as much as it did to Kaine. The lanky governor took the stage first to a deafening roar from the crowd, and much of what he said focused on continuing the Warner legacy.

The governor gleefully noted that, by getting President Bush to make a last-minute campaign appearance, the Jerry Kilgore campaign invited comparison between political conditions in Washington and Virginia. “That’s a comparison we’ll take any day.”

When his turn came, Kaine praised Warner for “saving us from the brink of financial disaster,” a reference to the $1.4 billion tax increase that protected the state’s bond rating. Kaine also pledged to continue Warner’s efforts to govern from the “sensible center,” building a coalition of Democrats and moderate Republicans.

(Which begs the question: What would have happened if state Senate Finance Chairman John Chichester had been the Republican gubernatorial candidate instead of Jerry Kilgore? Chichester helped push the tax increase through the legislature while Kilgore, who then was attorney general, opposed it. Republican state Sen. H. Russell Potts says he urged Chichester to run before Potts, in disgust, began his independent campaign.)

By besting Bush in a battle of political mentors, Warner raised his viability as a presidential candidate in 2008. That fact wasn’t overlooked. “I’m looking forward to standing with you at your next victory party,” Kaine said to Warner as the Marriott crowd began to chant “08, 08, 08.”

Warner smiled sheepishly. He wasn’t the only person in the room with presidential ambitions. “By the way, I’m running for president when I’m 50,” said Justin Lowenhagen. Warner’s coattails may indeed be long.

Graduate business schools are given to advertising campaigns that feature photos of buildings, classrooms and students. In a new national branding campaign, the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia, is drawing attention for a different approach. Its new ad includes a drawing of an ear. The headline: “The best professors in the world don’t like hearing themselves speak.” Instead, school officials say Darden professors prefer to challenge students in the classroom through case studies and other methods. The campaign is being held in conjunction with Darden’s 50th anniversary.

Students entering the business world shouldn’t overlook the importance of protocol, particularly when it comes to business dining. To ensure its graduates have polish, the Radford University Business Industry Council and sponsors put on a five-course meal and networking dinner for upcoming graduates. Students are instructed in the nuances of business etiquette and dining by the university’s director of catering. There is a dress code for the event: suits and ties for the men and business attire for women. The students dine with members of the state’s business community. At a recent dinner, many students already had business cards and a few entrepreneurs had started businesses, which they hope to expand following graduation.

Virginia’s coal country got good news recently. CGI-AMS Inc., a U.S. subsidiary of Canadian company, CGI Group Inc, will invest more than $6 million to open a software development and systems integration facility in Russell County, creating 300 high-tech jobs. These technical jobs are expected to pay in the neighborhood of $50,000 annually, a welcome boost to the region's economy. CGI-AMS is one of the largest IT and business process firms in North America. According to a company spokesperson, as CGI-AMS continues to expand, the Russell County facility will be a key location to service major federal, state and local government clients. CGI-AMS has its U.S. headquarters in Fairfax County.