BizSense Beat is a weekly collaboration between VPM News and Richmond BizSense that brings you the top business stories during NPR's Morning Edition on Fridays.
Here’s a recap of the top stories for the week of Sept. 29, 2023:
‘The lease that will go down in history’: Documents reveal details of ill-fated VCU Health development deal
Reported by Richmond Bizsense’s Jonathan Spiers
Last week’s letter from Gov. Glenn Youngkin calling for changes to the governance of VCU Health, as well as to its relationship with Virginia Commonwealth University, is renewing scrutiny of the aborted downtown development that has cost the health system $80 million and counting in exit payments.
In the letter to General Assembly leadership, Youngkin states that the aborted redevelopment of the city’s old Public Safety Building site could end up costing VCU Health as much as $100 million and “should serve as a wake-up call to the significant flaws in the current governance of the University and (the health system), particularly related to the planning, approval, and implementation of sophisticated and costly capital projects.”
NASCAR driver Hamlin voices support for reopening Southside Speedway
Reported by Richmond Bizsense’s Jack Jacobs
Days after Chesterfield County issued an RFP for bids to reopen Southside Speedway, a big name in racing has gone public with his interest in bringing the shuttered racetrack back to life.
NASCAR driver and Manchester High graduate Denny Hamlin would like to see Southside Speedway revived and may be willing to help steer the effort under the right conditions.
Hamlin, who once raced at the now-shuttered track as a teenager, said on a Tuesday episode of his podcast that he would be open to running the track and has had discussions about that with county officials.
But he said he would want Chesterfield or the state to provide financial support to revamp the track, which he feels would need $5 million to $10 million “to really make it top, top short track stuff.”
Richmond developer, grandson compete tonight on ‘Lego Masters’ TV show
Reported by Richmond Bizsense’s Jonathan Spiers
When David Levine gave his then-4-year-old grandson Ben Edlavitch his first Lego set, the local real estate developer couldn’t have imagined that, 16 years later, he’d be joining him as his teammate on a Lego-building competition TV show.
The pair are one of a dozen teams competing tonight on the Season 4 premiere episode of Fox’s Lego Masters, the Will Arnett-hosted, reality TV-style show in which two-person teams compete in Lego building challenges and vie for a $100,000 grand prize.
Edlavitch, a junior at the University of Virginia, where he is enrolled in the School of Architecture, credits that first Lego set from his grandfather for laying the foundation – building bricks, if you will – for a lifelong hobby that helped lead him to study architecture.
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