A list of Richmond companies to watch

An upcoming event that selects some of the most promising startups and new companies in Central Virginia has released a list of nominees. The Greater Richmond Companies to Watch event is October 29 at Toad’s Place.

More Prostitutes in Richmond?

Economic downturns can be boom times for prostitutes, according to an economist who has studied the oldest profession for decades.

Genworth Is Considering Spinoff of Mortgage Insurer

Genworth Financial Inc. is considering a spinoff of its U.S. mortgage insurance business amid the housing slump. The stock jumped 22 percent in early trading. You can read the story here.

Trader Joe’s Opens at Short Pump Station

A light rain didn’t put a damper on turnout for the highly-anticipated opening of the new Trader Joe’s store in the Short Pump Station shopping center. The colorful, Hawaiian-themed store opened Friday morning to a huge crowd. During our visit around 10:00 a.m. Friday, the checkout lines were backed up well into the aisles.

Tech Review: a personal newshound

Imagine an army of personal secretaries, assigned by you to monitor news feeds, blogs, and even shopping networks for specific keywords. That’s the idea behind Yotify. The website allows you to create "scouts" that comb through everything from YouTube to eBay, from popular news services like the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Reuters to blogs like TMZ. ESPN is available for sports fans. You can even scan Craigslist for anything from housing to job postings.

Holiday Hiring Market Shrinking, Competition Growing

American retailers are cutting back on the holiday hiring market, according to a survey from Richmond-based job-seekers’ website SnagAJob.com.

The number of jobs is going down, while the number of people applying for jobs is going up. That means increased competition for fewer spots. And that means harder work for job seekers, who will have to come up with new ways to separate themselves from the pack this winter.

A survey of 1,006 American managers found that each manager, on average, plans on hiring 3.7 seasonal employees. That’s down almost 33 percent from last year’s holiday period average of 5.6 seasonal workers. The survey was conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs, a third-party research firm, for SnagAJob.com.

Pipeline: Commercial Real Estate Roundup 9.26.08

Doswell Hospitality LLC delivered the first of three hotels, called the Days Inn at Kings Dominion, in June. Doswell Hospitality sold the property to Sumtinath LLC for $3.2 million. Located at 16220 International St., the Days Inn is a three-story hotel that offers 50 rooms. The other two hotels are currently under construction. Doswell Hospitality plans to deliver the Country Inn and Suites in January, and the Comfort Suites in June. The Country Inn and Suites will be located at 16250 International St.. The Comfort Suites will be at 16280 International St. Both hotels will be sold to franchisers who will operate them.

Tattoos might still be taboo in Richmond offices

It used to be that you were considered different and rebellious (and maybe even dangerous) if you had a tattoo. You likely rode a Harley or in a drunken stupor let some friend with a needle leave an “I ♥ Mom” or an anchor on your bicep. Now, they’re as trendy as big hair in the ‘80s. And they’ve all but invaded the workplace.

Pipeline: Commercial Real Estate Roundup 9.26.08

Doswell Hospitality LLC delivered the first of three hotels, called the Days Inn at Kings Dominion, in June. Doswell Hospitality sold the property to Sumtinath LLC for $3.2 million. Located at 16220 International St., the Days Inn is a three-story hotel that offers 50 rooms. The other two hotels are currently under construction. Doswell Hospitality plans to deliver the Country Inn and Suites in January, and the Comfort Suites in June. The Country Inn and Suites will be located at 16250 International St.. The Comfort Suites will be at 16280 International St. Both hotels will be sold to franchisers who will operate them.

Reader Mail Bag: An irate downtown condo owner

When it rains, it pours. We got more emails on Wednesday than any other day in our brief history. A quick overview: On Wednesday ran a story that said around half of the balconies in the two downtown condo towers – Vistas on the James and Riverside on the James – have no patio furniture. We suggested that maybe the towers weren’t as inhabited as the sales data might suggest, and concluded that maybe closer to 50% of the units were inhabited by living breathing people. Our reasoning: Most people living there would have furniture, or a plant, or something. I later learned that Style Weekly ran a similar piece in 2006 about Riverside. They counted lights at night and parking spots and concluded the same thing.

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