The first industry that comes to mind when I think of Richmond, Virginia, is the tobacco industry. Sure, they have milder, nicer weather than Michigan most of the year, and adjusting to Richmond’s climate would not be difficult. Still, cigarette companies and tobacco farms are what come to mind initially.
As an ex-smoker who saw Richmond, Virginia, daily on the side of her cigarette pack for many years, it is only natural that the tobacco companies are top of mind when thinking of this location. Furthermore, during the 1990s, one of the largest tobacco companies ran an extensive rewards program that I participated in. The company had special tabs worth points on the side of the cigarette pack that you could save up for certain items.
The majority of the items you could earn through the points were heavily based on camping and outdoor gear. I was able to save a lot of points because I was a server and bartender at the time. When my customers left their empty cigarette packs as garbage, I would peel off the points tab and save them along with the tabs I was saving from my own smoking habit.
The cool gear I was able to earn was items such as the following:
- Full-sized, excellent quality hammock (still have it today!)
- Battery-operated camping lantern with a dimmable switch to adjust lighting preferences (still have this as well!)
- Goose down puffy, full-length, waterproof winter coat with a hood
- Ashtray
- BBQ grill set with cookbook
- Shakespeare fishing pole with travel carrying case
- Large duffel bag on wheels
- Below-zero sleeping bag
- Unlimited Power Pak / Booster / Battery Jumper Cables/Fluorescent light/Emergency red flashing light/DC 6V and DC 12V power socket/Power outlet
- Swiss Army utility knife
- Flat top, nonstick propane grill
Apparently, I am not wrong to think about tobacco companies because, according to the Greater Richmond Partnership, there are two out of twelve top industries that dominate Richmond’s economy in their area of Virginia:
- “Performance Food Group – Food wholesaler
- CarMax – Automotive retailer
- Altria Group – Tobacco and wine products
- Markel Group – Insurance
- Dominion Energy – Electric and gas utility
- Owens & Minor – Healthcare wholesaler
- Arko Corp. – Convenience stores
- Genworth Financial Insurance
- Brink’s Security Services
- ASGN – Tech consulting
- NewMarket – Chemicals
- Universal Corp. – Tobacco wholesaler,”.
Other than the tobacco industry, some major industry players in the Richmond, Virginia business sector include financial services, government (of course!), life sciences, advanced manufacturing, professional and business services, and transportation.
Unique places to visit in Virginia
I have family and close family friends who live in North Carolina and South Carolina. During my many road trips to visit them, I have traveled through Virginia, but have yet to travel to Virginia. Well, except for when I still smoked, on my way to the Carolinas and on my way back to Southeast Michigan, I always stopped in Virginia to stock up on cigarettes as they had the best prices – hands down!
Outdoor travel blog, A Sip of Tee shares, “These 10 day trips in Virginia are fun and unique places to explore whenever you need a quick getaway. Virginia is a beautiful state that has a lot to offer for every traveler.
- Shenandoah National Park
- Natural Bridge + Safari Park Day Trip
- Virginia Beach
- Richmond Day Trip
- Luray Caverns
- Charlottesville Day Trip
- Williamsburg
- Massanutten Resort Day Trip
- Old Town Alexandria
- MacAfee Knob,”.
Next time I travel to visit my loved ones in NC or SC, I will be sure to take time to stop in Virginia and check out some of these unique places to visit. Let’s see how to travel by car via an adventurous road trip to NC.
Michigan to North Carolina drive by car
When traveling from Michigan to NC, it is no surprise that I know the route by heart since I have made this trip more than thirty times over the last twenty-five years. Here are the directions from Southeast Michigan to the beach in Outer Banks, NC:
- I-275 south toward Toledo
- Keep left on I-75 south toward Toledo
- Keep left on I-75 south toward Dayton
- In 3.0 mi, take a slight left turn to merge onto I-75 S toward Dayton
- In 12 mi, keep left on I-75 S toward Dayton
- In 36 mi, take the exit onto US-68 S
- In 0.6 mi, keep left onto US-68
- In 83 mi, keep right to merge onto SR-315 S
- Take exit 101 toward I-270 East
- Take exit 52 onto US-23 South toward
- Keep left on US-35 E toward Jackson, Athens
- In 94 mi, take a slight right turn to merge onto I-64 East toward St. Albans, Charleston
- In 18 mi, take a slight right turn to merge onto I-64 E toward Beckley, I-77 South
- Keep right on I-77 S toward Bluefield
- In 76 mi, take exit 81 to merge onto I-77 South toward Charlotte, NC
- In 37 mi, take exit 101 on the left to merge onto I-74 E toward Mount Airy, Winston–Salem
- In 33 mi, keep left on NC-74 E
- In 13 mi, take exit 53 to merge onto Bypass US-421 toward Greensboro, Winston-Salem.
- In 0.4 mi, keep left to merge onto Salem Pkwy South toward Greensboro
- In 12 mi, keep right on I-40 E toward Greensboro, Martinsville
- In 46 mi, take exit 163 to merge onto I-40 E toward Raleigh
- In 43 mi, keep right on I-40 E toward Benson, Wilmington
- In 8.2 mi, take exit 309 to merge onto I-42 E
- In 18 mi, keep left on Bypass US-70 E toward Goldsboro
- In 16 mi, continue onto I-42 E toward Kinston, New Bern
- In 28 mi, Keep left onto US-70 E
- In 3.1 mi, keep right onto W New Bern Rd
- In 37 mi, keep left on US-70 E toward Havelock, Morehead City
- In 12 mi, keep right
- In 7.2 mi, keep right
- In 4.9 mi, turn left onto Howard Blvd
- Arrive at the location!
What industries dominate Richmond’s economy in Virginia
In conclusion, Richmond’s economy is shaped by a diverse mix of industries—from tobacco and food distribution to finance, energy, and tech. It’s more than just cheap cigarettes—it’s a dynamic hub worth exploring the next time I pass through.
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