BUSINESS ACTIVITY
- Kalahari Resorts & Conventions is now taking bookings starting Dec. 18 for its $900 million, 1.38-million-square-foot resort hotel, waterpark and convention facility in the Thornburg area of Spotsylvania County. “Opening bookings is a major milestone for Kalahari Spotsylvania and a meaningful moment for our family and our entire team,” Kalahari CEO Todd Nelson said in a statement. “We’re excited to welcome families to Spotsylvania beginning in late 2026 and to bring the full Kalahari experience to Virginia.”
- Kalahari officials said it’s possible the facility could open before Dec. 18, but they felt comfortable taking bookings starting on that date. Kalahari, which has a sales and employment center in a former bank branch at 5510 Morris Road in Thornburg, has started hiring for the resort. The Kalahari facility, which is being built on about 135 acres off U.S. 1 just south of Mudd Tavern Road, is expected to produce about 1,400 jobs. Tune in to Biz Beat Banter next week to hear more about Kalahari’s plans.
- Kalahari also announced that it is holding a contest to name one of its biggest rides at the Thornburg resort — one that features speeds of up to 20 feet per second and up to a minute of ride time. Guests can submit their creative name idea at KalahariResorts.com/Slide through Jan. 31, and winning entries will receive prizes redeemable at a Kalahari resort.
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Fredericksburg is the subject of this week’s Biz Beat Clips video.
- Kitchen Tune-Up has opened an office at 1210 Lafayette Blvd. in Fredericksburg.
- Proud Moments ABA has opened an office at 1071 Care Way near Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg.
- Graze Craze, which offers charcuterie boards and boxes, recently opened its 1,000-square-foot location at 1507 Central Park Blvd. in Fredericksburg. The franchise business is owned by Lenair Ballard and his wife, Sheila. A grand opening is scheduled for 4 p.m. Feb. 6.
- Kilwins Fredericksburg plans to open its Downtown Fredericksburg ice cream and candy shop (721 Caroline St.) Feb. 17.
MOVERS & SHAKERS
- Several Fredericksburg-area businesses will take part in Friday’s “Made in Virginia Market” in Richmond, an event that is a kickoff to Virginia Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger’s inaugural weekend. The event will be held at the 17th Street Market between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. and is free to attend. Local businesses participating will include Biscuit Batch, Jus Pop’n, Natural Scentiments and Sprelly.
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Chef Raymond Renault
The guest on this week’s edition of the Biz Beat Banter podcast is Raymond Renault, chef/owner at La Petite Auberge in downtown Fredericksburg.
- Mary Washington Healthcare’s Imaging Center for Women and Medical Imaging of North Stafford have been named 2025 Human Experience Guardian of Excellence Award winners by Press Ganey.
- Fredericksburg’s twice-annual Restaurant Week will start Friday (Jan. 16) and go through Jan. 25. More than 30 eateries are participating.
- A joint effort of the Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank and the University of Mary Washington will lead to the re-use of surplus window air conditioners from UMW’s Fredericksburg campus as a result of the upcoming demolition of two residence halls to make way for a new theater.
- Tree Fredericksburg was recently featured in The New York Times for its efforts in restoring an “urban forest” in the city.
- Downtown Fredericksburg restaurant Foode is celebrating its 15th anniversary this month.
- Kendra Gerlach has joined Mary Washington Healthcare as vice president of marketing and corporate communications.
- Dr. Angela Tsai retired last month from Premier Eyecare, whose practice is at 2101 Carl D. Silver Parkway in Fredericksburg near the Sheetz. The optometry practice remains open.
- Kalahari has hired three local residents for leadership positions at the Spotsylvania resort: Gina Taylor of Spotsylvania as director of human resources, John Teeple of Fredericksburg as director of food and beverage, and Dave Mann of Spotsylvania as director of security.
REAL ESTATE REVIEW
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This Stafford County home on Poplar Road sold last week for $1.5 million.
The median price of the 447 homes sold in December in the Fredericksburg region was $464,900, up 4 percent year-over-year, according to statistics released Tuesday by the Fredericksburg Area Association of Realtors (FAAR). Stafford County’s median sales price, $545,000, was highest in the region and up 10 percent year-over-year. For all of 2025, the median price of the 5,531 homes sold in the FAAR region was $472,500, up 3 percent from 2024. Additional data and commentary are on the FAAR website. Here are locality-by-locality reports for both December and all of 2025:
- Caroline County December report
- Caroline annual report
- City of Fredericksburg December report
- Fredericksburg annual report
- King George County December report
- King George annual report
- Orange County December report
- Orange annual report
- Spotsylvania County December report
- Spotsylvania annual report
- Stafford County December report
- Stafford annual report
- Colonial Beach December report
- Colonial Beach annual report
- The 63,341-square-foot industrial/flex building at 17253 Center Drive in Ruther Glen recently sold for $8 million, according to selling broker Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer. Matan Acquisitions II LLC purchased the building, which is on 44.5 acres, from V2X Systems LLC. The property is vacant and for lease.
- There were 65 homes sold last week in the Fredericksburg area, including two for more than $1 million, according to FAAR’s weekly sales list. Check back weekly for the new list.
Biz Beat Roundup runs every Wednesday and includes a roundup of business news from around the Fredericksburg region. Send submissions to: bill.freehling@fredericksburgfreepress.com
