“The Great Turning Basin was a Hub of Activity”

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Today, much of the central business district of our hometown, Richmond, Virginia, lies over what was once the “Great Turning Basin.”

Surrounded by factories, mills and warehouses, the Great Turning Basin was a hub of activity.

Richmond was the most important and largest manufacturing and transportation center of the early 19th century South, and the Great Turning Basin was its commercial heart.

The Great Turning Basin served as a terminal for river and canal craft to offload cargo and passengers, turn around and prepare for their return trips.

Richmond was the port through which goods and materials passed to sailing vessels in the lower James River and out to sea.

Bateaux navigating in the 197-mile-long James River and Kanawha Canal systems carried products such as tobacco, cotton, flour, and coal from inland producers to Richmond, and returned with French and English imports and manufactured products from burgeoning industrial centers.

The Great Turning Basin, as a center of commerce and transportation and the heart of the most critical industrial infrastructure in the region at the time, represents a perfect symbol of our focus on great businesses that enable industry and commerce.

When seeking inspiration for our name, we quickly landed on this historical landmark, long-since buried under the sky scrapers of downtown Richmond just a few blocks from our original office.