DATA DRAFT

Snow sure is pretty on Virginia’s Capitol in Richmond. But the weather did some fiscal damage this winter.

Winter weather chilling for Virginia’s small businesses

While the kids (and maybe a few parents) were enjoying half a month of snow days in many parts of the Commonwealth this winter, small business employees were experiencing freezing of a different kind: their profits and jobs. A February poll from the Small Business Majority found that 39 PERCENT of Virginia business owners (four in 10) had their companies affected by the weather. A full 87 PERCENT cited a significant financial impact. Inclement weather took its toll in many ways. FIFTY-NINE PERCENT had to close for up to a week, and ONE IN FIVE had to lay off employees. Some owners had damages totaling between $5,000 and $25,000. n

Virginia’s colleges and universities fared well in 2013, posting increases in market value, according to the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO). The top endowed schools in Virginia are currently:

Virginia schools see money growth

1. The University of Virginia (19th nationally): $5.16 billion, up 7.9 percent 2. The University of Richmond (34th nationally): $2.02 billion, up 8.3 percent 3. Washington and Lee University (59th nationally): $1.35 billion, up 6.6 percent 4. Virginia Commonwealth University (61st nationally): $1.32 billion, up 203 percent (the major increase is attributed to a re-designation of some long-term investments held by related VCU entities, such as the VCU Health System, as “quasi-endowments”) 5. College of William & Mary (118th nationally): $697.7 million, up 8.3 percent 6. Virginia Tech (127th nationally): $660.3 million, up 11 percent

Download the full PDF at http://tinyurl.com/qz4yar6. n

IF YOUR PASSWORD IS ON THIS LIST … YOU HAVE SOME COMPANY

Despite warnings about managing passwords to prevent hackers and constant reminders on how to create strong passwords, people still revert to the basics. Here are the top 10 worst passwords of 2013, according to SplashData. If you see yours, it’s time to switch.

1. 123456 2. PASSWORD 3. 12345678 4. QWERTY 5. ABC123 6. 123456789 7. 111111 8. 1234567 9. ILOVEYOU 10. ADOBE123

And if your password happens to be MONKEY, SHADOW or SUNSHINE, don’t get too cocky. Those were in the top 25. n

>> BY THE NUMBERS

$17.9 billion

The total of Virginia’s merchandise exports in 2013, according to the International Trade Administration. The Dominican Republic, Egypt, Netherlands, Russia and Switzerland were top destinations for Virginia exports like chemicals, computers, electronics, transportation equipment, machinery and agricultural products. n