C-Biz Spring 2019

It’s all our business.

SPRING 2019

IMPORT TARIFF FALLOUT

Local businesses assess the impact of Trump 's tariffs

C'ville's 2019 business outlook

BEST PLACES TO

WORK

Thai yoga massage for longer “desk life”

RVA to C'ville: Cross-pollinating business Incubating the Rhoback brand

Tiger Fuel's The Market at Preston

With the help of Glassdoor's rating system, we ranked the top 15 employers in Charlottesville, revealing some surprising results.

Your Guide to

BUYING VS. RENTING

Purchasing a home is a major decision, but it also carries many benefits – including the possibility that your mortgage payment may be the same as or less than your monthly rent.

Why Buy? Here Are Some Reasons Create the Home You Want With no landlord to answer to, you can build your house into the home of your dreams. There’s no need for anyone else’s approval or permission.

Deduct Interest on Your Taxes Unlike rent payments, the interest you pay on your mortgage may be tax-deductible. You may also be able to deduct home equity debt and real estate taxes.

Estimated Monthly Rent vs. Mortgage Payment* Listing Price : $250,000

Rent Payment

Mortgage Payment

$1,750

$1,421 Monthly Savings $329

Keep Your Monthly Payments Low You can find a mortgage whose monthly payment won’t go up as the market fluctuates, whereas your rent is typically raised or adjusted each year.

Build Your Equity Every Month When you purchase a home, you’re making an investment in your future. Each mortgage payment you make increases your equity in the house.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

Call us today. We’re happy to help find out if you qualify, and there’s never any obligation.

Ginger Marks Mortgage Loan Originator, NMLS# 1314365

ginger.marks@vnb.com (434) 817-8264 www.vnb.com NMLS# 691516 Virginia National Bank

Rent estimate based on 0.7% of property value. The payment on a $250,000 30-year Fixed-Rate Loan at 4.75% and 85.00% loan-to-value (LTV) is $1,421 with 0 points due at closing. The Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is 4.85%. Rates effective as of 2/28/18 and subject to change. Taxes and insurance premiums estimated based on national averages. The actual payment amount may vary. Some state and county maximum loan amount restrictions may apply.

C-BIZ 3

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City of Charlottesville The City of Charlottesville is seeking qualified individuals to join our team who are highly motivated and who strive for success by demonstrating Charlottesville's Core Values of Leadership, Trust, Creativity, Respect, and Excellence.

Now accepting applications for full-time, temporary, and seasonal positions.

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6 C-BIZ

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SPRING 2019

21

Cross-pollinating Richmond and Charlottesville business.

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Babylon Micro-Farms lets its customers grow their own food—indoors and without soil.

IN THIS ISSUE...

THE PITCH

13

24

The making of the Rhoback menswear brand.

What’s coming for Charlottesville business in 2019?

SANJAY SUCHAK

15

Local social media influencers: Who are they?

35

SANJAY SUCHAK

Workin’ it

17

CvilleBioHub’s first executive director.

19

Take a massage break.

Adoption assistance programs (for children and pets!), flexible schedules, gym memberships, and free snacks are just some of the reasons the 15 companies featured in this issue are the best places to work in Charlottesville. In addition to making your jobs—solar solutions, cyber security, and financial technology, to name a few— enjoyable, you say the businesses on this list are all-around great spots to be.

Plus: Find more reader-generated candidates online at c-ville.com.

Cover photo by Amy Jackson Smith

308 E. Main St. Charlottesville, VA 22902 (434) 817-2749 ■ c-ville.com c-ville.com/cbiz

50

Backstory: Main Street’s Wise Discount Center.

Weathering the tariffs

29

While concerns over the Trump Administration’s 2018 import tariffs have largely abated in the Charlottesville business community, a few questions remain about their long-term impact on the local economy.

C-BIZ, a supplement to C-VILLE Weekly, is distributed in Charlottesville, Albemarle County and the Shenandoah Valley. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. Editor Laura Longhine. C-BIZ Editor Jennifer Pullinger. Copy Editor Susan Sorensen. Creative Director Bill LeSueur.Editorial Designer Max March. Graphic Designers Tracy Federico, Lorena Perez. Account Executives Erica Gentile, Theressa Leak, Alex Patterson, Cindy Simmons, Beth Wood. Production Coordinator Faith Gibson. Publisher Aimee Atteberry. Chief Financial Officer Debbie Miller. Marketing Manager Anna Harrison. A/R Specialist Nanci Winter. Circulation Manager Billy Dempsey. ©2019 C-VILLE Weekly.

C-BIZ 9

A Charlottesville job with a world of possibilities.

Of course you can move to NYC, or L.A., or Chicago…

Or you can stay right here in Charlottesville and work in a place with a view and a really contemporary viewpoint. We’re WorldStrides, and we’ve been at home here for fifty years. In fact, today we’re 500 employees strong! This is where great work is done and friends are made. This is where careers take flight—right from the Downtown Mall. worldstrides.com/careers

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C-BIZ 11

Tandem Friends: Small School, Big Opportunities.

SWEET ON C-VILLE?

CALL FOR A TOUR

More like tweet on C-VILLE. Get the scoop on our news, arts, and living content before anyone else. Follow us on Twitter @cvillenews_desk, @artscville, and @eatdrinkcville to find out what we’re covering this week!

For her senior project, Emma founded Art for the Heart, a program that brings art therapy to area homeless women.

Her project won the Grand Prize for Social Innovation at the Tom Tom Youth Summit, and she now has the opportunity to participate in UVA's ilab program. Congratulations, Emma.

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Shirts to sweat in Rhoback makes polos for a “young golfer” demographic

AMY JACKSON SMITH

By Erika Howsare

C-BIZ 13

With Logic Found on your side, you won’t be overwhelmed about network problems or its cost.

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14 C-BIZ

Authorized Reseller

I

n 2014, when Matt Loftus was about to enter the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, he knew he wanted to start a business, but he didn’t realize how quickly it would happen.

Loftus and a group of friends had partnered that summer with the clothing company Vineyard Vines in a marketing campaign that also raised money for the friends’ scholarship fund. The campaign was successful and fun. Only problem: The clothes supplied by Vineyard Vines didn’t work for Loftus’ and his friends’ athletic lifestyle.

“They were sweating through the cotton button downs, shirts, and pants that Vineyard Vines provided,” says Kristina Loftus, Matt’s wife and business partner, who also attended Darden. Along with a third partner, Kevin Hubbard, the couple realized they’d found a space in the marketplace: “high-end lifestyle activewear for men.”

They decided to make polos and T-shirts from sweat-wicking, antimicrobial fabric: clothes that could perform on a golf course or tennis court, but didn’t look like workout wear. “It’s transitional,” says Kristina. “You can be active, then tuck it in and wear it to dinner.” Rhoback—named for the naturally active Rhodesian Ridgeback dog—was born.

The Pitch>Social Media

Follow and engage Charlottesville’s social media business influencers

T

he world of social media marketing—particularly Instagram—is increasingly dominated by influencers, individuals who have amassed a sizable social media following, who’ve gained their audience’s trust, and who can sway consumers’ purchases—or even what they think.

Yet many businesses today—and the strategists behind them—are becoming influencers in their own right, with the power to move products, initiate trends, or shape culture. So what are the top social-media tactics that any local biz can use to “influence” and grow business? We asked three strategists—two who help other businesses use social media effectively, and a third who uses social to creatively engage with fans and support his own business endeavors.—Jennifer Pullinger

“WE USED THE STUDENT BODY TO HELP US DEVELOP ALL THE PRODUCTS.”

BE CONSISTENT

“However they define consistency is what they should stick to. So whether it’s seven days a week or five days a week or three days a week, it should be consistent week-to-week. That will help them get more brand awareness and start to build that community within their own brand so people get used to seeing their posts.”

–KRISTINA LOFTUS, RHOBACK COFOUNDER

—JESSICA NORBY, SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGIST (JESSICANORBY.COM)

BE TARGETED

“I think the best bet for increasing traffic to your socials is to have consistent content that provides some sort of value and speaks to your target consumer. You can’t be everything to everyone, so it’s important to position yourself as the authority in your niche and understand who you’re communicating with and what your audiences enjoy seeing from you.”

—DESTINEE WRIGHT, OWNER OF DESTINEE MARKETING (HELLODESTINEEWRIGHT.COM)

BE COLLABORATIVE CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

Darden proved the perfect lab for growing their idea. “We used the student body to help us develop all the products,” says Kristina, recalling how they surveyed students on different fabric and design choices. None of the partners had retail or design experience, so they learned on the fly about everything from Photoshop to dealing with manufacturers in South Korea.

“We had to understand, what was the problem with the current polos on the market?” says Kristina. Some brands lacked quality, while others targeted an older demographic. “There are many brands out there designing polos for 60-year-old men that are very long and should never be untucked. The fit had to be slimmer but not too slim,” she says.

The Darden golf and racquet clubs served as Rhoback’s first customers. In late 2016, the company launched with 1,000 shirts and sold out in three weeks. The clothing isn’t cheap—most polos go for $79—but the company has enjoyed 300 percent growth year over year, fueled by marketing that speaks to a youthful, fun-loving image. And, says Kristina, knowing their market is essential.

While most customers buy Rhoback shirts and hats from the company’s website, the three founders also hit the road in a wooden camper for “strategic popups” at golf and lacrosse tournaments. “Once people meet the founders they’re more invested in the brand,” Kristina says. “They want to support us.”

“That’s the biggest thing you see with YouTube now–[brands are] starting to team up. Before it was just all competition, a dog-eat-dog type of a scene. Now it’s more collaborative with people working together. It’s basically like a crossover. It’s like, ‘I’m going to use your brand to help me reach your audience’ and then vice versa, so now you come together and lo and behold, you have a bigger audience at the end of the day.”

—AHMAD HAWKINS, SPORTS MEDIA PERSONALITY, OWNER OF STHU JUICE APPAREL, AND HOST OF “THE BALL HAWK SHOW PODCAST” (IAMBALLHAWK.PODBEAN.COM)

C-BIZ 15

We'd

to meet with you!

Reimagine Boar’s Head

Groups at Boar’s Head enjoy a storied tradition along with the beauty of our land and hospitality of our people. With 168 elegant rooms and 22,000 square feet of meeting space, the possibilities are endless. While your team is here, we invite them to explore our network of trails, play in a state-of-the-art sports club or just relax at our on-property spa.

Call 434-972-2227 about our Reimagination Package with special value room rates as low as $150 per night or visit www.BoarsHeadResort/Reimagine.

2019

2019 will bring a completely new resort experience including the reopening of our Mill Room Restaurant. Whether you’re a seasoned guest or just passing through, our thoughtful enhancements will keep you returning time after time.

Owned and operated by the University of Virginia Foundation

9

The Pitch>Q&A

Bio builder How to grow biotech right here at home

By Erika Howsare

C

C-BIZ: What are some ways that the local biotech industry could benefit from more connections among companies?

Nikki Hastings: It’s beneficial to have biotech companies working together and communicating about talent pools, local resources, and shared best practices. These companies are not directly competing with one another, which allows for deeper connection and synergy. Biotech community members share knowledge and experience about local supporting resources— website developers, lawyers, accountants, and general contractors. These are services that all companies need. CvilleBioHub can also connect job candidates to local opportunities; as applicant volume to CvilleBioHub increases, member companies benefit from exposure to and matching with applicants.

What are some of the barriers biotech entrepreneurs face when starting up here as opposed to larger cities?

The three major barriers faced are access to space, capital, and talent. While biotech space is [at] a premium in places like Boston (around $80 per square foot compared to around $20 per square foot in Charlottesville), it can be harder to find desirable locations here. There’s

SANJAY SUCHAK

harlottesville’s biotech industry—of which the University of Virginia is a major driver—is lively and growing, employing around 1,800 people. Nikki Hastings, formerly an executive at two of those companies, recently took the helm at CvilleBioHub, a local industry group with an ambitious vision: “to double the size of the biotech industry over the next 10 years.” We asked her how the Hub will make it happen.

CvilleBioHub’s Nikki Hastings says the Charlottesville area is home to several angel funds and investors that can help biotech companies get off the ground. very little available wet lab space. It is risky for start-up companies to sign long-term leases and it takes significant bandwidth to manage the space. Sublease or incubator models that are seen in other communities help companies to get established. While we don’t have a major venture capital presence here, there are several local angel funds and investors in the Charlottesville region that can help biotech companies get off the ground, including UVA Seed

“IT’S BENEFICIAL TO HAVE BIOTECH COMPANIES WORKING TOGETHER AND COMMUNICATING ABOUT TALENT POOLS, LOCAL RESOURCES, AND SHARED BEST PRACTICES.”

Fund, Charlottesville Angel Network, and CAV Angels. On the talent side, Charlottesville has need for a deeper pool of experienced entrepreneurs and executive leaders that can balance the technical expertise that come with new concepts. With more companies in a localized network, top talent can move from one company to the next and take on more risky ventures without having to relocate.

In your experience as an executive at local companies HemoShear and Contraline, what were some key moments in overcoming those barriers?

HemoShear Therapeutics spun out from UVA in 2009, and at the height of its growth phase transitioned from its first space on Fifth Street Extended to its current headquarters in the old Martha Jefferson Hospital in 2014. It was important for the company to stay near downtown—a sign that barriers in space and talent attraction were surmountable here. Contraline began separate operations from UVA in 2016, and within one year CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

C-BIZ 17

Visit...

A PLACE TO WHERE YOU WILL WANT TO

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Nestled at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains and framed by outstanding views, Old Trail Village features the best in locally owned dining, health, and wellness establishments, as well as fantastic recreation that includes nature trails, parks, swimming, fitness, and golf - all just minutes away from Charlottesville, in Crozet, Virginia.

Old Trail Golf Club, and Restoration restaurant are open to the public and welcome all. Whether you choose us as a destination or make us your home, we welcome you!

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18 C-BIZ

Harrisonburg, Virginia 64 South Mason

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

raised over $2 million in the first round of financing (in part from West Coast venture capitalists), and recruited top scientific talent to develop the core technology. Each company has faced its own unique challenges, but the barriers to commercialization seem fewer in Charlottesville today compared to 10 years ago.

What will the other key goals be for CvilleBioHub over the next year to five years?

Primarily, CvilleBioHub will focus on sustainability. The goal is for CvilleBioHub to coordinate an allinclusive organization, involving the broader Charlottesville community— UVA, government, and local economic developers. Any company that identifies with biotech, life sciences, and development of technologies that impact human health can participate and create an online profile.

There are no costs to join or attend our monthly gatherings. As we build the community, we can address infrastructure, space, capital, and talent through strong partnerships with GO Virginia, UVA, and economic development authorities.

How will a stronger biotech industry benefit the area in general?

Growth and sustainability will allow strong talent to be attracted here and to stay. Biotech jobs pay 85 percent more than average salaries. By supporting the growth of well-paid jobs, our entire region will benefit from these dollars.

SANJAY SUCHAK

How, specifically, will CvilleBioHub help drive investment in local biotech?

Our primary strategy is to raise awareness about the 50 or so innovative and exciting biotech companies that we have here and where future growth opportunities exist.

Medical devices, instrumentation, new drugs, biologics manufacturing, and agribiotech are key drivers of the industry here and are attracting national investment attention. CvilleBioHub is learning from the successes of other biotech communities—for example, in Maryland and North Carolina. As we learn more about these models, we can determine what makes the most sense for Charlottesville and central Virginia.

The Pitch>Desk Break

Improve your #desklife Thai yoga massage gives the modern worker a mind-body boost

By Jennifer Pullinger

H

umans were not designed to sit for eight hours a day, much less be hunched over a computer. A potential cure for this modern malady? Thai yoga massage. Licensed massage therapist Brian Festa believes this type of healing art is “beautifully synonymous with the needs of everyday working people.”

Thai yoga massage is a therapeutic bodywork with roots in India, says Festa, who offers the treatment to small and large businesses throughout Charlottesville, including Vault Virginia. Practitioners move clients into various yoga positions to stretch the body, and also incorporate massage and compression techniques.

“The stretching and the massage and the other techniques involved really encourage the body to open up in a different way than most massage modalities,” he says. “What we see in the end is a far more comprehensive and holistic result.” Festa will come to your office, bringing with him all of the accoutrements needed–primarily a mat and pillows.

Clients don’t need to get undressed, and no oils are applied, unlike Western massage.

Festa offers $20, 15-minute sessions “that are just long enough for people to drop

in, to relax, to be moved, to just let go,” he says, and at the same time, have an experience that allows them to be “refreshed and focused” enough to go back to work and alleviate discomfort related to repetitive motion, long desk hours, or other contemporary office demands.

“Afterwards, I give them ergonomic and postural recommendations in order to counteract what may be contributing towards their specific aches and pains during the work day,” Festa says. Even if a client isn’t experiencing a specific body pain issue, they still walk away with tips for improving their “desk life.”

One quick tip? “I actually recommend to everybody that they stand as much as possible, because standing helps complete the kinetic chain all the way from the feet to the top of the head. And the moment that we sit, we take out our potential buoyancy as creatures,” he says. Sitting all day is “a functional result of the society that we live in, that structurally, humans were not designed to do. So, I think it’s all the more important to not just massage people and provide this work, but to provide exercises and homework and recommendations that will bring them lasting effects after the session.”

C-BIZ 19

BEAUTY

March is

Colon Cancer kills more than 50,000 people each year, but regular screening can help prevent colorectal cancer through removal of precancerous polyps. Timely screening can also detect cancers at an early, curable stage.

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The Pitch>Local Link

Cross-pollination C’ville to RVA and back

By Jennifer Pullinger

CONTIBUTED PHOTO

ASH DANIEL

I

s love in the air? It appears so–at least between the cities of Richmond and Charlottesville, as witnessed by the number of businesses that have decided to open locations in both cities. Charlottesville, with its beautiful setting and college town vibe, has long made lists of best places to live and work.

And in the past few years, Richmond has experienced a renaissance of sorts, with praise seemingly pouring in weekly for its long-underrated, still burgeoning arts, dining, and entrepreneurial scene. So it’s not surprising that a mutual admiration society has developed between the two cities.

Hardywood Park Craft Brewery and Sugar Shack donuts, both born in the River City, added Charlottesville locations on West Main Street–Hardywood in February 2017 and Sugar Shack in June 2018 (bringing with it sister business Luther Burger not long after).

Also coming to Charlottesville in early 2020: Quirk Hotel, which first debuted in Richmond in 2015. Why are they interested in C’ville? “First and foremost, the numbers indicate that Charlottesville is a stronger hospitality market than Richmond,” says Quirk Hotel co-owner Ted Ukrop. “Second, UVA is a major and sustainable economic and cultural engine. Having said that, there are also plenty of innovative companies, organizations, and people that align with Quirk’s brand.” The proximity to Hooville–just an hour away–also made a second Quirk location appealing, Ukrop adds.

Meanwhile, Richmond has already experienced an influx of Charlottesville-based businesses, like Roots Natural Kitchen (opened July 2018 in the VCU area), Three Notch’d Brewing Company (opened in 2016 in Scott’s Addition as the RVA Collab House), and Citizen Burger Bar (also opened in 2016, in Carytown).

The city’s developing reputation as a supportive, destination craft beer scene was a big draw for Hunter Smith, who founded Champion Brewing in Charlottesville and opened a Richmond location in January 2017 on Grace Street downtown.

“The two cities and their respective governments operate quite differently, which was informative from a business perspective, and has helped me to evaluate additional locations,” says Smith. “I appreciate [chef ] Jason Alley from Pasture and Comfort for introducing me to the beautiful former bank space we’re now lucky enough to occupy.”

Up next? Starr Hill Brewery, which is opening Starr Hill Beer Hall & Rooftop in Richmond’s Scott’s Addition this summer.

Several local companies, including Champion brewery (top), have found a second home in Richmond, while a few RVA-born businesses, such as the Quirk Hotel (bottom), which is slated to open here in 2020, are coming to town.

Also coming soon: Common House, the “contemporary social club” that opened in C’ville in 2017, will make the RVA’s Arts District its home sometime in 2019. You’ll be able to find the newest Common House at 305 W. Broad St., just steps away from the original Quirk Hotel.

“Richmond feels like it’s in the midst of a cultural revolution that we are anxious to participate in,” says Common House co-founder Derek Sieg. “The food is world-class, the art scene is electric, and the energy in the entrepreneur community rivals that of any city its size.” While Sieg says his team has been looking at other creative markets in the Southeast in anticipation of growth, the proximity to Charlottesville helped clinch the second location.

“We have a lot of Richmond-based members who use Common House as a landing spot when they’re in Charlottesville, and vice versa, so we see this cross-pollination firsthand and look forward to being a fruit of that pollination ourselves,” he says.

C-BIZ 21

Garden of eatin’ Local entrepreneurs develop a new way of growing greens

By Jenny Gardiner

COURTESY BHI

S

oon, you might not need a green thumb to farm continually fresh greens at home. For that matter, you might not need a garden, at least not in the traditional sense.

For that, you can thank Alexander Olesen and Graham Smith, two recent UVA graduates who have developed a series of hydroponic micro-farms that are already in use commercially here in Charlottesville.

Babylon Micro-Farms sprung from a challenge UVA professor Bevin Etienne posed in his social entrepreneurship class, in which students were asked to develop a product to help refugees, something with high impact and a low price tag. Something that people would be able to download an open-source design for and make on their own.

In the research process, Olesen says he got “very hooked” on the idea of hydroponics—a method of growing plants without soil—and how it has the potential to use significantly less water than conventional agriculture and grow crops twice as fast.

Olesen quickly realized that there was nothing available to the average consumer interested in trying this game-changing way of growing food.

Hydroponics systems are largely limited to massive consumer operations, and worse still, inaccessible to people in developing countries and communities who could benefit greatly from such a product.

The initial micro-farm prototype—for which Olesen and Smith teamed up with Hack Cville— turned out to be low-tech and the size of a small car, and the entrepreneurs realized that if a community doesn’t have access to food, it’s not likely to have access to pH monitors, nutrients, and everything necessary to make the hydroponics system work, either. “Everything we’ve done since is figure out a way that we can make a platform that allows anyone to engage in hydroponic farming regardless of their background or expertise,” says Will Graham, Babylon Micro-Farms’ director of marketing and sales.

Olesen, who graduated this past spring, spent the summer with Darden School of Business’ iLab, refining the product and securing grants from the iLab and UVA Student Council’s Green Initiatives Funding Tomorrow program, as well as $600,000 from angel investors in order to grow the company from its two founding members to an eight-person operation with a Downtown Mall office.

“THE FARM GROWS CROPS FROM SEED-TO-HARVEST WITH NO NEED FOR MAINTENANCE, BRINGING PRODUCE CLOSER TO...THE CONSUMER. MOST OF WHAT YOU BUY FROM GROCERY STORES HAS BEEN PICKED DAYS AGO AND IS LEACHING [NUTRIENTS], SO YOU’RE GETTING A MORE NUTRITIOUS END-PRODUCT THIS WAY.”—WILL GRAHAM 22 C-BIZ

Boar’s Head executive chef Dale Ford (left) with Alexander Olesen of Babylon Micro-Farms, in the chef’s greenhouse that Babylon installed in a small outbuilding at Boar’s Head. The indoor farm will provide veggies for the resort.

To better serve the customers the company has in mind, it has developed the technology to make the mini farms run themselves. “It’s plug-andplay,” says Graham—at least for the consumer.

Babylon Micro-Farms provides pre-seeded trays to be placed into the farms, which are big, clear cabinets with four levels of shelving. Each shelf holds beds for seed trays, and each bed is lit from above with special bulbs that give crops a continually perfect sunny day.

Once the pre-seeded trays are in the cabinet-farm, technology does the rest of the work.

“In this controlled environment, you’re giving [the crops] the concentrated nutrient profile they’d be taking from the ground, but in a solution form, and with optimized lighting” and more, says Graham.

The conditions inside the cabinet are all monitored and regulated by the system, which assesses, among other things, the pH (acidity) of the water/nutrient solution, carbon dioxide levels, air temperature, and humidity, and adjusts accordingly, depending on what’s growing—micro-greens, leafy greens, herbs, edible flowers, fruits, or vegetables. The system will even stagger harvests so the crops ripen in waves, ensuring dozens of heads of lettuce won’t ripen at once, but a few at a time, just as they’d be eaten.

“The farm grows crops from seed-to-harvest with no need for maintenance,” says Graham,

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Currently, there are a few Babylon MicroFarms apparatuses installed in kitchens around town. There’s one at UVA’s Newcomb Hall, and another was recently installed at Boar’s Head’s Trout House. The Boar’s Head farm will provide salad greens, herbs, peppers, and tomatoes, all “exclusive heirloom varieties from the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants” at Monticello, to help provide food for the resort, says Graham.

All of this condensed growth in three short years is as impressive as the accelerated growth seen in Babylon Micro-Farms’ machines, says Olesen.

But the company hasn’t forgotten its roots.

Babylon Micro-Farms has teamed with Etienne’s climate resilience lab at UVA, working to develop concepts for low-cost and portable systems, such as a fold-out farm that collapses to the size of a rain barrel and can be sent to areas of food scarcity for disaster relief; places ravaged by increasingly disastrous hurricanes, for instance. They’ll test the system with UVA’s Morven Kitchen Garden as they work on pilot projects on Caribbean islands devastated by Hurricane Irma.

And for the eager at-home farmer here in Charlottesville? They’ll have to wait: the company has discussed the idea of selling an at-home system, but plans are currently on hold.

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C-BIZ 23

The Pitch>Forecast

Firm forecasts Local business experts look forward to what’s coming in 2019

C

24 C-BIZ C-BIZ 24

2018’s key economic indicators provide a glimpse of what’s coming in 2019 Charlottesville’s jobs rate held steady in 2018, aligning the metro area with the strong employment market experienced across the country. City tax revenues also tracked positively this calendar year, a good sign for things to come, according to Charlottesville Office of Economic Development director Chris

Unemployment Rate 4%

3%

2%

1%

2.2%

2.6%

3.7%

Charlottesville Dec. 2018

Virginia Dec. 2018

U.S. Dec. 2018

Year-over-year jobs change -0.7%

-0.7%

-0.2%

Charlottesville Virginia Dec. 2018 Dec. 2018

U.S. Dec. 2018

-0.2%

-0.4%

-0.6%

-0.8%

Tax revenues 200M

159M

167M

172M

2017 revenue

2018 revenue

150M

100M

50M

2016 revenue

SKYCLAD AERIAL

ould Charlottesville rectify its dearth of commercial and residential space in 2019? Put ’17’s political and social unrest behind us? Create more opportunities for minority-owned businesses?

Charlottesville Office of Economic Development Director Chris Engel thinks prospects are promising.

“I think 2018 was kind of a rebound year,” Engel says. “We are putting some time between the events in 2017 and now, and the court cases are playing out and giving us some closure. From an economic standpoint, city revenues are reflecting growth.”

According to Engel, a recent report confirmed city officials’ concerns about a low commercial vacancy rate throughout Charlottesville. But five major projects moving forward this year are expected to help.

The new Center of Developing Entrepreneurs on the Downtown Mall, for example, has already begun utility work and should be completed by 2020.

“All the projects are fairly significant, and they are definitely part of the story in 2019 and 2020,” Engel says. “It is a good signal the market is responding.”

Elizabeth Cromwell of the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce, which recently launched a new leadership roundtable for area business moguls, says 2019 will see a more “diverse business community.”

“The mantra for 2019 is partnership and collaboration,” Cromwell says. “And I believe the Charlottesville business community will become more aligned with common interests and shared goals in an effort to lift all boats.”

Engel agrees Charlottesville would benefit from a more diverse business ownership pool, and the Office of Economic Development is in the process of hiring a minority business development coordinator.

Several real estate professionals say the market will continue to suffer from low inventories and see a slight dip by the end of 2019. Sasha Farmer, owner of Story House Real Estate, says prices are likely to plateau during a steady spring term, and Michael Guthrie of Roy Wheeler Realty Co. believes uncertainty about the economy and interest rates will have a significant effect.

“The real estate market will be a bit of a bumpy road,” Guthrie says. “New construction will continue to play a significant role in 2019 home sales. The good news is after a sluggish fourth quarter, there has been increased traffic through both existing homes and new home model open houses over the first few weekends of the year.”—Shea Gibbs

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28 C-BIZ

TARIFF TAMPDOWN

BY SHEA

GIBBS

FROM CANS TO CONSTRUCTION, NEW IMPORTED

GOODS TAXES DING LOCAL BUSINESSES

C-BIZ 29

M

SKYCLAD AERIAL

uch of the local uproar Home construction and improvement compaabout the import tariffs nies saw immediate effects from the tariffs, but levied by the Trump the worst may be behind them, according to Builders FirstSource’s Stuart Walton, a CharlottesAdministration last ville-based outside salesperson for the national year appears to have died down, though conconstruction materials supplier. cerns remain.

Walton says metal framing costs “went absoThe U.S. government lutely crazy” from February to June 2018. Some placed a duty of 30 persuppliers hiked prices by 40 percent, and a numcent on imported solar ber of metal shipments sat at port while companies panels in January 2018, and several months later waited on the fallout from the proposed tariffs. added a 25 percent tax on steel and a 10 percent “[Prices have] come back down, but I don’t tax on aluminum shipped from most countries think all the way to the level it was,” Walton says. around the world. Effective in September of last “I have been doing this for five or so years, and it year, the Trump White House released a list of was probably at the lowest point it had ever been. approximately $200 billion worth of Chinese The industry itself is realigning, so I don’t know imports subject to additional tariffs of 10 percent. how much of that is based on the tariffs.”

The tariffs increased to 25 percent on January 1.

Local breweries took the tariff spotlight last Reacting specifically to the taxes on metals and September, when Senator Mark Warner visited solar panels, a number of C’ville business owners Random Row Brewing Co. to discuss how the imsounded the alarm in early to mid-2018. Craft port duties might affect artisanal ale production. beer producers said they were concerned about At the time, Warner suggested a trade war with packaging prices and equipment for expansion U.S. allies was the wrong approach to other counprojects, and two solar panel companies with a tries dumping cheap steel and aluminum in the Charlottesville presence were prepared to take a domestic market.

Snowing in Space, a C’ville nitro coffee business, hit on component prices.

“We were very hopeful that the tariff would not also expressed concerns about the tariffs. Co-foundbe imposed, but we have been preparing for this er and COO Damian Warshall, who did not respond since May [2017],” Sigora Solar CEO Logan to recent emails and phone calls, said in July last Landry told local news outlets last January. year the steel tariffs could affect his company’s But Sigora marketing manager Madeleine Ray ability to purchase steel brewing tanks for expannow says the 30 percent tariff on imported solar sion. Warshall also expressed concern about rising panels has not affected business. In fact, the comaluminum costs, as Snowing in Space distributes pany has seen greater growth rates in the last year coffee in cans. “Customers right now are paying than it ever has before, Ray says. The preparations about $3.49 for a 12-ounce can,” Warshall told the Sigora put in place for a tariff that could have local NBC affiliate. “It will end up being maybe 12 been as high as 50 percent—reducing operating to 15 cents more per can for the customer.”

Three Notch’d Brewing Company also discosts and stockpiling panels and equipment— coupled with steadily growing domestic sales, tributes most of its product in cans, and brewinsulated the company from adverse tax effects. master Dave Warwick says the brewery’s latest “We have not seen a slowdown invoice from overseas can suppliThree Notch’d Brewing in business whatsoever,” Ray says. er Ardagh Group showed a 9 perCompany distributes most of its “We used our buying power to weathcent jump in price. “That’s the product in cans, and brewer the tariffs. There were some only increase we’ve seen in severmaster Dave Warwick says small price changes, but they were al years and the largest by far we’ve the latest invoice from its not enough to pass on to our cus- overseas can supplier showed ever seen,” Warwick says. “We let tomers. We have not raised prices.” the market dictate what we charge a 9 percent jump in price.

ASHLEY COX / COURTESY THREE NOTCH'D BREWERY

30 C-BIZ

for our canned beer, so for now, we may be taking the hit. At some point, though, somebody is going to make the first move and you’ll see the price of canned beer increase.”

Warwick cautions he can’t say for certain the price hike is a result of last year’s aluminum tariffs. Representatives of Ardagh did not respond to emails asking about the increase.

Random Row owner Kevin McElroy shared Warner’s concerns about taxing metals from countries worldwide. “For a brewery our size, it’s more about the future of steel and aluminum costs and how it’s going to affect our plans to grow the business,” McElroy told Warner and members of the Brewer’s Association last September.

McElroy says he’s been looking into his options for expansion since last fall, and the Trump

“PRICES HAVE GONE UP A LITTLE BIT ON NEW EQUIPMENT...IT HASN’T BEEN QUITE AS BIG AS SOME PEOPLE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE, BUT [THE TARIFFS ARE] STILL RELATIVELY NEW, AND THE FEAR IS IT CAN GET WORSE.” KEVIN MCELROY, RANDOM ROW OWNER

tariffs have “changed the way we Joey Conover of Latitude 38 likeSigora Solar, which are looking at how to expand.” For wise says buying from domestic installed 121 solar panels on the roof of the Smith sources and making few capital purexample, he may be more inclined Aquatic and Fitness to purchase used equipment. “Pricchases over the last calendar year has Center, says its been es have gone up a little bit on new protected her firm from the spikes preparing for the 30 equipment,” McElroy says. “It suppliers like Builders FirstSource percent tariff on imported might have passed on. But Walton hasn’t been quite as big as some solar panels since 2017. people thought it would be, but [the says that has not been the case for all Madeleine Ray, the tariffs are] still relatively new, and his buyers. company’s marketing “As far as our customers are conthe fear is it can get worse.” manager, says the company used its buying power to A handful of local businesses cerned, it created a huge problem,” weather the tariffs. elected not to comment on the tarhe says. “They might have quoted jobs—take one of those buildings on iffs—a representative of King Family Vineyards in Crozet says the winery has nothing West Main—and those things are locked into a price to add, and Margo Pollak of Greenwood-based nine months before they break ground. By the time Pollak Vineyards says the small winemaker makes they are framing, they’re locked into a price, and only a few seasonal purchases from overseas. “I we can’t eat it. I don’t know if people went belly up don’t have an obvious sense of the impact,” she says. because of it, but a lot of people were impacted.”

C-BIZ 31

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ALL THE NEWS THAT’S

CRAMER PHOTO

FIT TO EAT

Whether it’s with our online restaurant listings, or our weekly coverage of the local dining scene, C-VILLE’s always serving up a heaping helping of the best in local food. Get your fill every Wednesday in print or at c-ville.com/living, where the kitchen’s always open.

This is our town.

34 C-BIZ

.com

W

NICE

THE

15 BEST

EMPLOYERS

WO RK IN CHARLOTTESVILLE

if

you can

CHARLOTTESVILLE ROUTINELY FINDS itself on lists of the best places to live in the country. But it’s also a great place to work, judging by what people had to say about the following organizations.

For this look at the best places to work in Charlottesville, we used job and recruiting website Glassdoor’s ratings system, a 5-point scale based on anonymously submitted, user-generated employee reviews. We considered only those companies that had at least six reviews and a sizable local footprint (or were homegrown). While the top spot was a tie (between Sigora Solar and Griffin Group Global) every company on the list had an aboveaverage rating. And you can find more reader-generated candidates online at c-ville.com.

get it

By Jennifer Pullinger

C-BIZ 35

1

GRIFFIN GROUP (TIE) GLOBAL BILL HEAPES, GRIFFIN GROUP GLOBAL CHIEF operating officer, describes the company’s culture as “a learning environment in a high-tech business” where employees “thrive on everybody understanding our corporate goals and mission, and everybody has an equal voice in contributing.”

“The leadership has come from the government side, where we have a lot of institutional knowledge and discipline in our process management,” adds Heapes. “But that, combined with the flexibility of bringing in new technology, having people learn and understand it—Lunch n’ Learn-type sessions where everybody has the opportunity to bring what they know from their past experiences to the table. Everything is considered before we move forward.”

Glassdoor company rating: 5.0 based on 10 reviews

1

What they do: Cybersecurity and digital identity protection.

Size: 24 total employees, with 19 in the Charlottesville office.

Benefits: Benefits include “better-than-industrystandard” comprehensive health coverage, plus generous paid time off plans and domestic partner accommodations. Also included: flexible work schedules, work-from-home days, and companysponsored philanthropy where employee volunteers don’t miss a day of pay.

SIGORA SOLAR

CIERA CANNIZZARO, SIGORA SOLAR HR generalist, says it’s the people who make the work so rewarding. “Everyone is so knowledgeable and friendly,” Cannizzaro says, adding that the employees are like family.

Flexible work scheduling is also a perk.

“We don’t have the traditional work schedule where it’s like 8-to-5, 9-to-5. A lot of people work remotely, so that flexibility is obviously a really good benefit for everyone, especially people who have families,” she adds. Company parties, like the one held in November at Carter Mountain, helps build those “Sigora family” bonds.

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What people are saying on Glassdoor: “Griffin truly empowers employees. Their management is open to ideas and provides a framework for incorporating new ideas quickly to prove them and improve them. The technology is leading edge.”

Glassdoor company rating: 5.0 based on 10 reviews What they do: Solar design, installation, and solutions.

Size: Most of Sigora Solar’s employees work remotely or in the field. At its main office, they have approximately 15 employees staffed.

Benefits: In addition to standard benefits (including health care, vision, dental, and life insurance options), Sigora employees can take advantage of at-cost solar for their home.

What people are saying on Glassdoor: “This company and the employees exude tremendous passion for what they do. It’s easy to work for a company that believes in their products and service.”

SANJAY SUCHAK

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

(TIE)

3

TIGER FUEL

RYAN WHITLOCK, TIGER FUEL DIRECTOR of human resources, gives all the credit to its employees for creating a positive work culture—and to the company’s owner and president for setting the tone. “They bring strength to the company and passion for customer service,” he says.

Glassdoor company rating: 4.9 based on 23 reviews What they do: Petroleum energy products distribution, oil and propane tank service and maintenance, and operation of The Markets chain of convenience stores.

Size: Approximately 260 employees.

AMY JACKSON SMITH

Benefits: In addition to health insurance and vacation benefits, Tiger Fuel offers: financial wellness support, an employee assistance program, subsidized corporate gym membership, Tiger Card Fuel benefits, discounts on apparel from L.L.Bean, and a holiday bonus for every employee, among other perks.

What people are saying on Glassdoor: “When you work for Tiger Fuel, you become part of the Tiger family. Great benefits, amazing atmosphere, friendship, [you’re] not just a cog on the wheel, [you’re] an important part of the business and it shows.”

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CHARTIQ EVEN THOUGH THE COMPANY IS SEVEN years old, ChartIQ still considers itself a “growth- stage startup,” wrapped in a “profitable, stable company that’s been around for a long time,” says Christian Hall, chief operating officer.

A focus on work-life balance, a laid-back work environment, and a “beautiful, open, big office space near the [Downtown] Mall,” are other perks, says Hall. Employees are also encouraged to have lunch together every day, a tradition that dates back to the company’s founding.

“We plan to continue having lunch together because it’s been that way forever,” he adds. “It basically feels like a gathering at someone’s home every day, which isn’t just a benefit, it literally sets the tone for the office culture.”

Glassdoor company rating: 4.9 based on 12 reviews What they do: Fintech (financial technology company) providing software solutions to large capital markets companies.

Size: 50 employees.

Benefits: In addition to health, vision, and dental, benefits include catered lunch every day from local restaurants, unlimited vacation policy, flexible hours, and a dog-friendly office.

4

JOHN ROBINSON

What people are saying on Glassdoor: “So many pros to working at ChartIQ, including the top-notch talent we’ve been able to attract, a leadership team that trusts its employees to responsibly manage a policy of flexible work hours and PTO, a relaxed work environment, opportunities for growth, location in downtown Charlottesville, inspirational leaders, and a customer-first approach.”

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WILLOWTREE “WE FOCUS ON BUILDING A TEAM OF PEOPLE WHO NOT ONLY love their craft but who also value and respect their colleagues,” says Christy Phillips, WillowTree’s chief talent officer. “Our Glassdoor reviews almost always focus on the enjoyment people get from working with talented, kind people as a top reason they love working here.”

Glassdoor company rating: 4.8 based on 183 reviews What they do: Digital and mobile technology design and development.

Size: Approximately 320 employees between its Charlottesville and Durham locations.

STEPHEN BARLING

Benefits: Benefits include fully paid employee medical premiums, paid parental leave, annual professional development budget, tuition reimbursement, and a monthly gym membership stipend. Working at WillowTree also comes with such office perks as snacks galore, fresh-on-tap kombucha, nitro cold brew coffee, and beer, plus paid lunches twice a week.

What people are saying on Glassdoor: “The best thing about WillowTree is the energy in the space. I work among the most positive and talented people I have ever met. They inspire me to do my best work at all time. I don’t ever feel like I’m solving a problem on my own.”

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6 ROOM KEY

AMY JACKSON SMITH

“IT’S LIKE A MOSTLY SANE Silicon Valley start-up with a heart,” says Doug Lawson, head of product and design, who praises Room Key’s employees for being “smart, motivated, super-creative and nice to work with” and who “pull together well as a collaborative team.”

Glassdoor company rating: 4.8 based on six reviews What they do: Hotel and travel search site.

Size: 22 Charlottesville employees.

Benefits: Benefits include health coverage, bonuses, funding for personal development–conferences as well as continuing education–quarterly hackathons, snacks on snacks, a beer keg, and access to a conference room “dedicated to competitive Mario Kart.”

What people are saying on Glassdoor: “One of the best assets of Room Key is and has always been the quality of its tech team. Open, mature, respectful, no egos, highly knowledgeable, friendly, just a great place to work, learn and contribute.”

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LOCUS HEALTH ITS MISSION IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST REASONS why Locus Health is a great place to work, says Rick Skinner, senior vice president and chief technology officer. “We make a product that enables babies to leave the hospital safely in the care of their parents. And so all of us at Locus really identify with that mission. We’re doing something that really has some intrinsic value,” he says.

Glassdoor company rating: 4.7 based on 17 reviews What they do: Remote care solutions, primarily for pediatric patients.

Size: 23 employees.

Benefits: In addition to a competitive salary (based on experience), Locus Health offers medical, dental, vision, 401(k) match, paid time off, employer life insurance, and a gym subsidy.

What people are saying on Glassdoor: “The combination of a team that creates cutting-edge technology and actual health care professionals, as well as business gurus, make this such an interesting place to learn and grow as a professional.”

8 2RW CONSULTANTS “I THINK CONSISTENTLY, WHEN WE’VE SURVEYED OUR EMPLOYEES, THE NUMBER ONE THING THAT PEOPLE LIKE ABOUT working here is that they love the people and they love the work environment,” says 2RW Marketing Director Denise McFadden.

2RW’s focus on sustainability also unites employees around a purpose for the common good. “I think that really resonates with people,” McFadden adds. “They like that that’s a part of what we do, because we are really in business to do more than just earn a paycheck–we’re trying to do something good for people, for society, for the planet, and it’s nice to have that greater goal.”

Glassdoor company rating: 4.5 based on 12 reviews What they do: Sustainability minded MEP/FP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection) engineering systems and energy consulting services.

Size: 72 employees.

Benefits: At R2W, employees get medical, dental, and vision, plus long-term disability and term life (with 100 percent employer-paid premiums for employees), employer contribution to health savings accounts, SIMPLE IRA with up to 3 percent matching contribution, banked paid time off, and company-sponsored holiday parties and outings.

What people are saying on Glassdoor: “The team is young and fun. They have the perfect balance of light-hearted, easy-going culture and rigorous deadline-driven ethic. Very smart people who welcome new ideas and want to make everyone a better employee and engineer.”

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9

CCRI (COMMONWEALTH COMPUTER RESEARCH, INC.) FLEXIBILITY IS ONE OF THE TOP BENEFITS OF WORKING AT CCRi, says Julia Farill, human resources manager. “We value flexibility, and we’ve made a lot of choices as a company to try and foster that so people have a lot more control over their life and their work-life balance,” she says.

CCRi also has a collaborative, meritocracy-focused, “kind of quirky” culture, she says. “We want to hire the best people we can find that are really smart, creative problem-solvers, and then keep them happy for a whole career.”

Glassdoor company rating: 4.5 based on 10 reviews What they do: Applied data science and software engineering.

Size: 130 employees.

Benefits: In addition to customary benefits like health and retirement, CCRi offers free access to two employee assistance programs, a financial wellness program, gym and yoga discounts, professional develop opportunities, flexible work schedules and time-off policy, plus lots of daily snacks (including a free cereal bar in every building, monthly bagel breakfast, and coffee and espresso bars). They also have a community Vive, massage chair, and other office amenities.

What people are saying on Glassdoor: “There is never a shortage of friendly, intelligent, and ambitious people at CCRi. The amenities and environment are laid-back and very friendly, but there is never a shortage of tough problems to solve.”

10

SOUTHERN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW CENTER SARAH FRANCISCO, DIRECTOR OF SELC’S VIRGINIA office, credits its team of “intelligent, hard-working people pursuing a shared mission” for making the organization a top-notch place to work.

“We set ambitious goals, have high standards, and work with dedication alongside wonderful co-workers,” Francisco adds. “This creates a special mix of professionalism, collegiality, teamwork, and camaraderie. We celebrate successes together, and everyone is valued and recognized for their contribution.”

Glassdoor company rating: 4.4 based on 15 reviews What they do: Environmental protection legal and policy nonprofit Size: 59 employees in the Charlottesville offices, and 149 total.

Benefits: A snapshot of benefits at the SELC: affordable health, dental, and vision, generous paid time off, fully covered life, short-term, and long-term disability insurance, retirement contribution (not match), up to a total of 12 weeks parental leave following childbirth or adoption (six weeks fully paid by SELC), and opportunities to visit the places the organization works to protect.

What people are saying on Glassdoor: “While the mission brings most people to SELC, I have stayed because of the people, the benefits and the work/life balance. Having genuinely nice colleagues who go to work excited about what they do makes SELC an incredible place to work. . .”

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UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA IS THE LARGEST employer in the Charlottesville-Albemarle area, and it needs no introduction as one of the premier higher education institutions in the country. While jobs vary widely, UVA consistently earns accolades: In 2018, it landed on Forbes’ ranking of “America’s Best Employers” (#66) and “Best Employers for Women” (#36). Earlier this year, it made Forbes’ list of “Best Employers for Diversity” (#54). UVA’s continued growth and reputation for stability, as well as its suite of benefits and career development opportunities, no doubt contribute to its status as a top place to work.

Glassdoor company rating: 4.3 based on 765 reviews What they do: Higher education Size: The university employs about 30,000 people total (not including the College at Wise)—that number includes roughly 16,000 faculty and staff and approximately 12,000 Health System employees.

Benefits: UVA’s benefits (“total rewards”) package includes health insurance, retirement plans, flexible spending accounts, paid time off, education benefits, back-up care for children and elderly family members, and wellness benefits.

12

COCONSTRUCT

DONNY WYATT, COCONSTRUCT FOUNDER and CEO, points to the company’s five core values as the foundation for its work culture, which contributes to a palpable “energy” in the office.

Those distinct core values—like “understand why” and “show personality”—are “very much us” and enable employees to excel as individuals and as a team, says Wyatt. “When everybody’s in, and we all have a common vision of what we expect from ourselves, and others, and how we act, it actually provides a lot of comfort and freedom to people to be themselves,” he adds.

Glassdoor company rating: 4.3 based on 41 reviews What they do: Construction project management software for custom home builders and remodelers.

Size: Approximately 99 employees.

SANJAY SUCHAK

Benefits: A sampling of benefits includes generous holidays plus paid time off, flexible work schedules, paid leave for new parents, regular happy hours, and paid training.

What people are saying on Glassdoor: “I’ve never seen a shared ethos enacted every day from the top down the way it is here. I felt it the first moments, even before I could really even define it. This company cares deeply about their core values and strives to live them out every moment. . . and is probably the single most important point of differentiation here.”

MARTYN KYLE

What people are saying on Glassdoor: “Consistent work-life balance (best I’ve ever experienced), kind and supportive coworkers, beautiful campus, excellent benefits, meaningful work, opportunities for professional development.”

13 CRUTCHFIELD CRUTCHFIELD HAS STEADILY BURNISHED ITS REPUTATION AS AN award-winning, customer service-oriented business since its founding in 1974

by Bill Crutchfield. A shared belief in a set of core values and a focus on training, career development, and employee engagement contributes to a high level of satisfaction, says Chris Lilley, Crutchfield’s chief human resource officer.

“We take great care employing the right kind of people here—people who respect each other, who have the capacity to be empathetic, and care for our customers, and for each other,” says Lilley. “It’s really as simple as that and it comes from Mr. Crutchfield at the top.”

Glassdoor company rating: 4.2 based on 37 reviews What they do: Online and catalog retailer of consumer electronics.

Size: More than 600 employees at locations in Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, and Wise County.

Benefits: Benefits include health, dental, vision, disability (long and short term) and life insurances, paid leave, 401(k), flexible spending accounts, paid time off, paid holidays, employee assistance program, adoption assistance programs (both for children and pets), pet insurance, and registration fees for fitness events.

What people are saying on Glassdoor: “The whole company has employee appreciation days twice a year plus other fun company-culture-building events that I always look forward to. . . The different departments are happy to work together, and anyone with a good idea or concern is heard, no matter what their job is.”

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SENTARA MARTHA JEFFERSON HOSPITAL FOUNDED IN 1903, WHAT IS NOW SENTARA MARTHA JEFFERSON Hospital has a long history of employing generations in the greater CharlottesvilleAlbemarle community. And Johnsa Morris, chief nurse executive at Sentara MJH, gives all praise to its employees for making it a place where “you can put your passion into action and turn your calling into a career.”

Morris says the hospital has a culture of teamwork. “We are also fortunate to work in a beautiful location that offers a healing environment,” she says. Each day we can take advantage of our beautiful mountain scenery and walking trails. We are able to offer flexible schedules and, through our scholarship programs, we have the opportunity to continue to learn and advance in the organization.”

Glassdoor company rating: 4.1 based on 11 reviews

on-campus gym, and discounts on local area services.

What they do: Not-for-profit health care.

What people are saying on Glassdoor: “Friendly co-workers, patient-centered work environment, focus on safety and quality. Culture is centered around ‘caring tradition.’ Employees of all levels involved in improvement efforts and decision-making.”

Size: 1,600 employees.

Benefits: Benefits include medical, dental, vision, 403(b), pension plan, and paid annual leave— as well as tuition assistance, scholarships, free

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RED LIGHT MANAGEMENT I MEAN, WOULDN’T YOU WANT TO WORK FOR the organization that gave us the Dave Matthews Band? Founded in 1991 by Coran Capshaw, Red Light Management’s diverse roster of talent also includes Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, Leona Lewis, Enrique Iglesias, Dierks Bentley, Chris Stapleton, Anita Baker, Michelle Williams (of Destiny’s Child), and Phish, among others. Its website highlights a “progressive work environment” and the opportunity to work with “an industry-leading team.”

Glassdoor company rating: 4.0 based on 55 reviews What they do: Music industry artist management.

Size: unavailable Benefits: Red Light did not respond to requests for comment or information on their benefits.

What people are saying on Glassdoor: “This company has all the connections and networking you could ever ask for at your fingertips. Be ready to work hard and play hard.”

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Plan the best day ever.

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BACKSTORY

By Jennifer Pullinger

I

n spring 1970, Charlottesville’s Main Street was an idyllic backdrop for the pomp of the Dogwood Parade. Pedestrians lined the street to watch the yearly community tradition in the month of April, while behind them, business carried on inside Wise Discount Center (pictured here, from the book Charlottesville Then & Now by Steve Trumbull).

Today, of course, that section of Main Street has become a beloved eight-block pedestrian

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promenade, aka the Downtown Mall, constructed in 1976. The building that formerly housed Wise Discount Center drugstore is now Snooky’s Pawn Shop, located at 102 E. Main St. A City of Charlottesville architectural and historic survey refers to it as the Rinehart-Levy Building, named in part for then-prominent THEN: Wise Discount Center Circa 1970s NOW: Snooky’s Pawn Shop Opened: 1993

local businessman Hollis Rinehart, who bought the building in 1915 when it was a “[two]-storey duplex brick store building with living quarters above.”

Before housing Wise Discount Center and a series of other tenants, the building was home to Levy’s, a dress shop, for 40 years (the store later relocated to Barracks Road Shopping Center). The pink marble façade, which can still be seen today, was added by Daniel Levy circa 1932-33.

PHOTO CREDIT: CHARLOTTESVILLE THEN & NOW BY STEVE TRUMBULL / CVILLEIMAGES.COM

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c. 1808 manor home built on a lovely knoll surrounded by stately mature trees and 423+ acres of rolling Virginia countryside. Main residence has a beautifully detailed living room with fireplace, dining room with fireplace, country kitchen 5 bedrooms, 5 full baths and 2 half baths. The property also contains a c. 1776 cottage, schoolhouse and barn. MLS#582621 Steve McLean, 434.981.1863 www.glendowerva.com

COMMONWEALTH DRIVE

1-story, 2,147 square foot commercial office building at corner of Westfield Rd. just off Rt. 29S. Zoned Commercial Office (CO) use includes administrative, business offices and more. Mark Mascotte (434) 825-8610 CVCMLS#30317750

HESSIAN ROAD

Built by renowned architect Milton Grigg as his personal residence, owner has recently completed a state of the art restoration and enlargement, in a coveted City neighborhood. MLS#577617 $2,399,000 Chartlotte Dammann, 434.981.1250

INGLECRESS

Designed by Shank & Gray Architects. First floor master bedroom with bath. Second level contains 4 additional bedrooms and 2 full baths in soughtafter close to town location. MLS#581994 $1,100,000 Steve McLean 434.981.1863

ROBINSON WOODS

4 bedroom home built by R.L. Beyer Custom Homes as model home. Neighborhood common areas. A bit of country in the City yet just minutes from Downtown and UVA. MLS#584695 $544,000 C. Dammann, 434.981.1250

FARMINGTON

Classic 4 bedroom brick residence in most private 2.3 acre setting, beautiful views! Large formal rooms, custom design kitchen, two fireplaces, 2-car garage, walk-out basement. $1,550,000 Jim Faulconer 434.981.0076

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Complete privacy,over 72 acres with long frontage on the James River! Totally restored c. 1900 farmhouse offering beautiful views of the James River and Blue Ridge Mountains. MLS#580861 $1,050,000 Steve McLean 434.981.1863

SPRING CREEK

Fantastic location/like-new condition! Backs up to golf course. Energy efficient home, inside open floor plan, custom designed kitchen, 4 bedroom, full mostly finished, basement. MLS#583353 $397,000 Jim Faulconer, 434.981.0076

Exquisite brick residence, over 9,000 finished sq. ft., privately situated on almost 100 rolling acres within 15 minutes of Charlottesville. Built circa 2001 of best quality materials with expert craftsmanship, meticulously maintained. Other improvements include a swimming pool, terraces, pool pavilion, detached garage/ shop. $2,975,000 Jim Faulconer 434.981.0076 www.totierhillsfarm.com

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