IBQ

IBQ INSIDE BUSINESS QUARTERLY

Bruce Thompson The Main and a life fully developed An entertainment empire built by beer The guardian ‘Angels’ of Hampton Roads business

The Breeden Compa ny I N S P I R I N G

P L A C E S

The Breeden Company is a nationally recognized real estate services company with over 50 years of expertise in every facet of the industry. Breeden Property Management, Breeden Realty and Breeden Construction are the three major subsidiaries of The Breeden Company, with a combined portfolio of nearly 10,000 apartments, over 2 million square feet of retail/ofďŹ ce space and an additional 1,700 residential homes. Both Breeden Property Management and Breeden Construction are national award winners on their own merit and provide third party services to select clients. Family-owned and operated since 1961, The Breeden Company has grown into one of the most valued real estate development ďŹ rms on the East Coast.

757-486-1000 | 560 Lynnhaven Pkw y, Virginia Beach, VA 23452 804-364-4600 | 4501 M arshall Run Circle, Glen Allen, VA 23059

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SOUTHEASTERN VIRGINIA

Michael Amory 810-2455

Deborah Baisden 404-6020

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Glenda Battle 729-0296

Neil Bennett 449-4587

Linda Lee Berryman 532-7749

Casey Bushey 241-1262

Jeff Chance 202-7707

Bill Clarke & Frank Hughes 876-8346

Ruby Conn 291-4744

Jennifer Cool 739-5859

Jon Decker 560-1676

Kimberly Denton 323-0115

Taryn DeRose 746-0089

Harriet Doub 620-5478

Adrienne Downing 499-0124

Patti Frankenfield 650-6255

Tonie Frank-Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Gorman 718-8100

Pam Frohman 478-1091

Jennifer Gartell 438-2750

Harriet Goodove & Emily Nied

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Johnathan King 270-3994

Sherry Kletzly 897-2976

Bill Kolovani 377-2069

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Kathy Macklin 897-8750

Carl Master 621-0022

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Mary Miller Gentry 328-5412

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IBQ | PUBLISHER’S LETTER

Hello friends, When I joined Inside Business years ago, I was given oversight of an independent news operation for the first time. Over lunch during my first week in the publisher’s seat, a reader gave me some of the best advice I’ve ever received.

The late Sandy Dumont, an accomplished writer and public speaker who also ran a consulting business, told me that what she liked about Inside Business was that it not only wrote about and reported on the business community, it was a part of that community.

What she meant is IB drives vital conversations and networking in the community, celebrates business luminaries, and invites businesspeople to write columns that help to illuminate our industries and their issues.

“You’re a critical part of the action,” she said.

That insight had a significant impact on me, and on our work.

And it still does.

4 IBQ MARCH 2017

Welcome to the very first issue of IBQ (Inside Business Quarterly), our newly relaunched, reimagined version of Inside Leadership. We started IL in 2015 with the goal of highlighting role models and providing insight into their businesses, communities and the people with whom they engage.

Our goals for IBQ are much the same. We still want to gain insight from business leaders, but now we’re broadening our scope and shaking up our design to better engage readers and track trends.

In this issue we will take you behind the scenes at The Main, Norfolk’s newest mammoth hotel, and introduce you to a side of its developer, Bruce Thompson, that you might have missed: the devil-may-care, long-haired rocker who would eventually change the face of Virginia Beach, and now Norfolk.

Want more? We have a great story on how O’Connor Brewing Company has used beer to create an entertainment empire, a revealing look at a Virginia Beach company that uses its resources and insight to help launch other businesses and a tasty piece on the best places in Hampton Roads to have a business lunch.

And through it all we hope you will still see that we are not only reporting on the business community, but we are still a part of it.

I think Sandy would be pleased.

Thanks for reading,

Spring 2017 Vol. 1 INFLUENCING PEOPLE, BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY Mike Herron Publisher

Clay Barbour

Executive Editor

Jennifer Fenner Creative Director

Allyson Garner Art Director

Irvin B. Harrell Associate Editor

Mary Flachsenhaar Associate Editor

Ski Miller

Sales and Marketing

Michelle Norman Business Manager

Tricia Lieurance

Production Director

Brandon Kolipano Online

Shea Alvis Production

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Butch Maier, Judy Cowling, Nora Firestone, Ben Swenson, Tom Robinson

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Chrystal Culbert, Eric Lusher, Keith Lampher, Harry Gerwien

COVER PHOTO Eric Lusher

PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT Shea Alvis, Carlos Coleman

EDITORIAL INQUIRIES

Clay Barbour, 757.446.2379, Clay.Barbour@ pilotonline.com

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES Ski Miller, 757.222.3993, Ski.Miller@ pilotonline.com

SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES 757.446.9000

IBQ is published by The Virginian-Pilot, a Pilot Media company.

IBQ | CONTENTS

Contents

26 4 8 10 14 18

PUBLISHER’S LETTER BIZ BUZZ IBQUESTION BRAIN FOOD ERGO OFFICE

6 IBQ MARCH 2017

20 20 26 35 40 46

SPRING 2017 VOL. 1

46

757 ANGELS BUILT WITH BEER LET’S DO LUNCH A LIFE FULLY DEVELOPED NORFOLK’S NEWEST STAR

IBQ | BIZ BUZZ

Painting the town NEON

Hyunsoo Leo Kim | The Virginian-Pilot

Since the NEON District was created, the city’s first official art district has played a major role in spreading art throughout the city. To encourage more of this, the Downtown Norfolk Council created the Public Art Program, led by the NEON District Committee.

It’s available to property owners, tenants and artists looking to improve the city’s streetscapes. Interested? Artists with designs should go after a micro-grant (up to $599) to help offset the cost of the project. Property owners and tenants can also apply for a matching grant (up to $2,500) in support of a specific project.

The NEON District Committee accepts applications on a rolling basis. Artists and interested property owners can contact info@NeonNFK.com for a slate of potential projects.

Meet the Builders MARCH 28

There’s still time to get in on the Tidewater Builders Association’s “Meet the Builders” event at the Chesapeake Conference Center. At this part social event, part business meeting, attendees get the chance to meet one-one-one with more than 30 builders. It’s a members-only event, running from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 after March 17.

No door sales. TBAOnline.org

8 IBQ MARCH 2017

Landlords and Tenants

Women in Business Conference

Want to know what recent actions by the General Assembly mean for landlords? Check out the Tidewater Multifamily Housing Council’s educational event, “Residential Landlord and Tenant Act Review and Update.” Long, boring title, but important stuff. The event runs 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at DoubleTree

by Hilton Norfolk Airport. This year’s speaker will be John Dicks of Future Law LLC. Tickets are $95 for TMHC members, $135 for others. Contact jhearn@TBAOnline.org

The Small Business Development Center presents the Women Owned Small Business Conference, part of an ongoing effort by the SBDC and its resource partners to reach women-owned businesses. The conference, held at the Peninsula Workforce Development Center, is open to all small business owners seeking information on how to market their business. Some of the topics to be covered are marketing, digital, social media, website development and practical advice on how to survive in the changing economy. Cost is $20. For more information contact 3128/johnf@TNCC.edu

MARCH 30

MARCH 30

Corporate Challenge 2017 APRIL 12 - 22

Want to promote health and wellness within your company? How about tackling workplace morale? Then don’t miss out on the Hampton Roads Sports Commission Corporate Challenge.

The event, presented by Optima Health, features sporting events in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Norfolk.

HRCC uses friendly competition, networking and fun to help you improve team cohesion and health. Sports available include running, basketball, bowling, cornhole, golf, kickball, a ropes course, volleyball and tug of war.

Event times vary to accommodate staff schedules. Companies are encouraged to have a variety of employees participate. Multiple teams from one company are welcome, until space is sold out.

Prices range from $100 to $500 per sport and include 2 to 14 people per team.

Companies can sign up for one or all eight sporting events. For information on registering, HamptonRoadsChamber.com.

The Governor and His Cabinet on the Road APRIL 13

The Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce hosts Gov. Terry McAuliffe and his cabinet for his fourth and final road tour at the Chesapeake Conference Center. This event marks the first time Hampton Roads has been selected as one of the stops. Each member of McAuliffe’s cabinet will be present and will host a table of members from their industry.

For more information, contact Anne

Hot Italian

Photo from Leone’s Facebook

The work at the corner of Granby and W. Charlotte Street is finally over.

Looking for some Italian for lunch, or a stiff drink at the end of the day? Head over to Leone’s (Lee-o-nees). The new restaurant features outdoor and rooftop dining, gourmet food and a wine market (to take home after a long day).

Brought to you by the owners of 456 Fish, Bodega, Big Easy, 219 American Bistro and Byrd & Baldwin Bros. Steak House.

Baumler at ABaumler@HRChamber. com or call (757) 664-2518.

States of Cities

APRIL 19 – MAY 23

It’s that time of the year again.

Officials from area municipalities are gathering to eat catered hotel food and discuss life in their cities.

Here is the slate:

PORTSMOUTH: APRIL 19

Noon to 2 p.m. Renaissance Portsmouth Hotel & Waterfront Conference Center, 425 Water St.

CHESAPEAKE: APRIL 27 Noon to 2 p.m. Chesapeake Conference Center, 700 Conference Center Drive.

NORFOLK: MAY 12

folk Waterfront Hotel, 100 E. Constance Road, Suffolk.

For more information on all SOCs, go to HamptonRoadsChamber.com.

Situational Leadership APRIL 21

Head to Richmond for “Explorations,” Floricane’s newest professional development series. The three-hour workshops are designed around specific topics and this one is a doozy – Situational Leadership. Learn how to diagnose an individual’s ability and commitment, and how best to support them. Seminar runs 9 a.m. to noon. For more info: Floricane.com.

Noon to 2 p.m. The Main, 100 E Main St., Norfolk.

SUFFOLK: MAY 23

Noon to 2 p.m. Hilton Garden Inn Suf-

IBQMAG.COM 9

IBQ | IBQUESTIONNAIRE

10 IBQ MARCH 2017

Jim White FITNESS AND HE ALTH CONSULTANT

White is the owner of Jim White Fitness & Nutrition Studios in Virginia Beach and Norfolk. He specializes in personal training and individual nutritional counseling. He was named one of the Top Forty under 40 in Hampton Roads by Inside Business and was a 2016 Personal Fitness Professional Personal Trainer of the Year (named by whom?).

He has been consulted as a fitness and health expert by such outlets as ABC Family Channel, Today, TLC, Radio Disney, Shape, GQ, Men’s Health, Muscle and Fitness, Prevention, USA Today, Details, and The Wall Street Journal.

What is your idea of success?

We shouldn’t measure ourselves on the world’s view of success.

My idea of success is the measure of using our God-given talents to fulfill the need of something greater than ourselves. To make the world a better place through our craft. To be at peace, knowing we did everything we could to the best of our ability with the talents we were given.

Who was the most influential leader in your life (not a family member)? I would have to say my savior, Jesus Christ. He taught how to live life and spread peace, love and joy to others. Even though I regularly fall short, I try to live like him daily.

What three things do you save in a fire? My pup Flex (and other family members), childhood photos, and my Michael Jordan rookie card.

What worries you most? Failure.

What quality do you like least in a colleague? Leave the ego at the door.

What excites you most? Traveling around the world. I love learning about different cultures and seeing what I often read about.

What object or objects will always be in your office? My coffee pot, lined Post-it notes and pencils.

What are you listening to?

The podcast “How I Built This.”

What quality do you most like in a colleague? Integrity, hands-down.

What one thing would you change about yourself ? Being a workaholic.

If you had to change careers, what would you be? A sports agent.

What is your dream of the future? Expanding Jim White Fitness and Nutrition Studios to a national franchise. Q

What are you reading? My wife is seven months pregnant with our first child so I am currently reading the book On Becoming Baby Wise and taking a ton of notes.

IBQMAG.COM 11

Regent isTuned in to Your Success High school journalism classes sparked her love of the media. But it was an MBA from Regent University that helped promote Kari Jacobs to general manager of WVEC, where her principled leadership skills are elevating the whole organization. “Unlike other schools I considered, Regent lets you customize projects around real-life work issues. The professors challenge you and genuinely want you to succeed.”

Get ready for your next career step and discover why Regent is ranked #4 Online MBA and #2 Online Business Programs in Virginia.* MBA M.A. in Business & Design Management M.A. in Organizational Leadership M.A. in Not-for-Profit Leadership M.A. in Church Leadership Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership Doctor of Strategic Leadership

ON CAMPUS & ONLINE New 8-Week Session Starts Soon!

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learn.regent.edu | 757.352.4400 *U.S. News & World Report, 2017

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Christian Leadership to Change the World

b u l C r e p p Su We have a secret that’s simply too good to keep.

Distinction Magazine is hosting a series of secret suppers, dinner parties thrown in intimate, one-of-a-kind spaces around Hampton Roads.

Lucky attendees will enjoy four courses prepared by some of our finest chef ’s.

The location remains a secret until the morning of the event.

You will receive an email with details of the location.

Tickets will be limited and the appetites will be great, so get your tickets before it’s too late!

For more details visit DistinctionHR.com or call 446-2187.

PRESENTING SPONSOR: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Towne Realty

IBQ | BRAIN FOOD

The Science of Popularity

by Jonah Berger

THE WASHINGTON POST

Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction

By Derek Thompson Penguin Press, 344 pp, $28

14 IBQ MARCH 2017

Is Claude Monet a truly great painter or just the beneficiary of good early publicity? To hear Derek Thompson tell it, he was a highly skilled early impressionist.

But there was something else subtly at work in Monet’s day that created his enduring popularity. Monet was one of a handful of impressionist painters whose work was given to the Museé du Luxembourg in Paris as part of a young man’s bequest in the late 1800s.

As a result, his paintings, along with other impressionist art, were shown in the first national exhibition of such work, and that broad publicity, Thompson argues, was what made those artists popular. The bequest shaped what people thought impressionism was, and Monet rode the wave to fame.

As Thompson argues in his book Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction, Monet succeeded not because he was the best artist but because repeated exposure persuaded people to like his work.

In our age, the principles of popularity still apply. Books like Fifty Shades of Grey land on the best-seller list. Movies like the Star Wars franchise gross billions of dollars and ignite the imaginations of children everywhere. And social movements like the recent Women’s March bring communities together around a common goal or interest.

But why do certain things grab collective attention?

That question lies at the heart of Thompson’s book. Mixing anecdotes and science, he explains the famous psychological principle of mere exposure, or the fact that the more you see something, the more you like it. He began pondering Monet’s success after seeing his famous painting “The Japanese Footbridge” at the National Gallery of Art. Thompson is a gifted writer and has a knack for finding intriguing stories.

But rather than dwelling on any one in particular, or taking the time to fully unpack it, he often flits to the next sexy example. This quickly gets overwhelming. It makes it hard to remember what the main point is or how it relates to the overall theme.

In a chapter on “The Viral Myth,” Thompson argues that nothing goes viral.

While this is a fun idea, it’s not exactly correct. Thompson reviews research on social media that suggests few things spread from person to person online.

Rather, traditional media, especially broadcast, is responsible for causing broad exposure. If something spreads virally through social media, it typically doesn’t go from one person to the next, like a virus, but rather is propelled by a few people who have big followings, and it takes off from there.

Thompson is partially right. When people use the word “viral,” what they often mean is that something is popular: A video got 10 million views or a

post got hundreds of thousands of likes. But that doesn’t mean the content was actually contagious. Advertisements might get 1 million views because they were shown during the Super Bowl or because companies paid to feature them on various websites, but that doesn’t mean people shared them.

What Thompson glosses over is that some things do get highly shared. And if you understand why people share, you can engineer things to be more contagious. More emotional news articles are more likely to make the most emailed list, and people are more likely to talk about certain things, or brands, if reminded to think of them by the surrounding environment; for example, a reference to peanut butter makes some people think of jelly. Even before broadcast media existed, people were sharing stories, news and information among each other. Some things spread wide, others didn’t. We’ve all seen juicy gossip dash around a schoolyard or through an office. But Thompson provides few insights into how this builds and spreads. This kind of person-to-person sharing gets short shrift in his book.

Thompson also argues the virtues of “optimal newness,” which occurs through a blend of familiarity and novelty. On the familiar side, hit songs tend to have a certain structure, Barack Obama’s speeches repeat the same refrains, and ESPN shows the same clips again and again. Familiarity can be good, but too much of it can be boring. So if you add a pinch of newness, then you’ve got a familiar surprise – something that seems new on the surface but is similar enough to things we’ve seen or heard before to evoke familiarity’s warm glow.

And that notion captures Hit

Makers perfectly. Thompson takes well-worn research that has often been covered elsewhere and tries to give it new life through novel stories.

It doesn’t make for the most revelatory book, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Thompson, after all, seems to be taking his own advice.

As he notes: “The difference between a brilliant new idea with bad marketing and a mediocre idea with excel-

lent marketing can be the difference between bankruptcy and success. To sell something familiar, make it surprising.”

BERGER is a professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of “Contagious: Why Things Catch On” and “Invisible Influence: The Hidden Forces That Shape Behavior.”

Four Books To Read This Year Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike | Simon & Schuster

You know the swoosh, but do you know the story? This book by Phil Knight gives a revealing look at the story behind the creation of one of the world’s most iconic brands. The story begins with a $50 loan and ends with an empire that grosses more than $30 billion a year. Thinking about reading this one? We urge you to just do it.

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance | Scribner

Too often we credit success to talent, when often it is just determination.

Angela Duckworth, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, won a MacArthur “genius” award for her research into the qualities that define success. That study, which provides the basis for Grit, found that persistence plays a bigger role than even intelligence. Want to up your game at work?

Give this one a read. Just make sure you stick with it.

Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines and Habits of Billionaires, Icons and World-Class Performers | Ebury

Tim Ferris interviewed more than 200 people over two years, including movie stars, professional athletes and military leaders. The result is a read that distills the tools, tactics and insider information he gained from their successes.

Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Master the Flow of Talent | Penguin Books Limited

Good bosses. Bad bosses. We have all had both. But in this fascinating book, Sydney Finkelstein tries to figure out what exactly makes a boss great.

What he finds is that leaders from disparate professions – NFL coach Bill Walsh, restaurateur Alice Waters and fashion mogul Ralph Lauren, for example – share some common traits. So check it out, you know, unless you’re OK with being just a decent boss. Q

IBQMAG.COM 15

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IBQ | WHAT’S NEW

NEW ERGO OFFICE EQUIPMENT THE ERGO TRAVELLER is a unique ergonomic laptop bag that lets you work quickly and easily on your laptop while you’re on your way. Just open the bag and go straight to work.

BakkerElkhuizen.com $119

FREEDOM TASK CHAIR automatically adapts, allowing the user to move freely from posture to posture.

HumanScale.com $1169

MICROSOFT SCULPT KEYBOARD Split keyset design helps to position wrists and forearms in a natural, relaxed position.

MicrosoftStore.com $130

LARGE WIDE SLATTED FOOTREST Built with rubber rockers so you can keep your legs active while working, this large footrest helps you maintain leg circulation.

RelaxTheBack.com $99

18 IBQ MARCH 2017

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IBQ | FEATURE

20 IBQ MARCH 2017

757 Angels DISRUPTIVE SOLUTIONS TO REAL-WORLD PROBLEMS

by Nora Firestone photography by Chrystal Culbert

Grant Page (above), founder and president of Magna Imperio Systems Corp., received an investment of more than $6 million from Angels 757, a local nonprofit that facilitates capital investments and offers strategic guidance to promising star tups and companies here, or willing to move here. To his left, Angels 757 co-founder John M. Paris Jr., an attorney with Williams Mullen law firm, and Executive Director Monique Adams.

Attorney John M. Paris Jr. enjoys a palatial perch in a meeting room at Williams Mullen law firm. It’s high enough to not only overlook Virginia Beach Town Center, but also spot a good deal when he sees one.

Grant Page, founder and president of Magna Imperio Systems Corp., sits across from Paris. Page is going to change the world. Paris and the group he works with believe that so much they’ve invested more than $6 million in a project the 24-yearold nurtured since high school in Chico, California.

It’s a water desalinization and purification technology, Page said. Its core function is total-dissolved-salts, or TDS, removal. He discovered its rudiments as a teen working in a body shop and exploring safer alternatives to the potentially hazardous

IBQMAG.COM 21

IBQ | FEATURE

chrome plating process.

After high school, Page continued developing the technology during four years at the U.S. Naval Academy, where others urged him to consider the life-changing potential of his work.

Upon graduation in 2014, Page was stationed in Norfolk. With approval from the Navy, he launched MI Systems, moved to Virginia Beach and grew his new water-treatment company. By 2016 he had secured $1.65 million and established solid components of the business, including a 50,000-square-foot headquarters in Houston, Texas.

Now, thanks to Paris and his group of investors, Page can cover costs to support demand for his product.

In 2015, Paris co-founded 757

22 IBQ MARCH 2017

Angels, a local nonprofit that facilitates capital investments and offers strategic guidance to promising startups and companies either already here, or willing to move here.

The securities lawyer had a long history of assisting early-stage entrepreneurs with raising money. Paris often heard others complain about the lack of capital in Hampton Roads, but he knew otherwise: It was simply an “inefficient market.” It lacked the cohesive structure common to many of the investment groups outside the region.

Angels are high net-worth individuals who invest their own money, alone or in groups, in young companies in exchange for equity shares.

The Center for Venture Research at the University of New Hampshire’s 2016 angel market analysis acknowl-

edged some 304,930 active U.S. angels investing $24.6 billion in 71,110 entrepreneurial ventures in 2015.

Angel groups, or angel networks, differ from hedge and private equity funds. When presented with investment opportunities, they follow up as interested with their own due diligence and individual investment decisions. This eliminates the need to compensate fund managers with the typical 20- to 25-percent carried interest from a fund’s annual profits.

Monique Adams, 757 Angels’ executive director, is tasked with preliminarily vetting its candidates in a process that can take several months for other angel groups. She pushes through only the “most compelling opportunities” to members.

It’s an eight-week timeline from entrepreneur application deadline

through pre-screening and screening to when three select companies present their offerings at one of three membership meetings held each year. “Prior to 757 Angels, there was no centralized place where (Page) could have accessed 100 investors at a time,” she says.

Whether, when and how much a member might invest varies. Since 2014, 16 entrepreneurs have presented to the now 100-plus-member group composed of prominent business and community leaders who generally remain anonymous.

Investments in 10 of the 16 have totaled more than $15.5 million. Other companies to receive funding range in industries from health and medical to career counseling, software development and military technologies.

They include NanTrak Industries,

ivWatch LLC, xTuple, MajorClarity and EdLogics.

An average angel group includes about 68 members and raises closer to $1 million a year, Adams says.

They also engage beyond funding.

They’re “higher impact,” she says.

“They have the ability to steer and guide and help position companies for accelerated growth and future success” through mentorship, strategic connections and expertise.

Thomas Chamberlain, founder and CEO of EdLogics, who also holds a doctor of pharmacy degree, founded a health care education company to meet the demands of low health-literacy rates he recognized while treating his own patients.

“Low health literacy is a major problem for individual consumers, health care providers and payers,”

“They have the ability to steer and guide and help position companies for accelerated growth and future success.”

– Monique Adams

IBQMAG.COM 23

IBQ | FEATURE

“If companies like Page’s succeed in Hampton Roads, the (benefits) go beyond the return to investor.”

– Monique Adams

Craig A. Cope (above), a 757 member, says he values the chance to help entrepreneurs. He says he looks for well-prepared and ar ticulate leaders.

He compares them to competitors and considers the sustainability of their models and their exit strategies

24 IBQ MARCH 2017

Chamberlain says. It’s “a major determinant of health outcomes and costs the health care system as much as $238 billion annually.”

Health literacy also results in lower compliance with treatment plans and can increase instances of hospitalization and emergency room visits, he says. His company delivers critical education through an incentive-based virtual platform.

Chamberlain presented to 757 Angels in 2015 and has since raised about $4 million from members.

Chamberlain says “a very organized and rigorous application process” has proved critical to the success of EdLogics. “They spent a great deal of time preparing me for my firstround presentation, which helped me make it to the final round,” he says.

Board members mentored him, and the process “was extremely well-designed, thorough and fair.”

Access to capital, professional business advice and counsel has fueled his ability to grow EdLogics, hire the right people and impact the lives of

patients nationwide and beyond, he says.

757 member Craig A. Cope says he values the chance to help entrepreneurs. He says he is impressed by the number of fellow members, their contributions and the quality of the young companies being presented.

When pitched, Cope looks for well-prepared and articulate leaders.

He compares them to competitors and considers the sustainability of their models and their exit strategies. Page and his “game-changer” water-treatment business “just captivated everybody,” he says. Cope has invested in three companies, including Page’s.

757 Angels embraces civic contribution, leveraging a regional platform to collaborate with universities and incubators and striving to diversify its investor pool and engage more entrepreneurs, members and resources. “If companies like Page’s succeed in Hampton Roads,” Adams says, “the (benefits) go beyond the return to investor.”

James Spore, former Virginia Beach city manager, is president and CEO of Reinvent Hampton Roads, a regional economic competitiveness initiative born of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation. His organization acknowledges 757 Angels’ contribution to a “more robust” entrepreneurial ecosystem. Its efforts have been central to helping spotlight entrepreneurial activity and create an environment in which startups can flourish, he says.

“We have made so much progress in the last (few) years in Hampton Roads, in terms of becoming a much stronger, much deeper, much denser area for entrepreneurial startups,” Spore says. “That’s going to pay huge dividends.” Q

IBQ | PROFILE

A Community Built With Beer D R I V EN BY A SENSE OF CI V I C RE SP O NSIBIL I T Y, K E V IN O’CO NN O R H A S CRE AT ED A W ELCO M IN G SPACE

by Tom Robinson photos by Chrystal Culbert

Kevin O’Connor (opposite page) opened O’Connor Brewing Company in 2009.

Now, one move and seven years later, he leads a far-reaching operation founded on beer but focused on shared experience.

26 IBQ MARCH 2017

At Kevin O’Connor’s bustling brewery on 24th Street in Norfolk, you can stumble upon an indie arts fair, crash a wedding reception or strike a yoga pose almost as easily as you can fill a growler.

Seven years into its beer-making tenure, O’Connor Brewing Company is a power player in Virginia’s burgeoning craft brewing industry. That’s thanks to market-proven varieties such as Norfolk Canyon Pale Ale, Green Can Golden Ale and El Guapo IPA, available from D.C. to the Outer Banks – and even at U.S. naval bases in Italy and Bahrain.

About 13,000 barrels of O’Connor’s six – soon to be seven – flagship brews and seasonal favorites emerge annually from the 35,000-square-foot warehouse he bought in 2014. That’s triple the volume he squeezed out of much smaller digs one street over starting in 2009 – a signal that O’Connor’s ambitions stretch well beyond Hampton Roads.

“I’ve always said I’ll take this business as far as the consumer will let me,” he says of future distribution goals. “Uber-local is cool because it’s tiny and it’s making these little one-off batches. We can’t do one-off batches anymore. We’re pumping out for the masses.”

It’s not by accident that O’Connor, of Irish-Catholic roots, leads a far-reaching operation founded on beer but focused on shared experience.

Surprisingly, he has never been to Ireland. But replicating the Irish pub as a frequent gathering spot for family and community, even as a cultural anchor, immediately became the plan once the Virginia legislature legalized tasting rooms at breweries in 2012.

O’Connor’s logo, a spreading tree taken from his family crest, is fitting. His beer is headed to new turf, Raleigh-Durham, this spring. His seventh flagship, and his first lager, will be released at O’Connor’s seventh anniversary party on St. Patrick’s Day. And the O’Connor production line hums ever closer to 24/7.

But look beyond all those bottles and kegs going “out the back door,” O’Connor says, to the taps and grocery shelves in Hampton Roads and throughout the commonwealth.

Start with the weekly events calendar that hangs in the O’Connor tasting room. It’s a crammed collage of colored chalk, announcing vinyl nights, trivia contests, military Mondays, video gamer tournaments, food-truck challenges, musical performances and “poses and pints” yoga sessions on Sunday mornings.

Along with the regular flow of office parties, alumni receptions, charity fundraisers and such that are booked on-site, it all helped lure more than a quarter-million people through the doors last year, O’Connor says.

Unwritten on the chalkboard, but obvious if you’re out and about even a little in the 757, is the ubiquitous presence of O’Connor Brewing.

From offering free beer and meeting space to turning over the tasting room to charities for a day, O’Connor philanthropy supports artisans honing their craft, musicians seeking an audience and countless nonprofits.

Some are especially dear to O’Connor – Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters, for instance.

His 6-year-old daughter is on the autism spectrum and receives CHKD services. O’Connor also supports The Chas Foundation, which aids people with mental illness. O’Connor’s childhood friend, Charles “Chas” Kirkwood, committed suicide six years ago.

“Obviously, I want the business to be successful,” says O’Connor, 39.

“But I don’t need a new Ferrari or anything like that.”

IBQMAG.COM 27

IBQ | PROFILE

“I’ve always said I’ll take this business as far as the consumer will let me,” – Kevin O’Connor

O’Connor Brewing Company has become a power player in Virginia’s burgeoning craft brewing industr y. About 13,000 barrels of O’Connor’s six flagship brews and seasonal favorites emerge annually from the 35,000-square-foot warehouse.

28 IBQ MARCH 2017

He has taken care, he says, to craft O’Connor Brewing in the spirit of simple good times but impactful civic responsibility. O’Connor provides workforce training to autistic adults. And he evenly splits health care costs for some 25 full-time employees, a rarity in the industry.

“It’s really to tell them I know I didn’t do this all by myself,” O’Connor says. “I want people who are passionate about wanting to work for us and who want to stay longer than some of the nomads who come and go.”

A Maury High grad from the Twin B Auto-Parts family – his father William, O’Connor’s CFO, owned the chain – O’Connor was that guy in college (Radford and Old Dominion) who always had the

strange beers arrayed in the cooler among the Busch and Bud Light.

Impressed by such eclectic purchases from a college freshman (on a fake ID), a clerk in a beer store O’Connor frequented near Radford suggested he try brewing his own.

“I was cooking beer on a hot plate in my dorm room,” O’Connor says. “Almost got thrown out of school for that.”

So began the journey officially launched more than a decade later by the challenge of O’Connor’s wife, Penny, now the brewery’s vice president of marketing: Do it now, Kevin, or don’t.

He raised $250,000, found a building on 25th Street, quit his job at Sysco Foods and got to work.

His original 5,000-square-foot

IBQMAG.COM 27

IBQ | PROFILE plant was cranking at capacity, about 5,000 barrels, when the General Assembly passed SB 604 in 2014. The bill sparked Virginia’s microbrew boom by allowing breweries to open tasting rooms.

Suddenly, customers flooded O’Connor Brewing to order from wall taps previously set up for the employees and to hang out. The O’Connors scrambled to keep pace, setting up picnic tables and cornhole games. An old-fashioned town hall took root.

“Fans would come and stick around for hours,” says Penny O’Connor. That was fine with her.

“Kevin and I are social animals. It’s in our blood.”

Their space was dirty and crammed with production material, Kevin O’Connor says, but nobody seemed to mind. “We started attracting a whole lot more people than probably what we were supposed to have in that building. We knew we needed to grow.”

The “new” O’Connor plant still has ample room for expansion – evidently as does Virginia craft brewing. Porter Hardy, who launched Smartmouth Brewing in 2012 in Norfolk’s Chelsea neighborhood, says state microbreweries have quadrupled to more than 160 just since he has been in business.

“I can’t tell you where the saturation point is, but we haven’t hit it yet,” says Hardy, who has announced plans to open a second brewery in Virginia Beach. “Craft brewing is more a movement than a fad. It isn’t going anywhere.”

Hardy and O’Connor agree the environment among Coastal Virginia’s 3 dozen craft brewers remains competitive but collegial, the better to take a bite out of the national

30 IBQ MARCH 2017

players through beer tourism.

However, only O’Connor can pump out close to 20,000 barrels a year – his 2017 goal – or are as poised to pursue a cultural footprint.

“Everybody’s got their own business plan,” Hardy says. “We certainly try to do as much community involvement as we can. But that’s a little different than concerts and stuff like that.”

In fact, O’Connor’s reputation as a champion of local music has grown with his beer production. With work, his cavernous space, which can hold 700 people, is widely seen as a potential venue for not-quite-NorVaready bands.

In his current digs, O’Connor has hosted, among others, a ticketed album-launch party for Norfolk’s Major and the Monbacks and last May’s LAVA music festival.

But the indoor stage presents acoustic challenges different from outdoor stages on the loading dock or in the site’s beer garden. Muddled sound crashes off the bunker-like walls and brewing tanks adjacent to the tasting areas.

“I’m sure they can do something there that would make it better,” says Paul Shugrue, who monitors local music as host of WHRV radio’s “Out of the Box” program. “It’s good space. They just need to keep the sound from bouncing off the vats I guess.”

Actually, O’Connor says he is putting $10,000 into various improvements to mute the sound of beer production while creating more inviting musical ambience for the musicians and patrons.

Not that he wants to go fullon as a concert promoter. But if he finds a mutual attraction, as with the Monbacks, he’ll offer a place to play.

“That fits our overarching view of what we really want to do here,” O’Connor says. “When the music is on and people want to hang out, we want them to be more comfortable.

And to be able to have bands come in and not push people out because it’s so loud.”

In the end, of course, O’Connor says he never loses sight that his bold dreams and wide horizons are fueled by making the best-tasting beer possible. To that end, he has rejected buyout overtures from private equity firms, he says.

And, in the wake of Anheuser-Busch InBev buying Nelson County brewery Devils Backbone last spring, O’Connor says he has heard rumblings of potential interest from within the $106 billion U.S. beer market. Craft beer comprises about 12 percent of that figure, according to statistics from the Brewers Association.

In any case, O’Connor, who declined to discuss his revenues, says he’s still having too much fun, and success, to look to sell just yet.

Last year, O’Connor won a bronze award for his flagship ODIS (O’Connor Irish Dry Stout) at the World Beer Cup meeting in Philadelphia. The same stout was recognized at the 2014 Dublin Craft Beer Cup as well.

At its Dublin fortress, Guinness, the granddaddy of Irish dry stout, has noticed.

“They were like, ‘Good on ya.

Why don’t you come over and visit?’”

O’Connor says. “I was like, ‘Sure.

Send us a plane ticket. Any time.’” Q

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THIS IS WHERE WE WANT TO GIVE BACK.” Michael Glasser

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o l u d n s ’ t c e h L

by Judy Cowling You’ve got a business lunch next week.

It’s up to you to pick the venue, set the mood and make the magic happen.

You’ve rehearsed your presentation, selected your lucky threads and you’re ready to shine. Whether you’re a briefcase-toting member of the high-powered business set, a vibrant millennial looking to change the world or a more relaxed entrepreneurial type who does deals in workout duds, here are three suggestions geared toward getting you accolades and advancing your career.

th L a y Kei Photo b

er nph

IBQMAG.COM 35

Photo By Keith Lanpher

IBQ | FOOD

Char treuse 205 E. City Hall Ave., Norfolk, 757-965-2137, char treusebistro.us

CHARTREUSE | THE QUIE T POWER HOUR For design-driven aficionados of curated cuisine With massive plate-glass windows looking out onto the ever-moving cityscape of historic downtown Norfolk, Chartreuse Bistro is as cool, calm and collected as a modern art museum.

The soaring white walls could hold oversized artwork, but instead the décor is minimal and well chosen. Fresh flowers and ceramic squirrels look magnificent on the slick black reflective glass tabletops. Vibrant pops of neon orange, yellow and citrine give the place a subtle buzz.

The music is engaging but kept soft to not disturb your flow.

A corner table makes for a cozy little office while various-sized tables

36 IBQ MARCH 2017

can accommodate your presentation materials as well as your lunch plate.

You will dine on organic turnip bisque, butternut squash and brie focaccia with balsamic reduction. On house-made spaghetti with oyster mushrooms, parsnips, apple butter sauce and aged crotonese. On Faroe Island salmon with organic risotto, arugula and carrot nage.

Another day might bring organic lentil stew, apple and brie focaccia with local honey, rockfish salad tartine with house-made sunflower bread, Fresno chili aioli, beets, cucumber and pickled onion, and a hazelnut chocolate torte with whipped cream. And one of the deep, dark and rich espressos provides the perfect finish.

The menu changes daily depending on what’s locally available, sustainable and in season. Executive chef and owner Christopher Corrie plates each culinary creation with the eye of an artist and the precision of a symphony conductor. His wife, co-owner and general manager Karine Varga, is responsible for Chartreuse’s chic-ness and the graphic monoprints that grace the walls.

Space to breathe, food to soothe and inspire, Chartreuse Bistro is understated, classy and impressive on every level.

Lunch served 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Reservations and walk-ins welcome.

Photo By Chrystal Culbert

Yard House, 4549 Commerce St., Virginia Beach, 757-490-9273, yardhouse.com

For all the young mavericks You are young and excited about making your mark in the world. You yearn to be around like-minded individuals because you know good fortune is contagious and you want to be where it gathers.

Yard House is right up your alley.

It’s halfway between Norfolk and the Oceanfront and a perfect middle spot to meet. It’s sprawling, cavernous and a bit dark with a wall of windows looking out onto the sights of Town Center.

Large and roomy booths can seat eight for group meetings or fewer with plenty of room for spreadsheets and research materials. The booths are far enough apart that you can maintain your privacy but close enough for you to make eyes at the attractive office workers at the next table.

Yard House can host a hail-and-

farewell lunch for 40 with as little as an hour’s advance notice. Whether it’s a meeting for two or 10, Yard House takes the worry out of your business lunch with attentive service and plenty of American fusion choices to satisfy the entire table.

Poke nachos, chicken lettuce wraps, coconut shrimp and grilled Korean barbecue beef egg rolls for the table to start. Then on to salmon kale Caesar salad, blackened chicken torta, seared ahi steak sandwich, California Reuben, roast beef dip, black truffle cheeseburger or blackened swordfish tacos. Vegetarians are covered too with a variety of dishes containing Gardein ™, a chicken substitute made from soy, wheat, pea proteins, vegetables and ancient grains.

There’s also a special lunch menu that gets you either half a sandwich or a half a pizza with soup or salad for

Photo By Chrystal Culbert

YA R D H O U S E | TO B E S E E N A N D S TA N D O U T IN THE CROWD

under $10.

If you have only an hour to conduct business and down your lunch, tell the waiter who will make sure you are back to your desk on time.

But let’s say the meeting goes late and a celebration is in order. Happy hour starts at 3 p.m. and there are more than 100 beers on tap and a plethora of craft cocktails, sake and wine to toast your success.

Lunch served 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Reservations appreciated, but walk-ins welcome.

IBQMAG.COM 37

Photo by Eric Lusher

IBQ | FOOD

C O M M U N E | T H E H I P S T E R H AV EN

Photo provided by Commune Facebook

Commune, 501 Virginia Beach Blvd. Suite B, Virginia Beach 757-963-8985, communevb.com

38 IBQ MARCH 2017

For those who deal in workout duds, eat healthy and local Maybe you work from home and lunch happens after your morning workout and before the kids get home from school. You support small businesses because you are one. You know that you are a product of what you put in your body and you care where that food comes from.

Commune fits your socially conscientious agenda. They use eggs straight from the chicken coop to your table. Beets, kale, carrots and spinach are fresh from the garden out back. All meats, cheeses and milk are organic and from Virginia. Baked goods are made from scratch and created in house and are as beautiful as they are delicious. The menu changes daily because only the freshest, in-season, locally sourced ingredients make it into this kitchen.

Your lunch might be the Carolina Gold rice bowl with homemade pork sausage, roasted veggies with a sunny side up egg on top. The field pea burger with pesto on a toasted sweet potato bun; the pasture-raised North Carolina beef burger with pimiento cheese, country mustard and pickles on a sourdough brioche bun; and the brown sugar and chili spiced pumpkin sandwich with whipped goat cheese, pesto and greens on sourdough bread are all excellent.

The coffee is Haitian, hot and divine. If your lunch requires alcohol, they’ve got a nice selection of Virginia’s best beer and wine.

A favorite since it opened in 2015, the décor is upcycled farmhouse with warm woods, sun pouring in the windows, trestle tables and a friendly wait staff that seems proud to work here.

Breakfast and lunch available 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday. First come, first served. Q

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by Butch Maier photography by Eric Lusher

Thompson, 65, (seen here inside Grain, a bar in his newest hotel, The Main) is the chief executive officer of Virginia Beachbased Gold Key | PHR, a large proper ty management company with revenues that will reach $300 million in the near future.

A half-century ago, Bruce Thompson envisioned becoming a Catholic priest.

He attended St. Pius X Catholic School in Norfolk for nine years and even taught Mass in Latin to the other altar boys, so it was pretty much assumed he would go to the seminary.

But God had other plans, says Thompson. “When I got there, the seminary quickly said I didn’t have a vocation, and I was sent back home.”

Though dejected, Thompson had to admit the priesthood was probably not a good fit. He wasn’t sold on the idea of serving God and being single for the rest of his life. And he already had his eye on girls.

Of course, these days, he has his eyes on properties.

Thompson, 65, is the chief executive officer of Virginia Beach-based Gold Key | PHR, a large property management company. Business has been booming over the past three decades. In 1986, the company had 49 employees and $5 million in revenue. It grew to 3,200 employees and $230 million in revenue by 2015. And now, after the company finishes The Main in Norfolk, The Cavalier in Virginia Beach and the 15th Street Pier on the Oceanfront, Thompson estimates revenue will reach $300 million.

“It’s a whirlwind of a life,” he says. “I mean, it’s just unbelievable how my life developed.”

IBQMAG.COM 41

IBQ | PROFILE THOMPSON WAS BUSINESS-MINDED FROM AN EARLY AGE. The deals just involved fewer zeroes.

Growing up in Roosevelt Shores in Norfolk, as a 7-year-old, he sold crabs for 60 cents a dozen. A few years later, he was making bigger money with his paper route.

“I had Hewitt Drive, which is where all of what I thought were the richest people in the world lived,” Thompson says. “You would get $10, $15, as much as $20 as a Christmas tip on that route. At each house.

These were the Richie Riches.”

After his parents moved to Virginia Beach, Thompson attended First Colonial High School. But he spent his mornings duck hunting and ducking algebra class.

At age 16, his interest in music led him to managing the popular Virginia-based rock band Mason.

“I did so well with them, that I had three other bands that I started booking,” Thompson says. “And I wasn’t doing very well at school.”

By 17 he was making enough money to drop out of school and move into a house on the Oceanfront with a couple of band guys. He rode a Honda 350 motorcycle. He wore his hair long.

“I was making so much money with these bands,” Thompson says, mentioning Natural Wildlife from D.C., Mercy Flight from Richmond, as well as Headstone, Circus, The Swinging Machine and Root.

Noticing his local success, owners of The Lighthouse clubs in Portsmouth and Hampton asked Thompson to handle bigger acts when they came through southeastern Virginia.

The 17-year-old soon was working with some of the most popular groups of the late 1960s, including

42 IBQ MARCH 2017

The Allman Brothers, Deep Purple, James Gang and Steppenwolf.

Thompson convinced First Colonial High School administrators to allow him to organize a music festival on the football field in June 1970, the summer after Woodstock.

His offer? “The athletic department can have 25 percent of the profit, and I’ll get the rest,” he says.

Thompson thought his Virginia Beach Pop Festival, featuring a handful of musical acts from around the state and D.C., would draw 500 or 600 people. But a week before the event, he had already sold 2,000 tickets.

“So I started panicking a little bit,” Thompson says.

Concerned about capacity, Thompson suspended ticket sales.

The morning of the festival, he received a frantic call. Even though the show was not starting until 3 p.m., the parking lot was full and every road was blocked.

“The show went off OK,” he says, despite his anxiety that the crowd would demand a refund. “They closed it down at 8 p.m. There were five bands, but maybe three or four played. Everybody was a little nervous. It was way out of control.”

The profits, however, were under his control. He paid the bands their takes – a few hundred dollars apiece.

The school got $5,000 and Thompson made $15,000.

That Thanksgiving, Thompson would go back to the well. This time he presented the Virginia Beach Pop Festival 2 at the old Virginia Beach Drive-in.

With a budget of $40,000, he booked nationally known bands Grand Funk Railroad, The Allman Brothers Band, Rare Earth and James Gang.

Despite all that star power, Thomp-

son could not repeat his success.

“It was freezing cold,” he says. “It was practically snowing, it was that cold. We about broke even. It was a bad idea.”

FOR THOMPSON, it was time to shift gears. In the early 1980s, he tried his hand at booking ski trips and group vacations. But it bothered him that no matter how well he prepared or managed the company, ultimately he was vulnerable to nature.

So he segued into the hotel business.

“In the tour business, we run a tour, we make some cash, we invest the cash somewhere,” Thompson says. “In the hotel business, we have the hospitality component, we rent a room and make a profit, sell a meal and we make a profit, and we make a mortgage payment. At the end of the day … it was a better play for us.”

While on a charter flight to Aspen, Thompson began talking to Ed Ruffin about building a hotel. Today Gold Key | PHR, the company for which the two men were principal owners, now operates a number of hotels, including the Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront, Ramada Virginia Beach Oceanfront and Hilton Garden Inn Virginia Beach Oceanfront.

Ruffin retired from day-to-day operations about 15 years ago but is still involved in all strategic decisions, and his family trust has a substantial interest in the company.

“Bruce truly loves Virginia Beach,” Mayor Will Sessoms says.

“He has worked diligently over the years, investing in and raising the bar on excellence by bringing the highest quality products and doing a superb job in operating these facilities.”

One of Sessoms’ fondest memories of Thompson was at a ceremony

for the Hilton in 2005.

“I had stepped down from (City) Council in 2002, but he personally invited me to the ribbon- cutting,” Sessoms says. “It meant so much to me to be included in this grand celebration, and I was so happy to see this first-class facility come to fruition, especially after overcoming many difficulties. This hotel was a quality facility and had set the stage for future projects.”

Thompson’s success followed others’ failures.

“Hotel condominiums began to fail around the country,” Thompson says. “Ed and I saw an opportunity to initially partner with others to take over these hotel condominiums and convert them into timeshares – which we didn’t, at that time, know anything about.”

The first failed hotel condominium they acquired was the Beach

Quarters on 5th Street in Virginia Beach.

“We not only converted that into a timeshare, but we bought all the mortgages at a discount and were able to turn that around,” Thompson says.

Banks became aware of the duo’s ability to turn around failed hotel assets, so Thompson and Ruffin took over hotels on Independence Boulevard and 7th Street in Virginia Beach, as well as those in Ocean View and in Rudee Loop.

Thompson considers Ruffin a mentor.

“And he and I have two entirely different business philosophies,” Thompson says. “I am a top-line-oriented person, and he is an expense-oriented person. His expression that he used to bring to meetings was: ‘If you mind the pennies, the dollars will take care of themselves.’ And I always used to retort with: ‘Let’s not

As Beach Mayor Will Sessoms says, “Bruce is a driven, visionary perfectionist.”

As a 17-year-old, Thompson worked with some of the most popular bands of the late 1960s, including The Allman Brothers, Deep Purple, James Gang and Steppenwolf.

IBQMAG.COM 43

Photo By Harry Gerwien

IBQ | PROFILE

step over a dollar to save a nickel’ – that I never saw anyone grow a business by trying to manage expenses.

We can hire people to do that.”

Over the years, Thompson has used his influences to develop a recipe for assembling a team.

“In the hospitality business, I think the key is to hire the personality and train on the skill set,” he says. “I can’t take an accountant and make him a front desk manager. But I can certainly take a person that has the passion, the drive, is hospitable and has a great personality and teach them how to do the accounting functions associated with that position.”

Bryan Cuffee, one of Thompson’s employees, started in the accounting department. One day he told Thompson, “You’re going to need somebody who’s the director of development. If I took off on Tuesdays and Thursdays and got a degree in construction management, I’d like to be considered for that job.”

44 IBQ MARCH 2017

Two decades later, Cuffee is vice president of development.

“It’s been great,” he says. “It’s just been a good partnership. I’ve learned a lot from (Thompson) in my years here. He’s part of why I am where I am.”

THE HALLWAY at Thompson’s 32nd Street Oceanfront offices is home to hundreds of inspirational photos from hotels and restaurants around the world: bar tops in Los Angeles that will go in The Main, a light fixture in the Philippines, a flower arrangement for The Cavalier, pools at hotels in Las Vegas and Birmingham.

Every month, the photos are refreshed.

“What we do once a week as we’re building something, if we’re working on restaurants, we’ll come through here,” Thompson says.

His procurement team pores over photos of uniforms, wine racks and

fish presentations. In a side room, Thompson unveils tableware intended for hospitality refreshment centers in hotel suites.

“I hate to say this,” Thompson says. “This is gonna sound insane.

But every piece that they buy, I review.”

What percentage does he approve?

“It just depends,” Thompson says.

“If we do it right and they look at the pictures and the inspirational stuff and all that, then we’re about 75 or 80 percent. Those guys were just in New York yesterday. That’s like the fourth pass at just one model room that I haven’t approved yet.”

As Sessoms says, “Bruce is a driven, visionary perfectionist.”

When his company acquires a vacant piece of land, Thompson envisions what it can become.

“I can visualize what people will be doing, what families will be doing, what couples will be doing, what elderly people will be doing,” he says.

“We always do this thing called ‘A Day in the Life Of ’ when we start building a resort. We say, ‘OK, this is the way an employee will come through a building and approach it, this is the way a senior citizen (or) … a family might enjoy it.’ From the time they arrive, to the time they wake up, to the time they go to bed, to the time they leave.”

Thompson’s drive and attention to detail are a testament to the fact that now, nearing the end of what has been a varied and interesting career, he is doing exactly what he should be doing. It’s funny to think that his goal once was to retire at 50. That age has come and gone and Thompson is still at it.

“It’s too much fun,” he says. “I love what I do.” Q

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IBQ | FEATURE

Norfolk’s Newest Star H I LT O N ’ S G R A N D H O T E L MAKES ITS DEBUT

by Ben Swenson photography by Eric Lusher

The Hilton Norfolk Main, opening April 3, is a 21-stor y, three-restaurant, 300-room hotel and conference center that has been more than four years in the making. City officials and local businesspeople hope the project will be a shot in the arm for downtown Norfolk.

46 IBQ MARCH 2017

A room adjacent to the main floor of a new downtown Norfolk eatery seems straight out of the Roaring ’20s.

Patrons push back a wall of bookshelves to access a hidden, private dining room, crimson carpet contrasting with an arched ceiling of black subway tile. There’s a distinct speakeasy vibe in the discreet space.

Yet alcohol consumption is not only encouraged here, it’s assisted by full-time specialists who have deliberated at length about the drink lists.

This is one of the novel amenities that proponents hope will set The Main apart from any hotel and conference center that has yet been built in Hampton Roads.

The Hilton Norfolk Main, which opens April 3, is a 21-story, three-restaurant, 300-room hotel and conference center that has been more than four years in the making. The brainchild of local developer Bruce Thompson, it is the latest prospect of a cadre of businesspeople and civic officials who hope the project will be a shot in the arm for downtown Norfolk, which has been the target of several revitalization efforts, such as the new Waterside District along the

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Elizabeth River.

Thompson is no stranger to mammoth projects. He was born in Norfolk, grew up in Virginia Beach, and co-owned a successful charter travel business based in Hampton Roads before changing his focus to local real estate development. The firm he helped launch is now Gold Key | PHR Hotels & Resorts, which develops and manages hospitality properties in southeastern Virginia.

Thompson is CEO. He has long been a favorite son of Virginia Beach, having built or redeveloped conspicuous real estate in the resort city, such as the Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront Hotel, and most recently, The Cavalier.

The City of Norfolk demonstrated confidence in Thompson when officials agreed The Main would be a public-private partnership. The to-

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tal price tag for the project was about $150 million, with the city footing more than $100 million of that bill.

At a luncheon and hard-hat tour hosted by Gold Key | PHR just weeks before the planned opening, former Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim, instrumental in convincing Thompson to develop the property, seemed pleased. “This will be a venue that everyone will be proud of,” he said.

The center offers world-class amenities, including the largest grand ballroom in Virginia – 18,382 square feet, capable of holding 2,000 people. A smaller ballroom on the second floor can hold 500 more. There is enough capacity to host multiple conferences at once.

The meeting rooms for breakout sessions have been designed with tech-savvy, environmentally aware professionals in mind, including as-

sets such as video conferencing and interactive screen displays. More than two-thirds of them are illuminated by natural light and offer sweeping views of iconic downtown landmarks, such as Battleship Wisconsin.

For meetings on sensitive subjects – national or corporate security, for instance – spaces with secure modes of communication offer the discretion sensitive material warrants. All the rooms on the periphery of the conference spaces have been named after brain chemicals, such as serotonin and adrenaline.

But if the nuts and bolts of the conference workspace are meant to facilitate the business that occurs there, the hotel’s big picture is meant to awe guests, conference attendees and otherwise, with its grandeur.

“The Main redefines an architectural standard,” Thompson said. “We incorporated details that will offer sensory overload.”

Designers included enough onsite parking to accommodate hotel guests, though the garage is hidden beneath lower-level meeting spaces, so as not to detract from the building’s outward features.

Inside, there are 33 different types of finishes, from ceramic tiles to wood veneer. The public spaces are richly decorated with visual art, such as a piece by the firm Whiting & Davis made from free-flowing chain mesh that towers behind the registration desk. The mesh sways with soft, ambient air currents, giving the impression of a hull shimmering as it moves along water, a nod to the local nautical ethos.

Standard guestrooms follow with this decorative motif, with modern furnishings offering an eclectic alternative to conventional hotel accoutrements. Patrons with the means for

Renderings Supplied By The Main

an even more refined experience can book a stay on the hotel’s top floors, on the so-called executive level, or in the $2,500-a-night Presidential Suite.

Art was such an important component of this project that the grand opening weekend was billed as “The Main Event: A Celebration for the Arts” and included a slate of visual and artistic exhibitions by notable performers.

Thompson said the The Main’s design and unveiling underscores downtown Norfolk’s standing as “the cultural hub of Hampton Roads.”

Existing as a cornerstone of the local community, in fact, will be integral to its success, he said.

The Main includes three distinct dining options – the urban-chic seafood and cocktail spot Saltine; a sophisticated, upmarket Italian restaurant, wine studio and piano bar called

Varia; and Grain, a rooftop beer garden meant to showcase the region’s burgeoning craft beer industry.

These eateries are rich in extra details. Saltine has a fish butcher where locals can leave with fresh seafood to cook at home. Varia’s diners are entertained by a musician playing a candy apple-red grand piano. And Grain offers about 80 taps, many of them flowing with beers from local breweries. The speakeasy-inspired space is one of five private dining rooms.

As an added touch, The Main employs a cicerone, a sommelier and a mixologist. Josh Seaburg, The Main’s mixologist, is excited to debut novel drinks, such as the Empyrean Club cocktail, a Peruvian Pisco-based drink that presents the striking appearance of a black liquid topped by a white foam.

“The Main redefines an architectural standard. We incorporated details that will offer sensory overload.”

– Bruce Thompson

The Main offers three distinct dining options, including Saltine (rendering above) and Grain (next page). Saltine will be an urban-chic seafood and cocktail spot on the first floor. Grain, on the fifth floor, will offer a wide supply of craft beers and some of the best views in downtown.

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Renderings Supplied By The Main

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The Main’s attention to craft beverages, said Seaburg, is “the logical next step in a market that’s ready to establish itself as a beverage hotspot.

The local scenes for beer, wine and cocktails have been growing drastically over the last few years.”

One measure of The Main’s success will be the number of new visitors it attracts from out of town. But management and city officials are adamant that the economic activity generated by so large a project will spill not only into the city’s coffers, but into the businesses community at large, too.

City officials estimate the new hotel will generate some $2 million annually in tax revenue. “This project will put money into the general fund that will benefit everybody,” Fraim said. What’s more, the conference center will buoy nearby hospitality venues by “pushing (business to) other rooms downtown,” he added.

That optimistic sentiment is shared by adjacent business own-

50 IBQ MARCH 2017

ers. Kevin Rafferty, president of the Downtown Norfolk Civic League, said the hope is that The Main will be “a catalyst for further economic growth throughout Norfolk and Hampton Roads.” The Main, he said, “represents a win-win that will generate incremental business in and around its ideal location,” since people who visit often wander the town to see local attractions.

However, Old Dominion University economics professor Vinod Agarwal, part of the team of academics that organizes the school’s Economic Forecasting Project, said a more measured approach is warranted.

“This could be a plus for the economy to the extent that this hotel will attract new business, but that remains to be seen,” Agarwal said. “If this hotel takes business from other hotels, like Marriott and Sheraton, then it is simply going to be substituting new business for old business.”

What’s more, said Agarwal, the premium that patrons are paying to

stay at The Main – which some estimates suggest could be $30 to $40 per room night more than similar rooms nearby – should not come at the expense of the number of room nights that are booked. If that’s the case, The Main may not be the economic boon proponents are hoping for.

ODU Economic Forecasting Project’s 2017 regional yearly forecast for Hampton Roads projects a 4.2 percent increase in local hotel room revenue this year, with several factors, such as more federal travel and low gas prices, offering reasons for that growth.

Good publicity has burnished Norfolk’s image among potential visitors. Travel + Leisure magazine recently named Norfolk one of its “50 Best Places to Travel in 2017,” including the city with the likes of Helsinki, Finland, and Jura, France.

The hope among backers is that The Main will offer conferences and hospitality, and the city will be able to piggyback on that success, using the improving economy and good press to its advantage, ultimately reinventing downtown Norfolk as a national destination.

Already, there are some indications that The Main is drawing travelers and conference attendees. According to management, the number of overnight hotel room bookings at the Main is 100,000, more than 80 percent by visitors who have never been to Norfolk before. Mike Woodhead, vice president of marketing for Gold Key | PHR, said that The Main could see occupancy levels around 75 percent this year.

Thompson is optimistic that The Main’s success will be big news. “I believe that what we’re doing here in the region is going to get national attention,” he said. Q

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