Greater Richmond Grid by Palari Publishing LLP

MARKETING THE CITY:

INSIDE THE

D.E.C.D. PAGE 24

‘LET’S GO OUT!’ PLAY DATE RICHMOND’S RETRO-CHIC FUN PAGE 38

CONNECTING LIVE + WORK + PLAY

ALSO ON THE GRID:

LOFT LIFE BIZ SAVVY INNOVATORS BOOKS WEB SITES THEATER FUN & GAMES FASHION

FREE | ISSUE #4 | SPRING 2010

rid

NEW MENU

@ The 2300 Club

SPRING CDs:

DJ WILLIAMS PROJEKT THE ANIMAL BEAT THE LOST SOULS

+ MORE INDIE NEWS

G R E AT E R R I C H M O N D

Chef Jason Houdekʼs

MUSIC MATTERS

RICHMOND SHAKES UP SOCIAL MEDIA MATT LAKE

(wielding the bottle of Cristal champagne) and 50 Richmond social‑media netizens attain Foursquare nirvana via #Bubbleswarm.

DOWNTOWN FUN!

EVENTS

YOU

WON’T WANT TO MISS! PAGE 36

ORIGINS: RVA’S PAST

PRESENT & FUTURE

— COLEMAN, AYERS TAKE ON EMANCIPATION

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LIVE CONTENTS ONLINE COMMUNITY Bio-Tweet Park Courtney Skunda is tapping into a new way to encourage the mad scientists on campus to connect and collaborate.

Social Medicine Social media as a way to help the everyday athlete get tough.

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Hot Tweets Richmond Tweeple

page 5

Greater Richmond Grid @ SXSW

First Comprehensive RVA Scholarship Database page 7

Appetizing New iPhone App

Chatroulette, If You Dare! page 9

#BUBBLESWARM: A Foursquare Fete of Hashtags & Wine Tasting

page 10

On the Grid: ‘Finding Yourself’ ear not, the following doesnʼt involve group hugs nor any type of emotional heavy lift‑ ing favored by daytime talk shows̶orphaned children reunit‑ ing with biological parents etc. And perhaps I should use the term ʻdefiningʼ as opposed to find‑ ing since what I am referring to is more of an assertive act. But I wanted to get your attention and ʻfinding yourselfʼ has more soap‑ opera appeal̶visions of touring Europe, or footing it across the U.S. The act of discovering just who you are as person is generally un‑ derstood to be a period reserved

[ABOVE] THIS ISSUEʼS COMPENDIUM OF 100 FACES:

THOSE WHO ARE FINDING THEIR WAY̶OR WHO HAVE SIGNIFICANT TIES̶IN THE REGIONʼS ARTS & CULTURE, BUSINESS AND ENTERTAINMENT COMMUNITIES.

for your early‑twenties, when you are expected to hone in on a ca‑ reer path, lifestyle options and cir‑ cle of friends. While that may look good in print, we all know life isnʼt that ﬁxed, tidy̶or dull. You are an ongoing amalgam of life experience and inter‑ personal associations. There you are at work, game‑face on and slaying dragons. But look, here you are with family or friends, kicking back and enjoying a Saturday afternoon̶ the focused, 9‑to‑5 you isnʼt any‑ where to be found. Whatʼs more, that which com‑ prises who you are has a lot to do

BY TED RANDLER

with whom you know, your interac‑ tions with others̶your community. As we discover in this issue about communities, Richmondersʼ circles of interaction overlap, particularly on‑ line as social media blurs the bound‑ aries of professional and personal exchange in innovative ways. Defining who you are involves identifying your origins as well as adopting a sense of place. To this end, exploring the regionʼs history takes on a completely different perspective as we find in ʻThe Fu‑ ture of Richmondʼs Pastʼ and Slave Trail initiatives. Know thyself̶itʼs complicated.

COMMUNITY NEXUS Civil War & Emancipation Day: ʻThe Future of Richmondʼs Pastʼ Sparks Fresh Ideas & Insight

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CITY HERITAGE Union, Confederate & Slave: Exploring Richmondʼs Legacy from the Third Perspective

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LOFT LIFE DOWNTOWN LIVING: The Prices Are Right & Spaces Are Move‑In Ready

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WORK CONTENTS

Bio-Tweet Park

BIZ SAVVY Regional Business News page 19

‘Richmond Represents at the Shorty Awards’ page 21

‘Locally-Owned Richmond’ Facebook Fan Page Tops 12,000 Supporters page 22

INSIDE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Richmond: Dynamic City, Smart People, Bright Future A look at the Department of Economic and Community Development.

page 24

MOMENTUM Open for Business: College Nannies & Tutors

Legal Brief: The Shield, The Sword & The New Idea

Marketing Maven: Managing Great Expectations page 26

Leadership: A Shared Vision

White lab coats, fan pages, and retweets donʼt always go hand in hand. Until now. Nestled inside the 1.1 mil‑ lion square feet of the Virginia Biotech‑ nology Research Park, Courtney Skunda is tapping into a new way to encourage the mad scientists on cam‑ pus to connect and collaborate. “I had multiple goals in place when I started this initiative. First was to connect the employees of 60 some companies here to let them know what is hap‑ pening around them. Second, to let the Richmond commu‑ nity know who and what the Virginia Biotechnology Re‑ search Park is,” ex‑ plains Skuna, the parkʼs marketing co‑ ordinator. Skunda began her emerging media plan of attack by ﬁrst turning to Twitter and Facebook fan pages. Communicat‑ ing through @VABioTechPark and the Parkʼs fan page, Skunda aims to listen to and connect with colleagues, journal‑ ists, potential investors and the every‑ day Joe in Central Virginia.

“Biotech parks and organizations from all over the world are friending or following us to see what we are up to.”

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COMPANIES & CAREERS RichmondJobNet Celebrates Its First Year with Upgrades

804‑355‑1236

804‑355‑1035

Ted@theworkfactory.com

Dave@palaribooks.com

T0 ADVERTISE CONTACT Chris Woody 804-822-1422

Podcasts for Polishing Your Profession

Greater Richmond Grid is published in the months of

page 29

JULY, OCTOBER, JANUARY & APRIL

INNOVATORS Crown Acura; Farm to Family; Magic Special Events; HDL, Inc. page 30

General comments, story suggestions and letters to the editor for publication consideration should be directed to Ted Randler at ted@theworkfactory.com.

Greater Richmond Grid & RichmondGrid.com

Virginia Business Opportunity Fair

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The New Rules of Public Relations

PO Box 9288 Richmond VA 23227

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Hey you...yeah, you sitting there reading this maga‑ zine and eating bon‑bons. Dana Blackmer is looking for you. The good doc knows what makes you tick. And he can jazz you up enough to want to squeeze into some spandex and peddle up a mountain, dominate the local tennis courts, or sim‑ ply recover faster from that nagging knee sprain. How does he do it? Through Facebook. Yep, just call him Dr. Social Media, as Blackmer has mastered the use of Twit‑ ter, YouTube, and Face‑ book as a tool for sport. Blackmer, Ph.D., CC‑AASP, is a sports psychologist and founder of The Extra Gear. As one of only a handful of certiﬁed consultants in Central Virginia, Blackmer is using social media as a way to help the everyday athlete get tough. By following @TheExtraGear on Twitter or becoming a fan of www.facebook.com/ TheExtraGear, Richmon‑ ders can receive free access to the popular sports guru. A series of “Train Your Brain” video tutorials are also oﬀered on YouTube.

Social Media Key

INDICATES MEMBERSHIP TO

twitter.com www.myspace.com www.facebook.com www.youtube.com www.linkedin.com

for a complete listing of the magazine’s distribution locations throughout the Greater Richmond Region. Also online, connect with Grid’s writers and photographers.

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Publisher | Senior Editor David Smitherman

RichmondGrid.com

Executive Publisher Ted Randler

Social Medicine

Go to

Courting Innovation To Create Jobs

“The Richmond community has been the most responsive in wanting to learn more about us. They are quick to tout our successes, which we love. I also find that biotech parks and or‑ ganizations from all over the world are friending or following us to see what we are up to,” says Skunda. Not one to back down from a tall challenge, Skunda says that her goal is to get all of the BioPark tenants using so‑ cial media in 2010. “I realize it requires a com‑ mitment on their part, but I think social media should be an in‑ tegral part of every companyʼs brand strategy.” For her part, Skunda says that sheʼs committed to helping all of the new lab coat tweeters navi‑ gate through var‑ ious social platforms. “When they have become a suc‑ cess story, we become a success story and can recruit more talented young companies to the park.”

SKUNDA:

Customer Service: Authentic Engagement

The Biz Boost: Connecting the Dots

BY PAUL SPICER

C O M

Ted Randler

The articles you ﬁnd in the magazine are also available online. The online icons from the Social Media Key are linked to the individualʼs various community memberships. The icons in the articles are there to inform read‑ ers that they may learn more about̶and possi‑ bly contact̶the writers and subjects of articles found in the Greater Richmond Grid. Many of the articles in print have additional ma‑ terial and/or associated web features that can be found on RichmondGrid.com. Wherever pos‑ sible, additional articles have been noted, but readers are encouraged to check the site for ex‑ panded articles and daily updates.

David Smitherman

Courtney Skunda

Dana Blackmer

Just got caught checking out my bossʼs bottom. And heʼs married. In my defense‑ there was a hole in his britches! #embarrassing 1:58 PM Mar 13th via web

Harry is about to get a colonoscopy LIVE on air @CBS6 !!!!! Does anyone else feel like it's too early for this?? #sowrong 7:36 AM Mar 10th via TweetDeck

I had a dream that I got the swarm badge on Foursquare today. Iʼm quitting Foursquare pronto. This has gone too far. 10:27 AM Mar 15th via web

Things that make me happy: arguing with @ChadBrownRVA over Twitter because Iʼm too lazy to walk across the street to argue with him. 6:57 PM Feb 22nd via UberTwitter

Digging for the last Reeseʼs peanut butter egg at the bottom of my bag... #allroadsleadtochocolate 12:40 PM Mar 8th via UberTwitter

We are now at the portion of the game when @horhey goes into his... “I shoulda been...” speech. Insert‑ commentator, referee, wide receiver 9:21 PM Feb 7th via UberTwitter er

I watched a FedEx delivery truck turn into a graveyard̶ I wonder if the economy is so bad that “Express Burial” is a new revenue stream? 3:21 PM Dec 4th, 2009 via web

I am fascinated by Stabilo Flawed Design song and music video̶ creative genius and speaks to the heart 11:56 AM Jan 19th via Seesmic Web

See extended Tweet Talk on RichmondGrid.com

Hot Tweets

PLAY CONTENTS

RICHMOND TWEEPLE

@GridlockGoddess

COMPILED BY PAUL SPICER

SONGFEST RVA Vibe: Music Matters

Following: 290+ | Followers: 521+ | Listed: 46+ AMANDA MEADOWS Web: www.wtvr.com/news/traﬃc Bio: “CBS6 Traﬃc Reporter. North Carolina native. Awesome.”

DJ Williams Projekt; Battle Flags; Jon Watts; Jacob Williamson; The Animal Beat; The Lost Souls

“I actually am very new to the Twitter world. I started about 4 months ago because I wanted to be able to get out traﬃc information quickly and help drivers through another forum besides TV. I recently tweeted that I was feeling under the weather. One of my followers told me it would be really awesome if I puked on air. I would consider that a bad re‑ sponse ̶since I actually was feeling a little queasy that morning! Adding in more of my own personality is also a goal I have. Sometimes I am way too businesslike with my tweets and I have to stop and remind myself that Twitter is supposed to be informative but fun too.”

@CameronParker

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FUN & GAMES Fabulous Downtown Events You Won’t Want to Miss! page 36

‘Spark Me Up!’ Cigar Club of Richmond serves as a hub for local cigar enthusiasts.

Who Wants to Play? Play Date™ Richmond spins retro‑chic fun in a diverse, social setting for networking.

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Following: 295+ | Followers: 705+ | Listed: 60+ CAMERON PARKER Bio: “Dessine‑moi un mouton.”

FOOD The 2300 Club Updates Staff, Menu & Membership

“I tweet to engage with others in the community when I canʼt be around them, and to find interesting stories to share. I try to tweet four or five original thoughts per day. They usually provoke enough con‑ versation to sustain me through the rest of the day, so on an average day Iʼll have a total of 20 or so tweets. I once tweeted about how Iʼd been accused of only watching 2/3 of films when I watch them. This sparked the use of a #twothirds hashtag between me and my circle of friends on Twitter.”

Worth the Wait Foodies on Facebook are ﬂocking to Slow Food RVA.

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GLITZ & GLAM ‘Past Perfect’ “If you canʼt buy new̶at $600‑$1,500 for a decent suit̶think vintage, ʻ30s drape, or ʻ50s sack for the Mad Man/Ivy look.”

@Kindnessgirl Following: 841+ | Followers: 944+ | Listed: 90 PATIENCE SALGADO Web: www.kindnessgirl.com Bio: “Kindness worker, birth photographer and writer living in RVA.“ “Twitter is so easy, I love strangers. I completely love how you can connect with someone for one simple exchange or meet your new best friend. I can hiber‑ nate and be oﬀ for a week or throw out one ques‑ tion about avocados and it evolves into 30 tweets about planning a spontaneous tweet up to taste var‑ ious guacamole recipes and drink margaritas (true story). I feel incredibly grateful for all that my ﬁrst year on Twitter has brought to me both professionally and personally. ”

@Codearachnid

Ledbury is a brand that epitomizes European quality, English fit and American style.

What’s Kyra Wearing? “Have you been to Bliss? It is a charming boutique ﬁlled with everything from casual wear to cocktail.”

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EXHIBITIONS Sky Was Yellow, Sun Was Blue @ Russell/Projects; Gallery 5800 Unveils the Barber Gallery; Mi‑Sook Hur & Komelia Hongja Okim @ Quirk; Gallery5 Celebrates a Milestone; Brett Busang: Scenes From The River @ Frame Nation

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Following: 1,587+ | Followers: 1,681+ | Listed: 84 + TIMOTHY WOOD Web: codearachnid.com Bio: “I build cool things & capture memories 2 make the world a better place. I webdev, wordpress, jquery, google, wine, beer, photography, zivity̶get to know me.“ “Itʼs my way to connect with friends and meet new people with similar interests; I also use it to help pro‑ mote my skills as a photographer and web devel‑ oper. For me itʼs about the connection̶even though the amount of tweeting has become less fre‑ quent I feel that the quality of the communication has been maintained and that I will ﬂuctuate as the market is there for me to share my wit and art.”

PAGE VIEWS Destination Unknown From Journalist to First‑Time Author

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ONSTAGE Virtues of the Dolls; 100% Uncensored: Theatre with Fringe Benefits; Dogtown Dance Theatre Grand Opening page 45

GRID & BEAR IT Update from Tobacco Avenue Richmond: where everyone knows your name...unfortunately.

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Show your appreciation by sending ﬂowers from Strange’s. It’s the perfect gift for new business or a job well done. It’s a smart business decision because, when you order online, you save with no wire services fees (up to a $13.95 value) for ﬂowers sent anywhere in the US and Canada. A smile is just a click away online at www.stranges.com.

www.stranges.com

Northeast 321-2200

3313 Mechanicsville Pk., near Laburnum Avenue.

West End 360-2800

12111 W. Broad St. between Rt. 288 & Short Pump Town Ctr.

Bon Air 321-0460

8010 Midlothian at Buford Rd.

Midlothian 321-0455

11704 Midlothian Pk., one block west of Huguenot

Hull Street Road 321-0470 6710 Hull Street at Chippenham

Paul Spicer

Chris Couch

First Comprehensive RVA Scholarship Database While many high school seniors are basking in the glow of recent ac‑ ceptance letters from colleges this spring, paying for tuition and ex‑ penses becomes the next chal‑ lenge. Athletic and academic scholarships offered by colleges and universities are easy to identify, but what about scholarships of‑ fered by local business, civic, and faith‑based organizations? Where can Richmond‑area families find a list of all the local scholarships for local students? College Funding Group, a Richmond‑based college funding company, has given students and parents an easy answer to that question. CFG has created a com‑ prehensive database of scholarships provided by metro Richmond or‑ ganizations to local students, and made it available online as the CFG ScholarBank™. With over 300 schol‑ arships, and a dollar value of over $800,000, the ScholarBank™ gives students and their families access to significant college tuition money. “We thought that it would be a great community service to share this information on our web site,” says Jonathan West, President of College Funding Group. “Our mis‑ sion at CFG is to help students and

their parents navigate the college selection process, and then map a plan for paying the right price for that education by exploring all ﬁ‑ nancial options, including scholar‑ ships. The ScholarBank™ is part of that mission.” The ScholarBank™ provides easily‑searchable listings with up‑ to‑date information on the con‑ tributing organization, student eligibility criteria, scholarship amount, and application deadline. Active scholarships are linked di‑ rectly to the contributorʼs web site, or have information on who to con‑ tact to apply. “Every family in metro Rich‑ mond isnʼt going to become a Col‑ lege Funding Group customer, but every family in the area can beneﬁt from the CFG ScholarBank™,” says West. “This is an awareness‑builder for CFG and our services, as well as a great community resource.”

And For Those Still Undecided: Paying for college can be intimidating and overwhelming. Virginia Colleges 101 (Palaribooks.com) is an accessible, easy‑to‑ use guide to everything you need to know about Virginia college. Public, private, and homeschool students will ﬁnd useful infor‑ mation to help them choose a school, apply for admissions, and obtain ﬁnancial aid. A complete listing of state colleges and universities makes it easy to compare each institution in order to make the best decision for your goals and dreams. Compiled by Christina Couch a freelance writer based in Richmond, VA and a graduate of James Madison University. Her work has ap‑ peared on AOL.com, MSN.com and in WORKMAGAZINE, Wired, En‑

trepreneur Magazine, and The Christian Science Monitor. Her work can also be found in 18 college guidebooks produced by Hobsons Publications and Sparknotes Publications.

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BY PAUL SPICER Greater Richmond Grid magazine is equation by challenging partici‑ always up for beer and breakfast pants to win a prize by using Twit‑ ter to locate him at one of the many tacos, especially when you toss in a South by South‑ little Foursquare. west parties and As the only local then whisper, “Your print publication cat is fluffy, not fat.” to geek it out at More than the recent South just fun and games, by Southwest festi‑ South by South‑ val, weʼre proud to west dished up big report that we ideas and new made the trek technology for the down to Austin, hungry digital cre‑ Texas, for the pre‑ atives and early mier interactive media event of the year. And donʼt adaptors in attendance. The hot you worry; we gave those iPhone theme running through most toting cowboys a glimpse of social workshops was clear̶right now, location is king. In other words, itʼs media RVA style. no longer about your social graph, While the five‑day marathon weʼre now talking about your life session of techie workshops were brimming with all‑stars, the real fun graph, with your actual physical lo‑ cation adding context to your on‑ was had outside the Austin Con‑ line personality. vention Center on a Foursquare While location‑aware applica‑ court chalked off by the developers tions, like Gowalla and Foursquare, of the Foursquare social media managed to work their way into app/game [top photo]. Dennis Crowley and Naveen Selvadurai, many a discussion, there was co‑founders of the Foursquare app, plenty of chatter around other ways to link the physical and online were on hand to issue challenges realms. Take for instance the strong to bystanders, an opportunity we showing by proponents of QR just couldnʼt pass up. (Quick Response) Codes. For the Adding a real life twist to un‑ uninitiated, QR Codes are a snazzy locking Foursquare “badges,” the type of two‑dimensional bar code business development team at that can be read by mobile phones. Foursquare handed out secret busi‑ By pointing your ness cards to fans phone at the bar that were then given code̶which can a link to a special be attached to a web page for South name tag, adver‑ by Southwest. tisement, product, Those lucky or even t‑shirt̶a enough to collect all of the cards from user can easily ac‑ the top brass and [l to r] John Hewlett, co‑founder cess a “tell me of Screen Door Film, & Corey log on were treated more” button that Pudhorodsky, founder of to a “Groupie“badge 501c3cast Podcast for Nonprof‑ can include con‑ which read, “The its, with Richmond Gridʼs emerg‑ tact info, a special Backstreet Boys of ing media editor, Paul Spicer at video message, or the Lamebook.com party. tech! The Menudo of serve as an easy the interne...OMF! @Navveen Just way for others to find you on Twit‑ Touched My Shirt!” ter and Facebook. Though Foursquare had the More impressive than the crowd buzzing with their guerilla geeks and gadgets, however, was marketing tactics, the ballrooms in‑ the strong show of force by social side were filled with A‑listers such media leaders from good olʼ Rich‑ as Evan Williams, CEO of Twitter; mond, Virginia. Doug Meacham, a Guy Kawasaki, Silicon Valley ven‑ South by Southwest veteran, ture capitalist/blogger; Pete Cash‑ worked the karaoke parties with more, founder of Mashable.com; style, while Jolie OʼDell and Gary Vaynerchuk, gonzo host (@jolieodell), Johnny Hugel of Wine Library TV, a daily internet (@hugel), students from the VCU webcast. Also working the crowds, Brandcenter, and employees from Peter Shankman (better known as the Martin Agency (they snagged @skydiver), injected a bit of real life a web award) all represented our shenanigans into the social media thriving metropolis by the river.

LIVE

Richmond Grid @ SXSW

NOW ON FACEBOOK:

THE NINTH ANNUAL REAL ESTATE STARS AWARDS THE CATEGORIES AND FINALISTS

RECREATIONAL, ENTERTAINMENT, HOSPITALITY

RENOVATED OR HISTORIC REHABILITATION

Hilton Garden Inn at Miller and Rhoads

Hilton Richmond Hotel & Spa

Movieland at Boulevard Square

Richmond CenterStage

The Power Plant at Rocketts Landing

INTERIOR Altria Headquarters Annex

MULTI-FAMILY Bon Secours Imaging Center Radiation Oncology

219-223 South Cherry Street Mayton Transfer Lofts

The Boathouse at Rocketts Landing

The Altamont

Virginia Women’s Center

INSTITUTIONAL OR PUBLIC

RETAIL OR RESTAURANT

John Tyler Community College Midlothian Science Building

Rutland Commons

Logistics University at Ft. Lee

The Boathouse at Rocketts Landing

Molecular Medicine Research Building, VCU

Westchester Commons Midlothian

US Post Office Mail Distribution Center

R&D, FLEX, INDUSTRIAL

Walter L. Rice Education Building, VCU

GRTC Transit System Corporate Headquarters and Administration Facility

MIXED USE Manchester Pie Factory

Tindall Storage and Plant Expansion

Manchester Post Office Renovation

Virginia Air Distributors

DEAL OF THE YEAR

Hilton Garden Inn at Miller and Rhoads

BB&T Office Lease Consolidation Riverfront Plaza

The Power Plant at Rocketts Landing

Purchase of Culpepper Farms and Oaks at Gayton Apartments

West Broad Village Short Pump

Hill Phoenix Lease Battery Brooke Parkway

OFFICE BUILDING Altria Headquarters Annex

Saxon Mortgage Sublease to AECOM Technologies

Mead Westvaco Corporation Headquarters Building

Purchase of the Communities at Southwood

Winners to be announced 5:30 p.m. at the Gala on April 21st at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden The Greater Richmond Association for Commercial Real Estate proudly presents the Ninth Annual Real Estate Stars Awards. The cost for the event is $50 for members and $75 for non-members. For sponsorship or more event information, contact Diane Munn, GRACRE, at 804.675.7502 or log on to www.GRACRE.org.

One project will garner the “Project of the Year” award. Some finalists may be listed in more than one category.

BY NATHAN WOOD

Appetizing New iPhone App BY PAUL SPICER

Come on; donʼt pretend that you saves your favorite recipes for easy havenʼt done it. Susan Aprahamian access and quick viewing, and pro‑ and Michelle Jenkins know that vides a free‑form text search of all you like to swap̶supper swap, recipes in the database. that is. This useful Aprahamian app, designed by and Jenkins have local whiz kid just made swap‑ Scott Davis, offers ping a whole lot a fun way to easier. Three years search for ingre‑ ago this foodie duo dients using a launched YouveG‑ playful slot ma‑ otSupper.com as a chine like inter‑ convenient meal face. Compatible solution for busy with iPhone and families looking for iPod Touch, the good eats that are free foodie app efficient, on sale, provides recipes and locally sourced. that have been “The company was tested and ap‑ started as a way to proved by Apra‑ bring back the fam‑ hamian and ily mealtime,” ex‑ Jenkins, as well plains Aprahamian. as YouveGotSup‑ “We wanted to YOUVEGOTSUPPER COM per.com mem‑ make it easier for bers. As a result, moms to cook users say that The YGS super for their fami‑ theyʼve not only Supper Shaker lies and spend uncovered new more time around recipes, but have for iPhone saves your also saved time the dinner table.” Initially started while in the gro‑ favorite recipes as an email‑based cery store and subscription serv‑ saved some coin for easy access ice, Youʼve Got Sup‑ by planning their per quickly began and quick viewing, menu with ingre‑ c r a n k i n g o u t re‑ dients on sale or and provides a free- by using hun‑ cipes, cooking in‑ structions, sug‑ dreds of manu‑ form text search gested sides, and facturer coupons. grocery lists to well Aprahamian of all recipes over 20,000 mem‑ and Jenkins, who bers. “Since every‑ first met as busi‑ in the database. thing is going ness students at mobile we decided to create an the University of Richmond, say iPhone app,” says Aprahamian. De‑ that Youʼve Got Supper uses signed as an easy mobile tool to email and mobile technology to help dig you out of that dinner rut, simply make life easier for families the YGS Supper Shaker for iPhone on the run.

YouveGotSupper

Nathan Wood

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Online Community

Jenkins and Aprahamian launched YouveGotSupper.com as a convenient meal solution for busy families.

At his March 21st concert, Ben as a word̶disheartening. Note, ex‑ Folds had The Nationalʼs audience periencing weak self‑esteem is one thoroughly entertained when he hazzard of the site. Your knee‑jerk took them on an musical tour reaction is to question why you are through chatroulette.com̶per‑ being rejected. Until you realize you haps one of the oddest, scandalous, are also clicking away from folks most intriguing developments on who you find unappealing. the web as of late. Finally I came to two girls from A bit of background first. Imag‑ South Africa. They were both 15, ine with a simple click, youʼve invited young for the average player̶ a complete stranger from anywhere who ranges between 17 and 24. in the world into your home. They Also a little unnerving, as I remem‑ can teach you about their country, ber the one rule of the web site is their friends, their cultures̶and that you should be at least 16. The with another click, youʼve ex‑ girls told me how they use cha‑ changed them for a new guest. troulette.com for entertainment The concept isnʼt particularly and meet some really cool people. innovative, the internetʼs presence Chatroulette.com seems to be has been bringing people together a means of escape from reality since since its inception. But the web site, most of the participants do not www.chatroulette.com offers a dif‑ know each other, and will never ference from the chat rooms of meet in person. Hitting the “Next” yester‑year̶instant face‑to‑face button only allows you to go for‑ communication. A private webcam ward to another user online and not conversation with anyone from return̶putting the kibosh to any anywhere without hav‑ future return interludes. ing to get to know them Meanwhile, back first̶all you do is click at Ben Foldsʼ concert, the “Next” button. with the web site pro‑ When Andrey Ter‑ jected on the screen for novskiy, age 17, first pro‑ the audience to view, grammed the site, he Folds clicked onto cha‑ didnʼt expect it to be‑ troulette.com and im‑ come popular̶nor an provised a wandering underground phenome‑ musical narrative of all non. In fact, Ternovskiy that he̶along with the created the site simply as hundreds in the audi‑ Ben Folds takes a fun way for teens to ence̶encountered. on Chatroulette.com. chat with friends and With a herd‑men‑ then move on before the conversa‑ tality̶what was intimidating that tion dulled. What started as 10 Iʼd experienced with the one‑on‑ friends, turned to 50, and in a few one exchanges̶became hilari‑ weeks his web site was getting ous as the chatroulette users were 40,000 users a night. stunned by encounters with a live Before you rush off to try this concert audience of hundreds in new “networking tool,” be warned. lieu of a single confidante. Radio DJ, and internet aficionado The event became a media Austin Prime has used cha‑ mash‑up of absurdist proportions troulette.com as well as clones like as Ben Folds engaged the virtual tinychat.com and stickam.com, on world during a live performance. his broadcast a few times and has There are a couple of great spent hours scouring the site for a YouTube captures of similar tours at conversation. “I tell them they are on Foldsʼ other concerts, including a fab‑ the radio, and to say something̶ ulous exchange between Folds and a but nothing good ever comes.” chatroulette user known as “Bobby.” Chatroulette.com has become Like many aspects of the a place for “trolls”̶unpleasant ne‑ wild‑wild web, chatroulette.com tizens. He continues, “A place isnʼt for the faint‑hearted. Nor, as where you do not want your chil‑ Prime indicated, would you want dren going.” As the site is free to anyone impressionable from chil‑ the public, the gamut of users runs dren to Grandma to click the from cool to a little creepy. “Next” button. But the “mystery‑ Hoping to get an interview date” allure of clicking the button with users, I clicked the “New to discover a possible dreamboat Game” button. The first few people friend, fiend or just plain odd per‑ quickly moved on without as much son is undeniable.

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Chatroulette, If You Dare!

#BUBBLESWARM: A Foursquare Fete of Hashtags & Wine Tasting AMIDST THE GLOW OF CELL PHONES AND CLINK OF WINE GOBLETS, THE RICHMOND TWITTERRATI ACHIEVE THE COVETED SWARM BADGE AND DISCOVER NEW ENTERTAINMENT OPTIONS AROUND TOWN. BY PAUL SPICER

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More than just fun and games, Lake adds that the party helped stamp Wine & Beer Westpark on the map. Foursquare when ﬁfty or more users check‑in to a common lo‑ cality using their mobile devices within a short period of time. Foursquare, as many rabid River City fans know, is a location‑

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Matt Lake

aware social network and mobile application that adds an addic‑ tive gaming twist in an eﬀort to get users to go out and romp around their city. Lake, who has used Face‑

Lake shown here helming the wine tasting and above holding the bottle of Cristal champagne.

book and Twitter to successfully promote his business, sensed the uptick in the popularity of Foursquare in recent months (this nifty little app added 100,000 users in the course of

INSET PHOTO OF MATT LAKE: ANDREW HUDSON

TOP PHOTO & COVER PHOTO: DAVID SMITHERMAN

att Lake knows how to attract a crowd̶some might even say a swarm̶in RVA. His recipe for success: cell phones, giveaways, and the ﬁnest hooch. As one of Richmondʼs fa‑ vorite tipplers, Lake is known for peddling ﬁne wines, craft brew, and bubbly from his shop, Wine & Beer Westpark (on Twitter, @wbwestpark). Thanks to a re‑ cent “Swarm Party,” the local business owner can now add a Swarm Badge to his resume. Thatʼs right, Lake is the man be‑ hind the recent Swarm hoopla, an honor bestowed by

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ten days in March). He quickly tossed together a plan to host a Swarm Party, with the help of Kira Siddall, at Wine & Beer Westpark in hopes of snagging Richmondʼs first Swarm Badge. To lure in the social media types Lake used “#bub‑ bleswarm” as the Twitter hash‑ tag and began promoting giveaways and other fun‑loving shenanigans. On the day of the event the local business owner rolled out the red carpet by of‑ fering a selection of bubbles from Tocco Prosecco, Varancy Champagne and Malheur Dark Brut for the beer guzzlers. “Foursquare and the Swarm Badge̶theyʼre just fun, just an excuse for people to get together Kira Siddall

and socialize. What's meaningful is getting people out for fun in my part of town,” says Lake. “Wine and Beer Westpark is in a strip mall in Glen Allen, there's nothing real sexy about that. But get to know us and we're FUN, weʼre neighborly.” Lake says that his Four‑ square shindig was successful for the most part (some users ex‑ perienced technical diﬃculties due to server failure) at achiev‑ ing the Swarm Badge. More than just fun and games, Lake adds that the party helped stamp Wine & Beer Westpark on the map. “Sometimes Glen Allen and other parts of town get over‑ looked for the Bottom, the Fan and Short Pump. Foursquare

Social Media Club Richmond

and the Swarm Badge Party let me illustrate that there's more to my neighborhood than box stores and boring strip malls̶ after all, isnʼt the point of Foursquare to explore your city and discover new things?” For those lucky Richmon‑ ders who achieved the coveted geek badge, Lake is oﬀering a 10% discount for anyone who whips out their cell phone to proudly display their newly un‑ locked badge when they pop into Wine & Beer Westpark. In honor of those who attended but were greeted by a few technical sna‑ fus out of Lakeʼs control, Wine & Beer Westpark has created Cristal badges and posted them on the storeʼs blog (www.

wineandbeerwestpark.com).

More Swarm Frenzy Paydirt was struck again on Thursday, March 19th, at the Renaissance Conference Center (107 West Broad Street) and the site of Social Media Club Richmond’s (SMCRVA) conference featuring speaker Shashi Bellamkonda Social Media Director for Network Solutions. Nathan Hughes (@rvabusiness), SMCRVA Programming Director along with evening cohost Jon Newman (@jonnew) urged the attendees to check-in on Foursquare. Moments before Bellamkonda took to the podium, a sudden rush of chatter and cheers ran throughout the audience as the bee icons popped on mobile devices.

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Ayers and Coleman at an exhibit of the American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar.

Civil War and Emancipation Day: ‘The Future of Richmond’s Past’ Sparks Fresh Ideas & Insight IN THE PROCESS OF COMMEMORATING THE CIVIL WARʼS SESQUICENTENNIAL, CONTEMPORARY RICHMOND TAKES AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH AND FINDS INSPIRATION AS WELL AS OPTIONS FOR CULTURAL EXPANSION.

PHOTO: CHRIS OWENS

BY LISA O. MONROE

sually when one sets out to write a magazine article about an annual event that has a tradition of over a decade the process is pretty straightforward. You present the theme and activities surrounding the occasion. But little did I know that a subtle change in an upcoming eventʼs name by the expansion of two words could be so meaningful in so many complex ways. Civil War Day̶which has taken place in Richmond for the past 11 years̶will be held on April 17th under the expanded name “Civil War and Emancipation Day” at the American Civil War Center. As in past events, a bevy of activities for learning about the Civil War are planned (see sidebar), but this year the added aspect of The Future of Richmondʼs Past Initiative has inspired a new per‑ spective on history with modern implications. Why the name change? A public dialogue began last spring with a conference at the

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University of Richmond (U of R) called “America on the Eve of the Civil War.” The conference was held to get the ball rolling for Vir‑ giniaʼs commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the war from 2011‑2015. Hosted by Dr. Edward L. Ayers̶the universityʼs president and nationally‑recognized scholar on the American South whoʼs writ‑ ten and edited ten books related to the Civil War̶the conference was an overwhelming success with over 2,000 attendees repre‑ senting 26 states. And just as impressive was the open and inno‑ vative dialogue that occurred. “People were surprised that we were able to have a civil conversation about this. They saw that we could talk about white history and black history in the same conversa‑ tion,” says Ayers. It also became obvious that the African‑American history and white history related to the Civil War are so closely “braided to‑

Dr. Edward L. Ayers

Christy Coleman

Showcasing New Ideas Richmondʼs history is unique, not only because it was the cap‑ ital of the Confederacy, but be‑ cause it was home to the largest interstate slave trading site in the nation during the two decades preceding the Civil War. The Lumpkinʼs Jail site was where “excess” slaves were sold and exported to the Deep South after being gathered throughout the commonwealth, notes Ayers. Slave trading from Africa had been over for 50 years and Virginia had more people in slavery than any other state in 1860, he explains. [See related article on page 14.] In contrast, President Lin‑ coln also came to Richmond at the very end of the war to ac‑ knowledge freedom, Ayers adds. “There has been this mono‑ lithic view, and it is much more complex,” says Coleman. In the past, people have wanted to simplify the war by saying the North fought the war to main‑ tain the Union and end slavery, and the South to maintain slav‑ ery and uphold stateʼs rights,

but “none of that is a full picture of what happened.” There has also been a false view that “blacks sat on the side‑ lines waiting to see what would happen,” she says. The truth is that more than 200,000 African Americans enlisted and fought in the war and that scores more ran away to Union strongholds. “It is extremely important to me that the experience of en‑ slaved African Americans and free African Americans is not seen as docile complacency,” she explains. In fact, there was resistance all along, whether passive or active. The American Civil War Center already focuses on repre‑ senting the African‑American perspective, along with the Union and Confederate viewpoint. But this yearʼs “Civil War and Eman‑ cipation Day” will be even more inclusive, oﬀering walking tours of areas such as Court End and home of the Museum of the Con‑ federacy, the Lumpkinʼs Jail slave‑trading area, Jackson Ward, and Hollywood Cemetery. Vol‑ unteers are being sought to help for the special event, she says. Though the sesquicenten‑ nial of the Civil War doesnʼt oﬃ‑ cially begin until 2011, itʼs important to begin showcasing these historical sites to let the community know whatʼs hap‑ pening, she says. Work to designate these sites with appropriate signage is part of the planned develop‑ ment expected to take place in the next few years, partially through the cooperation of area museums, says Ayers. “2011 is the anniversary of when shooting actually began in the war,” he says, 2010 would actually be the anniversary of the initial debates in Virginia re‑ garding secession from the Union. He believes Virginiaʼs commemorations relating to the war and emancipation could ex‑ tend as far into the future as 2020, which would mark the 150th anniversary of the end of Reconstruction in 1870.

Who is involved with the Future of Richmond’s Past Initiative? Participants include the Slave Trail Commission, American Civil War Center, Black History Museum and Cultural Center, Museum of the Confederacy, Richmond National Battlefield Park and Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site, Valentine Richmond History Center, Library of Virginia, Elegba Folklore Society, Sacred Ground Historical Reclamation Project, Virginia Historical Society, and the Richmond Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau, Virginia Union University, VCU and U of R. Mayor Dwight Jones has had input, as well as the leaders of many city churches. Steve Baril, Robert Grey, Viola Baskerville, and the leadership of Venture Richmond and the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce have been involved from its inception.

Activities Civil War & Emancipation Day Hereʼs a sampling of the dayʼs events check online at www.tredegar.org for more details. All Day – Just for Kids Meet in the Education Center for National Junior Ranger Day activities and in the Demonstration Area for drill practice and recruitment. Muzzle‑Loaders and Minié Balls The most common weapon used during the war was the muzzle load‑ ing rifle‑musket. Meet in the demon‑ stration area to hear its story and see how the soldier loaded and fired. The Rise and Fall of Civil War Balloons Mike Boehme from the Virginia Aviation Museum will pres‑ ent an illustrated talk on military balloons and the men who flew them. The Cannonʼs Roar Despite labor shortages and lack of materi‑ als, Tredegarʼs workforce produced more than half of the cannons made in the Confederacy. Join the cannoneers to learn the secrets of Tredegarʼs success and witness a live cannon firing. Civil War Photography Demonstration Using the historic Tredegar Iron Works and living his‑ tory and living historians as sub‑ jects, Terry Thomann will demonstrate 19th century photo‑ graphic techniques using an au‑ thentic 1860ʼs camera.

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into a progressive, urban center which can embrace its past openly with a balanced presentation. “What has been a great burden to the city can also be a great asset,” he says. “The Civil War has owned Richmond for the past 150 years. Itʼs time for Richmond to own the Civil War.” Members of the initiative believe this can be accom‑ plished in part by telling Rich‑ mondʼs history from all perspectives. This particular take on family origins and her‑ itage will attract visitors to the area̶all the better for the tourism industry, the economy and the community in general. The upcoming sesquicen‑ tennial commemorations pro‑ vide onging opportunites to promote Richmondʼs diverse history. “When they come, we want them to see something they will remember all their lives,” says Ayers.

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gether” that “to only look at one‑half of the story is to mis‑ understand the other half,” says Ayers. We are actually commemorating the sesqui‑ centennial of two major events in the upcoming years, he em‑ phasizes, the second being emancipation̶the end of slav‑ ery in America. That first conference led to the creation of the Future of Richmondʼs Past Initiative, a loose coalition of a number of area cultural, historical, educa‑ tional and governmental rep‑ resentatives. The coalition has met about a dozen times since last summer, including two large public forums and a third scheduled in May at Virginia Commonwealth University. “People have spent a lot of time talking about what Rich‑ mond is and what it isnʼt,” says Christy Coleman, president of the American Civil War Center. Now the dialogue is progressing and Richmonders are finally asking questions like, “How do we build relationships to get things done that are going to re‑ ally matter to the community?” “Weʼre examining how the city can effectively integrate history into its future,” she says. “It is as much about the busi‑ ness of history as it is about the realities of this urban city.” Coleman points out “that history is connected to who we are,” stressing its transforma‑ tive power to affect both the city and its people. Ayers agrees. As president of an international university that attracts students from 48 states and 70 countries, he says visitors are struck by what Richmond has to offer̶its For‑ tune 500 companies, the natu‑ ral environment including the river, and trendy spots like Shockoe Bottom. The reality is that the uni‑ versity as well as virtually any business, organization or person whoʼs concerned with Rich‑ mondʼs image, has something to gain from the cityʼs evolvement

Delegate Delores L. McQuinn, Chair of the Richmond Slave Trail Commission, has been a driving force in the development of the Slave Trail.

The site of Lumpkinʼs Jail would be the center of the heritage 4‑acre complex. North of Broad Street is an African‑ American burial ground [bottom of rendering] that would also be re‑ claimed as part of the complex.

The 3‑foot‑by‑3‑foot, enamel panels are set on a granite base and each de‑ scribes an aspect of the areaʼs history as it relates to the slave industry and/or emancipation.

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THE SLAVE TRAIL OFFERS THINKING OUTSIDE OF HENRY BROWNʼS BOX AND OPPORTUNITY TO REVISIT EMANCIPATION WITH AN EXPANDED VIEW. T R

BY ED

ANDLER

ranted the Wikipedia is an evolving, popular archive of facts and opinion, but it is interesting to note that the entry for the “History of Richmond” is nearly void of any African‑ American perspective for the Antebellum period through to 1865 save for a single entry, “Henry ʻBoxʼ Brown made history by having himself nailed into a small box and shipped from Richmond to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, escaping slavery to the land of freedom.” Startling too, when you consider Richmond was perhaps the largest trading center of chattel in America for the slave‑based economy, a $350 million industry̶the labor source for the pro‑ duction of goods and services benefiting national and inter‑ national markets. With an es‑ timated 250,000 people sold, it has been suggested that Richmondʼs impact on the African‑American experience is such that̶much like Ellis Islandʼs portal for Euro‑ pean immigrants̶the ma‑ jority of contemporary African‑Americans in the U.S. can trace their ancestry to the 19th‑century commonwealth. Classically, the American Civil War has been framed as both a struggle of humanitar‑ ian and political issues between the federal government and seven southern states over the expansion of slavery and the legality of succession. A drive on Monument Avenue offers you a veritable dio‑ rama of Confederate notables who fought in the war. But where in Richmond can one find opportunities to learn about the people over whom the war was instigated? Seeing a real need to embrace the slave perspective as part of the cityʼs heritage, the Richmond Slave Trail Commission, chaired by Delegate Delores L. McQuinn, has developed a walking tour of markers along the 2.5‑mile Slave Trail, found along the site of the Manchester Docks, to the site of the First African Baptist Church. A partnership between Stockton Clay Architects, BAM Archi‑ tects and SMBW Architects has provided the creative resource to develop the commissionʼs vision. According to Burt Pinnock, a prin‑ cipal architect with BAM Architects, the trail is the first phase of a three‑part plan to develop a $100‑$150 million heritage complex in Shockoe Bottom that entails a slavery museum, an African‑Amer‑ ican genealogical center and a glass‑enclosed site of Lumpkinʼs Jail. Funded by a $50,000 grant from Venture Richmond, the Slave

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The trail is the first phase of a three-part plan to develop a heritage complex including a slavery museum, an AfricanAmerican genealogical center and the site of Lumpkin’s Jail.

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Delores McQuinn

Burt Pinnock

Urban and Experiential The site of Lumpkinʼs Jail lo‑ cated in Shockoe Bottom just north of the Main Street Station and adjacent to the elevated railroad tracks is the center‑ piece of the plan that Pinnock explained would be more expe‑ riential than a simple recon‑ struction of Robert Lumpkinʼs original jail, hotel, and home complex̶a slave trade center. While recent excavation of the Lumpkinʼs site revealed a wealth of relics which included the foundation cobblestone, kitchen utensils and other arti‑ facts, the effort will be to create a space for learning opportunities. “We donʼt want it to be sim‑ ply a museum of relics,” Pin‑ nock says. The exhibits will offer insights of slaveryʼs impact on the global economy, first‑ person narratives of slave cul‑ ture and milestones of the slave diaspora. For example, Pinnock notes the closing day of Lump‑ kinʼs slave trading complex, one of the most successful trading houses in Richmond, “could ar‑ guably be considered the true be‑ ginning of slave emancipation.” Created with a contempo‑ rary architectural interpreta‑ tion of African‑American folk art, the design of the proposed museum will embrace its mod‑ ern urban setting, but also pro‑ vide outdoor spaces for contemplative commemorating of Richmondʼs past.

Venture Richmond

Union, Confederate & Slave: Exploring Richmond’s Legacy from the Third Perspective

Trail will feature 16 3‑foot‑by‑ 3‑foot enamel panels set on a granite base, each describing an aspect of the areaʼs history as it relates to the slave indus‑ try and/or emancipation. Pinnock emphasized that the markers oﬀer facts “as well as the more narrative or per‑ sonal perspectives of the people associated with the trail.” Even‑ tually, besides docent‑aug‑ mented tours, Pinnock indicated there could be electronic kiosks to provide more in‑depth infor‑ mation as the trail develops.

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The 2.5-mile Slave Trail found along the site of the Manchester Docks to the site of First African Baptist Church.

Night view of museum’s main entrance space from the plaza.

View of glass pavilion around Lumpkin’s archaeological site (to the right), main plaza and museum.

Pinnock explains, “The architectonics of the buildingʼs skin evolve from a fractal interpretation of the concept of the African diaspora. The idea that those parts removed from the whole are reduced copies of the whole becomes, in its interpretation, a piece of African Folk Art and a means to provide a three‑dimensional representation of perhaps the largest forced migration of a people in the history of the world.”

Renderings from Quirk Gallery’s March 4-13th exhibit Assemblage 5—Out of the Vault.

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DOWNTOWN LIVING: The Prices Are Right & Spaces Are Move-In Ready

For Sale: A Little History, A Little Hollywood, A Lot of Charm Charles Macfarlane of Macfar‑ lane Partners is oﬀering the Adam Craig House (located at 1812 East Grace Street) for sale or even rent. It is considered to be Richmondʼs second oldest structure, and the original frame house was built around 1784.

WITH THE ECONOMY SHOWING SIGNS OF MOMEN‑ TUM, NOW IS THE TIME TO BUY YOUR LOFT OR CONDO. THEYʼRE CHIC, ECO‑SMART & GOING FAST.

BY DAVID SMITHERMAN

The Downtown Style

Of course the 4,424 square foot home has been totally reno‑ vated to provide a kitchen with

210 Rock at Rocketts Landing

stainless steel appliances and soapstone countertops so you can entertain in style. The first floor also includes a formal liv‑ ing room, formal dining room, and large family room (all with working fireplaces) and even a half bath. The second floor has three spacious bedrooms, again each with a working fireplace, and two full baths. The exterior boasts a beautiful brick patio with outdoor fire‑ place, manicured lawn, cobble‑ stone driveway, and two‑gated, remote‑controlled entrances. And in addition to its historical relevance, it has made an im‑ pact on popular culture as well. According to Macfarlane, “The house was featured on This Old House on HGTV and actress Hilary Swank stayed in the guest house when she was in Richmond filming Iron Jawed Angels.”

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these prices to realize their dream of living Downtown. Even more evidence is the huge num‑ ber of people̶both locally and from out of town̶who bought tickets to the Downtown Loft Tour in March. Several hundred poten‑ tial city‑dwellers toured Down‑ town and experienced the new urban lifestyle. So we decided to take a look at a sampling of the properties now available in Downtown Richmond.

The Reserve

ue to the economic landscape of the last couple of years, families, young professionals, and singles have redis‑ covered the convenience and relative low‑cost of living Downtown. They use their vehicles much less because stores, restaurants, shops and nightclubs are only blocks away. That also contributes to the “green” effect because when people use fewer resources they are reducing their carbon footprint. A study conducted by The Brookings Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy and the Fannie Mae Foundation looked at 24 cities around the nation and found that all of them expect the number of their Downtown residents to grow by 2010. The study noted, “Anecdotal evidence suggests that people are living Down‑ town because they want to be near their work places and cultural amenities, and because they enjoy a bustling urban environment.” And because of the new economy, Richmondʼs Downtown res‑ idential offerings are at amazingly affordable rates. Realtors and builders are seeing renewed activity as people take advantage of

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The aesthetic of Downtown liv‑ ing spaces combines the au‑ thentic charm of historic buildings with modern design and amenities. Located at the corner of 25th and Franklin Streets just north of Tobacco Row, The Reserve is a collection of brand‑new condominiums in‑ corporated into the 1920ʼs orig‑ inal building. Built in two phases, Phase II has 16 units with one‑bedroom condos of‑ fered at $235,000. Bo Steele of Virginia Realty and Relocation is visibly excited about the Miller & Rhoads Con‑ dominiums right across from CenterStage on 6th Street. This restored historic landmark boasts a total of 130 one‑ and two‑bedroom units that vary from single level to loft‑style (some even have terraces with an amazing view of the city). “These condos are decid‑ edly unique because the build‑ ing is adjacent to the Hilton Garden Inn so residents have ac‑ cess to all of the amenities that hotel has to oﬀer,” Steele notes. Condo residents can actu‑ ally call ahead to have a meal from the restaurant ready when they want it. They can even drop off dry cleaning at the hotel, which also has mail services available. No more lines at the post office! In addition to the indoor parking, residents are also very close to The National music venue and restaurants like T‑ Millerʼs Sports Bar & Grill, Gib‑ sonʼs Grill, Capitol Ale House,

If youʼre interested in living close to the white‑water rapids of the James River, where you

and exercise facility included in the monthly dues. Another popular Jackson Ward option is the 212 Condo‑ miniums on East Clay Street. They are large, spacious units that feature private bedrooms, separate from the living space, to give the owner a feel more

Magical Manchester Over in Manchester, Jarvis rec‑ ommends The Pie Factory

The aesthetic of Downtown living spaces combines the authentic charm of historic buildings with modern design and amenities. can watch kayakers paddle around and boats cruising by, Rocketts Landing is a place worth checking out. “For those who seek a maintenance‑free lifestyle, this is a great time to buy a condominium,” says Marti Cooke, director of Rocketts Landingʼs sales and marketing. “Thereʼs a wide variety of choices in the market, many buyers can qualify for tax credits, mortgage rates continue to decline from already low levels, and most de‑ velopers are willing to negotiate on pricing and/or options.” So what do you get? At Rocketts Landing, the mainte‑ nance‑free lifestyle comes along with ready‑made social activities. Residents can use a beautiful riverfront pool, well‑

Cedar Works

which was conceived and reha‑ bilitated in 2009 by an owner who took care to rediscover the potential of this beautiful ware‑ house and former pie factory. Priced at $649,000, the 3,789 square foot luxury‑living space includes 2.5 baths, 2 garage parking spaces, a private eleva‑

$199,000. Features include ex‑ posed wooden beams and brick walls that many folks associate with urban chic. If you like your interior de‑ sign more on the contemporary side, the Gramercy model at the 210 Rock building features open, light‑filled living spaces with floor‑to‑ceiling windows. The one‑bedroom condos in 210 Rock start in the low $200s, two‑bedrooms in the low $300s.

212 Condominiums

Historic Jackson Ward Want to know whatʼs going on like a home than an apartment. over in Historic Jackson Ward? These start from the $130s. Emerick Flats is one of the Rick Jarvis of One South Realty says that the Marshall St. Bak‑ only buildings that features true ery is the place to be with “Industrial Design.” Located in prices starting from the $160s. the heart of Jackson Ward, this Jarvis says that “well‑ap‑ former Emrick Chevrolet build‑ pointed interiors featuring ing was designed to provide res‑ granite and stainless kitchens, maple cabinets and bamboo floors are all standard. Each unit has pri‑ vate outdoor spaces that offer views of Downtown or overlook the projectʼs pri‑ vate courtyard.” Other amenities include garage parking, central courtyard Emerick Flats

The Pie Factory tor entry, expansive gourmet chef kitchen, and open floor plan designed in conjunction with Cornerstone Architects. The neighborhoodʼs cre‑ ative vibe emanates from Plant Zero and Art Space. As for restaurants? Theyʼve got plenty of fun ones including Legendʼs, Plant Zero Café, and Savor.

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Creative Spaces

Along the River

The Marshall St. Bakery

idents with an authentic “ﬂat” experience that provides open ﬂoor plans, fourteen‑foot ceiling heights, and envious views through large factory windows. In addition, if youʼre in Jackson Ward that means you are within walking distance of great restaurants like the Mar‑ shall Street Café, Popkin Tavern, and Twenty‑Seven. Youʼre also only a couple of blocks from the activities on Broad Street in‑ cluding the First Fridays Art Walk and Broad Appétit.

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Miller & Rhoads Condominiums and Penny Lane Pub. According to Steele, now is a great time to get in. “There are some unique mortgage opportunities with 95% financing.” Prices range anywhere from $129,000 to $549,000.

equipped ﬁtness center, and of course the amazing Boathouse Restaurant is within walking distance. Cooke says, “In fact, boaters can dock at the Rock‑ etts Landing marina, while those who prefer self‑propelled water sports can kayak, canoe or row crew. Secure, deeded parking is an added bonus.” There are some surpris‑ ingly aﬀordable options avail‑ able especially when you consider that itʼs a Downtown lifestyle thatʼs located right on the water. Cedar Works is a sec‑ tion of Rocketts Landing that is in an historic, renovated build‑ ing and prices start at

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Alfa Laval Acquires Champ Products

[left to right]: Slaughter Fitz‑Hugh, Founding Principal, COO; Sandy Williamson, Founding Principal, CEO; and Kevin McQueen, Principal.

focused primarily on the diesel engine market. Alfa Lavalʼs products are also used in power plants, aboard ships, in the mechanical engineering industry, in the mining industry and for waste‑ water treatment, as well as for comfort climate and refrigera‑ tion applications. The overall acquisition strategy according to Alfa Laval is to oﬀer their cus‑ tomers an even broader array of products and application ex‑ pertise for cooling, ﬁltration and crankcase gas cleaning of diesel and gas engines.

The national IT consulting firm headquartered in Richmond, CapTech plans to create 50 pro‑ fessional positions this year due to its ongoing growth and expansion. CapTech realized a growth rate of 15 percent in 2009, de‑ spite two of its large clients filing for bankruptcy. In fact, CapTech has doubled its size in the last 4 years and opened a new office in Washington D.C. to better serve its growing client base in the greater metropolitan area. The company is also ac‑ tively searching for office space to expand its Richmond head‑ quarters within the city or sur‑

Richmond EWI Hosts Symposium EWI of Richmond will celebrate 43 years in June as a chapter of the national organization, Exec‑ utive Women International. EWI is a unique as‑ sociation whose members are described as professional and classy, and many are the “gatekeepers” to regionʼs top executives. This is a group of women you want to know. When Christine Slate, president of the chapter, joined the organization, it was at the encouragement of her CEO, David Barrett. He thought it would be of interest to her for per‑ sonal and professional development and an opportunity for her to network with peers. She stated, “My EWI experience has allowed me to hone my public speaking, leadership and organizational skills.” EWI offers certifica‑ tion in Professional Leadership and Slate has

rounding localities. CapTech credits part of its recession resilience to the diver‑ sity of companies and variety of industries that it serves in healthcare, government, ﬁnan‑ cial services, retail/distribution and its people. “The driving force behind the company is our 200 employ‑ ees. We are looking for IT profes‑ sionals that will join us to provide our clients with a world‑class ex‑ perience in a customer‑focused environment,” says CapTech CEO Sandy Williamson. “CapTech provides a working environment that is collaborative, ﬂexible, in‑ novative and fun.”

completed this curriculum and is a graduate of their Academy of Leadership. EWI has three tenets: connections, ca‑ reers, communities. Their community efforts include participation with the Boys & Girls Club and awarding scholarships for excep‑ tional high school juniors with high GPAs and community service efforts, and adult students pursuing a higher education. This year, awards will total over $210,000 since the in‑ ception of these awards in 2000. Slate said, “Our chapterʼs theme this year is ʻEndless Op‑ portunitiesʼ and we are so excited by these ac‑ tivities and to be able to make an impact.” EWI will host its Symposium, “Redefining Success in Todayʼs Economy” on Saturday, June 12, 2010 from 7:30am – 3:30pm at Hilton Richmond Hotel & Spa in Short Pump. To reg‑ ister, contact Debora Honodel at (804) 281‑ 1546 or debora.honodel@sscoop.com.

Adweek Gives It Up to The Gecko: Martin Agency Declared #1 The creator of numerous national campaigns that have become sta‑ ples of American pop culture̶ including the insurance giant GEICOʼs gecko and the ubiqui‑ tous caveman̶The Martin Agency received top honors ear‑ lier this year. The Shockoe Slip ﬁrm was named the top U.S. ad agency of 2009 by industry publication Ad‑ week. The designation is the ﬁrst time Martin has received the honor. Creativity Magazine also in‑ clueded Mike Hughes, Martin agencyʼs president, in its 2010 “Creativity 50” list. He was fea‑ tured along with other creative minds including James Cameron and Lady GaGa.

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CapTech to Hire 50 Workers Alfa Lavalʼs virtual showroom.

Dominion, one of the nation's largest producers of energy, an‑ nounced in January that it has in‑ vested in Power Tagging Technologies Inc., a company with the potential to improve the flow of information on the smart grid. Dominion has invested $3 mil‑ lion in the privately held company, which is based in Superior, CO. “Power Tagging offers a key to opening a world of improved en‑ ergy information and customer service through the smart grid,” said Mary C. Doswell, senior vice presi‑ dent‑Alternative Energy Solutions for Dominion. “We anticipate that for the first time, utilities will be able to measure, trace and audit the flow of electricity on the smart grid̶in effect, to 'tag' it and follow it̶ with a technology that is embedded in the power grid itself rather than on a parallel communications network. This should improve the flow of in‑ formation and help provide cost and environmental benefits.”

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Richmond‑based Alfa Laval̶a leading global provider of spe‑ cialized products and engineer‑ ing solutions based on its key technologies of heat transfer, separation and ﬂuid han‑ dling̶acquired Champ Prod‑ ucts, a leading manufacturer of standard and custom heat ex‑ changers for OEM customers,

Dominion Invests $3 Million in ‘Smart Grid’ Technology

BIZ SAVVY

Bon Secours Virginia Health System Named in National Top 50 Companies for Executive Women The Bon Secours Virginia Health System in Richmond has been named to the Top 50 Companies and 10 Nonprofits for Executive Women by the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE). This is the fifth consecutive year that NAFE has recognized Bon Sec‑ ours in its awards program, which honors organizations whose policies and practices encourage womenʼs advancement and whose numbers at the highest levels of leadership demonstrate that commitment. About eighty‑five percent of Bon Secoursʼ more than 7,100 employees are women and 14 of its nearly 35 corporate executives are women. Bon Secours is only one of 10 nonprofits in the country to receive this honor and was ranked at No. 5. NAFE will honor the Top Companies at a luncheon in New York on March 25. That morning, senior women executives from the NAFE Top Companies will meet at the closed‑

door NAFE roundtable to discuss critical business issues, including how to ensure an increase in women‑run operations. Toni R. Ardabell, Chief Executive Oﬃcer of Bon Secours St. Maryʼs Hospital in Richmond, has been invited to par‑ ticipate in the roundtable event. She is one of Bon Secours newest executives, joining the health sys‑ tem in March 2009. “The environment at Bon Sec‑ ours is one where women are fully incorporated into the cellular level of the organization,” Ardabell said. “Perhaps this is due in part to the 12 Catholic sisters who began the health care ministry at Bon Scours about 200 years ago. There have been women executives at Bon Secours long before women were traditionally in executive roles. I am following a path they started and am honored to work for an organi‑ zation where everyone is seam‑ lessly welcomed and valued.”

“Redefining Success in Today’s Economy”

Hosted by Executive Women International of Richmond Sponsored by Barrett Capital Management, LLC and Dominion Resources, Inc.

There are absolutely no limits to what you can achieve, especially when you’re equipped with marketable skills and the right attitude. EWI® Women’s Symposium is designed to help you find fulfillment in everything you do.

Featuring Symposium Speaker

Lori Giovannoni LORIGIOVANNONI.COM AND CO-AUTHOR OF “LAW OF ACHIEVEMENT”

Luncheon Keynote Speaker

Maureen McDonnell

Ironworks Consulting Expands Into Minneapolis The Richmond firm Ironworks, a management, web and IT consulting firm, announced in February that it has expanded into the Minneapolis market by opening an office at 6 Pine Tree Drive, Arden Hills, Minn. The Minneapolis office will serve as the hub for Ironworksʼ expansion into the Midwest. “Despite the slow economy, Ironworks has seen organic growth rates of over 30% annually in both 2008 and 2009. Through strong customer and partner relationships, we have successfully expanded from a regional to a national cus‑ tomer base. We felt that an expansion into the Midwest was a logical next step for Ironworks and that Minneapolis was the optimal city to start that expansion," said Scott Walker, chief executive officer of Ironworks.

Business Week Ranks Robins School of Business No. 15 Business Week has ranked Uni‑ versity of Richmondʼs Robins School of Business No. 15 over‑ all on its 2010 list of Americaʼs best undergraduate business programs. The Robins School placed in the top 25 for the fifth year in a row. Among individual quality measures, the Robins School rated third for academic qual‑ ity and ninth as an MBA feeder school. It received a grade of A‑ plus for teaching quality, as it has every year since the Busi‑ ness Week rankings began in 2006. The Robins School also earned an A‑plus for facilities,

even as construction continues on Queally Hall, a 33,000‑ square‑foot addition. “Our nationally recognized faculty teaches in a small class setting and works closely with our students in regional and national competitions, student research, student clubs, stu‑ dent‑managed investment funds, entrepreneurial endeav‑ ors and other experiential programs,” said Bob Schmidt, Robins School interim dean. “More than half of our busi‑ ness majors study abroad, and we are building a strong program for professional skills development.”

Forbes Places Hanover County in ‘Best Places To Get Ahead’

FIRST LADY OF VIRGINIA

Citing Hanover Countyʼs median household income of 2007: $75,870.00

Saturday, June 12, 2010

and 2008, $78,580.00, Forbes.com included it as one of 10 best places

7:30am – 3:30pm

for professionals to get ahead. Using data from the U.S. Department of

Hilton Richmond Hotel & Spa, Short Pump

Labor, Forbes looked at counties where the number of jobs had grown

12042 WEST BROAD STREET, RICHMOND, VA 23233

the most between the second quarter of 2007 and the second quarter

$75 registration includes continental breakfast, lunch, seminar and tradeshow. To register, contact Debora Honodel at (804) 281-1546 or debora.honodel@sscoop.com

of 2009 (the most recent quarter for which county‑level statistics are

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available). Hanover County was ranked tenth in the nation.

‘Richmond Represents at the Shorty Awards’

[Top] Shorty Award winners Holland and Sesame Streetʼs Grover.

PHOTO OF HOLLAND & GROVER: HILARY MCHONE

[Bottom] Saunders, Holland and Bell at the press wall.

I received an invite into a VIP re‑ ception that started an hour ear‑ lier than everything else. I managed to sneak my compan‑ ions̶Troy Bell (Richmond In‑ ternational Airport) and Dave Saunders (Madison+Main) ̶in with me and well, I guess it spoke to our enthusiasm that we were the ﬁrst and only ones there, for about 15 minutes.

At the VIP reception I had a good time chatting with Shorty Awards judge David Pogue (columnist for the New York Times and author of The World According to Twitter), and got to meet Grover (@SesameStreet) and Carel Pedre (@CarelPedre), the Haitian journalist who used his radio station and Twitter to bring hope to his country during the recent earthquake there. Then it was time for the awards. The clan of ﬁnalists from RVA all sat together in‑ cluding me @lewisginter, Dave Saunders @Madmain, Troy Bell @Flack4RIC, Nancy Heltman @VAStateParks and Austin Prime @AustinPrime and his mother, Lindy Prime aka @MamaPrime. I guess you could say we were an odd lot, but it felt like home to me. Rick Sanchez (@Rick‑ SanchezCNN), the MC, an‑ nounced a 3‑way tie for my category, and I was happy to share the award with Reduced Shakespeare Company (@re‑ duced) and The Poetry Society of America (@Poetry_Society). I gave my 140 character accept‑ ance speech and before I knew it, it was time for the reception. Troy and Dave were good company for the entire trip. We ﬂew on the same plane, road through the veins of NYC on a very dirty subway, ate absurdly large sandwiches and half‑sour pickles at Carnegie Deli, and walked through Times Square past the Ed Sullivan Theater. By the end of the night weʼd gone our separate ways and it was time to walk back to the hotel. As I left, alone for the short walk back to the hotel, I was especially glad I won the

Shorty Award. It is very heavy and I thought it might come in handy as I walked back to the hotel that night. Interestingly, the most mind‑blowing thing that hap‑ pened in relation to me winning a Shorty Award occurred when I got back to the oﬃce on Thurs‑ day. After a small party that some of my coworkers at the Garden threw for me, I sat down at my desk, looked up at my computer screen and saw that my MOM is now following me on Twitter! Needless to say, this is something I thought I'd NEVER see.

Produced by Twitter, the Shorty Awards honor the best people and organizations on Twitter. These unique awards are for the Twitter community, by the Twitter community. Online voting is public and democratic, culminating in an awards ceremony that recognizes the winners in 26 oﬃcial categories.

Troy Bell Richmond International Airport @Flack4RIC: #RIC2JFK. Nosh @CarnegieDeli. Times Sq tourists. Squeeze in @Hotel41. :) #short‑ yawards :( Early AM E‑train. #JFK2RIC. TY @JetBlue. Translation for non‑Twitter readers: Troy ﬂew from Richmond to JFK airport, ate at the Carnegie Deli, saw lots of tourists in Times Square and got a little sleep at Hotel 41. He had a great time at the Shorty Awards (though a little dis‑ appointed that he didnʼt win) and took an early morning train to JFK airport and ﬂew on JetBlue back to Richmond.

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didnʼt really know what to expect from the “Shorties.”* I hoped that I would be lucky enough to meet some of the judges̶MC Hammer, Alyssa Milano, Jimmy Wales (founder of Wikipedia) and Al‑ berto Ibargüen (President and CEO, Knight Foundation), and I hoped Iʼd be able to meet some the world's best Twitter content providers̶my competitors and winners in other categories. I have to admit I was crossing my ﬁngers that Lewis Ginter Botan‑ ical Garden would win in our category̶cultural institution. I had a hint that we might, when

Dave Saunders Madison + Main @madmain: #shortyawards in NYC this year were a lot more fun, thx 2 fellow #rva crew @lewisginter @ﬂack4ric @vastateparks @austin‑ prime & @carnegiedeli

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WHEN I THINK OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF MY RECENT TRIP TO NEW YORK CITY FOR THE SHORTY AWARDS, THE FIRST THING I THINK OF IS HOW LUCKY I AM TO HAVE SUCH INCREDIBLE SUPPORT FROM A COMMUNITY THAT I LOVE SO MUCH AND WHO HELPED GET ME THERE. IT TOOK LEAVING RICHMOND AND THE SOCIAL MEDIA COM‑ MUNITY TO REALIZE EXACTLY HOW SPECIAL WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS. BY JONAH HOLLAND

Austin Prime @AustinPrime: The Shorty Awards was a great experience. I take pride in being the youngest ﬁnal‑ ist. It's great connecting with peo‑ ple with so many ideas.

BIZ SAVVY

‘Locally Owned Richmond’ Facebook Fan Page Tops 12,000 Supporters Big shiny brands and fancy fran‑ chise logos are aplenty in Cap City. But if you dig deeper, and look closely at the scrappy shop‑ keepers that really make this town tick, youʼll soon discover the real RVA. Locally Owned Richmond, a homegrown suc‑ cess story, gives a tip of the hat to the true business leaders nes‑ tled in small shops, back alleys, and at times boldly placed right next to big box retailers. Andrew Phinney, founder of the Locally Owned Richmond fan page on Facebook, practi‑ cally grew up in Carytown, a hub for all things local (well, mostly). He has worked for local ﬁxtures like Carytown Burgers & Fries and Galaxy Dinner, just to name

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12,179 fans a few, since he was 15 years old. When it came time to launch his career, the corporate life was never considered. In‑ stead, Phinney snagged a 1984 Ford ambulance, painted a logo on the side, and went to work as

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a popular Richmond electrician. Today he serves both as a local business owner and the en‑ gine behind one of the areaʼs most heavily trafficked fan pages on Facebook (over 12,000 fans) devoted to businesses that are unique to Richmond. Despite these acco‑ lades, Phinney insists that his recent Facebook suc‑ cess isnʼt about him, and he politely shuns any at‑ tention for his own small business, which is never mentioned on the fan page. “As long as I can pay my bills and my phone rings, then Iʼm happy,” smiles Phinney. Sitting in Lamplighter Roasting Company, his fa‑ vorite local java joint on Addison Street, Phinney credits the new coffee‑ house as giving him the idea for the small business tribute page. “It was a spur of the moment type of thing,” re‑ calls Phinney. “I just wanted a place where peo‑ ple could talk about their favorite Richmond busi‑ nesses. I started discus‑ sion topics such as, whatʼs your favorite coffee shop, whatʼs your favorite restaurant, where do you Andrew Phinney

get your sweet fix, and where do you go to get your car fixed.” Phinney was surprised at what happened next. In the days that followed, fans of his Face‑ book page began to spike. “First it was 80 people, then 160, 250, 500. This was all in the first four or five days. Next thing I knew, 500 people a day were signing up.” Phinney says that restau‑ rant chatter is one of the most popular topics today as Rich‑ monders voluntarily post friendly recommendations about tasty pit stops around town. “I just ask that people come in and give good plugs for the places they like. People can go other places to read about the bad things if they want...we keep things positive.” While his intentions were golden, the big boys over at Facebook quickly took notice of his swelling fan base and asked Phinney to identify himself and to ironically “confirm affiliation” with the brand that he was pro‑ moting. Phinney, who simply wants a place to promote all things local, flashes his good‑na‑ tured smile and chuckles, “I re‑ peatedly filled out the Facebook confirmation page but havenʼt heard back.” Meanwhile, Locally Owned Richmond surges on. BY PAUL SPICER

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The Virginia Lottery has named really excited to lead its marketâ&#x20AC;&#x2018; Big River, an independentlyâ&#x20AC;&#x2018; ing eďŹ&#x20AC;orts,â&#x20AC;? says Fred Moore, owned, Virginiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2018;based branding founder and president of Big and advertising ďŹ rm, as its adâ&#x20AC;&#x2018; River Advertising. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Virginia vertising agency of record. The Lottery has always been about selection followed an eightâ&#x20AC;&#x2018; fun, excitement and possibilities. month review that included Being a part of the LotteryĘźs misâ&#x20AC;&#x2018; many of the regionĘźs top adverâ&#x20AC;&#x2018; sion is really gratifying to us.â&#x20AC;? tising agencies. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Marketing the Virginia Lottery has been a key element of our success in generating more than $4 billion for VirginiaĘźs Kâ&#x20AC;&#x2018;12 pubâ&#x20AC;&#x2018; lic schools since 1999,â&#x20AC;? said Paula I. Otto, Executive Diâ&#x20AC;&#x2018; rector for the Virâ&#x20AC;&#x2018; ginia Lottery. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are excited to have Big River as our new marketing partner moving forward. During the review process we could clearly see that Big River shared core values similar to oursĚśincluding inâ&#x20AC;&#x2018; tegrity, innovation and collaboration.â&#x20AC;? The threeâ&#x20AC;&#x2018;year Moore: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Virginia Lottery is a brand that marketing contract belongs to all Virginians and our team at Big River is for $24 million is really excited to lead its marketing eďŹ&#x20AC;orts.â&#x20AC;? per year in total billings. It includes all aspects of â&#x20AC;&#x153;The entire team at Big Virginia Lottery marketing from River is accomplished,â&#x20AC;? notes strategic planning, advertising Amanda May, Big RiverĘźs acâ&#x20AC;&#x2018; development, creative, media count director for the Virâ&#x20AC;&#x2018; buying, digital and more. Big ginia Lottery. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We consistently River will help bring new creâ&#x20AC;&#x2018; demonstrate our ability to create ativity, new products and most inspiring strategies and produce importantly, new players. In adâ&#x20AC;&#x2018; excellent work for all of our dition, Big River has hired Richâ&#x20AC;&#x2018; clients. To have those qualities mondâ&#x20AC;&#x2018;based Lewis Media Group be recognized by an organizaâ&#x20AC;&#x2018; to handle all media planning and tion as impressive as the Virâ&#x20AC;&#x2018; buying for the Lottery. To proâ&#x20AC;&#x2018; ginia Lottery underscores Big vide seamless service, the Lotâ&#x20AC;&#x2018; RiverĘźs core values of credibility tery media team will work from and trust. We intend to make the Big RiverĘźs oďŹ&#x192;ce. most eďŹ&#x192;cient possible use of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Virginia Lottery is a LotteryĘźs advertising dollars for brand that belongs to all Virginiâ&#x20AC;&#x2018; the best return on the commonâ&#x20AC;&#x2018; ans and our team at Big River is wealthĘźs investment.â&#x20AC;?

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Chapman and Ferrara take in the view from City Hallʼs ob‑ servation deck. “Shockoe Bottom has played a signiﬁ‑ cant role in the history of Richmond, and DECD will play a signiﬁcant role in shaping the cityʼs future,” ex‑ plains Chapman of the new departmentʼs move to Main Street Station̶its red roof and clock tower are just visi‑ ble over his right shoulder.

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Richmond: Dynamic City, Smart People, Bright Future What is the thinking behind combining both the economic and community aspects of the departments?

Chapman: In a sense, we are bringing economic development to Main Street! Locating the De‑ partment of Economic and Com‑ munity Development at the city‑owned historic Main Street Station is notable given that the earliest roots of the City of Rich‑ mond can be traced to Shockoe Bottom. Shockoe Bottom has played a signiﬁcant role in the history of Richmond, and DECD will play a signiﬁcant role in shaping the cityʼs future. His‑ torically, the growth of the canal

Ferrara: Locating the DECD in Main Street Station also reﬂects the Jones Administrationʼs com‑ mitment to the Shockoe Bottom area. Additionally, the DECD being centered in Shockoe Bot‑ tom roots us in things that are quintessentially Richmond; African‑American heritage and historic themes, local entrepre‑ neurism, transportation, govern‑ ment, literature, and architecture. Chapman: The move also rep‑ resents a costs‑savings measure and the creative use of an un‑ derutilized city‑owned space. What are some of the current initiatives by your oﬃce to sup‑ port Mayor Jonesʼ strategy to grow Richmondʼs business base? Chapman: The city successfully pursued the award of what are known as Recovery Zone Facil‑ ity Bonds. We recently an‑ nounced $34 million in such bond allocations which will help us move forward on several much‑needed economic devel‑ opment projects. These projects translate into real jobs and eco‑ nomic development for our area. Some of the projects include: P. Lorillard Company Building Restoration (a $5,000,000 bond allocation); Biomass Manufac‑ turing/Recycling Facility (a $3,500,000 bond allocation); and Manchester on the James Parking Facility (a $825,700

bond allocation). The cityʼs effort to leverage “patient,” low‑cost capital for these projects is representative of one new role that DECD will play. The national credit crunch ne‑ cessitates that we be aggressive and creative in addressing the fi‑ nancing needs of local entrepre‑ neurs and real estate developers. Additionally, the city is pro‑ posing the establishment of a revolving loan fund to support neighborhood development, as well as small and minority busi‑ nesses seeking expansion fi‑ nancing. This fund will provide access to a flexible source of capital that can be used in com‑ bination with more conventional sources. The initial fund level is envisioned to be between $1.8 million and $2 million. Does the city have any particu‑ lar target industries that it is pursuing? Chapman: We recognize that bio‑sciences, education and health care are among the key drivers of the regional economy. However, the new DECD plans to conduct a more thorough re‑ view and analysis of the cityʼs competitive advantages prior to etching in stone a sector or in‑ dustry strategy. Our approach will be to identify industry clus‑ ter groups so that pooled re‑ sources can be directed towards supporting research and devel‑ opment and new technologies coming out of these groups. We have seen this concept develop at the BioTech Park and believe it can happen elsewhere in the city. We are keeping a close eye on some exciting new industries in the realm of sustainability and transportation logistics that

are emerging as growth indus‑ tries. These types of industries appear to be a good ﬁt for Rich‑ mond. It is also important to recognize that retaining the businesses we have is every bit as important to the city as re‑ cruiting new businesses. We are placing a priority on job reten‑ tion and growing the ﬁrms that have already invested here. What makes Richmond a viable place to do business? And how is it being marketed? Ferrara: As Virginiaʼs capital city, Richmond is fortunate to have a number of attributes that make it very desirable for businesses. Its central location along the eastern United States makes it ac‑ cessible̶55% of the nationʼs con‑ sumers are within two daysʼ delivery by truck to or from Rich‑ mond. A transportation system that is strategically integrated with the interstates, rail, ports, Rich‑ mond is an attractive location for transportation‑related industries. Our tax rates for unemploy‑ ment, machinery and equipment, and property make us a compara‑ tively low‑cost place to do business. Richmond has a strong and talented workforce. In todayʼs environment, intellectual capital is one of the most important drivers for business to locate and stay in an area. We are for‑ tunate to have many quality in‑ stitutions of higher education that produce educated candi‑ dates for prospective employers. We also market Richmondʼs many other attributes such as quality of life, quality housing, available real estate, unique neighborhoods, diverse popula‑ tion, rich cultural history, and pleasant climate.

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Inside Economic Development

Chapman: We want to establish a more robust economic and community development agency. This department will be multi‑ disciplinary and equipped with the technical wherewithal to conceptualize and administer model programs and initiatives. We will also be able to more ef‑ fectively address the needs of real estate developers and en‑ trepreneurs, particularly those pursuing projects of scale. By partnering with the pri‑ vate and non‑proﬁt sectors, we can establish value‑added work‑ force development initiatives. We can better facilitate business attraction and retention as well as neighborhood revitalization. Overall, the reorganization will enhance our ability to be‑ come a Tier‑One city by allowing us to assume a more aggressive and strategic approach to devel‑ oping Richmond with purpose‑ ful intent and not by default. The oﬃce is moving to the Main Street Station which has been a focus of Downtown develop‑ ment. What prompted the move?

and railroad systems in the 19th century helped Richmond be‑ come one of the leading com‑ mercial cities of the South. Looking out to the future, the Jones Administrationʼs eﬀorts to bring High Speed Rail to Main Street Station in the 21st century could have an equally transfor‑ mational impact on Richmond.

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R ECENTLY , M AYOR J ONES REORGANIZED HIS ECONOMIC GROWTH STRATEGY TO CREATE THE D EPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT (DECD). GREATER RICHMOND GRID CAUGHT UP WITH P ETER C HAPMAN , D EPUTY C HIEF A DMINISTRATIVE O FFICER AND J ANE F ERRARA , CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER OF DECD FOR A LOOK AT THE NEW DEPARTMENT AND THEIR EFFORTS TO COMPETE NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY FOR BUSINESS .

MOMENTUM

Legal Brief

Open for Business AMAZING TALES OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP

VICKI DANIEL Vicki Daniel worked in ﬁnancial services for over 20 years in a vari‑ ety of technology roles. She had an opportunity to ʻbe set freeʼ as she puts it and decided it was time for something entirely diﬀerent, some‑ thing fun, something on her own. She and I met when a co‑worker suggested that she speak with me about franchising. When I met with Vicki, she wanted to get away from the cor‑ porate bureaucracy. She wanted something of her own that she could grow. She also wanted self‑ fulfillment.

She wanted something of her own that she could grow. She also wanted self-fulfillment. In our conversations, we un‑ covered that she envisioned self‑ fulfillment coming from feeling like she was providing a service that was needed and that was helping others. Through our discovery process, College Nannies & Tutors seemed to fit many of Vickiʼs goals. By offering customized nanny or tutor placement services, she would be able to provide a re‑ source to the community that helps families grow stronger. She felt she would be proud to own it and she saw lots of growth potential. Best of all she thought it would be fulfilling and fun. Vicki launched College Nan‑ nies & Tutors in the spring of 2008. As the 2‑year anniversary rolls around, College Nannies & Tutors of Richmond was honored as a “Rock Star Franchise” at the 2010

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BY ROBIN SMITH

College Nannies & Tutors annual national conference. The Rock Star award recog‑ nizes outstanding achievement by exceeding franchisor benchmarks not only in revenue, but also in an‑ nual growth, proﬁtability, and op‑ erational performance. There were 7 franchisees awarded out of 50+ eligible locations. Vicki noted that “Our nannies and tutors are the reason for our success as they continually provide exceptional service to our client families. We are excited to continue to build stronger families through‑ out Richmond with our customized, role‑model solutions for child care and academic tutoring.” College Nannies & Tutors pro‑ vides full time, part time or on‑call nanny services as well as in‑home one‑on‑one customized tutoring. For more information, visit www.collegenannies.com Robin Smith is the owner of The Entrepreneur's Source. www.e‑sourceva.com.

THE SHIELD, THE SWORD & THE NEW IDEA What is a patent worth? Like any‑ thing else, it is worth what you can get for it. In the high‑stakes high‑ tech arena, some of the biggest deals are reached through large lawsuits. The BlackBerry suit here in Richmond a few years ago re‑ sulted in a $612.5 million payment to the plaintiff. Another national patent suit with local connections resulted in a $35 million jury ver‑ dict against eBay. The basics of the famous patent battles are familiar. An in‑ ventor convinces the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that its invention is new (both original and recent), useful, and is not obvious to people with general knowledge in that area. From there, a patent is awarded. At some point the owner finds some‑ one who seems to be practicing the invention without permission. The first part of this year has seen a number of household technology names starting up new patent fights, and one new patent that may or may not find its way into court.

Apple Sues One of Googleʼs Phone‑Making Partners Apple recently sued HTC, the maker of an iPhone competitor that runʼs Google software. Apple claims that HTC Android phones violate 20 (yes, thatʼs two‑zero) Apple patents related to the iPhone “user interface, underlying architecture, and hardware.” Google and Facebook Both Sued for Mobile News Feeds Meanwhile, Facebook and Google were sued a few weeks ago by a company claiming infringement of a patent on technology that ad‑ dresses (a) mobile data technology similar to what the parties fought about in the BlackBerry case, com‑ bined with (b) news feed features similar to the ones covered by a patent that Facebook just re‑ ceived. That is a simpliﬁcation of the patent by plaintiﬀ Winksite, which says that its technology dates back to 2004. The progress and the result of this controversy will be interesting to watch.

Marketing Maven MANAGING GREAT EXPECTATIONS In this day and age with communi‑ cation here, there and everywhere, managing your REPUTATION is crit‑ ical whether youʼre marketing a companyʼs product or service, or even yourself. Your reputation can seriously help or hinder your core mission and your bottom line. While reputation is closely tied to brand, they are not the same. A reputation can help you manage expectations. No matter what you are marketing, you es‑ sentially want your reputation to reﬂect reliability. You want to be seen as a problem solver. So, how do you build such a reputation? Share. Whether your expertise is about a service or product, start sharing! Share in more than one place: speak at events, publish an article, start a blog and comment on others. Social media has expanded your options and opportunities for building one‑ on‑one relationships. Use Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn̶you have knowledge to share̶so give up the goods! Ultimately, the ﬁrst step is to start participating.

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BY JENNIFER YEAGER

Be conﬁdent, but not arrogant. It makes an enormous diﬀerence if you believe in what youʼre selling, you believe in your organization

It makes an enormous difference if you believe in what you’re selling, you believe in your organization and you believe in your ability to sell it. and you believe in your ability to sell it. It bolsters conﬁdence. Exuding confidence leads others to trust you. And isnʼt that what maintaining a good reputa‑ tion is all about? Caution: Itʼs a slippery slope to arrogance. Be sure you pack your conﬁdence with a good dose of hu‑ mility and grace. Vicki Daniel

Network! Network! Network! There is a saying, “itʼs not about what you know, itʼs about who you know,” and it exists for a reason. Yes, the “what” is important too, but knowing the right people is one of the best ways to market anything and everything. Get out there and make contacts and create relation‑ ships in your industry, in the media and your community, whether itʼs a physical or a virtual one. When it comes to building upon your repu‑ tation, the more people who see you as an expert in your ﬁeld and as one that has connections to re‑ sources to solve problems, the bet‑ ter. As your network grows, so does your “sphere of inﬂuence.” Be consistent. No matter what medium you use to market your reputation, stay consis‑ tent. Humans are skeptical by nature, and keeping all actions consistent with your intended reputation is crit‑ ical to gaining trust and respect. Itʼs also the key to keeping it. Jennifer Yeager is the Marketing Communications Manager for the Greater Richmond Partnership, Inc.

Robin Smith

Jennifer Yeager

Customer Service BY CHRIS GATEWOOD

But is Facebook headed oﬀ to court? Not necessarily. Facebook applied for its news feed patent in 2006, when the BlackBerry mobile email suit was going strong. Facebook saw RIM (the BlackBerry company) ﬁghting

Defense is a valuable use of a corporate patent portfolio. If a company has patents covering its products or business methods, it can counter any challenges with its own infringement claims, it can agree to cross‑license the patents, or demonstrate that it is simply op‑ erating within the scope of its own patent. Not a bad investment for Facebook, and depending on the developing details of the Winksite suit, it may come in handy for Face‑ book sooner rather than later. Chris Gatewood is a Richmond lawyer with the ﬁrm of Hirschler Fleischer, P.C.

Leadership

A SHARED VISION

My preferred deﬁnition of leadership is “communicating a shared vision, and inspiring others to achieve it.” My last column discussed the im‑ portance of communication as well as basic techniques to determine what information must be shared with whom. Now we turn to the sec‑ ond component of leadership, a shared vision. Creating a shared vision begins with your mission, which is a simple clear statement of who your busi‑ ness serves and how you serve them. We cannot serve our cus‑ tomers (or market to them) if we do not know who they are. Nor can we properly serve them if we do not know what that means. Once you have framed your mission, determine your desired end‑state. This is your concept of what a completed mission will look like. It is results‑oriented and, de‑ pending on your business, quantiﬁ‑ able. The tricky part is making sure your desired end‑state is realistic given your mission and the current economic operating environment. Next are your goals. Once you know the mission and desired end‑ Chris Gatewood

BY MARK MATTHEWS

state for your business, you can de‑ termine your own list of goals. Ask yourself what things you must ac‑ complish to complete that mission. This is not an action plan, but merely a list of the building blocks that are the foundation of your de‑ sired end‑state. Finally, once you have your list of goals that you must achieve to complete your mission, determine your plan of execution. This is the step‑by‑step methodology of how you will accomplish each goal. The successful plan of execution deter‑ mines what resources are necessary, the order for accomplishing each step, and what external coordina‑ tion is necessary, and identiﬁes con‑ ﬂicts between dates and resources so they can be resolved. Developing the shared vision is crucially important to your business. To serve our customers best, we must know who they are, the ways we serve them, what successful serv‑ ice looks like, and the step‑by‑step execution to make it happen.

AUTHENTIC ENGAGEMENT Most would agree the world changed in 2009. As a result there has been a shift in customer be‑ haviors, attitudes and expecta‑ tions. Great opportunity exists for those businesses that not only rec‑ ognize this shift, but develop and implement a customer engage‑ ment process strategically aligned with it. Every business should be re‑ assessing their business approach and institutionalizing smart strate‑ gies to emerge in a better position than their competition. The only way to do this effectively is to first take a look at how 2009 influenced the consumerʼs mindset. Customers have been disap‑ pointed. Too often businesses over promise and under deliver. This has been especially true during this eco‑ nomic downturn. Many companies have been so concerned about “getting the client” they have failed to establish the right expectations early on. As a result, customers have been disillusioned and find it diffi‑ cult to trust. Companies who re‑ strain from promising more than they can deliver while delivering more than they promise are posi‑ tioned to develop loyal and long‑ lasting customer relationships. Customers have become more vocal. Technology advance‑ ments and generational as well as cultural influences play a major role in how freely consumers now com‑ municate their experiences. The so‑

Attorney Mark Matthews owns The Matthews Law Group, P.L.L.C. thematthewslawgroup.com Mark Matthews

Tom McCormick

BY TOM MCCORMICK

cial media revolution has provided a stage as well as an audience for consumers to share their experi‑ ences. Brand reputation manage‑ ment is now essential and should be integrated into every companyʼs business process. With consumer trust and confidence at a low point, customers are not only watching, they are talking too. Customers are seeking au‑ thenticity. We have never, at any point in our history, been more transparent than we are now. Cus‑ tomers want to feel connected with the people they are doing business with. Many businesses have fallen into the trap of at‑ tempting to be all things to all peo‑ ple. This rarely works. Consumers are looking to work with people who arenʼt afraid to tell them what they can and canʼt do. This level of honesty and au‑ thenticity is highly respected by todayʼs customer. Good companies are willing to be upfront and hon‑ est about their core competencies and abilities. 2009 has definitely changed the way consumers behave. Suc‑ cessful companies acknowledge this while seeking to be smarter and more deliberate in their cus‑ tomer engagement efforts. Moving forward, service quality and the customer experience will be the key differentiator. Tom McCormick is the founder and CEO of Top Notch Richmond

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Momentum

Some of the claims of its new patent, granted in February, focus on how Facebook gener‑ ates its news feed, and not just the feed itself. If it cared to, Face‑ book could probably take any number of user‑generated‑ content sites to court over its new news feed patent. We could be looking at Facebook v. Twitter, Google, MySpace, and most of Web 2.0.

tooth and nail for its right to use its fundamental technology. Face‑ book may have wondered, “What if someone else gets a patent on technology central to our business model?” If so, Facebookʼs news feed patent may spend most of its life as a shield rather than a sword.

WORK

Facebook Patents News Feed What are we to make of Face‑ bookʼs new patent that would give it exclusive rights to use or license technology for “dynami‑ cally providing a news feed about a user of a social network”?

RICHMONDJOBNET CELEBRATES ITS FIRST YEAR WITH UPGRADES RichmondJobNet.com, a career re‑ source tool of the Greater Richmond Partnership, Inc., celebrated its one‑ year anniversary by launching new web site enhancements that in‑ clude:

• a job search tool • a listing of career‑focused blogs • a career assessment tool • links to help job seekers learn more about the regionʼs quality of life. Gregory H. Wingﬁeld, CEO and president of the Greater Richmond Partnership, Inc., said, “ With work‑

force as one of our top selling fea‑ tures for businesses looking to expand or locate in our area, itʼs im‑ perative to nurture our talent pool.” Sara Dunnigan, senior vice president at the Partnership and program manager for Richmond‑ JobNet, said, “We recognized there are hundreds of online job boards which makes it difficult for jobseek‑ ers. On the RichmondJobNet site, we list some great local job boards and now feature a simple job search function to make it even easier for job seekers to find opportunities in Greater Richmond.” For some users the online community associated with the site becomes a type of support system. Lauren Rinker who recently obtained a copywriter position with a Rich‑ mond direct‑marketing firm says, “I follow Rich‑ mondJobNet.com on Twitter, and when I put out a call for help about Rinker an upcoming interview, they responded with very helpful tips that helped me land my current job. When I told them that I had got the job, they asked me for any inter‑ view tips I learned, which I happily contributed as a ʻThank Youʼ for their help.“ Rinker also adds, “It felt great knowing that I had such a re‑ liable resource that really helped me, rather than just sending my re‑ sume out and crossing my fingers.”

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Courting Innovation To Create Jobs NOW MORE THAN EVER, PROMOTING AWARENESS OF THE GREATER RICHMOND REGIONʼS VIABILITY FOR NEW BUSINESS WILL HELP TURN THE ECONOMY AROUND . BY GENE WINTER

We see it in the daily news. Concerns about unemployment in this difficult economy have been at the forefront of recovery discus‑ sions. To a large extent, the focus on job creation has been on ac‑ tions the government has taken to resolve the economic crisis. But those of us in the economic development profession know that gov‑ ernment policies̶no matter how pro‑business̶will not produce sustained job creation without expansion in the private sector. The formula for attracting new business to the region (and with it new job creation) isnʼt mysterious̶itʼs just not an easily predictable process. Methods for selecting a region in which to move a business are as diverse as the types of industry and the de‑ cision‑makers who lead the companies. Having said that however, like the ʻlocation, location, locationʼ mantra for selling real estate, one common principle for all corporate relocations is that it has to, in some way, “be good for business.” And, like selling real estate (or suc‑ “Government cessfully selling anything for that matter), building confi‑ policies— dence that the region is a good no matter how fit for companies requires pro-business— strategy and establishing will not produce strong, ongoing relationships sustained job with your clients. You have to creation without become familiar with each companyʼs unique set of re‑ expansion in the quirements and grasp what is private sector.” motivating their search. Our marketing trips are strategic and integrated on several lev‑ els: industry focus, geographic location, related marketing venues, and building on existing business connections. This multilayered approach leverages the strength of the region, its marketing pro‑ fessionals, and opportunities both domestically and internationally. For example on a marketing initiative in the winter of 2010 to California representatives from Chesterfield, Hanover, and Henrico Counties and I zeroed in on leads that our research had shown would be viable candidates for relocating to the region. Preparation for the trip included local business intelligence and lead generation company 310 Marketing. Several business clusters were selected jointly by the team that are a good fit for Greater Richmond and show location op‑ portunities for west coast companies needing an east coast pres‑ ence. The targets included green and clean technologies, life sciences, medical devices and equipment, food processing, and lo‑ gistics related firms. In addition to direct appointments with individual companies, the team spent time at the Photonics West Conference and Exhibi‑ tion held in San Francisco. Exhibiting companies from the UK, Scandinavia, Germany, Israel, and Switzerland were targeted. Eight Swiss companies were identified that expressed interest in attend‑

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Lauren Rinker

Sara Dunnigan

ing an Investment Seminar hosted by Ambassador Don Beyer and the Partnership that was held in Zurich in mid‑March. While in Southern Califor‑ nia, a visit was scheduled with the North American headquar‑ ters of a local company operat‑ ing in Greater Richmond. This visit supported a planned ex‑ pansion of the facility plus un‑ covered a new lead related to another corporate project. Business consultants with active prospects were also met and briefed during the trip. One sub‑set of the green and clean technologies cluster that showed real promise was Alternative Energy. Victory Cir‑ cle Fuels, based in Los Angeles, has developed a process that takes solid waste destined for landfills and converts it to a bio‑ diesel product that can be used for fuel for fleets and vehicles. The company is interested in talking with local municipalities about taking their waste stream and then selling them the bio‑ diesel fuel for public transit and government vehicles. Another firm out of North‑ ern California, Sirona Fuels, is interested in bringing its alter‑ native fuel process to the east coast. The company collects waste cooking oil and grease from restaurants and food processors and converts the waste to bio‑diesel. These are examples of the kinds of new companies that would do well relocating to the region. As we are excited about our connections to these innova‑ tive industries, it is also impor‑ tant to understand that corporate moves are usually done only after due diligence in exploring all aspects of the move. Relocation decisions can happen in six months or some cases years. But when they do occur, ultimately jobs are cre‑ ated for the regionʼs unem‑ ployed and underemployed. Gene Winter has served as Senior Vice President at the Greater Richmond Partnership, Inc. since 1994.

Gene Winter

The Biz Boost: Connecting the Dots BY KAREN AYLWARD

Freak Factor – Using your weaknesses to land your dream job. RichmondJobNet interviews Dave Rendall, creator of the Freak Factor, who talks about ways to bring out your potential rather than trying to conform to an impossible standard. This thought provoking conversa‑ tion is ideal for those looking for a new job, a new career,

Even for an industrial leader like Sealeze, a manufacturer of industrial brushes, breaking into international markets required connecting with the right players.

Karen Aylward

DAVID RENDALL

considering busi‑ ness ownership, or seeking inspiration for personal growth. “Change your thinking from ʻwhatʼs wrong with meʼ to ʻWhatʼs wrong with the situation that Iʼm in and how can I ﬁnd one that better ﬁts meʼ instead of trying to cram yourself in a situation thatʼs not really a good match. “ “Your weakness can be your strength. If youʼre accused of being critical, perhaps there is a job for you to be a food, movie, or art critic.” GUS IURILLO Entrepreneur Source – Your next career move may be owning your own business. Is it time to con‑

Sealeze enters VALET with a more focused and specialized approach. In the next two years, they plan to make connections in several new international markets: Germany, India, and South Africa. “I would not have been able to make this connection with Sealeze if it was not for Business First,” said Myrick. “As a result, Sealeze is aggressively develop‑ ing their international sales, which beneﬁts their operations in Chesterﬁeld County.”

sider becoming your own boss? RichmondJobNet talks to business ownership coach, Gus Iurillo, Man‑ aging Director with Entrepreneur Source. Gus talks about the diﬀer‑ ence between start‑ups and fran‑ chises, how to decide if business ownership is right for you, and ﬁnancing.

Find out more @ www.businessﬁrstrichmond.com

“Business ownership is right for more people than they give themselves credit for.”

Karen Aylward is a development Man‑ ager‑Existing, Small, & Minority Busi‑ ness for Chesterﬁeld County.

www.richmondjobnet.com /index.php/podcasts

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Companies & Careers

Getting from point A to point B in business isnʼt always a clearly discernable path. Think about it. Just because you may have the ex‑ pertise and your company may be strong on producing great prod‑ ucts, doesnʼt necessarily mean youʼll succeed. Your products have to get in the hands of those consumers who find value and appre‑ ciate your wares. What is even more challenging is that, as you do become suc‑ cessful in your market, you have to constantly find new consumers to maintain mo‑ mentum. All business needs to grow in some form or another to keep pace with competitors or to expand into new product lines. Now think of the daunt‑ ing implications when a local company seeks to expand into international markets. As an initiative designated to assist local business, Busi‑ ness First Greater Richmond acts as a catalyst for connect‑ ing business owners to those folks who can assist in the companyʼs growth. This process requires that we spend time and thoroughly evaluate companies to under‑ stand each entityʼs set of chal‑ lenges and goals. For example, in 2007 the Business First Chesterfield team met with Sealeze to identify ways to help support their business needs. Sealeze is an industry leader in providing brush solutions to a broad range of industrial applications. They manufacture industrial brushes that seal, shield, guide, close gaps, clean and control static in a variety of manufacturing fields to improve the operations and efficiency of their client businesses. Located in Chesterfield County, they develop, assemble and export all of their products from right here in the Richmond area. Through a Business First interview, I learned of Sealezeʼs in‑ terest in international trade. By relaying this goal to a member of our program's international trade resource team, Mark Myrick, an International Trade Manager at the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, contacted Sealeze and introduced their services. As a company new to exporting, Sealeze entered VEDPʼs Ac‑ cessing International Markets (AIM) program. AIM uses training and guidance from expert consultants to help companies tap into new international markets. Sealeze utilized this program to iden‑ tify Mexico as a promising target market and participated in a trade

PODCASTS FOR POLISHING YOUR PROFESSION

WORK

THEREʼS GENERAL NETWORKING, AND THEN THEREʼS NETWORKING WITH A SPECIFIC GOAL IN MIND. THATʼS WHERE BUSINESS FIRST COMES INTO PLAY.

mission to Mexico in November of 2008, where VEDP had arranged meetings with 15 po‑ tential clients for Sealeze. Now ready to further ex‑ pand their international busi‑ ness, Sealeze has entered into a new program this year. Virginia Leaders in Export Trade (VALET) is a two‑year program which oﬀers a powerful combi‑ nation of capital resources pro‑ vided by the state along with professional services from ex‑ pert, private‑sector partners. Using the skills they learned in the AIM program,

INNOVATORS

ike many in this economic climate, Mark Lilly found himself out of work in July of 2009. So what did he do about it? He decided to take a family hobby of farming and a run‑down school bus and turn it into the unique and growing mobile farmerʼs market that he calls Farm to Family. One look inside the Farm to Familyʼs white bus shows abundant baskets of potatoes,

GREEN BUSINESS: For Lilly, his venture is a boon to the local eco and economic climates.

Farm to Family

Crown Acura

Stratos took her career in a totally diﬀerent direction.

ven though art was her pas‑ sion at VCU in the 1980s, Theodora Stratos took her career in a totally diﬀerent direc‑ tion and she has been incredibly successful. She ended up in luxury car sales on the west coast work‑ ing in Newport Beach, CA at the largest Mercedes dealership in the country. She finally decided to re‑ turn to Richmond, and it seems like it was a smart career move on her part. Stratos is currently the general manager of Crown Acura on Broad Street. In fact, she was the first female for Crown Auto‑ motive Group of 20 dealerships, a subsidiary of the Asbury Automo‑ tive Group. Under her leadership, Crown Acura has won six highly‑coveted Dealership of Distinction awards̶ the latest one in 2009̶which is Acuraʼs most prestigious honor. The Dealership of Distinction Award is given to select dealers that excel in providing an exceptional client ex‑ perience to include client satisfac‑ tion, training, and facility operations. Crown Acura of Richmond is among only 76 out of 263 Acura automo‑ bile dealerships in the United States to meet or exceed the award stan‑ dards to qualify for the Dealership of Distinction award. “We are honored to be recog‑

PHOTO: CHRIS OWENS

sells produce, dry goods and juices all produced from within 150 miles of Richmond. This is a big part of why buy‑ ing local is economical as well as environmentally responsible. Liv‑ ing off the land may seem anti‑ quated and outdated alongside modern grocery superstores, but Lilly says “humans have grown, preserved, and hunted their own food up to only 200 years ago.”

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nized as one of the best dealer‑ ships in the country for the sixth time,” says Stratos. “This elite award is a tremendous honor for Crown Acura and speaks volumes about our ﬁne team of employees who I believe are nothing short of world class.” The Dealership of Distinction Award was established by American Honda Motor Company in 1991 to recognize its Acura dealerships for exhibiting excellence across all areas of operation. This is the sixth time that Crown Acura of Richmond has received Acuraʼs highest dealer‑ ship honor. The Dealership of Dis‑ tinction status is based on achieving all objectives established for the Precision Team program. “Our dealership was given the year to achieve a rigorous set of ob‑ jectives to prove that we were wor‑ thy of Acura's most prestigious award,” continues Stratos. “All award criteria were established to enhance the client experience. Most measures of our performance were based on actual client feed‑ back and survey scores. These stan‑ dards guarantee that our clientsʼ ownership experience will be as ex‑ clusive as our high‑performance Acura automobiles.”

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greens, and apples lining the aisle. “The current system of food distribution is relying on a finite resource: fossil fuel,” Lilly says, donning cowboy hat. By travel‑ ing large distances with pro‑ duce, the current food distribution system is tapping out our fossil fuel resource. Farm to Family, on the other hand,

Farm to Family

Farm to Familyʼs innovative take on food supply is helping wake up overworked consumers who Lilly says have been too willing to get their food from large grocers and the fast food industry at cost to its nutritional value and our finite fuel resources. ARTICLE & PHOTO BY ELLIOT CRANE

Elliot Crane

Rx3 Compounding Pharmacy WORK

or their 11th annual banquet, the Chesterfield County Chamber of Commerce de‑ cided on a jungle theme, but that was the easy part. How would they actually turn that idea into a profes‑ sional, upscale event, especially since Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling was the featured speaker? They put their trust in Woody Thomas and his company, Magic Special Events. And according to Robin Hogge, events coordinator for the Chesterfield Chamber, it couldnʼt have turned out any better. “Working with Woody Thomas and his staff at Magic Special Events

makes my job as the Director of Events for the Chesterfield County Chamber of Commerce almost seamless,” says Hogge. “Woody and his team decorated the Ballroom with life‑size jungle animals, gi‑ raffes, lions, cheetahs, tiki bars, flaming torches and more. Special lighting and audio visual compo‑ nents made the room look like a true jungle. Woody has a true gift and loves what he does; therefore, he is truly a joy to work with!” Because of his interest in magic at a young age, Woodward C. “Woody” Thomas worked his way through college performing at

ealth Diagnostic Labora‑ tory, Inc. (HDL, Inc.)̶a dy‑ namic new undertaking at the Virginia BioTechnology Re‑ search Park̶is advancing medi‑ cine with a new preventative model to chronic disease management. The process presents a monumen‑ tal shift in the way physicians test for life threatening conditions. “The medical community is no longer conﬁned to limited lab results, and is now in a position to more accurately detect the unex‑ pected,” explains Tonya Mallory, President and CEO, HDL, Inc. Be‑ fore launching HDL, Inc. with a cadre of leading medical authori‑ ties, Mallory amassed extensive experience in the technical, regu‑ latory, and business development areas of the lab industry in the US, Brazil, Europe, and Japan. Bringing this experience to Richmondʼs newest advanced laboratory, Mal‑

lory and her team are of‑ fering comprehensive panels of tests that can help physicians personal‑ ize treatment based on an expanded, total pa‑ tient proﬁle. As a result, HDL, Inc. helps docs provide evi‑ dence‑based treatments and earlier detection of risk factors that can pre‑ dispose their patients to disease. In other words, this new preventive model uses the most ad‑ vanced tools available today to help predict coronary heart disease events and other angio‑ graphic disease. Medical terminology aside, Mallory and com‑ pany move beyond lim‑ ited tests, such as “good”

H PHOTO: COURTESY OF VIRGINIA BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH PARK

Because of his interest in magic, Thomas worked his way through college performing at birthday parties and special events.

Woody Thomas

Tonya Mallory

birthday parties and special events. As the demand for his services grew, so too did his business. Soon, he had added balloon arrange‑ ments, decorations, amusement rides and novelty entertainment to the services he provided. To meet the growing number of requests for his unique brand of entertainment, Thomas estab‑ lished a full‑service event company called Magic Special Events. He purchased a 21,000 square foot warehouse that is now full of props, costumes, signs, and thousands of other party favors. With a solid reputation for ex‑

HDL, Inc.

Mallory:“We work as a partner to both physicians and patients to better understand disease.”

cellence, the company prides itself on handling any type of event re‑ quest. The companyʼs client base includes major Fortune 500 compa‑ nies, colleges and universities, and distinguished personalities, and they have produced thousands of events from Pennsylvania to South Carolina. From backyard family get‑ togethers with amusement rides to prestigious black‑tie grand‑scale social gatherings, Magic Special Events has earned a reputation in Richmond as the go‑to company for fun, interactive events. ARTICLE & PHOTO BY DAVID SMITHERMAN

and “bad” cholesterol, and instead focus on all of the components and risk factors that can impact an individualʼs health. “After 50‑plus years of re‑ search it is now proven that physicians must measure more in order to understand a patientʼs overall risks,” says Mallory. “We work as a partner to both physi‑ cians and patients to better un‑ derstand disease and provide support to identify and reverse health risks.” HDL, Inc.ʼs advanced test‑ ing options, according to Mal‑ lory will ultimately “allow physicians around the country to better understand their pa‑ tientsʼ disease on a personal level and to support the achieve‑ ment of health in a way that was never before possible.” BY COURTNEY SKUNDA

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Magic Special Events

Virginia Business Opportunity Fair TRACEY G. JETER, PRESIDENT & CEO OF THE VIRGINIA MINORITY SUPPLIER DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL, PREVIEWS THE MAY 3‑4TH EVENT Why does the VMSDC put on this event? Jeter: The Virginia Minority Sup‑ plier Development Council (VMSDC) is an aﬃliate of the Na‑ tional Minority Supplier Devel‑ opment Council (NMSDC) and its mission is to facilitate relation‑ ships between its corporate members and certiﬁed minority suppliers. It is our hope that net‑ working events like the annual Virginia Business Opportunity Fair (VBOF) provide a platform for networking, sharing of best practices in supplier diversity and development. It also creates

an awareness of the fact that supplier diversity is, and contin‑ ues to be, an essential compo‑ nent of doing business in the commonwealth and around the country. Can you talk a little bit about the theme of this yearʼs event? Jeter: The Virginia Council is in‑ terested in sharing information on emerging industries and edu‑ cating suppliers on trends to watch in the areas of manufac‑ turing, technology and̶the $1.3 trillion industry̶healthcare. We are exploring and preparing our minority suppliers to grow their

businesses in areas that will be in demand, where major corpora‑ tions will seek out innovative so‑ lutions. Who would benefit by attending? Jeter: Everyone can benefit from attending; however, we target small‑, women‑ and minority‑ owned businesses since they are the fastest growing segment of the business sector today. Our network supports more than 125 corporate, government, financial institutions and educational or‑ ganizations in Virginia. We invite members and non‑members to join in the discussion. What kinds of workshops are available for the attendees? Jeter: A Look at Social Media for Small Business; Sustainability and Green Initiatives for Corporations and Suppliers; 2nd Tier Supplier Development; and Surviving the Economic Downturn Successfully.

JETER

Who are some of the guest speakers? Jeter: Confirmed speakers so far at the CEO, Plenary Breakfast (Roundtable) include: G. Gilmer Minor, III, Chairman, Owens & Minor; Thomas F. Ferrell, II, Chief Executive Officer of Dominion; Peter J. Bernard, Chief Executive Officer, Bon Secours Virginia; and Secretary of Commerce & Trade for the Commonwealth, Jim Cheng. But definitely checkout our web site for more updates at www.vmsdc.org.

Enjoy 40 minute narrated tours of the James River and Kanawha Canal along Richmond’s Historic Canal Walk. These covered, 35-passenger boats depart on the hour from the Turning Basin between 14th and Dock Streets from April through November. It’s the best way to explore the canal system that George Washington helped found in 1789 to enhance Virginia’s trade with the west!

For more information or to reserve a private charter, call 804.788.6466 or 804.649.2800. Visit venturerichmond.com.

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Media Evolution: The New Rules of Public Relations

AUL PICER

Johnson

O’Keefe

Saunders

Dave Saunders

VCU Brandcenter

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The New Rules of Public Relations

eet Daryl we would to a mes‑ Daryl Johnson on a vidual makes the corpo‑ Johnson. sage from a billboard, but to set ration seem more Heʼs 28 generic corporate him up with a Twitter friendly and accessible.” years old, fun‑loving, source. People handle and pipe in his Saundersʼ use of and owns a local donʼt really care to daily tweets for RVA Daryl Johnson for eS‑ lawn care company. communicate with to see on the areaʼs mart Tax, however, Oh, and heʼs the new faceless busi‑ first digital display. breaks new ground as face of public rela‑ nesses. We want to “We took one of the he injects a healthy dose tions too. know the source. oldest forms of adver‑ of personality̶and suggests Out of 552 So itʼs good to feel tising̶a billboard̶ new media̶into the is spreading “People guys in the United like there is a and integrated it with otherwise ho‑hum topic eSmart’s States with the same human behind a new technology, with of tax preparation. Best don’t name, Richmondʼs message.” social media.” of all, Johnson doesnʼt really brand own Daryl Johnson Saunders points just tweet about tax tips care message is the only one to file out that Johnson is and promotional give‑ New Opportunities, to New Players his taxes with eS‑ spreading eSmartʼs aways (he doles out 140-characters Considering the communicate mart Tax, an online brand message 140‑ $100 Visa Cash Cards), steady shift in the tax service powered characters at a time he also mixes in chatter with at a time way brands and by Liberty Tax Serv‑ using the Twitter handle about the weather, bas‑ faceless using customers commu‑ ices. If that doesnʼt @TheDarylJohnson. ketball, and personal businesses.” nicate with one an‑ sound like a big deal Johnsonʼs first mes‑ messages to friends. the Twitter other, itʼs common then youʼve probably sage, which read, to see smaller players in the not seen his bill‑ “Honk if you love Twit‑ It’s Personal & Professional handle, board yet. Thatʼs ter,” was broadcast in With personal and business business arena now going toe‑ @TheDarylJohnson. right, motor through real‑time on the out‑ profiles now colliding on social to‑toe with the big boys. With Facebook and Twitter town and youʼre door bill‑ platforms, many pro‑ all the rage, individuals are likely to spot John‑ board with fessionals looking for launching the kind of national son displayed on a flashy out‑ hundreds of mo‑ best practices are left campaigns that were once solely door billboard. And get this, his torists sounding their scratching their heads the realm of PR agencies. tweets are there too. horns with approval. about communication “There has been a steady “We build social brands,” “Insurance com‑ tools and their online rise for the past 20 years in the explains Dave Saunders, Presi‑ panies, law firms, re‑ reputation. dent & Chief Idea Officer of Rich‑ altors, medical “I think itʼs power of small entities and indi‑ mond based Madison+Main. centers and other preferable to mix viduals to communicate glob‑ looks “The “That means we look for oppor‑ professional services business and per‑ ally,” says OʼKeefe. tunities to integrate traditional firms often feature in‑ for sonal profiles,” says Internet allowed anyone to host and new media all into one ele‑ dividuals in their mar‑ “opportunities OʼKeefe of this new a web site and social networking ment. In this case, we choose keting messages,” era in public rela‑ is giving these voices new ways to integrate one of eSmart Tax customers to explains Kelly tions. “Audiences are to be heard. Weʼre seeing simi‑ traditional be the spokesperson.” OʼKeefe, Managing interested in under‑ lar things in book and ebook and What happens next is Director at the VCU standing the source publishing, independent film new media where things get interesting. Brandcenter. “When of the information and music. So we will certainly Saunders, who is known for con‑ this is done well, the they gather. We re‑ see this trend continue, but I all stantly reinventing the rules of corporate brand adds spond differently to donʼt see skilled professionals into public relations, hatched the credibility to the indi‑ messages from the becoming obsolete in any of one element.” idea of showcasing not only vidual and the indi‑ CEO of Zappos, than these industries.”

WORK

HAS SOCIAL MEDIA MADE MARKETING SO ACCESSIBLE TO USERS THAT THE ROLE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS AGEN‑ CIES IS CHANGING OR BECOMING OBSOLETE? MUCH LIKE THE COMMUNICATION AGENCIES OF TELEVISION AND NEWSPAPERS HAVE SEEN A QUICKLY‑DETERIORATING AUDIENCE FOR NEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT CON‑ TENT AS CONSUMERS ARE OFFERED OTHER OPTIONS, THE PUBLIC RELATIONS FIRMS ARE WITNESSING AN EVOLUTION WITHIN THEIR INDUSTRY. WHERE ONCE EFFORTS TO GET YOUR BRAND INTO THE PUBLIC REALM REQUIRED AN INSIDERʼS KNOWLEDGE OF NATIONAL MEDIA, TODAY MANY ARE FINDING NOTORIETY THROUGH THE MORE ACCESSIBLE MEANS OF TWITTER, FACEBOOK AND YOUTUBE. P S

DJ Williams Projekt, the six-member ensemble, continues to pick up momentum with the recent release of the band’s new album, Eleven.

RVA VIBE: MUSIC MATTERS

DJ Williams Projekt Plans Summer Performances

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friends on the road like Karl Denson (sax player for Lenny Kravitz), Galactic, and a few others to be an‑ nounced,” Williams says. While the Projekt, which Williams describes as, “a soulful ensemble of funk, rock, and jazz,” enjoys ex‑ posure and collaboration that extend far beyond the boundaries of Rich‑ mond, Williams expresses appreciation for the local music community, say‑ ing, “Some of the best musicians I have ever heard or had the pleasure of playing with are right here in Richmond. I really enjoy what we have here in terms of our local scene. So many genres, so many eclectic bands, so many ven‑ ues to capture these performances.”

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expressions are constantly evolving and expanding. This album may be indie pop and the next may be something completely different.”

Battle Flags Release New Album Guitarist and singer Jack Budd, whose self-produced CD entitled Color Engine was released on 3/7/10, is the sole member of Battle Flags. Although Budd classifies Color Engine as, “indie/electro /pop/rock,” he’s reluctant to categorize his music in general, explaining, “My tastes and musical

Anika Imajo

Originally from Manassas, Budd moved to Richmond when he was 14 and credits the local punk rock scene of that day with his early musical development. Although he notes that Richmond audiences tend to be, “less excited and engaged” than audiences in other towns he’s played, he acknowledges the creative influence that Richmond has had on him, saying, “The idiosyncrasies that make Richmond Richmond have all contributed to my music and my life.” Budd’s current plans include putting together a band and promoting his new CD on the Internet to “create a buzz.”

ALL PHOTOS THIS SPREAD COURTESY OF THE ARTISTS.

Catching up with the DJ Williams Projekt since Greater Richmond Grid ﬁrst covered them [see issue #3 Winter 2010] the band has already carved their Williams own space in the Rich‑ mond music landscape; but the six‑member en‑ semble continues to pick up momentum with the recent release of its new album, Eleven, the intro‑ duction of a new key‑ board player, and plans for an east coast tour this summer. Front man DJ Williams also says heʼs currently writing new music and preparing for some possible shows in Japan at the end of the summer. “Look for us hitting some music festivals and joining some old

BY ANIKA IMAJO

Quaker Rapper To Launch Bike Tour

While recording solo tracks in Hoboken, NJ, about a year ago, lead vo‑ calist and acoustic guitarist Gray Gurkin invited bassist and longtime friend Turtle to join him in a session. As Gurkin relates the story, by the time the Horseshoes CD was complete, there was a collection of veteran Richmond musicians in the mix and The Lost Souls emerged. Their sound, according to Gurkin, is “Americana pop rock from sweet Virginia. It deﬁnitely leans more to the rock side of things,” he says, “but with Texas and classic country inﬂuences.”

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The Lost Souls In Studio with 2nd CD Wattsʼ ambitious bike tour will cover cities from Richmond to Boston.

The Animal Beat

to Play @ Capital Ale House

Williamson

Henry High School, Watts lived in Brazil for one year and then at‑ tended college in North Carolina. He has since returned to Richmond and recently appeared in a joint show at the Camel on March 27th with his childhood friend from Ash‑ land, Jacob Williamson*, with whom he has collaborated musi‑ cally since he was 17. The Camel show also marked the launch of Wattsʼ ambitious bike tour̶cover‑ ing cities from Richmond to Boston̶which can be followed at: www.facebook.com/jonwattsmusic.

Songfest

According to Quaker rapper and spoken word poet Jon Watts, his passion for hip hop music and his profound appreciation for nature were both spawned while he was growing up in Hanover County. Watts, who was raised Quaker, ex‑ plains that his music is informed by his faith, saying, “Quakerism's basic testimonies of simplicity, equality, integrity, community, and nonvio‑ lence are foundational to my way of interacting with the world and so are woven into my songwriting.” After graduating from Patrick

Singer‑songwriter and Ashland native Jacob Williamson has been playing guitar and singing since he was ten. “I started writing music almost immediately,” he says, “I even have some old demos that I used to pass out to kids in 7th grade!” Inﬂuenced by blues and folk, Williamson studied jazz and classical gui‑ tar at the Shenandoah Conservatory of Music, spent some time playing with a number of ac‑ complished musicians in New York, traveled around Europe and the southwest, and is now back in Richmond ﬁnishing his classical guitar studies at VCU. In March he released his new CD, Frequencies and Figures.

The Animal Beat formed when lead vocalists and gui‑ tarists Travis Tucker and Jeff Linka, who had been playing music together for a couple of years, were joined one year ago by three other musicians who would complete the sound. Linka, who describes the bandʼs music as “airy pop rock with some indie influ‑ ences,” says that what began as an endeavor to play one show by the end of last summer exploded into 10‑ 12 shows by the end of 2009 and the filming of an acoustic documentary, part of the VCU Amped series, that periodically airs on PBS. The Animal Beat, who will do a show with Lost Satellites and Palominos at Capital Ale House (downtown location) on April 24th, are also preparing to start work on their first full‑length CD and to take their show out of town to Charlottesville, DC, and parts of North Carolina.

Currently working on their second full‑length CD, the ﬁve‑member band plays at festivals, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Triple, and Poeʼs Pub, and will seek gigs outside of Virginia in the coming months. Commenting on the support that Richmond musicians show one an‑ other by attending each otherʼs shows, Gurkin encourages music fans in general to do the same. “I love the whole social media thing,” he says, “but I would ask people to actually show up at a venue to support the bands instead of waiting for the photos to pop up on Facebook. Be a part of it. Itʼs fun, itʼs real!”

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FUN & GAMES

YEAH, SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO BE THERE! FABULOUS DOWNTOWN EVENTS YOU WONʼT WANT TO MISS! Dominion Riverrock Thatʼs right, the rockinʼ, white‑waterinʼ, mud‑ stompinʼ Brownʼs Island extravaganza returns with more flying bikes, leaping dogs and new events. The second annual weekend of pure en‑ tertainment will be held May 14‑15th. Produced by Sports Backers and Venture Richmond, Dominion Riverrock is a two‑day fes‑ tival that celebrates Richmondʼs vibrant and ac‑ tive river life. The event boasts a series of sporting competitions including running, mountain bik‑ ing, kayaking, rowing, freestyle biking and ulti‑ mate air dogs, along with musical performances, food vendors and exhibits. This yearʼs acts include bluesy and soulful rock outfit, Grace Potter and The Nocturnals as well as a funk and soul group, Robert Randolph and the Family Band. Other performers include local bands Antero and Farm Vegas. Kayak Big Air adds to the antics for the first time at the event̶uh‑huh, you read that right̶a contest of extreme kayaking with tricks and flips. The Filthy 5k Mud Run is back for those of you who love a personal challenge and squishy thrills of being covered in Virginiaʼs finest red clay. www.dominionriverrock.com

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will determine who has the “To Die For” Dish of Richmond. All this plus dessert? Are you kidding me! www.broadappetit.com

WORLD BEER FESTIVAL

RICHMOND RAIDERS tiful Chickahominy River in Williamsburgʼs Chickahominy River‑ front Park. This year, organizers are again oﬀering the BikeBeat 15‑mile Family Ride on the beautiful Virginia Capital Trail in James City County. Riders will be treated to Virginiaʼs most stunning scenery while pedal‑ ing through 400 years of history. www.virginiacapitaltrail.org

2010 KOMEN RICHMOND RACE FOR THE CURE

FRIDAY CHEERS Venture Richmondʼs signature summer concert series, Friday Cheers, presented by Coors Light and Yuengling, is back on Brownʼs Island for its 26th season and prom‑ ises to feature some of the nationʼs hottest touring acts, along with some regional favorites. The series kicks oﬀ Friday, May 7, and contin‑ ues Fridays through June 25, 6:00‑ 9:30 p.m. All events are on Brownʼs Island along Downtown Rich‑ mondʼs beautiful historic riverfront. Friday Cheers will oﬀer seven con‑ certs and is focused on a variety of performers that may only be in the region once this summer. Friday Cheers is a Richmond institution! www.venturerichmond.com

VAʼS ROCKETTS LANDING CAP2CAP 2010 Produced by The Virginia Capital Trail Foundation, the annual Cap2Cap (Capital to Capital) Bike Ride will be held on May 8th. Par‑ ticipants choose routes of 25, 50 or 100 miles; then their starting loca‑ tion, Downtown Richmond along the James River in the Rocketts Landing Village, or beside the beau‑

hope that ﬁfty people would join them. To Jennifer's surprise over 1,200 gathered at the starting line that Mother's Day weekend. Now in its 13th year, the road race for run‑ ners and walkers is on Saturday, May 8th on Brownʼs Island. www.komenrichmond.org

ANTHEM STRIDE THROUGH TIME Showcasing Richmondʼs treasure‑ trove of historic sites, the June 5th 10k walk incorporates diﬀerent “pockets” of discovery and follows existing walking tour routes. The event is put on by the Richmond Sports Backers in partnership with Historic Richmond Foundation and the Valentine Richmond History Center. A historical theme high‑ lights the entertainment through‑ out the Downtown course. The many museums along the 6‑mile route provide opportunities to sample the wealth of exhibits in Downtown Richmond highlighting the cityʼs 400‑year history. High‑en‑ ergy bands mixed in between the

STONE SOUL MUSIC AND FOOD FESTIVAL Brownʼs Island outdoor stage oﬀers a variety of performers and fea‑ tures Gospel and R&B artists on June 5th. But the fun doesnʼt end there, as soul food vendors also provide regional favorites. Last yearʼs event brought over 8,000

people and featured a kids zone, business and clothing vendors, tasty options from a dozen area restaurants. Barbeque plus Rythym and Blues on Brownʼs Island̶got to love summers in Richmond!

BROAD APPÉTIT Is the food any good? Well, if 18,000 people attended and no one went home hungry as they did at last yearʼs event that ought to tell you something. Returning on June 6th, this epicurian bonanza brings ven‑ dors, chefs and cullinary exotica to Broad Street between Monroe and Adams Streets. Competitions in‑ clude more than 50 of Richmondʼs

very best chefs preparing $3 mini‑ dish favorites for you to enjoy. Each chef will submit their dish to be judged by a panel of experts who

dees a sampling of hundreds of beers from more than 200 domes‑ tic and international breweries. Fes‑ tival goers can also enjoy educational sessions by industry ex‑ perts, food from a variety of local restaurants, plus live entertainment by local musicians. The festival is presented by local Richmond char‑ ity, FETCH a Cure, a non‑proﬁt or‑ ganization dedicated to helping pet owners make better, fully in‑ formed decisions about caring for their aging pets. www.allaboutbeer.com

XTERRA EAST CHAMPIONSHIP On June 20th, Brownʼs Island is transformed into the arena for urban adventure at its ﬁnest with a bizarre combination of natural and man‑made obstacles creating the best metropolitan trail system in

the country. This epic ride through the James River Parks System annu‑ ally lures athletes from more than 35 states and pros from around the world. You can sign‑up to partici‑ pate in the XTERRA Richmond Trail Run 10K, the XTERRA Richmond oﬀ‑ road half‑marathon “Xduro” trail run, and thereʼs plenty of free kids zone activities. www.xterraplanet.com

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Downtown Events

Started in 1998 by Jennifer Norvell Saunders, in memory of her mother Joanne who lost her battle with breast cancer. To honor her mother's life, Jennifer, her family, and friends planned the ﬁrst Rich‑ mond Race for the Cure® with the

museums, historic buildings, and other sites make the entire course a history festival. www.sportsbackers.org

As one of the top beer events in the country, the festival will premiere in Richmond on Saturday, June 12th, on Brownʼs Island. Produced by All About Beer Magazine, the World Beer Festival is a celebration of the world beer culture, oﬀering atten‑

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With their ﬁrst season underway, the American Indoor Football Asso‑ ciation team oﬀers all the thrills and spills of the sport Downtown at the Richmond Coliseum. Led by Coach Mike Siani, Richmond Raidersʼ home games for spring include tak‑ ing on the Erie Riverrats on April 30th and then the Fayetteville Guard on May 8th. Just what would professional football be without the spirit of its cheerleaders? Former FL Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader (where she was captain, choreogra‑ pher), Laura Eilers has assembled the Lady Raiders to pep up the crowd during half time. richmondraidersprofootball.com

FUN & GAMES

‘Spark Me Up!’

BY PEDRO MARTINEZ

Cigar Club of Richmond (CCRVA or that cigar smokers are actually Cigar Club RVA) serves as a hub for coming together in the few cigar‑ local cigar enthusiasts to meet friendly havens. Local cigar enthu‑ each other, learn about cigars, and siasts are seeking new products share good conversations on just and expanding their comfort zones about any topic, from public pol‑ as they try new blends and bou‑ icy to cigar reviews and anything tique brands. Additionally, cigar en‑ in between. thusiasts seem eager to learn more “Club is probably not the right about the cigars they love, and the term,” said a local well‑known per‑ cigar making process.” sonality, when ask about CCRVA. “I Edmiston continued, “We see would say there is a large cross‑sec‑ a loose, informal tion of people at group of people Winstonʼs̶peo‑ who enjoy good ple from all walks cigars and good of life and from all company, and demographics. they stay in touch Our cigar lounge via Facebook and is very inviting gather regularly at Havana ʻ59 on and new faces are welcomed by Friday nights.” The majority of everyone. From students to profes‑ those who attend can be described sionals to retirees, men and as educated professionals in their women find common ground en‑ 30s to 50s. The environment is very joying good cigars and making open and inclusive. new friends.” CCRVA fans utilize Facebook “I have noticed the cigar com‑ and Twitter to communicate with munity is more popular amongst each other and to stay up‑to‑date the men in Richmond,” said Rose‑ with the upcoming marry Mel, one of plans for the group. the few cigar There are a women in the club. handful of cigar‑ “A woman enjoy‑ friendly restaurants ing a cigar is con‑ in town. According sidered a rare sight, to the local cigar though members connoisseurs, Ha‑ automatically ac‑ vana ʼ59, the clubʼs cept the woman informal and unoffi‑ cigar smoker as cial headquarters lo‑ one of the guys.” cated in the famous Cigars are Farmerʼs Market area very much like in Downtown Rich‑ cars̶everyone mond, is the most has their favorite. cigar‑friendly spot of But how can you Martinez and fiancee Mel all. Local cigar store tell the difference owners are modify‑ between cheap ci‑ ing their stores to make them co‑ gars and fine ones? “A good cigar zier for aficionados to enjoy a will usually burn well and evenly,” stogie in a welcoming and relaxed says Mel. “It will burn too hot or too environment. These places are bet‑ fast. It will be flavorful and the fla‑ ter known as cigar heavens where vors will be nuanced and varied, aficionados can enjoy multiple LCD like a fine wine.” She added, “I look screen TVs, free Wi‑ for the draw fac‑ Fi, complimentary tor, if itʼs tight or coffee and occa‑ free, smell, and sional card or taste. If there is domino games. quality, price is not “Despite anti‑ an issue.” smoking legislation, Regardless the local cigar cul‑ of how the econ‑ ture of Richmond is omy is doing, so‑ thriving,” Kevin Edmiston, owner of cial status, or where they come Winstonʼs Humidor in Midlothian, from, Richmondʼs cigar aficiona‑ commented. “As a result of the dos will continue lighting them growing animosity towards to‑ up, “because weʼre free to enjoy bacco products in general, I feel fine cigars.”

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Who Wants to Play?

Play Date™ Richmond, managed by Johnathan Mayo of AVAIL Mar‑ keting, brings Richmonders to‑ gether in a diverse social setting for fun, networking and popular childhood games.

BY FELISHA JONES

This perfect combination is one that I have found ad‑ dictive as my friends and I moved from table to table, meet‑ ing new people, and playing all of our favorite child‑ hood games. People bom‑ barded the stage to play the signature games such as Musical Chairs, Red Light/Green Light, Simon Says, Twister and Name That Tune. They even had the Wii station set up for us.

Play Date at The Hat Factory

Greater Richmond Grid asked Felisha Jones (@ThatJonesGirl) to take us on a tour̶or rather a date̶at a recent Play Date™ at the Hat Factory: “Endless childhood games, music, food, laughter, cocktails, competition, camaraderie, and the canal are what continue to lure me

month after month to the new al‑ ternative to the typical nightlife in Richmond.

Pedro Martinez

Rosemarry Mel

Not only was the crowd di‑ verse, but the atmosphere re‑ minded me of a huge block party of friends, old and new. As the warm weather hits, I look forward to sitting out by the canal, on the patio of The Hat Fac‑ tory, enjoying an array of games such as UNO, Trouble, Pictionary, Taboo, Operation, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Connect Four, and Jenga...just to name a few. @PlayDateRichVA is the ulti‑ mate tweet‑up for nostalgic Rich‑ monders who simply want to preserve their child‑like nature among adults who can appreciate the importance of playing hard after working hard all week, while raising funds for local charitable organizations within the city. See you there!” Felisha Jones owns That Jones Girl multimedia, PR and marketing ﬁrm. thatjonesgirl.com. Felisha Jones

The 2300 Club Updates Staff, Menu & Membership EXPLORING

THE TERRITORY BETWEEN LOCAL AND COSMOPOLITAN, PAST AND PRESENT, EXCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY, THE 2300 CLUB IN CHURCH HILL IS CHARTING A COURSE TOWARD THE FUTURE OF PRI‑ BY ANIKA IMAJO VATE DINNER CLUBS.

Worth the Wait Foodies on Facebook are flocking to Slow Food RVA, a local chapter of the Slow Food movement that recently sprouted in the region. Designed to counteract fast food and fast life, the Slow Food nonprofit is here to make sure local food traditions don’t dwindle.

Richmond’s version of Slow Food aims to get people talking online and acting in real-life. “The goal of our Facebook Fan page is to ed-

Houdekʼs grilled angus beef ﬁlet mignon, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus and madeira sauce.

ucate folks about what Slow Food

“Supper clubs throughout the since 1973 in a row of reno‑ country have lost their way,” vated 19th‑century houses on E. says General Manager Austin Grace and 23rd Sts., maintains a Mill, who joined the staff in De‑ retrospective gaze, reflected in cember of 2009. its elegant pe‑ “They havenʼt re‑ riod décor and defined them‑ formal, person‑ selves for 2010. alized approach Weʼre a private to dining and dining club that entertainment. has found its way.” However, with Members of the recent addi‑ the Historic Rich‑ tion of Mill and mond Foundation General Manager Austin Mill and Executive Chef Executive Chef Jason Houdek first opened The Jason Houdek, 2300 Club in 1964 with the The 2300 Club is adapting along purpose, as stated on the Clubʼs with its surrounding community. web site, of preserving, “the While regular dining at the charm and grace of Southern Club is reserved exclusively for tradition.” Originally located at members, who also enjoy the 2300 E. Broad Street (now the privilege of membership reci‑ site of Patrick Henryʼs Inn and procity with a number of private Restaurant), it was Church Hillʼs clubs throughout the country only restaurant at that time, ac‑ and access to liquor lockers cording to the Clubʼs conven‑ where they may keep their per‑ tional wisdom. sonal selection of libations, the Todayʼs 2300 Club, housed Club is increasingly opening its

ties to advocate for the cause and

RVA is up to, give them opportunistart a dialogue around the issues important to the movement,” says John Haddad, one of the founders of the local chapter. Member-supported and volunteer based, Slow Food RVA has witsweet potatoes are nothing new, but when made with varying techniques and additional in‑ gredients they can become much more than what they ap‑ pear to be.” Currently holding member‑ ship drives, The 2300 Club is drawing the interest of some of Richmondʼs younger residents. Mark and Patrick Goad, who joined the Club last summer, ex‑ plain, “The 2300 Club having members from a wide variety of backgrounds is a huge factor for us, as we do not want to be part of a homogenous ʻcountry clubʼ atmosphere.”

nessed an uptick in Richmonders looking to taste, celebrate, and champion the food in our region. Through their Facebook presence, the group provides educational events and public awareness-raising activities to connect everyone who cares about their food and who produces it. For more info, check out www.facebook.com/SlowFoodRVA or www.slowfoodrva.org

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BY PAUL SPICER

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Food

By tapping into interactive media,

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Victorian doors to the general public. Some regular events in‑ clude art openings; seasonal wine tastings; historic dinners; and 2nd Fridays, which are monthly social networking happy hours beneﬁting a rota‑ tion of Richmond gay and les‑ bian charities. Non‑members may rent the Club for events. The Club is also oﬀering a more updated menu prepared by Houdek, who became execu‑ tive chef in May of 2009. Ever respectful of the Clubʼs customary fare, such as the spoonbread that remains a favorite among members, Houdek routinely confronts the challenge of both preserving and updating the menuʼs tradi‑ tional elements. He notes that meeting todayʼs culinary expec‑ tations through innovative cui‑ sine is a key to attracting younger members, saying, “Menu options such as oysters, crabcakes, collard greens, and

Notes from an EasyandElegantLife.com

‘Past Perfect’ Iʼve been thinking recently (“Uh‑ oh,” is my wifeʼs, Mrs. E.ʼs, guarded response) about the past. Not about anything more im‑ portant than the things that deﬁned elegant menswear dur‑ ing the “golden age” of The author the 1930ʼs. That aesthetic has worn is my touchstone for his fatherʼs dressing well̶some‑ heavy thing that seems to be wool 1940ʻs coming back into vogue double‑ during our lean times. breasted I say “lean,” be‑ dinner cause thatʼs the silhou‑ jacket since ette that is most in his days fashion at the moment. in high If it is suited to your school. physique, now is a great time to buy. Buy the best you can; fashion is a house built on sand. Already, pleated trousers are shown on the catwalks and lapels are growing larger. But, if you canʼt buy new̶ at $600‑$1,500 for a decent suit̶think vintage, ʻ30s drape, or ʻ50s sack for the Mad Man/Ivy look. For beautifully constructed gar‑ ments at reasonable prices, the past is perfect. You may not look fashionable, but you will be well‑dressed. Some of the best made clothing I own is vintage. I have dinner jackets (tuxedos) made in the ʼ30s and ʼ40s that belonged to

BY CHRIS COX

Mrs. E.ʼs grandfather and my fa‑ ther, respectively. I have a wonderful three‑ piece suit of 14 oz. wool, made for Mrs. E.ʼs grandfather by Gieves of Savile Row. I regularly wear my fatherʼs Harris Tweed sportcoats, the oldest of which was made for him in the 1950ʻs, with khakis or grey flannel trousers. Theyʼre practically bul‑ let proof. My tailcoat is vin‑ tage 1940ʼs bought at Halcyon (117 N Robinson St.) here in Richmond, as was a houndstooth top‑ coat with a red plaid horseblanket lining (San‑ don & Co., Savile Row, perfect for a cold stadium) and a 1960ʼs Chesterﬁeld coat. All told those pieces cost me less than the English flannel I bought for a suit that has yet to be made. The trick to buying vintage is to know your measurements and know a good tailor, because ﬁt is everything. Try Georgeʼs Alter‑ ations (1344 Gaskins Road). Find‑ ing your style is a bit trickier. Iʼll address that in another column. Chris Coxʼs blog is devoted to ʻthe search for everyday elegance and a study of the art of living well.ʼ

In the Spring of 2008, Paul Trible and American style. The brand only uses Paul Watson received their graduate italian‑woven fabrics and mother of degrees from Oxford University. Tri‑ pearl buttons to represent European ble was headed to Hong Kong to quality. Shirt cuts emphasize an Eng‑ work for a venture capital firm and lish fit. Trible uses forms and patterns Watson had just come off a success‑ based around classic American style to ful internship with a hedge fund. appeal to local taste. Then Lehman Brothers collapsed the Trible says, “On a personal level, following day. Jobs once Iʼm from Virginia and promised were no longer wanted to get back. On a and plans quickly changed. business level, Richmond is Both men decided to an ideal location. There are put their finance careers over a million people in the on hold and bring fine Trible and Watson Greater Richmond area shirting back to the States. They and surprisingly few options for spent the next year studying with menʼs clothing. We wanted to fill the one of Londonʼs premier shirtmakers gap, while building a Virginia brand.” and meeting at a pub on Ledbury The two chose to be in Shockoe Road to put together a business plan. Slip because they wanted to be part Back in the States one year later, of the Downtown revival and wanted they opened their store, Ledbury, for the metropolitan feel of London that business on Cary Street in Shockoe is hard to find in much of the South‑ Slip. Watson took on the role as the east. They hope their second floor brandʼs COO and Trible became the showroom and office on East Cary companyʼs CEO and designer. will encourage men that work at Ledbury is a brand that epito‑ neighboring businesses to stop by to mizes European quality, English fit and see their shirts. BY COURTNEY SKUNDA

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What’s Kyra Wearing? I am so happy to feel the warm weather lately. We are in need of some refreshment after such a harsh winter̶for Richmond that is. With warmer weather comes lovely outdoor parties. Nothing like an outdoor cocktail party to get you in the mood for spring. I needed to find the per‑ fect cocktail dress for an up‑ coming event.

BY KYRA OLIVER

Fashion Week @ Bryant Park, NYC One more thing that I promised in the winter issueʼs column was a re‑ port from Fashion Week. It was fab‑ ulous though the last year that it will be held at Bryant Park. Going for‑ ward, we will be attending the elec‑ trifying event at the Lincoln Center. Remember, the focus is fall for the spring shows so you are getting a heads up about what to wear next season.

Models wearing Nicole Miller for Fall 2010 on the runway .

Prairie NY Rosette Dress is made of cotton twill with cream piping.

Have you been to Bliss? It is a charming boutique ﬁlled with everything from casual wear to cocktail. And that is where I found the most adorable cocktail dress. The Grey Prairie NY Rosette Dress, ($248) is made of cotton twill with cream piping. What makes this dress so unique is the rosette. It is not overdone, but it is complex enough to be interesting. The other thing is that it is in a dark grey, which keeps it in a more neutral range and more sub‑ tle allowing for the boldness of the rosette. The grey color con‑ trasts beautifully with the femi‑ ninity of the lines of the dress, accentuating the waist. The length is even more flat‑ tering̶not too short or too long. Hitting at the knee keeps it sexy, yet sophisticated. You could use a wrap or a cropped sweater for cool nights. Go check out Bliss at 5812 (5812 Grove Avenue) on Grove at Libbie. You will love it.

Kyra Oliver

“...everything from ’40s-inspired, asymmetrical dresses to sexy, biker-influenced ensembles...” I made it to a couple of shows and saw everything from bronze and copper palettes with flowing ʼ40s‑inspired, asymmetri‑

[l to r] Jenni Lee Crocker, Kyra Oliver, Patti Angus and Rebecca Angus on the runway in NY.

cal dresses to sexy, biker‑influ‑ enced ensembles complete with leather motorcycle jackets, little black dresses, black leather high‑ heeled booties, grey tights, scarves and even skull caps. It looked hot! Tough! Loved it. The women looked liked they knew where they were going and when. A little bit of a “donʼt mess with me” attitude that was very alluring. Dress well.

½ off Wine by the Glass ½ off Draft Beer ½ off featured Martinis ½ off Domestic Bottle Beer $4 Fire Fly Vodka Sweet Tea Sunday Night 1/2 off High Balls and $9 Blue Plates all night Monday Night $2 drafts and $5 1/2# Burgers All Night Tuesday Night Three Course Dinner $18 Weekly Featured Bottle of Wine $18 Wednesday Night DJ’s Starting at 10:00 pm $1PBR’s Thursday Night Dj’s Starting at 10:00 pm All wines by the glass $5

Join us for brunch on Saturday and Sunday starting at 10:00 am.

2229 West Main Str eet | 804 353-2424

EXHIBITIONS

Barber Gallery Opens [Left top & bottom] “Dog Wash” and "Work and Wonderment" by Adam de Boer. [Right top] "Nicole" by Calire Stigliani. [Right bottom] "Leviathan" by Robert Gutierrez.

Sky Was Yellow, Sun Was Blue Various Artists April 23rd-May 28th @ Russell/Projects (0. East 4th Street, #44)

The exhibition intentionally pres‑ ents ʻsomething for everyoneʼ̶ from large‑scale abstract oil paintings to re‑ alist works on paper, and also includes photography, sculpture and video in all “Sky Was Yellow, Sun Was Blue” is the price points. first group exhibition at the contem‑ Highlights of the show include oil porary art gallery, Russell/Projects, and paintings such as “Second Sight” by I knew that I wanted to make it memo‑ New York based, Israeli artist Shay Kun, rable, diverse and cele‑ and “Work and Won‑ bratory. The Richmond derment” by D.C. Earth Day Festival is tak‑ based artist Adam de ing place throughout Boer, whimsical works The Plant Zero Arts Cen‑ on paper such as ter the weekend of April “Nicole” by emerging 23rd, where my gallery artist Claire Stigliani, is located, so I decided and poignant photog‑ that an environmentally raphy of Richmond‑ "Max with Black Plums" based theme would be based artist Susan [detail] ideal. Yet, as a curator, Worsham such as by Susan Worsham. how to approach this “Max with Fruit.” common subject in a thought‑provok‑ Not to be missed are the works ing and unique manner? by nationally‑renowned artists Heide Over the past six months I have Trepanier (Stefan Stux Gallery, NY), been doing a local and national search Robert Gutierrez (AMT Gallery, Milan for artists that fit my specific take on the Italy), Scott Hunt (Robert Goff Gallery, Earth Day theme. I looked first to the NY) and Jiha Moon (Curatorʼs Office, work of artists I represent and then con‑ Washington, D.C). tacted other galleries, searched Opening with a Fourth Friday through art periodicals and attended artistsʼ reception, April 23rd 7‑10pm. art fairs to find the right balance for this The exhibition is free and open to the show. The result is really exciting! public. For more information on the The work of over fifteen local, na‑ artists and the gallery see tional and international artists selected www.russellprojects.com. for Sky Was Yellow, Sun Was Blue all BY HEATHER RUSSELL focus on the relationship between na‑ ture and humans, what I call the “na‑ Heather Russell is the owner & director of Russell/Projects art gallery. ture‑culture dialectic.”

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Gallery 5800 (5800 Grove Avenue) has unveiled the Barber Gallery, fea‑ turing father and son artists John and Joshua Barber. “The juxtaposition of John Bar‑ ber's traditional Chesapeake Bay paintings and Joshua Barber's vivid modern icons is something quite re‑ markable,” says gallery owner Tilman Nadolski. “Iʼm proud to be the only gallery representing the Barbers in Richmond.” Last Octoberʼs exhibition and sale Barber vs Barber set multiple records for both the artists and Gallery 5800. The event set two gallery records for the highest sales from one show and also the highest‑priced painting sold by John Barber. Joshua Barber also set a personal record for his high‑ est single sale to date. Nationally acclaimed American artist John M. Barber has painted the Chesapeake Bay and the eastern seaboard for more than three decades. Although he has become known also for his cityscapes and architectural art, Barber is particularly fond of his mar‑

itime subjects̶primarily the Chesa‑ peake and its vanishing way of life. We often ﬁnd in his work the Bayʼs few re‑ maining oyster dredging skipjacks and other traditional vessels, lighthouses and harbors. Joshua Barber has shown pieces in the Virginia Museum of Fine Artsʼ Art After Hours and has exhibited in New York, Los Angeles, Lon‑ don, Bristol and in his home‑ town of Rich‑ mond, Virginia. Barber paints moments̶the microcosms of memory that seem so trivial but over time, resound. “Just as ancient icons sought to solidify the eternal, my icons capture the briefest of human encounters,” Barber says. “Basically, Iʼm interested in the good bits.”

Hurʼs “Birds” Silver, 24k gold‑foil Kumboo, enamel, copper brooches.

Hurʼs “Seed Pod I, Tomatillo” Sterling, plastic cast

Mi-Sook Hur & Komelia Hongja Okim March 19th-May 1st @ Quirk Gallery (311 West Broad Street) Mi‑Sook Hur is “enamored by nature and draws inspiration from the changes inherent in it.” The work elicits a sense of movement with a nod to the cycles of life. Hur is an associate professor in the School of Art and Design at East Carolina University with an extensive national and international exhibition record. She is a former artist‑in‑residence at John Michael Kohler Arts Center and has taught workshops at Penn School of Crafts, Newark Museum and Pullen Art Center.

Hongja‑Okimʼs "Phynics Coﬀee Pot"

Komelia Hongja‑Okim is a Korean‑ American artist and educator who de‑ picts the dynamic interchanges between different cultures and ethnic origins. The work reflects the Yin Yang principle and the harmonies and con‑ flicts marked by different cultures com‑ ing together. Okim has exhibited and given metal technique workshops in Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Russia, France, Germany, Norway, Canada and the United States.

Gallery5 Celebrates a Milestone A Collaboration outdoor performances by deejays Reinhold and Conway Jennings with PLF celebrating the 150th An‑ niversary of the Burning of Rich‑ mond. Featuring indoor perf‑ ormances By: Prabir and the Gol‑ drush, Haints in Holler and Nahuatl Poetry. 7p.m. Free admission.

During April, Gallery5 (200 West Marshall Street) is celebrating its 5th anniversary with a month‑long ros‑ ter of activties. Each Friday in April the gallery will showcase artists, performers and new events.

The schedule of events includes: FIRST FRIDAY, APRIL 2ND First Friday Opening Reception The opening exhibition will show‑ case photographs from the past 5 years of Gallery5 by over a dozen talented local photographers, as well as past artists in a silent auc‑ tion. Live performances by musical, dance and theater groups will ac‑ company the exhibition. Special

Find more art news, reviews and previews

FRIDAY, APRIL 23RD Boylesque: An All‑Male Variety Show A selection of community members, artists and local celebri‑ ties will bare it all in this comically‑ inspired variety show. 8p.m. $7 admission. FRIDAY, APRIL 30TH Exclusive Members Appreciation Night Featuring live entertainment from two local bands, deejays, catered food, ﬁlm projections, and more! 7p.m. Free with Gallery5 Membership.

Museum of Art, The National Arts Club, and The Peninsula Fine Arts Center. When trans‑ lated into Giclee prints, Busangʼs images resonate̶ not only with the character of the landscapes, but with the textural nuances and color harmonies of the original painting process. A strong tex‑ tural element can Brett Busang: “Bridges‑ Raised and Fallen” also be found in the frames of the ainter Brett Busang presents various pieces in the show. The the river as a place of refuge, a gallery curator, Mary Framer, has timeless window to the world, reclaimed maple flooring (sal‑ and a sanctuary for contemplation. vaged from buildings along To‑ Images of it̶or of subjects bacco Row) to create unique related to it̶have found their way into numerous corporate and private collections, notably Wheat First Union, Media General, MCV Hospitals, and the Richmond Times‑Dispatch. Busangʼs multi‑ media exhibit, Painting the Town, opened to substantial reviews in 1999 and ran for an entire year. Since 1990, he has been honored borders. This collaborative ap‑ with fifteen one‑man shows. proach between artisan and artist Individual works have been works particularly well with Bu‑ chosen to appear at such diverse sangʼs imagery. Together, the institutions as The Museum of the framed art speaks to history, City of New York, The Springfield decay and revitalization.

“Scenes from the River”

Opening Reception May 14th from 5pm‑9pm. Show runs through June 5th.

Presenting a show by Brett Busang of his Giclee prints and paintings, framed in “Re‑ cycle Style” using maple ﬂooring salvaged from buildings along Tobacco Row.

Frame Nation LLC •11 South 15th Street •Richmond, VA 23219

RichmondGrid.com

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Each of these Friday events will cel‑ ebrate a diﬀerent aspect of the galleryʼs history̶culminating in an exclusive Members Appreciation Night on the ﬁnal Friday, April 30th. The goal behind the month‑long celebration is to raise awareness of the arts, highlight forthcoming proj‑ ects and to expand the gallery au‑ diences and supporters.

FRIDAY, APRIL 16TH The Science Museum of Virginia Presents: “Gallery5 after 5: A Happy Hour Lecture Series.” An early bird music and lecture series geared to‑ wards young professionals and local art supporters. This event will fea‑ ture The Dvorak American Quartet and special guest speaker David Oli̶from the Science Museum of Virginia̶who will “The Map of the Stars,” a captivating lecture on the night sky and the origins of constel‑ lations. 5p.m. $5 admission.

BRETT BUSANG: SCENES FROM THE RIVER @ FRAME NATION MAY 14TH‑JUNE 5TH

PLAY

FRIDAY, APRIL 9TH An evening of live performances for our loyal music creators and sup‑ porters. Featuring the Ultra Dol‑ phins CD Release Party. Also appearing will be one local and one touring band. 7p.m. $5 admission.

Between Artist & Artisan

PAGE VIEWS

“...it’s like getting on a train with destination unknown, not knowing where or when it’s going to slow down, speed up or jump the tracks!”

Destination Unknown WORKING WRITER: TRANSITIONING FROM JOUR‑ BY LISA O. MONROE NALIST TO FIRST‑TIME AUTHOR y somewhat ambitious New Yearʼs resolution last year was to publish a short story in some highly in‑ tellectual publication like the Virginia Quarterly Review. It didnʼt seem too far‑fetched at the time. After all, Iʼve been pub‑ lished in a number of magazines and primarily made my living for two decades as a writer and editor, mostly non‑fiction. Over a year later, I am somewhat ashamed to admit I have yet to submit even one manuscript to any literary mag‑ azine. Thatʼs partially because I got sidetracked̶writing my first book. (Iʼm calling it “first” because that implies more are coming, and like most writers I know, I work best under pres‑ sure, even if self‑imposed.) If youʼd asked me on Jan. 1 of 2009, I wouldʼve honestly not believed that I wouldʼve both begun and finished a book last year. Thatʼs not because I doubt my own abilities, but be‑

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cause Iʼd actually begun several before, all fiction and all yet to be finished. Non‑fiction, on the other hand, is a process Iʼve somewhat mastered. At least I am fairly confident that I can write about any subject just by asking the right questions, twisting things around in my head, and then spitting out words in a way oth‑ ers can understand. Fiction is different, more like magic, cre‑ ating something from nothing. If you havenʼt already guessed, my first book Williamsburg: With Jamestown and Yorktown, America's His‑ toric Triangle (publisher: Chan‑ nel Lake, Inc.) is non‑fiction. Itʼs a travel book giving visitors ideas about how to best spend their time in Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown, whether theyʼre staying just a day or are there for an ex‑ tended vacation. With almost any experi‑ ence in life, the first time doing

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anything seems to be the hard‑ est. For me as a writer, itʼs been crafting the lead sentence, con‑ vincing an editor to give me that first chance, or breaking into a new genre of writing, like travel writing. The first lesson I learned was that even though I was very familiar with Williamsburg, I re‑ ally needed to know it much more intimately if I was going to advise others about it. That meant revisiting places Iʼd been to many times before, like Busch Gardens, Jamestown Set‑ tlement and even the Williams‑ burg Pottery. It also meant writing very specifically. For ex‑ ample, did you know thereʼs a shop at Busch Gardens that sells hand‑knitted wool sweaters im‑ ported from Ireland? I didnʼt either, but after about five months and 20 or so trips to Williams‑ burg, I can now tell you not only the name of the shop that sells the sweaters, but how to get there and how much they cost. The book as a whole includes all the major attractions in Greater Williams‑ burg, but beyond that, it was entirely my decision to choose what to include. The bookʼs contents are also based on my opinion about the vari‑ ous restaurants, attractions, ho‑ tels and shops. Whereas some people might revel in this kind of “power,” for me it was actu‑ ally a bit of a hurdle. As a journalist, I was used to sup‑ pressing my personal opin‑ ion, being objective to a fault, and very concerned with being fair and inclusive. My very understanding publisher in New York City as‑ sured me not to worry. This book isnʼt supposed to be all‑in‑ clusive. If so, it would be the size of the Metro Richmond phone

book. And whoʼd want to try to stuff that into a fanny pack? The best part of the expe‑ rience for me was revisiting the history, which raised as many questions in my mind as were answered. I spent quite a lot of time, for example, pondering the fact that we only landed at Jamestown 400 years ago. I thought about how weʼve changed the face of the land that is the United States since that time, how much land weʼve paved over and how many acres of trees cut? Iʼve even thought about approaching that subject in yet another book. I also think about the fact that we only decided to stick around on this continent when we found a way to make money off the land (through the to‑ bacco market). That, of course, led to further thoughts in my own mind about capitalism, ante‑ bellum injustices and so on. I think this progression of one concept and subsequently one project to another is the way a writerʼs or any artistʼs mind works at times̶ itʼs like getting on a train with destination unknown, not knowing where or when itʼs going to slow down, speed up or jump the tracks! Practically speaking, I learned two things about my‑ self from writing the book. One, I really can do it, or at least finish one that Iʼve started. Two, writing a book is really just a process like any other, and because of this, can be broken down into small, at‑ tainable steps. For my next book, Iʼll set small goals for myself, like writ‑ ing three or four pages per day, and eventually, I will finish it. Perhaps Iʼve found my resolu‑ tion for 2011.

Virtues of the Dolls DIRECTORʼS NOTES: ANNA SENECHAL JOHNSON FINDS IBSENʼS FEMINIST THEMES STILL RESONATE BY ANNA SENECHAL JOHNSON

RICHMOND

STORYTELLER SLASH COLEMAN IN‑ TERVIEWS HIS ALTER‑EGO MR. FRINGEY ON THE FRINGE THEATRE FESTIVAL PHENOMENON. What the heck is a Fringe Festival? A performing arts festival that adheres to the true fringe philosophy of 100% unjuried, 100% uncensored, 100% accessible for artists and audiences alike, with 100% of ticket sales given directly back to the artists. Where can I ﬁnd a Fringe Festival? One of the best is in our backyard. The Capital Fringe in DC takes place from July 8th – July 25th. Others close by include: Wilmington, DE and Greensboro, NC. But Fringe Festivals can now be found all over the world. Where did the idea for fringe come from? It began in Edinburgh, Scot‑ land in 1947. There, a num‑

Anna Senechal Johnson

ber of performing artists who were not invited to participate in the Edinburgh Interna‑ tional Festival, decided to pro‑

Performer, Slash Coleman, began performing on the Fringe Festival circuit in 2005.

duce their own work in empty stores and church basements. Thus, their work was staged literally “on the fringe” of the established festival.

Slash Coleman

Is it worth it? Ticket prices range from $3 ‑ $15 and in some cities out‑ door fringe performances are free. For the price, you can ex‑ pect to be both thrilled and sometimes under‑whelmed.

On weekends of May 20‑22 and 27‑29, Ground Zero Dance celebrates the grand opening of Dogtown Dance Theatre with a series of performances. Choreographer Rob Petressʼ acclaimed dance‑theatre works Rope and Moment of Flight will be presented in rotation, in conjunction with works by local, national, and international guest artists: Christian Von Howard (Richmond/NY), Starr Foster (Richmond), Karl Anderson (NY), Maria Bauman (NY), and Zap McConnell (Char‑ lottesville/Puebla, MX). The two‑weekend celebration will also include community master classes, a stu‑ dent matinee, guest speakers, and a street fair. All performances will take place at the newly‑renovated Dogtown Dance Theatre at 109 W. 15th Street, on the corner of 15th & Bainbridge Streets in the historic Manchester neighborhood of Richmond. Ground Zero Dance is the resident com‑ pany of Dogtown Dance Theatre, a new home for Richmond's independent per‑ forming artists. Dogtown Dance Theatre promises a venue where independent artists and small companies can aﬀord the time and space to create and present their work in a facility designed with them in mind. www.groundzerodance.org

Is it kid‑friendly? Shows run the gamut from G‑rated to R‑rated. Itʼs best to check the festival brochure ﬁrst and since most have a strong on‑line presence, itʼs easy to tell which shows may make you feel a little squirmy. Slash Coleman is the creator of the blog “Fringe or Die,” www.Fringe‑ orDie.blogspot.com. His new show, “The Bohemian Love Diaries,” will be at the Capital Fringe this year. His show, “The Neon Man and Me” is on PBS during April & May. For more visit www.slashcoleman.com.

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Onstage

100% Uncensored: Theatre with Fringe Benefits

As an audience member what can I expect to see? Itʼs a buﬀet of performing arts. From mainstream theatre and dance to puppetry and spoken word. Some even include ﬁlm and visual arts. The thing is all performers are welcome to apply, regardless of their pro‑ fessional or amateur status. Expect 60‑minute shows with minimal lights and props.

Dogtown Dance Theatre Grand Opening

PLAY

ʻm excited to work on plays which focus on individuals and groups of people facing adversity, and those few who navigate their way with dignity, grace and courage. For this reason, I am eager to work with Henley Street The‑ atre on their production of Ibsenʼs classic, A Dollʼs House. The theme of A Dollʼs House, womanʼs right to individ‑ ual self‑fulﬁllment, was consid‑ ered highly subversive in an age when women were not allowed to conduct business without the authority of a father or husband,

and were considered to be their property. The play opened the way to the turn‑of‑the‑century womenʼs movement. Nine‑ teenth‑century feminists praised Ibsenʼs work and “saw it as a warning of what would happen when women in general woke up to the injustices that had been committed against them.” Since Ibsenʼs day, women have made great strides in gain‑ ing the choice to determine their role in relation to the family and society. However, the most cur‑ sory inquiries made of an audi‑ ence that has just watched a performance of A Doll's House will conﬁrm that the issues that caused such a stir in the nine‑ teenth century continue to touch raw nerves today. I hope that you will join us as we pres‑ ent this play as a part of the Minds Wide Open̶Celebrating Women in the Arts festival.

GRID & BEAR IT

Oh no, some guy from high school who you have noth against but you only sorting knew was just seen in th of e dairy aisle of Ellwood Thompson 's, you reported. BY JEFF KELLEY

h no, what do I do? Pretend I don’t see him? Evade him until he sees me, then act like he saw me first?” you said, noting that the guy – who you think is named Derek – never did anything to annoy you, it’s just that you don’t want to stop and make small talk in the middle of all that soy milk and tofu-cheese sticks, and you don’t really care what he’s been up to for the past couple years, and you just want to innocuously pick up the items you need and go back to the security of your home. “I think he was in my science class or something, I don’t know. It’s been like eight years, I can’t really remember.”

“O

“Oh my God, he’s walking this way,” you added, turning your shopping cart in the opposite direction and picking up the pace. According to you, this is the third time in less than a month in which you have bumped into someone from your past or present who you had no desire to converse with. Just last week at Kroger on Broad Street, you spotted that guy who was friends with your best friend’s ex, and since you forgot his name, made a bee-line to the cashier even though you hadn’t finished shopping. And in mid-February, you pulled up to a red light on Cary Street and were horrified to learn that your sister’s best friend – one of the nicest people in the world – was directly beside you in the left turning lane. Sources said that, in that case, you pulled your car up an extra three inches to avoid all eye contact despite the fact that you think you were recognized. Sources also said that all of these encounters would have been “no big deal” if you were intoxicated at the time, but in all cases you were either operating a vehicle or the people were not spotted during typical drinking hours. ILLUSTRATION BY TED RANDLER

Back at the grocery store, Derek – whose actual name is James Shelton – said he thought he caught a glimpse of you turning your cart away from him on aisle 12, but noted he did his best to avoid you because he’s always thought you were a horrible, horrible human being.

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Billed as “Richmondʼs most accurate source of misinformation,” Tobacco Avenue is a satirical news site founded in 2007 by Richmonder Jeﬀ Kelley. Read more at www.tarichmond.com.

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