2 minute read
Entrepreneur of the Year
Written by: Top of Virginia Regional Chamber
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Tom Stamulis began the True North Group when he moved to the area in 2018. Since then, True North Group has grown more than 255% while providing cybersecurity services to the City of Winchester and other businesses in the local area and Northern Virginia. Growth alone does not win the Entrepreneur of the Year award. Tom has exhibited leadership, strong ethics, creativity, and economic impact to become the Top of Virginia Regional Chamber’s (TVRC) Entrepreneur of 2020 at the Greater Good Awards, presented by Valley Health, and hosted by the Alamo Drafthouse on March 18, 2021.
Tom is no stranger to the TVRC community as he graduated from the Community Leadership Program (CLP), offered by the Chamber, to build the next level of leaders in our area. He is also the co-chair for the Public Policy Committee. You may have experienced one of his free cybersecurity trainings that have been presented to the Kiwanis, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and Lord Fairfax Community College (LFCC). Through a partnership as the cybersecurity advisor for the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Tom hosts a weekly Facebook Live that discusses cybersecurity threats and provides recommendations for how businesses can protect their sensitve digital data.
When the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the area, Tom successfully coordinated with CLP administration to migrate from in-person sessions to virtual sessions to allow the class to complete the requirements to graduate.
Tom launched the neXco National’s Winchester Core Chapter with the sole purpose of helping business owners grow their business through a foundation of networking and referrals. The chapter rapidly grew from five founding members to thirteen active members in less than three months.
When it comes to building the next level of professionals in our community, Tom hired a paid intern currently studying cybersecurity at LFCC to provide technical support to area businesses while learning how essential cybersecurity is to an organization.
Will Lawrence of Edward Jones Investments was also nominated for the Entrepreneur of the Year award. His service to the area is not only exhibited through financial advice but also his work with TVRC’s Finance Committee, his hosting of the Senior Interest Networking Group (SING), and his organization of several food drives during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Congratulations to Tom Stamulis of True North Group for his win of the 2020 Entrepreneur of the Year at TVRC’s Greater Good Awards. Congratulations to both Tom and Will for their contribution being noticed by community members to earn a nomination for the Greater Good Awards, presented by Valley Health.
