CoVaBiz Magazine Aug/Sept 2017

THE Business Magazine Of Coastal Virginia COVABIZ MAGAZINE AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2017 n

VOLUME 2 ISSUE 2

Leading Ladies

HIGH-TECH HOT SPOT SCIENCE COMPANIES CREATE A WAVE OF INNOVATION IN VIRGINIA BEACH

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CONTENTS

FEATUREs

29 Leading Ladies

Coastal Virginia’s powerful female professionals are breaking the mold— and the glass ceiling— through successful careers, community engagement and family values.

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CONTENTS

FEATUREs (continued)

43 High-Tech Hotspot

Science- and technology-related companies create a wave of innovation in Virginia Beach.

SPECIAL SECTIONS

47 Corporate

Meeting Planner Expert planners offer advice for putting together a great corporate gathering.

43

54 Faces Of Law On The COver Dr. Desiree “Desi” Williams, director of the William R. Harvey Leadership Institue of Hampton University.

Photo by Jim Pile

19 26 DEPARTMENTS 6

Publisher’s Note

19 Meet & Eat

26 Day In The Life

Bite Restaurant & Catering.

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Editor’s Note

Biz Report

What mechanisms should I memorialize with my fellow investors before entering into a real estate investment to streamline our potential departure from the venture?

Talking Points.

13 The Watercooler Trending topics and business news.

Updates on new jobs, promotions, honors and awards.

18 Pencil It In Upcoming business and networking events.

Ask the Expert

20 Law

11 What’s On Your Desk?

17 On the Move

Norfolk couple sets high standards for the quality of products offered at their butcher Shop, Pendulum Fine Meats.

Created in CoVa

58 Mermaid Factory.

Beyond the Biz

23 Better Your Biz AccelerateHER®.

24 Excellence In Leadership Louis S. Haddad.

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VP of PRODUCTION Note

Looking Back, Growing Forward

O

ver 27 years ago, I walked into a small office building with portfolio in hand to interview for the art director position for VistaGraphics, Inc. The building was in a new industrial park. The driveway was not even paved, and the office consisted of four employees: the owner, two sales reps and a part-time bookkeeper.

I admit now that I really wasn’t sure about the job or the company. The owner, Randy Thompson, asked me if I had my own supplies, such as colored pencils and scissors. When I reported to my first day of work, he showed me the only office computer, a small Macintosh Classic, gave me a floppy disk, told me it had the tutorial on how to use it, and left the office. This was the first time I had sat at a computer and, needless to say, I was a little overwhelmed. In 1990, we were sending all type out to a typesetter and creating all pages and ads on paste-up boards using hot wax and amberlith with overlays for color. Ads and pages took hours, and if you had a 50-page magazine to create, you could count on working many long nights.

Since then, VistaGraphics has grown from three local publications to over 19 markets with various Visitors Guides and supplements to two lifestyle markets and statewide publications. We now produce over 60 publications that reach from Delaware to Tennessee and as far south as Wilmington, North Carolina.

For the first several years it seemed that we started a new Visitors Guide in a resort market every year. This required new hires for sales and artists. Before I knew it, I had a team of artists and a fulltime photographer, and we had moved completely to digital. As those years flew by, I had to stay on top of new technology, relying on classes and a team of strong, young artists to help us stay ahead of the curb.

In the 90s there were still very few female executives in this area, and it was imperative to be able to handle all projects, keep up with the growing technology and stay up on all printing costs and procedures. When you went into a meeting room of all men, you had to be prepared and authoritative to get their attention.

I have raised two children during my time here, both adults now, and I was able to be involved in their schools and extracurricular actives. When they were young, Randy allowed me to go to the childrens’ school and volunteer in their classrooms. From the time they entered kindergarten to the time they finished middle school, I was gone between 10:30 am and 12:20 p.m. every Wednesday. I was able to be an executive to a fast-passed publishing company and an involved parent at the same time. It was wonderful, and I knew then how lucky I was to work for an employer that allowed this to happen.

As most women in leadership positions, I have had my challenges and grown from them. VistaGraphics and all its employees feel like family, and I’m very lucky to enjoy what I do. I wish that for every woman out there.

Holly Watters Vice President of Production 6

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Next Issue!

Editor’s Note

Wonder Women

S

everal of my friends have recently recommended the new Wonder Woman movie to me. I haven’t yet made it to the theater to see it, but given my affinity for movies featuring a strong female lead, I’ll most likely enjoy it.

Speaking of strong female leads, we’ve included our own selection of “wonder women” in this issue’s Leading Ladies feature (page 29). What makes them wonder women, you ask?

Well, for starters, they’ve got stellar careers. Among their titles are CEO, COO, president, vice president, director, mayor, chief of police, news anchor, microbiologist and NASA astronaut candidate. In some of these roles, they perform duties that may not typically be expected of women. Sliding into a crawlspace? Sure. Discussing horsepower, RPMs and electrical distribution? Absolutely. Managing construction, inspections and permitting? No problem.

Secondly, they’re working hard to make a difference in our community by serving on various boards and advisory committees and volunteering with organizations they’re passionate about.

And finally, they do an outstanding job balancing often demanding careers with personal time. They’re reading to their kids before bedtime, monitoring their children’s use of electronics, mentoring adopted and foster children, raising Eagle Scouts or figuring out what it’s like to be a grandmother for the first time. Oh, and this issue’s “cover girl,” Dr. Desiree Williams, director of the William R. Harvey Leadership Institute at Hampton University, has participated in Miss America and Miss USA pageants and will be on the upcoming season of “Survivor.” Pretty incredible.

That’s not to say they haven’t had their setbacks. Some of these ladies have spent decades navigating the business world, thriving in often male-dominated industries and overcoming gender stereotypes along the way. They share solid advice for helping other female professionals find their way to success.

Also in this issue, we look at three science- and technology-based businesses that are working to establish Virginia Beach as a high-tech hotspot (page 43). These companies are using technology to provide innovative solutions to complex problems, creating a wave of innovation that benefits many.

You’ll notice a new section on page 24, Excellence in Leadership. It’s the start to a year-long series in which we’ll interview well-respected local visionaries to learn about their leadership style, perspectives and advice. Our first featured leader is Louis Haddad, president, CEO and director of Armada Hoffler. We’re pleased to share his words of wisdom in this issue and look forward to hearing from some other prominent figures in the year to come.

Angela Blue, Editor-in-Chief Angela@CoVaBIZMag.com

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sider things to con g before startin a business

Are You Ready

To

BYOB (BE YOUR OWN

BOSS)?

think many people own boss is something The Hampton forward. and being your go e move the idea tarting a business don’t have to a small percentag know that you about, yet only wants you to of Commerce a company.

Roads Chamber create and operate e is in the business of setyou decide to , of Commerc it alone when says Bryan Stephens Roads Chamber s to succeed,” “The Hampton our economic s for other businesse that through developting the condition of the Chamber. “We do infrastructure CEO ent efforts, our President and Development workforce developm The Small Business our to ent. of Hatch in Norfolk, efforts, enhancem y designed development to Zack Miller, Founder quality of life Chamber, is specificall and through for anyone preparing information they affiliate of the ment efforts shares a checklist , counseling and is a very important the mentoring Center, which s to give them start a business. about you should know assist small businesse idea, think shares 10 things success.” of Commerce need to be a concept or business Chamber Roads Do you love your your finanwithout it?

The Hampton n provided in time, can’t live d the informatio about it all the marry What are the you ready to starting a business: Do you understan margin and mark-up? each a partner, are numbers: does have between your you If much How 1. Know the difference line with them? ? Do you know them? to live the and are you in cial statement to enough capital for your business, expenses. Costs makyou have access your Do without industry standards your bottom line? year in controlling for the next to lifestyle you want You must be ruthless are going to purchase? item contribute creeping costs: what you ctive hours dur2. Beware of yet? ing money? you really need versus non-produ a 40-hour your Netflix account to increase. Do ratio of productive you work always seem Have you cancelled of your prime ent: What is the holidays during the year. If What with at least 10 for your business. your 3. Time managem federal Have you talked There are 12 want to buy your ng to generate revenue to would workday? hours they contributi if your see 2,000 ing that’s not customers to you only have to them? other “stuff” Did you sell it week, that means you are selling versus doing product or service? the time you minimize a problem? is the ratio of help solving can really insurAre you (If it’s to get with people who bottom line? t, banker, attorney, starting a business?

Surround yourself an accountan Why are you it.)

4. Buy your brains: in your workweek. Have #3). want to rethink ent team (see hours customer rich, you may on your managem is not always right, but the “non-productive” tax codes to understand business advisor transaction.

Have you considered t: The customer the top? ance agent and life with each . you will lose off service is paramoun the experience of their how much money repeat customers 5. Customer them ends meet? for “lowYou should give fans” and therefore to Uber to make Are you willing is the customer! urs you can them into “raving compete on price: A synonym ? it takes to turn a group of entreprene 6. Do not want that reputation Do whatever Do you have called 1000 Four.

Do you really you and one for you. It’s cost” is “cheap.” pockets than lean on? I have ing what n has deeper price by no one understand Your competitio you drop your Are you OK with out. Every time product you more wait can you do for a living? must sell 25 percent when you are 10 percent, you the fact that even Can you handle the planning: (see #1). always on? are rather you but plan that “off the clock” two-week pay7. It is not the it is the planning for your every are great, but Are you prepared sure your numbers Business plans matters. Make that change? to them check to do. employees goes into that managing say you are going Be Selling-Always Do you understand match what you if you don’t hire r ABS-ABC: Always must be turned your new priority become 8. Remembe You will off. cannot turn it for you? opportunity.

Be Closing. You someone to handle ly seeking every from your on and aggressive take counsel g entrepreafraid: Never to empowerin 9. Do not be a business is easy.

Hatch is dedicated in every industry ever said running the keys to success. background, fears. No one are about neurs from every determination grow stage. Learn more Hard work and you start and/or and in every business atch.com. programs to help offer on StartWithH are all sorts of the services they it alone: There e website at Commerc 10. Don’t go what is out there. of of —BB Roads Chamber Take advantage Development the Hampton your business.

Roads Small Business information, visit the Hampton For additional ber.com and/or —BARReTT BAKeR HamptonRoadsChamrg. g.Com vabizma W W W. C o Center at HRSBDC.o

S

CorrectionIn the article, “10 Things To Consider Before Starting a Business” (June/July 2017) we mistakenly referenced the Hampton Roads Chamber as the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce.

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About us THE Business Magazine Of Coastal Virginia ®

Local Bankers Pleased to Help our Community Grow and Thrive.

1264 Perimeter Parkway, Virginia Beach, Virginia 23454 757-422-8979 • www.CoVaBIZMag.com Publisher Randy Thompson Editor-in-Chief Angela Blue Senior Editor, Special Sections Melissa M. Stewart Assistant Editor, Web Ryan Miller Contributing Writers Barrett Baker, Leona Baker, Jamie McAllister, Chelsea Sherman

Sales

Vice President of Sales & Distribution Paul Brannock

Account Executives

Frank E. Moore, Kathy Talmage

Brad Hunter, Vice President Commercial Lender Millennials on the Move 2016

Contributing Account Executives Christie Berry, Lori Conti, Brenda Whitlow Customer Service Representative Kiara Davis Lead Sales Graphic Artist Paul Cenzon

Production

Vice President of Production Holly Watters Creative Director David Uhrin Art Director Matt Haddaway Client Relations Manager Stacy Graef Contributing Designers Josh Haralson, Christina Sinclair, Kaye Ellen Trautman, Brian Woelfel

townebank.com

Web Design and Development

Web Creative Director Chris Murphy Senior Web Developer Brandon Litchfield Web Developer Caleb Whitehead SEO Analyst Michael Saks Internet Marketing Consultant William Warford Digital Marketing Specialist Emily Laucks

Marketing

Director of Marketing Lisa Davenport Web Marketing & Promotions Manager Kathryn Kelly Content Editor Arielle Patterson

Photography

Director of Photography & Photo Editor Jim Pile Photo Editor Corey Watson Contributing Photographers David Uhrin Circulation Manager George Carter Special Events & Style Coordinator Pamela Hopkins COVABIZ Magazine is published by

EQUAL HOUSING

LENDER

MEMBER

FDIC

EQUAL HOUSING

LENDER

Coastal_VA_Business_4.9x4.7_4c_Ad_JuneJuly2017.indd 1

MEMBER

FDIC

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Branding Your Business One Bottle of Water at a Time.

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VistaGraphics Staff

Controller Anita Burns Accounting Manager Dawn Meehan Accounting Clerk Kelsey Stephens Production Manager Robin Cather Office Manager Tracy Thompson Reproduction or use of editorial or graphic content without permission is prohibited.

Opinions in the magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent management views.

(757) 716-4032 info@pureparadisewatervb.com • pureparadisewatervb.com

Contributing photography supplied by Thinkstock.com memberships: Ghent Business Assoc., Olde Towne Business Assoc., tidewater builders assoc., virginia peninsula housing & builders Assoc., Hampton roads realtors assoc., Virginia Beach Restaurant Assoc., RETAIL ALLIANCE, Hampton roads chamber, Virginia Peninsula chamber, Eastern shore of virginia chamber, Franklin/ southhampton area chamber, isle of wight/smithfield/windsor chamber, williamsburg area chamber, glouCEster county chamber, york county chamber, williamsburg area association of realtors

For advertising and sponsorship info: Please contact Frank Moore at 757-213-2491or at frank@Covabizmag.com

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Biz Report What’s On Your Desk?

Talking Points 1 3 2

C

athy Lewis is a planner. She organizes her time in 15-minute increments in order to stay on task and get the most accomplished in each day. In a way, though, she has to be this regimented. As the founding host and executive producer of the news and public affairs talk show, “Hearsay with Cathy Lewis,” president and CEO of CIVIC Leadership Institute, and a sought-after speaker and facilitator, Lewis has a full schedule. So, how does she keep track of it all? And why does she have so many highlighters? Turn the page to learn about some of the items that make Lewis, as she calls it, a “total freak” over office supplies.

—Angela Blue

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Biz Report | what’s on your desk?

1. Wipebook Ever heard of a Wipebook before? “It’s like a book full of dry erase markers—whaat!”

Lewis exclaims. “It’s the best thing ever. I should be selling stationery,” she laughs.

2. Pen “I cannot have unacceptable pens on my desk,” Lewis states. Her favorite pen for everyday writing is the Uni-ball Air pen, proclaiming that it’s “wonderful.” “I don’t have to have expensive pens; I’m just very choicy.”

3. 15-Minute Planners For about five years, Lewis has utilized these colorful day-to-day planners (that she makes herself) in which she plans her days in 15-minute increments, switching to 30-minute increments after 6 p.m. The practice of planning this way comes from working in news, Lewis explains. “You do a thing called backtime the scripts. I learned that early on, and I think it just stuck—really good.” She has the planners printed about every six months (in bright colors, of course). “I did Senator Warner’s women’s conference two years ago at ODU, and people went crazy over this,” she says. “Time is all we have.”

4. Glasses Almost as impressive as her collection of writing utensils is her jar of reading glasses. “They’re all dollar store glasses, which is the greatest place to get glasses, and I have to have them now. I never can keep track of them, so I don’t buy expensive glasses. I just go to the dollar store, buy 10 of them at a time and have them all over the place.”

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5. Colorful Writing Utensils The most noticeable item on Lewis’s desk is a container full of highlighters in assorted colors. “It’s not just highlighters,” she asserts.

“It’s highlighters. It’s Sharpies … and flair pens. All of which have specific purposes. I just am a freak for color.”

Lewis regularly uses Sharpies to stand out among the black print on show rundowns for “Hearsay.” “And I love highlighters because—who doesn’t?

I use all of them. I really just see what strikes my fancy.” Another thing to point out—the colors in her collection are constantly evolving. “Here’s the thing: this is not a color you can get all the time,” she says, uncapping a tealhued Sharpie. “They’ll introduce colors, and then there’ll be different packs of different colors, so I have to have all the different packs,” she stresses. “Everyone I’ve ever worked with will acknowledge … they have to limit me on office supplies because I am really an office supply total freak.”

6. Passion Planner The Passion Planner began as a kickstarter project by UCLA graduate Angelia Trinidad. It’s a tool that helps people break down their short-and long-term goals and incorporate them into daily life. Lewis explains that the first step in using a Passion Planner is starting the month by reflecting on what happened the month before—what you accomplished that you thought was great, what you learned, what you would do differently.

Then there’s the standard monthly calendar, and then a weekly calendar that’s broken up by timeslots. “You can set your metrics, set your goals,” she explains. “I don’t hit it every time.

But I get much more done with it than without it.”

7. Nameplate “That was my first nameplate,” Lewis notes. “I was in charge of the weekends at a television station in West Virginia, so I keep that to say, ‘You know, some days are rough, but you could be in charge of weekends in West Virginia. So, comparatively speaking, it’s not looking so bad right now.”

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Biz Report | The Watercooler awards

Vandeventer Black Wins First Place in 2017 Legal Food Frenzy

Buddy Bagley.

courtesy of the virginian-pilot

courtesy of chesapeake sports club

Former Chesapeake Mayor Dr. Bill Ward.

Conference Center opening celebration.

Chesapeake Conference Center Celebrates 20 Years

L

ooking back at all the incredible events that have been held at the Chesapeake Conference Center, it’s hard to believe that it almost didn’t get voted into existence.

“The city was young, and the city council was very frugal and conservative on how it spent its money,” says past Chesapeake Mayor, Dr. William (Bill) Ward. “But all the other cities around here were growing, expanding and developing different kinds of cultural, social and recreational amenities for their people, and I, along with others, felt that instead of taking our dollars to Norfolk or Virginia Beach for large-scale events, that Chesapeake should have its own event center.”

Robert “Buddy” Bagley, who was a member of the Chesapeake Fire Department for 38 years—17 of which he had the pleasure and honor of serving as chief—was a big supporter for building the conference center at the time and is still a huge advocate. “The business community is really what has made this city what it is today,” says Bagley. “You have to have rooftops in order to generate income.

You’ve got to have people coming in to spend money. I can’t say enough about the business community here, and that conference center has been a real part of it.”

Bagley, who has spearheaded the fireworks displays for the City of Chesapeake’s annual jubilee since 1963, was in charge of putting on

a display to commemorate the opening and dedication of the conference center in 1997.

“Believe it or not, we launched the fireworks from the roof of the conference center,” he says with a chuckle. “People kept asking me if we were going to burn the place down before we even got in it.”

Today, the conference center is still going strong. With over 39,000 square feet of versatile function space, they can customize corporate events for everything from breakfast meetings to award and fundraising galas.

Owned by the City of Chesapeake and managed by VenuWorks of Chesapeake, LLC, they offer high-speed Internet and free Wi-Fi, more than 350 free parking spaces on site, and an award-winning culinary team that can help you plan your business breakfast, lunch or dinner. “We have a partnership with Elite Audio/ Video so we can provide any setup a business might need,” says Shereese (Reesy) FloydThompson, media and communications coordinator for the conference center. “We have our own catering, which is led by Executive Chef Antwan Bryant, so we can provide everything from snacks and libations to plated meals or buffet dining. As our tagline says, it all happens here.”

Vandeventer Black LLP won the Large Firm (per capita) group in the 11th annual Legal Food Frenzy, a competition that groups various law firms, law schools and government institutions together in a friendly competition to benefit people in the community. The firm raised a total of 65,353 pounds of food, which equates to 605 pounds per person, and over $12,000.

“Vandeventer Black has been part of this initiative since its inception 11 years ago.

We are proud we were able to surpass last year’s contribution and the goal we set for this year of raising $10,000 and more than 500 pounds of food,” said Michael L. Sterling, managing partner. The law firm will be presented The Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Award during the 2017 Legal Food Frenzy Awards Reception.

Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group Ranked As A Top Mortgage Lender By Scotsman Guide Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group was recently named a Scotsman Guide 2016 Top Mortgage Lender, ranking 51st in Top Overall Volume nationwide. Scotsman Guide, the leading resource for mortgage originators, released its 5th annual Top Mortgage Lenders rankings on June 1. The list, which ranks the nation’s top mortgagelending companies, appears in Scotsman Guide’s June 2017 residential edition.

—Barrett Baker Continued >

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Biz Report | The Watercooler awards (Cont’d)

Kaufman & Canoles Selected As Exclusive Virginia Law Firm for Terralex’s International Network

Public Relations Society of America Announces Winners Of Annual Awards Competition

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

The Public Relations Society of America’s Hampton Roads Chapter (PRSAHR) announced the winners of its annual Pinnacle Awards competition at a lunch meeting on June 21 at Hilton Norfolk The Main. Local public relations professionals competed in 23 categories, ranging from annual reports and newsletters to community relations and social media campaigns. Members of the PRSA Tampa Bay Chapter judged the entries, and April Woodward, co-host of WTKR’s “Coast Live” was the emcee. The 2017 winners for programs and tactics are as follows:

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• First Place for Annual Reports ($5,000 and above): The Port of Virginia and The Meridian Group • Second Place for Annual Reports ($5,000 and above): Hampton Roads Community Foundation • First Place for Media Relations ($5,000 and above): Massimo Zanetti Beverage, USA and O’Brien et al Advertising • First Place for Newsletters ($5,000 and above): St. Mary’s Home and Brickell & Partners • First Place for Reputation/Brand Management ($5,000 and above): Cox Communications Virginia • First Place for Special Events ($5,000 and above): STIHL Inc. and Meridian Group • First Place for Media Relations ($4,999 and below): St. Mary’s Home • First Place for Video Programs ($4,999 and below): EVMS

Colonial Williamsburg And ODU Named In Nation’s Top Employers List

CovaBiz Mag.com

Forbes has ranked Colonial Williamsburg and Old Dominion University among the nation’s top 200 midsize employers for 2017. Colonial Williamsburg ranked No. 69, and ODU ranked No. 185 on Forbes’ list of the 300 best midsize employers with 1,000 to 5,000 workers. The complete rankings are available at Forbes. com/Best-Midsize-Employers-List.

Kaufman & Canoles P.C. has been chosen as the exclusive Virginia law firm for TerraLex, the leading international legal network comprised of 155+ independent member firms, with more than 19,000 attorneys in 100 countries.

Kaufman & Canoles’ business law practice is the largest headquartered in Southeastern Virginia, with offices in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Newport News, Chesapeake, Hampton, Williamsburg, Richmond and Tysons Corner.

CEOs (Cookie Entrepreneur Officers) This past spring, 100 local Girl Scouts who sold at least 1,000 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies this year were recognized as CEOs, or Cookie Entrepreneur Officers, during a luncheon held in their honor on the top floor of the Dominion Enterprises building in Norfolk. The girls enjoyed a meal with Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast CEO Tracy Keller and Old Dominion Executives, including Susan Blake, vice president of human resources for Dominion Enterprises, Debra Bunn, chief accounting officer and Wendy Froehlich, vice president of marketing at For Rent. The representatives from Dominion Enterprises congratulated the girls for their hard work and recognized the important life skills they develop through participation in the Girl Scout Cookie Program.

ABOVE: The top three cookie sellers in the region with representatives from Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast and Dominion Enterprises.

law

Kaufman & Canoles Announces New Practice Group: Eminent Domain Kaufman & Canoles, P.C. announced the formation of a new practice group, Eminent Domain, which is dedicated to the representation of landowners, business owners and tenants impacted by condemnation matters across Virginia. Mark A. Short, Esq. will chair the Eminent Domain Practice Group. Short is recognized as one of the leading eminent domain attorneys in Virginia and has more than 20 years of experience representing businesses and property owners against federal, state and local authorities.

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Biz Report | The Watercooler milestones

new in town

to manage your finances and keep more of what you earn.

Are You Receiving Creative Ideas From Your Advisor?

Volvo Penta Marked 25th Anniversary at Chesapeake Location Volvo Penta has been proud to call Chesapeake home of U.S. operations for the past 25 years, as of June 2. The milestone was marked with a celebration for employees and invited guests, commemorating the company’s relocation from Rockleigh, N.J. to Chesapeake in 1992. The program included welcoming remarks from Ron Huibers, president of Volvo Penta of the Americas, and Chesapeake Mayor Alan P. Krasnoff; a display of Volvo Penta marine and industrial products; and a 25th anniversary classic car show.

Long-time employees who have been with the company for 25 years or more were also recognized.

Thinking Outside the Office The West Elm Workspace with Inscape showroom has opened in Norfolk, bringing four new office furniture collections that offer a sleek twist on traditional office spaces. The styles focus specifically on contemporary, industrial, mid-century and modern. With more than 140 textile options, 75 product lines and an array of lighting and handcrafted flooring options, the PC&A Business Environments-based showroom flaunts West Elm’s dedication to designing unique and inviting workspaces. Learn more at WestElmWorkspace.com.

health

photo by brian palmer

Bon Secours In Motion Grand Opening At Town Center

National Hands-On Preservation Program Chooses Fort Monroe for Milestone Project The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s HOPE (Hands-On Preservation Experience) Crew, in partnership with the National Park Service, The Corps Network and the Fort Monroe Authority, has chosen Virginia’s Fort Monroe National Monument as the site of the program’s 100th project. On June 19, HOPE Crew deployed a team of national experts and young, local participants to rehabilitate Fort Monroe’s historic headquarters.

Idea #12 Why directly giving to Charity from your IRA might provide a greater charitable income tax deduction.

Idea #49 In addition to tax free income, which municipal bonds also generate an income tax deduction.

I would be happy to share more of my ideas with you.

Bon Secours leaders, community leadership and city leaders joined referring physicians, patients and the staff of Bon Secours In Motion Physical Therapy and Bon Secours Sports Performance to celebrate the opening of their building, Bon Secours Town Center, located at 4677 Columbus St., Virginia Beach. Bon Secours Town Center is a two-story, 25,000-square-foot medical plaza that was recently redesigned from retail space to medical. Physical therapy operations began in late March and with the relocation increased its space for services by 25 percent, now occupying approximately 12,500 square feet on the second floor of the building. Sports performance relocated and opened their approximately 6,000-square-foot facility on the first floor.

Bon Secours In Motion offers physical therapy, sports rehabilitation, sports performance, balance and fall prevention, concussion management, fibromyalgia and foot and ankle programs, Kinesio Taping™, along with massage therapy and nutrition consultation with a registered dietitian. Learn more at BonSecoursInMotion.com.

Donald S. Hannahs, CFP® and Founding Partner

2247 W. Great Neck Road, Suite 201 Virginia Beach, VA 23451 (757) 271-8824 For a free monthly newsletter or to learn more, please email: dhannahs@psgplanning.com Securities offered through Triad Advisors, Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory Services offered through Planning Solutions Group, LLC. Planning Solutions Group, LLC is not affiliated with Triad Advisors.

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Biz Report | The Watercooler

Technology

HAZON Solutions Announces CloudBased Drone Management Software HAZON Solutions, the Virginia Beachbased national leader in drone inspection services, has launched the HAZON Drone Management System (HAZON DMS), a webbased management tool providing every drone operator a safe and efficient way to track and manage their drone fleet, pilots and workflow. Some of the HAZON DMS features include lightning fast data logging, maintenance and inspection tracking for drones and operations planning and reporting.

“HAZON DMS is the first software designed by professional drone pilots, for professional drone pilots” says HAZON Director of Drone Capability Development, Ed Hine. “We designed it to be a robust, yet simple to use management tool that can handle all of our safety, maintenance, operational and pilot management requirements with one efficient application.” Learn more at HazonDMS.com.

Millennials

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Education

Free Entrepreneur Camp for Girls Angela Reddix, founder, president and CEO of Norfolk-based consulting company, ARDX, has launched a 7-City Bus Tour in June as part of her nonprofit, Envision Lead Grow, focused on teaching girls about the power of entrepreneurship. The tour launched at ODU’s Strome Entrepreneurial Center and has journeyed to Memphis, Greensboro, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Richmond, with the final stop being in Norfolk through Aug. 4. In each city, the Envision Lead Grow team shares interactive entrepreneurial curriculum to middle school girls in underserved communities. Envision Lead Grow has partnered with local universities, local businesses and local female professionals in each city to create a ring of support for the young women. “It has long been a dream of mine to inspire young women to achieve more,” Reddix says. “The mission and vision of Envision Lead Grow is to break the cycle of poverty for 1,000 girls in underserved communities in the U.S. each year. With the launch of this program, we are thrilled to be able to make inroads to reach that goal.”

green scene

Hampton Roads Ranked as Fastest-Growing Destination for Millennials

grants for green

Urban Land Institute recently generated a study for Time magazine, reviewing population changes for cities and suburbs between 2010 and 2015. The study determined that millennials moved to Hampton Roads and its surrounding cities at the steepest rate in the country. While places like New York City and Los Angeles are still popular choices, research showed that smaller cities are seeing the most relative growth in populations of 25-to34-year-olds.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Keep Virginia Beautiful recently awarded askHRgreen. org a total of $13,000 in separate grant awards, both of which will go a long way toward promoting environmental awareness in Hampton Roads. “These grant awards will allow us to reach more Hampton Roads residents than ever with the tools they need to make good environmental choices,” said Katie Cullipher, team leader of askHRgreen.org, a region-wide public awareness and education campaign administered through the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission.

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Biz Report | On The Move

On the Jacob Barclay has joined Dixon Hughes Goodman as a senior consultant in the Government Contract Advisory practice. Barclay works out of the firm’s Norfolk office and will help government contracting companies navigate federal contracting compliance rules, regulations and standards.

Edward L. Brunot has been named as chief operating officer (COO) for Liberty Tax, Inc. Brunot will oversee all aspects of the company’s daily operations, including developing and implementing strategies that will directly contribute to maintaining the company’s competitive edge. Brunot comes to Liberty with a wealth of experience in management and leadership and a distinguished career in the military, where he served as captain in the U.S. Army and was awarded the Bronze Star.

Deborah M. Casey, a partner and AV® rated attorney with Vandeventer Black LLP, was appointed to the Executive Board of the Women’s Cabinet of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.

The Cabinet works hand in hand with community outreach, promotes women’s leadership and development and upholds the Jewish life, continuity and home values. In addition, Casey was recently elected as Vendeventer Black executive board member for the 2017–2018 term.

Chris Christou, owner/operator of The Cockeyed Rooster Café in Smithfield, has been named 2017 Entrepreneur of the Year in conjunction with Virginia Business Appreciation Month. The award was presented during the Isle of Wight County Board of Supervisors meeting held in May. Gerald Hanley was named the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary’s Volunteer of the Year. Since 2004, Hanley has volunteered at The Mariners’ Museum and Park in the Batten Conservation Lab

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donating hundreds of hours in the preservation of USS Monitor artifacts. He has provided indispensable support to the long-term artifact conservation program through research and advocacy.

James Harvey, a partner and executive board member with Vandeventer Black LLP, was named the president of the Norfolk and Portsmouth Bar Association at the recently held NPBA Annual Dinner and award ceremony. The NPBA has been serving the local legal community since 1990 and is one of the largest local bar associations in Virginia.

Tim Hinson has been appointed as vice president of Cox Business’ East region, which encompasses business operations in Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and Virginia markets. Hinson joined Cox Business in 2008 and has been with Cox Business in Virginia since 2015. Hinson previously led the sales and field operation teams for Northern Virginia, Roanoke and Hampton Roads.

Naomh Hudson, an attorney at LeClairRyan’s Williamsburg office, was recently honored by Super Lawyers Magazine in the field of Civil Litigation Defense.

Robbie Jordan has been hired as the new senior operations manager of the Lewis B. Puller Center of VersAbility Resources, a leading local nonprofit serving people with disabilities. Jordan will lead VersAbility’s on-site employment and day support programs on the Middle Peninsula/Northern Neck.

The Puller Center supports nearly 50 individuals with disabilities and is the only work center for people with disabilities in the 10-county region.

Graham Kessler has joined ADS Inc. as the company’s director of product development and integration.

Kessler comes to ADS from Logos Technologies where he managed all phases of business development for government research and development opportunities, as well as new and emerging ISR products for U.S. and international customers.

Michaela Moreland has been named the 2017 Public Relations Society of America’s Hampton Roads Chapter (PRSAHR) Rising Star, an award that honors a current member of PRSAHR who has worked in the public relations field for less than five years and has demonstrated a commitment to the field of public relations and an aptitude for leadership through his or her involvement in, and contributions to, the chapter. Moreland serves as a marketing and communication assistant for the Virginia Beach Public Library.

Amy Morgan has been hired as assistant director of government contracts for VersAbility Resources, a leading local nonprofit serving people with disabilities. In her role, Morgan will support the oversight and management of VersAbility’s Government Contracts program, which includes 12 regional and two national contracts that employ over 800 people, more than 570 of whom are individuals with disabilities.

Marissa Nihill has been named executive director of American Red Cross of Coastal Virginia.

Prior to joining the Red Cross, Nihill worked at Norfolk State University and also was on staff with the March of Dimes for five years.

Susan Childers North, an attorney at LeClairRyan’s Williamsburg office, was recently honored by Super Lawyers Magazine in the field of Employment & Labor law.

Adam Pitzen has been promoted within Reed & Associates Marketing.

In his new role, Pitzen will lead client services and new business development providing high-level tactics for the agency and its clients. Additionally, he will

be spearheading the development of new products and services, pursuing new business and managing the client services team to drive tangible results.

Marshall Segars has joined Planning Solutions Group, LLC as an associate planner. A recent graduate from Christopher Newport University, Segars will work with Founding Partner, Donald S. Hannahs, in the Virginia Beach office.

William Sleeth III, an attorney at LeClairRyan’s Williamsburg office, was recently honored by Super Lawyers Magazine in the field of Estate & Trust Litigation law.

Mallory Tuttle has joined Old Dominion University as the program manager of the Strome Entrepreneurial Center. In her former role, Tuttle was focused on recruiting startups, small business and large-scale industry to the Franklin Southampton community.

Nikki Williams has joined ADS Inc. as the company’s director of compliance and assistant general counsel.

Williams comes to ADS from the law firm of Williams Mullen where she was a successful business, regulatory, and tax attorney for the last 20 years.

Kate Hofheimer Wilson has been hired as director of development for the Chrysler Museum of Art. Wilson will oversee fundraising and donor relations. She has more than 13 years of nonprofit development experience, most recently serving as director of principal and major giving in Virginia for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Photo courtesy of Ed Pollard for the Chrysler Museum of Art.

Send updates on new jobs, promotions, honors and awards, along with a headshot, to Angela Blue at Angela@CoVaBIZMag.com, with the subject line On the Move.

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Biz Report | PENCIL IT IN

August/September Events BUSINESS REFERRAL NETWORKING

AUG. 1: Bring your business cards and promotional materials while networking with other business owners, entrepreneurs and salespeople to develop your referral-based business. Free. 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. Atlantic Bay Mortgage, Virginia Beach. Eventbrite.com

WINE, WOMEN AND WEALTH

AUG. 1: This event is for any woman who is looking for an opportunity to take charge of her financial future and expand her knowledge by networking with other women in the area. The Five Ring’s top female producers will not only build your confidence, but they will also teach you to make smart financial decisions over a glass of wine.

Free. 5:30–7:30 p.m. Bainbridge 3200 Clubhouse, Suffolk. Eventbrite.com

COFFEE CONNECTION

AUG. 1, SEP. 12: Join the Virginia Peninsula Chamber for the chance to connect business with opportunity over a hot cup of coffee. Free. 7:30–9 a.m.

Aug. 1, Wynne Ford, Hampton. Sep. 12, Courtyard by Marriott, Yorktown.

VirginiaPeninsulaChamber.com

BLUEPRINT VIRGINIA 2025

AUG. 2: Come and let your voice be heard by speaking on policies that you think will help drive economic growth in the region. Share your thoughts on what changes should be made to the Virginia Chamber’s long-term statewide economic development plan. $15. 8–10 a.m. Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, Hampton.

VirginiaPeninsulaChamber.com

88.1 SUNDOWN AT THE CROWNE

AUG. 2: Come and enjoy an afterwork gathering to network with the successful business men and women in Hampton while listening to live jazz played by Jay Lang. Free. 5–8 p.m. Crowne Plaza Hampton Marina, Hampton. MeetUp.com

ONE MILLION CUPS

AUG. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, SEP. 6, 13, 20, 27: Weekly networking events for the Coastal Virginia business community. 9 a.m. Virginia Beach and Williamsburg.

1MillionCups.com/VirginiaBeach or 1MillionCups.com/Williamsburg

1701 OFFICE HOURS

AUG. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, SEP. 6, 13, 20, 27: Join for some legal and business advice from experienced Startup and Corporate Attorney Joel Nied. 3–4 p.m.

1701, Virginia Beach. 1701VB.com

8 PROVEN WAYS TO RECYCLE YOUR CONTENT TO BOOST EXPOSURE

AUG. 3: With this workshop, you will have the tips and strategies to target future customers. This 60-minute course will allow you to take your existing content such as podcasts, blog posts and social reviews toward the path of financial return. Free. 2–3 p.m. Register online. Norfolk. Eventbrite.com

INIDIVIDUAL JOB SEARCH ASSISTANCE

AUG. 3, SEP. 7: From résumés to interviews to setting your professional goals, get some individual assistance for your job search. 11 a.m.–1 p.m. Ruth Camp Campbell Memorial Library, Franklin.

757-562-4801. FranklinSouthamptonVa.com

VETS 2 WORK CAREER EXTRAVAGANZA

AUG. 7: Through leadership, advocacy and service, American Veterans (AMVETS) Career Centers will provide free career training and assistance for veterans, active duty service members, National Guard and reserve. Free. 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Norfolk Marriott Waterside, Norfolk. Eventbrite.com

STARTUP NIGHT AT HATCH

AUG. 7, SEP. 14: Network with entrepreneurs, investors and tech enthusiasts while learning about the newest technology through presentations and demos. Free. 6–7 p.m. Hatch, Norfolk.

StartWithHatch.com

MILITARY RECOGNITION RECEPTION

AUG. 11: The Hampton Roads Chamber is proud to honor the top military personnel from local commands with a reception and opportunity to network with members of the armed forces community. Members $15; nonmembers $25. 3–5 p.m. Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel, Norfolk.

HamptonRoadsChamber.com

CHAMBER EDUCATION SERIES: LEAD GENERATION SUCCESS

AUG. 15: Join the Hampton Roads Chamber to learn about new and effective tips for marketing your product or service. You will learn how to build a client database, content marketing techniques and tips to build your brand. 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. Troy University, Chesapeake.

HamptonRoadsChamber.com

Developing an Online Newsroom Workshop

Aug. 16: Hosted by the Public Relations Society of America’s Hampton Roads Chapter, this workshop and breakfast will gather guest speakers from Ferguson Enterprises and WTKR to teach attendees how to build and maintain an online news site created with media that is easy to maintain and measures engagement. Attendees are asked to bring laptop computers. 9–11 a.m.

Ferguson Enterprises Heritage Center, Newport News. Register online by Aug. 11. PRSAHR.org

BUSINESS AFTER HOURS

AUG. 17: Join the Gloucester County Chamber of Commerce for their monthly business networking event. 5:30–7 p.m. Body By D, Hayes.

GloucesterVaChamber.org

LAUNCH YOUR DREAM

AUG. 17: If you are an aspiring, new or seasoned business owner, be ready to learn the dos and don’ts for startups. The first Cowork Gloucester VA workshop will teach you how to create

a business plan, successful budget and effective marketing plan. Guests $10.

Free for Cowork Gloucester VA members. 5:30–7 p.m. Good Life Kitchen, Gloucester. Eventbrite.com

2017 US SENATORIAL FORUM

AUG. 18: Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine are expected to attend the Hampton Roads Chamber Senatorial Forum to address decisions impacting the regional economy and national security. Members $50; nonmembers $65.

Noon–1:30 p.m. Hilton Norfolk The Main, Norfolk. HamptonRoadsChamber.com

CONNX IT CONFERENCE

AUG. 22: Join some of the top IT leaders and providers in Coastal Virginia for the chance to network, exchange information and hear from special guest speakers. Free. 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

Tech Night 5–7 p.m. Hilton Norfolk The Main, Norfolk. Register online.

ConnXEventSolutions.com

NORFOLK CAREER FAIR

AUG. 22: National Career Fairs is getting America back to work. With their new ownership, they are allowing employers to connect with future employees faster than ever before. Free.

11 a.m.–2 p.m. DoubleTree by Hilton Norfolk Airport, Norfolk. Eventbrite.com

BUSINESS PLAN BOOT CAMP

AUG. 31: The Veterans Business Outreach Center will help veterans, active duty, reservists, spouses and dependents develop a business plan including equipment requirements and costs, organizational structure, market analysis, a financial plan and much more. Free. 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

ODU Center for Enterprise Innovation, Norfolk. Eventbrite.com

WOUNDED WARRIOR GOLF OUTING

SEP. 7: Business leaders and Hampton Roads Chamber members mix together on the golf course to raise funds and awareness for wounded warriors.

8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Network building and continental breakfast 8:30 a.m.

Shotgun start 10 a.m. NAS Oceana Aeropines Golf Club, Virginia Beach.

HamptonRoadsChamber.com

BREAKFAST TO BUSINESS

SEP. 12: A networking breakfast event hosted by the Greater Williamsburg Chamber & Tourism Alliance. Members $5; nonmembers $10. 8–9:30 a.m.

Edgeworth Park, Williamsburg.

WilliamsburgCC.com

BUSINESS EDUCATION SEMINAR: LEADING HIGHPERFORMANCE TEAMS

SEP. 12: This one-hour crash course on transformative leadership is designed to help young leaders improve the overall communication, collaboration and cohesion of their business teams. $15.

3–4 p.m. Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, Hampton. Register online.

VirginiaPeninsulaChamber.com

FALL FEST

SEP. 14: The Hampton Roads Chamber will host its first Fall Fest to connect local businesses in the community with food trucks, craft beer and live music as businesses compete for the “Best of the Grill.” $10. 4:30–7:30 p.m.

Bayside Harley Davidson, Portsmouth.

HamptonRoadsChamber.com

16TH ANNUAL COMMUNITY SERVICE GOLF OUTING

SEP. 16: The Institute of Real Estate Management Hampton Roads Virginia Chapter No. 39 invites you to join them for a round of 18 holes at Hell’s Point Golf Club. Proceeds from the event will benefit both Transitions Family Violence Services as well as the chapter’s education. 11 a.m.–6 p.m.

Registration 11 a.m. Shotgun start noon.

Reception 6 p.m. Hell’s Point Golf Club, Virginia Beach. IREMChapter39.com

HUSBANDING THE LAND & THE FUTURE OF FARMERS MARKETS

SEP. 21: This forum will focus on the politics of food and the changes that confront the operations of local farmers markets and CSAs, including land conservancy and Farmland trusts. Free.

7–8 a.m. Stryker Center Council Center, Williamsburg. WilliamsburgCC.com

SWAM BUSINESS FORUM

SEP. 21: This forum is designed to help small business owners in Virginia Beach grow and sustain the success of their companies by taking advantage of the area’s resources. Lunch will be provided. Free. 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, Virginia Beach.

Register online. YesVirginiaBeach.com

BUSINESS EDUCATION SEMINAR: KEEPING THE DOORS OPEN

SEP. 26: The first of a two-part Business Education Seminar focused on the importance of business insurance.

Group discussions and practical application sessions will take place after the guest speakers’ presentations. $35. 8–10 a.m. Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, Hampton. Register online.

VirginiaPeninsulaChamber.com

THE NORFOLK FORUM SERIES OF SPEAKERS

SEP. 26: The Forum will welcome legendary NBC News Anchor Tom Brokaw in a presentation addressing various topics along with a question and answer session. 7:30 p.m. Chrysler Hall, Norfolk. TheNorfolkForum.org

THE GLASS 2017: EVOLVING THE BUSINESS WOMAN - A WOMEN’S BUSINESS CONFERENCE

SEP. 28: Join the Hampton Roads Chamber for the second half of their discussion on how to approach and fix the glass ceiling issue impacting local businesswomen. Lunch will be provided. Members $50; nonmembers $60. 9:30 a.m.–2 p.m. The Waterside District, Norfolk. Register online.

HamptonRoadsChamber.com

To submit your event for the Pencil It In calendar, email Ryan@CoVaBIZMag.com 18

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Biz Report | meet and eat

meet and eat

Bite Restaurant & Catering

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very now and then, we crave a simple but sophisticated, no-muss, no-fuss restaurant that serves quintessential lunch fare—in short, a great spot to grab a bite. For many of the business people working in Downtown Norfolk, that place is Bite.

Located on the corner of Charlotte Street and Monticello Avenue across from Scope, Bite is prominently situated and easily walkable from most Downtown businesses. Inside, the atmosphere is simple, modern and chic. Splashes of bright red bursting from booths and vases and woodgrain textures on the bar and wall corners add pops of personality to the cream walls and clean lines of the restaurant’s setting. On the far right wall hangs a multiple-canvas rendering of Downtown Norfolk.

“When we built this, we wanted it to be a clean kind of décor, minimalistic,” says owner Matt Mancoll. “I didn’t want it to be too formal.”

Indeed, it is a welcoming space to dine, with an open atmosphere and comfortable seating. We grab a spot in the corner before the lunch rush arrives and skim the menu, hoping for light sustenance on a humid summer day.

PHOTOs By jim pile

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Bite offers a fantastic selection of the lunchtime S’s (that is, soup, salads and sandwiches), and their menu changes with the seasons, allowing them to serve lighter options in the summer and heavier foods in the winter. The restaurant doesn’t necessarily have one menu item they’re known for. “We just do fresh, clean food and do as much in-house as we can,” Mancoll says. Some of their year-round favorites, Mancoll suggests, are the Bite Greens salad (mixed greens, dried cranberries, goat cheese, candied walnuts and balsamic dressing) and the Cold Plate, featuring a scoop of chicken salad or tuna salad, house slaw, mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and a choice of dressing. “People kind of like the things they’re familiar with,” Mancoll says.

Even so, we aim to try something new today: the shrimp wrap (chilled shrimp, avocado, cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers and basil with chipotle aioli), served with Sriracha slaw, and the Asian chopped salad (sesame shrimp, shredded cabbage, romaine, carrots, cucumbers, scallions, red pepper, cilantro and sesame vinaigrette).

The wrap is fresh and filling, although we could have used a bit more of the chipotle aioli—that stuff is tasty—and the Sriracha slaw is crunchy

and creamy with a nice kick at the end. The Asian chopped salad is beautifully plated, bright and colorful with black and white sesame seeds sprinkled on top, with a fabulous sesame dressing spread evenly throughout the mix.

Having consumed the majority of our portions and feeling quite satisfied, we could easily pass on dessert, but then we hear about a selection of cookies and quickly change our minds. The restaurant’s cookie offerings change often, but something tells us you can’t go wrong. We order two chocolate chips and an oatmeal raisin and feel confident in our decision … that is, until the option of a cookie ice cream sandwich is mentioned. Oh, what’s one more bite?

Bite also offers catering and hosts private functions for 10–110 people. Plus, a 1,200-space garage connected to the restaurant makes parking a breeze.

Bite is located at 440 Monticello Ave., Norfolk.

The restaurant’s regular breakfast/lunch hours are Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Call 757486-0035, or visit EnjoyBite.com for more info.

—Angela Blue

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CELEBRATE!

MILITARY GALAS & PARTIES WEDDINGS • CASINO NIGHTS CORPORATE GATHERINGS

Ask The Expert Legal What mechanisms should I memorialize with my fellow investors before entering into a real estate investment to streamline our potential departure from the venture?

Standard exit mechanisms.

Some standard exit mechanisms investors may want to include in the operating agreement are: • Drag-along rights (whereby the initiating member can require the sale of an entire venture) • Tag-along rights (whereby the non-initiating member can insist on the sale of the entire venture) • Buy-sell arrangements (whereby the right to sell or buy the others’ interests and the conditions pertaining to that right are predetermined)

Event Planning & Production

Buy-sell arrangements.

Buy-sell arrangements, which minimize disruption to other investors and lenders financing the project, are generally the preferred exit mechanism for investors.

Careful investors will typically include provisions detailing the: • Notice required • Rights of first refusal • Valuations and price calculations of ownership interests • Timing within which such transfers must occur Such exit strategies will be critical in the event of death, disability, or bankruptcy filing of an investor or if an investor simply desires to transfer its interest and/or disassociate itself from the project.

When you are just starting out, this part of the process may not seem important, but being organized and finalizing these exit mechanisms early on can save you a lot of complications and money down the road. If you are uncertain as to what to include in your operating agreement, consulting your attorney and accountant prior to consummating a deal should be viewed as preventative maintenance that may address important issues before potential conflicts arise.

About the Expert

2800 Crusader Circle, Suite 9, Virginia Beach, VA 23453

(757) 340-2212 www.premiereventsinc.com Official Event Decor Partner of Coastal Virginia Magazine Events

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Richard Crouch is a partner at Vandeventer Black LLP focusing his practice on business, commercial transactions, and commercial real estate matters.

He regularly works with real estate acquisition firms, developers, tenants and lenders in the structuring and closing of commercial transactions. Contact Richard at rcrouch@vanblacklaw.com.

Disclaimer: The contents of this column are intended to be for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. None of the information set forth in this column necessarily reflects the opinions of Vandeventer Black LLP, or of any of its staff members or attorneys.

B

efore getting involved in a commercial real estate investment, you should carefully consider your exit strategies if the real estate venture (or the management thereof) does not meet your expectations. The investment vehicle for such a project will typically be in the form of a limited liability company (“LLC”). While many statutes may accommodate numerous exit arrangements, it is generally better to expressly draft exit rights into the LLC’s governing document or “operating agreement,” rather than rely on restrictive statutory default provisions. It benefits both the investors and managers to negotiate and document exit terms in the operating agreement at the earliest stages of the venture.

Some exits are planned by investors as part of the original investment decision, while others are emergency exits for when things begin to unravel. If an investor wants to cash out of the project, exit mechanisms should be in place to enable departures with minimum difficulty. Furthermore, if an investor dies or receives an offer to have its ownership interest purchased, the remaining investors may desire to have a right to purchase the exiting member’s ownership interest in the project.

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sponsored content

Prior to founding Cetan Corp, Scott served with honor and distinction in the U.S. Army and Virginia Army National Guard where he cultivated advanced leadership and technology skills. He has been a member of EO for six years.

Featured EO Member:

Brad Scott

Cetan Corp

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rad Scott is the president and CEO of Cetan Corp, a certified Native American, veteran-owned small business that solves complex business challenges using technology, integrity and talent. Scott founded Cetan Corp in 2007 and has since served as a hands-on leader, setting the direction and strategy for the company and spearheading its aggressive growth and expansion into new markets.

What inspired you to launch Cetan Corp?

After transitioning out of the U.S. Army, I worked for a large software company, a small IT service provider, and an off-shore managed services/ development company. Having exposure to different organizations in size, ownership (public and privately held), go-to market strategies and solution offerings provided great insight into the market and how I would want to run an organization. When starting Cetan Corp, I wanted to make a positive impact on our clients, team members and community daily.

How does Cetan Corp set itself apart from larger corporations in the same market?

Cetan Corp draws inspiration from the company namesake Chetan, “the hawk,” in Native American language.

The hawk is renowned for its vision, speed and dedication. We compete daily with large corporations that have the advantage of immediate brand recognition and the appearance of

experience. Our team is hyper-focused on embodying the key traits of the hawk to rapidly and effectively solve complex business challenges using technology, integrity and talent.

How have you and your team kept up with ever-evolving technology to offer your clients the latest, greatest options to effectively solve their challenges?

A continuously evolving marketplace is what motivates our team to research/test new technologies and the best way to integrate those into a stringent implementation methodology to drive success for our clients.

With the introduction of IT strategies and platforms such as software as a service (SaaS) and cloud technologies, the IT landscape will continue to change. Smaller organizations are now able to capture the value gained from an IT investment that was only affordable to large enterprises 10 years ago. This should be exciting to everyone as it enables small business to compete more effectively and efficiently.

Cetan Corp has grown significantly since its inception. What are some unexpected challenges that you faced when expanding the business?

Rapidly growing a business is very exciting but does come with

many challenges—some expected and some unexpected. Recruiting, building and investing in the right team is crucial from day one. This team includes internal and external resources. During the initial rapid growth years, our business required specialized skill sets as we grew to the next level. Often that investment in resources must occur before the cash flow justifies the spend. We worked very hard to time key hires and engage the right vendors at the correct time.

How do you feel your EO membership has affected your business?

Entrepreneurs’ Organization has provided me with a network of resources to enable me to grow both professionally and personally. I looked at many business organizations and really liked the deeprooted culture of Entrepreneurs’ Organization by sharing experiences and not advice. Being able to gain knowledge and insight from others’ successes (and sometimes failures) to assist me in decision making is invaluable. Having tapped into a network of fellow entrepreneurs from around the world has been very helpful in sharing experiences inside and outside of my industry.

Connect with us!

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Your biggest decision ... single barrel or the blend.

Spirits Soiree At the Virginia Beach Convention Center November 4 4pm -8 pm

Sponsorship opportunities email Lisa@vgnet.com

Presented by

Visit CoVaSpirits.com for more event information. |

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Beyond the Biz better your biz

Web-Based JunipHER Project Aims to Give Women Entrepreneurs the Support, Training and Empowerment They Need to Bridge the Earnings Gap

By Ryan Miller

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s legend has it, the juniper branch served as a symbol of protection and encouragement as it accompanied travelers withstanding adversity on enduring journeys. You won’t see many business owners reach for a juniper branch today when faced with challenges, but you will, however, see them reach out to JunipHER. The JunipHER Project is a web-based growth accelerator for mid-stage women business owners, providing a year of support and training while addressing specific issues that women face as entrepreneurs. The project stems from AccelerateHER®, a women’s business development organization that strives to create an environment that fosters success and empowerment but focuses on solid business practices.

The James City County company was founded in 2011 by CEO Zee Worstell, who was later joined by COO Francine Spinelli.

The JuniperHER Project launched in 2016.

Alarmed by the inequality in numbers of women earning 79 percent less than men in the same industry, Worstell desired to minimize the stiffened revenue earnings of women-owned businesses, beginning with business education. “I have two daughters, and that was the motivating factor for me,” shares Worstell. “If I can help them figure out and see someone else making more than the norm then I could impact a whole generation of women.”

JunipHER’s one-year training program focuses on issues women face that the company has identified based on their research as well as other documented resources revealing the same issues behind the earnings gap. The first issue they’ve recognized is the need to empower women by

helping them realize that they are leaders of companies that can support and employ others and build an economy.

The program also provides a strong support component with role models they can look to for inspiration. In stark contrast to men, they’ve found women often lack a support system for their business leadership. “We work on getting them comfortable, meeting people and understanding this is the vision for my company,” Worstell says.

The other issue they’ve recognized for womenowned businesses is financial understanding.

JunipHER helps women learn how to use their numbers, set their prices and get comfortable with the story the numbers are telling them so they can manage more efficiently and effectively.

Specifically, Worstell indicates that the training commonly helps a group of women known as the Missing Middle, who make over $150,000 but less than a million dollars annually and aren’t receiving the necessary support or setting the right goals for what they are capable of accomplishing. They’ve recognized that women commonly look to how big of an impact they can make on their community or family but haven’t been looking toward their own success in earnings. “We work with them on how to do a strategic growth plan,” Worstell

explains. “Most women just kind of toil away in their business and don’t think bigger about where [they] want to go, and the business runs them as opposed to them running the business.”

All of the training is done through JunipHER’s online tools, including their own .net platform that hosts training lessons with videos, audio, assignments, worksheets and a mixture of other content broken into chapters. Supplementing this is a monthly videoconference support call with classes of 10 to 12 where they get to know each other better, ask questions and discuss issues.

Each is given an accountability partner to communicate with weekly, as well as a chat platform with prompt questions. Content is dripped over a year in an arranged order to work on first things first and then built from that point onward as they absorb the material.

As an online resource, the outreach is limitless to location and profession. “We’ve covered the gamut; we’ve had women in all different industries,” states Worstell. AccelerateHER® also works with other programs for further development, including Modern Femme and Launchpad, Greater Williamsburg Incubator.

The results of the project’s success are demonstrated by those same numbers Worstell wished to change. Women in the program have seen their business’ office space increase 225 percent in square footage (as many begin out of home offices), a 46 percent growth in the amount of employees and an increase in revenue of 14 percent that is expected to continue to grow.

AccelerateHER® is one of three Virginia winners of the Small Business Administration’s Growth Accelerator Grant Awards. Learn more at AccelerateHER.com

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Beyond the Biz | excellence in leadership

excellence in leadership

Louis S. Haddad President, CEO & Director, Armada Hoffler

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Beyond the Biz | excellence in leadership

We’re very “ deliberate in what

Building Leaders from the Ground Up Louis Haddad got married in 1984. Shortly after, he met Dan Hoffler and went to work for Armada Hoffler. He likens both to winning the lottery. Haddad quickly distinguished himself as a problem solver, motivator and consummate leader who completed projects on time and within budget, all the while demanding high standards of excellence. In just two years he was promoted to president of Armada Hoffler Construction Company, guiding the division through a decade of robust growth, escalating the firm’s revenues from $5 million per annum to $150 million. Under his guidance the company’s construction arm became one of the largest Virginia-based commercial contractors that consistently ranks among the top 400 general contractors in the country. In 1996, Haddad was promoted to president of Armada Hoffler Holding Company, the parent for all of Armada Hoffler’s entities. In 1999, he was given the additional title of chief executive officer.

Tell us about Armada Hoffler.

We were founded in 1979 by Dan Hoffler. For the first 34 years of that existence we were a privately held, vertically integrated, commercial real estate development company, doing business over multiple midAtlantic states with a variety of product types. In 2013, we did our IPO and became listed on the New York Stock Exchange. That’s been another great chapter in our existence. We’ve been able to outperform the real estate sector index since we became public, and we’re looking forward to continuing that trend.

How would you describe your leadership style?

I think people would say I’m evenhanded and steady. We’re not reactionary. We’re very deliberate in what we do. You have to be. We’re dealing with very large sums of money. So, my style is to remain calm and remain positive.

Do you think that’s what has made you successful over the years?

For me, absolutely. We do a tremendous amount of public/private partnerships with cities, states, universities and the like. Therefore, you really have to have a lot of patience, a long-term view and absolute transparency and integrity because you are dealing with, in many cases, public money.

Do you subscribe to the idea that leaders are born or developed?

Certainly, there are advantages to having specific personality traits. But the vast majority of leaders, in my opinion, have developed skills. As evidence, I would offer the tremendous variety of leadership styles that are successful. So, you can learn those skills and adopt the style that fits your personality. You can take someone who is basically introverted and you would think, “Wow, that person isn’t going to make much of a leader.” But if he or she can lead by example, not necessarily through oratory skill or charisma, then they can be a fine leader in their own right. We have 150 or so people working for the company, and we’ve got leaders at every level. And they have a multitude of styles. Some of them come naturally, and some of them were learned along the way.

Photos by David Uhrin

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we do. You have to be. We’re dealing with very large sums of money.

So, my style is to remain calm and remain positive.

”

Any advice for future business leaders?

To me the most important ingredient they have to have is passion.

Because business is hard. It’s too hard to be successful if you don’t have that passion. You’ll run out of gas. For people coming up I’d say find your passion. Then success can start to flow from there.

What can middle managers do to advance?

That’s an easy one. I’ve been preaching it for 30 years. You have to be a student of the game. I recommend to our people constantly to learn the business. If you restrict yourself to the microcosm of your specific responsibilities, then that restriciton is exactly what’s going to happen.

You’re going to be bound there. So, you have to take the additional time and effort to be a student of the business. Read everything you can get your hands on, ask questions of people who are outside your department. You’ve got to develop a broad knowledge base in order to be ready for the next step.

Any additional advice from a leadership perspective?

I’ve always subscribed to the principles of servant leadership, both at work and at our charitable endeavors. There’s a really good series on leadership style that describes leading from within, not only from the standpoint of business, but the way you carry yourself, the way you pitch in, the way you give back. In my estimation, those are the things that make you a more complete leader. The series is by Robert Greenleaf, and I recommend that every manager read it.

Excellence in Leadership is a new, year-long series that will include management advice from some of Coastal Virginia’s most wellrespected leaders. Our next issue (October/November) will feature Monique Adams, executive director of 757 Angels.

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Beyond the Biz | day in the life

day in the life

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Beyond the Biz | day in the life

Norfolk couple Sets High Standards For The Quality Of Products Offered At their Butcher Shop, Pendulum Fine Meats

By Jamie McAllister

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hen Norfolk entrepreneurs Dylan and Dana Wakefield opened Pendulum Fine Meats in Ghent in 2014, they yanked the neighborhood butcher shop from the edge of extinction while opening up a world of meaty possibilities for Coastal Virginia residents. Their goal is to entice shoppers out of the grocery store and into their butcher shop, where they offer cuts of locally sourced meats from humanely treated animals from farms located no more than a day’s drive from Norfolk.

“We’re a whole-animal butcher shop, meaning the meat we sell is cut right here,” explains Dylan. “It’s an old model that’s not done in this area. We utilize all of the animal, from tip to tail.”

The Wakefields have rigid requirements for the meat they sell in their butcher shop. They only select meat from farmers who treat their animals humanely, meaning the animals have room to roam, diets that are healthy and no force-feeding. They especially like to work with family farms or small, independently-owned farms. Dylan personally visits each farm before purchasing their meats and makes yearly visits to the farmers he chooses to buy from.

“Our goal is to bring fresh, ethically sourced meat to the people of Coastal Virginia,” Dylan says. “We want to make it convenient for them to stop in and buy what they need without having to visit a bunch of different farmers’ markets.”

In addition to staples such as beef, chicken and pork, Pendulum Fine Meats also offers sausage made in house, as well as bacon cured and smoked at the shop. “We are very transparent about our products,” Dylan says. “We go beyond the grocery store because we’ve already done the legwork. We can tell you exactly what you’re getting and where it comes from. We want to make it easier for customers to get meat they can feel good about eating.”

Dylan has a hand in daily operations of the shop, from cutting meat to choosing selections for the shop’s café, which offers a constantly evolving menu of lunchtime sandwich choices. Pendulum Fine Meats also offers a community supported agriculture (CSA) program. For a monthly fee, customers receive a box that contains an assortment of meats as well as recipes and add-ons, such as special rubs or sauces.

Each box costs $50 and contains four to six meals for two people. “It’s great for people who like to cook and want the convenience of having everything assembled for them in one place,” says Dylan. The CSA program has become so popular that they are even considering adding a delivery service for members.

The Wakefields chose to name their butcher shop Pendulum Fine Meats because they view the choices each of us makes about food as a pendulum, swinging from one extreme to the other. “One side of the pendulum is how we want to eat, the other side is how we sometimes have to eat, and most of us strive for a spot in the middle,” Dylan explains. “Our goal with the shop is to provide more local food options to Coastal Virginia residents to help them eat the way they want to eat.”

To learn more, visit PendulumMeats.com.

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For more information go to CoVaTix.com Or call or email Elizabeth Cummings at 757-213-2485, at info@covatix.com | august/september 2017

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Leading Ladies

Coastal Virginia’s Powerful Female Professionals are Breaking the Mold—and the Glass Ceiling— Through Successful Careers, Community Engagement and Family Values

c

and Chelsea Sherman

Leona Baker

By Barrett Baker,

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oastal Virginia is made up of a gamut of strong, intelligent, thoughtful, female leaders in various industries. We’ve chosen just a dozen of them to participate in this year’s Leading Ladies feature, focusing on female professionals who are passionate about their careers, demonstrate excellent and fair management, influence positive change within our community and serve as mentors that others can respect and admire. Get to know these Leading Ladies on the pages ahead as they discuss excelling in their careers, thriving in often male-dominated industries, balancing work and family time and sharing advice for future female leaders to succeed.

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Leading Ladies

Andrea Kilmer Photo by ramone photography

CPA, CFF, CGMA, President and CEO of The ESG Companies

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igid flexibility sounds like an oxymoron, but it is the discipline by which Andrea Kilmer manages the day to day workings of The ESG Companies. Kilmer has spent more than 30 years working for The ESG Companies in various capacities and now serves as president and CEO. The firm develops and manages a variety of properties and ventures, from high-rise buildings, shopping centers and industrial complexes, to apartments, restaurants and car dealerships. Most recently, The ESG Companies has taken on the Virginia Beach Oceanfront arena project—a $220 million venture that will break ground this year.

For Kilmer, the unexpected is the norm. Because of the nature of her firm, most days are riddled with unanticipated needs and opportunities. Whether she is reviewing loan documents, negotiating a development agreement, assisting the ownership family with personal concerns or just lis-

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tening to and guiding staff, a day in Kilmer’s life is almost guaranteed to be a unique experience.

Kilmer earned her Bachelor of Business Administration from Old Dominion University in 1978.

Two years later, she passed the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam and began working for a national CPA firm. Because Kilmer grew up around her father’s real estate development company, she was assigned to several development clients by her accounting firm. The ESG Companies was one of those clients. In 1984, Kilmer joined ESG as a controller. As the company has grown exponentially over the years, Kilmer has grown with it.

When the company’s principal, Eddie Garcia, asked Kilmer to follow in his footsteps as CEO, it was a natural progression that Kilmer was honored to accept.

For Kilmer, being a female in a development company, and even business in general, has had its challenges over the years. Now in

her 60s, Kilmer has spent decades navigating the business world, and it hasn’t always been easy.

“I have lived through times when I was unable to attend a meeting at a private club. Many times, it was assumed I was a personal assistant and was in attendance to take minutes, get coffee and not speak. I’ve been referred to by inappropriate names that are reserved only for women, even though those I have had major dealing with would generally agree that I am fair in my dealings,” Kilmer says. “The more women leaders we have in business, the more we forge the way for others to be treated equally.”

Female CEOs in business and real estate are still a rare breed.

Even now as a respected leader in her industry, Kilmer faces some archaic gender stereotypes that continue to permeate the business world. She approaches issues with directness and candor, qualities that are sometimes perceived as brash for a woman. But Kilmer believes time is too precious to waste. She tries to avoid the game that is so often played and instead negotiates with transparency and integrity.

Kilmer’s hard work and persistence have not only paid off in her professional life, but at home as well. She has been married for 38 years and has raised two Eagle Scout sons.

Through the good and bad, her family has stuck together. It has never been easy to find balance while raising kids and juggling

a career, but Kilmer credits her husband and family for embracing her career and its demands.

“The support of my husband of 38 years and my parents has been an integral part of my success,” Kilmer says.

The business world for women is changing for the better, but there is still work to do. Kilmer is happy to play a role in the transition toward equality. She encourages women to stay true to themselves, follow their instincts, have self-confidence and always play to win.

“Don’t be afraid to fail. It is through our failures that we learn the most,” Kilmer says. “Keep forging the way for the women who will come after you. We all stand on the shoulders of those who have tread our path before.”

In addition to presiding over The ESG Companies, Kilmer serves on the boards of the Hampton Roads Chamber, Virginia Beach and the Virginia Beach Central Business District Association. She is also a member of the Virginia Board of Accountancy and the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy. She is on the advisory committee to Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) of Hampton Roads. She volunteers with the Virginia Beach Police Commission, Cycle for Survival, The Healing Place for Homelessness and the Pungo Strawberry Festival.

—CS

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Caroline Taylor

is finding employees who fit with their culture. “We are looking for people who understand the service industry and who have a positive attitude and that aboveand-beyond approach to solving our customers’ problems,” she says. “You can’t just hire a warm body to fill a gap. You have to hire someone who really understands their role and that customer service is not a department—everybody is in charge of customer service. It’s an attitude.”

As an entrepreneur, Taylor is a great role model for others and is always looking to create the next great leader. “I love to inspire people—women, children, young people and the team members I have on my workforce,” she says.

“So, as my company grows, I’m looking for the grassroots employees who have been with me for a while and who really show a devotion to their role as being a team player for the company.

I’m not going to work forever, so I’m looking to bring these team members up and let them fulfill some very difficult positions. But they have to understand the position first, and we have to provide them with what they need to be successful.”

Part of what drives Taylor to put so much time and effort into her people is based on her experiences on the flip side of the coin.

“One of the biggest things for me as an employer is that I have been an employee for large organiza-

tions and I never felt valued,” she says. “My whole persona for my staff is to value, praise and encourage them. Because without them, I’m not successful.”

As for advice to future entrepreneurs of the world, Taylor offers this: “If I had known how hard this was going to be at the start, I probably would never have done it. So, know that it’s going to be challenging, but don’t quit before you get across the finish line. If you’re serious about what you’re doing, you’ve got to stick with it, you’ve got to work super hard, and you have to be committed. After all, it only took me 22 years to be an overnight success.”

—BB

Photo by jim pile

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n 1995, Caroline Taylor came up with a great way to solve a big problem. As a registered nurse, she knew that many companies looking to hire potential new employees required those applicants to have certain compliance exams done prior to becoming employed. After her first child was born she was looking for a way to spend more time with her son and have additional flexibility when it came to her schedule.

To accomplish this, she started her own business that included a 30-foot mobile medical unit that could travel to local businesses to provide on-site physicals, drug testing, hearing testing, immunizations and more.

The idea was a big hit with local businesses with large employee bases because it helped to improve downtime and increased productivity. However, after three years Taylor realized that she couldn’t take the mobile unit to a business that only had one or two future employees needing her services. So, she built a brick and mortar clinic to provide medical services for all local companies. To date, she serves approximately 1,600 local businesses through the mobile unit and the clinic. “I was trying to find a way to spend more time with my son, and it kind of backfired on me,” Taylor jokes. “As our success increased, I was actually spending more time at work and in trying to run the company.”

Although the business has continued to grow along with her list of accolades—TMD was voted Chesapeake Business of the year in 2015 and Virginia Small Business of the Year in 2016— Taylor finds that the toughest part about running the company

RN, President, Taylor Made Diagnostics, Inc. (TMD)

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Leading Ladies

Christine Early

Photo by Melissa Blue Photo

COO of Habitat for Humanity of South Hampton Roads

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hristine Early has always been a planner. After she graduated with a degree in environmental resource management and planning from the University of West Florida, Early began working as a planner for city governments. She then went on to roles in planning and development for private builders. What Early didn’t plan for was falling in love with a very different aspect of real estate development—building homes for the less fortunate.

Early became involved with her first Blitz Build—a project where builders come together to build several houses in just a few days—with Habitat for Humanity

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of South Hampton Roads in 2006.

At the time, she was working as a project manager for The Dragas Companies, one of the builders involved in the project.

“Finding my passion was accidental. I loved giving back, and I started doing more communityoriented work,” says Early. “Then I realized that giving back was so important to me that it was my whole passion. That was surprising to me because I had always thought of it as just a hobby.”

That hobby eventually became a full-time job when Early was asked to come on staff at Habitat for Humanity. She had served on the board of directors for several years when she was approached for the position of COO. She

decided to commit to one year.

It’s now been four, and Early knows she has found her calling.

Early’s job is a smorgasbord of building and development-related tasks. She manages the day-to-day workings of Habitat, from construction, inspections and permitting, to family services, mortgages and even acquiring and selling property. She is constantly in meetings—with city authorities, her construction team, her grant writer and many others.

The nature of Habitat’s work also creates a unique set of challenges for Early. Regulations and permitting rules are endless and seem to change daily.

Each project creates reams of paperwork, which must be kept on file for 15 years. On top of everything else, Early must be a disciplined record keeper.

“All the roadblocks and setbacks we hit because of regulations can be discouraging,” Early admits. “But then you run across a volunteer who has an amazing story, or you talk to a homeowner who says, ‘you changed my whole life,’ and it’s worth it.”

One of the most rewarding parts of Early’s job is the home dedication, which takes place once a house is built and a family is ready to move in. Hearing the touching stories and seeing the moment a family’s life is changed forever is what fuels Early’s fire. And the results speak for themselves: children of homeowners are 25 percent more likely to graduate from high school and twice as likely to graduate college.

While it has been a rewarding vocation, Early’s ascent to an executive role in the development industry has not been without its challenges. In every job she has had in the private sector, women are an obvious minority.

Developers and builders are 95 percent male, and executives in every industry are still mostly male. Competing in a male-dominated industry has been a hurtle, but Early has undoubtedly made her mark.

“When I was younger, I’d get comments like, ‘where’s your daddy?’ while I was out working.

Even people who weren’t outright derogatory would be surprised to see a woman in my role. It’s turning around now, but it’s taken so much longer than it should have,” Early says.

Early is passionate about encouraging women in her industry to succeed. She has mentored many women over the years and is actively involved with Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW).

“Women sometimes forego applying for these higher positions because they are traditionally male roles. Statistics also show that women don’t ask for raises as often as men do,” Early says. “I advise women to speak about their achievements because they’re not always noticed. Let your superiors know about the great things you’re doing, and don’t be afraid to go for that raise or promotion. Chase what you’re passionate about, and find a mentor who can help you get there.”

—CS

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Dr. Desiree “Desi” Williams

PT, DPT, Director, William R. Harvey Leadership Institute and Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy been a great mentor to me during my time here, especially now as a faculty member. I’d also like to mention the late Dr. Freddye Davy, who was Director of the Honors College at HU. To be truthful, I couldn’t stand her when she was my professor because she had such high expectations of her students and she’d call you in the middle of the night and expect you to do a speech the next day in class. But it was in those moments of discomfort that I realized I could step up to the plate and I could address a group of 500 people and be successful.”

Today, Williams admits that she doesn’t know how to relax but doesn’t mind being super busy all the time. “I think the most important thing for me is really managing your time and your relationships,” she says. “I’ve always had these bigger priorities that have kept me focused. So, all in all, staying busy is a good thing because you don’t have time to get in trouble when you’re chasing goals.”

Being a pageant contestant is just one example of how Williams is trying to live her life on her own terms through personal growth. “I’ve always lived by the philosophy of not having any regrets,” she says. “I’ve found that within my experiences—the experiences in which I grow the most—are when I’m stepping out of my comfort zone. My first pageant was during my senior year of college. I didn’t grow up doing pageants at all, and I was terrified to go on stage. But had I not taken that leap of faith and really jumped outside of my comfort zone to try something new, I can

almost guarantee that I wouldn’t even be in the current job position I’m in today. I think it really helped me to grow as a woman.

So, my biggest piece of advice to give people is just to take advan-

tage of every opportunity, get comfortable with being uncomfortable and just don’t have any regrets. You don’t ever want to look back and say, ‘What if?’”

—BB

Photo by jim pile

D

r. Desiree Williams is not your typical stay-athome kind of person. In addition to her day-today duties at Hampton University as director of the Leadership Institute and her work in the Department of Physical Therapy, she also works one day a week for Riverside Health Systems in one of their outpatient clinics.

She plans and hosts Hampton University’s annual 5K fundraiser, she has competed as Miss Virginia in the Miss USA and Miss America pageants, and—although she could not publicly confirm or deny it with us—she recently returned from Fiji where she was one of 18 contestants filming the upcoming 35th season of the hit TV show, “Survivor.”

Her interest in physical therapy was originally sparked in high school when she was working as head coach with a Special Olympics cheerleading team.

“I was able to see through that experience just how physical activity was truly transforming the athletes’ lives,” Williams says.

“They were becoming more social and obviously more physically fit. So, I just fell in love with the idea of helping people heal their lives through healing their bodies.

That was my initial inspiration for physical therapy.”

As a shy wallflower that sat in the back of the classroom in hopes that she wouldn’t get called on to answer questions, Williams credits her education with shaping her into the woman she is today. “Hampton University has a way of forcing you to step up to the plate and be a leader,” she says. “Dr. William Harvey has

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Leading Ladies

Erin Widener

Photo by jim pile

President of Widener Corporation

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lthough Erin Widener grew up around her family’s successful building company, her path to becoming president of Widener Corporation was not as obvious as it might seem. At age 14, Widener began working for the family business built by her father, Bob Widener, helping with tasks like sweeping out houses and working in the office. At the time, the tasks seemed menial, but Widener now sees that experience as invaluable to the trajectory of her professional life.

After graduating from Virginia Tech, Widener took a job as a healthcare sales rep in Richmond.

About a year later, though, she found herself returning home.

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“My return to the family business was the first time I ever felt prayerfully called to do something like that,” recalls Widener. “I never thought this was what I was going to do professionally, but I just trusted that I was being led home for a reason.”

She spent several years learning the specifics of the construction industry from Widener Corporation’s project manager, Steve Kirby. After several years learning the ins and outs of the business, Widener moved to Winston-Salem, N.C., and started her own building company. She spent 10 years building homes in Winston-Salem before making the move back to Virginia Beach to return to Widener Corporation.

While the more senior Widener handles land acquisition and development, Erin focuses on vertical construction.

“The construction industry is very dynamic, and every day is different,” Widener explains.

Multiple factors can impact the day’s priorities, from construction deadlines and client needs to changes in the weather. However, Widener says these variables and challenges are minute compared to the biggest challenge she has faced in her career: the housing market crash.

“The recession from 2009–2015 was like nothing any business owner in our industry has ever seen in our lifetime. Any other obstacle is incidental by comparison,” Widener says.

Despite the difficulties the past decade has placed on the housing industry, Widener hasn’t simply skated by—she has thrived. Shortly after moving back to Coastal Virginia, Widener was asked to serve on the board of directors for the Tidewater Builders Association (TBA). The prestigious trade organization was founded in 1953 and is one of the most highly esteemed building associations in the country. Two years later, Widener began serving on the executive committee. In 2016, she became the first female president of the TBA. “My parents were heavily involved in TBA, and my dad served as president for two terms, so the organization was like an extension of our family to me. To be a part of that legacy is extraordinary,” Widener says.

While it is more common

these days for women to be in construction, it continues to be a male-dominated industry. Women on job sites are still a rarity—a phenomenon that never stopped Widener from getting into a crawlspace.

“I have always taken the approach that we are all on-site to work and I’m not excused from doing any particular task just because I’m a girl,” Widener says.

“No one likes crawlspaces, men included, so when I’m the first one in they definitely know I’m not there for show.”

As a mother of two children and two bonus children, Widener recognizes the tendency for working mothers to feel guilty about having to devote attention to their careers. However, Widener has a refreshing perspective for working mothers. Her children have grown up coming to work with her, and she encourages their involvement with the business.

“I would suggest that insulating kids from what it takes to earn a living, run a company and manage life is doing them a disservice. I use it as an opportunity to teach them things not only about construction, but life skills in general,” Widener says.

In addition to Widener Corporation and the TBA, Widener serves on the boards of the Building Trades Academy and TBA Scholarship Foundation. She is active in her kids’ school PTAs, Trinity Church, the Governor’s School for the Arts and the Protecting Children Foundation.

—CS

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Jacqueline Amato

Chairman and CEO of TowneBank Mortgage (Retired) people that were really good at what they did,” she presided over significant expansions of their operations into North Carolina.

“Every year we almost doubled in size. In our business, you’re either stressed out because you can’t handle the amount of business you have or the complete opposite. But you kind of grow with it, and you’re jumping all over the place thinking, ‘I can do this, I got this!”

Since a recent merger with Monarch Bank, the company has approximately 800 employees in its mortgage division and does about $4 billion in production annually, Amato notes.

“I love that it’s high stress all the time,” she says. “I just can roll with that. I love that everything we do is satisfying to somebody.

I look at my customer, and I say, ‘We’ll meet your closing date.’

Because that’s a big deal. We do everything to meet a closing date.”

Amato credits her drive and adaptability in part to a mobile upbringing—her family emigrated from Great Britain to Canada, later moving around the U.S. She is demanding of herself and just as demanding of her employees, who she admits are “probably scared to death” when they come to work for her.

“All I want to be is fair. I will always tell you what I think. And, ultimately if I ask every one of them what they love about the job, they love putting someone in a house. They love the feeling of satisfaction they get when it’s a job well done.”

In terms of being a woman in a high-stakes, male-dominated industry, a successful female colleague once gave Amato some advice that stuck with her.

“She looks at me one day when we were golfing, and she says, ‘You know it’s not going to be as easy as you think it’s going to be.

Just keep in mind; you’re not really a woman—you’re a mortgage banker. Remember that.’”

This mortgage banker does have her soft spots. She is particularly passionate about her role

in the nonprofit An Achievable Dream Academies. She is also a mother and grandmother who has every intention of spending time with her family and a good book in Wilmington, N.C., now that she is retired: “That’s going to become my heart.” You can bank on that.

—LB

Photo courtesy of townebank mortgage

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ackie Amato is retired. Or so she claims. As proof she’s serious about some well-earned down time after 30 years of success in the mortgage industry, she elaborates on her plans for a two-month vacation in Italy and renovating a house she recently purchased in Jupiter, Fla. But she doesn’t seem very retired as she makes an entrance into the reception area of TowneBank Mortgage near the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, where she served as chairman and CEO until December 2016. And she doesn’t sound like it either.

“They can hear me coming from a mile away because I’ve got a big mouth,” Amato quips of her colleagues’ reaction when she’s in the building in her ongoing role as a consultant and board member.

“They say, ‘We heard you, we miss you.’ Yeah, you miss the noise.

That’s what they miss.”

Amato got into the mortgage business at the urging of her older sister, following a divorce that left her with two kids to support and wondering how she’d make ends meet: “I didn’t even know how to manage a checkbook.”

She not only found her way in the world of real estate and banking but discovered a tenacity and a passion for the job. She established a partnership with William E. Wood home sellers and her own venture, Hampton Roads Funding, which she describes as “a very happy, cute little company that was fun to have.” Then success came knocking.

In 2000, Hampton Roads Funding merged with locally owned TowneBank Mortgage with Amato as its president. With the help of a team of “really talented

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Leading Ladies

Katie Collett Morning Anchor at WAVY-TV

Photo by david uhrin

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atie Collett’s day begins at 2:15 a.m., when she wakes up to get ready for work. She heads to the WAVY-TV studio to prepare for the 4:30 a.m. show.

At 9 a.m., she gets a short break before the morning meeting to plan the next session.

Then it’s time to help prepare for the midday show and make calls for upcoming pieces, and Collett is back on air from noon–1 p.m.

“It is a jam-packed schedule, but it’s my dream job,” Collett says. “Even though it can be stressful, we have a great family atmosphere. I get to come in every morning and be myself, show my personality and have fun with wonderful co-workers.”

Collett’s schedule might seem chaotic to some, but she’s more than happy to rise early every day. By anchoring in the morning, Collett can come home in the afternoon to spend time with her family, have dinner with them and put her son to bed.

“I’m very passionate about family time, especially reading and singing to my son before bed,” Collett says. “My husband is possibly the greatest man alive, and my son is amazing. They are the highlight of my life, and I am grateful to have the best of both worlds. I have a career that I worked really hard for that fulfills me, and I can spend time with the husband and son I adore.”

Of course, making her way up the ranks to her current position was no simple feat.

When Collett decided to pursue broadcast journalism as a student at Edinboro University in Pennsylvania, a professor advised the young journalism student to have a backup plan. She chose to ignore his advice and chase her calling.

“I decided this was what I was going to do—no backup plan,” Collett says.

To get her first job, she sent out 85 resume tapes to stations around the country. The 85th one landed her a job in a small market in Johnstown, Pa. “When you get out of college you think you’re going to conquer the world,” she says. “And then 84 times you either get no response or a letter that says, ‘no thanks.’

That’s pretty humbling.”

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Linda Johnson L

inda Johnson chuckles when asked what initially stoked her political aspirations. The truth of the matter is she never expected to be in politics at all. In fact, she was a teacher when she first got out of school and eventually began a career in real estate. She is currently with Berkshire Hathaway Towne Realty and has been a member of the Board of Realtors and the National Association of Realtors since 1986. She was originally appointed to be Suffolk’s first female mayor on July 5, 2006 after representing the Sleepy Hole Borough for two terms. Johnson became Suffolk’s first directly elected mayor on January 5, 2009, was re-elected for a second term in 2012, and a third term in 2016.

Johnson started in real estate because she wanted to do something that was on “fair ground” when it came to doing something that women could do as well as men and be rewarded for exactly what you did. It was that kind of forward thinking that eventually got her appointed to the Office of the Mayor. “In 2000, the Sleepy Hole Borough representative, who was the only woman on the City Council at the time, decided that she was going to step down,” says Johnson. “I somehow got on a committee that met for breakfast once a week to find someone to

run in her place. We asked a number of people to run, including my husband, but for whatever reason, no one chose to do that. One morning while we were meeting for breakfast someone said, ‘Well, why don’t you do it?’ And I said, ‘I really hadn’t thought about it, but maybe I will.’ That’s truly how I got into politics.”

After being appointed to her first term and re-elected three times since, it’s safe to say that Johnson’s involvement as mayor is more than just a matter of being in the right place at the right time. “I am very, very proud of the position of where our city is today,” Johnson says. “We now have two AAA ratings for financial strength, and we’re working hard toward our third one. I’m also proud of where we’re going with the city. We’re growing, our economic development is coming together, and all of the pieces are working together. The other thing I’m really proud of is our regional transportation initiative. I’ve been the chair for the Transportation Planning Organization for two years, and we’ve done some very significant things together as a team. Oftentimes I think the cities of Hampton Roads are accused of not working well together, but I personally don’t see that. I think we’re all working very well together.”

Photo by jim pile

Mayor, City of Suffolk

As a woman, Johnson has had her share of obstacles along the way. But she has created an attitude that is undeniably someone to reckon with. “A lot of times in life, some people are just not ready for women to be in a position of power, and I learned that early on. I’ve had people say to me, ‘Why do you think a woman should be in that position?’ and I reply, ‘Why not?’ So, I know that sometimes I have to think about how I’m going to approach something because men and women approach things differently. But I think that’s the case with all people when it comes to differ-

ent personalities and different ways of doing things. We all just have to learn how to work with one another. I really don’t stop to think that much of myself as a woman. I just hope that I’m doing the best job I can do and that I can prove myself as an individual and a human being. Being a woman is certainly part of it, and I’m proud of that, but I think we don’t need to let it hamper us in any way or make us feel that we’re different. You just have to open your eyes and seize opportunities when they come your way.”

—BB

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Leading Ladies

Susan “Suzy” Kelly CEO of Jo-Kell Inc.; Member of Chesapeake City Council

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untrained eye, but it is a thing of beauty to the military or industrial customer who needs it to run large, complex equipment including on docks, ships, even floating underwater rescue platforms.

Thirty years ago, Suzy Kelly was more likely to be staring at a maze of molars than wires. She got her master’s degree in dental hygiene at ODU before working for her father-in-law, Jo-Kell founder

courtesy photo

maze of color-coded electrical wires stares back at Suzy Kelly from inside a large, gray fiberglass box created by her engineering team at Jo-Kell, a locally based electrical distribution and engineering company. The guys are showing off their work at the end of the day.

A custom-built system like this one may not be the prettiest to the

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Joseph Kelly, who she refers to as the “human Internet” because he made a business of tracking down equipment others couldn’t find.

“They would call and say, ‘My motor blew up; I need a motor,’” says Suzy Kelly, who serves as CEO of Jo-Kell alongside her husband and company president, Marty Kelly. “Joe Kelly would teach me the right questions to ask—the horsepower, the RPMs, whether it was enclosed. I just learned as I went.”

At the time, Jo-Kell was a tiny wholesale operation. Today, they have about 65 employees and locations in Richmond, Jacksonville, Atlanta, San Diego and Chesapeake, where they are “bursting at the seams” and will soon break ground on a larger facility.

“I discovered I loved doing it,” Suzy Kelly says. “I still love the challenge, making money, making a profit, employing people. I love seeing our families here grow. I love seeing our employees becomes successful. I found out you could have fun and make money.”

And, yes, they have fun at Jo-Kell. Humor is listed as one of the company’s core values alongside their mission. Kelly says she hopes her employees would say she “feeds them well” with regular office breakfasts, lunches and employee appreciation events like “Beat the Heat with a Liquid Treat” in August, when her office is filled with liquid refreshments of all kinds, emphasis on “all.”

“The bottom line is I hire people that are experts in the field. I don’t need to know everything. I need to know the science of people. I need to know how people work. I need to know how to keep them happy and what makes them tick.”

As a wife and mother, Kelly sees herself as a nurturing person.

Her kind, soft-spoken demeanor belies a passion for her work, not only at Jo-Kell but in her role as member of Chesapeake City Council and as a devout Catholic.

She is currently serving a second term on council and runs Catholic Passion Ministries along with one of her Jo-Kell colleagues.

“I love politics and religion, the two things that you’re not supposed to talk about. If you don’t like that kind of conversation, you don’t want to corner me at a cocktail party,” she laughs. “It’s a matter of a dialogue. I like to find out where people are coming from and why. It helps us get along.”

A thick stack of papers on Kelly’s desk is a collection of written versions of “Ponderful Moments,” 45-second inspirational, Catholic-based messages she records for a local radio show and Radio Maria, an international Catholic program. She hopes to publish them in a book.

“I am driven by my faith, so everything I do, I do for God. That’s the way I look at people.

Everybody here has the dignity of being created by God, so they deserve to be treated with dignity.”

Kelly and her colleagues also see giving back as paramount.

Among other efforts, they collect almost three tons of food in an annual charity drive.

“Once you start looking at how you can help others and how it impacts the community,” Kelly explains, “it’s very contagious.”

—LB

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Toni Stubbs W

eather is a big factor in Toni Stubbs’ typical work day. That’s because it’s her job to make sure the signals that bring you your favorite television programming are transmitting like they should, and the seasons sometimes don’t cooperate. But on a planned day, she does a lot of listening and information gathering from her employees.

“I like to find out, from a process perspective, how we can do things more efficiently and better because we have to continue to evolve,” says Stubbs, vice president of engineering and operations for the Virginia region at Cox Communications. “If we just do things the same way over and over, we’ll be like Sony and the Walkman.”

Stubbs has always liked numbers and was interested in how things worked. She got an undergraduate degree in software engineering with a minor in mathematics. But it was her people skills, and perhaps the discipline of a Catholic school upbringing, that set her on her current career path.

“I had customers, and sometimes the salespeople would request me as their sales engineer because they were going to some decision-makers that weren’t really technical, but they wanted to get the deal signed. They would say, ‘OK, I want Toni to come with me because she’ll be able to answer their question in a way that they’ll understand it.’”

When she took on her current role, however, there were doubters, people who said she wouldn’t last. She didn’t have the right type of engineering background, and she hadn’t come up through the ranks installing cable. Turns out she’s been in the job longer than any of her male predecessors.

“It’s more about leadership than the skill,” she says, “because you’re not doing the work itself.

There was the perception that the previous VPs would be better because they had done the work.

And I said, ‘Is it because they were better or because they were men?”

Stubbs relies on her talented team for the technical aspects while she focuses on understanding what they’re doing and how it’s going to affect customers, reaching out to public and government affairs officials and networking with large Cox Business customers. It goes back to those critical communication skills, which come in handy both on the customer service end and the management side.

“I feel like if I take the time to know the people that are working for me, then they will recognize that and they will give their all, so that’s important to me,” she explains. “I like to say that I am an advocate for my team and that I am here to help them do their jobs better.”

Caring for others seems a natural fit for Stubbs, who has two adopted daughters, two foster children and four dogs at home, and is active in her

Photo by jim pile

Region Vice President of Engineering and Operations for Cox Communications

church. She is thankful that Cox Communications is family-oriented, and though she’s in a critical role, there is plenty of leeway for life-work balance.

Some people might be surprised that a woman in a leadership role in technology and communications has a strict rule with the family at home: “No electronics or television in the kitchen or at the table. We have dinner together as a family.”

Stubbs also sees it as part of her professional responsibility to encourage women in the field.

“I say if I can be a woman at the head of the table and not have

women in my organization, then there is something wrong.”

Her advice for young women considering a career in technology: “Don’t get discouraged because there’s one area that doesn’t work for you. There are so many aspects, and it’s always evolving. I really believe that the way technology is growing, it has connected our world, and there’s going to be that need for people who understand it and really any of the STEM fields. If that’s their passion, they should pursue it.”

—LB

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Leading Ladies

Tonya Chapman Photo by jim pile

City of Portsmouth Chief of Police

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rowing up in Arlington, Va., Tonya Chapman knew she wanted to be a police officer from a very young age.

But she was told that because she was a female, it wasn’t a profession she should consider.

So, she changed her aspirations to an equally noble profession— education. However, after graduating from college, she was tasked with teaching Marketing Education to high school students and found that her heart just wasn’t in it. So, she went back to pursue her dream of joining the police force and has enjoyed every minute since.

She rose quickly in the ranks with the Arlington Police Department, becoming a sergeant in six years and captain by her

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13th year. She was the first female African American captain to reach that rank with the department.

She spent a total of 22 years with the Arlington police, then went to Richmond as deputy chief of police. She was moved to director for the department of social services after two years, then was appointed deputy secretary for public safety and homeland security by Governor McAuliffe.

Then her dream opportunity opened in Portsmouth, and she went for it. She is now the first black female chief of police in a municipality within the Commonwealth of Virginia.

“My aspiration was always to become chief of police,” Chapman says. “Being a female in a maledominated profession has been challenging, but gaining respect

early in my career helped me be successful. But, the best advice I can give other women is be bold, take chances, don’t be afraid to fail. I have. It’s what you do the next day in times of adversity that defines your character. So, step out on faith. Don’t be complacent where you are. Take that chance, have confidence in your abilities, and always be prepared. You never know who is watching, and you never know who may influence your career or whose career you can influence. So, be the best and always maintain that competitive advantage.”

Originally inspired by a female police officer who lived across the street from her as a child, Chapman is quick to assume a role-model position so others may find their inspiration. “I’ve broken a lot of glass ceilings along the way,” Chapman states with pride.

“So, I’ve always believed in mentoring and bringing others along, especially females and minorities.

Being the first black female captain in Arlington, I started a group called Building Bonds. It was a peer group to build success in the agency, to build a successor once I left, to help promote and mentor one another, get others in a position to take promotional exams or take other job responsibilities they would normally not have

taken. As chief of police here, I’m asked to participate in various activities to mentor others, to speak at different events and to have one-on-one conversations with others to talk about what it took for me to get here. So, I’ve always believed in mentoring, and I’ve done that throughout my career, just always trying to be that positive role model.”

In addition to being chief of police for the City of Portsmouth, Chapman is also the president of the Hampton Roads Chief of Police Association, a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, a member of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), a member of Delta Sigma Theta, Incorporated, and The Links, Incorporated, and she’s also an advocate of volunteering and helping in the community through various public service organizations.

What’s next for Chapman?

“Finishing my Ph.D. is next. But as far as career wise, I am pleased being the chief of police. I truly am,” she says. “As long as I feel as though I’m needed and a resource to the city and the citizens, I’m fine where I am right now.”

—BB

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Zena Cardman I

nspiration to achieve great things can come from almost anywhere. For Zena Cardman, her path to becoming a NASA astronaut candidate started with a man named Emil Davis, her high school biology teacher. She always loved science, but it was Davis who got her really excited about doing research outside the classroom and pursuing biology in college.

Then, while attending UNC as a biology major, she read an article written by an older student who had done some fieldwork in Antarctica and all around the world. She was so amazed by what she read, she set out to see some of those environments herself and got to be a part of several different research trips that eventually snowballed into a set of experiences she thought could be relevant to the space program.

“The hardest part was just getting a spot with one of those research teams to start with,” Cardman says. “When this dream sort of solidified itself, I wound up shamelessly emailing something close to 80 different scientists to try to become a member of their teams. Most of them didn’t write back. Those who did said things like, ‘Sorry, we don’t have the resources,’ or ‘We don’t have the funding.’ But I was very lucky that one of them eventually said OK. I was very inexperienced, so for someone to agree to take on an undergraduate whom they’ve never met, I’m really grateful for that. From there the experiences build on each other to make connections through these projects you work on. But it really takes that first mentor, that first person to say, ‘I’ll take you on board’ to make that break for a student like myself.”

Cardman credits her success to luck. But when you are one of 12 people chosen as a NASA

astronaut candidate out of a field of 18,000 applicants, there has to be a lot more to it than that.

However, she does have advice to pass on to anyone who wants to pursue their dreams.

“My first piece of advice is that it’s possible,” she says. “Growing up I would look at a career like being an astronaut, or any other dream career for a kid, and think of it more as fantasy than a real career goal. But it worked. So, it’s really possible. Any kid who is dreaming of a job they want to do when they grow up, they should just pursue it because it’s completely possible. My second piece of advice is, whatever you do, pursue it because you enjoy it, because you love it. I think if you spoke to anyone in my astronaut class, they wound up going down very different paths to get here.

So, there is no one right path. And nobody along the way was just checking boxes saying, ‘OK, I’m going to learn how to fly a helicopter because that will make me an astronaut later.’ It was something that interested them and they loved it. I think if you love what you do you’ll wake up every day feeling curious and inspired and excited to do whatever is on your plate that day. You won’t be dragging your feet through your career. So, do what you love.

That’s the most important thing.”

Now that she’s on the path to her dream career, where will it take her? “The ultimate goal for me, honestly, is to go anywhere they want to send me. I can probably pick 18 different places I’d like to go, but what it really comes down to is NASA deciding where my strengths fit into a team or crew if they are putting one together. So, I’m just going to have this ‘Have spacesuit, will travel’ mentality for now.”

—BB

Photo courtesy of NASA

Microbiologist and NASA Astronaut Candidate

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Leading Ladies < Continued from page 36

CovaBiz Mag.com

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In Johnstown, Collett shot and edited her own footage and wrote her own scripts.

Her hard work earned her a promotion to a weekend anchor position. In 2007, Collett was hired by WAVY as a weekend reporter. She was promoted several times until she finally earned her position as a morning anchor.

As she worked to get her start in the industry, Collett had to fight to remain true to herself in a business that, at times, tried to mold her into something different.

“I met with an agent who told me I wouldn’t get any further in this business because I was ‘too girl next door.’ She asked me if I would consider changing my last name to Rodriguez,” Collett recalls. “I had a come to Jesus moment then and decided that if my looks, my skin color or my name were going to prevent me from getting a job, I didn’t want to work at that TV station.”

Now as a morning anchor of the No. 1 newscast in Coastal Virginia, Collett is proof that unreservedly being yourself is always on trend.

This remained true when Collett was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) five years ago. Since sharing the news with her co-workers and viewers at WAVY-TV, Collett has used her platform to raise awareness for MS and give others with the disease a voice.

Collett applauds her company for supporting her from the beginning and allowing her to shed light on the incurable disease.

“There are people with MS who don’t want anyone to know because they don’t want to be passed up on projects and promotions—or worse, lose their jobs,” says Collett. “Being able to speak up when they can’t has been a great accomplishment for me. Getting messages from viewers who tell me ‘you’ve inspired me not to give up’ is amazing.”

Viewers who meet Collett in passing might be surprised that her on-air personality is a true reflection of who she really is.

“There’s a stigma that women in media are stuck up and arrogant, and I’m glad to be able to blow that stereotype out of the water,” Collett says.

Of course, being a person in the media doesn’t mean people will always like you.

Collett encourages other women pursuing their career goals to remember that it’s impossible to please everyone. “It doesn’t matter how smart, kind or beautiful you are, someone along the way will decide they don’t like you. Don’t let that crumble you. Smile at the haters, and keep on moving.”

—CS

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sp ot H ot H ig hTe ch Science- And TechnologyRelated Companies Create A Wave Of Innovation In Virginia Beach

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oastal Virginia, and Virginia Beach in particular, is on its way to becoming a high-tech hotspot, as more and more scienceand technology-related companies establish a presence in the region. At the forefront of science, these future-driven companies use technology to provide innovative solutions to complex problems.

Whether developing water purification systems, providing organs for life-saving transplants or searching for cures to common diseases, the three companies profiled on the following pages are creating a wave of innovation in Virginia Beach. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Jamie McAllister W ww . C o v a b i z m a g . c o m

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A Gift For Life LifeNet Health Saves Lives, Restores Health And Gives Hope To Those Who Need It Most

By Barrett Baker

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ifeNet Health was founded by Bill Anderson in 1982. The company was originally started as the Eastern Virginia Tissue Bank to meet the basic needs surgeons had for high-quality tissues to use in all different types of surgical procedures. The company became LifeNet in 1989, then they merged with the Organ Procurement Organization for Virginia in 2000 to become the organization they are today but did not change the name to LifeNet Health until 2007.

“We’re a little bit of a horse of a different color in our industry because we are both an organ procurement organization and a tissue bank,” says Dan Shuman, senior manager of marketing communications for LifeNet Health. “Frankly, we’re becoming more than that as we move into the level of regenerative medicine and cellular therapies. We have an Institute of Regenerative Medicine that we officially established in 2009. It got its own building in 2012, and it’s really focused on finding new ways to either recover or preserve tissue so that we are able to get the highest and best use of each gift donated or to find new applications for the gifts that we recover, such as isolated cell types that researchers can use to improve drug discovery and clinical diagnostics.”

On one side of the business, they facilitate the act of organ donation by their status as an organ procurement organization (OPO). OPOs are federally designated in each state/territory in the U.S. So, they are involved in both recovering organs from those who can donate and facilitating the act of transplantation for those awaiting a life-saving organ.

On the other side, facilitating tissue donations is somewhat similar but a little different in terms of a clinic’s or hospital’s needs. “Someone who needs a heart transplant is very different from someone who needs a tendon repair,” says Shuman. “In terms of scale, I think we’ve done about 500 organ transplants whereas we distributed close to 600,000 tissue grafts in 2016. So, it is essentially facilitating life-saving or life-improving gifts from one person to another.”

Although they are a nonprofit company, their contribution to the economic impact on Virginia Beach is evident through their expansion of jobs and a growing workforce. In 2010, they had approximately 480 employees. Right now, they have around 1,000 employees, and they are still growing. Their hiring has been driven by the increased use of allografts (tissue grafts from a donor of the same species as the recipient but not 44

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genetically identical) by surgeons performing a variety of procedures— from post-mastectomy reconstruction to joint repair.

“We are growing quickly because we’re increasingly seeing a demand for the types of grafts we distribute as we see certain trends in the healthcare landscape,” says Shuman. “Diabetes is one good example.

One of the complications of diabetes is foot ulcers and circulatory problems, and some of the grafts we offer help treat those types of complications. Our growth trajectory is very much tied to needs in the healthcare landscape in trends in our society.”

Although they have another facility in the Pacific Northwest outside of Seattle, a small facility in the Triangle Research Park in North Carolina, as well as an office in Florida and a recently opened office in Vienna, Austria, most of their employees are based in Virginia Beach. “We have reached into other areas when it made sense, when we saw there was an opportunity to make a difference in helping to improve lives,” says Shuman, “but Virginia Beach is where Bill Anderson started the company, and this has always been home to us.”

Learn more at LifeNetHealth.org.

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Water Works

Magna Imperio Systems Provides A Water Purification Process That Could Change The World, One Drop At A Time

By Jamie McAllister

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n 2009, Grant Page discovered a process to purify salt water that could change the world. Working in the garage at his house on Shore Drive in Virginia Beach, Page had set out to find an environmentally safe way to put chrome plating on car parts. During one experiment, he discovered two alloys that, when salt water passed over them, extracted the salt from the water and created energy.

“I didn’t think what I had done would be world-changing,” Page says. “I just thought it was cool.”

The potential industrial and humanitarian uses for Page’s discovery intrigued him, and as a midshipman at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., he continued to develop the technology he had created. Instead of a garage, he logged hours at the Naval Research Laboratory and emerged with three prototypes. The end result was the Electrochemical Nano Diffusion (END®) process.

The END® process uses electrochemical reactions to purify water by removing salt, heavy metals and even certain bacteria and viruses. There are no moving parts, the units consume small amounts of energy, and no pressure is required.

The stackable cells can be scaled to fit any size operation and generate virtually no noise, making the process an ideal solution for industrial and military applications. The resulting waste is closer to a solid than a liquid, and even the process’s byproduct can be useful. Chemical companies can harvest salt from the waste to use as rock salt to melt ice and snow on roads in the winter.

In 2014, Page received approval from the Navy to start a business while on active duty. After three rounds of fundraising that netted nearly $8 million, Page launched Magna Imperio Systems. Headquartered in Virginia Beach, the company has additional locations in California and Delaware, as well as a 50,000-square-foot facility in Houston, Texas.

“We are filling a unique space in the industry,” says Page. “Our process is more efficient than other alternatives, and we are focused on providing a total solution for users, rather than focusing on selling equipment to the largest margin.”

Earlier this year, Page submitted resignation papers to the Navy so he could focus on his business full time. In the coming years, he hopes to hire several new employees in Coastal Virginia, including engineers and business developers. Currently MI Systems is working with the Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD) to get approval to test wastewater. If approved, MI Systems would install and monitor units that would help clean 120 million gallons of water a day. MI Systems is also working with Southwestern Energy, a natural gas and petroleum exploration and production company, and Huntsman Corporation, which manufactures chemical products.

While there are numerous industries that can benefit from the END® process, the technology has the potential to provide humanitarian aid on a global scale. Providing technology that would allow millions of people access to clean drinking water is one of Page’s business goals.

He has spoken with leaders of foreign countries, including India, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Mexico, as well as aid groups in those countries. “Solving the world’s water issues is this generation’s problem,” he says.

For more information, visit MagnaImperioSystems.com.

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The Science of Finding Cures Sanyal Biotechnology Offers Research And Studies To Help Develop Treatments For Liver Disease

By Barrett Baker

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anyal Biotechnology was founded in 2015 by Dr. Rebecca Caffrey and Dr. Arun J. Sanyal who, over the last decade in his lab at VCU, created a proprietary isogenic (having the same or closely related genetic constitution) strain of mice to facilitate his research into non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and diabetes. In layman’s terms, this means Dr. Sanyal “built a better mouse” for testing various compounds to cure different types of liver diseases in people who drink little or no alcohol, as well as other types of liver diseases.

“Dr. Sanyal is the most important person in the NASH field today,” says Jonathon Marioneaux, director of facilities and operations for Sanyal Biotechnology. “He is to the field of liver disease and diabetes research what David Beckham is to the game of soccer, and I’m not overexaggerating that because he founded the company.”

Dr. Sanyal, who is president, chairman and chief medical officer for Sanyal Biotechnology, is the former chair of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at VCU, as well as the executive director, education core, for the Clinical Center for Translational Research at VCU. He has served as chair of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) NASH Research Network and is the current chair of the Liver Study Section at NIH. He was a founding member of the American Board of Internal Medicine committee for Advanced Hepatology, and served as Digestive Disease Week (DDW) chair for liver programming and on the World Health Organization (WHO) advisory committee for viral hepatitis.

Sanyal Biotechnology was originally to be located in Chesterfield (near Richmond) after Dr. Sanyal partnered with Dr. Caffrey, the company’s CEO, who spun the business out of VCU through their Innovation Gateway (tech transfer) where she was entrepreneur in residence. The VCU spinout was one of a handful of university startups to be named University Startup of the Year in a national competition in 2016. Fortunately for Virginia Beach, there were two things that lured the company away from Richmond and into Coastal Virginia. “The Virginia Beach Economic Development department recruited us to come here,” says Marioneaux. “Virginia Beach is building a Bio Accelerator, and we were the first company they recruited to get it going. We’ve also helped them recruit other companies to come here including OWL Genomics from Spain. The other thing that brought us here is we are now using Eastern Virginia Medical School’s vivarium. EVMS has some top-notch researchers in the field of diabetes, and the faculty and staff in EVMS’ Comparative Medicine department have been wonderful to work with. So, those were the two things that led us to Hampton Roads, and we have not looked back.”

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Leading the way for others to follow, Sanyal Biotechnology is a Contract Research Organization (CRO) that serves the needs of clients looking for a physiological relevant model for their preclinical research into liver disease. The company develops customized studies to screen client compounds and provides expert interpretation of the data collected, as well as a variety of other services that are available based on their clients’ needs. Their primary customers are pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

As with any startup, the biggest struggle was getting the initial funding together. The company has done some fundraising but is happy with the direction they are currently taking. “We’re still seeking a limited amount of working capital to support growth of our operations and are in a strong position to attract funding since we already achieved profitability in Q1 of 2017,” says Marioneaux. “It’s been a serious incentive to just keep doing what we’re doing.”

Bio at the Beach VaBeachBio is an initiative developed by the Virginia Beach Economic Development office to bring the world’s leading innovators in healthcare, biotechnology, pharmaceutical development and healthcare deliver y systems to Virginia Beach. They have par tnered with Tidewater Community College to create a Bio Accelerator at the Regional Health Professionals Center to provide specialized equipment and laborator y facilities until a permanent park can be built in the Princess Anne Commons area, right next to Sentara Princess Anne.

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Meet With Success S P E C IA L

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Expert planners offer advice for putting together a great corporate gathering

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here are a lot of variables to consider when planning your next corporate meeting. Although the sales managers and their teams at any given venue will be happy to help you with all of the details to make your event a huge success, they need you to do a little homework first so they know exactly what to recommend. Here are a few things some local event planners told us that will help them help you make the most of your next corporate meeting and to help you think of different ideas that should get you started >

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Melissa Georges Director of Sales and Marketing The Founders Inn and Spa, Virginia Beach

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hen a client calls us, the first thing we are going to need/want to know is ‘dates, rates and space’ to get a general idea if it is an event we can handle. It is helpful if the client already has either a specific month or time of year in mind for this meeting so we can accurately check our availability. It is good to know if they are flexible on the dates, too, because we may be able to offer them a better deal. We also want to know if they have a budget in mind. Not so we can quote that amount, but to make sure we are a realistic fit for their budget. Space is really important, too, to make sure that we can accommodate all of the group’s needs. Many groups will only have 100 people, but they may require a lot of square footage for exhibits or a large number of breakout rooms. So we need to account for this space during the initial inquiry.

One really important topic that both the meeting planning and hotel sales manager usually fail to discuss in the beginning is the objective of the meeting. It is really important for everyone to understand why this meeting is taking place and to know what objectives are trying to be met. If the meeting is due to a merger, we might want to suggest teambuilding for the event so employees can work together and build a sense of camaraderie. If the purpose of the event is for training, we would want to highlight a secluded, distraction-free environment for their meeting. If the meeting is for an incentive, we would highlight our spa, nearby golf and award-winning dinner menus. Everyone truly has to have a clear understanding of why the meeting is taking place so we can all work together to ensure those goals are met. Meetings are a very big investment for groups, and we need to make sure they get a return on investment.

Anna Shumate Private Dining Manager Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Virginia Beach

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efore calling around to find a venue to host your company dinner meeting, you need to first understand your audience and budget. Selecting your venue is not just based on location and accessibility; it’s also many other things. However, your budget may determine where you will be able to go. I feel that determining your budget is the most important item before you call around for venues.

The overall budget shouldn’t just cover food and drinks. It should also include any audio/visual equipment you may need and/or valet parking for your guests.

Also, the day of the week and even the time of day could make a difference in the cost of the venue. Is your meeting time flexible? Do you want stand-up hors d’oeuvres or a plated dinner? How should the tables be set up?

Will it allow for your guests to clearly hear and see the speaker? Can the venue accommodate special dietary needs? Do you know if your audience has any special dietary needs? Is there a flow to the dinner that needs to be followed by the venue? Will there be a specific person at the venue that you will work with to help everything run smoothly and go according to your wishes?

Remember, when you host a dinner meeting for your company, everything from the venue, the speaker, atmosphere, food and the service presents an impression of your company.

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Charles Waddell CMP, CHSP, Director of Sales & Marketing Holiday Inn & Suites North Beach, Virginia Beach

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hen it comes to offsite meetings, one word keeps rising to the top for me: disruptor. Disruptors are professionals who look into the future of our industry to craft experiences that showcase innovation.

One thing that we have done in the disruptive effort at Holiday Inn & Suites North Beach is to showcase our premier Italian restaurant, the Isle of Capri, as a unique and engaging meeting venue. The restaurant sits empty each day until 3 p.m. when they begin setting up for dinner. This free time allows our sales team the opportunity to create revenue in a space where none previously existed. The venue was designed to reflect fine dining with superb oceanfront views for up to 95 people. One additional disrupter brought success through teambuilding packages. A collaborative effort with our neighbors at The Adventure Park at Virginia Aquarium, we combined our venue with theirs to create a fun, stretch-your-boundaries, teambuilding experience. Guests met at the hotel for a traditional half-day of instruction, then transitioned with an icebreaker presented by The Adventure Park facilitator. Guests then went offsite for an afternoon of fun and stretching their limits as a team while navigating obstacle courses up in the trees.

Through this collaboration of ideas and partners we have been able to bring in high-end luncheons, a few weddings and rehearsal dinners, and an experiential adult tour group so far for 2017. Each event offered the client a one-of-a-kind experience in a space that would otherwise have been dark.

Private Banquet

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Ryan Downey Director of Media & Community Relations Hampton Convention & Visitors Bureau

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efinitely research your venues. Look into your venues and know what you need. Obviously the Hampton Convention and Visitors Bureau is here to help you. So if you come to us we’re going to help place you in a venue that suits your needs the best.

Hampton Roads Convention Center Ballroom.

If you’re looking for more of an off-site venue like the Air & Space Center and things like that we have several other places where we can put people. Hampton University Museum can hold small meetings. At Fort Monroe, the Casemate Museum can hold small meetings. The Miss Hampton provides harbor cruises for a nice outdoor event. So there are a lot of venues in the City of Hampton. Of course, the Convention Center is our largest venue and the Hampton Coliseum, as well, for larger events and conferences.

Hampton Roads Convention Center Ballroom.

But we’re here to help. That’s what we do.

We’re here to assist people and help them find venues that will suit their needs. And we do other things as far as assisting with services for events, marketing of events and just about anything else you might need.

Co n t i n u e d o n p a g e 52 >

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S P E C IA L

Meeting space available • Plentiful amenities

A D V E R T I S I N G

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Free breakfast every day • All oceanfront rooms

2705 Atlantic Ave, Virginia Beach, VA 23451 | Phone: 757.428.4200 | virginiabeach.house.hyatt.com W ww . C o v a b i z m a g . c o m

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Jodi Newland Owner/Executive Chef Sweetwater Cuisine

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he most influential corporate meetings that I have attended have had the following qualities: • To maximize retention, “state changes” must be planned for in the delivery. Include participants in small group discussions or other activities every 15 to 20 minutes to break up the delivery of information.

• My favorite teambuilding activities are those that help people learn about each other. This goes a long way toward developing relationships between co-workers and can be fun, too.

• Always have caffeine in the morning for those people who don’t like coffee—Coke, Pepsi or tea. They will love you for it!

• Because you want your meeting to be memorable and successful, pay attention to the details. I prefer to host meetings at intimate locations instead of a hotel or conference center. Choose a place where custom menus can be created or where your event can be catered by an outside company.

Sweet Magnolias by Sweetwater Cuisine is the best of both of those worlds—a centrally located, intimate venue with award-winning catering provided in-house.

< Co n t i n u e d f r o m p a g e 5 0

Stella Salyer

CMP, Director of Sales & Event Services Chesapeake Conference Center

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y top recommendation, and the first thing anybody should think about when they are planning a meeting is, what goal are you trying to accomplish? You have to figure why are you going through the expense to pull this meeting together and what the ultimate goal is that needs to be achieved in order for this to be a success. Once you’ve established that, the second most important thing is to figure out your budget. Once you have those two pieces in place, almost everything else comes together from there.

Certainly a potential client can call any time and they could just be thinking, ‘Ah, I’m thinking about doing … something.’ But it’s very difficult for us to give concrete pricing and confirmed information without the client having done some work before they call us. As soon as you call a facility, we’re going to start asking you questions like, Do you have a date in mind? How many people are you expecting? What type of event is this?

Is it evening? Is it afternoon? Without them being able to answer those questions for us, we’re not going to be able to provide a quote or any pricing or anything because all of those questions have to do with what space would be most appropriate for the group.

• HONORING C OVA INIA IRG ’S O LV UT TA S AS

700 Conference Center Dr., Chesapeake, VA • 757.382.2500 • www.chesapeakeconference.com 52

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ES AND LEAD INESS ERS BUS

BOB

AWARDS

usiness B est Of B

Photos by we are the mitchells

ING ND TA

Creating Memories

SINESS MA THE BU GAZ INE OF CO

Celebrating 20 Years of

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Experience the taste of Sweetwater.

Libby Ross

We take a custom approach with every client!

Director of Sales Hyatt House® Virginia Beach/Oceanfront

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usiness B est Of B

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• HONORING C OVA INIA IRG ’S O LV UT TA S AS

ING ND TA

Photo by David Schwartz Photography

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ifferent people have different memberships and reward points for different hotels. Hyatt has World of Hyatt rewards, and you can earn points that could go toward earning a free night’s stay for a raffle you can use at your event.

You can earn points by booking sleeping rooms and meeting spaces, so a lot of people will go in that direction.

Full service on-site and off-site catering

Winner in 7 categories 4216 Virginia Beach Blvd., Ste. 140, Virginia Beach, VA 23452 757.403.7073 www.sweetwatercuisine.com

OVERLOOKING THE VIRGINIA BEACH BOARDWALK

I also strongly suggest reaching out to the local city convention bureau. It’s a free service, and a lot of people don’t even know that they do all the work for you. You call them and tell them all your wishes, and they’ll get information from you, then they’ll take that and send it out to all the local venues or hotels that could accommodate your event, and then all those venues will reply back to you with a proposal. So you don’t have to call each hotel on your own. The city also helps you set up site tours and things like that, and there is no commission on the hotel side and no fee on you. They just want your business in their city.

Home to authentic Italian cuisine and breathtaking views of the Virginia Beach oceanfront, for more than 50 years, under the helm of the Family of Arcese Chef’s. Our reviews are in from locals and visitors alike, “Isle of Capri elevates your dining experience in Virginia Beach”.

Treat yourself by letting Isle of Capri host your catered event or holiday party for up to 200 guests in our Panoramic premier space.

3900 Atlantic Ave., Virginia Beach, VA 23451

757-419-3672 www.vboceanfrontnorth.com marisa.powers@hinorthbeach.com

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2017

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PENDER & COWARD 2017

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222 Central Park Avenue, Suite 400, Virginia Beach, VA 23462 (757) 490-3000 117 Market Street, Suffolk, VA 23434 (757) 502-7345 www.pendercoward.com W ww . C o v a b i z m a g . c o m

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At Vandeventer Black LLP, we focus on responsiveness and results while providing internationally recognized services across a wide variety of legal sectors. We take an

2017

integrative personal approach to client representation allowing us to serve as the primary legal resource in all aspects of your business

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D VIS R IT O Co W Va E BIZ TH D Ma A E g.c PR om S R AU O S GU S E ST SIN 1U B AU R U GU O Y ST R 30 E T N E

HOW BUSINESSES GIVE BACK Businesses have found unique ways to meet the needs of those around them through community education, product donations, volunteerism and activism, internship opportunities, in-kind donations and more. Tell us what your company has been doing to make a difference!

Visit CoVaBIZMag.com between August 1–30 to nominate your business for our Community Impact feature, focusing on CoVa’s most philanthropic companies.

Selected businesses will appear in our Dec/Jan issue.

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Beyond the Biz | created in cova

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Mermaid Factory

he Norfolk mermaid is officially known as a symbol and mascot for the city’s affluent maritime history and culture, with more mermaid sightings per capita than any other place in the world.

After searching all over Norfolk for a miniature version of the proud city symbol without any luck, Elaine Luria and her husband, Robert Blondin, created their own version, beginning with a block of clay. From there the two took their idea to the City of Norfolk and director of communications with 10 painted samples of mermaids and had them officially licensed for sale. Ten weeks later they established their local business and art studio, Mermaid Factory, with no idea just how popular it would be.

Whether for individuals, Girl Scouts, birthday parties or bridal showers, more than 50,000 Norfolk mermaids (and Virginia Beach dolphins) have now been painted at the two respective Mermaid Factory locations. Visitors often spend a couple hours painting the Factory’s most popular product, the 12-inch mermaid, with a handful of embellishments including 15 colors of glitter, rhinestones, shells, skirts and more. Guests

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can either stay and paint while sipping on two glasses of wine for $25 or take the mermaids home to paint.

“We want every household in Norfolk to have a mermaid on their mantle,” exclaims Luria. “Even though we’ve had a lot of people paint and we have lots of tourists, I want people visiting the area to be able to take home a piece of Hampton Roads.” Patrons with little artistic experience need not worry.

“People come in all of the time and say, ‘I’ve never painted anything in my life,’ but I tell them don’t worry about it,” Luria says. “A little glitter will fix everything.”

By partnering with the City of Norfolk, a portion of proceeds from each mermaid sold benefits the youth and arts throughout the area, including ForKids, St. Mary’s Home for Disabled Children, the Public Library Foundation and the Chrysler Museum.

Mermaid Factory is located at 919A W 21st St., Norfolk and 510 Laskin Rd., Virginia Beach. Learn more at MermaidFactory.com.

—Ryan Miller

Photo by Jim Pile

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—— SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT ——

VIRGINIA BEACH VIETNAM WAR VETERANS TO BE HONORED AT FALL 2017 CEREMONY A SPECIAL VIRGINIA BEACH CEREMONY TO HONOR VIETNAM VETERANS SERVICE IS BEING PLANNED FOR FALL OF 2017 IN SUPPORT OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION OF THE VIETNAM WAR, AS OUTLINED IN THE 2008 NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT.

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eterans from the Vietnam era faced different conditions than today’s military veterans, and the community wants to make sure they each get the recognition they deserve for their service.

Veterans who served on active duty during November 1, 1955 to May 15, 1975, regardless of location, need to visit www.vietnamvet50thvabeach.org to register interest. This registration is needed to determine the size of the venue needed for the event. Sometime in August that same website will incorporate all the particulars as to the type, date, time, and location and request an RSVP. This commemorative program event will include activities and ceremonies to thank and honor veterans of the Vietnam War, including personnel who were held as prisoners of war (POW), or listed as missing in action (MIA), for their service and sacrifice on behalf of the United States and to thank and honor the families of these veterans.

The Commemoration is providing Vietnam Veteran lapel pins to commemorative partners for dignified public presentations to living U.S. military veterans who served during the Vietnam War period as a lasting memento of the nation’s thanks.

There are other categories of commemoration that are authorized for these events. They are for the most part for surviving spouses of the Vietnam Veterans.

These categories and the certificates and pins that will be presented are shown in this DoD website excerpt.

There are two additional pins that have been recently authorized. The first is for all the immediate family members who are attending the commemoration in support of either the Vietnam Veteran or their surviving spouse. The second is for all supporters who are attending with the Vietnam Veteran or their surviving spouse who are not immediate family members.

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