January/February 2016 Chamber Magazine FINAL

100 YEARS OF THE CHAMBER
FREDERICKSBURG
REGIONAL BUSINESS
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016
THE REGION’S PREMIER BUSINESS PUBLICATION Volume 2 Issue 1
January 29
2016
Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce
Celebrating 100 Years of Service

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100 Years of Business =
A Time for Celebration!
By Susan Spears
The Fredericksburg Chamber of
Commerce was originally chartered
in 1916 by a group of businessmen
on a mission to bring more business
to the Fredericksburg area. They
created the financial means to
purchase land, recruit businesses and
trade, and sought ways to capitalize
on the area railroad. Businesses Bill Hession is the Chairman of the Board
already used the Rappahannock River of Directors, and Susan Spears is president
for shipping. These business leaders and CEO of the Fredericksburg Regional
knew Fredericksburg had tremendous Chamber of Commerce.
assets and from the very beginning
they were able to market this when attracting others to the region.
Over the past 100 years the Chamber has withstood many ups and down
that mirror the nation’s major challenges, such as two World Wars, the
Great Depression, and more recently, the Great Recession. Because of our
awesome location, proudly situated off I-95 halfway between Washington
D.C. and Richmond, we have been more fortunate than many areas in the
Commonwealth. We have experienced more than 400% growth over the past
45 years. That growth provided us with tremendous prosperity but it also led to
constant traffic congestion that’s now ranked among the worst in the nation.
Gridlock throughout the region and on I-95 is the top issue that threatens our
quality of life and the economic future for our region. This will be a major issue
that the Chamber pursues in 2016, led by our Regional Transportation Action
Committee (RTAC).
What truly sets us apart are the many great business leaders that have spent
countless hours volunteering their efforts on business and community issues
such as BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure), traffic, healthcare, technology,
and leadership. Their relentless eye on the future has kept us vibrant and
unified. Yes, regional cooperation is tough – after all, each of our five localities
do have “border” – but more often than not these days our leaders are working
together. The Chamber is proud of its role in bringing people together and
ensuring that the right connections and conversations are happening.
2016 is going to be a great year for business in our region. At the Chamber, we
will celebrate you -our members- in multiple different ways throughout the year.
We’ll start with our very own Ribbon Cutting Open House ceremony on January
26 th at the Chamber office. The Annual Awards & Gala is the same week –
January 29. The Gala will feature each decade of our 100 years and we hope you
will wear fashions that reflect your favorite decade. As we recognize Business-ofthe-Year
and other award winners, we promise a good time will be had by all!
Watch for many special features as the year rolls on. We are very grateful for the
opportunity to serve and look forward to seeing you in 2016!
Bill Hession, Chairman of the Board of Directors
Susan Spears, President & CEO
From the President
1916-2016
The mission of the Fredericksburg Regional
Chamber of Commerce is to build
relationships and create competitive
advantages for a healthy business environment.
2016 Board of Directors:
Officers:
Chairman
Bill Hession
Lockheed Martin
Vice Chairman:
J.R. Flatter
Flatter & Associates
Immediate Past Chair:
Greg Calvert
The Kloke Group
Treasurer:
Shawn Sloan
The Media Partners, LLC
President & CEO:
Susan Spears
Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce
Directors:
Brian Baker, UMW Center for Economic Development
Michelle Caldwell-Thompson, CTI Real Estate
Rob Dodd Jr., DLR Contracting Inc.
Janel Donohue, Rappahannock United Way
Kevin Fastbend, Virginia Partners Bank
Mike Fidgeon, Pathways
Eric Fletcher, Mary Washington Healthcare
Adam Fried, Atlantic Builder, Ltd.
Paul Giambra, Quarles Petroleum, Inc.
Kathy Hoffman, Mary Kay Cosmetics
Ron Holmes, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management
Stacy Horne, Allstate
Greg Madsen, Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center
Deirdre Powell White, DPW Training & Associates
David Sam, Germanna Community College
Legal Counsel:
Margaret Hardy, Sands Anderson PC
Chamber Staff:
Susan Spears, President & CEO
Whitney Watts, VP of Member Services
Michele Dooling, Dir. of Finance & Human Resource
Dawn Haun, Communications Manager
Kasey Nabal, Military & Government Affairs Manager
Sheri Wikert, Member Services Manager
Stacey Madigan, Executive Assistant
Stacey Hicks, Administrative Support
Desiree Suggs, Membership Account Executive
Erin Meadows, Member Services Assistant
A publication of
Fredericksburg Regional
Chamber of Commerce
Editorial: Dawn Haun
Printing & Mailing: Stafford Printing
www.staffordprinting.com
FREDERICKSBURG REGIONAL
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
ESTABLISHED 1916.
inside 540-373-9400 • www.fredericksburgchamber.org • Fax: 540-373-9570 • Located: 2300 Fall Hill Ave., Suite 240, Fredericksburg, VA 22401
WELCOME
3 President & Chairman
4 100 Years of the Chamber
FEATURES
6 Transportation
11 Go Green
COLUMNS
12 Project Management
13 HR Matters
COLUMNS
14 Military Brief
18 Small Businesses Win Big
NEWS
19 Industry Growth
20 New Members
NEWS
23 Member News
31 Calendars
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 3

Feature
100 Years of the Chamber
By Dawn Haun
The Founding
Catching The Vision
The Chamber’s founding members focused on business
development
The Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce was originally
chartered in 1916 when businessmen gathered to pass
a constitution and elect officers. It centered on boosting
business in the Fredericksburg area. It’s unlikely that business
leaders at that time considered the long-range potential
of their meeting, which
we now recognize as
the Chamber’s 100th
anniversary.
The group that first
came together to start
our Chamber actually
formed 10 years earlier, in
1906. The Fredericksburg
Businessmen’s Association
members and trustees
wanted to bring
1943 Chamber Board: Dorothy more business to the
Billingsley, Edward H. Cann
Fredericksburg area. They
(President), E. Carlton Carpenter,
created the financial
C. K. Cueman, James D. Fear.
means to purchase
land, recruit businesses and trade, and sought ways to
capitalize on the area railroad. Businesses already used the
Rappahannock River for shipping. These business leaders
knew Fredericksburg had tremendous assets and from the
very beginning they were able to market this when attracting
others to the region.
For most of the nineteenth century, Fredericksburg enjoyed
peace and continued prosperity. The start of the American
Civil War soon interrupted this. Due to its proximity to
Richmond, Fredericksburg sustained heavy damage during
the war. In the aftermath of the Civil War, Fredericksburg
worked to rebuild.
In 1916, there was no income tax, no radios, no TVs, and
very few cars. Women and African Americans could not
vote, and senators were appointed by state governors.
Federal spending was $690 million. Unemployment was
4.6%, and a first-class postage stamp cost 2 cents.
“The Chamber was founded in the middle of World World
I,” said Walt Sheffield, attorney, whose law firm has been
a member of the Chamber for nearly 50 years. “It was my
understanding that the Chamber ‘sputtered’ in the first
couple of years, because then President Woodrow Wilson
had the country in a wartime footing, taking the core
members of the community into training and heading to
France. Once the war was over, the men came back and
were more determined to start businesses back. It was in the
1920s when Fredericksburg really prospered and grew.”
The Princess Anne Hotel was built, providing an upscale
place to stay and dine, attracting businessmen and
dignitaries. “On the forefront of the changes was always
the Chamber of Commerce,” said Sheffield, whose law
office is still located in the Princess Anne Hotel. “All of the
positive things were acted on, looked at, and assisted by the
Chamber. This region owes a great deal to the many who
donated their time, money, and talents for this region. We
benefit from that today.”
Sheffield praises the leadership of the chamber over the past
years. “The Chamber has been a partner in many ways for
the expansion of Spotsylvania and Stafford counties. It has
always had to tread the line between preservation, growth,
control and fiscal responsibility.”
Decades of growth
MEETING CHANGING NEEDS
1916: First Active Steps-A movement starts
It was referred to as a “red letter day” in the commercial and
business life of Fredericksburg. On October 1, 1916, seven
teams had been working all day recruiting for membership in
the Chamber and in celebration a parade was planned; the
streets were crowded for the parade of cars, carriages, and
marching bands started at Princess Anne Hotel and marched
to Commerce Street. A large board was displayed showing
the stands of the teams participated in the campaign for
new members. Fredericksburg had set a world record of 301
members.
Mayor J.P. Rowe said, “Every man who makes his living in
Fredericksburg, or who will be in any way benefitted by
improvements and better business here should join the new
Chamber of Commerce. I fully believe that every active man
in town will join the Chamber, even if he has to make a
sacrifice to do so.”
Dr. J.G. King, first
Chamber president
said in 1916,
“The Chamber of
Commerce will
be a city-wide
organization
composed of men
of all creeds, all
parties and all
lines of business,
with its single
purpose to make
Fredericksburg a
better city in which
to live and to do
business.”
The Chamber office was relocated at the
Information Center near the Route 1 entrance
to the city in 1960.
Dues to the new Chamber were $25 per year, giving the
organization an annual income of $5,000 or more.
Photos courtesy of The Central Rappahannock Heritage Center.
4
Fredericksburg Regional Business
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

Feature
1935: The most successful year for Fredericksburg
Chamber of Commerce
Benjamin T. Pitts, a native of Fredericksburg, was a
businessman, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and developer.
He served as president of the Fredericksburg Chamber of
Commerce for five years, from 1934-1938. He served two
years as the director for the Virginia Chamber of Commerce.
He also served on the Fredericksburg
City Council for three years. Pitts
was a Virginia senator for the 27th
Senatorial District.
During 1935, the Chamber began
two of their signature events that
would continue on for years. Both
events got the Chamber front page
recognition on national newspapers.
The George Washington Birthday
Celebration was held in February.
This was a reenactment where
members threw silver dollars across
the Rappahannock River. This event
Dr. J. Garnett King, put Fredericksburg on the front page
first president of the of every popular daily newspaper
Fredericksburg Chamber in the country as well as in England
of Commerce.
which boosted tourism interest for the
city. Due to this publicity, the movie
production of “George Washington in Virginia,” received
additional funding. The movie was filmed in Fredericksburg.
In October 1935 the first Dog Mart event occurred, and
once again, the Chamber made front page news as well
as news reels. The Industries Committee helped bring the
Automatic Draft Stove Company and L.A. Clarke and Son, a
wood treating plant to the city. The Chamber brought two
large conventions to the city that year and sponsored a tour
for the Fredericksburg Battlefield Parks.
The Chamber assumed the lead in an effort to secure
federal funding for an addition to city high school as
well as to enlarge the city’s filtration plant. The Chamber
sponsored an Executives’ Tour for 60 leading travel agency
executives, which resulted in an increase of visitors routed to
Fredericksburg.
In 1936, the Chamber opened its first office, with some
criticism from members and
the public. The first nine
months, the office mailed out
9,500 business letters; 6,500
visitors came to the office;
and hundreds of phone calls
made and answered. “I
believe we have just passed
through the most successful
year in the history of our
organization,” said Pitts.
The front and back cover of a
tourism brochure published by The
Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce.
Courtesy of the Virginia Historical Society.
1968: Chamber launches
women’s unit
The Fredericksburg Area
Chamber of Commerce
joined other growing
Chambers to form a
women’s division to ‘take on special
problems and projects.’ In less than a
month, 15 women were ready to go out in
the field for their first project – recruiting
new members, men and women.
Clifford D. Colquitt, Chamber executive
manager, said that women had always
been eligible members, but there was
nothing specific for them to do, and it
was considered a men’s organization.
Now the men had realized their
membership was lagging, and turned to
the ladies for help.
1969: Stafford County joins
Fredericksburg Chamber
On July 15, 1969 the Stafford County
Chamber of Commerce merged with
Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce, now called the
Fredericksburg Area Chamber of Commerce. A June 27,
1969 Free Lance-Star article reported that eight of Stafford’s
32 members unanimously approved a board of directors’
recommendation to accept the merger terms. Stafford
chamber president Adrian D. “Jack” Bailey noted that under
the merger, Stafford members would get full use of the
“well-equipped office in Fredericksburg.” Annual dues at the
time ranged from $60 to $1,500, depending on the volume
of business.
1980’s: A Time of Growth
The Chamber’s December 1984 “News & Views” newsletter
noted that Chamber membership had increased by 32%
over 1983 numbers. The newsletter quoted 1984 board
chairman William J. “Bill” Howell: “Much of the Chamber’s
membership
growth during
the past five
years can
be directly
attributed
to the
effectiveness
of the
Chamber’s
programs as
well as its
willingness
to become
involved in
the issues
critical to our
Photo of the Princess Anne Hotel in 1920, where
Chamber board members held business meetings.
Photo from www.FredericksburgVa.us
business community.” Chairman-elect Charles McDaniel was
also quoted: “As a result of our recent planning conference,
your Chamber will do what it needs to in 1985 to encourage
regional cooperation where it will be to the benefit of the
community as a whole.”
1985: Spotsylvania County joins Chamber
Program from the
Chamber’s 1969 Annual
Dog Mart, started in 1935.
Courtesy of the Virginia Historical Society.
On October 14, 1985, the Chamber’s name was changed
to the Fredericksburg-Stafford-Spotsylvania Chamber of
Continued to page 15
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 5

Transportation
Transportation at a Crossroad
By Paul Agnello, AICP,
Transportation Director | FAMPO Administrator
Transportation has played an integral part of the
Fredericksburg region’s growth since its establishment in
1798. Water transportation along the Rappahannock River
and canal fueled the region’s growth during the 18th and
the beginning of the 19th century.
Railroads brought intensified growth during the early 20th
century. The construction of the U.S. Route 1 bypass in 1946
and Interstate 95 in the 1960’s brought more population
and a traffic corridor to growth through our region. What
transportation improvements will now incite our future
growth?
Significant Transportation Investment Needed
The Fredericksburg region is strategically located along
the I-95 corridor midway between the state capitol and
the nation’s capitol, but the I-95 corridor has become
increasingly congested and unreliable for both business and
leisure travel.
I-95 and Route 1 together carry nearly 200,000 vehicles
daily through our region and alternative highway routes
are limited. Our Virginia Rail Express trains are carrying
over 10,000 riders per day through our region and takes
the equivalent of one lane of traffic off of I-95 during peak
periods. The VRE capacity is limited to
two tracks available, passenger service
having to share capacity with freight
service, limits on station capacity,
and parking constraints at stations in
Stafford and Fredericksburg.
More than 20,000 daily commuters
use transit, carpools, and slugging,
but limitations in expanding commuter
lots threaten future demands. The Paul Agnello, AICP
Fredericksburg region has a population
of 350,000 which is projected to double by 2040. Significant
transportation investment is necessary to support both
existing development and projected future growth.
Scarce Transportation Funding Available
Transportation funding was designed in the 1950’s to
be a “pay as you go” system where federal and state
gas taxes would pay for the cost of transportation
system improvements and maintenance. For 40 years,
this system worked well, but in recent years, funding
has become increasing scarce due to federal and state
gas taxes not being enough to pay for the growing
transportation needs. This is due to a reluctance of political
Continued to page 27
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Fredericksburg Regional Business
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

Trailblazer Spotlight
ENRICHING LIVES &
COMMUNITIES
FOR OVER 100 YEARS.
As the saying goes, growth is found in your roots.
As the largest community bank headquartered in
the Commonwealth of Virginia, Union Bank &
Trust (Union) has never forgotten where they
began. A wall at their Ruther Glen Operations
Center is adorned with bank logos that preceded
the Union logo of today. It is a tribute to the hard
work and unwavering commitment of its leaders,
employees and customers who laid the foundation
for its future successes.
(Top) Caroline
County Bank,
June 1912. Their
first bank near
the intersection
of Main & Milford
Streets.
(Below) Union’s
Bowling Green
branch today.
The Entrepreneurial Vision.
Tuesday, September 17, 1902, 9 a.m., Union’s story begins.
Caroline County Bank, headquartered in Bowling Green, opened its
doors. It was vision of L.E. Martin, a young entrepreneur. At only 21 years old,
he recognized the favorable economic conditions in Virginia and the need for banking services in Caroline
County. In early 1902, traveling “Sandy Lane” for 20 miles to the closest bank took the entire day. A day
wasted for a busy farmer or lumberman.
The Bank, whose first branch resided at the corner of Main and Milford streets, pioneered the industry with
progressive ways to improve its services, enhance customer service, and invest in its community. All while
enduring the changing, and sometimes turbulent, times of the 20th century
to steadfastly evolve into what would become the “Union Bank & Trust”
of today.
Living The Legacy.
“Providing financial services with a personal touch at the local level and
living the founding values of trust, dependability, innovation, and
involvement in the communities we serve, every day, for over a century,
are the secrets to our success,” says G. William Beale, President and CEO
for Union Bankshares Corporation, holding company for Union Bank
& Trust.
Union strives to provide a more innovative style of banking along with
the qualities and philosophies of community banking that its customers
have come to know and trust. Union’s talented employees diligently
work every day to empower individuals and businesses across the state,
collaborating to find the best solutions and resources for their customers.
They stand strong on helping local businesses move forward; giving
resources to charitable organizations; enabling youth through financial
literacy programs – and why? Because they never forget they owe their
success to the communities they serve, and they are honored to (still) be
part of the Fredericksburg Region – where their story began...
Lobby poster from 2002; part of the Bank’s
100th birthday celebration.
Join the journey at bankatunion.com or visit your local Union branch.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 7

Trailblazer Spotlight
2015 a year of progress for economic strengthening
By Nick Minor, Fredericksburg Regional Alliance
Communications and Research Manager
This has been a year of revitalization for the Fredericksburg
Regional Alliance. With new leadership, an enhanced
relationship with the University of Mary Washington and the
development of new collaborations with the Fredericksburg
Regional Chamber of Commerce.
We have adopted more transparent metrics, allowing us to
better track how well the Alliance markets the region. Past
decisions to move to web-based advertising, perform cluster
analysis, as well as an improving economy, contributed
greatly to increased prospect activity this year.
A stronger real estate market, growing retail investment,
job growth and improvement in labor participation rates
contributed to strengthening our region’s economy. The
region competed successfully for one of the Commonwealth’s
biggest economic development projects this past year. With
capital investment of $125 million and 200 jobs, the Lidl
Distribution Center announcement was one of the largest
in Virginia. (In Fiscal 2015 the average project size reported
by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership was $14
million in capital expenditures and 93 jobs.)
Virginia Economic Developer’s Association (VEDA) Cardinals
Greg Wingfield, Mark Kilduff and Robin Sullenberger, all senior
economic development professionals provided invaluable
insights and recommendations in their best practices audit of
the Alliance’s operations. One insight they made about our
region has proved to be both a challenge and an opportunity.
While we know our geographic location has always been an
asset, we have much more to offer. This fall we launched a
marketing ad in Virginia Business that enumerated why we are
the “Fourth Metro Area in Eastern Virginia.”
We now need to benchmark our
work against the localities in Northern
Virginia and the partnerships in
Richmond and Hampton Roads.
While we collectively work to market
Virginia, we often compete for final
location decisions. Our competitors
spend significantly more on marketing
and have regional tools currently
unavailable to us. We don’t need to
Nick Minor
match them dollar for dollar, but now
is the time to “up our game.” We added five new private
sector investors during FY2015 and three more since July.
We currently receive over 52% of our funding from nongovernmental
sources. This ratio compares favorably with
other regional alliances across the Commonwealth.
Overall, our prospect activity jumped dramatically this year. The
Alliance staff worked on 34 projects, up from nine in 2014.
Furthermore, our pipeline also grew as we carried 16 of these
projects into the new fiscal year, up from 2 the prior year.
It has been a year of progress for the Alliance, and it could
not have been achieved without our partners and colleagues
in each locality. With new tracking methods, increased
marketing and new partnerships we are optimistic that a
solid foundation is in place for generating more prospects
across the region.
Nick Minor joined at the Fredericksburg Regional Alliance
as an intern August of 2013 and now works full time as
Communication and Research Manager for the Alliance. He
focuses on effectively managing all digital communications
and internal communications for the organization as well as
assisting with project coordination and research related to
new and existing economic development projects.
VIRGINIA
8
Fredericksburg Regional Business
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

Ribbon Cutting Ceremonies
News
Casino
Night&
Dance Party
Minnieland at The Castle
Brought to you
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Lord & Lilly Gifts
March 4 th 2016
8-11pm at the Old Silk Mill
Tickets available at
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RockIT Repairs
Contact Stafford Printing for
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2707 Jefferson Davis Hwy. Stafford, VA 22554
540.659.4554
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 9

News
Ribbon Cutting Ceremonies
Affordable Suites
Cardinal Institute for Healthcare Careers
Comfort Suites
House of Milk & Honey
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礀 漀 甀 琀 栀 攀 爀 攀 氀 椀 欀 攀 渀 漀 漀 渀 攀 攀 氀 猀 攀 ⸀
10
Fredericksburg Regional Business
JUNE 2015

Become Involved: Promoting community
and businesses to ‘go green’
News
By Rebecca Rubin, President & CEO Marstel-Day
Our regional Climate, Environment, and Resilience (CLEAR)
plan, spearheaded by the University of Mary Washington
and Marstel-Day Environmental Consulting, aims to build
economic resilience and a sustainable high quality of life for
our community through environmental initiatives, food and
water sustainability, and disaster preparedness.
Here are some highlights of a few of our CLEAR plan
initiatives over the past year – e-mail Ann Kuo at akuo@
marstel-day.com if you would like to join our team.
‣ Air quality: Created a greenhouse gas inventory for
the City of Fredericksburg and using that baseline
data to increase efficiency and develop an action
plan based on emissions.
‣ Renewable Energy: Kicked off a Solarize campaign
in partnership with non-profit, LEAP and had over
100 community members attend the information
sessions and already 16 proposals signed.
‣ Biodiversity: Performed initial conservation mapping
of the region to assess land use change and the
outlook of future trends and threats to regional
biodiversity.
What’s Next?
‣ Recycling: Increasing recycling efforts
for all of PD 16 by developing educational
materials and partnering with R-Board,
Spotsylvania County utilities/Public
Works, Fredericksburg Clean and Green
Commission, and many more.
‣ Children and nature: Continued our
education and outreach efforts, especially
with a focus on connecting children with nature,
to bring environmental educators to our region –
including a visit from the Jane Goodall Institute and
the Virginia Wildlife Center.
The upcoming year will be an exciting one with many new
and continuing initiatives. For example:
‣ The Chamber of Commerce is hosting a year-long
Green Business Challenge starting on January 1, 2016.
This competition will increase awareness of the little
things that businesses can do or change in order to
become more “green” and environmentally friendly.
Businesses can compete in several categories, including
energy, leadership, purchasing, transportation, waste
management and water. Workshops and roundtables
will be held throughout 2016 for competitors and
a final awards event will be held at the end of the
competition to recognize category winners and an
overall winner. All businesses in Planning District
16-including the City of Fredericksburg and the
counties of Caroline, King George, Stafford and
Spotsylvania - are invited to participate.
‣ CLEAR is working with
the Farmer’s Market, the
George Washington Regional
Commission, Virginia
Cooperative Extension, and
University of Mary Washington
on a Local Food Forum on
February 2, 2016. This event
will include panel discussions
led by Dr. James Barham and Rebecca Rubin
Dr. Eric Bendfeldt and small
group breakouts to unpack what the food system
is like in PD16 and what the future holds for our
region.
‣ We will also be holding another solar campaign so
that those who did not have the opportunity last
year can participate in 2016.
CLEAR is a multi-stakeholder initiative designed to engage
our business community, non-profits, citizens, and our
government alike in working together to share in making PD
16 more resilient and vibrant.
To learn more about the CLEAR plan visit us at www.
fredclearplan.com and like us on Facebook.
Green
Business
Challenge
#GreenBiz2016
FREDERICKSBURG REGIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
2016Green Business
CHALLENGE
Join the Fredericksburg
Regional Chamber
of Commerce and its
Green Business Action Committee in the first annual
Green Business Challenge!
The 2016 Green Business Challenge starts in January
2016 and is a year-long business competition that
includes workshops and events on how to green your
business.
Participating businesses within Planning District
16—which includes the City of Fredericksburg and
the Counties of Caroline, King George, Stafford
and Spotsylvania—will choose to compete in up
to six categories: Energy, Leadership, Purchasing,
Transportation, Waste Management and Water.
At the end of 2016, we will host an awards event and
present awards to winners in each category as well as
an overall Challenge winner.
For more information, contact Kasey at 540-373-9508
or e-mail Kasey@FredericksburgChamber.org
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 11

News
Project Management for the Small Business
Use selected knowledge areas to keep your business on track
By Charlie Herbek
The prevailing
interpretation of the
project management
process is that it applies
strictly to large company
projects, particularly
extremely complex ones. Although larger companies
certainly employ the project management process to manage
complex tasks there is certainly a place for the process at the
small business level.
According to the Project Management Book of Knowledge
(PMBOK) Guide-Fifth Edition, a project is a temporary
endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service,
or result. The temporary nature of projects indicates that a
project has a definite beginning and end.
The PMBOK further defines project management as the
application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to
project activities to meet the project requirements. Project
management is accomplished through the appropriate
application and integration of the 47 logically grouped
project management processes, which are categorized into
five Process Groups. These five Process Groups are: Initiating,
Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing.
Additionally there are 10 Knowledge Areas which apply
across the Process Groups that include: Integration
Management, Scope Management, Time Management,
Quality Management, Cost Management, Human Resource
Management, Communications Management, Risk
Management, Procurement Management and Stakeholder
Management.
These knowledge areas can be used by the small business as
a guide to manage across the full spectrum of small business
operations. This paper will limit the discussion to nine of
the ten knowledge areas and includes much of the specific
verbiage from the PMBOK as well as liberal paraphrasing of
the PMBOK to describe the knowledge areas.
Proper Scope Management ensures that you include all the
work that has to accomplished and have a method to control
what you want to include and exclude. Every small business
has a multitude of small on going projects that without some
type of scope management, quickly grow out of control.
Proper Time Management ensures the small business,
regardless of the task, define the activities they want to
accomplish, estimate the time and resources necessary to
accomplish these activities and develop a master schedule
with controls to stay on track.
Quality Management requires that what your business does
meets you own established standards as well as methods to
validate compliance.
Human Resource Management for a project is somewhat
different from the normal Human Resource definition but
helps the small business define roles and responsibilities for
a task or daily operations, find people
with the right skills, define who reports
to who, acquire the right people and
develop the skills of those people as
they accomplish the task or operate
on a daily basis. You must also “track
performance, provide feedback,
resolve issues and manage change.”
Communications Management
Charlie Herbek
requires the small business owner to
have a plan to keep all stakeholders informed of the business
status. A stakeholder is anyone with a vested interest in the
business from the bank loan officer to all your employees.
Each has their own information needs. You should manage
and control all the internal and external communications
to ensure consistency and that information goes where you
want it to and not to unwanted locations or persons.
Risk Management requires the small business to identify
and think through all the possible risks incurred with an
anticipated action, analyze those risks, have a plan to
mitigate those identified risks and deal with new ones that
may arise.
Procurement Management requires the small business to
have a comprehensive plan to acquire outside resources,
monitor the acquisition and use of those resources and close
out the use of outside resources.
Stakeholder Management requires the small business owner
to identify, “the people, groups, or organization that could
be impacted by the actions the business will take, the
stakeholders. Clear, concise and consistent communications
with your stakeholders will go a long way towards successful
daily operations and acceptance of whatever changes the
small business owner may implement both internally and
with customers.
The knowledge areas of project management can be used
to manage small business operations on a daily basis. They
provide a good checklist to ensure the small business owner
is closely watching these nine critical areas regardless of the
task or ongoing operations. Using the knowledge areas
does not guarantee success but ignoring them will certainly
lead to failure.
Charlie is well-recognized as a Civil War historian, with over 15
years of experience in conducting leadership training exercises
on Virginia’s pivotal battlefields for business and government
groups. Charlie served in the U.S. Army for more than 20 years
at increasingly responsible levels, including key roles in the Office
of the Inspector General and Operations Staff. He later joined
CSC, where as a Project Manager he trained more than 1,000
Information Management Coordinators worldwide. He is president/
owner of LearningFields in Fredericksburg.
12
Fredericksburg Regional Business
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

HR Matters
CHA-CHING! The Changing
Landscape of Wage and Hour Laws
By Randy C. Sparks, Jr.
Employers screw up pay issues all the time. The Federal
Judicial Center reported that, in 2015, 8,781 lawsuits alleging
some violation of federal wage and hour law were filed in the
United States. This set a new high for the number of such
lawsuits, and there are no signs that the trend will end any
time soon. In fact, changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act
(FLSA) – the federal law governing wage payments – will likely
make 2016 another record year.
Under the FLSA, employees must be paid at least minimum
wage for all hours worked, and an overtime premium for all
hours worked in excess of 40 hours in a week. While most
employers do a good job of paying minimum wage, employers
often make mistakes when it comes to overtime. Often, these
mistakes result from the misclassification of employees as
“exempt” from receiving overtime or from a misunderstanding
of how to calculate hours. Common problems are:
• Assuming that an employee does not get overtime
because he/she is paid a salary. While being paid a salary
is one of the requirements to be exempt from overtime, it
is not the only requirement. In order to not be eligible for
overtime pay, an employee must be: (1) paid on a salaried
basis; (2) paid a minimum salary level; and (3) perform
exempt duties as defined by the FLSA.
• Paying overtime based upon a pay period instead of a
work week. Most employers no longer provide weekly
paychecks, but, instead, pay every other week or twice a
month. An employer with a bi-weekly or semi-monthly
pay period cannot pay for overtime only if an employee
exceeds 80 hours during the pay period. It must measure
each work week separately within the pay period.
• Using comp time (i.e., paid time off taken at some point in
the future) instead of paying overtime. Private employers
cannot do this; only the government can. Employers can
adjust schedules within the same work week if they do
not want to pay overtime, but they cannot convert the
overtime into paid leave to be used in another work week.
To further complicate the overtime rules,
the Department of Labor has proposed
new regulations that will take effect
in mid to late-2016. Essentially, under
the revised regulations, an employee
will be required to receive a salary
of approximately $970 per week (or
$50,440 annually) to qualify as an exempt
employee. This new salary threshold is
over double the current level of $455 Randy C. Sparks, Jr.
per week needed to be an exempt and
will be updated on an annual basis. The Department of
Labor estimates that over 4,000,000 employees will become
entitled to overtime pay next year as a result of these changes,
resulting in pay increases of approximately $1.5 billion in the
first year of the new regulations.
Although these changes will not be finalized until later next year,
employers should be proactive and start planning now. There
will not be much time to comply once the regulations take effect.
Employers do not need to raise salaries now. But, employers
should make sure their currently exempt employees meet all
requirements for the exemption. They should also see where
current salaries stand in relation to the new, higher threshold
and start making plans for how to handle employees who fall
short. And, employers should start thinking about alternative
pay arrangements and training supervisors to deal with those
employees who do not get overtime now, but will next year.
Just a little planning now may help you avoid being one of the
record-setting wage and hour lawsuits filed next year!
Randy C. Sparks, Jr., Kaufman & Canoles / Richmond, VA and
McLean, VA
Randy is an attorney with the Kaufman & Canoles Labor
and Employment Practice Group and the Legislative Affairs
Representative of the Fredericksburg Regional SHRM chapter. He
has been named to The Best Lawyers in America – Labor and
Employment from 2010-2016 and to Virginia Super Lawyers in
2015 for Employee Litigation: Defense.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 13

Military Brief
Military Affairs
Council
MAC celebrates their 10th year
of advocacy for local bases
By Mike Hudson
As you may already know, the Fredericksburg Regional
Chamber of Commerce’s Military Affairs Council (MAC) is
celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2016! We are excited to
serve this community, and I’m especially proud to serve as
chairman of this organization during this milestone.
The MAC’s mission is to advocate for and promote the
military and national defense bases, commands and
installations in the region and in doing so, support the
interests of the military, their families, the local defense
industry and the region as a whole. Through this broad
spectrum, the MAC supports not only our local bases, but
the wider defense and business communities in the region.
The MAC serves as a liaison between the defense and civilian
communities and was organized from a grassroots effort
to help protect our local defense activities during the 2005
Base Closure and Realignment (BRAC) process. There are
three local bases within the MAC’s jurisdiction: Marine Corps
Base Quantico (MCB Quantico), Naval Support Activity South
Legislative Update
MAC Pre-Session Dinner and Update
The MAC Pre-Session dinner featured Secretary
of Veterans and Defense Affairs John Harvey and
Congressman Rob Wittman, R-1st District.
Secretary Harvey’s talk focused on sequestration,
the work of the Commission on Military
Installations and Defense Activities, veteran’s
employment and how the business community can
support transitioning service members.
Wittman gave an update on the House Armed Services
Committee and defense activities at the national level.
Pictured left to right: Col. Joseph Murray, Congressman
Rob Wittman, Fredericksburg Mayor Mary Katherine
Greenlaw, Fredericksburg Region Chamber of Commerce
President/CEO Susan Spears, Secretary of Veterans and
Defense Affairs John Harvey, Lt. Col. David Meyer, and
MAC Chairman Mike Hudson.
Potomac (Dahlgren) and U.S. Army
Garrison Fort A.P. Hill (Fort A.P. Hill).
Since the MAC’s creation, we have been
instrumental and successful in helping
the Fredericksburg region’s interests
pertaining to the defense community,
which collectively generates more than
$10 billion in annual economic impact.
The MAC has also established and Mike Hudson
maintained relationships with our
bases’ Commanding Officers, local and Commonwealth
legislators, and key officials in the Virginia Department of
Veterans and Defense Affairs. These key relationships have
allowed the MAC to position itself to better advocate and
fight for the defense community, and—most importantly—
position itself ahead of potential future BRACs. It is our
belief that the bases and surrounding communities are the
true economic engines of the region, and we will strive to
protect them in the face of BRAC or any other threats.
In addition to advocacy, the MAC hosts regular special
events and roundtables throughout the year. In 2015,
the MAC hosted several special speakers, including
Congressman Rob Wittman and General John Jumper, USAF,
retired, at the annual Report to the Community. Also guest
speaker John Harvey, Secretary of Veterans and Defense
Affairs, at the Pre-legislation dinner event.
The MAC hosted a guided tour of Naval Support Facility
Dahlgren and Marine Base Quantico, where guests were
given an exclusive behind-the-scene access and briefs on
training, infrastructure, technology, and contracts. These
events provide opportunities for the business community
to engage with the defense and military communities by
understanding military essentials, expanding networks, and
to align their businesses with the local bases.
This year, the MAC will host Congressman Wittman at the
annual breakfast, as well as other guest speakers. Also
we will be hosting exclusive tours of Naval Support Facility
Dahlgren and Fort A.P. Hill. We also plan a trip to Arlington
National Cemetery to participate in the wreath laying
ceremony. Also, we will host individual base briefing events
and focus on the changing climate for contracting and
acquisition policy.
It’s going to be a great year for the MAC! As the 2016
chairman, I promise to lead our Council in its tradition of
strong advocacy for our bases and community, remaining
vigilant and proactive. I firmly believe this will be another
great year for the MAC and our military and defense
community in the Fredericksburg region. We look forward
to seeing you at one of our upcoming events. For more
information, please, contact executive director, Kasey Nabal,
at Kasey@FredericksburgChamber.org.
14
Fredericksburg Regional Business
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

100 Years of the Chamber Continued from page 5
Commerce after Spotsylvania County joined the Chamber.
The present name, Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of
Commerce, was changed in 1995 to reflect representation
for all localities in Planning District 16: the City of Fredericksburg
and Stafford, Caroline, Spotsylvania, and King George counties.
Today’s Chamber
Remaining A Step Ahead
The Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce has been
through many changes in the past 100 years. The organization
has constantly shifted gears to reflect the needs of its members.
The Chamber has invested in the community because in order
for business to grow and prosper the region must be a great
place for individuals to live, learn, prosper, and play.
The Chamber committed massive resources to combat the
2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC). The region
is home to three military installations – Marine Corps
Base Quantico, Naval Support Facility Dahlgren, and Fort
A.P. Hill. The bases contributed in excess of $1.2 billion
to the regional economy at the time of the 2005 BRAC.
MAC awards two businesses
Military Friendly Award
The Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of
Commerce held its first annual Salute to Honor
event at Spencer Devon Brewing, where two local
businesses were awarded with Military Friendly
Business of the Year awards.
Fred Wellman, CEO and founder of ScoutComms,
LLC, and Sean Ricks, president and CEO of Ricks
Roasters were awarded for going above and
beyond for military veterans and families.
ScoutComms is a communications firm designed to
help military and veterans causes.
Ricks Roasters, a coffee company, gives back a
portion of profits to military organizations.Both
business owners and their employees are also
involved in local veteran service organizations.
Left: Fred Wellman, Commissioner of Veterans Services,
John Newby, and Sean Ricks.
Front row left: Greg Calvert, 2015; Dori Eglevsky, 1992;
Mike Fidgeon, 2014. Back row left: Ed Alison, Jr., 1988; Joe
Greene, 2001; Bill Young, 2006; Mark Steele, 2011-12; Wood
VanValkenburg, 2009-10; Gary Nuckols, 2002; Fred Rankin, 2000;
Ben Wafle, 2005; and Shawn Sloan, 2007-08.
The Chamber formed a coalition that worked diligently to
prevent base and/or tenant closures. The BRAC commission
originally slated the region to lose approximately 300 jobs.
Largely due to the Chamber’s advocacy efforts, those jobs
were saved and the region also gained approximately 3,000
jobs. Following this effort, the Chamber formed the Military
Affairs Council (MAC).
In recent years the Chamber also launched Leadership
Fredericksburg, a nine-month leadership program that
exposes leaders to business leaders and businesses
throughout the full region. The Chamber also has a vibrant
40-and-under business group, Next Generation of Business
Leaders, and a technology council, FredTech, which holds
an annual STEM Summit that attracts both students and
businesses. The Chamber’s Workforce NOW program focuses
on area workforce readiness and workforce development
needs. The Chamber provides numerous networking and
social occasions as well, kicking off each year with the
annual Gala celebration.
“At the Chamber, we I live for what I like to call “the
moments” –those are the times when we see meaningful
business connections occur and lives – and a business’s
subsequent success – are literally changed for the better,”
said Susan Spears, President & CEO of the Chamber. “It
is our hope that when anyone speaks of our chamber, an
image of pride is immediately conjured, due to the positive
impact the organization has had for our members.”
The Chamber has evolved into a multifaceted organization
that serves the community as it serves its members. “We have
big shoes to fill when it comes to our founding fathers that
started and maintained our chamber,” said Bill Hession, 2016
Chairman of the Board of Directors. “We’re looking forward to
stepping into the Chamber’s second century and leading the
community to its next level of prosperity and innovation.”
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 15

FREDERICKSBURG REGIONAL
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
The Early
HILLDRUP MOVING & STORAGE—1903
Family-owned by the McDaniel family since 1940
S
ince 1940, the
McDaniel family
has been in the business of
transportation and relocating
residents and businesses,
creating a world-wide
shipping empire.
Charles B. McDaniel started
working for Hilldrup Transfer in
1933 and after seven years, he
bought the moving business,
taxi and bus service from R.
G. Hilldrup who started the
business in 1903 as a livery
stable located at 519 William
Street, Fredericksburg.
Hilldrup started making deliveries by horsedrawn
carriages for various uses including
hauling baggage from trains and steamships.
In 1950, the future site of Hilldrup Corporate
Headquarters was constructed, originally a
16,000 square-foot warehouse at Midway
in Stafford County. It was built to serve the
Marine Corps Base at Quantico. By 1954,
Hilldrup moved its office to 510 Essex Street
in Fredericksburg and decided to sell the taxi
and bus services to concentrate on moving
and storage. They also started representing
North American Van Lines, a national moving
company. By 1964, they became an agent for
United Van Lines, a full-service American
moving and relocation company.
The McDaniel family has continued the
family-owned business. In 1974, Charles H.
McDaniel inherited the business from his
father, and became the third president and
CEO of Hilldrup. In 2005, McDaniel’s son,
Charles W., became the fourth president. His
Hilldrup Transfer and Storage in 1974 began as an agent with
United Van Lines.
Charles B. McDaniel,
second president
Hilldrup
Hilldrup has followed the
progression of getting
better all the time
two daughters started working in the business
last year.
Within 11 years, Hilldrup moved to a larger
office facility at 300 Central Road, and
launched an office in Orlando, Florida, the
first of eight state locations they would later
open in South Carolina, Georgia, and North
Carolina.
Hilldrup Transfer continued to expand in
the 1980s, moving to an even larger office
and headquarters in Stafford, now their
current location, which is three-stories high
and adjacent to a 50,000 sq. ft. storage
warehouse.
-Charles H. McDaniel
In 1991, under the command
of Charles H. McDaniel, the company
split and created Hilldrup International
as a separate division to assume
the responsibility of managing all
international relocations. “Hilldrup started
out using horses 100 years ago to now
using trucks with tremendous horse
power,” said Charles H. McDaniel.
The company is now world-wide,
shipping internationally, with nine
locations. They do work for government
agencies, major corporations, as well
as moving local residents. Hilldrup has
more than 200 employees and 100
independent contractors. It was voted
First Hilldrup Livery Stable in 1909 located at
519 William St., Fredericksburg
First motor vehicle Hilldrup purchased in 1920.
the best place to work in 2014 by Virginia
Business Magazine.
Hilldrup constructed a Center for Training
and Employee Development, nearly 20 years
ago, which consists of a fully-furnished,
three-bedroom house; a full-size storage
van and crates; and a classroom space for
150 people. “Hilldrup has used a progressive
group of steps in regards to technology,”
says McDaniel, “Hilldrup has followed the
progression of getting better all the time.”
16
Fredericksburg Regional Business
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Years
100 Years of
Chamber Businesses’
Progress and Prosperity
LEE-CURTIS, FREEMAN, GRAVES & HALL INC.
Three Generations of Family-owned Business
M
ake sure you know which Mr. Lee
you want to see
at Lee-Curtis, Freeman,
Graves, & Hall Insurance,
because there are five of
them: Tommy, Bobby, Johnny,
Jimmy and Frankie, the third
generation of the familyowned
insurance company.
Also included is their sister, William E. Curtis
Pam Lee McLeod. Their
parents, Eldred and Nan Lee purchased the
company from her father William E. Curtis,
who founded the agency in 1926.
William E. Curtis started the agency in
1926. Lee-Curtis became an independent,
family-run business spanning more than three
generations of family members in the business.
Curtis was the Stafford County sheriff at the
time, and he was selling insurance on the side
to make ends meet. Daughter Nan started in
the business in 1939. Nan and Eldred were
married in 1948 and Curtis persuaded him to
join the business that year. Eldred bought half
interest in 1954, and in 1957, bought it outright.
They were the only employees. Eldred handled
the sales, Nan, administrative matters.
Their family and business grew. They had
six children, five sons and one daughter.
The children grew up hanging around the
insurance office. For the sons, there seemed
to be a pattern. All were Eagle Scouts. All
graduated from James Monroe High School
and the University of Richmond. All joined
WALTER SHEFFIELD, ATTORNEY
W
alt Sheffield is proud to be recognized
as one of the longest members of The
Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Just mention the Chamber’s name and the City of
Fredericksburg, and a huge smile comes across
his face, “Boy, the Chamber helped my business
become what it is today.”
Sheffield, has been practicing law for 41 years, 40
of those years in Fredericksburg.
Sheffield started his law career in 1974 as Assistant
to the Secretary for the Commonwealth at former
Va. Governor Mills E. Godwin’s office. “Governor
Godwin was the best governor ever,” he said. “I
handled extraditions, notary, and correspondences
for the Governor.”
He decided to work in Fredericksburg the following
year and started at Fredericksburg’s largest law firm
at the time, Woodbridge, Scott and Van Leer. After
a year, he decided to hang out his own shingle at
in the family insurance business not
long after college graduation. Pam
graduated from Mary Washington
College. “We all started as the janitor,”
said Johnny Lee. None of the family felt
pressured to join the family business,
they did start career paths differently.
Johnny considered medical school;
Tommy went into the military; Jimmy
taught school for a few years. “We all
have our roles and responsibilities and
we seem to complement each other.”
Lee said about working with family
members. “We bounce ideas off each
other.”
Although their parents are no longer
living, the family continues to make the
business one of the largest insurance
companies in the state. “There may be a
fourth generation soon,” said Lee.
Eldred Lee (left) and W.E. Curtis (right) with
office staff in 1954.
the Law Building in Fredericksburg. “One of the first
things I did was join the Chamber of Commerce,”
Sheffield said. “I was practicing business law at the
time, and the Chamber provided great networking
resources that helped me tremendously.”
Sheffield moved his office next door to the Princess
Anne Hotel building the following year, making it
his permanent office. In 1976, he was the part-time
city attorney, a position he held for 10 years. He then
served two terms as Fredericksburg Vice Mayor
until 1992.
He began a partnership with Thomas Bricken, who
was well-known in the local business community.
Bricken served as Chamber president in 1998, and
was the legal counsel for the Stafford Regional
Airport Commission. He died in 2012 after a twoyear
battle with ALS.
Bricken and Sheffield also partnered with two other
investors in the purchase of the Princess Anne Hotel
The Lees in 1997, front row: Pam Lee McLeod and Tommy
Lee. Back row left: Bobby Lee, Johnny Lee, Jimmy Lee,
Eldred Lee, Frankie Lee and Nan Lee.
In 1999, they purchased Freeman Graves
& Hall Agency to form Lee-Curtis. Freeman
Graves & Hall (LCFGH); the largest agency
in the Fredericksburg area. In 2002, they
purchased General Insurance of Culpeper
and merged it with their Culpeper office
(Clement Insurance Agency) and merged the
Louisa branch (Dobbins Insurance) in with the
Culpeper office.
As independent agents, they work for the
common, everyday person and business to
tailor an insurance package for their clients’
needs. “Our parents told us we should
always give back to the community, and the
Fredericksburg area is a community we live in
and enjoy,” said Lee.
Chamber member and advocate for 40 years
building in 1993. Sheffield remembers the partnership
with Bricken as being always opposite. “He was
Navy, I was Army,” he said. “We were opposite on
political parties, but always had a good debate.”
Sheffield has two notable cases which he feels
were the most memorable in his career. In 1991, he
represented a client, who brought action against
the United States of America, seeking a refund
of income tax paid on a lump payment after
a discharge from the Air Force. The case was a
significant decision and changed Veterans disability
severance pay so that it would not be considered
taxable income.
He represented the City of Fredericksburg in when
it proposed annexation in 1981, to expand the city’s
commercial tax base. The expansion, the westside
of I-95, was critical for the city to survive, and
included the ‘Central Salvation of the City’- Central
Park.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 17

News
Why Small Business is Winning Big with Consumers
By Steve Rowley, Senior Vice President of Cox Business
In recent years, the movement toward shopping local has
gained momentum as consumers work to improve the
communities in which they live by patronizing small and
medium-sized businesses. While this trend generates a lot
of attention during the holiday season, I’m pleased that the
majority of consumers are making these efforts an ongoing
campaign.
In fact, according to The 2015 Cox Consumer Pulse on Small
Businesses, 92 percent of consumers around the country visit
a small business at least once a week – with slightly less than
half (46 percent) patronizing a small business three or more
times a week.
The Cox survey gauged the sentiments of nearly 1,400
consumers around the country to get their reasons for
shopping small. The good news is, from Providence to
Phoenix, consumers are circulating their money where it has
the greatest impact - on Main Street.
This impact can be measured in real dollars. According to
some reports, of every $100 that is spent locally - $68 stays
in the economy. This circulation of cash does a lot for local
economies, from helping spur job creation to strengthening
overall infrastructure.
Small Business. Big Service.
The Cox survey found that consumers feel they get a better
level of customer service when patronizing small businesses.
In fact, better customer service ranked second only to the
“need to shop local.” Convenience and more familiarity with
customers also scored high.
At the same time, consumers pointed to a variety of ways
that small businesses can improve the customer experience
even more, with tactics from broadening their offerings to
expanding their hours of operation.
Here is a quick glance of the myriad ways consumers believe
small business owners can move the customer service needle
in their collective favor:
53% Offer more competitive pricing
46% Offer frequent shopper/loyalty programs
32% Expand their hours of operation
24% Broaden their offerings
20% Offer free Wi-Fi
11% Offer e-commerce capabilities
9% Offer more payment options (mobile)
9% Hire more employees
Is More Government Good?
While consumers are doing their
collective part to support small
businesses, many feel that local and
federal government agencies are not
doing enough to strengthen this sector.
Despite many federal and state initiatives
designed to further small businesses,
consumers want to see more.
Steve Rowley
When asked if they feel local and
federal government agencies are doing enough to promote
small business growth, the response from consumers was
overwhelming negative; with 66 percent feeling local agencies
are not doing enough and an even larger number (79 percent)
stating that federal agencies are falling short in this area.
In addition to government agencies, surveyed consumers
also widely agreed that our school systems should do more
to incorporate curriculum on entrepreneurship – with many
respondents advocating for this education to begin as early
as elementary school. When asked if they think curriculum
on entrepreneurship and small business ownership should be
covered in K-12 education, 78 percent of respondents say yes.
Consumers feel a curriculum on entrepreneurship and small
business ownership should begin in:
17% Elementary School
33% Middle School
35% High School
15% Do not think this should be covered in K-12
education
Even more impactful to our nation’s overall economy and the
communities in which we live is the ongoing patronage from
consumers who realize that their loyalty and their dollars matter.
Stephen Rowley serves as Senior Vice President of Cox Business,
overseeing its strategic direction, including all marketing,
operations, sales, product development and partnership initiatives.
18
Fredericksburg Regional Business
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

Local economic developers discuss future
industry growth
Local government officials agree: Collaboration between the
five localities in Planning District 16 is the best way to boost
economic activity and bring jobs to the area.
At a talk held by the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of
Commerce at Salem Church Library, economic development
directors for King George, Stafford, Spotsylvania and
Caroline counties, along with the City of Fredericksburg,
discussed recent advancements, future projects and what
cooperation between governments can achieve.
Spotsylvania economic development director Tom Rumora
said it is important to work with institutions like Germanna
Community College to train the type of workers companies are
looking for. “Companies come and go, but if we have a strong
infrastructure and workforce we’ll fare well,” Rumora said.
Stafford economic development director Tim Baroody said the
region needs to “tell a regional story” because Fredericksburg’s
localities are more attractive together, with 6,000 businesses,
ample acreage and many interstate interchanges. Baroody
said his staff is working to help build a new tech park near
the Quantico Corporate Center. The park now has a board of
directors, 12 acres of land and he is working on 5-year plan.
Fredericksburg economic development director Karen Hedelt
said the region needs to find a way to cope with its growth in
the next 10 years, and improving transportation infrastructure
is key to keeping its economic vitality. Caroline, like Stafford,
is interested in attracting data centers, according to Caroline
economic director Gary Wilson. He said in 10 years, after new
News
amenities open there, Caroline may be in a position to attract
technology companies that could benefit from the county’s
underused fiber lines. King George County economic director
Linwood Thomas is looking for distribution and manufacturing
industries to move in. He said recent announcements of Lidl
locating in Spotsylvania and Harris Teeter in Caroline are
hopeful signs for the region as a whole. “Seeing the region as
a distribution point, long-term, bodes well for King George,”
he said. “And for all of us.” – Fred.com
Left to right: Vice President FRA Todd Gillingham, Stafford County
EDA Tim Baroody, Spotsylvania County EDA Tom Rumora, Chamber
President/CEO Susan Spears, Caroline County EDA Gary Wilson, City
of Fredericksburg EDA Karen Hedelt and Event sponsor, President
REDCO504 Joe DiStefano. Not pictured King George EDA Linwood
Thomas.
The Chamber thanks the following
individuals who have served
distinguished terms of service on the
board, from left: Regis Keddie II,
Woody Van Valkenburgh,
and Joe Wilson.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 19

Welcome New Members
Welcome
The Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce warmly welcomes the newest members of the Chamber family.
Be a good partner – remember them when you do business.
Affordable Suites of America
(Quantico)
John McConnell
44 Woodstock Lane
Stafford, VA 22554
Phone: (540) 318-6145
www.affordablesuites.com/
quantico
Hotels/Motels*
American Heart Association
Julie Overbaugh
140 Theodore Drive
Winchester, VA 22602
Phone: (540) 664-2213
www.HeartChaseFredericksburg.org
Non Profit*
Ashley Furniture
Mike Trivett
1845 Carl D. Silver Pkwy.
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Phone: (540) 786-6311 x129
Furniture*
Bickford Senior Living
Lela Park
5000 Spotsylvania Parkway
Fredericksburg, VA 22407
Phone: (540) 898-1205
Retirement Home - Independent;
Assisted Living*
Cardinal Institute for Health
Careers
Linda Copeland RN
150 Riverside Parkway, Suite 211
Fredericksburg, VA 22406
Phone: (540) 479-6600
info@cihealthcareers.com
www.cihealthcareers.com
Educational Center*
Caring Hands Healthcare
Solutions, LLC
Linda Pernell
225 Industrial Ct., Suite 100
Fredericksburg, VA 22408
Phone: (540) 656-2468
Fax: (540) 693-2263
info@caringhandshealthcares.com
www.caringhandshealthcares.com
Home Health Care*
CCC and Associates LLC
Constance Nance
5719 Kesslers Crossing
Fredericksburg, VA 22407-9368
Phone: (847) 452-9590
cccandassociates@outlook.com
Security/Safety - Products;
Services*
Cornerstone Moving and Storage
Caleb McCartney
115 Juliad Court, Suite 111
Fredericksburg, VA 22406
Phone: (571) 210-4280
Moving; Storage*
Creative Childcare Academy
Renate Breakiron
7001 Harrison Road
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Phone: (540) 548-8003
Child Development; Day Care*
Creative Childcare Academy
Renate Breakiron
10817 Tidewater Trail
Fredericksburg, VA 22408
Phone: (540) 379-6987
Child Development; Day Care*
Creative Junction
James Breakiron
7000 Harrison Rd., Ste 125 & 150
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Unassigned
Dominion Raceway
Edwin Pardue
6501 Dominion Raceway Ave.
Woodford, VA 22580
Phone: (703) 361-7223
info@dominionraceway.com
www.dominionraceway.com
Entertainment*
Eight -O-Six Bistro
Reina Gonzales
806 William St.
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Phone: (540) 899-0941
www.806bistro.com
Restaurants*
Formal Envy Bridal and
Special Occasion Boutique
Heather Holick
1924 William St.
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Phone: (540) 479-1190
www.formalenvy.com
Retail Stores*
Fox Therapy Center
Stephanie Hussey
321 Park Hill Dr.
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Phone: (540) 446-2654
www.foxtherapycenter.com
HealthCare*
Fredericksburg Today
Susan Larson c/o The Foundry
2324 Plank Road
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Phone: (540) 424-3815
fredericksburgtoday@gmail.com
www.fredericksburg.today
Web-Based Media*
Hooked
Michael Skinner
1009 Princess Anne St.
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Phone: (540) 310-0295
becomehooked.com
Retail Stores*
Installation Services LLC
Corrinne Wilson
311 Central Rd., Suite 201
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Phone: (703) 580-0630
www.installservice.com
Contractors - General*
Kelly Generator and Equipment
Garrette Peck
1955 Dale Ln.
Owings, MD 20736
Phone: (410) 257-5225
www.kge.com
Electrical Supply; Distributor*
KOF Associates
Andrea Brown
5128 Southpoint Pkwy.
Fredericksburg, VA 22407
Phone: (540) 891-6660
al.archie@me.com
kofassociates.com
Vacuum Sales, Services; Supplies*
La Rosetta
Reina Gonzales
623 Caroline St.
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Phone: (703) 655-4164
www.larosettafredericksburg.com
Restaurants*
Lemongrass Spa Products
Karola Cavagna
203 Wilson Cove
Stafford, VA 22554
Phone: (540) 656-0305
karolacavagna@yahoo.com
www.ourlemongrassspa.com
Health; Skin Care Products*
Lifepoint Church
Timothy Zaegel
1400 Central Park Blvd.
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Phone: (540) 786-5111
info@lifepoint.org
www.lifepoint.org
Churches*
Major Impression
Deanne Broad
1 Ballister Place
Stafford, VA 22554
Phone: (540) 322-6735
Toll Free Phone: (855) 462-5671
www.majorimpression.com
Marketing and Advertising*
McDonald’s
Corey Holeman
4301 Plank Rd.
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Phone: (703) 895-3422
corey.holeman@partners.mcd.com
Restaurants*
MDL Enterprise DBA
Bricks 4 Kidz
Melani Lyon
2215 Plank Rd., # 189
Fredericksburg, VA 22508
Phone: (540) 369-8185
mylon@bricks4kidz.com
www.bricks4kidz.com/480
Educational Center*
Oasis Senior Advisors
Tracey Payne
601 Edwards Dr.
Fredericksburg, VA 22405
Phone: (540) 538-3638
tpayne@youroasisadvisor.com
NOVAsouth.oasissenioradvisors.com
Senior Services*
Poet’s Walk Fredericksburg
Carolyn Chavez
3020 Gordon W. Shelton Blvd.
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Phone: (540) 785-3644
Fax: (540) 785-3122
cchavez@poetswalkmc.com
www.poetswalkfredericksburg.com
Retirement Home - Independent;
Assisted Living*
Randstad
Heather Norris
3120 Cowan Blvd., #41
Fredericksburg, VA 22401-4975
Phone: (540) 548-1168
Fax: (540) 785-7159
heather.norris@randstadusa.com
www.randstadstaffing.com
Employment Agencies*
RockIT Repairs, Inc.
Jonathan Hawkins
373 Garrisonville Rd., Ste 105
Stafford, VA 22554
Phone: (540) 412-8825
jhawkins@rockitrpairs.com
www.rockitrepairs.com
Computers - Services/Systems*
Sareen & Associates, Inc.
Trevor Hamilton
4620 Plank Road
Fredericksburg, VA 22407
Phone: (540) 786-3000
Fax: (540) 786-0952
trevor@sareentax.com
www.sareentax.com
Accountants-Certified Public*
Seva Beauty
La’Ketha Prioleau
1800 Carl D. Silver Pkwy
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Phone: (703) 672-6970
1833@sevabeauty.com
Beauty, Hair; Nail Salons*
* indicates primary category
20
Fredericksburg Regional Business
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

SEVA Southeast Virginia
Rapid Response
Curtis Wray
Thomas Nelson Community College
600 Butler Farm Road, Suite A
Hampton, VA 23666
Phone: (757) 825-3453
sevaadmin.rapidresponse@tncc.edu
tncc.edu/workforce/business/seva
Employment Services*
Sheetz, Inc.
Elsa Jaimes
1175 Garrisonville Rd.
Stafford, VA 22556
Phone: (703) 568-2701
032746@sheetz.com
Convenvience Store
Soup and Taco
Reina Gonzales
813 Caroline St.
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Phone: (540) 899-0969
soupntaco.com
Restaurants*
Stafford House of Yoga
Linda Osorio
971 Garrsonville Rd.
Stafford, VA 22556
Phone: (540) 659-0777
info@staffordhouseofyoga.com
www.staffordhouseofyoga.com
Fitness Centers/Training*
Stafford Regional Airport
Ed Wallis
95 Aviation Way
Fredericksburg, VA 22406
Phone: (540) 658-1212
info@staffordairport.com
www.staffordairport.com
Airports*
Sugar Shack Donuts
Heather Grimes
801 William Street
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Phone: (540) 368-5500
freddy@sugarshackdonuts.com
www.sugarshackdonuts.com
Bakeries*
Summit Environmental
Solutions
Wanda McCombe
31 Utah Place, Suite 104
Fredericksburg, VA 22405
Phone: (540) 659-6017
Pest Control Services*
The Goddard School,
Fredericksburg
Gary Lucy
10060 Southpoint Pkwy.
Fredericksburg, VA 22407
Phone: (540) 684-3790
fredericksburgva@goddardschools.com
goddardschool.com
Child Development; Day Care*
The Home Depot,
Fredericksburg
Tanya Boykin
1201 Gateway Blvd
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Phone: (540) 368-0515
Home Improvement*
The Home Depot, Stafford
Tim Wightman
305 Worth Rd.
Stafford, VA 22556
Phone: (540) 657-6478
Home Improvement*
The Home Depot,
Spotsylvania
Chuck Grab
5771 Plank Rd.
Fredericksburg, VA 22407
Phone: (540) 785-8871
Home Improvement*
Ultris Courthouse Square
Apartments
Deirdre Klima
26 Davenport Drive
Stafford, VA 22554
Phone: (540) 720-2001
chs@shared.westdale.com
ultris-courthousesquare.com
Apartments*
Vets on Track Foundation
Richard Ecker
63 Kane Way
Stafford, VA 22556
Phone: (540) 842-6304
www.vettrack.org
Non Profit*
Virginia CPR and Training
Solutions
Christinia Hale
1517 Lafayette Blvd.
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Phone: (540) 903-8090
funcprusa@gmail.com
www.VaCPRandTrainingSolutions.com
Health Related Services,
Education/Supplemental*
Walding & Associates
T.J. Walding
18 Vanburgh Court
Stafford, VA 22554
Phone: (703) 380-5316
tj@waldingassociates.com
www.waldingassociates.com
Accounting; Tax Service*
Ward ENG Support Services, Inc.
Karen Ward
1701 Fall Hill Ave., Ste 104A
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Phone: (540) 642-1267
contracts@wessgrp.com
www.wessgrp.com
Cybersecurity; Systems
Engineering*
Webb Smith Interiors
Michelle Smith
11903 Bowman Dr., Suite 106
Fredericksburg, VA 22408
Phone: (540) 903-1103
michelle@webbsmithinteriors.com
webbsmithinteriors.com
Interior Decorators; Designers*
Welxone
Jacklyn West
8206 Twelfth Corps Dr.
Fredericksburg, VA 22407
Phone: (703) 623-5504
info@welxone.com
welxone.com
Health Related Services,
Counseling, Wellness/Nutrition
Products*
Wilson Realty, LLC
Joe Wilson
405 Amelia St.
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Phone: (540) 370-4571
joerwilson@verizon.net
Real Estate*, Real Estate -
Commercial
Goodwill Award Winners
The Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce proudly hosted the area’s annual Chamber
Goodwill Awards Program, sponsored in part by Rappahannock Goodwill Industries, Inc. The Chamber
Goodwill Award’s purpose is to connect the Fredericksburg’s Regional business community with
non-profit and area agencies, identifying opportunities for corporate philanthropy, and recognizing
existing philanthropic efforts by businesses in our region. The award is open to any business that is a
member of the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce and has made a contribution through
financial support, in-kind donations, or volunteer effort, to residents of the Fredericksburg Region.
Winners for 2015:
Small Business: The Title Professionals
Mark Steele is pictured with office staff.
Large Business: Stafford County Government
Gary Snellings, Donna Krauss, and Anthony Romanello
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 21

easy adjective | \ē-zē\
free from pain, trouble, or worry
Confer
Design
YOU
Deliver/
Mail
Produce
that’s Stafford Printing
540-659-4554 staffordprinting.com

The Fredericksburg REALTORS ® Foundation
Awards $3,000 Grant to Empowerhouse
The Fredericksburg REALTORS® Foundation recently
presented a $3,000 grant to Empowerhouse, a local
organization providing assistance to victims of domestic
violence. The grant money will go towards Empowerhouse’s
housing assistance program.
The Foundation raises funds at FAAR events to help support
housing non-profits throughout the Fredericksburg region.
The Foundation has
granted out over
$16,000 so far this year.
The Foundation was
established in 1990 and
is made up of nine
volunteer Governors.
From left: Foundation Governor Donna Schmidt, Empowerhouse
Executive Director Kathy Anderson, Foundation President Mary Beth
Rich, Foundation Governor Mark Geslock, Foundation Governor
Natalie Holt
The Doctor Yum Project has received
a $30,000 Mary Washington Hospital
Community Benefit Fund grant.
Started by pediatrician Nimali
Fernando, the nonprofit
organization is dedicated to
educating locals about the link
between food and health. A press release announced the
grant Wednesday and said the funds will help support the
development of a “Healthy Eating and Living” website tool
to help combat obesity in the Fredericksburg area.
The tool is designed to aide physicians in making nutrition
part of their treatment plan while helping families overcome
barriers to cooking by providing information and instruction.
UMW ranked 20 th of
most tech advanced
colleges
The University of Mary Washington has been ranked 20th
on the list of the “50 Most Technologically Advanced Small
Colleges” by The Best Colleges Online 2015, according to a
university press release.
In addition, the College Affordability Guide has recognized
UMW as “Virginia’s most affordable college” and rated 13 of
its academic programs as the most affordable degrees in the
country.
The Best Colleges Online considered technology awards,
progressive science and technology degrees offered and
advanced campus technology offerings in its list. UMW was
the only Virginia school on the list and was recognized for its
Hurley Convergence Center.
The College Affordability Guide considers cost for average
and low-income students and program credit flexibility,
among other metrics. Academic programs recognized
include biology, chemistry, computer science, economics,
English, fine arts, foreign language, history, math, MBA
programs, psychology and sociology.
New Veterans Services office
opens in Spotsylvania
The Virginia Department of Veterans
Services opened its first benefits
office in Spotsylvania County on
Monday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony headlined by Gov.
Terry McAuliffe. The office is off U.S. 1 on Spotsylvania
Avenue in one of the former Capital One office buildings.
The office has two veteran services representatives, a veteran
services administrator and a regional manager on staff to
assist veterans and their family members in filing claims for
federal benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The state Department of Veterans Services’ new benefits office
in Fredericksburg will serve as a link between area veterans,
their families and the federal Department of Veterans Affairs.
The local office at 10300 Spotsylvania Ave., Suite 290, is open
for walk-ins from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday–Friday. Assistance
or information about pensions require an appointment, which
can be made by calling 540/376-7298.
Ron Rosner donates $100,000
to grants for literacy programs
Two Spotsylvania County elementary
schools received a major boost for
literacy from Ron Rosner at a School
Board meeting Monday.
Rosner, owner of the Rosner Automotive
Group, and his wife, Nancy, presented Ron Rosner
a $100,000 startup grant to the School
Board to help create the division’s Literacy Partnership Program.
The program, which will launch at Brock Road and
Wilderness elementary schools, is “designed for students
who find reading and writing difficult.”
U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman,
R-1st District, plans to run
for governor in 2017
The Westmoreland County Republican,
who represents much of the
Fredericksburg area in Congress, said he
will stand first for re-election next year.
Rob Wittman
Wittman said that race, and helping a
Republican win the White House, will be
his “sole focus.” But he also acknowledged a need to prepare
for the governor’s race, particularly as long-time Republican
fundraiser Ed Gillespie’s own gubernatorial campaign gathers
momentum.
“It’s a balancing act, and we want to make sure we get the
balance right,” Wittman said.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 23

Cox Communications
Doubling Internet Speeds
and Adding In-Home WiFi
for Families
Cox Communications is furthering its efforts to connect
youth with technology by doubling the download speed
of the company’s discounted Internet service available to
low-income families with school-aged children through the
Connect2Compete program. Starting early next month, Cox
will also offer in-home WiFi as part of the monthly service
package of $9.95. Cox continues to narrow the digital divide
by actively promoting the advantages of the discounted
service available through the Connect2Compete program
throughout its 18-state footprint.
“With faster download speeds, families can readily access
richer educational resources online in half the time,” said
Kathryn Falk, vice president of public and government affairs
& Northern Virginia operations for Cox Virginia. “A fast,
reliable Internet connection gives students the ability to
access their assignments, conduct thorough research and
better collaborate on projects after the school day is over.
Parents can also use the connection to better communicate
with teachers and stay in the know with their child’s
education. It’s a win-win for the whole family.”
The Fredericksburg Area Association of
REALTORS® collects 11,000 cereal boxes
Members of the
Fredericksburg
Area Association of
REALTORS® (FAAR)
collected 11,000 boxes
of cereal for local food
banks in their annual
cereal drive.
First Choice Better Homes and Land collected the most
boxes, 2,889. Nest Realty, collected 1,486 boxes for the
highest per agent total of over 148 boxes per agent.
Century 21 New Millennium-Fredericksburg earned the most
improved office, collecting 2,291 boxes of cereal.
Fredericksburg named best
quality of life for small city
According to personal finance website WalletHub, Fredericksburg
has the best quality of life in any American small city.
The list, “2015’s Best & Worst Small Cities in America,” was
released Tuesday and ranks Fredericksburg as the 37th best
overall small city out of 1,268 in America to live in, but first
when it comes to quality of life.
The quality of life metric was based on commute time,
how much the average person works, amenities such as
restaurants, coffee shops and fitness centers and the number
of new people moving in.
The other metrics included in a city’s overall score were
affordability, economic health and education & health.
The city also came in first for the number of restaurants per
capita. In that category, Fredericksburg tied with Sarasota,
Myrtle Beach and Duluth.
Germanna President
Nominated for
Literary Prize
Germanna Community College President David A. Sam
has been nominated for The Pushcart Prize, an award for
literature from small publishers.
Some of the nominations will be selected for publication in the
2017 edition of “Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses.”
Sam was nominated for his poem, “Taconic Orogeny,”
published this fall in the Vine Leaves Literary Journal.
Previous winners of the award, first given in 1976, include
Joyce Carol Oates at an early stage in her writing career.
“I am pleased and honored that the editors thought highly
of my poem,” Sam said.
Sam, the author of “Memories in Clay, Dreams of Wolves,”
a semi-autobiographical 2014 book of poems, was born
and spent his early childhood in McKeesport, Pa., a coal and
steel suburb of Pittsburgh. Later, his family relocated with his
father’s factory to Belleville, Mich., a Detroit exurb. Much of
his childhood was passed exploring railroad tracks, woods,
lakes, and rural farm fields, and they were the source of
much imagery in his poetry.
Goddard School
opening in
Southpoint
The Goddard School, an early childhood education provider
with more than 400 franchised locations nationwide, is
opening a Massaponax branch in January 2016.
Located at 10060 Southpoint Pkwy., the local franchise
is owned by married couple Gary and Lori Lucy. The new
8,100-sqaure-foot building was built by Taft Construction
and is expected to open mid-month in January.
Donohue wins Distinguished
Achievement Award
University of Mary Washington
alumna Janel Donohue received the
Patricia Lacey Metzger Distinguished
Achievement Award at the university’s
22nd annual Leadership Colloquium on
Thursday, Nov. 5.
Janel Donohue
The Metzger award recognizes
individuals who uphold high standards in their personal and
professional lives while fulfilling a career goal of significant
stature. The award has been given annually since 1999 in
memory of Patricia Lacey Metzger, a UMW professor and a
founder of the colloquium.
Donohue currently serves as president of Rappahannock
24
Fredericksburg Regional Business
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

United Way, an organization that places a focus of resources
in our community on shared goals in the areas of education,
income and health. In addition, she has a background
in human resources as well as more than 18 years of
fundraising experience.
Donohue is an advisory board member for UMW’s
Department for Leadership, Honor and Service. She also is
active with many community organizations, including the
Fredericksburg Host Lions Club, Smart Beginnings, Mary
Washington Hospital Foundation, Ferry Farm Baptist Church
and Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce.
The Chamber honored Donohue for her level of leadership
by presenting her with the 2010 Laurie A. Wideman
Enterprising Woman’s Award.
Kelvin G. Tate of Kloke Group
Moving & Storage Named Van
Operator of the Year
Kelvin G. Tate from Kloke Group
Moving & Storage was awarded
Mayflower Transit’s Household
Goods Van Operator of the Year for
the category of more than 50,000
miles. Tate was awarded this for his Kelvin G. Tate
outstanding performance in customer
service and safety. Mayflower Chairman Dan McCollister and
CEO Jim Powers announced the award at the company’s
recent convention in Scottsdale, Arizona.
During the 12-month qualifying period, Tate drove more than
60,000 miles, maintained a perfect safety rating and had
an impressive customer service rating. He has been driving
for Kloke Group for 10 years. He truly enjoys the moving
industry, especially because of the opportunity it provides to
meet new people. Tate resides in Temple, New Hampshire.
LifeCare Medical
Transport Grows
LifeCare Medical Transports
of Stafford County has acquired Newport News-based
Eagle Medical Transports. LifeCare will add EMT’s facilities in
Chesterfield, Norfolk and Newport News to its six locations
in Arlington, Charlottesville, Manassas, Richmond, Pulaski,
Stafford and Roanoke/Salem.
New Director of Central Rappahannock
Regional Library
Martha Hutzel is the new Director
of Central Rappahannock Regional
Library. She was selected from a pool of
candidates after a nationwide search.
Hutzel has more than 20 years of
professional library experience. She
has worked for the CRRL since 1988
in positions ranging from head of the
circulation department to manager
of the Snow, Porter and England
Martha Hutzel
Run branches. At the England Run Branch, she organized
community-wide programs such as the Festival of Makers in
2014 and CRRL-Con, a comic book convention, in 2015.
Ms. Hutzel is very active in the community. Sshe has served
as secretary and president of the North Stafford Rotary Club;
steering committee member of the Chamber of Commerce
Network of Enterprising Women; and an advisory board
member of the Leadership Colloquium at the University of
Mary Washington. She was elected President of the Virginia
Library Association for the 2015-2016 year.
Kathryn Miller, Chair of the Library Board, stated, “The
Library Board is very pleased to have someone of Martha’s
caliber take this important position of leadership in the
community. We feel sure that her expertise in library
leadership, advocacy, community relations and library
management will benefit library customers, staff and the
community at large.”
Merchantile makes
best restaurant list
Downtown Fredericksburg’s
Mercantile is among the 25 best new restaurants of 2015 in
Virginia, according to the state’s official travel blog Virginia is
for Lovers.
In its list, “25 Restaurants That Satisfied Our Appetites In
2015,” Mercantile was included for its “refined spin on
traditional southern cuisine, and features locally-sourced and
seasonal breakfast and lunch foods.”
Mercantile is a breakfast and lunch-focused eatery at 205
William St. opened by local restaurateurs Joy Crump and
Beth Black in May.
PlantsMap partners with Goodwill
PlantsMap.com, the local tech startup and
Made in FredVA winner, has partnered with
Goodwill Industries to manufacture interactive
plant tags and aid in the organization’s
workforce development initiatives.
The partnership, according to Plants Map founder Bill
Blevins, will help workers learn new technical skills related to
the manufacturing and shipping of Plants Map’s products.
Workers in Rappahannock Goodwill’s job skills training
program will receive training from Plants Map staff, and by
the start of 2016 will handle all aspects of the manufacturing
and shipping of Plants Map’s horticultural QR code signs
and tags, which are made with a laser engraver that etches
the aluminum tags. They will also handle the inventory,
packaging and shipping of these tags.
“We are always looking to serve businesses with staffing
needs,” said Goodwill CFO Donnie Tolson.
This collaboration will also help Plants Map, according to Blevins.
“We provide training on our computers and laser
engravers,” Blevins said, “and they provide the workforce.”
Continued to page 26
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 25

Fredericksburg-based
Quarles Petroleum
acquires heating oil
companies
Fredericksburg-based Quarles Petroleum Inc. has purchased
two heating oil companies from Petroleum Marketers Inc. in
Roanoke. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The acquired companies, Whiting Oil Co. and Northern Neck
Oil Co., provide heating oil, gasoline and diesel products
to residential and commercial customers. They are based in
Culpeper and Warsaw, respectively.
The Whiting Oil customer in Culpeper will be serviced
from Quarles’ Culpeper facility and the Northern Neck Oil
customers will continue to be serviced from Warsaw.
Quarles is a family-owned business that provides heating
oil, gasoline and diesel. It also operates 120 commercial
fuel stations throughout the mid-Atlantic, delivers bulk and
packaged lubricants and offers fuel solutions. It has been in
business for 75 years.
Petroleum Marketers recently sold two other fuel oil
companies to Chatham-based Davenport Energy Inc. They
were APB Whiting Oil Co. in Roanoke and Whiting Jamison
Oil Co. in Covington.
Rappahannock Adult
Activities Assistant
Coordinator to Retire
Susan Graves retiring after
30 years at RACSB
The Rappahannock Area Community
Services Board (RACSB) announces the
retirement of Susan Graves, Day Support
Susan Graves
Assistant Coordinator at Rappahannock
Adult Activities, Inc. (RAAI), following a distinguished
career. Her last day will be December 25, 2015. Susan has
worked with individuals with intellectual and developmental
disabilities for more than 30 years.
Susan began her career at Rappahannock Adult Activities
by supporting individuals through an enclave as part of
Rappahannock Service Corporation (later to become
Rappahannock Goodwill Industries). She played a pivotal
role in moving RAAI from a pre-vocational workshop to a
day program, focusing on social, recreation and leisure skill
development.
REC Names New
Director of System
Planning & Engineering
Design
John Arp has recently been promoted to director of system
planning and engineering design for Rappahannock Electric
Cooperative (REC).
Arp is the staff electrical engineering supervisor at REC,
and responsible for the planning and coordination of the
Cooperative’s entire electrical system.
Arp started working at Allegheny Power in 1999, as a
system planning engineer and later joined REC in 2012 as
an engineering supervisor. Arp is a registered professional
engineer in Pennsylvania and Virginia.
He lives in Spotsylvania County with his wife, Melissa, and
their two sons.
REC provides electric service to over 160,000 connections
in parts of 22 Virginia counties. With its general office in
Fredericksburg, Va., the Cooperative operates and maintains
more than 16,000 miles of power lines through its service
area, which ranges from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the
tidal waters of the Chesapeake Bay. For information about
REC, please visit www.myrec.coop. Follow REC on Facebook,
Twitter and YouTube
REC Promotes Brock
to Key Leadership
Position
Lee Brock has recently been promoted to manager of
engineering and power supply for REC.
Brock most recently held the position of director of system
planning and engineering design at REC. In that role, she
was responsible for the planning and coordination of the
Cooperative’s entire electrical system as well as the approval
of capital budgets.
“Lee has more than 35 years of electric utility experience,
which started at Atlantic City Electric Company (ACEC) in
South Jersey in 1980,” said Ron Harris, REC’s vice president
of engineering and operations.
Since beginning her career at REC in 1995 as a planning/
environmental engineer, Brock has continued her professional
development through education and industry training.
She is a licensed professional engineer in both New Jersey
and Virginia. She resides in Spotsylvania County with her
husband, Greg, and their two daughters, Andrea and Kirsten.
UMW Establishes
Endowment, Names
Arena to Honor Area
Businessman
The University of Mary Washington Board of Visitors have
established the Ron Rosner Athletic Endowment and to
recognize Rosner for his generosity by naming an arena in his
honor. The arena, which is within the William M. Anderson
Center, will be known as the Ron Rosner Arena.
“On behalf of the Board of Visitors, I am grateful for
Mr. Rosner’s dedication to the University’s mission and
commitment to enhance the student-athlete experience,”
said Board Rector Holly Cuellar.
The annual endowment will support the UMW athletic
program to benefit student-athletes and the local community.
“We are extremely grateful for this transformative gift to
UMW Athletics,” said Ken Tyler, director of athletics. “Ron
Rosner is an outstanding leader in our community, and we
26
Fredericksburg Regional Business
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

are happy to partner with him in such a meaningful way.
His generosity will provide significant opportunities to our
student-athletes for many years to come.”
Cushman & Wakefield |
Thalhimer Welcomes Broker
Professional in Fredericksburg
Office
Thomas Raines has joined the
Fredericksburg office of Cushman &
Wakefield | Thalhimer. He will focus on
commercial property sales and leasing.
Prior to joining Thalhimer, Thomas was
a business specialist for Apple Retail in
Hampton Roads.
Dr. Jaime All joins Va.
Interventional & Vascular
Associates
Virginia Interventional & Vascular
Associates (VIVA) welcomes Dr.
Jaime All to its practice. Dr. All is
a board-certified and fellowshiptrained
interventional radiologist
Dr. Jaime All
who specializes in minimally invasive
endovascular treatments for peripheral
arterial disease, deep vein thrombosis, trauma affecting
the extremities, and other conditions. He also performs
procedures for cancer, uterine fibroids, and varicose veins.
Dr. All practices at VIVA’s outpatient facility as well as at
Mary Washington Hospital and Stafford Hospital – a fact that
influenced his decision to join the practice. “I liked VIVA’s
system for seeing patients in both inpatient and outpatient
settings,” Dr. All said. “That is the way interventional
radiology is moving nationally, and VIVA is forward thinking
in that regard.”
BH Media buys
The Free Lance-Star
Thomas Raines
BH Media Group announced last
week that it has acquired The Free
Lance-Star, its website and print operation from Sandton
Capital Partners for an undisclosed sum.
BH Media Group, headquartered in Omaha, Neb., is a wholly
owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Company. With
this acquisition, it now owns 32 daily newspapers, as well
as related weekly newspapers, in Virginia, Alabama, Florida,
Iowa, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina,
Oklahoma and Texas.
“The Free Lance-Star is a strong newspaper in a terrific
market, and we’re delighted to be its new owner,” Terry
Kroeger, CEO of BH Media Group, wrote in a news release.
“We welcome the employees of The Free Lance-Star and
Print Innovators to BH Media Group, and we look forward to
working with them as we continue to serve our readers and
advertisers in the Fredericksburg region.”
Sandton Capital Partners, a New York-based investment
firm, acquired The Free Lance-Star Publishing Co.’s assets
during bankruptcy proceedings in June 2014. They included
The Free Lance-Star, fredericksburg.com and Print Innovators,
as well as four radio stations.
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Transportation Continued from page 6
leaders to raise gas taxes or index them to inflation. Now, since less
gas is purchased because vehicles are more fuel efficient and hybrid
vehicle usage, resulting in underfunding transportation on national
and state levels. We have been underfunding transportation for
the past generation and now face tremendous needs that exceed
available funding.
Our federal transportation funding sources are primarily based on
the federal gas tax on gasoline of 18.4 cents which have not been
increased since 1993. As a result, the ability of gas tax revenues to
keep up with the amount of transportation funding needed has
steadily decreased. The five-year federal transportation bill called
the “Fixing America’s Surface Transportation” (FAST) Act provides a
modest increase in federal transportation funding until December,
2020. Under FAST, gas tax revenues are projected to take in about
$20 billion less per year than the bill promises to pay out over five
years. To make up about $75 billion of the additional $100 billion
needed, several one-time offsets are planned. The source for the
rest of the funding will be decided by congress at a later date.
Congress has been unable to reach an agreement on a sustainable
way to fund transportation beyond 2020.
On the state side, in 2013, former Gov. Robert McDonnell and
the General Assembly passed HB 2313, the first comprehensive
transportation funding bill since 1986, which saved Virginia from a
transportation funding crisis and promised $4 billion in additional
state transportation funding over the FY14-19 six-year period.
The additional revenue from the bill is significantly less than
originally predicted for two reasons. First, the bill assumed the price
of gasoline would rise significantly above the bill’s floor of $3.11
per gallon. Second, the hybrid vehicle provision of the bill was
repealed and the $65 million per year in projected revenue from this
provision was not replaced. As a result, revenue projections under
HB 2313 have decreased by about $1 billion over the FY14-19
period with further decreases likely if gasoline remains under $3.11
per gallon.
Looking Ahead
We have a major transportation funding problem where our
existing transportation revenues from gas taxes and user fees
do not come close to meeting our existing transportation costs.
In the ongoing initial round of HB 2 project prioritization, the
best transportation projects statewide totaling about $7 billion
were submitted for only about $1.25 billion in available funding.
Our region submitted about $350 million in HB 2 requests for
13 high-priority projects, including I-95 capacity expansion at
the Rappahannock River, capacity improvements to Route 1,
VRE Station capacity upgrades in Stafford, and commuter lot
expansions.
The State’s Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) is expected
to make project funding selections based on HB 2 this February.
The shortage in funding suggests that many of our region’s highest
priority projects will not be funded. Without significant changes
to transportation funding at either the federal, state, and/or local
level, it is hard to see this changing in the foreseeable future.
We are at crossroads with concern to transportation. Without
significant new transportation investments, there will be increasing
congestion and gridlock in our transportation system, which will
limit our future economic development and growth.
Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce held two
Transportation Forums in 2015. “A Session of Solutions” was
part of the Community Conversation Series. Above photo:
Paul Milde, Matt Kelly, Susan Spears, Tim McLaughlin, Paul
Agnello, Hap Connors, Charles McDaniel and Joe Wilson
28
Fredericksburg Regional Business
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

Providence Human Services
acquired by Molina Healthcare
Only the name has changed, now Pathways
The parent company of Spotsylvania-based Providence
Human Services entered into a purchase agreement with
Molina Healthcare. The $200 million acquisition closed last
November. PHS is one of the nation’s largest providers of
behavioral and mental health services and operates in 23
states and the District of Columbia. PHS, whose parent
company is based in Arizona, came to Fredericksburg in 1998
after acquiring local business Family Preservation Services.The
acquisition will nearly double Molina’s workforce.
Locally, the company employs more than 150 people
who handle jobs such as human resources, accounts,
administration, and billing at its office at 10304 Spotsylvania
Ave. in the Massaponax area.
Craig Bass, vice president at Molina Healthcare, called the
acquisition “more of a partnership” and said Providence’s
infrastructure, including the offices and staff in Spotsylvania,
need to be retained to offer Molina’s customers mental and
behavioral health services.
The healthcare service is now called Pathways. Mike Fidgeon,
Pathway CEO, said that after recent leadership changes in
PHS, a larger vision came into focus for providing health
care services that required a partner. “Providence put out
interest to be acquired,” he said, “ The interviews started
with brokers, most taking place in Manhattan, New York.
Our decision was narrowed down to a
strategic fit and the amount of money.
Molina turned out to be the best fit.”
Nationally, Pathways employs 6,800
and has offices in 23 states. Jobs
opportunities are in management,
accounting, administration, IT, social
Mike Fidgeon
workers and counselors. Pathways
will continue to offer the same behavior health services, inhome
counseling for substance abuse, autism, developmental
disabilities, and alternative education placement.
Pathways specialize in providing direct services and case
management to children, adolescents and adults with
behavioral and medical health needs, as well as those
supervised by government subsidized programs, in their
homes or through community-based resources. The programs
are designed to be multi-jurisdictional; capable of serving
numerous clients under government funded programs.
Fidgeon says 98 percent of the funding is Medicaid. They
cover referrals from courts, schools, social services, and
children’s services. Pathways provides counselors on-call for
emergency situations. Pathways has more than 5,000 clients
in Virginia.
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News
Andie McConnell, 2015 recipient of the
Laurie A. Wideman Award
Congratulations to Andie McConnell, 2015 recipient of the sixth annual
Laurie A. Wideman Award. She was recognized at Fredericksburg
Regional Chamber of Commerce CNEW Luncheon held at Stevenson
Ridge on December 15. Guests also enjoyed the annual silent auction
with proceeds going to Smart Beginnings and Brain Injury Services.
The award criteria is: must be a female member of the Fredericksburg
Regional Chamber of Commerce; marked by an independent, energetic
spirit as well as readiness to act in business and in the community,
demonstrate great passion for the quality of life in our region, and she
must lead with values of the highest level of integrity and honesty.
McConnell is the executive director for the Fairy Godmother Project,
which provide support to families with a child in treatment for pediatric Pictured is Martha Hutzel, chair of CNEW, Andie
cancer. This is the sixth year the award has been given in memory of McConnell, and Susan Spears, President/CEO
Laurie Wideman, who died October 10, 2010. Laurie became a popular Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce, who presented
and well-loved part of the Stafford and Fredericksburg communities, the award.
holding positions on many business and charity committees. As a board
member on both the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Rappahannock United Way.
Repo Rocks wins Made in Fred VA
Pictured left to right: Bill Freehling, founding chairman,
Whitney Watts, VP Member Services, Fredericksburg
Regional Chamber of Commerce , Evelyn White, and
Landon Davis, Chairman of Next Generation.
Evelyn White, owner of Repo Rocks, won the grand prize with her pitch
for making decorative rocks out of recycled trash.
Johnna Hetrick, owner of Twila & Company received $500 cash
for “The People’s Choice” award.
Four finalists competed for the $10,000 to help with business startup
expenses during the third annual Made in Fred VA competition. Other
businesses were Mike Wood, of Dogwood Lawns, who developed an
application for professional lawn care, and Jerry Becker, of Up Fred, a
website and application which generates all local events.
Thanks to the judges, Brian Baker, Rebecca Rubin and Joe Wilson for
determining the winner.
Hosted by The Next Generation of Business Leaders, a program of the
Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce, the event was held at
the Inn at the Old Silk Mill.
Next Gen honors young professionals
This is the fifth year “Top 10 of the Next Gen,” has recognized young
professionals, under 40 years old, by an open nomination and selected
by the Next Gen board. The recipients are chosen for their professional
career accomplishments and community contributions.
Pictured left to right: Lee Murray,
Jeremy McCommons, April Peterson,
Angela Tsai, Christie Hoerneman,
Stephanie Maxwell, E. Carter Fitch,
Matt Mitchell, James Roberson,
and Joe Pleban.
30
Fredericksburg Regional Business
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

JANUARY 2016
13 - Ribbon Cutting, 4:00 pm,Ultris Courthouse Square Apartments. 26
Davenport Drive
14 - Ribbon Cutting/National Rebranding, Block Advisors (formerly
H&R Block), 3 p.m., 106 Westwood Park, Fredericksburg
14 - Ribbon Cutting/National Rebranding, Block Advisors (formerly
H&R Block), 3 p.m., 315 Garrisonville Rd., Stafford
19 - Ribbon Cutting, second location, DaVita Dialysis Center, 4 p.m.,
1151 Hospital Dr.
19 - CNEW Luncheon, 11:30am, Fredericksburg Country Club
26 - Non-Profit Business Builder, 12:00pm, Chamber office
26 - Chamber Centennial Ribbon Cutting & Open House, 4:00pm
Chamber office
28 - Small Business Builder, 12:00pm, Chamber office
29 - Annual Awards & Chamber Gala, 6:00pm, Fredericksburg Expo &
Conference Center
February 2016
2 - Chamber Roundtable (Spotsylvania), 8:00am,
3 - Ribbon Cutting, Image 360, 11901 Bowman Dr., Suite 107,
Fredericksburg, 4 p.m.
3 - Next Gen Mid-week Motivation, 12:00pm, Renato’s
16 - CNEW Luncheon, 11:30am, Fredericksburg Country Club
23 - Non-Profit Business Builder, 12:00pm, Chamber office
March 2016
1 - Chamber Roundtable (Stafford), 8:00am,
2 - Next Gen Mid-week Motivation, 12:00pm, Renato’s
11 - Next Gen Reverse Raffle, 7:00pm, Fredericksburg Country Club
15 - CNEW Luncheon, 11:30am, Fredericksburg Country Club
17 - State of the Chamber, 3:00pm, Fick Conference Center
22 - Non-Profit Business Builder, 12:00pm, Chamber office
On the Cover: Our Chamber of Commerce organization has represented
and supported businesses in the region for 100 years. From these businesses,
derives strong leaderships that have represented our Board of Directors and
Chairmen. Carl’s Ice Cream, 2200 Princess Anne Street, Fredericksburg, has been
in business since 1947 and a member of the Chamber for more than 40 years.
Carl Sponseller, founder, started the business as a frozen custard stand. The
current owners (his family members) continue the traditions of Sponseller. It is
now listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Representing our years of leadership, front row, left to right: Michelle Caldwell
Thompson, CTI Real Estate, member, 10+ years and Susan Spears, FRCC President &
CEO. Back row: Walt Sheffield, attorney, member, 40+ years; Regis Keddie, Davenport,
1999 Chairman of the Board; Charles McDaniel, Hilldrup Moving & Storage, 1985
Chairman of the Board; and Bill Hession, Lockheed Martin, 2016 Chairman of the Board.
Photo by Dawn Haun
Thank you to Central Rappahannock Heritage Center for the contributions of historic
documents and photographs. For more information call 540-373-3704, 900 Barton St.,
Fredericksburg, in Maury Commons.
SAVE
THE
DATE
Friday, January 29, 2016
Fredericksburg Expo &
Conference Center
The Annual Awards and Gala is
the Chamber’s signature event.
The centerpiece of the festivities is the
presentation of the Business of the Year
Awards, the Entrepreneur of the Year
Award and the Prince B. Woodard
Leadership Award.
Business of the Year Award –
honors a company for achieving
business and financial success and
for its involvement in Chamber
and community activities.
Entrepreneur of the Year Award –
presented to an innovative business
owner or individual who recognizes
and meets a market need.
Prince B. Woodard Leadership Award –
recognizes an individual who has
demonstrated a lifetime of outstanding
service to the community.
The evening’s festivities include dinner,
dancing and entertainment.
6 p.m. -11 p.m.
Please register online:
www.fredericksburgchamber.org
or call:
540-373-9400
FREDERICKSBURG
REGIONAL CHAMBER
2300 Fall Hill Ave., Suite 240
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
(540) 373-9400
Fax: (540) 373-9570
www.fredericksburgchamber.org
Fredericksburg Regional Business, is
published by Stafford Printing. For more
information, contact Howard Owen at
(540) 659-4554
or howen@staffordprinting.com.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 31

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