September_October Chamber Magazine FINAL

FREDERICKSBURG
REGIONAL BUSINESS
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016
THE REGION’S PREMIER BUSINESS PUBLICATION Volume 2 Issue 5
Made in FredVa Winners
Where are they now?
Tracy Blevins
Bill Blevins
Chris Muldrow
Made in FredVa Past Contestants:
Plants Map, Spencer Devon, Repo Rocks
and Sprelly
Presidential Election:
How Purple is Virginia?
Healthcare Futures:
Health Information Technology

Mary Washington Hospital Foundation Presents
FXBG BREWHAHA
Craft Beer & Food Pairing Event
Wine will also be available
Saturday, November 19, 2016
5:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
A. Smith Bowman Distillery
One Bowman Drive | Fredericksburg, VA 22408
H Food Pairing: 5:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. H
H Dessert Pairing: 7:30 p.m. – 9:15 p.m. H
H Live Music by Shannon Peterson H
To Purchase Tickets Online: brewhaha.mwhc.com
By Phone: Mary Washington Hospital Foundation 540.741.1512
In Advance: $75 per person | $140 per couple
At the Door: $85 per person | $160 per couple
Proceeds
Benefit:
Regional Cancer Center

Chamber’s Military Affairs Council
continues to play a vital role
By Susan Spears
It’s hard to believe it has been 10 years since we hosted
our first Military Affairs Council (MAC) event in October
of 2006. The sold out “Report to the Community” event
drew a crowd of more than 150. U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Davis
provided keynote remarks, stating “the Fredericksburg
region’s business and civic leaders must remain vigilant in
order to protect the military installations that have long
helped drive the area’s economy.”
For the first time, Chamber members had the chance to
get to know leaders from the region’s military bases – Col.
Charles A. Dallachie, commander of Marine Corps Base
Quantico; Capt. Judy Smith, installation commanding
officer, Naval Support Activity South Potomac; and Lt. Col.
Michael S. Graese, commander, Fort A.P. Hill. At the end
of the night, I vividly recall hauling supplies to my car long
Susan Spears is
president and CEO
of the Fredericksburg
Regional Chamber of
Commerce.
after everyone was gone. I heard familiar voices engaged in a friendly conversation
nearby in the parking lot. There stood Col. Dallachie and Lt. Col Graese, having
connected at our event. I am certain a strong relationship developed that night -
thanks to the Chamber’s new MAC.
The MAC was formed in August 2006 under the capable leadership of Ted
Hontz, Vice President of BCI (Basic Commerce & Industries, Inc.). Hontz, a retired
Navy Captain with 28 years of active-duty service, was also former commanding
officer for the Aegis Training and Readiness Center at Dahlgren. In a September 21,
2006 article published by the South Potomac Pilot, Hontz stated, “the Chamber
put together a strong program for BRAC (Base Realignment & Closure ’05) that
drew together people from many areas across the community. But, we had to
start from scratch…the MAC will help us as a community to be better prepared
and postured to support all the military installations through scrutiny by future
BRAC commissions…our broader responsibility and long-standing mission will be
to support the business community as it relates to area military bases.”
A lot has changed in our region over the past 10 years, but the MAC’s mission
has not, nor has the Chamber’s strong support for its MAC. It is rewarding to look
back at our beginnings and to continue to see so many of our original founders
deeply connected to the MAC. At the same time, we enthusiastically look ahead
to an even brighter MAC future for our region. Sequestration knocked us to our
knees, but it certainly did not stop us. Another BRAC is rumored for 2017. We
will be standing ready, prepared to advocate for our military bases, commands
and installations in the region, and in doing so, we will support the interests of
the military, their families, the local defense industry
and the region as a whole. Special thanks to all
of the amazing individuals and businesses that
have been with us for the first 10 years. Let’s
make the next 10 even better!
On the cover…
Plants Map business partners, (left) Bill Blevins, Tracy Blevins and Chris
Muldrow, were the 2014 Made in FredVa grand prize winner for their
online website that hosts botanical collections. Photo by Bill Blevins
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 Fastabend, Virginia Partners Bank
Mike Fidgeon, Pathways
Eric Fletcher, Mary Washington Healthcare
Adam Fried, Atlantic Builders, Ltd.
Paul Giambra, Quarles Petroleum, Inc.
Ron Holmes, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management
Stacy Horne, Allstate
Jeremy McCommons, Foundation Companies
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
Diane Zumatto, Military & Government Affairs Director
Dawn Haun, Communications Manager
Sheri Wikert, Member Services Manager
Stacey Madigan, Executive Assistant
Stacey Hicks, Office Manager
Desiree Suggs, Membership Account Executive
Sara Branner, Member Services Coordinator
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’s Message
4 Chairman Update
FEATURES
5 Made in FredVA
11 Elections
COLUMNS
13 Technology
17 Transportation
NEWS
19 Facebook
25 Goodwill Awards
NEWS
26 Leadership Fredericksburg
29 New Members
NEWS
31 Member News
35 Calendars
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 3

Chairman’s Update
Center for Business Research at UMW
partnership continues to strengthen our region
By Bill Hession
Last year our chamber entered an agreement with the
Fredericksburg Regional Alliance (FRA) and the University
of Mary Washington (UMW) to establish the Center for
Economic Research at UMW. A local source for regional
economic analysis and expertise, the center was strategically
created to produce reports generated by faculty experts with
support from student interns.
The center appointed an advisory board – which I have the
pleasure to serve on - to assist in prioritizing the region’s needs
for research and reports. The board is comprised of UMW
faculty in addition to equal representation from the Alliance
and the Chamber.
During our first year, the center produced an in-depth
commuter skills study that was based on the research of Dr.
Brad Hansen, UMW Department of Economics. The study
results were presented to our business community this
summer, by Dr. Lance Gentry, UMW College of Business.
We learned that 66,000 commuters leave our area daily
to primarily commute to Northern Virginia and Washington,
D.C. The study also included information about commute
destinations, length of driving time, level of commuter’s
education and level of income compared to those of noncommuters.
The study revealed our area’s daily impact to
I-95 congestion, as well as the additional time investment
required for those commuters in
search of higher income salaries. A
key take-away from the study was
the significant population of highlyqualified
individuals that could be
leveraged from a Northern Virginia
commute to a local business.
During the course of the year,
UMW transitioned the effort from
the Economics Department to the
College of Business. The Center was
renamed the Center for Business
Research (CBR).
Bill Hession is Chairman
of the Board of the
Fredericksburg Regional
Chamber of Commerce.
The CBR’s Director is Dr. Mukesh Srivastava, Professor
of Management Information Systems at UMW’s College of
Business. In our 2016-2017 year, the CBR will produce two
major research projects: 1) The Cost of Congestion; 2) Cyber
Security Employment Landscape in the Region. The CBR will
also produce two smaller regional economic data reports: 1)
Shift Share Analysis of Regional Competitiveness; 2) Economic
Impact of Naval Support Services and Activities for Dahlgren.
The chamber looks forward to continuing this partnership
with FRA and UMW, and to sharing these important studies
with our members in the business community.
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4
Fredericksburg Regional Business
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

“Made in FredVA”
provides the stage for
aspiring business ideas
Do you have a million-dollar idea in your head, just
waiting to be acted upon? Will it be a success, or a
bust? This question is one that stops many would-be
entrepreneurs in their tracks before they even take the
chance and launch their potential business ventures.
Made in FredVa stage of finalists at the 2015 competition.
Feature
By Dawn Haun
Fortunately in our area, there’s a
business plan competition for upand-coming
business entrepreneurs
to be a finalist to win the $10,000 grand
prize. “Made in FredVa (MFVA),” started
in 2013 and is patterned after Shark
Tank, the critically-acclaimed reality
show that shows aspiring entrepreneur
contestants make business presentations
to a panel of “shark” investors, who
then choose whether or not to invest.
The MFVA competition is organized
through the Next Generation of Business
Leaders, a program of Fredericksburg
Regional Chamber of Commerce. Next
Gen is geared for the 40 and under
young professionals. The collaborative
idea for MFVA came from founding
chairman Bill Freehling and Linwood
Thomas, 2013 Next Gen chairman.
Made in FredVA, has reinvigorated
entrepreneurship in the Fredericksburg
region and entices entrants with publicity
and money for business startup. No
matter the diversity of the business idea,
the goal is to promote business ideas
and product vision.
“The idea first arose when we were
formulating plans for the Reverse Raffle
event,” says Freehling, Interim Director
Economic Development and Tourism in
the City of Fredericksburg. “This event
would raise a significant amount of
money and we wanted to put it to good
use. Also, it would make the Reverse
Raffle event more successful if attendees
knew their money was going towards
MFVA.”
The first year generated 17 aspiring
entrepreneurs, from which six were
chosen as finalists to appear in front
of the judges. First place winner, Libby
O’Malley, pitched her idea for “Muster
Me,” a software service product that
enables a person or enterprise to gather
and share contact information for a
group of individuals quickly and easily.
(Insert info here if contacted from
Libby). The People’s Choice winner was
Adrian Silversmith’s pitch of “Sprelly,” a
sandwich eatery offering fresh ground
nut butter spreads and jams. Silversmith’s
eatery has been an outrageous success
since the competition. Sprelly is lucratively
selling spreads online and opened a store
front sandwich counter at the Made in
VA store in downtown Fredericksburg.
“We thought the event would be a good
way to draw attention to the great ideas
and efforts of our local entrepreneurial
community, and we believe this has been
accomplished,” says Freehling. “I hope
the event continues to grow each year
and generates more great ideas that will
lead to new businesses being launched
in the Fredericksburg region.”
So for those ready to go the next step
with a business venture, the time is now
apply to be a finalist. Don’t be the person
who says, “I wish I had thought of that.”
Turn your idea into a million dollar reality.
This year’s Made in FredVA is set for
October 27 at The Inn at the Old Silk
Mill in Fredericksburg. Applications are
available at: www.madeinfredva.com,
deadline for submissions is Sept. 23.
Additional note: There are many
volunteers and organizers who help with
this program in addition to the founders.
Whitney Watts, Chamber VP of Member
Services and Next Gen Director, deserves
a ton of credit for the event’s success,
as she has handled just about all of the
logistics every year. As does Carter Fitch
and Landon Davis, both past Next Gen
chairmen and current chairman Jorge
Ibarra.
Fredericksburg
Ninth on
Entrepreneur
Magazine’s ‘50
Best Cities for
Your Startup’
The story in the magazine’s
August 2016 issue is based on
data from Livability.com, which
provides research on small-tomedium
sized cities.
The ranking factors include a
city’s number of businesses and
employees, business tax rate,
percentage of college-educated
locals, cost of living, commute
time, access to high-speed internet,
income, and population increase.
The top ten cities on the list are:
1. Boulder, Colorado
2. Austin, Texas
3. Provo, Utah
4. Charlottesville, Virginia
5. Chapel Hill, North Carolina
6. Ann Arbor, Michigan
7. Fargo, North Dakota
8. Columbia, Missouri
9. Fredericksburg, Virginia
10. State College, Pennsylvania
Made in FredVa applications
are available online:
www.madeinfredva.com
Deadline to submit Sept. 23
More Info? whitney@
fredericksburgchamber.org
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 5

Feature
When Plants Map won the grand prize at the 2014
Made in FredVA contest, co-founders Bill and Tracy
Blevins were beginning to build a business around
digital solutions to problems they had experienced in their
home gardens.
The Spotsylvania County couple and Chris Muldrow, of
Fredericksburg, make up the
executive team. They created
the website plantsmap.com to
enable anyone who works with
plants to organize, document
and share their collections online.
Plantsmap.com hosts
botanical collections for diverse
users, including managers of
public parks, plant collectors,
professionals, community
groups, businesses and more.
Since winning the
competition, the site has grown
to host plant collections for
more than 300 organizations
across North America, and
for thousands of individuals.
Users have uploaded tens of
thousands of plant profile pages.
“What we want to do is map
all of the plants and green spaces in the world,” Bill Blevins says.
Plantsmap.com’s revenue streams include sales of its
interactive plant tags, which use QR codes to link physical
plants to their online profiles on plantsmap.com. The company
also sells premium services to users and has recently begun
selling an expanded suite of digital solutions for businesses and
organizations that work with plants.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Tri-entrepreneurs spanning
the globe mapping plants
Echinacea with Plants Map sign at the University of the District of
Columbia gardens.
Plants Map Tags Across the U.S.
Initially, Plantsmap.com gained a following among
universities and public gardens with a mission for educational
outreach.
“Your digital plant library becomes social content and
can be used for marketing
and education,” says Tracy
Blevins. “It’s also exciting to
know that our website can
help arboreta and public plant
collections meet requirements
for accreditation, certifications
and grant funding.”
Large users include the Anna
Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory
in Detroit, collections managed
by Virginia Tech’s horticulture
program, the University of
Puget Sound in Washington
and many more.
Managers of these
landscapes prefer the
interactivity Plants Map tags
and signs offer over traditional
signage. The QR codes on the
signs allow visitors to use their
smartphones to learn more
about the plant.
An Evolving Digital Solution
Plantsmap.com now offers e-commerce solutions to
businesses that sell plant-related products. The company
has forged partnerships that will allow it to provide digital
advertising and many other capabilities to businesses within the
horticulture industry.
“We’ve spent the past several months building tools that
the horticultural industry has indicated it needs to grow its
customer base,” says Chris Muldrow.
Plants Map is working with Master Nursery Garden
Centers, a multi-million-dollar cooperative of more than 550
independent garden centers, and is beginning to provide these
tools to its members.
Plants Map was featured in the June 2016 issue of Botanic
Gardens Conservation International’s magazine for its use by
the University of the District of Columbia to document the
school’s work to find sustainable solutions for growing food in
urban areas.
“When you have so much enthusiasm and adoption all over
the country from people and organizations you don’t even
Mapped utility-friendly trees at Hampton Roads Agricultural
Research and Extension Center. This is one of 5 utility-friendly tree
research arboretums across the state, formerly part of the Look Up
Virginia! marketing campaign. Continued to page 16
6
Fredericksburg Regional Business
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Feature
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Evelyn White, founder and owner of Repo-Rocks
was the 2015 Grand Prize winner.
Turning
TRASH
into
CASH
By Dawn Haun
Have you ever felt guilty throwing
away a plastic jug or container
after only using it once?
This reoccurring
guilt for one Spotsylvania
resident was enough for
her to invent a business
focused on repurposed
trash by forming rock
replicas suitable for
landscaping, and then selling them.
Evelyn Ellis White, owner and founder of Repo-Rocks, won
first place in the third annual 2015 Made in Fred VA business
competition.
Repo-Rocks started six years ago as a way to recycle plastic.
White creates lightweight and realistic rocks made up of
compressed plastic and Styrofoam covered in a cold concrete
mixture that doesn’t allow for harmful chemicals to leak out.
As White explained in her video entry to MFVA competition,
“There is more than 32 million tons of plastic waste in the U.S.,
I want Fredericksburg to be the first to make a difference in
recycling. Patented Repo-Rocks’ core is whole plastic, no melting
or extrusion. This allows us to utilize plastics normally deemed as
trash and ultimately wind up in the landfill during which toxins
leak out during the lengthy “break-down” period.”
White, a trained seamstress and certified floral designer,
says she never thought Repo Rocks would have grown to the
magnitude that it has become. She held a grand opening in July
2016 for the orientation center at 4600 Jeff Davis Highway in
Spotsylvania. The center is used for training and prepping the
plastics for concrete work. She has six employees helping make
the rocks. “Proudly this is progress,” says White.
Since winning the grand prize and pitching her business plan,
people have begun to recognize her and the Repo Rocks logo
attached on the Ford Explorer she bought with some of the
contest winnings. “This is the official Repo Rock vehicle I use to
haul recyclable material and the finished rocks,” says White.
White says that winning the competition has enabled her
to jump start towards the production and marketing of Repo
Rocks. “Without the prize money I wouldn’t have been able to
accomplish branding, contracts, and grants,” says White. “I thank
the Chamber and Next Generation for making this competition
available to small businesses like mine.”
Like most business owners, there are challenges and obstacles
along the journey to success. White envisions that the next
business phase would be to open a plastic recycling manufacture
center to increase and speed up the production. She is selling the
rocks online and will soon have a product showcase.
“Winning the MFVA award has made Repo Rocks popular,”
says White. “It would not have been possible in a million years
without the Chamber of Commerce. There have been so many
wonderful and talented people sharing their business knowledge
that have helped me so far.”
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 7

Feature
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
On-site brewery pub success comes
right from the farm
By Dawn Haun
Shawn Phillips, owner
of Spencer Devon Brewing,
was a finalist in the first
Made in FredVa 2013
competition. Even though he
didn’t win the competition’s
grand prize, it gave him
the confidence to pursue
the idea of opening a local
craft brewery in downtown
Fredericksburg.
Phillips’ contest pitch
was to establish an on-site
brewery with a full kitchen
and to focus on community
involvement by using local
farms for organic ingredients
in the restaurant’s entrees.
Spencer Devon Brewing
opened in April, the first
entrepreneurial venture for
Phillips, who retired after
serving 24 years in the
Shawn and Lisa Phillips, owners of Spencer Devon Brewing, are
dedicated to bring the highest quality craft beer, which is brewed
on-site.
U.S. Marine Corp. He says
Fredericksburg has been a
wonderful place to open a
business. “The people are
supportive,” says Phillips.
“Our business has been
experiencing a slow but
steady growth.”
He relies on the world’s
oldest form of social media
word of mouth. He says
it makes a more solid
foundation for the business.
“If we can build customers
based on the reviews and
comments of people who
have experienced the
brewery, then we are going
to do well,” says Phillips.
Following the MFVA
competition, Phillips and his
wife Lisa spent many months
of meticulous planning to
open their restaurant and
brewrey. The pub, located
on 106 George Street in
Fredericksburg, offers a
rotating selection of draft
beers, featuring several yearround
offerings, seasonal
brews, experimental
batches, and collaborations.
The couple wanted the
restaurant and pub to have a
Spencer Devon
Brewing
local and unique flair. They
hired Fraser Wood Elements
to build the bar top, which is
the centerpiece of the pub.
LiberyTown Arts provided
abstract wall art and A.
Smith Bowman Distillery
gave them barrels for aging
the beer.
Other breweries are also
seeing the popularity of craft
beer and the potential of the
Fredericksburg area to be
a “beercation” destination
and have opened similar
pubs. “Breweries are
community activities and
should help support the
community,” says Phillips.
“Our kitchen is deeply
rooted in the community.
About eighty percent of our
food costs are paid directly to
local farms.” The restaurant,
also offers wine, mainly
from Virginia producers, and
spirits exclusively from A.
Smith Bowman Distillery.
Continued to page 10
8
Fredericksburg Regional Business
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Feature
A quirky idea
spreads a craze for the classic
peanut butter
& jelly sandwich
Outrageous!
Incredible!
That’s That’s how how Adrian Adrian Silversmith Silversmith
describes his business his since business
describes
his since debut his on debut the 2013 on the Made 2013
in Made FredVA in FredVA competition. competition.
crowd favorite award at the January 2014
2014 Startup Weekend, and was the
Startup
people’s
Weekend,
choice winner
and was
at
the
the
people’s
2014
choice
and
winner
2015
at
Fredericksburg
the 2014 and 2015
Sandwich
Fredericksburg
Invitational.
Sandwich Invitational.
He wanted the name of the business to
be fun He and wanted catchy. the Sprelly name is of word the business combinations
to be
of
fun
spread
and catchy.
and jelly.
Sprelly
Silversmith
is word
is
as
combinations
unique as his business
of spread
idea.
and
He is
jelly.
the
Silversmith is as unique as his business
mascot for Sprelly and is recognized for
idea. He is the mascot for Sprelly and is
His His business business pitch pitch for a for sandwich a sandwich
wearing a straw fedora and white Sprelly
eatery recognized for wearing a straw fedora
eatery called “Sprelly,” called “Sprelly,” was a finalist was in a the finalist competition
in T-shirt.
and a white Sprelly T-shirt.
the competition
and won the
and
People’s
won
Choice
the People’s
Award. “Sprellyfest”
Choice
The crowd
Award.
liked his comfort food ideas of Plans “Sprellyfest” for Sprelly’s brick-and-mortar
a gourmet The crowd twist liked on the his classic comfort Peanut food Butter
& Jelly of a sandwich gourmet and twist homemade on the classic crêpes. became mortar reality restaurant this year. Silversmith in downtown sched-
restaurant Plans in for downtown Sprelly’s Fredericksburg brick-and-
ideas
Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwich and uled Fredericksburg the restaurant’s became grand opening reality around this
“And the People’s Choice Award
homemade crêpes.
the year. perfect Silversmith milestone, April scheduled 2, National the
goes to. . . Sprelly”
Peanut restaurant’s Butter & grand Jelly Day. opening At the around restaurant,
the which perfect is housed milestone, in the Made April in Vir-
2,
“And Sprelly the has been People’s named a Choice four-time people’s
favorite goes in the to. local . . area. Sprelly” ginia National store at Peanut 920 Caroline Butter St., & Silversmith Jelly Day.
Award
After the MFVA contest, it also won a serves At the up restaurant, gourmet sandwiches which is featuring housed
Sprelly has been named a four-time
in the Made in Virginia store at 920
people’s favorite in the local area.
Caroline St., Silversmith serves up
After the MFVA contest, it also won gourmet sandwiches featuring his nut
a crowd favorite award at the January Adrian butters, Silversmith, create-your-own owner of sandwich
Sprelly, was People’s Choice Award
winner in the 2013 MFVA.
Adrian Silversmith, owner of
Sprelly, was People’s Choice Award
winner in the 2013 MFVA.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
his nut butters, create-your-own sandwich
combinations and a crêpe station in the
combinations
window so
and
passersby
a crêpe
can
station
watch
in
cuisine
the
window
take shape.
so passersby
He also
can
sells
watch
the nut
cuisine
butter
take
by
shape.
the tubs.
He also sells the nut butter by
the tubs.
Continued Continued success success
Silversmith Silversmith says says success success for him for is him taking
taking advantage advantage of every of opportunity every opportunity avail-
is
able. available. He launched He launched a successful a campaign successful
on campaign Kickstarter.com; on Kickstarter.com; applied and received applied
grants; and received developed grants; online developed sales; promoted online
media sales; coverage promoted and social media media coverage posts. He and
also social credits media the support posts. of He the also community. credits the
Fredericksburg, support of the community.
Va. was ranked ninth
by Entrepreneur Fredericksburg, Magazine’s Va. top was cities ranked to
launch ninth a startup by Entrepreneur business. “As Magazine’s an entrepreneur,
cities my to journey launch has a been startup hand-in-hand business.
top
with “As the an community,” entrepreneur, says Silversmith. my journey
“Sprelly has been is one of hand-in-hand many examples with of the the
power community,” of this community. says Silversmith. “It continues “Sprelly
to is support one of startups many examples with various of the business power
competitions of this community. and resources.” “It continues to
support He didn’t startups expect the with business various to business be this
successful competitions and says and his resources.” goals were simple:
“I wanted He didn’t to make expect my the family business proud, to do be
something this successful fun, and and bring says a his sense goals of were joy
and simple: happiness “I wanted to others.” to make my family
He’s proud, fulfilled do something the goals and fun, business and bring plan a
he sense pitched of in joy MFVA. and happiness He’s optimistic to others.” about
the expansion of Sprelly. His wants to expand
He’s fulfilled the goals and business
plan
nationwide
he pitched
as
in
a franchise
MFVA. He’s
business.
optimistic
“I
want
about
to make
the
this
expansion
a scalable
of
business
Sprelly.
that
His
can
wants
grow across
to expand
the country,”
nationwide
says Silversmith.
franchise “The Chipotle business. of “I peanut want to butter make and this
as a
jelly.” a scalable business that can grow across
Silversmith the country,” says says there Silversmith. have been obstacles
Chipotle in the of startup peanut of butter the business, and jelly.” but
“The
doesn’t dwell on the difficulties, rather how
Silversmith says there have been
he handles the situations. “I am so motivated
about this business that I don’t notice
obstacles in the startup of the business,
but doesn’t dwell on the difficulties,
the obstacles.
rather how he handles the situations.
He wants his business journey to be an
“I am so motivated about this business
inspiration
that I don’t
to others.
notice the
“This
obstacles.
is what drives
me; it’s the “why.”
He wants his business journey to be
an inspiration to others. “This is what
drives me; it’s the “why.”
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 9

Feature
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Made in Fred VA 2013 Finalist
Buy Local Hands LLC
www.buylocalhands.com
Mary Lou Cramer, Owner/Founder
What has been the biggest change to your business since the
competition?
Biggest change is that we are in business! My website,
BuyLocalHands.com, went live in 2015. Originally products were
only available for purchase on the website during fundraisers, with
organizations receiving 35% of the purchase price of each item sold.
Now it is set up for to choose from a list of local charities at checkout,
and I donate a portion of the purchase price to that organization.
What is one thing that sticks out to you about
the Made in Fred VA experience?
It’s hard to pick just one! I was overwhelmed by the support and
generosity of so many knowledgeable people before and after the
competition. The guidance I received from Christine Goodwin, who
helped me prepare, was extremely helpful.
What would you do different?
I’d have business projections. My final question in the competition
from one of the judges had to do with projected earnings in five
years, I think, and I blew it. I should have memorized figures to back
up my great idea.
Where do you see it in five years?
Bigger and better, of course! So far, we are on our third successful
fundraiser. I want to expand the products Buy Local Hands sells. I
also want to work with non-profits to come up with specialized
fundraisers that offer items that will appeal to their members. We’ve
started doing it by having Scarlett Suhy-Pons of the Ponshop create
limited edition ornaments with a symbol or logo for the group.
Expanding that idea further will enable organizations to raise money
with products that inspire their supporters.
Made in Fred VA 2015 People’s
Choice Award
Twila & Company
Johnna Hetrick, Owner/Founder
What has been the biggest change to your
business since the competition?
We expanded to the state of Virginia and changed the name to
‘Love, Virginia’ to encompass the growth. We still have the Burg Box,
but wanted to incorporate some other items as well that we couldn’t
find here in the county.
What is the one thing that sticks out to you about
the Made in Fred VA experience?
I won the People’s Choice award! I was so thankful and happy. It was
also just great publicity for my product, especially right before the
holidays. It created a lot of buzz and I had a great holiday season.
What would you do different?
I would have created its own website much earlier and developed a
better brand at an earlier stage. Branding and website development
are so important for SEO and for people finding your business.
Where do you see it in 5 years?
I would love to have a storefront for it where people can come in and
build their own boxes to take home or ship.
Spencer Devon cont’d
Continued to page 8
The business’ name came about when Phillips
was a student in junior high school. The name was
to be for his first-born son. He is the father of two
daughters. “It’s clear I wasn’t getting a chance to
use this awesome name . . . until I decide to build
the brewery,” he said.
Spencer Devon Brewery has won state, regional
and national levels for five of their beers and is
recognized as one of the best restaurants in the
city for its craft beer experience and offerings of
high-quality food. All of the dishes are made-toorder
and derived from local ingredients. Phillips’
recommendations from their menu: oysters from
Ruby Salts Oyster Company, one of the burgers with
dry-aged beef from Monrovia Farms and for desert
home-made cinnamon rolls, his mother’s recipe.
His favorite brew at the moment is The Council
Roggenbier an on-tap craft beer.
Phillip offers a tip for those wanting to start a
business: “Start small, you don’t have to flood the
market by trying to be everywhere. I spent a lot of
money at the beginning trying to get our name out;
the best has come from our customers talking to
their friends about their experience at the brewery
on social media.”
Down the road, they plan to open a deck for
outdoor seating and increase beer distribution
throughout Washington, D.C. and Richmond.
Phillips says the best part of owning a business has
been the “I did that” opportunities. “It is humbling
to make a product to be proud of and having a
favorable reaction from the community you are
supporting, he said.
Contact Stafford Printing for
information on advertising and inserts
in Fredericksburg Regional Business
chamber@staffordprinting.com
2707 Jefferson Davis Hwy. Stafford, VA 22554
540.659.4554
10
Fredericksburg Regional Business
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Feature
The 2016 Presidential Election:
Is Virginia Still Purple?
By Stephen J. Farnsworth
The mid-August round of presidential polls suggests that
Virginia won’t be the belle of the ball this year.
In both 2008 and 2012, the Old Dominion’s 13 Electoral
College votes were among the most aggressively contested
in the entire country. But two factors – the state’s changing
demographics and the selection of US Senator Tim Kaine as
the Democratic Party’s 2016 vice presidential nominee -- may
be pushing the state out of reach for Republicans this year.
The key to winning Virginia, for either political party, is to
connect with the cross-pressured voters in the outer suburbs
of Washington, Richmond and Hampton Roads. These are
often young professionals who might sympathize with the
more libertarian aspects of Republicanism: lower taxes and
smaller government messages can appeal to those trying to
save for their first home, or facing the expenses of starting
a family. But these younger voters tend to side with the
Democratic Party on social and cultural issues, particularly
regarding support for diversity.
Bob McDonnell, the Republican elected governor in 2009,
wisely built a campaign around the theme that “Bob’s for
jobs,” and left the socially conservative messaging behind
on his way to the GOP’s last statewide electoral victory. Ed
Gillespie also sought to soften the sometimes sharp edges
of Republican rhetoric two years ago and narrowly lost a US
Senate race to incumbent Mark Warner (D), one of the most
successful Virginia politicians over the past twenty years.
Donald Trump’s messaging, in contrast, is often about
the anger. It’s an approach better suited to the states of the
industrial Midwest, where factory closings and economic
frustration may make a nativist message more appealing
than in Virginia, an increasingly diverse state and one with
economic conditions that are the envy of most other states.
A Washington Post survey, conducted shortly after the
nominating conventions, shows the problems Trump faces in
the changing Old Dominion. The Post’s August survey showed
Hillary Clinton with a 52 percent to 38 percent lead overall,
with a nearly three-to-one average in fast-growing Northern
Virginia and a four-to-one average among non-white voters.
Among younger voters, that is, those under 40 years of age,
Clinton is favored 58 percent to 33 percent. Trump is losing
the outer ring suburbs of Northern Virginia by a 51 percent to
44 percent margin, according to the mid-August survey.
Recent surveys of Virginia reveal a very different political
identify for Virginia than its recent reliably red state past. A
dozen years ago, in 2004, Democratic presidential candidate
nominee John Kerry didn’t even try to compete in Virginia.
For the under-staffed, poorly funded and tumult-filled
Trump campaign organization, these poll numbers, together
with Kaine’s addition to the Democratic ticket, may mean that
Republicans will focus on other key swing states. Republican
prospects may seem brighter in other “purple” states,
particularly Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The hesitation
among some Republicans to work for or donate to their
party’s nominee this year means Trump won’t be able to
campaign extensively in every swing state. He’ll have to make
some tough choices in the weeks ahead.
Of course, the Trump campaign would have a very difficult
time getting 270 Electoral Votes without Virginia. If one
assumes that Clinton wins all that the states that have gone
Democratic in the past three presidential elections, plus New
Mexico (which became a Democratic stronghold very quickly),
Trump is left with a few paths to victory. He would, for
example, have to win every state Mitt Romney won in 2012
plus Florida, Ohio and Virginia, as well as two of the following
three states: Colorado, Iowa or Nevada. (All of those states
were last won by Republicans in 2004).
Continued on next page
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 11

Feature
Were Trump to lose Virginia, he could still be president if he
won all the Romney states plus Florida, Ohio, Colorado, Iowa
and Nevada. Or Trump could become president if he could
replace Virginia with a state that has consistently voted for the
Democratic ticket, like Pennsylvania, and win as well the Romney
states, plus Florida, Ohio, and some smaller swing states.
We may end up with less attention this year, but the
surveys don’t mean Virginia will start being ignored, like
reliably Democratic Maryland is. The relatively small number
of scenarios for Republican victory without Virginia may mean
that Trump will choose to ignore the bad poll numbers and
continue to focus on the Old Dominion in search of more
support in the weeks before the presidential election.
The 2017 Senate Election?
By Stephen J. Farnsworth
Virginians are used to voting every year, with federal
elections in even-numbered years and state contests in
odd-numbered years. But 2017, which already features a
gubernatorial election, will also include a Senate contest if
Sen. Tim Kaine is elected vice president in November.
If the Clinton-Kaine ticket defeats the Republican Donald
Trump, Kaine would be forced to resign his Senate seat in
January. Gov. Terry McAuliffe would appoint a senator to fill
the vacancy, and Virginia would hold a special election for
the last year of Kaine’s term in November 2017. The voters
would again elect a senator, this time for a full six-year term,
in November 2018.
Senate seats don’t come open very often, so if the vacancy
occurs, McAuliffe would find many Democrats ready to be
appointed. Virginia has three Democratic congressmen who
would likely be at the top of an appointment list: Bobby
Scott, an African-American whose district includes portions
of Hampton Roads; Gerry Connolly, whose district includes
parts of Fairfax and Prince William counties; and Don Beyer,
whose district includes Arlington, Alexandria and eastern
Fairfax County.
All three are reliably Democratic in their voting patterns. A
special election in any of the three districts would likely elect
a Democratic successor.
Of the three, Scott has served in the US House the longest.
If appointed, his campaign in the special election a year
later could help increase African-American turnout, which
would help Democrats in all the 2017 contests. But Scott,
who has represented a very congressional safe district for
the Democrats since 1993, has never had to raise huge sums
of money to defeat a Republican congressional opponent,
much less raise the tens of millions of dollars required for a
statewide campaign.
Beyer is in his first term in Congress and has the least
seniority, but he has considerable experience raising money
for statewide elections: he was elected Lt. Governor in 1989
and reelected in 1993. But he lost a contest for governor in
1997, when he was defeated by Jim Gilmore, a Republican
who campaigned on a “no-car-tax” pledge that left Beyer
somewhat flat-footed.
Connolly, former chair of the Fairfax County Board of
Supervisors, would be a hard-working, aggressive campaigner
with important connections in the richest part of the state.
Connolly demonstrated his effective campaign skills when he
was first elected to Congress in 2008 in a district that was
more Republican-leaning
than it is now.
What if McAuliffe
wants to appoint himself
to the job? Such an
action would be legal,
but many voters might
object and punish the new
self-appointed senator a
year later in the special
election. At a minimum,
Republicans would make
the self-appointment a
major issue in the special election, and the controversy might
also hurt Ralph Northam, the current lieutenant governor.
Northam would become governor if McAuliffe resigned and
is the Democratic Party’s likely 2017 gubernatorial nominee
regardless of what McAuliffe does.
If McAuliffe wants out of Richmond a year early, this
long-time close friend of the Clintons could be appointed
to a cabinet position by Hillary Clinton if she wins. Such a
departure would be far less problematic for the Democratic
Party than a senate self-appointment.
If McAuliffe really wants to be in the Senate, the smartest
move for him would probably be to appoint an ally to hold the
seat for the year and not run in the special election. Then the
governor would not have to face an incumbent in the special
Senate election of 2017.
Republican members of Congress might be interested in
Kaine’s seat as well, but they would have to wait until the
2017 special election if there is a vacancy or the scheduled
2018 election if Clinton and Kaine lose this November. Three
prominent Republicans have announced 2017 campaigns for
governor – Ed Gillespie, who narrowly lost a Senate campaign
two years ago; US Rep. Rob Wittman, whose district includes
the Fredericksburg area; and Corey Stewart, chair of the
Prince William County Board of Supervisors. Those three,
together with US Rep. Dave Brat, whose district includes part
of Spotsylvania County, would likely be in the mix for the
Republican nominations for governor and for a senate special
election in 2017 if Kaine becomes vice president.
Dr. Farnsworth is professor of political science and international
affairs at the University of Mary Washington, where he directs the
university’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies. He is the author
or co-author of five books, most recently “The Global President:
International Media and the US Government.”
12
Fredericksburg Regional Business
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Mary Washington Healthcare and
the Technological Dream Coat
Healthcare Technology
By Elizabeth Buhl
Over the last fifty years, technology swept the nation and
transformed daily processes in all industries. Technology made it
possible for educators to teach technological skills by providing
computers to their students; technology gave automobile
manufacturers the ability to provide cars with pre-collision
software and automated manual transmissions; technology
transformed modern-day marketing to not only consist of
paper, billboards, and mailings, but also exist on the internet in
the forms of tweets, videos, and interactive websites.
Technology made modern-day industries newer and
better versions of themselves, speeding up the time it
takes to complete a task and the accuracy involved in that
completion. One industry in particular that technology
affected is healthcare. Mary Washington Healthcare, both
a long-standing chamber member and healthcare provider
to the Fredericksburg area, reflects on the positive ways in
which technology continues to shape the everyday healthcare
transactions.
Stafford Hospital
Cathy Yablonski, President of Stafford Hospital, says, “The
Fredericksburg region is very lucky to have the healthcare
services that we have.” From record keeping and building
maintenance routines to controlled dietary restrictions and
minimally invasive surgeries, technology provides both
doctors and administrators at Stafford Hospital with the
tools they need to continue as a “Center of Excellence.” The
healthcare law that President Obama passed in 2010 declared
that electronic health records (EHR) should be of “meaningful
use.” This allows for the electronic exchange of health
information, creating more automated reporting and more
information to be provided to both patients and physicians.
Record keeping is easier than ever before with the use of
technology. According to Yablonski, “technology has improved
lives and communications of outpatient records, keeping both
doctors and patients ‘up-to-date’ with what is going on.”
Both doctors and patients have access to their records, labs,
and appointments via medical web portals and dashboards.
Finding charts used to be difficult and time consuming;
with the use of technology, preventing errors is much easier.
Yablonski says, “The use of technology has changed the way
healthcare does day-to-day life.”
“The use of technology allows for imaging to be faster
than ever before,” explains Yablonski. Scans now take
half the time they used to, reducing radiation exposure of
patients. Improved imaging equipment helps to maintain
patient safety and allows for clearer images. Stafford Hospital
has equipment for best practices in surgery and is a “Center
of Excellence” when it comes to minimally invasive surgeries.
When a baby is born, the use of technology allows for
the hospital to play “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” across the
intercom for the whole hospital to hear and know about the
presence of new life. There is also a hospital-wide signal
at 1 a.m. for quiet time so that patients can sleep and feel
comfortable out of their own homes.
Technological advancements in health care do not only
pertain to encounters between doctor and patient; the
advancements also relate to building maintenance. There
is an automation system for maintenance and generator
stability. The maintenance department receives alerts for
temperature changes in operating rooms and knows when to
fix them. The facility and engineering sides of the hospital are
all automated. Dietary needs are kept on a computer system
and alerts appear when patients are ordering food outside of
their restrictions. Automated audits of rooms are performed
now to maintain cleanliness.
“It is our responsibility to make sure people are safe,”
says Yablonski, “and technology allows for that still happen.”
Matching technology with people allows for the hospital
to better care for its patients and makes them comfortable
during a vulnerable time.
Continued to page 22
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 13

Member Spotlight
A Little Goes a Long Way
By Elizabeth Buhl
Little Tire, one of the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of
Commerce’s longest-standing members, has made big waves
as a local Fredericksburg business. What once started as a
small tire dealership and retreader on Princess Anne Street, is
now a multi-location, multi-faceted, family-run organization.
Founder Ray Little opened Little Tire in March 1959, and
became a chamber member shortly after that. The shop
employed six people including himself. They repaired vehicle
tire treads; from cars and trucks to bicycles and motorcycles,
and even started doing mechanical repairs on vehicles of all
types. It grossed less than $100,000 the first year.
In 1968, however, Little decided to centralize the business
around the skill and product that started it all: tires.
Meanwhile, his two sons, Mike and David were growing
up and helping out in the family business. In 1980, Little’s
oldest son Mike, graduated from Old Dominion University
with a Civil Engineering degree and began to work for his
father as a mechanic after graduation.
David Little knew he wanted to join the business when
he was a teenager. He started working in the office in 1983,
learning the business from the inside. The two encouraged
their father to expand their services and later, locations. They
opened two more locations: on Route 1 and Route 3. The
business has evolved and so has the family involvement.
Both brothers now had more responsibilities and the
businesses had locations in three main corners of Fredericksburg.
Mike Little manages the Four-Mile
Fork location and David Little runs
the original location. Both David
and Mike’s family members work
for the business, from wives to
kids, each member plays a crucial
role in the operations of the three
facilities.
David’s wife, Dawn Little works
at the store with him along with
their son Patrick Little; Mike’s
wife, Mary Little works at the Rt.
3 location and their daughter Sara
Little-Payne works at Four-Mile
Fork location.
Sara Little-Payne, granddaughter,
works at the Four-Mile Fork
location.
Three generations of Littles (L to R) Patrick (grandson), David (son),
Ray Little (father), and Mike (son).
Little Tire has grown in 57 years from only repairing tires
to doing all types of mechanical maintenance, from state
inspections to engine failures.
Three generations of Little Tire experts proves to be a
business success. “Pop still comes to check up on us from
time to time,” says David and Mike Little. “We like to throw
ideas off him and ask for advice.”
The business is not only family operated and owned, but
the brothers also hire long-standing and respectful workers.
“One of our mechanics has been here since I was eleven years
old,” remembered Mike. That same mechanic is 67 now and
will be retiring soon.
Although the business is a great success, there are always
challenges along the way. “One of those challenges is
people,” says both David and Mike. “Mechanics would rather
work on computers than get dirty.” Technology is a positive
component when it comes to keeping customer records and
maintaining certain mechanical aspects of the business, but it
has drawbacks. Technology problems include the increasing
need of renewed knowledge and equipment, and the expense
in constantly purchasing these new devices.
Overall, the business is a well-oiled machine with three
locations keeping the whole family very busy. Thank you,
Little Tire, for being a Chamber member for over 55 years and
a great community member for a lifetime.
14
Fredericksburg Regional Business
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Growing into the Family Business
By Lynne Richardson
Working in a family business can
be both a blessing and a challenge!
Many people are fortunate to work
in organizations begun by their
grandparents. Having a third or fourth
generation business today is quite
significant.
In Birmingham, Alabama, I had a
friend who ‘grew up’ in the family retail
clothing business. When I first met
him, he was the second generation to
manage the operation. His contribution
to growing the operation was to create
a wholesale function; he actually ended
up with the contract to provide socks
and underwear to Alabama prisons!
One of our favorite early discussion
topics (as I taught a retailing course and
he was an expert who spoke in my class)
dealt with the odds of his two sons
wanting to extend the family business
for a third generation. The sons were
teens at the time and my friend had, in
his mind, a dilemma.
Five tips to a successful family-operated business
Family businesses account for two-thirds of all companies
worldwide and create 50 to 80 percent of jobs in most
countries, according to the Family Firm Institute, a global
association of family-business professionals. This isn’t just
good for the economy. Family founders stand to benefit from
a ready-made team of loyal, dedicated relatives, a pool of
obvious successors and the ingenuity of the next generation.
Of course, working with loved ones presents its own set
of challenges. You can’t award promotions and voting stock
based on nepotism alone; family members need to earn their
place at the table.
To keep the peace, you need clear-cut roles, boundaries and
ground rules. And keeping ownership in the family requires a
finely tuned succession plan. The following five tips will point
you in the right direction.
1. Get everyone on the same page.
For a company to succeed, relatives who take leadership
or support roles need to respect and abide by the overriding
business goals.
2. Clarify roles and responsibilities.
Boundaries are essential when working with family. The
more clearly defined everyone’s job description, the less room
you’ll have for workplace conflict and the more obvious it
will be when someone slacks off. “The important thing with
a family business is to say, ‘This is your job, this is mine,’
Outlining clear-cut roles also can help avoid needless personal
squabbles with loved ones.
As a young person, his father had
expected him to continue the legacy.
That put a fair amount of pressure
on my friend growing up. Dinner
conversations (remember when families
used to sit down at the table together
most nights?) focused on the ups
and downs of the daily grind. How
could they maintain the correct mix of
inventory for the market they served?
What should be done about accounts
receivable when people couldn’t pay
their bills? Should a new cash register
be purchased to better track sales?
My friend grew up essentially, in his
mind, with no option but to formally go
into the business when he graduated
from college. He followed this expected
path and has done well.
But did he want his sons to feel like they
HAD to join him after their college years?
No. Both teen boys worked in the store
during summers. Family conversations
covered business topics, of course, but
he and his wife made it clear (or at least
Family Business
they had tried
to!) that the
sons were
to join the
business only
if this was
something
they wanted
Dr. Lynne Richardson
to do. I can
remember us discussing what would
happen to the retail operation if they
chose not to join their father.
Fortunately for the business, both
sons ultimately joined my friend. But it
was their choice, not dad’s expectation;
he was thrilled to work alongside them.
Statistics tell us that it’s pretty rare for
a family business to make it to the third
generation. If you’re in one, you know
the challenges. But there are upsides to
working with your family too.
I’d love to hear YOUR family business
story! Email me at lynne.richardson@
umw.edu to share how you’re making
the family business work.
3. Set up an equity plan, stat.
Relatives should outline who will own what percentage of
the company from day one, advises Todd Feuerman, a director
at Baltimore accounting firm Ellin & Tucker. Put simply, the
person who invests the most money gets more equity. Hashing
this out and putting it in writing at the outset will be useful
a couple of years down the line in the event that family
members who’ve helped build up the company from nothing
feel entitled to equal ownership regardless of their lack of
investment.
4. Treat relatives like any other employee.
Handling blood relations in the workplace with kid gloves
is the wrong approach. By design, I don’t directly supervise
them,” Kauffman says. “I’ve put them under another person,
and I’ve put them in different departments so they’re not
crashing into each other and they have somebody other than
a family member telling them what to do.
5. Outline your succession plan.
It’s never too soon to think about how you’ll exit the business
and who you want to take the helm when you do. Creating a
viable succession plan requires a team of experienced advisers,
including an accountant, a financial planner and an estateplanning
lawyer. An impartial business consultant who knows
the family and isn’t afraid to point out the issues you may not
want to hear can be helpful, too.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 15

Feature
Plant Mapping cont’d Continued from page 6
know, you feel you are doing something good,” Tracy Blevins
said. “We’d love to see even more pins on our community map
in the Fredericksburg area, too.”
Collaboration on the local level
One of Plants Map’s most notable local partners has been
Rappahannock Goodwill Industries. Plantsmap.com moved
into RGI’s Collaboration Zone in January, and RGI workers now
handle all aspects of manufacturing and shipping of Plants
Map’s plant signs and tags.
“Goodwill’s employees have learned to use our computers
and laser engraver and are now an integral part of our
production process,” says Bill Blevins. “From day one, we’ve
tried to build everything with scaling the business in mind. The
RGI partnership is a perfect fit.”
Reaching a new generation of garden customers
Earlier this summer, Bill and Tracy Blevins traveled to
Columbus, Ohio, to attend AmericanHort’s Cultivate16
conference, the largest horticultural industry conference. This
year’s event rolled out a major effort to reposition the industry,
which came of age in the 1980s, to attract a new generation
of customers.
AmericanHort is urging its members to list their plants and
products online to serve today’s research-driven shopper. Sellers
need a mobile-friendly platform that allows customers to shop
online and includes a social media component.
“We were amazed listening to all of this, because we do
every single one of these things,” Bill Blevins said.
It all came full-circle when Bill Blevins was taking a break
at the conference and pulled up plantsmap.com on his
smartphone. The website’s mapping capabilities displayed
green pins nearby, indicating he was close to plants mapped by
one of the site’s users.
A closer look revealed that the Nationwide Insurance
corporate headquarters, across the street from the convention
center, had plants listed on Plants Map.
Nationwide’s building manager gave Blevins a tour of the
company’s campus, filled with 44,000 tropical plants, and said
Nationwide is interested in cataloging plants on all of its U.S.
campuses on Plantsmap.com.
When the Blevins got home, a large order for plant signs
from Nationwide awaited them.
That order was filled and a box was shipped to Nationwide’s
Ohio campus, one of many boxes of signs Plants Map has
shipped around the country that were made right here in
Fredericksburg, VA.
It’s time to light a fire.
In the changing economy, you can’t stay the same
and succeed. The Media Partners leverage over 30
years of experience in media, sales, and business to
help clients survive and thrive.
2300 Fall Hill Avenue, Suite 415
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Phone: 540.371.2402
info@theMediaPartners.com
Contact us today and get your business moving.
Shawn Sloan
SSloan@theMediaPartners.com
Katharine Kammer
KKammer@theMediaPartners.com
Marketing Advertising Design Branding Research
www.theMediaPartners.com
16
Fredericksburg Regional Business
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

In the good ol’ days
Transportation Update
By Charlie Kilpatrick, P.E.,
VDOT Commissioner
My first memory of Fredericksburg is
sitting in traffic. It was the early 1970s,
and I was traveling with my family, sitting
in the backseat as we came through
town. Our car was inching down
Interstate 95 southbound from Mount
Vernon in Fairfax, where we lived.
It took forever.
When we talk about congestion
in Fredericksburg, I remember these
trips, and that we have always been
challenged to catch up with growth
here. Fredericksburg’s position on the
interstate makes this town a great
community to grow a business and
build a life, but we share our main street
with the East Coast. We grow our road
network, and then the economy races
forward again.
John Fick, Chairman of the Regional
Transportation Action Committee, spoke
at the Transportation Update in July.
So, we are starting another era of
highway improvements in Fredericksburg.
Over the next six years, the region will
experience an unprecedented amount of
construction to unlock gridlock and give
drivers a more predicatable trip.
Atlantic Gateway
This July, Virginia was selected to
receive $165 million in federal funds for
a package of roadway, rail and transit
projects on the I-95 corridor. Altogether,
the Atlantic Gateway application Virginia
submitted for the FASTLANE program
equates to $1.4 billion in infrastructure
upgrades to break up congestion and
move people and commercial traffic
by road and rail along the corridor and
through Fredericksburg.
One important component is the
95 Express Lanes extension south to
the Route 17 interchange in Stafford
County. We are negotiating with
Transurban, the private operator of
the lanes, to determine the design,
but a contract for construction should
be awarded by the end of 2017. This
project will pick up where the current
extension is taking the Express Lanes
another 2.5 miles south in Stafford.
Before the Atlantic Gateway grant
was announced, Virginia committed
to build the Rappahannock River
Crossing on I-95 southbound. This
project was funded through Virginia’s
new project prioritization process called
SMART SCALE. The project includes
two southbound lanes parallel to I-95
between Route 17 in Stafford and
Route 3 in Fredericksburg. A new
southbound bridge will be built over
the Rappahannock River to carry these
lanes. Local traffic can travel between
Stafford and Fredericksburg without
merging into the main lanes, reducing
I-95 congestion for through traffic.
Smart Scale
While we are grateful for the federal
grant, we know we can’t expect it
every year. Virginia’s SMART SCALE
(previously House Bill 2), is a new
data-driven process to pick the right
transportation projects to prioritize
available state transportation funding.
Communities are now in the driver’s
seat, telling us what projects they want
to build. Counties, cities and towns
and regional planning groups like the
Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan
Planning Organization can submit a
Smart Scale application. Each project
is scored on its merits, weighing key
factors like safety, congestion reduction,
accessibility, land use,
economic development,
and the environment.
Based on these scores,
the Commonwealth
Transportation Board
chooses which projects
should be built. Once
chosen and put in the
six-year transportation
budget, these projects
are fully funded through
construction.
VDOT Commissioner Charlie Kilpatrick
In the last round of Smart Scale
funding, 11 projects were funded in
the Fredericksburg area with a value
of more than $243 million including
the Rappahannock River Crossing.
Other projects include a $26.6 million
widening of Ladysmith Road in Caroline,
a $21.2 million widening of Mudd
Tavern Road west of I-95 in Spotsylvania
County, a $20 million new Route 17
overpass at I-95 in Spotsylvania, and
new and expanded commuter parking
lots in Spotsylvania’s Massaponax area,
and at Courthouse Road in Stafford.
When you work together, projects
happen. The Fredericksburg region
must continue to speak clearly, with one
voice, to prioritize their transportation
needs and focus on what matters most
to residents.
Road Work Ahead
Keeping drivers and our highway
workers safe in these work zones must
be our collective focus as we embark
on these improvements. Drivers already
pressed for time will start to see more
orange cones and equipment. I ask all
of us to do our best to focus on the
road and obey the speed limit. Progress
is coming, but it will take patience from
each of us to make sure everyone gets
home safely at the end of the day.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 17

News
Inc. Magazine’s annual ranking of the fastest-growing
private companies in America
Including Fredericksburg-area Businesses
LLB Enterprises, based in Stafford County, is a consulting firm
specializing in program management, conference, meeting,
and trade show execution. It was the 200th fastest growing
company on the list with a three-year growth rate of 1,900
percent and $2 million in revenue last year.
Stafford-based Darkblade Systems provides scientific,
engineering, technical, operational support, and training
services to federal government and commercial clients. It was
ranked 212th on the list with 1,848 percent three-year growth
and $4.1 million in revenue last year.
Stafford-based Davis Defense Group was 348th in the
rankings. It provides analytical program support services for the
federal government including program management, training
and acquisition logistics. Davis grew 1,102 percent in three
years and took in $30.9 million in 2015.
Fredericksburg-based Perry Aire Services, which provides
HVAC, plumbing, and electrical services to commercial,
industrial, and residential customers, ranked 619th in the list.
The business grew by 631 percent in the last three years and
posted $3.4 million in 2015 revenue.
Fredericksburg-based Obsidian Solutions Group provides
overseas and domestic mission support operations, IT,
intelligence, and identity discovery services to federal, state,
and local agencies. It was ranked 704th and grew 560 percent
in three years. It took in $11.1 million last year.
ATSI, based in Fredericksburg, provides systems engineering,
financial management, science and technology services for
Department of Defense, intelligence and federal government
clients. It ranked 1,055th on the list with three-year growth of
370 percent and $7.2 million in revenue last year.
Corps Solutions, which provides training and education
services to the Department of Defense and United States
National Security clients from its Stafford headquarters, ranked
1,059th. Its three-year growth was 369 percent and the
business made $21.8 million in 2015 revenue.
IntelliWare, based in Fredericksburg, came in at 2,004 in
the list. It provides planning, communications and outreach,
financial, performance, and program management support
to operational organizations, and grew 186 percent in three
years. It took in $18.8 million in revenue in 2015.
The Bowen Consulting Group, based in Stafford, provides
professional management services and operational support to
the military and veterans. It came in at 2,272 in the list with
160 percent growth over three years and $13.6 million in 2015
revenue.
RPI Group, which offers national security, cyber security,
and training services to the Defense Department and other
government clients out of its Fredericksburg headquarters,
ranked 2,990th. It grew 114 percent in the past three years
and took in $5.3 million last year.
Harkcon, which does training, development and project
management services for business, nonprofit organizations and
government agencies, was ranked 3,554th. It grew 89 percent
in three years and took in $16.2 million last year.
CORTEK, based in Fredericksburg, provides technology,
program management, operations and administrative support
to government agencies. It was ranked 3,576th on the list,
growing 88 percent in three years and taking in $15.4 million
last year.
Oxley Enterprises, based in Stafford, provides IT integration,
organizational improvements, program performance, human
capital development, and learning systems to the military,
government agencies, and corporations. It was ranked 3,621st
on the list with 86 percent three-year growth and $2.8 million
in revenue last year.
Fredericksburg-based Marstel-Day, which provides
sustainability consulting to the public and private sectors,
including concepts and strategies for economically sustainable
planning, came in at 3,854 on the ranking. Its three-year
growth rate was 78 percent and the business had $22.3 million
in 2015 revenue.
SimVentions, based in Stafford, provides engineering,
program management and training services primarily to the
Department of Defense. It was ranked at 3,901 on the list and
grew 76 percent in three years. It took in $33 million in 2015.
Patriot Aluminum Products, based in Louisa, produces a full
line of rigid aluminum and stainless steel conduit products. It
was ranked 4,700th on the list and grew 50 percent in three
years. The business took in $14.5 million last year.
CRRL Awards First Innovator Award
Chris Glover, Assistant Director of Technology for the Central
Rappahannock Regional Library, has been selected as the first
recipient of the Virginia Library Association’s Public Library
Innovator Award. This award recognizes an outstanding
contribution to advance the mission of a public library in Virginia
through an innovative project, program, or service during 2015.
Chris’ innovation was to replace the library’s 250+ aging,
maintenance-intensive public access personal computers running
on an outdated and soon-to-be non-supported operating system
and dependent upon a substantial investment of in-house
servers, with low power, inexpensive Chromeboxes that shifted
information and processing power to the cloud. The library was
able to immediately upgrade computing services to the public,
save hundreds of thousands of dollars on hardware and software
replacements, and reduce continuing future expenditures in
maintenance and upgrades. Compared to
the library’s old PCs, the Chromeboxes are
faster, one-fifth as expensive, more energy
efficient and durable, utilize a smaller
footprint, have an operating system that
is automatically updated without staff
intervention, and can be managed centrally Chris Glover
through the library’s Google Apps domain.
In the fall of 2015, Chris presented a session on the Central
Rappahannock Regional Library’s public computer access
innovation at the Virginia Library Association Annual Conference
He has since been contacted by other libraries for consulting and
information on the Chromebox process and setup, a testament
to his leadership, innovative thinking, and ability to pinpoint a
technology issue and workable solution.
18
Fredericksburg Regional Business
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Why Facebook is Good for Your Business
Tech Solutions
By Susan Larson
Standing in line at FoodE in
downtown Fredericksburg one
Sunday, the group behind me
visiting from Richmond decided to
look elsewhere for brunch. They
didn’t pick up the local publications
laying in the waiting area. They
went to their phones.
In this day and age, if your
Susan Larson
business isn’t online, it doesn’t exist.
A well-designed and maintained website is a good option,
but there’s more you can do. Most people don’t access the
Internet in order to visit a list of websites. They’re online
in their social media accounts, and your business should be
there, too.
Social media are technologies which enable people to
create and share content on the Internet. The most used,
according to an April 2016 report in Social Times – are
Facebook (1.5 billion users), Instagram (400 million), and
Twitter (320 million).
Social media is conversational marketing, versus the push
marketing of print, radio, television and billboards. You want
to have a presence, so you can be a part of the conversation.
Social media is also the megaphone of word-of-mouth
marketing. People share and talk about the news and
information they see in their feeds. There’s an immediacy
involved: people can respond in the emotional moment, and
your business can participate in the moment.
In addition, the rise of social media has coincided with a
decline in consumer use of traditional media. “[O]rganic social
media communities comprised of people with similar interests
and tastes are becoming more important than ever before,
and companies interested in brand building need to adjust
their marketing and advertising strategies accordingly,” wrote
Ross Gerber in “Rise Of Social Media Takes Toll On Traditional
Advertising,” Forbes magazine, May 2016.
Choosing which social media platform to use should depend on:
- Your demographic
- Your goals and purpose
- Your personal preferences; it’s a reflection of you,
your brand, and your style
- Your budget of time, money and resources
Social media takes time, so you don’t want to start multiple
platforms if you don’t have the time or staff to maintain them
well. Remember, your social media is a reflection of your brand.
Be realistic in how much you can do, but make a commitment
to post once a day on one platform.
If no online presence means you don’t exist, outdated and
infrequent postings can mean you’re not serious about your
social media presence.
If you don’t post for long periods, someone seeing your
social media account could assume you’re out-of-business.
For most businesses, I recommend starting with Facebook,
since it has the largest international audience.
Here are five tips for using Facebook for your business.
1 – Determine Your Goals
Are you primarily trying to reach new customers or
communicate better with existing customers? Both?
What do you want your social media customers to do?
Come into the store? Subscribe to your newsletter? Purchase
your product? Comment on a post?
What are the needs, desires and wants of your customer
base?
2 – Be Social
Social media is interactive. You want to post your own
content, share content from others, respond to people
commenting on your page and posts, and comment and like
other pages and posts.
There’s a Golden Rule to all this: Be thoughtful and
informative with everything you share on social media.
Remember, too, that it’s interactive. Don’t be like a bad
date who does all the talking. People like when you listen to
them. When you reply to posts and comments quickly, you’ll
notice customers are more responsive, too.
3 – Be Present
Even if you don’t have many followers, being on social
media gives you the opportunity to be present. You can
interact with your audience. You never know who will see
you, and become a new customer. BBC London contacted
me for help with a story, based on seeing my Fredericksburg.
Today social media posts.
Being present enables you to be proactive. Monkee’s
of Fredericksburg women’s clothing store does a great job
interacting with their customers on social media. One day
a customer posted a complaint about their visit. The staff
at Monkee’s saw that comment the same day, responded
immediately with an offer to make it better, and turned the
situation into an example of their excellent customer service.
They responded in the emotional moment, and many people
witnessed it.
4 – Be Professional
People who “like” your business page are trusting your
brand. Keep your personal Facebook post separate from your
business page posts.
Share diverse, informative, interesting and entertaining
content. Keep it brief – people on social media are scanning.
They’ll click through if they want more information.
Link people directly to your website. When you add a
link to your post, it automatically creates an image from the
website and a large clickable area that makes it easy for people
to go to your website. You can also customize the headline
and description to give your customers more reasons to click.
Don’t spam. That means tagging people in posts that
have nothing to do with them, just so they will see your post;
or sharing self-promoting information on another business
Continued to page 23
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 19

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A Word of Advice
Leading a Successful Team
By Barry J. Waldman
There are innumerable resources
on how to lead a team that faces
struggles toward greater success.
Unfortunately, less time is spent
giving advice on how to lead a team
that is already successful. Although
that “challenge” seems to pale in
comparison, a good leader has to
know some basic principles to avoid
turning an outstanding team into
one that needs repair.
While it is true that leadership for
a high achieving team is less stressful
Barry Waldman is the
Managing Director
of Jarrell, Hicks &
Waldman, PC in
Spotsylvania, Virginia.
than taking on an organization in disarray, I have developed
four simple core principles to ensure further success of an
outstanding team. They are:
1. Be a Cheerleader – If your organization is successful,
there is no shame in letting people know about the
success. Being your organization’s biggest cheerleader
will help draw others and increased resources to your
organization so that even more can be achieved. Being a
cheerleader for the triumphs of team members spurs and
encourages further achievement.
2. Be Humble – Just because you are the titular leader of
the team, does not mean you deserve the recognition.
This can be hard to do, as the siren call of adulation is very
attractive. Resist the temptation. If your organization
is having an event that other members planned and
executed, the recognition belongs to those who are in
charge of the event. Do not demand to be the featured
speaker, and do not demand to receive more than passing
acknowledgement. Those who achieved are the ones
who deserve the spotlight.
3. Be Informed and Offer Ideas – Be informed on major
projects. Provide ideas for future adjustments or new
programs. Just be sure you do not force your vision
on those who are in the trenches doing the work. Be
willing to let others refocus your ideas. Success is often
a collaboration. For you to be a good collaborator, you
have to be informed, without being intrusive, in order to
be ready to present new ideas.
4. Get Out of the Way – You have to know how to get
out of the way of success. Many times your job is not
to inject yourself into a process that is already working.
Where the team is already achieving great results, forcing
your vision of the nuts and bolts of process on those
demonstrating outstanding performance often reduces
success. Steamrolling a high achieving team with your
ideas and process demands will reduce morale, reducing
effectiveness.
I hope each of us has the opportunity to participate in,
no less lead, and high performing teams. If you have the
opportunity to lead a magnificent organization, a little humility,
a little encouragement, and knowing when to get out of the
way will go a long way to ensuring continued success.
20
Fredericksburg Regional Business
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Trailblazer Spotlight
When it’s time, will you
be ready?
By Lynn Brennan, CFTA, Trust Advisor, Union Bank & Trust
It’s the unspoken, highly-charged question that hangs
in the air. The answer is sometimes last minute and illconsidered.
But when you face it early on, you can save your
family from potential unintended heartache and burdens as
well as avoiding legal and financial pitfalls to preserve value.
You’re a busy business owner focused on the day-to-day
grind of running a business, managing employees, keeping
your customers happy – its 24/7. Of course you’ve thought
about it – who will continue on your legacy after your exit,
but have you put it down on paper? Do key family members,
your management team, your board of directors know your
goals and plans? Have you consulted professionals for legal,
financial and tax perspectives?
Succession Planning Fundamentals.
Business succession planning is simply planning for the
orderly and efficient transfer of what could quite possibly be
your most important asset. It is critical that business owners,
who dedicate their lives to building a business, take the next
steps to make sure they have a plan in place for any number
of possible contingencies. This effort will pave the way for
continued business success once the keys are handed over.
• What legacy will you leave your family and your
employees upon your retirement, death or disability?
• How will you or your family realize the value of the
business upon your death or retirement?
• How have you ensured that both your family and the
business are secure in the event of your death?
• What documents might be required to accomplish this?
• How have you determined the value of your business?
• How have you addressed liquidity issues related to
working capital and debt service, shareholder buy-out,
income replacement or estate tax ramifications?
It Takes A Team.
It’s important to use a team approach to address the
complex issues you may be confronted with. Arguably, no
other planning issue draws on the required expertise of a
qualified team of professionals. That team may include the
following:
• Attorney/Lawyer. To provide advice and guidance on
legal strategies and relevant state and federal laws,
and to draft the necessary
documents to accomplish the
desired outcomes.
• CPA. To advise on the financial
health of the business and the
different transfer techniques
with an emphasis on the tax
consequences of each.
• Insurance Professional. To
design and provide the right Lynn Brennan, CFTA
insurance product to provide
liquidity for a buy-out or for working capital upon the
death of a key employee.
• Business Valuation Expert. To determine a realistic value
of the business through sophisticated modeling, if
necessary, paying particular attention to discounts for
lack of marketability and lack of control.
• Wealth Management Advisors. To plan for and
implement complex business succession and retirement
plans, and to provide investment management expertise
when there is a liquidity event.
Who is on your Team? Identify potential members,
interview them on their experience relevant to succession
planning, and then assemble your team.
Plan Early. Plan Often.
Even if your planned exit seems well into the future, it’s
never too early to start planning. Start now. Each business
succession plan is unique. There isn’t a “one size fits all”
answer. And it certainly isn’t created overnight. It takes
continual vigilant thought and strategic planning to prepare
for a smooth transition when the time comes. You want to
plan for what can be controlled, and then put contingencies in
place for what cannot. It seems obvious, but your plan should
be flexible - things can change over time and the unexpected
may occur. Our best advice is to plan early, plan often and
keep communication open between key individuals and your
succession planning team.
A Partner In Your Success.
You have a partner at Union Bank & Trust who can help.
Union’s Wealth Management Advisors help drive the process
and coordinate the work between the other advisors. We
engage in an in-depth discovery process so that we are able
to determine your preferences, priorities and values. We then
lead the effort to develop, with the help of other advisers, the
appropriate strategies and solutions to accomplish your goals.
Finally, we deliver the plan and monitor it going forward to
make sure that circumstances have not changed that might
cause a change in plans.
Lynn has been in the financial industry more than 30 year, and began
her career in trust and estate administration and planning in 1986.
Lynn is a graduate of Denison University with a Bachelor of Science in
Psychology and is a Certified Trust and Financial Advisor (CTFA).
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 21

Healthcare Technology cont’d
Continued from page 13
Mary Washington Hospital
Dr. Douglas Schulte, Vice President of
Physician Practice Operations for Mary
Washington Hospital, agrees with Cathy
Yablonski and says, “Technology permeates
every facet of operations in the hospital.” There
are multiple ways in which technology exists on
both the clinical and administrative sides.
On the clinical side, keeping up EHR’s
become a part of the day-to-day business at Dr. Douglas Schulte
Mary Washington Hospital. Written records,
which were once the healthcare norm, are now seen as outdated,
slow, and inefficient. “Use of EHR improves communication in medical
documentation and allows for clear communication in a legible fashion,”
says Dr. Schulte. “As technology matures, all tools speak to one another,
providing for an interface between systems.” The quality and cost of care
are both intertwining and creating better results for patients.
On the administrative side, technology infiltrates not only the way
records are kept, but also the way in which leadership is formed.
“Organizations now have Chief Information Officers (CIO),” says Dr.
Schulte. These leaders review cyber security protocols and keep track of
the technology involved in ordering medicine and maintaining inventory.
The government also wants more data from the hospitals, providing
more date and an effective means of communication for both parties.
Mary Washington Healthcare takes advantage of technology in order
to best care for doctors, patients, and hospital staff. “It all comes down
to realizing that you need to be people taking care of people,” says
Yablonski. The use of technology allows for a more efficient and safe
way to provide care to patients.
Ribbon Cutting Ceremonies
Roll up your sleeves
and pass the hammer
Are you a local company who’d like
to get involved in our community?
Rappahannock United Way’s Day of
Action on September 23, is the perfect
opportunity to do just that!
Day of Action is a one-day event
where hundreds of volunteers from local
businesses come together to take on
projects all around the Fredericksburg
region. It’s a great way to build team
spirit, increase company morale and
gain exposure in our community all
while giving back.
For more information contact
Terri Center at Rappahannock United
Way 540-373-0041ext. 314 or e-mail:
tcenter@rappahannockunitedway.
org. Together we are all part of the
solution when it comes to impacting
our community!
1 Chalk N More
3
Lucky Road Run Shop
2
Philly Pretzel Factory
1. Chalk N More: Find everything you need for educational, teaching supplies,
gifts, etc. at Chalk n More’s new store location in Central Park. Pictured: (front
left) Stacy Horne, Chamber Board of Director and Matt Kelly (far right), city
councilman hold the ribbon as owner’s Frank Hughes and Mary Hefner along
with their staff, officially cut the red ribbon.
2. Philly Pretzel Factory: Now you can satisfy your cravings for a soft pretzel
and then some at the newly opened Philly Pretzel Factory, in front of Westwood
Shopping Center on Route 3. Pictured: City Public Affairs Specialist Amy Pergory,
owners Mike and Carol
3. Lucky Road Run Shop has opened in Eagle Village at 1277 Jefferson Davis
Hwy. in Fredericksburg. The running and walking specialty store is owned by
Jeff and Desiree Van Horn, who also owns Lucky Foot stores in Midlothian and
Willow Lawn, Va. Pictured left to right: Chamber Ambassador Cindi Bowen, John
Love, Owners Desiree and Jeff VanHorn, and City Vice Mayor William Withers.
22
Fredericksburg Regional Business
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Here’s Some Free Money...
By Ben Keddie
Despite interest rates remaining at historically low levels,
it’s not often that you get to borrow money for free. The IRS,
not typically known for its generosity, allows just that through
IRC 1031 – Like Kind Exchange.
By “Exchanging” business or investment property for
another of “like kind”, the IRS allows you to defer the
payment of tax liabilities due on gains including Capital Gains
and the Recapture of Depreciation. Often times, this amounts
to a significant amount of money. By deferring payment of
these taxes, you can essentially trade up in value the property
you exchange into, thereby not only generating a profit on
that sum, but also by leveraging those deferred taxes through
financing.
While the taxes are still due, they are deferred until
such time as you sell the property and elect to receive the
gains through an outright sale. However, there are creative
mechanisms in which the original amount due is either reduced
or eliminated. If you have exchanged a property through a
qualified 1031 Exchange, then pass away and bequeath the
asset to an heir, the basis in that property is stepped up to
the current market value. The previously deferred tax liability
may not be eliminated in its entirety but will likely be reduced.
Also, it is possible to exchange into a primary residence or
vacation home over the course of time by placing the property
into service as a rental property, then after a specific amount
of time, convert to your primary residence. The subsequent
tax implications on the sale of that property would be treated
as your primary residence customarily is – depending upon
your income, you might not have any tax liability.
However, just because the IRS allows the deferral of these
taxes does not mean that they like letting you use “their
money”. As such, they have no leniency whatsoever if you
do not follow the proper procedures, filings and and/or miss
a key date or timeline, so please ensure you consult with a
qualified Real Estate Broker, Accountant, and Estate Planning
Attorney.
Often confused is the term “Like-Kind”. That does not
mean that if you sell a piece of land you must exchange into
another piece of Land to qualify. On the contrary, you can
exchange a piece of vacant land for a retail building, a multifamily
housing project, etc. Both properties must be held for
use in a trade or business or for investment. Property used
primarily for personal use, like a primary residence or a second
home, does not qualify for like-kind exchange treatment.
Another, frequently overlooked technicality in performing
an exchange is how the property to be relinquished is held in
title. If your property is held in an LLC, while you may own a
portion of that LLC, you don’t actually own a portion of the
property, the LLC does. In point of fact, you own a piece of
the entity that owns the property. As such, if you intend to
sell the property owned by that LLC, unless all partners who
share ownership in the LLC elect to collectively exchange the
proceeds, you would not be able exchange your own individual
proceeds. One way to avoid this issue is to have individually
owned LLC’s purchase a property as Tenants in Common
(TIC). With this approach, each individual LLC would own an
undivided, fractional interest in the
actual property itself. Then upon a
disposition of a property partnership,
each partner would be free to do with
the proceeds as they wish.
Alternatively, if you want to use
your property to generate truly taxfree
money and still want to own that
property, you can refinance (assuming
the property enjoys enough equity)
then use the proceeds to purchase
another property. With interest rates
being as low as they are, this may
be a good strategy to accelerate the
growth of your real estate portfolio.
A Word of Advice
Ben Keddie, Managing
Broker & Vice President
of Coldwell Banker
Commercial Elite
With creative financing structures, the ability to add value
and receive beneficial tax treatment, real estate can be a
powerful investment vehicle.
Facebook cont’d
Continued from page 19
page’s Visitor’s Post section.
Do tag others if they’re relevant to your post.
5 – Don’t Be Discouraged by Facebook’s Ever-Changing
Algorithm
This summer Facebook once again changed its algorithm
– the set of rules by which the platform allows content to be
shared. Everything you post on Facebook is not necessarily
seen by all the people who have liked your page.
The latest update prioritizes posts from users’ families and
friends over commercial content.
Therefore, you must keep in mind that if its content shared
by users that’s going to be prioritized, then then you’ll have to
go through them to make yourself a spot in your audience’s
NewsFeed,” reported Eugenia Skaf on Postcron.com. “So
your strategy must concentrate on generating genuine
engagement which causes people to share your stories with
their loved ones.”
“Along with this, another huge possibility to boost the
diffusion of your content is using Facebook’s advertising
service. The ideal would be sharing interesting publications
on Facebook (meaning that they’re relevant to your audience)
and adding personalized advertisements of your site, products
and services to them.”
Realize that some pages are easier to grow than others; a
sports team versus an accountant, for example.
Something is better than nothing. Be realistic about how
much you can do, but make a commitment to participate in
the huge international social media community.
Susan Larson is a freelance writer and social media consultant.
She also publishes Fredericksburg.Today online news, and the
corresponding Facebook (facebook.com/FredericksburgToday) and
Twitter (@Fxbg2day) pages, and a weekday morning newsletter.
You may contact her at susan@fredericksburg.today.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 23

Non-Profit Highlight
Friends of the Rappahannock:
Volunteers and advocates for the river
By Kathleen Harrigan, Executive Director, Friends of the
Rappahannock
The Friends of the Rappahannock (FOR) is a grassroots,
non-profit, conservation organization that started in 1985.
Our perspective and membership encompasses the entire
watershed, ranging from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the
Chesapeake Bay: working in a watershed that touches sixteen
counties, eight towns and one city.
Our volunteers are from all walks of life, whose common
goal is to maintain the water quality, living resources, and
scenic beauty of the Rappahannock River and its tributaries.
FOR is led by a volunteer executive committee and a
professional staff of environmental scientists, educators and
a working waterman. Together with hundreds of volunteers,
who collectively donate 10,000 hours a year, we are the voice
and active force for the river through our advocacy, restoration
and education programs.
On a day-to-day basis it means working with a variety of
stakeholders, from local governments to elementary students,
educating people about the river and advocating for actions
and policies that will protect and restore the values that make
the Rappahannock River so unique.
In the Fredericksburg region, FOR is perhaps best known
for working with multiple agencies and organizations
across all levels of government to remove the Embrey Dam
in 2004; and working with the City of Fredericksburg to
establish a conservation easement of 4,300 acres along
the Rappahannock and Rapidan rivers upstream of the
old Embrey Dam location which protected drinking water
supplies for Stafford, Spotsylvania counties and the City of
Fredericksburg. We also supported Low Impact Development
(LID) ordinances in Stafford, City of Fredericksburg and other
localities throughout the watershed with demonstration
projects in Stafford and Fredericksburg.
While those are some large accomplishments, the smaller
actions, one at a time: one student, one tree, one oyster
structure, one piece of trash adds up
to big accomplishments.
Each year more than 5,000 students
participate in our education programs.
FOR has taught more than 65,000
students – our next generation of river stewards. In 2015 FOR
planted more than 2,000 trees on 9.5 acres and installed 80 oyster
structures (with 100 oysters each) as part of living shorelines.
Those are things we gave to the watershed, but we also removed
more than 15,000 pounds of trash from the watershed in 2015
and are well on our way to surpassing that in 2016.
Protecting the Rappahannock River is important to us as
individuals and as a community. We drink its water, play in
its water, we walk along the banks, and share stories of the
river from dinosaurs to the present day, with everything from
native American villages and colonization, the civil war and
paddle boats in between.
You can be part of the efforts of FOR by becoming a member.
View our website www.riverfriends.org. Come out and work
and play with us. Join us at one of the following events.
• Riverfest (September 17) – there is still time to generously
sponsor the event and buy tickets. It is a great party for
a great cause! At Riverfest, Friends of the Rappahannock
celebrates the bounty of the watershed.
• Rappahannock River Cleanup in partnership with
the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce
(September 25) - together local businesses and
community members will remove trash and debris from
the Rappahannock River and other sensitive areas that
drain to the River.
• Fall Colors Float (October 22) – come paddle the
Rappahannock at its most colorful on this interpretive trip
from Hole-in-the-Wall to Motts Landing.
For more information on these events and others, visit our
website at www.riverfriends.org/events Your participation
and membership, enables FOR to continue this important
work. Thank you for your support.
24
Fredericksburg Regional Business
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

2016 Chamber Goodwill Award
Chamber recognizes two businesses generosities
Two of the Fredericksburg Region’s outstanding businesses
won the 2016 Chamber Goodwill Awards in recognition
of their extraordinary commitments, generosity to helping
others, and improving the local quality of life.
DLR Contracting, Inc. won the award for a small business.
DLR Contracting leaders and staff have shown true strength
of community support with their actions and donations. In
addition to leadership-level giving and corporate sponsorship
money donated to Rappahannock United Way, they have
also supported the Fraternal Order of Police, Virginia Fire
Chiefs Association, Spotsylvania HAVOC, softball teams and
Chancellor High School athletics.
Notably, the entire DLR staff volunteered in the United Way’s
Day of Action event. DLR donated materials, heavy equipment
and yard work labor, which included major tree trimming,
mulching, grass cutting and pressure washing. DLR Contracting
president, Rob Dodd, Jr. served on the Site Visit and Citizen
Review panels for Day of Action and provided professional input.
In addition:
• DLR gave financial support to the Fredericksburg Food
Bank and Fredericksburg Kiwanis Golf Tournaments,
in which Dodd also volunteered.
• Habitat for Humanity and SERVE: DLR offered support
by organizing the relocation of both offices and H4H
resale store, by paying for the building permit fees. The
staff organized the project and the plans, scheduling,
on-site advice and recruiting subcontractors.
• Micah Ministries: DLR staff donated supplies and
prepared a meal on-site for the home, and dined with
its residents.
• Red Cross: The DLR staff participates in a blood
drive twice a year in memory of Robert L. Dodd, the
founder and president of DLR Contracting.
• Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce: Rob
Dodd, Jr. serves on the Chamber Board of Directors,
sponsors numerous activities, served as mentor for
the Leadership Fredericksburg program by leading the
battlefield tour class session, served as an ambassador,
and held a leadership role for LeadShare Group #3.
News
Access Eye won the award for a large business.
The owners, Dr. Arash and Mrs. Michele Mansouri have
demonstrated their long-term commitment to community
service through their ongoing free medical care of indigent
individuals, through their support of local nonprofits who
work with the underserved and through their encouragement
of staff initiatives to help nonprofits.
Access Eye provides free eye examinations, prescriptions
and glasses to the region’s street homeless through Micha
Ministries. They also provided free eye care to Moss Free
Clinic patients (who are uninsured and cannot afford to pay a
doctor), more than any other practice in the region.
• Access Eye has made a commitment to provide free
eye exams and eyeglasses to all children in Stafford
County Schools who have no means to pay for them
and who are identified by school authorities.
• Dr. Mansouri performed free cataract and other eye
surgeries, valued at $20,000.
• Access Eye was a sponsor of “The Community Give.”
They helped raise $100,000 for incentive prizes for
participated nonprofits.
• Access eye supports the YMCA in its work to help
poor families access after school and summer exercise
& nutrition programs.
Left to right: Shawn Sloan, Chamber Board of Director, Terry Jackson,
Access Eye representative, Rob Dodd, Jr., DLR Contracting, and
Whitney Watts, Chamber VP of Member Services.
Ambassador Highlight:
Dorrie Chason, Placement Manager,Taskforce Staffing LLC
I’ve been a Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce
member for ten years.
Previously I had been a member of the Prince William County
Chamber when I was a hotel sales director in Woodbridge.
There are so many benefits to meeting and networking with
other businesses and organizations. Mostly, it’s the impact
and contributions to the community and business leaders and
organizers.
I have always been an active member in the chamber, so
volunteering as an Ambassador I enjoy helping new Chamber
members feel more comfortable in
participating and becoming active members
of the chamber. There are various
activities, groups, and events offered
for networking, insight, and instruction,
making it easy to find resources beneficial
for your business. As we like to tell new Dorrie Chason
members, “Your membership is like a gym
membership…you get out of it what you put in.” Eventually evolving
into meaningful business relationships and friendships with members
and the business leaders--building better relationships.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 25

News
Chamber’s Leadership Fredericksburg program
reveals 2017 Class 30 fellows selected
The Chamber’s Leadership Fredericksburg program is
pleased to announce the 2017 Class, which starts in September,
and goes through May 2017.
Sessions occur throughout the Fredericksburg Region and
include in-depth leadership skills development and meetings
with various industry and community leaders. In addition, each
Fellow will be paired with a trained mentor from the business
community who will support his or her progress through the
program.
Leadership Fredericksburg Alumni will play a key role this
session, speaking on their experiences in leadership roles.
The participants will divide into teams to partner with an
area nonprofit on an Action Learning Project. Each team will
present “deliverables” – concrete results – to the nonprofits
next May. Upon graduating in May, members of the 2017 Class
may join the Leadership Fredericksburg Alumni Association
and have opportunities to serve on the Leadership Advisory
Board, mentor future participants, take a leadership role in the
Alumni, and help implement future programs.
The Chamber will partner with Dr. David Corderman
with Academy Leadership Associates and Dr. J.R. Flatter with
Flatter and Associates to plan and implement the program.
Mary Washington Healthcare is serving as the program’s Title
Sponsor.
The Chamber congratulates the following individuals who were selected as
2017 Fellows and wishes them success as they begin their Leadership Fredericksburg journey:
Leadership Fredericksburg 2017 Fellows
Rod Aweina, Flatter & Associates
Chris Barker, PermaTreat Pest Control
Stephanie Beamer, Stafford County
Justin Box, Mary Washington Healthcare
Denise Carpenter, Pathways Human Services
Nicole Cole, Nicole Cole Financial Services Group, LLC
Aaron Dobynes, Shiloh Baptist Church Old Site
Devin Fedor, Mary Washington Healthcare
Taunya Gardner, Atlantic Builders
Matt Giese, Dependable Global Solutions, Inc.
Eric Healey, Rainbow International Restoration
Michelle Hedrich, Rappahannock Big Brothers Big Sisters
Charlotte Horne, Rappahannock Insurance Services
Robin Hughart, DLR Contracting
Martha Hutzel, Central Rappahannock Regional Library
Nathaniel Hvizdos, Rappahannock Goodwill Industries
Jason Koch, Hilldrup Moving and Storage
Cheri Maea, Germanna Community College
Jake Marshall, Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center
Lisa Marvashti, University of Mary Washington
Kim McClellan, Fredericksburg Area Association of Realtors
Wesley Melson, LifeCare Medical Transports
Brooke Miller, Long & Foster Realtors
Jeremy Pickwell, Lifepoint Church
Erin Rogalla, Quarles Petroleum
Jason Satterwhite, Rappahannock Electric Cooperative
Sonia Thomas, Union Bank & Trust
Troy Thompson, CTI Real Estate
John Wood, Spotsylvania County
T.J. Walding, Walding & Associates
The Chamber would like to thank the following sponsors, whose generosity
makes possible the Leadership Fredericksburg program:
Title Sponsor: Mary Washington Healthcare
Gold Sponsors: Atlantic Builders • CTI Real Estate • Flatter & Associates
LifeCare Medical Transports • Stafford County • Union Bank and Trust
For more information about Leadership Fredericksburg, go to: http://fredericksburgchamber.org/Leadership-Home
26
Fredericksburg Regional Business
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Mary Washington Hospital
named sixth best hospital
in Virginia
Mary Washington
Hospital was ranked
sixth in Virginia and
fourth in the Washington metro area in U.S. News and World
Report’s annual evaluation of hospitals.
The Fredericksburg hospital placed sixth in the state, tying
with Winchester Medical Center.
“This really is a feather in the cap of our community,” said
Dr. Michael McDermott, CEO of Mary Washington Healthcare.
“We’re proud of the ranking, proud of all of the efforts of our
medical staff, our associates who work here every day. Those
efforts are paying off and being recognized.”
About 130 Virginia hospitals were included in the report.
Mary Washington Hospital ranked fourth out of 56 in the
Washington area.
The report lists the top 15 hospitals in Virginia, and Stafford
Hospital and Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center were not
ranked.
Mary Washington “high performing” in two specialties:
gastroenterology and GI surgery and nephrology.
The hospital scored high marks in seven conditions
and surgeries, including heart failure, chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease and colon cancer surgery.
The Mayo Clinic was ranked the top hospital in the country,
and the University of Virginia Medical Center came in first in
the state.
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News
Career Ambassador Pamela Bridgewater Leads UMW’s
Leadership Colloquium
Pamela Bridgewater, career
ambassador, will give the keynote
lecture at the 23rd annual Leadership
Colloquium at the University of Mary
Washington. The conference, centered
on the theme, “real women, real issues,
real solutions,” will take place at UMW’s
Stafford campus from 8 a.m. to 4:30
p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 3.
Bridgewater, who retired from active
duty in the U.S. Diplomatic Service
in 2013, said she dreamed of joining
the Peace Corps after she graduated
from Virginia State College to answer
President Kennedy’s call for youth
ambassadors. But the political science
major was disappointed to find that the
Peace Corps needed volunteers with
agriculture and other development
skills for which she didn’t qualify.
Instead she took a different path,
attending graduate school that led to a
position as a university professor, until a
friend cajoled her into trying a two-year
tour of duty in the Foreign Service. That
stint stretched to 34 years and led to
a rewarding career where she became
the first African-American female
consul general in South Africa during
the historic transition from Apartheid to
a non-racial government and cemented
a friendship with anti-apartheid
revolutionary Nelson Mandela who
served as president of South Africa.
Bridgewater served as U.S.
ambassador in three countries under
three different presidents: President Bill
Clinton appointed her U.S. Ambassador
Pamela Bridgewater during her speech
at UMW’s 2015 undergraduate
commencement ceremony.
to the Republic of Benin; President
George W. Bush named her U.S.
Ambassador to the Republic of Ghana,
and President Obama appointed her as
Ambassador to Jamaica.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 27

News
Chamber Business
Roundtables
UMW President “Bullish on the Future”
of Fredericksburg
By Susan Larson, Fredericksburg.Today
“Mary Washington is uniquely situated to become a national model of a public
liberal arts university,” President Troy D. Paino told the Fredericksburg Regional
Chamber of Commerce Roundtable, held at Courtyard Marriott.
Paino, who became the tenth president of the University of Mary Washington
(UMW) this month, was the featured speaker at the group’s July 26 breakfast.
“UMW is a tributary of service to Fredericksburg and the surrounding region, in
the interest of economic development and quality of life,” he said of his vision.
Troy D. Paino
A UMW search consultant contacted Paino about the job in the fall of 2015. “My
thought was it’s too bad it’s not a few years down the road,” he said. “I was intrigued
by the status of Mary Washington, the opportunities it held, and the Fredericksburg
region, but I thought I still had work to do at Truman [State University].”
Over the course of the next month, cabinet level individuals began retiring at Truman. “My leadership team was transitioning
out, and the map kind of changed for me in October,” he said. He called the search consultant and expressed his interest in the
job. He was just in time.
As his journey to UMW progressed, Paino kept thinking he was going to find out something about Mary Washington or
Fredericksburg that would change his mind. “As I learned more and more every step of the way, and with every person I met, I
became more and more excited,” he said.
He and his family were attracted by the historic downtown, the sense of community, and the amenities of being between
two larger metropolitan areas. “My family and I thought the assets, and the potential for the future of Fredericksburg and the
university were too positive to pass up,” Paino said. “I’m incredibly bullish on the future here.”
Paino and his wife Kelly have two daughters, Sophia and Chloe. “We look forward to becoming part of this community. We
are eager to put roots down.”
www.fredericksburgchamber.org
UMW Athletic Director Ken Tyler shares
his leadership guiding principles with
chamber members
The Chamber of Commerce hosted a Business Leadership Roundtable in
August at the Hyatt Place Fredericksburg. Ken Tyler, University of Mary Washington
Athletic Director was the guest speaker at the roundtable. This is Tyler’s fifth year as
Director of Athletics at the University of Mary Washington. In a short time, Tyler has
brought about numerous positive changes to the athletic department, with a vision
that will lead the Eagles to a premier place among NCAA Division III institutions.
Since his leadership helm at UMW, Tyler has overseen many positive changes in
the department of athletics. He has added numerous staff positions, upgrades
to facilities, instilled competitiveness, initiated expansive corporate partnership
program, and promoted community engagement.
Ken Tyler, UMW Athletic Director
28
Fredericksburg Regional Business
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

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.
Abberly at Southpoint
Jon Mills
10000 Abberly Village Ln.
Southpoint Parkway
Fredericksburg, VA 22407
Phone: (540) 479-2646
abberlysouthpoint.com
abberlysouthpointteam@hhhunt.com
Apartments*
Alpha Pets Dog Walking
& Pet Care / Red Leash
Therapy & Assistance Dogs
Jenn Jones
4196 Merchant Plaza #123
Woodbridge, VA 22192
Phone: (866) 990-7387
alphapetsinc.com
k9luv810@yahoo.com
Pet Services*
Beach Fries LLC
Scott Osetek
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Phone: (540) 479-1379
gotbeachfries.com
sjdosetek@verizon.net
Restaurants*
Beecroft Orthodontics
(King George)
David Richardson
9449 Grover Dr.
King George, VA 22485
(540) 775-2022
office@beecroftortho.com
beecroftortho.com
Dental Specialist-Orthodontics*
Beecroft Orthodontics
(Spotsylvania)
David Richardson
10472 Georgetown Dr
Spotsylvania, VA 22553
Phone: (540) 898-2200
office@beecroftortho.com
beecroftortho.com
Dental Specialist-Orthodontics*
Beecroft Orthodontics
(Stafford)
David Richardson
239 Garrisonville Rd. Ste 101
Fredericksburg, VA 22553
Phone: (540) 659-6300
office@beecroftortho.com
beecroftortho.com
Dental Specialist-Orthodontics*
Cannon Ridge Golf Club
Donald Long
9000 Celebrate Virginia Pkwy
Fredericksburg, VA 22406
Phone: (540) 371-8001
Fax: (540) 371-1066
golfcannonridge.com
gskinner@golfcannonridge.com
Golf Course*
Center For Vein Restoration
Melita Wongus
211 Park HIll Dr.
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Phone: (800) 349-5347
melita.wongus@centerforvein.com
centerforvein.com
HealthCare*
Client Surge SEO
Salman Adibeen
Tysons Corner, VA 22102
Phone: (571) 550-9260
clientsurgeseo.com
Digital Marketing*
Cornerstone Homes
Wanda Cook
5223 Plank Road
Fredericksburg, VA 22407
Phone: (540) 699-3009
cornerstonehomes.net
wcook@cornerstonehomes.net
New Home Builder*
Coronado Law Office, PLLC
Gabriela Coronado
800 Corporate Drive, Suite 301
Stafford, VA 22554
Phone: (540) 300-5292
gcoronado@coronadolawva.com
coronadolawva.com
Attorneys*
Crysis Averted
James Jacobs
10908 Courthouse Rd. Suite 251
Fredericksburg, VA 22408
Phone: (540) 406-9101
info@crysisaverted.com
crysisaverted.com
Cybersecurity & Systems
Engineering*
Elks Lodge #875, EPOE
Fredericksburg
Diane Blesi
11309 Tidewater Trail
Fredericksburg, VA 22408
Phone: (540) 371-5240
bpoe875.org
didlesi@hotmail.com
Non Profit*
Heartland Payment Systems
W. Daniel Hudson
Fredericksburg, VA 22405
Phone: (540) 905-9384
heartlandpaymentsystems.com
william.hudson@e-hps.com
Payment Services*
Liberty Pawn & Gold
David Munsee
5044 Plank Road
Fredericksburg, VA 22407
Phone: (540) 548-3200
libertypawnandgold.com
davem@libertypawnandgold.com
Retail Stores*
Liberty Pawn & Gold
David Munsee
4211 Plank Road
Fredericksburg, VA 22407
Phone: (540) 412-5885
davem@libertypawnandgold.com
Retail Stores*
Office Pride Commercial
Cleaning
Zack Conord
1127 International Pkwy., Ste 119
Fredericksburg, VA 22406
Phone: (540) 642-1970
zackconord@officepride.com
officepride.com/
fredericksburg-02801
Cleaning Service - Commercial*
Onduline North America
Nicole Clapp
4900 Ondura Drive
Fredericksburg, VA 22407
Phone: (800) 777-7663
onduline-usa.com
customerservice@onduline-usa.com
Manufacturing*
Optimal Health Enterprise
Paulette Johnson
Fredericksburg, VA 22406
Phone: (315) 415-1297
optimalhealthworkshop.com
optimalhealth14@cox.net
Education - Public/Private
Partnership*
Precision Smile Dentistry
Fahd Yousaf
963 Garrisonville Road, Suite 101
Stafford, VA 22556
Phone: (540) 300-2255
Fax: (540) 602-2209
precisionsmiledentistry.com
Info@precisionsmiledentistry.com
Dentists*
Proxios
Michael Euripides
Richmond, VA 23219
Phone: (804) 864-8519
proxios
IT Support Services*
River Capital Group LLC
Michael England
Stafford, VA 22554
Phone: (540) 809-0631
rivercg.com
mengland@rivercg.com
Business Financing*, Financial
Services
Smith Contract, LLC
Cort Smith
Fredericksburg, VA 22406
Phone: (703) 828-9495
Smithcontract.com
Custom Office Furniture*
Teakwood Enterprises, Inc
Trent Taliaferro
3351Shannon Park Drive
Fredericksburg, VA 22408
Phone: (540) 623-8804
Fax: (540) 656-2756
teakwoodinc.com
info@teakwoodinc.com
Building Contractors*
Welcome Home NFP
Adamma Malik
Stafford, VA 22554
Phone: (571) 455-0183
welcomehomenfp@gmail.com
Non Profit*
Support
Your
Fellow
Chamber
Members
* indicates primary category
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 29

29 YEARS
. . . AND ON TO 30!
NOT EVERYONE LOOKS THIS GOOD AT 29!
29!
At Stafford Printing, we’re
proud to admit our age —
We’ve made it this far
because of our employees and
support from customers.
THANK YOU
on behalf of the Stafford Printing team
- Howard
Print, Design, Personalization, Mail,
Grand Format, Web Portal
StaffordPrinting.com • 540.659.4554

Bill Freehling Named Interim Director of
Economic Development and Tourism
Bill Freehling has served as the city’s Assistant Director for
Economic Development since June 2014.
“Bill has demonstrated innovation and vision for the city,”
says Baroody. ”I am confident he will lead our economic
development and tourism efforts well during these exciting
times in our City.”
Freehling was previously a business news reporter for The
Free Lance-Star newspaper and the editor of the weekday
e-newsletter, Fredericksburg Business Insider.
A search is underway for a permanent director of Economic
Development and Tourism to replace Karen Hedelt, who
retired in July.
The Free Lance-Star newspaper moving
headquarters
The Free Lance-
Star will move its
headquarters from downtown on Amelia Street to the Central
Park Corporate Center in December. “We evaluated a number
of other sites and Central Park was probably the best fit for
us and leaves us a lot of opportunity to be available to our
customers and in the city,” FLS publisher Dale Lachniet said.
“Central Park is easily accessible for our employees, no matter
which of the surrounding counties that they live in. It will
provide them easy access to the major arteries in and out of
the city,” Lachniet said.
News, advertising, circulation and supporting departments
will move into the former That’s Amore restaurant space and
the second floor over the Community Bank of the Chesapeake
at 1340 Central Park Blvd.
Bergethon joins Sands Anderson Law Firm
Gregory P. Bergethon, Esq., CPA has
joined the law firm of Sands Anderson
PC, announced firm president, L.
Lee Byrd. Bergethon serves regional,
national and international clients
structuring and implementing various mergers, acquisitions,
tax plans and regulated offerings. Bergethon enhances the
firm’s business tax group with his extensive experience
in partnership and corporate tax, designing and assisting
organizations and individuals in implementing tax-advantaged
strategies.
Bergethon earned his bachelor of science in Business
Administration from the University of Richmond graduating
cum laude in 1993, and his law degree from the William &
Mary School of Law in 2000. Prior to the practice of law, he
was a senior accountant in charge auditor and consultant
with KPMG.
Oasis Senior Advisor earns certification
Fredericksburg area seniors now have a
new resource to assist them in the aging
process. Tracey Payne, CSA, with Oasis
Senior Advisors, recently completed
a comprehensive course through the
Society of Certified Senior Advisors® (SCSA) and has earned
the certification of Certified Senior Advisor (CSA)®. The CSA
designation in conjunction with 30 years of experience in the
healthcare industry means that seniors and their families now
have a resource they can rely on to meet their senior living needs.
Medical office building sold in Fredericksburg
The medical office building on 3310 Fall
Hill Avenue in Fredericksburg, has sold.
Fredericksburg Orthopedic Associates sold
their 14,900 square foot headquarters
building on 2.97 acres for $4,475,000 to an investment group
based out of Northern Virginia.
Bowman Spirits win two awards
Two spirits from A. Smith Bowman
Distillery have received Gold
Medals at the 2016 Los Angeles
International Spirits Competition,
according to a press release.
Bowman Brothers Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey and
John J. Bowman Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey each
received the honor.
These whiskeys were ranked among 401 spirits that were
submitted from 29 countries.
The Los Angeles International Spirits Competition was formed
in 2007, with a panel of judges using a blind-tasting method to
award medals to the best distilled spirits from around the world.
UMW named a “Best Buy” from the Fiske Guide
The University of Mary
Washington has been named
a “best buy” in the 2017
edition of the Fiske Guide to
Colleges. It’s the university’s seventh annual inclusion.
Mary Washington is among 47 institutions -- 21 public and 26
private -- designated as a “best buy,” which means delivering
outstanding academics and the most reasonable prices. The
listing was based on questionnaires sent to administrators
and a cross-section of students, according to Marty Morrison,
UMW director of media and public relations.
It is one of only two institutions in Virginia, joining George
Mason University.
“Mary Washington could easily be mistaken for one of
Virginia’s elite private colleges,” the Fiske Guide said. “It
offers just as much history and tradition albeit for a much
lower price. Mary Washington has gained a reputation as one
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 31

of the premium public liberal arts colleges in the country and
continues to attract bright students from around the globe.”
Union Bank & Trust donates site to historical
Port Royal
Union Bank & Trust donated a
former branch site to Historic Port
Royal
The former bank branch at 506 Main St. that includes the Old
Port Royal School was donated at a July 4 event.
The Port Royal Museum of American History has operated in
the building since 2012 and leased the property from Union,
which ran the branch there from 1972 to 2011.
The school was built in 1924 as a single-room schoolhouse for
African-American students and closed in 1959.
The building has an appraised value of more than $200,000.
REC recognized for communication excellence
Rappahannock Electric Cooperative (REC) communications
received 11 national awards for communication excellence
from both the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association
and the Cooperative Communicators Association.
These included awards for Best Use of Social Media, Best Annual
Report and Most Innovative Use of Digital Communications,
to name only a few.
REC has always
recognized the
importance of
connecting with
member-owners in
ways to keep them
educated, engaged
and informed.
Ann Lewis, Terri Bevers and Casey Hollins
REC’s LEARN Grant Program awards $16k to
local organizations
Rappahannock Electric
Cooperative (REC) recently
awarded $16,000 in grants to emergency service agencies,
non-profits and local schools. The grants are made possible
from REC’s LEARN (Literacy, Education, and Rural Networking)
program.
This is the 20th year REC has awarded grant money to 130
projects in the community.
In the local region, funds were awarded to the following schools:
Spotsylvania County Public Schools – Treasure House, $1000;
Post Oak Middle School, $500; Wilderness Elementary School,
$500; AG Richardson Elementary School, Culpeper County,
$500; Spotsylvania County Public Schools, Helping Students,
$500; Farmington Elementary School – Culpeper County, $1000.
Funds to local non-profits and emergency services: Mental
Health America of Fredericksburg, $2000; Caroline County Fire
and Rescue, $1500; and Tappahannock Essex Volunteer Fire
Department, $1500.
SimVentions awarded contract for
Anti-Terrorism Force Protection
SimVentions Inc.
has been awarded a
$19M contract from
the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren for technical
development and engineering support services. SimVentions
will support the fleet’s efforts in ensuring asymmetric warfare
dominance in the areas of Anti-Terrorism and Force Protection.
This covers research, development, engineering, and technical
support as it applies to program areas to include Identity
Management, Non-Lethal Response Capabilities and System
Security Engineering.
They will also support the necessary model-based engineering,
hardware engineering, test and evaluation, and training
necessary to ensure successful development and deployment
of these systems.
Marstel-Day named to ZweigWhite’s 2016 Hot
Firm List for 8th consecutive year
For the eighth consecutive
year, the business management
services firm ZweigWhite has
named Marstel-Day LLC to its
Hot Firm List of fastest-growing U.S. architecture, engineering,
and environmental consulting firms.
Marstel-Day ranked 54th on the list of the top 100 fastestgrowing
firms across these industries. Rankings were
developed by ZweigWhite, the publisher of The Zweig Letter,
and a national leader in enhancing business performance
for architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting
firms. According to ZweigWhite’s website, “These are the
firms that have outperformed the economy and competitors
to become leaders in their chosen fields.”
Ron Rosner sells auto group
After 37 years, Rosner Auto
Group will sell its Toyota
dealerships in Fredericksburg
and Stafford to Sheehy Auto
Stores.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
®
MARSTEL DAY
CONSERVATION & CONSULTING
FROM SEA TO STARS
The deal, which is for the businesses, inventory and properties
at 3507 Jefferson Davis Highway in Spotsylvania and 95
Garrisonville Road in North Stafford, is expected to close in
October.
Rosner will maintain ownership of Rosner Motorsports, the
company’s classic car line at 3509 Jefferson Davis Highway in
Spotsylvania, and Rosner Chevrolet in Melbourne, Fla.
32
Fredericksburg Regional Business
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Leadership Fredericksburg presents Rev.
Lawrence Davies with distinguished award
The Rev. Lawrence A. Davies received two standing ovations
from the crowd on August 19 at a luncheon held by the
Chamber’s Leadership Fredericksburg program. The luncheon
was held at the Fredericksburg Expo Center, and included
notable guests, business leaders, friends and family members.
Leadership Fredericksburg created a “Leadership Impact”
award specifically to recognize the former city mayor (20
years) and former pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church (Old Site)
(50 years) for his vision, integrity, service and grace.
Guest speakers recognizing Rev. Davies’ leadership
contributions and service to the Fredericksburg area included:
Deirdre Powell White, President/Owner of DPW Training &
Associates; Jan Erkert, President/Owner of Spangler Erkert &
Associates, and Xavier Richardson, Executive Vice President
of Corporate Development and Community Affairs for Mary
Washington Healthcare & President of Mary Washington &
Stafford Hospital’s Foundations.
Leadership Fredericksburg presented a video tribute to Davies
which featured speakers such as former Mayor Tomzak,
current Mayor Greenlaw, former CEO of Mary Washington
Healthcare, Fred Rankin, and others. Leadership Advisory
Board chairman, Barry Waldman, of Jarrell, Hicks, & Waldman,
presented Davies with the award.
capacity as Executive Vice Chairman of the Board for Union
Bankshares Corporation and Union Bank & Trust until March
31, 2017. He will remain on the Board of Directors of Union
Bankshares Corporation and stand for reelection to the Board
at the 2017 Annual Meeting.
“Billy’s tenure at Union has been tremendous,” said Raymond
D. Smoot, Jr., Chairman of the Board of Union Bankshares
Corporation. “Under his leadership over the last 25 years,
the bank has undergone a historic transformation from a
small rural community bank to the largest Virginia-based
community banking institution serving multiple markets with
diversified lines of business.”
Union has grown assets to more than $8.1 billion from $180
million and delivered to shareholders a total cumulative return
of more than 850% since the company went public in 1993.
Asbury, a career banker for 29 years, is
the sixth president in the bank’s 114-year
history. Most recently he was President
and CEO of privately-held First National
Bank of Santa Fe, a multi-state bank with
locations primarily in the Southwest I-25
growth corridor between Denver, CO
and Albuquerque, NM. Prior to that, he
was Senior Executive Vice President and
John C. Asbury
Head of the Business Services Group at
Regions Financial Corporation, one of the nation’s largest fullservice
banks with $126 billion in assets.
Asbury began his banking career in the management training
program at Wachovia Bank & Trust in Winston-Salem, NC
after graduating from Virginia Tech. He also holds an MBA
from The College of William & Mary and is a native of Virginia,
born in Radford.
Left to right: Barry Waldman, Chairman, Leadership Advisory
Board, Rev. Lawrence Davies and Susan Spears, Executive Director,
Leadership Fredericksburg, and President/CEO, Fredericksburg
Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Union Bankshares Corporation Names John C.
Asbury President; To Succeed G. William Beale
as CEO in 2017
The Board of Directors of Union
Bankshares Corporation (“Union”)
announced that G. William (“Billy”)
Beale, 66, will step down as Chief
Executive Officer (“CEO”) on January 2,
2017, and will be succeeded by John C.
Asbury, 51, who will become President
of Union Bankshares Corporation and
President and CEO of Union Bank &
G. William Beale
Trust effective October 1, 2016. Beale
will continue to work in an executive
Germanna president retiring
Germanna Community College
President Dr. David Sam announced
August 16 that he will retire on June 30,
2017. Sam has led Germanna since 2007.
During Sam’s tenure as president,
Germanna’s total enrollment (credit and
workforce) increased 61 percent to more
than 12,000 students, according to the
college. In addition, the college has Dr. David Sam
expanded its Fredericksburg Campus
in Spotsylvania, christened the Daniel Technology Center in
Culpeper, added centers in Stafford and Caroline counties, and
has begun plans for the Fredericksburg Center for Advanced
Technology (Fred CAT).
During his final year as president, Sam plans to focus on
replacing the1969 Locust Grove Campus building, which
houses the nursing program, with a new building that will
house a “cutting-edge medical training facility.”
Sam and his wife Linda have two children, Michelle and
Ryan, and three grandchildren.
Germanna is beginning a national search for Sam’s
replacement. School officials hope to make a selection by
March 2017.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 33

In Sympathy:
RICHARD LEE
BREHM
Richard Lee “Rick” Brehm, 56,
of Fredericksburg passed away
on Wednesday, July 20, 2016,
after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
Rick graduated from Strasburg High School and went
on to earn both a bachelor’s degree and a Master
of Business Administration from James Madison
University.
He worked at Germanna Community College where he
had been the Vice President for Administrative Services
since 1997, overseeing design and construction of
over half of the buildings at the college. Rick worked
at Lord Fairfax Community College for ten years prior
to coming to Germanna.
He enjoyed reading and all sports, especially baseball,
football and golf and enjoyed watching his greatnephews
in all their sports activities. Rick took up
running after his cancer diagnosis and completed a half
marathon with his nephew, Josh Rudolph. He enjoyed
attending JMU football with his college friends and was
an avid Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Steelers fan.
Rick was an active member of the Rappahannock Rotary
Club and The Presbyterian Church of Fredericksburg.
He was also a member of the Southern Association
of College & University Business Officers and the
Society for College & University Planning and was a
longtime officer of the Germanna Community College
Educational Foundation.
Survivors include his wife, Donna Lam Brehm, to whom
he was married for almost 34 years; his daughters,
Brooke Powell (Ryan) and Samantha Durbin (Jonathan);
his grandchildren, Sullivan and Elliotte Powell; and his
Fredericksburg “grandsons,” Seth and Luke Rudolph.
Rick was also survived by his sisters, Mary Rudolph
(John), Cindy Mauk (Don) and Melinda Wilson (Gene);
and his brothers, Baird Brehm (Kathy) and Brian Brehm
(Audrey). He was also survived by 13 nieces and
nephews and 13 great-nieces and great-nephews.
He was predeceased by his parents, Shirley Ann and
William Baird Brehm.
Memorial gifts may be made to the capital fund
of The Presbyterian Church of Fredericksburg; or
to the Germanna Community College Educational
Foundation for the Locust Grove building project.
www.fredericksburgchamber.org
September 10 – Music by Moonlight Concert – The Salvation
Army Women’s Auxiliary is celebrating 30 years of community service
and is featuring the Fredericksburg Big Band at Hurkamp Park
(Prince Edward Street), Fredericksburg, from 7-10 p.m. Any proceeds
benefiting Camp Happyland. Limited reserved seating available.
Contact Debbie Bliss, 540/371-4886. Donations accepted.
September 10 & 11 – Yankees in Falmouth – Saturday 9 a.m. –
6 p.m.; Sunday 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. held at 401 River Road, Falmouth.
Come meet Abe Lincoln and walk back in time to experience
Falmouth the way it was 150 years ago. Interact with Union and
Confederate soldiers at their campsites. See a canon firing. Free
event sponsored by Stafford County.
September 17 – Fredericksburg Pet Show – Fredericksburg Expo
& Conference Center, 2371 Carl D SIlver Parkway Fredericksburg,
10 a.m. Adults: $8 online, $9 in advance - Kids 12 and under FREE
September 17 – Kids Convention – Kid’s Convention will celebrate
20 years on Saturday, Sept. 17 from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. at Spotsylvania
Towne Centre.
September 17 – Stafford County Preparedness Expo – This expo
is to help citizens and businesses to be better prepared for disasters. This
free event will be held at Brooke Point High School, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
September 17 – Stafford County Oktoberfest – Pratt Park, 120
River Road from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
September 17 (All day) – Art Attack Fredericksburg – Fifth
Annual “Art Attack” event. For one day, over ninety artists, 916
Liberty Street Fredericksburg. Free.
September 17 & 18 – Rappahannock Riverfest – Riverfest is an
all-you-can-eat crab feast to celebrate the health and beauty of
the Rappahannock. 12475 Farley Vale Drive off Route 3 East King
George, $100 advance ticket sales only. Contact (703) 373-3448 for
more information.
September 23 – Rappahannock United Way - Day of Action
– Day of Action is a one-day event where hundreds of volunteers from
local businesses come together to take on projects all around the
Fredericksburg region. For more information contact Terri Center:
540-373-0041ext. 314 or e-mail: tcenter@rappahannockunitedway.org.
September 24 – Boyz II Men at Celebrate Live Virginia –
Boyz II Men remains one of the most truly iconic R&B groups in
music history. Starting at 7 p.m., 5030 Gordon Shelton Pkwy
Fredericksburg.
October 1 – Capital Ale House Downtown Fredericksburg
Oktoberfest! – Spend the day enjoying live music, German dancing
and over 100 craft and imported brews. 11:30 am - 10:00 pm.
October 1 – Paws & Whiskers Bazaar
This arts and crafts festival is put on each year with the help of the
Fredericksburg Parks & Recreation Department to benefit the SPCA!
Starting at 11 am to 4 pm at the Dorothy Hart Community Center in
Downtown Fredericksburg at 408 Canal Street.
October 8 (All day) – Annual Fredericksburg Area Wine
Festival – Join us to celebrate the 26th annual Fredericksburg Area
Wine Festival at 2150 Gordon Shelton, Celebrate Virginia After Dark
Fredericksburg. Early bird $15 / Gate $25 / Ages 6-20 & designated
drivers $10
October 8 & 9 – King George Fall Festival – The Fall Festival
begins 11a.m. Saturday with a parade down Kings Highway. The
Festival is celebrated at the King George High School parking lot and
gym. All activities at the event are free.
October 15 – Bowling Green Harvest Festival – 27th Annual
Town of Bowling Green festival starts at 9 a.m – 4 p.m. Classic Car
& Truck Show, children's activities, live music, Artisan crafts, food
vendors, "Walking Tall" Monster Truck, Farmers' Market and more!
Beer Garden opens 2:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
October 21 (All day) – The Whiskey & Wood Artisan Festival
– Showcasing the local handcraft artisanship of the members of the
Fredericksburg Area Woodworkers Guild. Bowman Distillery, One
Bowman Center, Fredericksburg.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
34
Fredericksburg Regional Business
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Upcoming Chamber Events:
To register online and to learn more about these events as well as events scheduled throughout the year,
visit www.fredericksburgchamber.org or call 540-374-9400
Sep 8 – 25th Anniversary Ribbon Cutting -
Fred Academy
Join us in celebrating 25 years of Excellence with
Fredericksburg Academy!
10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
10800 Academy Dr.
Fredericksburg, VA 22408
Sep 8 – Business After Hours
“Leaf” Your Workday Behind...
Join Scott Insurance and Financial Services for a Business
After Hours
5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
2115 Lafayette Boulevard
Fredericksburg, VA
Sep 15 – Ribbon Cutting
Join us for a Ribbon Cutting celebration for Barley Woods-
The Villas of Fredericksburg, A Cornerstone Homes
Community.
3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
5223 Plank Rd.
Fredericksburg, VA 22407
Sep 27 – Ribbon Cutting
Ribbon Cutting for Dragon Entertainment & Talent
Management
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
3447 Jefferson Davis Hwy., Suite 104-105,
Fredericksburg, VA 22408
Sep 28 – Green Technology Event
Learn how technology can help your business in its green
efforts.
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Chamber Office
Sep 29 – Ribbon Cutting
Join us for a ribbon cutting ceremony for
Bickford Senior Living
4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
5000 Spotsylvania Parkway,
Fredericksburg, VA 22407
Oct 4 – Chamber Roundtable (Fredericksburg)
Hyatt Place, 1241 Jefferson Davis Hwy.,
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Oct 6 – Business After Hours
It’s the Golden Days of Fall...Join Spring Arbor -
Fredericksburg, VA
5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
5308 River Rd., Fredericksburg, VA 22407
Oct 12 – Chamber Oktoberfest Expo
A trade show like no other! Business promotions and
festival-themed food, drinks & atmosphere.
5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Inn at the Old Silk Mill
Oct 17 – MAC Reception with Congressional
Delegation
Join the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce
Military Affairs Council for an evening reception with the
region’s Congressional Delegation, The Honorable Mark
R. Warner (invited), The Honorable Robert J. Wittman
(confirmed), and The Honorable David A. Brat (invited)
5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
National Museum of the Marine Corps
Oct 20 – Business After Hours
“Rakin’ in the Fun” at the Central Rappahannock Regional
Library Business After Hours
5:30 p.m.- 7:30 p.m.
Oct 24 – First Congressional District Debate
7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
UMW Dodd Auditorium
Oct 27 – Made in FredVa
Four finalists will pitch their idea and business plan to a panel
of judges in hopes of winning the grand prize of $10,000.
Inn at the Old Silk Mill
Nov-Dec
SAVE THE DATES:
Nov 1 – Chamber Roundtable (Spotsylvania)
8 a.m.- 9 a.m.
Nov 3 – Business After Hours
Residence Inn Fredericksburg
5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
60 Towne Centre Boulevard
Freerickskburg, VA
Nov 17 – Business After Hours -
Hope House
Kick off the holiday season in a room filled
with dozens of dazzling decorated trees!
5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Pavilion at Belmont
Fredericksburg, VA
Interested in hosting a Business After Hours in 2017?
Reserve a date, contact Sara Branner, Member Services Coordinator,
sara@fredericksburgchamber.org.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 Fredericksburg Regional Business 35

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