When Dr. Dixie Tooke-Rawlins helped found the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2001, doctors were sparse in Southwest Virginia. VCOM’s mission was to change that unhealthy situation, and under Tooke-Rawlins’s watch, it has done just that. Osteopathic physicians take a holistic approach to medicine, but like M.D.s, they attend four-year medical schools and graduate from medical education programs.
Although it’s based in Blacksburg, VCOM has branch campuses across the South, as far away as Louisiana. Many of its 177 graduates who live in Virginia now practice medicine in rural areas west of Roanoke. That’s had a big impact on quality of life, Tooke-Rawlins says.
Named American Osteopathic Foundation’s Educator of the Year in 2011, Tooke-Rawlins is a 40-year physician and has long focused on rural health care, extending to her work at VCOM, where she recruits students from rural and disadvantaged counties. Nearly half of VCOM’s 2,200 students are from communities of fewer than 30,000 people, and 25% are racial and ethnic minorities.
She also was instrumental in establishing the Center for One Health Research in Blacksburg, a collaboration between VCOM and the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, which performs research for issues that affect humans and animals.
Although VCOM graduated 472 physicians this year, population growth has meant that its “mission remains as pertinent today as when we began,” Tooke-Rawlins says. “Our dream is to serve rural areas, and we live it every day.”
FIRST JOB:Pumping gas at a Gulf gas station in high school
NEW LIFE EXPERIENCE: Eating good during baseball season
WHAT I’VE LEARNED: Eating well while busy is not hard when prepared
WHAT MAKES ME PASSIONATE ABOUT MY WORK: Making such a wide-ranging impact on people in the Richmond region on a daily basis, 365 days a year
SOMETHING I’D NEVER DO AGAIN: A pandemic
FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM: Flying Squirrels (duh), but I like the Pittsburgh Steelers
DID YOU KNOW?Parnell came to Richmond with the Squirrels in 2010 and became CEO in 2020, overseeing all day-to-day operations. In 2022, the team made the playoffs for the first time in eight years. In May, the city approved the $2.44 billion Diamond District redevelopment project, the centerpiece of which will be a 9,000-person capacity, $90 million new stadium for the Flying Squirrels, slated for completion in late 2025. Parnell makes more than 100 appearances a year for speaking engagements and charitable causes, and he serves on the boards of ChamberRVA and Richmond Region Tourism. He is also president of the Montgomery Biscuits, the Montgomery, Alabama-based Double-A Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.
During her 30-plus-year career in engineering and construction management, Murphy Tuomey has seen an increase in the number of women taking industry positions at all levels — both in the private and public sectors. And she’s been there along the way to mentor women entering the industry, and even had a scholarship dedicated in her name by SAME-DC (Society of American Military Engineers) in honor of her work mentoring young engineers, architects, construction managers and others in the industry. The scholarship is awarded to students pursuing careers in engineering or architecture at Washington, D.C.-area colleges and universities.
Tuomey currently serves as chief administrative officer, senior vice president and a board member for civil engineering and design firm A. Morton Thomas and Associates Inc. In her 32 years since joining AMT, she has seen the firm expand to 23 offices, growing from fewer than 50 employees to nearly 500.
Recognized as a construction transportation industry leader and innovator who supports advancement of women in the industry, she received the American Road & Transportation Builders Association National Women Leaders Ethel S. Birchland Award in 2018. Aligned with Tuomey’s focus on mentoring women in the industry, ARTBA also awarded AMT with the Glass Hammer Award in November 2020 for helping more than 60 women in the firm succeed in the transportation industry.
Chryssa Zizos tells her staff to aim to succeed or fail spectacularly — but whatever they do, don’t be average.
“Average is the kiss of death,” Zizos says. “Anyone can be average. Special people do more.”
Twenty-five years ago, Zizos started her own media and communications firm in her Alexandria home. Since then, Live Wire Strategic Communications has grown to 10 employees representing over 100 clients, nearly half of which are Fortune 500 firms. Last year, the firm grossed about $3.65 million in revenue.
Live Wire has assisted JBG Smith Properties with crafting a successful public relations campaign to persuade Amazon.com Inc. to select Arlington County for its HQ2 East Coast headquarters. It also advised more than a dozen former members of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team with publicity, speaking engagements and management of their personal brands — something Zizos is familiar with through her wife, Briana Scurry, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in women’s soccer and assistant coach of the Washington Spirit.
For 17 years, Zizos has been an adjunct professor at American University, where she also earned her master’s degree in public communications. On the first day of class every semester, Zizos announces she’ll offer an internship or job to the top performing student, and she has funded more than 50 scholarships to journalism students at Eastern Kentucky University.
Zizos is also a passionate LGBTQ+ advocate and offers pro bono services to mission-oriented and philanthropic organizations.
The top five most-read daily news stories on VirginiaBusiness.com from April 15 to May 14 included the news that Richmond was likely to keep its Minor League Baseball team, even though its new stadium wouldn’t be ready until spring 2026, a year later than originally planned.
Council members voted unanimously for the $2.44 billion mixed-use development, including a replacement for the Richmond
Flying Squirrels’ 38-year-old baseball stadium. (May 8)
George Mason University’s School of Business will be renamed for the late Donald G. Costello, the Loudoun County business owner whose gift was GMU‘s largest-ever individual donation. (May 3)
Virginia’s startup scene is rich with new businesses as diverse as the regions of the commonwealth. Virginia Business asked startups to send us their best pitches for what makes their businesses innovative, and we’ve spotlighted some of our favorites below.
About the company:Produces modular, remotely controlled “micro-farm” units for indoor, vertical hydroponic farming
What makes your company stand out? Babylon Micro-Farms offers companies a sustainable way to grow fresh produce on-site in a way that removes the need for a “green thumb.” Our micro-farms are easy to use because they are remotely managed, offer full customer support and are designed for simple harvesting and maintenance.
The pitch: Babylon Micro-Farms builds, supports and remotely manages indoor hydroponic farms for commercial clients looking for turnkey, sustainably grown on-site produce. We created a commercial product that makes a client’s desire to grow their own food simply and effectively a reality. Our premier combination of remote management with customer support is built into a beautiful, yet functional and food-safe showpiece that checks all the boxes for commercial clients. Investors who are looking for stable, well-managed, and vertically integrated sustainable products should see what Babylon is doing as the smart way to bring this type of vertical hydroponic farming to market. We fill a niche that is often filled by poorly executed DIY gardens and unsupported internet junk. Clients from Ikea to Neiman Marcus want a push-start solution that is gorgeous and easy to use, and only Babylon delivers that.
Photo by Will Schermerhorn
SAFIRE TECHNOLOGY GROUP INC.
Tysons
Co-founders: John Lee and Mike Grubbs
Founded: 2020
Capital raised:$3 million
Employees: 6
About the company:Manufactures a patented electrolyte additive to prevent fires and explosions in lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles
What makes your company stand out? Not only does the SAFIRE technology increase safety by preventing fire and explosion, but it also increases performance and stability of lithium-ion batteries. The SAFIRE technology does not require altering any existing manufacturing processes and can be easily integrated into a lithium-ion battery.
The pitch: In the same way the “Intel Inside” branding campaign in the early 1990s signified superior computer electronics, future lithium-ion battery-powered machines with “SAFIRE inside” will be deemed the safest on the market. Ultimately, our goal as a company is to provide safer batteries for the government and commercial sectors. The company’s core technology, SAFe Impact Resistant Electrolyte (SAFIRE), is the world’s first patented and proprietary drop-in additive for lithium-ion batteries that prevents fire and explosion through an instantaneous liquid-to-solid transformation upon kinetic impacts, such as in electric vehicle crashes. Safire Group has been awarded an exclusive license to five patents to date through its partnership with the technology’s inventor, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
About the company: Time Study is a platform for conducting time studies in hospitals and health care settings.
What makes your company stand out? Time Study leverages machine intelligence and advanced analytics to conduct time studies with minimal disruption to a person’s optimal workflow.
The pitch: Time Study offers a platform that uses data science and machine intelligence to help health care enterprises understand how employees spend their time at work and the impact that has on the business and workforce. Hospitals will be able to prepare accurate financial reports in a fraction of the time while getting near-real-time insights that drive productivity and best practices. Many hospitals around the country use Time Study to work more efficiently and give staff a more rewarding experience by guiding them towards best practices that ultimately deliver better patient care.
About the company: Produces aerial drone lighting systems for worksites and tethered power systems for aerial drones
What makes your company stand out? While a drone is a central piece of our product, we are not like other drone companies. Typically, a drone company builds a drone for a very wide variety of uses, most of which require free flight (on batteries). In contrast, we have a purpose-built drone that is designed just to carry lights up and down, nothing more, and it is incapable of free flight.
The pitch: Blue Vigil is radically changing portable lighting to make construction sites and emergency/disaster scenes safer and more productive. Our Autonomous Aerial Light (ALED) is a person-portable area lighting system that mounts a high-intensity LED array on a tethered UAV, which can be positioned up to 100 feet above a job site. The ALED puts over 8,000 square feet of light on the ground, providing nearly twice as much coverage as towed light towers commonly used today. With the higher light positioning, the ALED eliminates dangerous glare and shadows, dramatically improving work zone safety and productivity. It is easier to transport, easier to position and easier to store. The ALED was recently named the 2023 Innovation Award winner by the American Traffic Safety Services Association.
What makes your company stand out? Sherah is the only personal assistant company that is focused on working moms and families, helps in person and virtually, has local market knowledge and relationships with vendors, and uses a gig workforce of moms.
The pitch:Sherah helps busy working moms and families get their personal to-do lists done so they stress less and have more time for the things that matter most. Our personal assistants, who are moms, too, understand all that comes with keeping a family and household running. We divide up your tasks and knock them out quickly in person and virtually. For employers, we help reduce burnout and increase retention among your most at-risk employees — women and caregivers — in management and above, particularly those caught between caring for small children and aging parents. We are a membership model with a recurring membership fee, plus $1 per minute for time completing tasks. We have yet to find a task we cannot or will not do. We even found a goat sitter so a member could take a vacation. Rise up, don’t give up.
About the company: Developing a driveline conversion program to convert large commercial trucks, including tractor trailer trucks, from diesel fuel to electric power
What makes your company stand out? TrovaCV is based on a unique enterprise model, with significantly lower fixed costs and capital expenditure required.
The pitch: The mission of TrovaCV is to accelerate the market acceptance of zero-emission commercial vehicles. We aim to achieve this by developing state-of-the-art battery electric drivelines and by developing a completely new vehicle platform. We also seek new emerging market opportunities for battery electric vehicles, such as our innovative repowering program, which converts existing diesel vehicles into battery electric vehicles. In this way, we extend the life of commercial vehicles with at least 10 more useful years. The total addressable market for repowering is estimated to be over $400 billion. TrovaCV is now at a stage ready to industrialize its developed products for which it is raising the capital needed. TrovaCV is also actively looking for the right location and state to be in.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Sign In
Free Newsletter
