2025 Virginia C-Suite Awards: Midsize Private Companies

ROBBY DEMERIA

CHIEF CORPORATE AFFAIRS OFFICER, PHLOW, RICHMOND

The state’s first deputy secretary of commerce and trade for technology and innovation, Demeria has gone on to play a significant role in Virginia’s growing pharmaceutical hub. In addition to his role as chief corporate affairs officer for pharmaceutical manufacturer Phlow, Demeria is also founding board chair of the Alliance for Building Better Medicine, a coalition of public and private partners that are working toward developing the Richmond-Petersburg area into a hub for pharma R&D and manufacturing. In 2022, the alliance won a $52.9 million Build Back Better Regional Challenge Grant from the U.S. Commerce Department.

Phlow launched in 2020 and promptly won a $354 million federal contract to create a domestic supply chain for essential drugs and ingredients. Since then, the company has expanded to 85 employees and sent more than 1 million vials of medication to children’s hospitals as part of the Children’s Hospital Coalition.

During his time in state government, Demeria helped start the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corp., an agency promoting entrepreneurship and tech startups. He also served as executive director of the Richmond Technology Council and vice president of government affairs for the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce.

How I foster a positive culture: As a dad of young kids, I deeply believe in the importance of work-life balance, but I also recognize that the idea of “having it all” is more ideal than reality. As a leader, I try to create a culture that respects the ebb and flow. I don’t expect perfection or hustle for the sake of appearances.

HANNAH POLLACK

PRESIDENT, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO, NIGHTINGALE ICE CREAM SANDWICHES, RICHMOND

A former Marine and fine-dining pastry chef, Pollack is a Richmond native who launched Nightingale in 2016 with her husband and fellow chef, Xavier Meers. Starting with a limited menu and distribution area, Nightingale earned about $50,000 in its first year. But soon enough, her company grew its output of deluxe ice cream sandwiches — including banana pudding, Key lime and chocolate blackout flavors, as well as limited edition treats — and expanded beyond its backyard.

Today, Nightingale has gone national, following a 2024 distribution deal with Kroger. It also expanded along the East Coast through Whole Foods Market, in addition to selling its products in 4,500 other stores and markets. The company broke $20 million in revenue in 2024, Pollack says, and Nightingale now employs 100 people in a large production space in Richmond’s Manchester neighborhood. The sandwiches are still made in small batches, and Pollack has donated many to the Children’s Hospital of Richmond and other nonprofits.

A quote I live by: “A river cuts through rock, not because of its power but because of its persistence.” It reminds her, she says, that “anything can be accomplished with enough drive and persistence, even if it takes a little time,” and she shares the quote with everyone who works at Nightingale. “We can get over any obstacle thrown our way by keeping our focus and not giving up.”

On my business’ responsibility to the community: We are always striving to be better and do better. There are so many issues impacting businesses in our region and beyond; it’s important to keep informed and be open to change. One of our core values is continuous improvement, and I take that to heart in how I run the business on a daily basis.

ANGELA REDDIX

FOUNDER, CEO AND PRESIDENT, ARDX | ENVISION LEAD GROW | THE MUSTARD SEED PLACE, NORFOLK

The founder of Norfolk-based health care management and IT consulting company ARDX, Reddix has always stayed busy and engaged outside of work, too. In 2024, she opened The Mustard Seed Place in downtown Portsmouth, where she rents affordable business spaces to female entrepreneurs. She also runs a nonprofit known as Envision Lead Grow, which helps girls become successful entrepreneurs, and in 2022, she and her husband, Carl, donated $1.1 million to their alma mater, James Madison University, to establish the Reddix Center for First-Generation Students.

Next up is the Museum of Black Women Innovators, set to open later this year in Portsmouth next to The Mustard Seed Place.

“Across all my enterprises — whether it’s ARDX, Envision Lead Grow, The Mustard Seed Place or the Museum of Black Women Innovators — my mission is the same: to build spaces where people feel empowered, seen and supported,” Reddix says.

In addition to her degree from JMU, she has a master’s from Bowie State University and a doctorate from Oklahoma State University. Reddix founded ARDX as a health care consulting firm in 2006, and it has won federal contracts with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and employs more than 100 people. She also has served on the Norfolk State University School of Business advisory board and the United Way of South Hampton Roads’ foundation board.

A quote I live by: “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed … nothing will be impossible for you.” — Matthew 17:20. Faith, no matter how small, has the power to move mountains. I know that planting even the smallest seed of belief can grow into something world changing.

KIM SNYDER

CEO AND FOUNDER, KLARIVIS, ROANOKE

Snyder started KlariVis in 2019, but the seeds for the Inc. 5000 banking software venture were planted earlier. She and her founding executive team worked together at Valley Bank, a Roanoke-based community bank, “and that shared experience and deep connection to this region have shaped everything about who we are,” Snyder says.

KlariVis has grown significantly, raising $11 million in its Series B funding round in January 2024. Doubling its revenue and customer count year-over-year, the company has moved into a larger office in downtown Roanoke, which helps Snyder pursue a hire-local-first approach. Many of KlariVis’ investors also are from the Roanoke-Blacksburg area, she says.

A graduate of James Madison University and the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking, Snyder worked for Valley Bank for 10 years and previously was vice president of finance for another startup. She started her career at KPMG as a CPA.
In March, Snyder was named to Inc.’s annual Female Founders 500 list, recognizing women whose businesses generated significant revenue and funding, as well as making major industry and social impacts. KlariVis also was featured as one of American Banker’s best places to work in fintech.

Best advice I’ve received: Hire up. Surround yourself with people who challenge the status quo, complement your strengths and weaknesses, and bring diverse perspectives to the table. Never aim to be the smartest person in the room — because if you are, you’re in the wrong room.