PRESIDENT AND CEO, RGC RESOURCES AND ROANOKE GAS, ROANOKE
Founded in 1883, Roanoke Gas supplies natural gas to more than 60,000 customers in the Roanoke Valley, and RGC Midstream, one of parent company RGC Resources’ subsidiaries, owns a 1% interest in the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Nester was tapped in 2020 as president and CEO of RGC Resources, after serving as president of Roanoke Gas since 2019 and chief financial officer since 2012. After years of delay amid court actions, the 303-mile pipeline is now active in western Virginia, and Roanoke Gas now can supply natural gas to Franklin County’s Summit View site, with a new gate station built last year.
Outside of work, Nester is board chair for Total Action for Progress, a nonprofit assisting families in need across the Roanoke Valley and Allegheny Highlands. (Roanoke Gas has helped provide HVAC equipment for local residents to make their homes safer and more comfortable through TAP’s Healthy Homes Roanoke initiative.) Nester also is a past chair of the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce and served on the Roanoke Regional Partnership’s executive committee. “We feel a strong responsibility to serve and support the Roanoke Valley,” Nester says, because of his company’s “deep roots” in the region.
What I focus on: Our top priority and core value is safety, both for our employees and the public. Just behind safety, our second core value is customer services. Beyond that, we emphasize teamwork by supporting one another and stepping in where help is needed.
Created by a group of about 200 Black women and 20 men in 1938 through the Works Progress Administration, the Norfolk Botanical Garden has a long history in Hampton Roads — a legacy Schmidt is working to extend through the $40 million Garden of Tomorrow project set to open this fall. Schmidt, who joined the garden in 2019 as its chief financial officer and vice president of human resources, was named its president and CEO in 2023.
A CPA who worked for a global wine company and has more than 20 years of experience in finance, operations, strategy and team development, Schmidt is now overseeing NBG’s largest ever expansion, including a new entry pavilion and parking area, as well as a 26,000-square-foot conservatory for rare and threatened plants. He has also been instrumental in raising money for the Garden of Tomorrow expansion, reaching more than 1,700 donors.
Before joining NBG, Schmidt held executive positions at Treasury Wine Estates, including leading the $600 million integration of the Diageo wine brand after acquisition, and he was interim vice president of finance for Gymboree as it emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2017 and 2018.
A graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, Schmidt moved to Virginia when his wife took a job as a psychologist supporting the Navy.
On my organization and our role in the community: At Norfolk Botanical Garden, our focus is on creating experiences that nurture environmental learning, personal well-being and a deeper connection to the natural world. I also believe we have an opportunity and a responsibility to help position Hampton Roads as a destination of choice.
A retired Army colonel, Stephens joined the Hampton Roads Chamber as its leader in 2013. With a five-star accreditation by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the organization ranks among the top 1% of all chambers in the nation. Stephens is deeply involved in the coastal community, both through his job and serving 13 current appointments on boards, commissions and authorities, according to his nominator, Robert Pizzini, CEO of iFLY Virginia Beach and chair of the chamber’s board.
“The impact Bryan has goes beyond the Hampton Roads Chamber, as he is able to positively enact meaningful change through selfless service,” Pizzini writes. Stephens’ accomplishments at the chamber include developing Lead757, a civic leadership program, and creating a military advisory council to assist active duty and transitioning military members and their families.
A graduate of West Virginia University, the U.S. Army War College and Golden Gate University, Stephens was appointed by the governor to the Virginia Offshore Wind Development Authority. Before joining the chamber, he was president and CEO of Kalmar, a material handling equipment manufacturer in Texas. Before that, he had a distinguished 28-year career that included commands in Suffolk and Fort Drum, New York. Stephens is also a Lead Virginia alumnus.
Best advice I’ve ever received: Never settle for average! My favorite quote is one of Vince Lombardi’s: “The quality of an organization is in direct proportion to its commitment to excellence.” We’ve inculcated that philosophy into our culture.
Born in Mexico City, Zajur landed in Richmond with his family in the 1960s and worked at his family’s restaurant, La Siesta, which stayed in business for more than three decades, becoming a hub for Hispanic community life in Richmond. In 2000, Zajur founded the Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which he still leads.
“I’m committed to building strategic partnerships across the public and private sectors to tackle challenges and uncover new opportunities,” he says. “Through our chamber, we empower Hispanic-owned businesses and professionals by providing access to knowledge, education, mentorship and vital connections that open doors.”
Zajur, who has been appointed to numerous commissions and task forces by several governors, also started the Virginia Hispanic Foundation in 2003 to provide resources to the Latino community. For 24 years, the Hispanic chamber has hosted Richmond’s ¿Qué Pasa? Festival, a free event featuring music and dance performances, food and artisans, and last year, the chamber held a second festival in Herndon. The chamber also started Trabaja VA, a workforce initiative to connect employers with bilingual workers.
The chamber’s 2024 annual report notes that there are more than 42,000 Hispanic-owned businesses in Virginia, with Latinos making up more than 11% of the state’s population and 10.7% of its labor force.
Best advice I ever received: “Never forget where you come from.” As an immigrant, a business owner and now president of the Virginia Hispanic Chamber, I carry the values, struggles and resilience of my roots. I lead with empathy because I’ve walked in the shoes of many of the people we serve.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Since 2020, Conston has led Virginia’s second largest community college, which encompasses four Hampton Roads campuses in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach, as well as online learning programs. For the 2023-24 academic year, more than 23,000 students enrolled at TCC, up from 17,000 in 2020, and according to early reports, the college this spring saw its highest rate of enrollment growth since 2012.
Before coming to Virginia, Conston was a vice president at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, North Carolina, and she started her career at her alma mater, Mississippi’s Jackson State University. With an increasing focus on the state’s community college system as a training ground for skilled workers, TCC expanded its Portsmouth-based Skilled Trades Academy in 2024, providing more space for students to learn shipfitting, electrical and HVAC skills, among other in-demand career paths. Conston also has been instrumental in TCC’s winning of $3.7 million in grants to expand educational opportunities.
Conston serves on the board of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges’ accreditation body and chairs the Virginia Community College System’s strategic planning committee. In addition to earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Jackson State and Hood Theological Seminary, Conston holds a doctorate from the University of Southern Mississippi. She also has been active in civic organizations such as Virginia Beach Vision, the Hampton Roads Workforce Council and the Virginia Arts Festival board.
A quote I live by: “Be the woman who fixes another woman’s crown without telling the world it was crooked.” — Amy Morin, psychotherapist and author.
In 2022, Danilowicz arrived at Radford, having served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Florida Atlantic University and dean of Oklahoma State University’s College of Arts and Sciences. He’s made his mark in fundraising, pulling in a record $106 million for 2024’s Together campaign at Radford. He also oversaw the opening of the Artis Center for Adaptive Innovation and Creativity, the university’s largest capital construction project.
Danilowicz also has overseen an enrollment increase to more than 7,800 students in fall 2024, a one-year, 29% increase that marked the university’s second highest gain since 1975 and a turnaround after three years of declining enrollment. Much of this growth was achieved through Radford’s direct admission and tuition support initiatives, and Danilowicz also has streamlined transfers for students from eight Virginia community colleges. In 2024, Radford’s nursing school was upgraded to the College of Nursing, making Radford the only four-year public university in Virginia with a standalone nursing college. Danilowicz also has been involved in boosting economic development in the city of Radford, including adding a university economic development center, The Hub at Radford.
A graduate of Utica College of Syracuse University, England’s Open University and Georgia Southern University, Danilowicz also holds a doctorate in zoology from Duke University.
How I foster a positive culture: It starts with ensuring that every employee sees a future at the university — one where they can grow, contribute meaningfully and expand their impact over time. Equally important is cultivating a sense of pride in the organization, and supporting work-life balance is just as critical.
Miller joined independent liberal-arts college Virginia Wesleyan as its president in 2015, after having served as president of West Virginia’s Bethany College, Wesley College in Delaware and Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee. With a total of 34 years leading higher education institutions, he’s among the nation’s most experienced university leaders.
According to Miller’s chief of staff, Kelly Cordova, Miller has raised more than $400 million for his four institutions, and at Virginia Wesleyan, he oversaw the creation of a 10-year campus master plan, a capital campaign strategy and an academic plan while growing the university’s endowment from $53 million in 2015 to $126 million in 2021. The school also has added a campus in Tokyo in partnership with a Japanese university and constructed the new Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art at VWU.
A Philadelphia native, Miller has degrees from West Virginia Wesleyan College, the University of Dayton and Vanderbilt University, and received his doctorate from Union Institute & University. Miller, who worked as a journalist early in his career, also is known for penning op-eds on occasion for The Virginian-Pilot, HuffPost and other publications. Over the past two decades, he’s also been executive editor of “President to President” and “Presidential Perspectives,” online series of essays by college presidents that resulted in 22 books.
On responsibility to the university and the community: We have both a responsibility and an opportunity to contribute to the economic vitality and workforce development of the region. Through my leadership roles with Virginia Beach Vision and the Hampton Roads Chamber, we are able to deepen our institutional engagement and expand our impact.
Vienna-based Aldrich Capital Partners poured $107 million — its largest investment since its founding in 2014 — into Massachusetts digital health startup Persivia, the latter announced in late April. The funding, part of a recapitalization, gives Persivia the runway and structure it needs to launch a national growth strategy. It should also help the company add to its sales team over the next year and launch new technologies for health systems. Aldrich invests in health care and financial services tech companies, usually ones with at least $5 million in revenue. (Washington Business Journal)
Richmond investment advisory firm Cary Street Partners Financial took on private equity backing to support future growth. Terms of the investment from Chicago-based CIVC Partners, announced in mid-April, were not disclosed. The deal also allows Cary Street Partners to pay out some of its long-standing outside investors, and roughly half the firm will be owned by company insiders when the deal closes. Cary Street Partners said the infusion of money will help it fuel organic expansion as well as take on strategic acquisitions to enhance its national footprint and service capabilities. (Richmond Inno)
Manassas-based aviation startup Electra.aero announced April 24 it has secured $115 million in Series B funding to enter the preproduction and certification phase of its EL9 model, a hybrid ultra-short aircraft that can take off and land in
150 feet. The round was led by Prysm Capital, a New Jersey-headquartered growth equity firm. Prysm’s co-founder and managing partner, Jay Park, has joined Electra’s board. Additionally, in May, Electra announced Max Ochoa joined the company as chief financial officer. He was previously CFO and general counsel at Satelles. (VirginiaBusiness.com)
Richmond life sciences laboratory product company Grenova said in mid-April it had completed a new round of growth equity capital, although the company did not disclose the amount of new funding. Connecticut’s Peloton Equity — Grenova’s majority owner — and Pennsylvania’s Hamilton Lane, as well as other existing investors, led the round. Grenova manufactures technology that washes and sterilizes devices used in diagnostics testing so they can be reused. The company said it intends to use the funding to enhance its automation portfolio, expand its research and development and build up its team. (Richmond Inno)
Seventeen small business owners from across Northern Virginia participated in the BizLaunch PitchFest Finale. The pitch competition, hosted by Arlington Economic Development’s BizLaunch division in partnership with SCORE and the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, was the culmination of the monthslong BizLaunch Transformational Challenge. Specialty coffee business Red Bean Harvest, led by Maria Martinez, won the top award, receiving $2,500. Diljee, led by Havil Mitra and Isabella Russian, took second place, securing $1,000. The startup category winner, which receives $1,000, was AI workflow automation company Quantum Rhodes, led by Justin Lewis. Law firm YH Global Immigration, led by Yalda Hajavi, won $500 as the honorable mention. (News release)
University of Mary Washington seniors Taylor Munger, Katie Reif and Helen Worku won first place and $2,500 in UMW’s College of Business’ Eagle Innovation StartUp Pitch Competition held in early April for their Flossypik dental flosser. The trio plan to produce the mobility-friendly tooth-cleaning tool in various colors with stickers and apply for a patent. Second place, which receives a $1,500 prize, went to Joey Welsh for Electric Thrillz, which he developed with Cody Faust. The project proposes a rental service for motorized scooters. David Fitzgerald, Themba Martin-Weiler and Max McCusker claimed third, winning $500 for Zip Rugby and their plan to launch uniform apparel. (News release)
The top five most-read daily news stories on VirginiaBusiness.com from April 11 through May 11 included news of infighting between state Republicans, as John Reid refused Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s call to drop out of the lieutenant governor race.
The U.S. Department of Justice issued a directive calling on the university’s administration to provide evidence on its progress in dissolving and dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. (April 30)
Former conservative radio talk show host John Reid resisted the governor’s call to drop out of the race, characterizing allegations that Reid posted images of nude men on Tumblr as “a total fabricated internet lie.” (April 25)
Amazon.com downgraded its confidence in meeting a goal of creating 25,000 jobs at its Arlington East Coast headquarters by 2038. (April 21)
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