September 2023 Out and About

1.  Virginia Western Community College Associate Professor Jenifer Kurtz helped situate bee colonies into a new home on campus this spring. In July, VWCC announced it had become an affiliate of conservation program Bee Campus USA. Photo by Amy White.  2.  L to R: Frankie Holland, Bob Wilkin, Frank Garrett, Benita Jordan, Ginny Coleman, Ralph Thompson, Lou-Jane Basham, Peggy Pearcy, Jan Green, Linda Cronise, Judy Bower and Lee Spicer from Friendship Retirement Community volunteered at Rescue Mission of Roanoke on June 27. Photo by Pat Walters. 3.  Patice L. Holland, a principal with Woods Rogers Vandeventer Black, attended the Virginia Bar Association’s summer meeting July 20-22 at The Omni Homestead Resort. Photo courtesy VBA. (Editor’s note: Virginia Business Publisher Bernie Niemeier serves on the VBA Committee on Special Issues of National and State Importance.)  4. L to R: On Aug. 8, Caroline County Supervisor Jeff Sili, Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Caren Merrick, Gov. Glenn Youngkin, M.C. Dean CEO Bill Dean, Caroline County Board of Supervisors Chairman Floyd Thomas, U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger and state Sen. Richard Stuart cut the ribbon on a new 168,000-square-foot building on M.C. Dean’s Caroline County campus. Photo courtesy M.C. Dean.  5. L to R: Roshan Roeder, Northrop Grumman’s defense systems sector president and corporate vice president, moderated a conversation with Northrop Grumman President, CEO and Chair Kathy Warden and Virginia Tech President Tim Sands during the CHIPS for Virginia Summit on July 18. Photo courtesy Northrop Grumman.  6. L to R: Martinsville Mayor LC Jones, Henry County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jim Adams, The Harvest Foundation President Kate Keller, Henry County Industrial Development Authority Chairman Len Dillon and Henry County Board of Supervisors Vice Chairman Joe Bryant celebrate the foundation’s $6 million investment in Commonwealth Crossing Business Centre, announced July 11. Photo courtesy The Harvest Foundation. 7.  L to R: Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Matthew Lohr, Plenty CEO Arama Kukutai, Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Caren Merrick and Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors Chair Kevin Carroll at the July 31 groundbreaking for Plenty’s Chesterfield County indoor vertical farm. Photo courtesy Chesterfield County. 8. L to R: Mark Johnson, Truist Financial community development manager; Truist Virginia Regional President Thomas Ransom; Urban Strategies Inc. (USI) President Esther Shin; and Julian Wyatt, USI CDFI loan fund manager, attended a July 25 event in Norfolk announcing Truist Foundation’s $1.5 million grant to USI. Photo courtesy Truist.  9. L to R: Cynthia Boone, Charles City County’s economic development and tourism manager; Surry County Supervisor Judy Lyttle; James City County Supervisor Ruth Larson; Virginia Tourism Corp. President and CEO Rita McClenny; Hopewell City Councilor Rita Joyner; and Yoti Jabri, Prince George County’s economic development director, cut the ribbon on the 5 & Dime scenic driving trail on Aug. 3. Photo by Veda McMullen.  10. Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney spoke at the July 17 announcement of the city and Venture Richmond’s expansion of the Downtown Service District to include Manchester. Photo courtesy Venture Richmond. 11. L to R: W. Craig Harley Jr., executive director of the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA); Jackie Crotts, Richmond Department of Emergency Communications, Preparedness and Response’s (DECPR) deputy director of technology; Tory Maye, DECPR’s deputy director of operations; Kenya Washington, DECPR’s professional standards and development manager; DECPR Director Stephen Willoughby; and CALEA Commissioner Marlon Lynch display the accreditation for Richmond’s 911 emergency communications center on July 27. Photo courtesy CALEA.