The county’s board of supervisors voted unanimously April 14 to remove utility-scale solar projects as an allowable land use, allowing three projects in the application pipeline to continue seeking approval before closing the window to future developments.
The move comes as Mecklenburg, like several other rural Virginia localities, has pushed back on solar development, calling the projects a blight on rural land that has led to runoff in waterways and complaining that promised financial benefits either haven’t come to fruition or aren’t worthwhile. Legislation in the Virginia General Assembly that would have curtailed attempts by localities to limit solar development — seen as essential in reaching state carbon-free electricity mandates while also helping power the state’s massive data center industry — failed earlier this year.
Mecklenburg Supervisor David Brankley, whose district includes three solar projects that are either already in operation or nearing completion, says his constituents overwhelmingly oppose more solar developments after bad experiences with two projects, saying they’re unsightly.
“They just hadn’t got the panels in sync,” Brankley says. “It looks like a mess.”
Mecklenburg set a cap on solar development at 2,325 acres in 2023, and with three projects already approved totaling more than half of that, the county has room for only two of the three proposed solar projects — which each hover around 500 acres — before maxing out. In late April, the planning commission denied one of those projects, Antlers Road Solar, proposed by Texas-based RWE Clean Energy, saying it didn’t comply with its comprehensive plan.
RWE has sued the county over a previous application rejection, though no actions have gone forward, says Mecklenburg Administrator Alex Gottschalk. RWE declined to comment.
Another project, 7 Bridges Solar, a proposed 80-megawatt solar farm by Boston-based Longroad Energy, was rejected by county super- visors in a May 12 vote.
Mecklenburg’s diverse economy — among its largest employers is VCU Community Memorial Hospital in South Hill — means it doesn’t need to rely on solar farms for revenue, says Gottschalk. Mecklenburg is also home to the popular John H. Kerr Reservoir and Lake Gaston.
“Those lakes have provided us with a stronger and more substantial real estate base than other communities have had, and it’s also provided us with more tourism and more consumer-based spending,” he says.
CEO: Amit Singh Founded: 2021 Capital raised: $1.6 million Employees: 5 Service provided: Fusion energy
What makes your company different?
Most fusion approaches are strictly magnetic confinement using superconducting magnets or inertial confinement using megajoule lasers. By combining the ability to magnetize fusion fuel with compression in a hybrid magneto-inertial approach, NearStar greatly simplifies the path to fusion power plants.
Specific features that set NearStar apart are: 1) Plasma railgun. 2) Deuterium fuel rather than tritium. 3) Fuel capsules’ proprietary design. 4) Liquid first wall — using a molten lead to absorb heat and neutrons from fusion implosions.
The pitch:
Demand for clean, robust and affordable electricity is growing at an unsustainable pace. NearStar Fusion is developing scalable and modular fusion power plants (50-100 megawatts) using hypervelocity plasma railguns. The railgun design offers unique advantages over conventional fusion approaches by combining the abilities to compress and magnetize hydrogen fuel at over 22,000 mph! Our world-class team has decades of plasma physics experience, including building best-in-class plasma jets for fusion experiments at Los Alamos, New Mexico. Using existing commercial-off-the-shelf materials and technologies, the NearStar power plant can scale globally without requiring expensive R&D for tritium breeding, first-wall materials and refueling mechanisms. NearStar Fusion is ideal for retrofitting the heat source in hydrocarbon power plants or delivering off-grid baseload electricity for data centers, heavy industry and military installations. NearStar Fusion is building a future of peace and prosperity for generations.
Jacob R. Tucker. Photo by Will Schermerhorn
EMPATHIXAI
ARLINGTON COUNTY
Co-founders: Ashley E. Sherry (CEO) and Jacob R. Tucker (CTO) Founded: 2023 Capital raised: $20,000 Employees: 2 Service provided: Full-cycle market research powered by AI
What makes your company different?
Most people think qualitative market research at the scale of surveys is impossible — outlandish, even. Traditional thinking says you can either have depth (qualitative insights) or scale (survey-level data), but not both. We reject that tradeoff. Our AI isn’t a chatbot summarizing responses — it’s the new horizon of AI specialist models (patent pending) trained like an expert interviewer, designed to elicit real behavioral insights at scale. On the back end, we don’t just display anecdotes; we use scientifically rigorous methods to ensure representative samples and recover the true qualitative distribution, just like you’d expect from high-quality survey research.
It’s a wild idea: deep quality research that’s as rigorous, repeatable and confidence-driven as quantitative. But that’s the next frontier — and we’re already there.
The pitch:
EmpathixAI is a new kind of market research firm — one that delivers deep custom insights in days, not months. Our proprietary interviewer, CultureChat, uses AI to conduct deep, qualitative interviews for market research at the scale and speed of online surveys. With it, clients gain insights from interviews with representative samples of real people in their target audiences. Our probability-based algorithms then look across every interview to make sure you understand exactly what matters in your data.
Courtney Krstich (R) and Peter Quan.. Photo by Will Schermerhorn
EARTHAPRO
HAYMARKET
Co-founders: Courtney Krstich (head of growth) and Peter Quan (head of technology and product) Founded: 2023 Capital raised: $0 Employees: 2 Service provided: A simplified management software for small lawn care and landscaping businesses
What makes your company different?
EarthaPro is specifically designed for ease of use and tailored to the lawn care industry. Many existing software solutions in this space feel inaccessible to most business owners — either they are overloaded with features or priced too high for small businesses. In this highly fragmented industry, 90% of U.S. lawn care companies are considered small, yet most lawn care software caters to the top 10% in size. EarthaPro stands out as one of the few lawn care-specific software solutions made in the USA, built to serve the businesses that need it most.
The pitch:
EarthaPro is a simplified lawn care and landscaping management software designed for small businesses. We are a family-owned company, proud to be 100% made in the United States and built entirely in-house. Krstich, head of growth, is a highly accomplished salesperson with years of experience in the lawn and garden industry. She has traveled across the U.S., working with independent garden centers, Lowe’s, Home Depot and other retailers with lawn care centers. Quan, head of technology and product, has over 10 years of full-stack software development experience at companies like Microsoft and Capital One Financial. EarthaPro is part of Lighthouse Labs Batch 18 and the Startup Virginia Incubator.
Justin Ayars. Photo by Jay Paul
EQUALITYMD
RICHMOND
Founder and CEO: Justin Ayars Founded: 2023 Capital raised: $903,500 Employees: 6 Service provided: LGBTQ+ inclusive telehealth and prescription fulfillment services
What makes your company different?
Our national provider network is required to complete evidence-based cultural competency training. Unlike our two primary competitors, EqualityMD serves the entire LGBTQ+ community AND our straight allies. Our team has lived the problem we’re solving and has vast, pre-existing networks and partnerships across America. We transform new patient journey data analytics into robust, AI-powered actionable insights. In late May, EqualityMD partnered with LGBTQ+ Victory Institute to provide health care services to LGBTQ+ elected officials nationwide.
The pitch:
EqualityMD’s LGBTQ+ inclusive telehealth and prescription fulfillment platform enables marginalized patients to enjoy affordable, affirming care in safe digital spaces. We’re a low-cost safety net for uninsured LGBTQ+ people and allies. We’re also a fantastic solution to those who already have insurance and small and medium-sized businesses. When patients use their insurance plans along with EqualityMD, they enjoy tremendous savings and uncanny freedom in how they receive care. Our cash-pay model accommodates both B2C and B2B2C customers. We operate in all 50 states and serve any patient over the age of 18. We capture new patient journey data that health care companies need from the invisible LGBTQ+ patient population (approximately 30 million Americans) but can’t access due to the community’s profound distrust of health care institutions after enduring generations of discrimination. We transform this data into AI-powered actionable insights that will drive institutional reforms and advance health equity at scale.
Keya Wingfield. Photo by Shandell Taylor
KEYA’S SNACKS
RICHMOND
Founder and CEO: Keya Wingfield Founded: 2024; relaunched in 2025 Capital raised: $100,000 Employees: 2 Service provided: Consumer packaged goods — salty snacks
What makes your company different?
Leveraging heritage on beloved American snacks. A soft introduction into culture and complex flavors. Our salty snacks are made with clean ingredients, single origin organic spices from India and potatoes from America — it’s my Indian American dream. We make two flavors currently: Bombay Spice and Black Salt. Nothing like this exists in the market. My snack company is here to bridge the gap and fill in the white space in mass retail aisles.
The pitch:
This year, we’ve re-launched for scale, with professional packaging, single origin organic spices from India and potatoes from America. Our label is clean. We buy whole and fresh single origin spices from farmers in India. We then dry them, grind, blend and make our seasoning, no additives, fillers, colors, preservatives. Just a clean joyful flavorful snack. We have three more chip flavors in the pipeline in addition to these two and hope to expand across multiple categories! “Built on flavor, backed by culture” [is] our motto. Our branding is customer-first focused and involves a lot of storytelling. I’m also a Food Network champion and understand both American and Indian palates fully. A potato chip with a point of view!
Bretton Key. Photo by Mark Rhodes
MY DATE JAR
VIRGINIA BEACH
Founder: Bretton Key Founded: 2021 Capital raised: $68,000 Employees: 1 Service provided: For customers, event plans and itineraries. For business clients, advertising, marketing and data analytics
What makes your company different?
We’ve built an integrated platform that doesn’t just suggest ideas — it delivers a complete, actionable experience. Our solution engages users on multiple fronts, ensuring every recommendation is tailored, actionable and easily bookable. On the business side, we empower local venues and tourism partners with data-driven marketing tools and direct customer acquisition. This dual focus on end users and business clients, combined with our nationwide scalability and SWaM certification, uniquely positions My Date Jar to drive rapid growth and sustainable success.
The pitch:
Are you tired of spending hours planning a memorable night out? My Date Jar simplifies experience planning by delivering personalized, curated recommendations through channels like SMS, email and our intuitive on-demand app. We serve busy couples, social explorers and solo adventurers while empowering local tourism, attractions, destination and hospitality businesses to connect with high-intent customers. Our multichannel offerings include HART, an AI tool that creates simple, on-demand itineraries. With over 3,000 active users and 12,000-plus experiences delivered nationwide, our proven platform drives repeat engagement and measurable results for our partners. Invest in My Date Jar to help transform everyday outings into unforgettable memories while fueling huge growth for both our consumer base and business clients.
Cory McCoy. Photo by Mark Rhodes
OASIS HEALTH GROUP
VIRGINIA BEACH
Founder: Cory McCoy Founded: 2023 Capital raised: $11,000 Employees: 5 Service provided: Holistic health and wellness services
What makes your company different?
Oasis Health bridges all the gaps created by traditional big box gyms and fitness centers to further enhance each member’s experience and well-being. Unlike traditional gyms, Oasis Health integrates several holistic wellness services under one membership instead of focusing on one singular service. A commitment to community is also fostered through our partnered mental health support groups and free community workouts.
The pitch:
The demand for high-quality fitness and wellness experiences is rising, and Oasis Health Group provides an experience no other fitness center in Hampton Roads offers: On-site mental health therapy/counseling and unlimited personal training under one roof. We deliver high-quality, comprehensive services that reduce costs while improving client outcomes. Daily and/or monthly exercise consistency is rewarded with a monetary discount each month, applicable to the following month’s membership fee. Integrating this innovative model into our business simultaneously improves our clients’ financial, physical and mental health. Oasis Health aims to capitalize on the current global wellness trends with our holistic approach to all pillars of wellness. With a proven track record of operational excellence and organic growth, Oasis Health is positioned for rapid expansion in a market projected to exceed $7 trillion globally by 2025.
Samantha Chin. Photo by Shandell Taylor
ONSUNDAYS
RICHMOND
Founder: Samantha Chin Founded: 2024 Capital raised: $25,000 Employees: 1 Service provided: Fashion-forward tennis and pickleball apparel and accessories
What makes your company different?
Instead of preppy pleats and patterned polos, OnSundays is reimagining tennis and pickleball apparel with a modern streetwear aesthetic. Our clean, tailored designs symbolize a version of self-expression, style and comfort that’s currently missing from the game. OnSundays is embracing a direct-to-consumer approach, leveraging e-commerce, social media and strategic pop-ups to build a grassroots following before expanding into select retail partnerships. This model will allow us to scale while maintaining authenticity and connection with our customers.
The pitch:
OnSundays is revolutionizing tennis and pickleball apparel by blending streetwear aesthetics with athletic functionality. We’re tapping into the $350 million racquet apparel market, focusing on young, fashion-forward athletes who seek self-expression, inclusivity and a sense of community. OnSundays designs gender-neutral, stylish apparel and accessories for both competitive play and casualwear. Our products aim to include innovative solutions like intuitive ball storage and advanced moisture-management fabrics to address athletes’ common challenges. In the six months leading into March, we achieved key milestones including product design completion, strategic manufacturing partnerships and initiating a direct-to-consumer strategy that leverages social media and local community events. As we prepare for online expansion, OnSundays is not just selling apparel; we’re fostering a movement where fashion meets function, empowering athletes to excel and express themselves without compromise.
Aliyah Desautels. Photo by Jay Paul
OTTERWISE
RICHMOND
Founder and CEO: Aliyah Desautels Founded: 2024 Capital raised: $0 Employees: 2 Service provided: Talent vetting and development
What makes your company different?
Unlike traditional hiring platforms, Otterwise reveals candidates’ real-world skills, behaviors and potential by observing how they work on live projects. This hands-on approach reduces hiring risks for employers while giving candidates the insights they need to confidently pursue the right career path.
The pitch:
Hiring shouldn’t feel like a blind date — but for startups, it often does. Without clear insights into a candidate’s real potential, employers hire the wrong candidate about 80% of the time, with turnover costing half of the hire’s salary. Otterwise is an AI-supported platform that helps startups test-drive candidates for behaviors, working styles, strengths and growth areas, while equipping them with practical skills to contribute faster. By observing candidates as they work on live projects, both candidates and employers can collaborate risk-free before making a commitment. This approach leads to better hiring insights for employers and gives candidates the information they need to confidently pursue the right career path. Our unique model increases career readiness by 60% and reduces turnover risk by 40%.
Michael Miller (L) and Dr. Jessica Gilbertie. Photo by Natalee Waters
QENTOROS
BLACKSBURG
CEO: Michael Miller Founder: Dr. Jessica Gilbertie Founded: 2022 Capital raised: $595,000 Employees: 8 Service provided: Developing a novel biotherapeutic for treating septic arthritis and osteoarthritis
What makes your company different?
Qentoros’ focus is on developing a biologically derived treatment for inflammatory conditions, called Bio-Ply, with initial targets to veterinary patients and then moving into human treatment. The technical approach has been proven in pre-clinical trials to perform significantly better than even combinations of other treatments. In veterinary applications, Bio-Ply has been shown to be 100% effective in the treatment of septic arthritic joints in equine patients, restoring the majority to pre-injury health and competitive status and rescuing the remainder from certain euthanasia.
The pitch:
Bio-Ply has been wildly effective in treating numerous veterinary patients with inflammatory conditions for which all other treatments had failed. It has applications in equine operations, especially with thoroughbred racehorses and their foals. Markets for equine treatments are significant but represent a minority position in comparison to the addressable market sizes for companion animals and farm animals, especially in treating mastitis in cows. The National Institutes of Health has provided $600,000 in grant funding to demonstrate potential for human applications, and a corporate partner has provided $500,000 of nonequity support to assist in achieving FDA compliance. We seek $1.5 million in additional funding to complete the manufacturing scaleup and finalize FDA approval within the next 18 to 24 months.
Julia Halterman. Photo by Norm Shafer
SALIVIQ DIAGNOSTICS
HARRISONBURG
Founder and CEO: Julia Halterman Founded: 2024 Capital raised: $170,000 Employees: 2 Service provided: Developing highly accurate saliva-based diagnostic tests
What makes your company different?
As an innovative and agile startup, SalivIQ Diagnostics creates value through our ability to be flexible and make key decisions quickly. Our patent-pending diagnostic technology allows us to be first movers in the saliva diagnostics space, and we are harnessing the expertise of a strong team and great industry partners to remain nimble and build a high-quality product.
The pitch:
SalivIQ Diagnostics is transforming the future of disease detection with game-changing, saliva-based tests. Our flagship product, SalivIQ Strep A, delivers a highly accurate, noninvasive alternative to traditional throat swabs. We’re leading the way as pioneers in the saliva diagnostics space, offering breakthrough tests for strep, COVID/flu, and mono. With a $50 million-plus annual market opportunity by capturing just 10% of our target market, we’re primed for rapid growth. Early adoption at urgent and primary care practices will drive expansion into hospitals and integrated delivery networks, unlocking a total addressable market of $1.7 billion. The benefits are clear: Providers like the high accuracy and increased revenue, payers like low-cost solutions that decrease the overall cost of care, and patients prefer the comfort of saliva tests over invasive throat swabs. With proven results, patent-pending IP and a strong team, we’re moving quickly through FDA clearance to bring our groundbreaking product to market.
Kelsey Robertson. Photo by Hannah King
TECHNISTA
RINGGOLD
CEO: Kelsey Robertson Founded: 2021 Capital raised: $1.559 million (to establish a national training and technology center, part of a Defense Department contract) Employees: 12 Service provided: Curriculum development and educational consulting
What makes your company different?
Our truly comprehensive, turnkey curriculum solution is designed to seamlessly integrate into K-12 classrooms. Unlike many others, TECHnista doesn’t just provide lesson plans and other instructional resources, but offers a full range of services, including identifying industrial-grade equipment, designing lab layouts and creating detailed pacing guides. What truly sets TECHnista apart is the unique blend of technical experts in various manufacturing fields paired with educators who have extensive K-12 classroom experience.
The pitch:
At TECHnista, we bridge the gap between K-12 education and the manufacturing industry. Our team combines K-12 classroom experience with industry expertise to create innovative curricula that meet the technical demands of modern manufacturing. This blend allows us to deliver engaging, technically rigorous educational programs that make learning enjoyable for students and rewarding for educators. Our team has developed and executed nationally recognized manufacturing training programs, successfully training thousands of learners from K-12 students to adult professionals. We’re committed to preparing the next generation for a rapidly evolving workforce. At TECHnista, we inspire a passion for technology and manufacturing, equipping students with the skills and knowledge they need to excel in tomorrow’s industries.
UPDATE: This story originally ran in the June 2025 issue. The 1.5-mile section of U.S. 58 mentioned here reopened May 22, after the June issue’s press deadline.
The road repairs on U.S. 58 can’t be completed soon enough for Teresa Dell, whose gas station and country store have seen a big drop in business since Hurricane Helene destroyed 1 1/2 miles of the curvy mountain highway in Washington County last September.
“We’re at the end of a road not going anywhere,” says Dell, whose Konnarock Store & Gas usually serves visitors to the Virginia Creeper Trail and other outdoorsy places in the vicinity of Damascus, a small town that has become a recreation destination for Appalachian Trail thru-hikers, bicyclists and campers.
As of late April, U.S. 58 repairs — estimated to cost approximately $7 million — were set to be completed in May, about five months ahead of schedule, according to Michelle Earl, communications manager for the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Bristol District.
The road’s reopening will come as a relief to commuters whose usual 10-to-15-mile trips from the eastern part of the county toward Damascus have become 30-mile detours along winding country roads.
More damaging to the Damascus economy than U.S. 58’s closure has been the devastation along the Virginia Creeper Trail, says town manager Chris Bell.
More than 200,000 people annually use the trail and visit Damascus, which has experienced an outdoors tourism boom in recent decades. Restaurants, a brewery, bike shops and more than 80 bed-and-breakfasts have sprouted in recent years to serve visitors.
The Damascus-to-Whitetop Station trail section, an easy 17-mile downhill ride popular with families, suffered heavy damage during Helene’s wrath, including the destruction of 18 bridges. The trail is still open west of Damascus to Abingdon, Bell says, but visitation, especially overnight lodging, hasn’t bounced back yet.
Lisa Quigley, the Virginia Creeper Trail Conservancy’s executive director, says 58’s reopening will ease access for crews working on remote parts of the trail.
“All the repairs have been dependent on getting 58 up and running,” she says.
The Creeper Trail contributes nearly $13 million in annual visitor spending along its route, with Damascus earning $6 million in meals and lodging taxes from visitors, according to a Virginia Tech report. “Without trail tourism revenue,” the report’s authors wrote, “the town could see millions of lost tax dollars.”
The sooner the trail is reopened the better, says Dell, whose Konnarock Store relies on tourists. “There’s not enough local traffic to keep the country stores going,” she says.
A $4.9 million grant from the commonwealth will allow leaders from the Roanoke and New River valleys to build upon efforts by Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and the Fralin Biomedical Institute at VTC to turn the region into a hub for biomedical research.
“As we build the biotech sector, this statewide grant will help us where we have gaps,” explains Erin Burcham, CEO of the Roanoke Blacksburg Innovation Alliance (RBIA), a regional economic development organization.
The money is a slice of a $14.3 million pie from state economic development initiative GO Virginia to fund the multiregional Project VITAL (Virginia Innovations and Technology Advancements in Life Sciences), an endeavor to make Virginia a biotechnology leader.
With its $4.9 million cut, GO Virginia Region 2, which encompasses a swath of the state stretching southwest from Lynchburg to Pulaski County, plans to expand regional work in medical devices, oncology therapeutic research and neurotechnology. The effort will be spearheaded by leaders from RBIA, Virginia Tech and Carilion Clinic.
Virginia Tech plans to increase the number of research teams participating in the university’s proof of concept program, which assists researchers with pursuing commercialization of technologies harnessed in their labs.
VT will also “elevate programming and mentoring” for its Fralin Health Sciences and Technology Commercialization Fellows Program, Burcham says. That program is open to VT researchers who conduct health sciences and technology-related research and who are interested in developing products for commercialization.
Meanwhile, Carilion’s innovation team will develop resources to help inventors and companies in navigating complicated compliance and regulatory processes. Carilion will also make its Human Factors Lab, which explores human capabilities and limitations in the context of workplace processes, available to outside companies.
Virginia Western Community College and the Blue Ridge Partnership for Health Science Careers will apply Project VITAL funding toward efforts to bring biotechnology programming to kindergarten though high school students, an effort to develop the biomedical workforce of tomorrow.
All in all, the GO Virginia Region 2 Project VITAL effort has a goal of creating 1,315 jobs over five years, generating an economic impact of $40.8 million for the region, according to Burcham.
In late April, GOP lieutenant governor candidate John Reid posted a highly atypical campaign video on X.
His political enemies within the party, Reid alleged, were staging a “coordinated character assassination attempt to force [him as] the first openly gay candidate off the Republican statewide ticket.”
Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Reid said, had asked him to exit the race after someone brought to Youngkin’s attention the existence of a Tumblr blog with the same handle Reid uses on social media that contained — gasp! — photos of nude men! (Oh my! Excuse us while we fan ourselves dramatically à la comedian Jon Stewart.)
The former conservative talk radio host and son of the late longtime Henrico County state Del. Jack Reid is adamant that the blog, which dated to 2020, isn’t his. As an openly gay Republican and a public figure for years on Richmond radio and TV, he’s the victim of political dirty tricks, says Reid, who is staying in the race.
Calling the matter “a total fabricated internet lie,” Reid further said, “It’s not my place to judge others, so I won’t, but I haven’t publicly performed or publicly posted anything pornographic. Have I seen porn? Yes. Have I had one-night stands? Yes.”
Maybe the blog is Reid’s and maybe it isn’t. You’d need someone with forensic computing skills far exceeding mine to make that determination.
But does it matter? Does it have anything to do with Reid’s qualifications for the job or his policy stances? Would it interfere with his ability to hold office?
It seems a bit disingenuous that we as Americans somehow act as if politicians belong to an upright, moral class far above us mere mortals when all the evidence presented to us for literally centuries speaks otherwise.
After all, Reid is hardly the first politician in the nation — or even Virginia — to be accused by opponents of salacious personal behavior. We don’t even have to go that far back — just to 2023 when Democratic state House candidate Susanna Gibson left the race after it came out that she had solicited tips for performing sex acts with her husband on a streaming internet site.
And the White House is far from pure on this front, either. Take Thomas Jefferson and the enslaved Sally Hemings. Or Grover Cleveland and the child he had out of wedlock. Or the indiscretions of Woodrow Wilson, FDR, JFK or Bill Clinton. Or the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., who was convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to conceal a hush payment to a porn star, not to mention the $88.3 million verdict in a sexual abuse and defamation lawsuit he’s appealing.
As the Bible says, “There is nothing new under the sun.”
Beyond moral or ethical considerations, there is an argument that a tawdry personal life could leave an elected official ripe for blackmail by foreign enemies or other unsavory actors. But that would require shame — a commodity in short supply in a world of social media influencers and George Santos.
Personally, I’d much rather focus on the propriety of a public official say, accepting stacks of gold bars and a Mercedes-Benz from Egypt and Qatar, gifts that will see former Sen. Bob Menendez, D-New Jersey, report to federal prison this summer.
Instead of the media worrying about the state of President Donald Trump‘s third marriage and why Melania has been largely absent from the White House, can we focus more on his intention to accept Qatar’s gift of a $400 million luxury jumbo jet to replace Air Force One? Or how he’s using the White House as the venue for a cryptocurrency moneymaking scheme? Or how about his administration’s stated goal of suspending habeas corpus? Or anything policy related, for that matter?
Because, as far as their personal lives are concerned, the only American public figure I expect to comport themselves like the pope is … well, the pope.
When you manage people, you don’t just oversee productivity — you hold careers, livelihoods and psychological well-being in your hands. The data doesn’t lie, and neither do the millions who’ve weighed in on what constitutes leadership worth following.
Fact: 69% of U.S. workers would rather clean toilets at a bus station than report to a bad boss. I made up the toilet part, but the LinkedIn Workforce Confidence Survey doesn’t sugarcoat the truth — over two-thirds of employees have their resignation letter mentally drafted and ready to go when reporting to a manager who is terrible.
Let’s acknowledge what we’ve all experienced: Someone in your career trajectory either accelerated your growth or made you question your career choices. There is no middle ground.
The manager multiplier effect
When Gallup analyzed retention patterns over two years, they found something all of us could have predicted but still escapes too many corners of corporate America: Employees who receive high-quality recognition are 45% less likely to quit within two years.
To get it right, remember that recognition must be:
Specific (not “good job” but “your analysis of the market segment revealed an opportunity we’d overlooked”)
Timely (not during the annual review but immediate)
Authentic (not corporate speak but human language)
Individualized (tailored to what actually motivates each unique human)
The green flag goes viral
In November, a young professional named Simi posted her resignation video call that pulled in nearly 5 million views. Why? Because her manager responded with “Congratulations — I’m thrilled for your next chapter” instead of guilt, manipulation or passive-aggression.
The internet collectively lost its mind because managerial excellence has become increasingly rare. Being a human who genuinely cares about your team’s growth shouldn’t break the algorithm.
This manager understood something profound: Every interaction is a branding moment. In the talent marketplace, your reaction at departures is just as important as your celebration of arrivals.
The economics of empathy
When we measure managerial impact, we typically focus on spreadsheets, OKRs and deliverables. But the true ROI of management is hidden in what doesn’t happen: the resignation letter unwritten, the emotional labor saved, the recruitment costs avoided.
Great managers don’t just cultivate productivity — they create gravitational pull that keeps talent in orbit.
Ask yourself: What’s the cost of replacing a single high performer? 200% of their salary? 300%? Now multiply that by the 69% of your workforce that’s mentally refreshing their LinkedIn profile while nodding through your team meeting.
The noble profession
Management isn’t just a job — it’s a calling. You’re not just optimizing workflows; you’re shaping lives. The average American spends 90,000 hours at work during their lifetime. As a manager, you determine whether those hours feel purposeful or punishing.
The true measure of your success isn’t found in quarterly results but in the trajectory of careers you’ve influenced. Twenty years from now, no one will remember that PowerPoint deck you obsessed over, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel when they failed, succeeded, or needed support.
Management isn’t about being liked. It’s about creating environments where humans can do their best work while becoming their best selves.
The path forward
Want to transform your management approach and create a culture that talented people actually want to be part of? Join us for our upcoming webinar, “The Manager Effect: How Better Leaders Boost Retention & Results Using Employee Engagement Data.”
We’ll dive deep into how progressive organizations are using experience data to identify management blind spots, predict flight risks before they happen, and create a managerial corps that makes all employees thrive.
The webinar runs June 24, featuring the latest insights on how to slash turnover and boost engagement by reinventing your approach to management development. Sign up at tinyurl.com/ManagerEffect.
Because when your competitors are losing talent through the revolving door of mediocre management, your opportunity to create competitive advantage through leadership excellence has never been greater. Register now. Your team is counting on you.
Jaime Raul Zepeda is EVP, Principal Consultant for Best Companies Group and COLOR Magazine, part of BridgeTower Media.
Wondering whether your organization is on the right path to win? Talk to us at Best Companies Group so we can analyze your organization’s health, your team dynamics, and your leadership’s effectiveness. We’ve helped over 10,000 companies understand and improve their workplace using data-driven strategies. Send me a note at [email protected].
A search fund offers a path to own and operate an established business.
Search funds are somewhat new to Virginia, but they’re growing in popularity.
Virginia is well-positioned for search fund investment because of its business-friendly climate and relatively low cost of living.
Generational shifts are driving interest in professional autonomy.
Coming from Stanford University, Edward Silva was well aware of the power of search funds, a less risky way to build a self-owned business.
H. Irving Grousbeck, who co-founded Continental Cablevision and started the Stanford Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, coined the phrase “search fund” in 1984, referring to people who seek funding from investors and then “search for, acquire and lead a privately held company for the medium to long term, typically five to 10 years,” according to the Stanford CES’ 2024 study on search funds.
Although search funds are popular on the West Coast, they’re just getting started in Virginia. The Stanford study shows why it’s lucrative. Nearly 70% of the 681 search funds researchers examined in the United States and Canada were profitable. But Virginia had only nine search-fund-acquired businesses in the study, compared with 55 in California.
Yet Silva views it as a growing trend in the commonwealth.
After graduating from Stanford, the California native built a search fund and acquired Charlottesville-based másLabor, which connects businesses with migrant workers coming to the U.S. on H2-A and H2-B work visas, from prior owner Libby Whitley, who was retiring, and he moved his family to Virginia in 2021. Whitley, Silva explains, did not want to sell her self-built business to a corporate conglomerate or private equity firm.
“As neither of those things, I gave them a nice alternative to get paid well and make sure their business still carried out their legacy,” says Silva.
He grew the business, acquiring and merging it with Georgia-based AgWorks H2 in 2022, into a firm that brings in more than 70,000 foreign laborers annually.
Silva left másLabor last year but remains an investor in the company. He’s in the process of another search, this one self-funded, for a Virginia business he hopes to grow. He says the commonwealth is well-positioned for such investment because of its relative tax-friendliness, a deep pool of available business talent and affordable cost of living.
Those factors and a shift in ideology spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, Silva says, have helped the search fund model see a lot of success in Virginia.
“You had all these people who, for one reason or another, their life was being reevaluated,” Silva says. “A lot of people wanted more freedom, more autonomy.”
Generational appeal
When Megan McGee graduated from Florida State University, she began her career working for a handful of small businesses in the Sunshine State.
A child of small business owners, McGee saw the impact they can have in their communities. But what she didn’t know was “how the heck can you start a business or buy a business of value if you don’t have millions of dollars yourself?” she says.
So she enrolled at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business to find the answer.
It was there that McGee learned about entrepreneurship through acquisition — the idea of acquiring already-successful small-to-medium-sized businesses rather than starting from scratch.
“At first I thought it was fake,” McGee says. “It sounded too good to be true: Somebody who barely knows me will give me hundreds of thousands of dollars, potentially millions of dollars, to buy a company and make me CEO.”
After a brief foray as a searcher, as such entrepreneurs are known, McGee pivoted to education. She advises students as the director of entrepreneurship through acquisition at Darden’s Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology.
Joel Ankney, who operates Virginia Beach-based Ankney Law, has made his living for nearly a decade assisting searchers when it comes time to close deals.
“Virginia, at least in my purview, is just starting to talk about it,” Ankney says of search funds. “It’s a hot topic right now. Very hot.”
Ankney closes between 20 and 25 transactions per year, and most of his clients are self-funded searchers. Most use federal Small Business Administration loans capped at $5 million, so the businesses changing hands are relatively small and typically in service industries, everything from construction equipment firms to custodial services. As with Silva, many searchers are younger professionals purchasing businesses from baby boomers who are looking to retire.
Silva sees the trend catching on in Virginia for the same reasons he chose to move here from California — lower cost of living, business-friendly policies and plenty of skilled employees. McGee agrees.
“I’m working with more students who want to search, acquire and operate a business, and they specifically want to stay in Virginia,” the U.Va. educator says.
And McGee doesn’t see this trend slowing down when she looks at Gen Z, millennials and beyond.
“People like autonomy,” she explains. “We’re seeing fewer people staying at the same job for decades at a time.”
In 2012, Franklin, his father and two other partners founded the Franklin Johnston Group after leaving S.L. Nusbaum Realty. Franklin took over the role of chief operating officer, and in 2023, he succeeded his father, Wendell Franklin, as CEO. With co-founder Tom Johnston having stepped down in 2024, the company is now known as the Franklin Group. It manages about 200 properties across 10 states and Washington, D.C., employing about 700 people. Over the past decade, the business has developed more than 10,000 new multifamily units across Virginia and North Carolina, totaling more than $1.6 billion in financed projects.
Franklin also is deeply involved in his community, including as vice chair of the Virginia Beach Development Authority board and chairman and president of the Chesapeake Bay Wine Classic Foundation board. He was tapped as 2022 King Neptune for Virginia Beach’s Neptune Festival and serves on the festival’s board. A Virginia Wesleyan University graduate, he also serves on William & Mary’s board of visitors.
“We actively seek out ways to give back, whether through partnerships, volunteer efforts or initiatives that support local growth and well-being,” Franklin says. “We are not just managing properties; we are helping shape neighborhoods and creating places people are proud to call home.”
Best advice I’ve received: Work hard, stay honest and lead with transparency. It’s straightforward, but it’s stuck with me because those values build real trust and long-term success. At Franklin Group, I strive to set that tone every day.
Hobbs
CHARLES ‘BRAD’ HOBBS
CEO, AIR CONTROL CONCEPTS, NORFOLK
The umbrella company for HVAC equipment brands in 32 states, Air Control Concepts was founded in May 2024 in a rebranding of Hobbs & Associates, Hobbs’ family-owned HVAC business started in 1984. Based in Norfolk, the business has more than 100 offices and employs 1,750 people, including more than 275 HVAC technicians. Backed by private equity firms Blackstone and Madison Dearborn Partners, Air Control Concepts announced its acquisition in January of Midwest Machinery, a century-old HVAC manufacturers’ sales representative.
A Virginia Tech graduate who serves on the university’s board of visitors, Hobbs is close friends with Gov. Glenn Youngkin, whom he aided with fundraising and as part of the governor’s transition team. Hobbs also has lent significant support to area nonprofits, including the American Heart Association’s Hampton Roads branch, Norfolk Christian Schools and Virginia Beach’s Neptune Festival.
Hobbs says that Air Control Concepts has a culture “deeply rooted in the family business my father founded over 40 years ago. These values include family first, compassion and empathy, integrity and honesty, and empowerment and accountability. We build this business first and foremost with a people-first, profit-second philosophy.”
Best advice I’ve received: It’s been said that business is a long lesson in humility. I was blessed to learn that lesson early in my career from my father. People will always work well together in an environment driven by humble leaders who desire to build as a team.
Having joined Chartway, one of the state’s largest credit unions, in 2008, Schools has led its growth into a $3 billion institution with more than 500 employees and over 260,000 members in Virginia, Utah and Texas. At a time when many financial institutions are closing or consolidating branches, Chartway has expanded, opening new offices in Norfolk and Virginia Beach in the past year.
Schools became Chartway’s president and CEO in 2015 and served on the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions board between 2017 and 2023. Before Chartway, he worked for Chase, Capital One and Crestar banks.
A graduate of Virginia Tech and Virginia Commonwealth University, from which he earned his MBA, Schools serves as a trustee of the Chartway Promise Foundation, a nonprofit that has provided $16 million to assist children with medical problems. He also was chair of the transition board for the creation of America’s Credit Unions, which resulted from the 2023 merger of NAFCU and the Credit Union National Association.
How I foster a positive culture: I aim to be honest when it comes to the environmental forces — whether economic, pandemic, cultural or otherwise — that may create a change in the direction of how we operate, but these don’t change who we are. We are committed to the fact that the balance of well-being and productivity of our team members drives the strength of Chartway.
The son of SOSi founder Sosi Setian, Julian Setian joined the federal contracting company in 1994, just after graduating from Columbia University. The company was only 5 years old then and still finding its footing, but today SOSi is a major defense and tech contractor that has won more than $5 billion in federal contracts and made $200 million in acquisitions since Setian became CEO in 2001.
Although the company’s original focus was on providing language translation and transcription services for federal agencies such as the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration, SOSi has grown its client list to include the Department of Defense and the intelligence community. In 2011, SOSi founded Exovera, a software and data science subsidiary.
Setian and his family support many civic and business organizations in Virginia, including Cornerstones, which advocates for disadvantaged people in Fairfax County, and he sits on the executive council of the Professional Services Council. SOSi is a corporate sponsor of the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, and Setian’s family established an endowment to promote early childhood arts education through the foundation. He says a quote from theologian, philosopher and physician Albert Schweitzer provides words to live by: “The three most important ways to lead people are by example, by example, by example.”
How I foster a positive culture: The key is maintaining a strong identity to which employees feel connected. At SOSi, we spend a lot of time talking about who we are versus what we do. The government contracting industry is saturated with service businesses. We adapt to the policy and spending changes, but remain steadfast in our long-term commitment to customers, employees and partners.
In 2020, Shriver became Atlantic Constructors’ new CEO, taking over from its founding leader, Art Hungerford. An industrial and commercial contractor with offices across the state, ACI has grown significantly over the past five years. Formerly the company’s executive vice president of construction operations, Shriver led a $25 million expansion to quintuple ACI’s fabrication capabilities, building a 170,000-square-foot plant next to the company’s headquarters.
Trained as a mechanical engineer at Virginia Tech, Shriver has an MBA from James Madison University and holds certificates in lean construction and medical gas inspection, as well as being LEED-accredited. He also instituted a “[Root] Beer with the Boss” program, events where Shriver visits worksites with a cooler of root beer to share with ACI workers while having conversations.
Acquired in April by Texas-based TriplePoint MEP, ACI has worked on major projects like the restoration of Richmond’s Altria Theater, construction of a 515,000-square-foot Microsoft data center in Mecklenburg County and multiple buildings for Virginia Commonwealth University and VCU Health.
Shriver says that a quote from Mike Tyson has helped him stay prepared for life’s unexpected challenges: “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.”
How I prepare my team for success: There is a major skills gap in the construction industry, so we believe strongly in providing opportunities and training for people to build a lasting career. We have programs at Atlantic to bring in people without any construction experience and give them the tools they need to succeed in our industry.
After having two children, Geller decided to create something else — a law firm that enables women to be successful attorneys and moms. Since its 2011 founding, the Geller Law Group has grown to 17 attorneys and 19 support professionals serving 18,000 clients across Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland, with offices in Fairfax and Washington.
“I saw far too many incredibly talented women leaving large law firms because those environments just weren’t built to support working parents,” Geller says. “I knew there had to be a better way.”
Embracing work-from-home technology before the pandemic, Geller and her firm have received numerous awards for helping maintain work-life balance, including 2023 woman business owner of the year, awarded by the national chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners. She has spoken at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol with former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, advocating for women-friendly workplace policies such as paid leave, flex scheduling and telecommuting.
Geller is also very active in community service. Her firm contributes volunteer hours, money and goods to regional food banks, and it has created a “robust legal resource center” on its website for LGBTQ+ people navigating legal issues.
Best advice I’ve received: It was from a friend who told me to think of all the balls I’m juggling in life — work, family, health, community, everything — and recognize that some of those balls are made of rubber, and some are made of glass. This advice helps me take a breath, figure out what truly needs my attention in the moment and let go of the rest — at least for now.
1. Personal finance educator Tiffany “The Budgetnista” Aliche headlined Virginia Credit Union‘s Financial Success for Women Summit April 15 in Richmond. (Photo courtesy Virginia Credit Union)
2. (L to R) Philanthropist Kimmy Duong; Ken Ball, dean of George Mason University‘s College of Engineering and Computing; and George Mason President Gregory Washington at an April 25 event announcing a $20 million gift from Duong’s family foundation (Photo by Ron Aira. Courtesy George Mason University)
3. U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Westmoreland, hosted a May 2 roundtable discussion with constituents in Glen Allen to talk about their experiences navigating Social Security and Medicare. (Photo courtesy Office of U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman)
4. Representatives from HCA Virginia and Communities in Schools of Petersburg held an April 23 ribbon-cutting and launch event for a new interactive medical classroom at Petersburg’s Vernon Johns Middle School. HCA Healthcare gave $25,000 to the project. (Photo courtesy Communities In Schools of Petersburg and HCA Virginia)
5. Caesars Virginia held a May 6 celebration for International Firefighters’ Day, recognizing the Danville Fire Department and highlighting the casino’s gift to the city of a new $1.6 million fire truck. (Photo courtesy Caesars Virginia)
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