Virginia 500 Spotlight: JONATHAN S. BELCHER

TRAITS I ADMIRE: Loyalty, honesty and integrity

FIRST JOB: Law clerk for the county attorney’s office in York County

HOW I DEFINE SUCCESS: I define success not so much by what I have accomplished myself, but by how I have been able to help others. As an economic developer in a very economically distressed area, there is nothing more satisfying than seeing people obtain new jobs that you have had some small role in helping to create so that those individuals can provide for themselves and their families.

ADVICE FOR NEW COLLEGE GRADS: Finding your ideal career path sometimes requires patience. Although you may not always find your dream job immediately, one thing can lead to another, and if you are willing to put in the work and be persistent, you can realize your dreams.

DID YOU KNOW? Belcher owns 14 vehicles — some he inherited; some he bought. Here, Belcher sits at the wheel of his 1985 Pontiac Fiero, which, he points out, was the United States’ first mass-produced mid-engine sports car. “Some of them are more collectible than others. None of them are particularly valuable,” Belcher says of his collection. “I like to work on them to take my mind off of things.”