Jessica Norby, Destinee Wright, and Ahmad Hawkins.
The world of social media marketing—particularly Instagram—is increasingly dominated by influencers, individuals who have amassed a sizable social media following, who’ve gained their audience’s trust, and who can sway consumers’ purchases—or even what they think.
Yet many businesses today—and the strategists behind them—are becoming influencers in their own right, with the power to move products, initiate trends, or shape culture. So what are the top social-media tactics that any local biz can use to “influence” and grow business? We asked three strategists—two who help other businesses use social media effectively, and a third who uses social to creatively engage with fans and support his own business endeavors.—Jennifer Pullinger
BE CONSISTENT
“However they define consistency is what they should stick to. So whether it’s seven days a week or five days a week or three days a week, it should be consistent week-to-week. That will help them get more brand awareness and start to build that community within their own brand so people get used to seeing their posts.”
“I think the best bet for increasing traffic to your socials is to have consistent content that provides some sort of value and speaks to your target consumer. You can’t be everything to everyone, so it’s important to position yourself as the authority in your niche and understand who you’re communicating with and what your audiences enjoy seeing from you.”
“That’s the biggest thing you see with YouTube now–[brands are] starting to team up. Before it was just all competition, a dog-eat-dog type of a scene. Now it’s more collaborative with people working together. It’s basically like a crossover. It’s like, ‘I’m going to use your brand to help me reach your audience’ and then vice versa, so now you come together and lo and behold, you have a bigger audience at the end of the day.”
—Ahmad Hawkins, sports media personality, owner of STHU Juice apparel, and host of “The Ball Hawk Show Podcast” (iamballhawk.podbean.com)
Charlottesville’s biotech industry—of which the University of Virginia is a major driver—is lively and growing, employing around 1,800 people. Nikki Hastings, formerly an executive at two of those companies, recently took the helm at CvilleBioHub, a local industry group with an ambitious vision: “to double the size of the biotech industry over the next 10 years.” We asked her how the Hub will make it happen.
C-BIZ:What are some ways that the local biotech industry could benefit from more connections among companies?
Nikki Hastings: It’s beneficial to have biotech companies working together and communicating about talent pools, local resources, and shared best practices. These companies are not directly competing with one another, which allows for deeper connection and synergy. Biotech community members share knowledge and experience about local supporting resources—website developers, lawyers, accountants, and general contractors. These are services that all companies need. CvilleBioHub can also connect job candidates to local opportunities; as applicant volume to CvilleBioHub increases, member companies benefit from exposure to and matching with applicants.
What are some of the barriers biotech entrepreneurs face when starting up here as opposed to larger cities?
The three major barriers faced are access to space, capital, and talent. While biotech space is [at] a premium in places like Boston (around $80 per square foot compared to around $20 per square foot in Charlottesville), it can be harder to find desirable locations here. There’s very little available wet lab space. It is risky for start-up companies to sign long-term leases and it takes significant bandwidth to manage the space. Sublease or incubator models that are seen in other communities help companies to get established. While we don’t have a major venture capital presence here, there are several local angel funds and investors in the Char- lottesville region that can help biotech companies get off the ground, including UVA Seed Fund, Charlottesville Angel Network, and CAV Angels. On the talent side, Charlottesville has need for a deeper pool of experienced entrepreneurs and executive leaders that can balance the technical expertise that come with new concepts. With more companies in a localized network, top talent can move from one company to the next and take on more risky ventures without having to relocate.
In your experience as an executive at local companies HemoShear and Contraline, what were some key moments in overcoming those barriers?
HemoShear Therapeutics spun out from UVA in 2009, and at the height of its growth phase transitioned from its first space on Fifth Street Extended to its current headquarters in the old Martha Jefferson Hospital in 2014. It was important for the company to stay near downtown—a sign that barriers in space and talent attraction were surmountable here. Contraline began separate operations from UVA in 2016, and within one year raised over $2 million in the first round of financing (in part from West Coast venture capitalists), and recruited top scientific talent to develop the core technology. Each company has faced its own unique challenges, but the barriers to commercialization seem fewer in Charlottesville today compared to 10 years ago.
How, specifically, will CvilleBioHub help drive investment in local biotech?
Our primary strategy is to raise awareness about the 50 or so innovative and exciting biotech companies that we have here and where future growth opportunities exist. Medical devices, instrumentation, new drugs, biologics manufacturing, and agribiotech are key drivers of the industry here and are attracting national investment attention. CvilleBioHub is learning from the successes of other biotech communities—for example, in Maryland and North Carolina. As we learn more about these models, we can determine what makes the most sense for Charlottesville and central Virginia.
What will the other key goals be for CvilleBioHub over the next year to five years?
Primarily, CvilleBioHub will focus on sustainability. The goal is for CvilleBioHub to coordinate an all- inclusive organization, involving the broader Charlottesville community—UVA, government, and local economic developers. Any company that identifies with biotech, life sciences, and development of technologies that impact human health can participate and create an online profile. There are no costs to join or attend our monthly gatherings. As we build the community, we can address infrastructure, space, capital, and talent through strong partnerships with GO Virginia, UVA, and economic development authorities.
How will a stronger biotech industry benefit the area in general?
Growth and sustainability will allow strong talent to be attracted here and to stay. Biotech jobs pay 85 percent more than average salaries. By supporting the growth of well-paid jobs, our entire region will benefit from these dollars.
Charlottesville-born Champion Brewing opened a Richmond location in 2017. Photo: Ash Daniel
Is love in the air? It appears so–at least between the cities of Richmond and Charlottesville, as witnessed by the number of businesses that have decided to open locations in both cities. Charlottesville, with its beautiful setting and college town vibe, has long made lists of best places to live and work. And in the past few years, Richmond has experienced a renaissance of sorts, with praise seemingly pouring in weekly for its long-underrated, still burgeoning arts, dining, and entrepreneurial scene. So it’s not surprising that a mutual admiration society has developed between the two cities.
Hardywood Park Craft Brewery and Sugar Shack donuts, both born in the River City, added Charlottesville locations on West Main Street–Hardywood in February 2017 and Sugar Shack in June 2018 (bringing with it sister business Luther Burger not long after).
Also coming to Charlottesville in early 2020: Quirk Hotel, which first debuted in Richmond in 2015. Why are they interested in C’ville? “First and foremost, the numbers indicate that Charlottesville is a stronger hospitality market than Richmond,” says Quirk Hotel co-owner Ted Ukrop. “Second, UVA is a major and sustainable economic and cultural engine. Having said that, there are also plenty of innovative companies, organizations, and people that align with Quirk’s brand.” The proximity to Hooville–just an hour away–also made a second Quirk location appealing, Ukrop adds.
Meanwhile, Richmond has already experienced an influx of Charlottesville-based businesses, like Roots Natural Kitchen (opened July 2018 in the VCU area), Three Notch’d Brewing Company (opened in 2016 in Scott’s Addition as the RVA Collab House), and Citizen Burger Bar (also opened in 2016, in Carytown). The city’s developing reputation as a supportive, destination craft beer scene was a big draw for Hunter Smith, who founded Champion Brewing in Charlottesville and opened a Richmond location in January 2017 on Grace Street downtown.
“The two cities and their respective governments operate quite differently, which was informative from a business perspective, and has helped me to evaluate additional locations,” says Smith. “I appreciate [chef] Jason Alley from Pasture and Comfort for introducing me to the beautiful former bank space we’re now lucky enough to occupy.”
Up next? Starr Hill Brewery, which is opening Starr Hill Beer Hall & Rooftop in Richmond’s Scott’s Addition this summer. Also coming soon: Common House, the “contemporary social club” that opened in C’ville in 2017, will make the RVA’s Arts District its home sometime in 2019. You’ll be able to find the newest Common House at 305 W. Broad St., just steps away from the original Quirk Hotel.
“Richmond feels like it’s in the midst of a cultural revolution that we are anxious to participate in,” says Common House co-founder Derek Sieg. “The food is world-class, the art scene is electric, and the energy in the entrepreneur community rivals that of any city its size.” While Sieg says his team has been looking at other creative markets in the Southeast in anticipation of growth, the proximity to Charlottesville helped clinch the second location.
“We have a lot of Richmond-based members who use Common House as a landing spot when they’re in Charlottesville, and vice versa, so we see this cross-pollination firsthand and look forward to being a fruit of that pollination ourselves,” he says.
In 2014, when Matt Loftus was about to enter the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, he knew he wanted to start a business, but he didn’t realize how quickly it would happen. Loftus and a group of friends had partnered that summer with the clothing company Vineyard Vines in a marketing campaign that also raised money for the friends’ scholarship fund. The campaign was successful and fun. Only problem: The clothes supplied by Vineyard Vines didn’t work for Loftus’ and his friends’ athletic lifestyle.
“They were sweating through the cotton button downs, shirts, and pants that Vineyard Vines provided,” says Kristina Loftus, Matt’s wife and business partner, who also attended Darden. Along with a third partner, Kevin Hubbard, the couple realized they’d found a space in the marketplace: “high-end lifestyle activewear for men.”
They decided to make polos and T-shirts from sweat-wicking, antimicrobial fabric: clothes that could perform on a golf course or tennis court, but didn’t look like workout wear. “It’s transitional,” says Kristina. “You can be active, then tuck it in and wear it to dinner.” Rhoback—named for the naturally active Rhodesian Ridgeback dog—was born.
Darden proved the perfect lab for growing their idea. “We used the student body to help us develop all the products,” says Kristina, recalling how they surveyed students on different fabric and design choices. None of the partners had retail or design experience, so they learned on the fly about everything from Photoshop to dealing with manufacturers in South Korea.
“We had to understand, what was the problem with the current polos on the market?” says Kristina. Some brands lacked quality, while others targeted an older demographic. “There are many brands out there designing polos for 60-year-old men that are very long and should never be untucked. The fit had to be slimmer but not too slim,” she says.
The Darden golf and racquet clubs served as Rhoback’s first customers. In late 2016, the company launched with 1,000 shirts and sold out in three weeks. The clothing isn’t cheap—most polos go for $79—but the company has enjoyed 300 percent growth year over year, fueled by marketing that speaks to a youthful, fun-loving image. And, says Kristina, knowing their market is essential.
While most customers buy Rhoback shirts and hats from the company’s website, the three founders also hit the road in a wooden camper for “strategic popups” at golf and lacrosse tournaments. “Once people meet the founders they’re more invested in the brand,” Kristina says. “They want to support us.”
Could Charlottesville rectify its dearth of commercial and residential space in 2019? Put ’17’s political and social unrest behind us? Create more opportunities for minority-owned businesses?
Charlottesville Office of Economic Development Director Chris Engel thinks prospects are promising.
“I think 2018 was kind of a rebound year,” Engel says. “We are putting some time between the events in 2017 and now, and the court cases are playing out and giving us some closure. From an economic standpoint, city revenues are reflecting growth.”
According to Engel, a recent report confirmed city officials’ concerns about a low commercial vacancy rate throughout Charlottesville. But five major projects moving forward this year are expected to help. The new Center of Developing Entrepreneurs on the Downtown Mall, for example, has already begun utility work and should be completed by 2020.
“All the projects are fairly significant, and they are definitely part of the story in 2019 and 2020,” Engel says. “It is a good signal the market is responding.”
Elizabeth Cromwell of the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce, which recently launched a new leadership roundtable for area business moguls, says 2019 will see a more “diverse business community.”
“The mantra for 2019 is partnership and collaboration,” Cromwell says. “And I believe the Charlottesville business community will become more aligned with common interests and shared goals in an effort to lift all boats.”
Engel agrees Charlottesville would benefit from a more diverse business ownership pool, and the Office of Economic Development is in the process of hiring a minority business development coordinator.
Several real estate professionals say the market will continue to suffer from low inventories and see a slight dip by the end of 2019. Sasha Farmer, owner of Story House Real Estate, says prices are likely to plateau during a steady spring term, and Michael Guthrie of Roy Wheeler Realty Co. believes uncertainty about the economy and interest rates will have a significant effect.
“The real estate market will be a bit of a bumpy road,” Guthrie says. “New construction will continue to play a significant role in 2019 home sales. The good news is after a sluggish fourth quarter, there has been increased traffic through both existing homes and new home model open houses over the first few weekends of the year.”—Shea Gibbs
Facts matter:
2018’s key economic indicators provide a glimpse of what’s coming in 2019
Charlottesville’s jobs rate held steady in 2018, aligning the metro area with the strong employment market experienced across the country. City tax revenues also tracked positively this calendar year, a good sign for things to come, according to Charlottesville Office of Economic Development Director Chris Engel.
The following is a look at C’ville’s economic health by the numbers.*
Sigora Solar tied for first place on our list. Contributed photo.
Charlottesville routinely finds itself on lists of the best places to live in the country. But it’s also a great place to work, judging by what people had to say about the following organizations.
For this look at the best places to work in Charlottesville, we used job and recruiting website Glassdoor’s ratings system, a 5-point scale based on anonymously submitted, user-generated employee reviews. We considered only those companies that had at least six reviews and a sizable local footprint (or were homegrown). While the top spot was a tie (between Sigora Solar and Griffin Group Global) every company on the list had an above-average rating. And you can find more reader-generated candidates online at c-ville.com.
#1. Sigora Solar (TIE)
Glassdoor company rating: 5.0 based on 10 reviews
What they do: Solar design, installation, and solutions.
Size: Most of Sigora Solar’s employees work remotely or in the field. At its main office, they have approximately 15 employees staffed.
Benefits: In addition to standard benefits (including health care, vision, dental, and life insurance options), Sigora employees can take advantage of at-cost solar for their home.
What people are saying on Glassdoor: “This company and the employees exude tremendous passion for what they do. It’s easy to work for a company that believes in their products and service.”
Ciera Cannizzaro, Sigora Solar HR generalist, says it’s the people who make the work so rewarding. “Everyone is so knowledgeable and friendly,” Cannizzaro says, adding that the employees are like family.
Flexible work scheduling is also a perk. “We don’t have the traditional work schedule where it’s like 8-to-5, 9-to-5. A lot of people work remotely, so that flexibility is obviously a really good benefit for everyone, especially people who have families,” she adds. Company parties, like the one held in November at Carter Mountain, helps build those “Sigora family” bonds.
#1. Griffin Group Global (TIE)
Glassdoor company rating: 5.0 based on 10 reviews
What they do: Cybersecurity and digital identity protection.
Size: 24 total employees, with 19 in the Charlottesville office.
Benefits: Benefits include “better-than-industry-standard” comprehensive health coverage, plus generous paid time off plans and domestic partner accommodations. Also included: flexible work schedules, work-from-home days, and company-sponsored philanthropy where employee volunteers don’t miss a day of pay.
What people are saying on Glassdoor: “Griffin truly empowers employees. Their management is open to ideas and provides a framework for incorporating new ideas quickly to prove them and improve them. The technology is leading edge.”
Bill Heapes, Griffin Group Global chief operating officer, describes the company’s culture as “a learning environment in a high-tech business” where employees “thrive on everybody understanding our corporate goals and mission, and everybody has an equal voice in contributing.”
“The leadership has come from the government side, where we have a lot of institutional knowledge and discipline in our process management,” adds Heapes. “But that, combined with the flexibility of bringing in new technology, having people learn and understand it—Lunch n’ Learn-type sessions where everybody has the opportunity to bring what they know from their past experiences to the table. Everything is considered before we move forward.”
Photo: Amy Jackson Smith
#3. Tiger Fuel
Glassdoor company rating: 4.9 based on 23 reviews
What they do: Petroleum energy products distribution, oil and propane tank service and maintenance, and operation of The Markets chain of convenience stores.
Size: Approximately 260 employees.
Benefits: In addition to health insurance and vacation benefits, Tiger Fuel offers: financial wellness support, an employee assistance program, subsidized corporate gym membership, Tiger Card Fuel benefits, discounts on apparel from L.L.Bean, and a holiday bonus for every employee, among other perks.
What people are saying on Glassdoor: “When you work for Tiger Fuel, you become part of the Tiger family. Great benefits, amazing atmosphere, friendship, [you’re] not just a cog on the wheel, [you’re] an important part of the business and it shows.”
Ryan Whitlock, Tiger Fuel director of human resources, gives all the credit to its employees for creating a positive work culture—and to the company’s owner and president for setting the tone. “They bring strength to the company and passion for customer service,” he says.
Photo: John Robinson
#4. ChartIQ
Glassdoor company rating: 4.9 based on 12 reviews
What they do: Fintech (financial technology company) providing software solutions to large capital markets companies.
Size: 50 employees.
Benefits: In addition to health, vision, and dental, benefits include catered lunch every day from local restaurants, unlimited vacation policy, flexible hours, and a dog-friendly office.
What people are saying on Glassdoor: “So many pros to working at ChartIQ, including the top-notch talent we’ve been able to attract,
a leadership team that trusts its employees to responsibly manage a policy of flexible work hours and PTO, a relaxed work environment, opportunities for growth, location in downtown Charlottesville, inspirational leaders, and a customer-first approach.”
Even though the company is seven years old, ChartIQ still considers itself a “growth- stage startup,” wrapped in a “profitable, stable company that’s been around for a long time,” says Christian Hall, chief operating officer.
A focus on work-life balance, a laid-back work environment, and a “beautiful, open, big office space near the [Downtown] Mall,” are other perks, says Hall. Employees are also encouraged to have lunch together every day, a tradition that dates back to the company’s founding.
“We plan to continue having lunch together because it’s been that way forever,” he adds. “It basically feels like a gathering at someone’s home every day, which isn’t just a benefit, it literally sets the tone for the office culture.”
Photo: Stephen Barling
#5. WillowTree
Glassdoor company rating: 4.8 based on 183 reviews
What they do: Digital and mobile technology design and development.
Size: Approximately 320 employees between its Charlottesville and Durham locations.
Benefits: Benefits include fully paid employee medical premiums, paid parental leave, annual professional development budget, tuition reimbursement, and a monthly gym membership stipend. Working at WillowTree also comes with such office perks as snacks galore, fresh-on-tap kombucha, nitro cold brew coffee, and beer, plus paid lunches twice a week.
What people are saying on Glassdoor: “The best thing about WillowTree is the energy in the space. I work among the most positive and talented people I have ever met. They inspire me to do my best work at all time. I don’t ever feel like I’m solving a problem on my own.”
“We focus on building a team of people who not only love their craft but who also value and respect their colleagues,” says Christy Phillips, WillowTree’s chief talent officer. “Our Glassdoor reviews almost always focus on the enjoyment people get from working with talented, kind people as a top reason they love working here.”
Photo: Amy Jackson Smith
#6. Room Key
Glassdoor company rating: 4.8 based on six reviews
What they do: Hotel and travel search site.
Size: 22 Charlottesville employees.
Benefits: Benefits include health coverage, bonuses, funding for personal development–conferences as well as continuing education–quarterly hackathons, snacks on snacks, a beer keg, and access to a conference room “dedicated to competitive Mario Kart.”
What people are saying on Glassdoor: “One of the best assets of Room Key is and has always been the quality of its tech team. Open, mature, respectful, no egos, highly knowledgeable, friendly, just a great place to work, learn and contribute.”
“It’s like a mostly sane Silicon Valley start-up with a heart,” says Doug Lawson, head of product and design, who praises Room Key’s employees for being “smart, motivated, super-creative and nice to work with” and who “pull together well as a collaborative team.”
#7. Locus Health
Glassdoor company rating: 4.7 based on 17 reviews
What they do: Remote care solutions, primarily for pediatric patients.
Size: 23 employees.
Benefits: In addition to a competitive salary (based on experience), Locus Health offers medical, dental, vision, 401(k) match, paid time off, employer life insurance, and a gym subsidy.
What people are saying on Glassdoor: “The combination of a team that creates cutting-edge technology and actual health care professionals, as well as business gurus, make this such an interesting place to learn and grow as a professional.”
Its mission is one of the biggest reasons why Locus Health is a great place to work, says Rick Skinner, senior vice president and chief technology officer. “We make a product that enables babies to leave the hospital safely in the care of their parents. And so all of us at Locus really identify with that mission. We’re doing something that really has some intrinsic value,” he says.
#8. 2RW Consultants
Glassdoor company rating: 4.5 based on 12 reviews
What they do: Sustainability minded MEP/FP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection) engineering systems and energy consulting services.
Size: 72 employees.
Benefits: At R2W, employees get medical, dental, and vision, plus long-term disability and term life (with 100 percent employer-paid premiums for employees), employer contribution to health savings accounts, SIMPLE IRA with up to 3 percent matching contribution, banked paid time off, and company-sponsored holiday parties and outings.
What people are saying on Glassdoor: “The team is young and fun. They have the perfect balance of light-hearted, easy-going culture and rigorous deadline-driven ethic. Very smart people who welcome new ideas and want to make everyone a better employee and engineer.”
“I think consistently, when we’ve surveyed our employees, the number one thing that people like about working here is that they love the people and they love the work environment,” says 2RW Marketing Director Denise McFadden.
2RW’s focus on sustainability also unites employees around a purpose for the common good. “I think that really resonates with people,” McFadden adds. “They like that that’s a part of what we do, because we are really in business to do more than just earn a paycheck–we’re trying to do something good for people, for society, for the planet, and it’s nice to have that greater goal.”
#9. CCRi (Commonwealth Computer Research, Inc.)
Glassdoor company rating: 4.5 based on 10 reviews
What they do: Applied data science and software engineering.
Size: 130 employees.
Benefits: In addition to customary benefits like health and retirement, CCRi offers free access to two employee assistance programs, a financial wellness program, gym and yoga discounts, professional develop opportunities, flexible work schedules and time-off policy, plus lots of daily snacks (including a free cereal bar in every building, monthly bagel breakfast, and coffee and espresso bars). They also have a community Vive, massage chair, and other office amenities.
What people are saying on Glassdoor: “There is never a shortage of friendly, intelligent, and ambitious people at CCRi. The amenities and environment are laid-back and very friendly, but there is never a shortage of tough problems to solve.”
Flexibility is one of the top benefits of working at CCRi, says Julia Farill, human resources manager. “We value flexibility, and we’ve made a lot of choices as a company to try and foster that so people have a lot more control over their life and their work-life balance,” she says.
CCRi also has a collaborative, meritocracy-focused, “kind of quirky” culture, she says.“We want to hire the best people we can find that are really smart, creative problem-solvers, and then keep them happy for a whole career.”
#10. Southern Environmental Law Center
Glassdoor company rating: 4.4 based on 15 reviews
What they do: Environmental protection legal and policy nonprofit
Size: 59 employees in the Charlottesville offices, and 149 total.
Benefits: A snapshot of benefits at the SELC: affordable health, dental, and vision, generous paid time off, fully covered life, short-term, and long-term disability insurance, retirement contribution (not match), up to a total of 12 weeks parental leave following childbirth or adoption (six weeks fully paid by SELC), and opportunities to visit the places the organization works to protect.
What people are saying on Glassdoor: “While the mission brings most people to SELC, I have stayed because of the people, the benefits and the work/life balance. Having genuinely nice colleagues who go to work excited about what they do makes SELC an incredible place to work. . .”
Sarah Francisco, director of SELC’s Virginia office, credits its team of “intelligent, hard-working people pursuing a shared mission” for making the organization a top-notch place to work.
“We set ambitious goals, have high standards, and work with dedication alongside wonderful co-workers,” Francisco adds. “This creates a special mix of professionalism, collegiality, teamwork, and camaraderie. We celebrate successes together, and everyone is valued and recognized for their contribution.”
Photo: Sanjay Suchak
#11. University of Virginia
Glassdoor company rating: 4.3 based on 765 reviews
What they do: Higher education
Size: The university employs about 30,000 people total (not including the College at Wise)—that number includes roughly 16,000 faculty and staff and approximately 12,000 Health System employees.
Benefits: UVA’s benefits (“total rewards”) package includes health insurance, retirement plans, flexible spending accounts, paid time off, education benefits, back-up care for children and elderly family members, and wellness benefits.
What people are saying on Glassdoor: “Consistent work-life balance (best I’ve ever experienced), kind and supportive coworkers, beautiful campus, excellent benefits, meaningful work, opportunities for professional development.”
The University of Virginia is the largest employer in the Charlottesville-Albemarle area, and it needs no introduction as one of the premier higher education institutions in the country. While jobs vary widely, UVA consistently earns accolades: In 2018, it landed on Forbes’ ranking of “America’s Best Employers” (#66) and “Best Employers for Women” (#36). Earlier this year, it made Forbes’ list of “Best Employers for Diversity” (#54). UVA’s continued growth and reputation for stability, as well as its suite of benefits and career development opportunities, no doubt contribute to its status as a top place to work.
#12. CoConstruct
Glassdoor company rating: 4.3 based on 41 reviews
What they do: Construction project management software for custom home builders and remodelers.
Size: Approximately 99 employees.
Benefits: A sampling of benefits includes generous holidays plus paid time off, flexible work schedules, paid leave for new parents, regular happy hours, and paid training.
What people are saying on Glassdoor: “I’ve never seen a shared ethos enacted every day from the top down the way it is here. I felt it the first moments, even before I could really even define it. This company cares deeply about their core values and strives to live them out every moment. . . and is probably the single most important point of differentiation here.”
Donny Wyatt, CoConstruct founder and CEO, points to the company’s five core values as the foundation for its work culture, which contributes to a palpable “energy” in the office. Those distinct core values—like “understand why” and “show personality”—are “very much us” and enable employees to excel as individuals and as a team, says Wyatt. “When everybody’s in, and we all have a common vision of what we expect from ourselves, and others, and how we act, it actually provides a lot of comfort and freedom to people to be themselves,” he adds.
Photo: Martin Kyle
#13. Crutchfield
Glassdoor company rating: 4.2 based on 37 reviews
What they do: Online and catalog retailer of consumer electronics.
Size: More than 600 employees at locations in Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, and Wise County.
Benefits: Benefits include health, dental, vision, disability (long and short term) and life insurances, paid leave, 401(k), flexible spending accounts, paid time off, paid holidays, employee assistance program, adoption assistance programs (both for children and pets), pet insurance, and registration fees for fitness events.
What people are saying on Glassdoor: “The whole company has employee appreciation days twice a year plus other fun company-culture-building events that I always look forward to. . . The different departments are happy to work together, and anyone with a good idea or concern is heard, no matter what their job is.”
Crutchfield has steadily burnished its reputation as an award-winning, customer service-oriented business since its founding in 1974 by Bill Crutchfield. A shared belief in a set of core values and a focus on training, career development, and employee engagement contributes to a high level of satisfaction, says Chris Lilley, Crutchfield’s chief human resource officer.
“We take great care employing the right kind of people here—people who respect each other, who have the capacity to be empathetic, and care for our customers, and for each other,” says Lilley. “It’s really as simple as that and it comes from Mr. Crutchfield at the top.”
Greg Mika Images
#14. Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital
Glassdoor company rating: 4.1 based on 11 reviews
What they do: Not-for-profit health care.
Size: 1,600 employees.
Benefits: Benefits include medical, dental, vision, 403(b), pension plan, and paid annual leave— as well as tuition assistance, scholarships, free on-campus gym, and discounts on local area services.
What people are saying on Glassdoor: “Friendly co-workers, patient-centered work environment, focus on safety and quality. Culture is centered around ‘caring tradition.’ Employees of all levels involved in improvement efforts and decision-making.”
Founded in 1903, what is now Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital has a long history of employing generations in the greater Charlottesville-Albemarle community. And Johnsa Morris, chief nurse executive at Sentara MJH, gives all praise to its employees for making it a place where “you can put your passion into action and turn your calling into a career.”
Morris says the hospital has a culture of teamwork. “We are also fortunate to work in a beautiful location that offers a healing environment,” she says. Each day we can take advantage of our beautiful mountain scenery and walking trails. We are able to offer flexible schedules and, through our scholarship programs, we have the opportunity to continue to learn and advance in the organization.”
#15. Red Light Management
Glassdoor company rating: 4.0 based on 55 reviews
What they do: Music industry artist management.
Size: unavailable
Benefits: Red Light did not respond to requests for comment or information on their benefits.
What people are saying on Glassdoor: “This company has all the connections and networking you could ever ask for at your fingertips. Be ready to work hard and play hard.”
I mean, wouldn’t you want to work for the organization that gave us the Dave Matthews Band? Founded in 1991 by Coran Capshaw, Red Light Management’s diverse roster of talent also includes Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, Leona Lewis, Enrique Iglesias, Dierks Bentley, Chris Stapleton, Anita Baker, Michelle Williams (of Destiny’s Child), and Phish, among others. Its website highlights a “progressive work environment” and the opportunity to work with “an industry-leading team.”
Practitioner Brian Festa says Thai yoga massage is “beautifully synonymous with the needs of everyday working people.” Photo: Sanjay Suchak
Humans were not designed to sit for eight hours a day, much less be hunched over a computer. A potential cure for this modern malady? Thai yoga massage. Licensed massage therapist Brian Festa believes this type of healing art is “beautifully synonymous with the needs of everyday working people.”
Thai yoga massage is a therapeutic bodywork with roots in India, says Festa, who offers the treatment to small and large businesses throughout Charlottesville, including Vault Virginia. Practitioners move clients into various yoga positions to stretch the body, and also incorporate massage and compression techniques.
“The stretching and the massage and the other techniques involved really encourage the body to open up in a different way than most massage modalities,” he says. “What we see in the end is a far more comprehensive and holistic result.” Festa will come to your office, bringing with him all of the accoutrements needed–primarily a mat and pillows. Clients don’t need to get undressed, and no oils are applied, unlike Western massage.
Festa offers $20, 15-minute sessions “that are just long enough for people to drop in, to relax, to be moved, to just let go,” he says, and at the same time, have an experience that allows them to be “refreshed and focused” enough to go back to work and alleviate discomfort related to repetitive motion, long desk hours, or other contemporary office demands.
“Afterwards, I give them ergonomic and postural recommendations in order to counteract what may be contributing towards their specific aches and pains during the work day,” Festa says. Even if a client isn’t experiencing a specific body pain issue, they still walk away with tips for improving their “desk life.”
One quick tip? “I actually recommend to everybody that they stand as much as possible, because standing helps complete the kinetic chain all the way from the feet to the top of the head. And the moment that we sit, we take out our potential buoyancy as creatures,” he says. Sitting all day is “a functional result of the society that we live in, that structurally, humans were not designed to do. So, I think it’s all the more important to not just massage people and provide this work, but to provide exercises and homework and recommendations that will bring them lasting effects after the session.”
In spring 1970, Charlottesville’s Main Street was an idyllic backdrop for the pomp of the Dogwood Parade. Pedestrians lined the street to watch the yearly community tradition in the month of April, while behind them, business carried on inside Wise Discount Center (pictured here, from the book Charlottesville Then & Now by Steve Trumbull).
Today, of course, that section of Main Street has become a beloved eight-block pedestrian promenade, aka the Downtown Mall, constructed in 1976. The building that formerly housed Wise Discount Center drugstore is now Snooky’s Pawn Shop, located at 102 E. Main St.
A City of Charlottesville architectural and historic survey refers to it as the Rinehart-Levy Building, named in part for then-prominent local businessman Hollis Rinehart, who bought the building in 1915 when it was a “[two]-storey duplex brick store building with living quarters above.”
Before housing Wise Discount Center and a series of other tenants, the building was home to Levy’s, a dress shop, for 40 years (the store later relocated to Barracks Road Shopping Center). The pink marble façade, which can still be seen today, was added by Daniel Levy circa 1932-33.
Photo Credit: Charlottesville Then & Now by Steve Trumbull / cvilleimages.com
Local activists have long called for hate symbols including Confederate imagery to be banned in Albemarle County schools. Photo by Eze Amos
Anti-racist activists have spent more than a year advocating for a ban of hate symbols in Albemarle county schools, and after months of the school board deferring an official vote, the superintendent took matters into his own hands last week to prohibit such imagery in the dress code. Now, a constitutional attorney says he better watch out for a lawsuit.
Some school board members had previously voiced their concerns about the legality of such a prohibition—especially in light of the $150,000 First Amendment lawsuit they were smacked with in 2002 for denying a Jack Jouett middle schooler the right to wear his NRA camp shirt to school.
“Images of white supremacy, including Confederate and Nazi imagery, should not be permitted in our schools because they cause substantial disruption,” Superintendent Matt Haas read from a statement at the February 28 school board meeting, where he announced that he will ban explicit symbols, lettering, or any insignia associated with violence or white supremacy.
John Whitehead. Photo by Stephen Canty
John Whitehead, a constitutional attorney and president of the Rutherford Institute, says when policies are as vague and subjective as he says the Albemarle County Public Schools’ policy is, it lays the groundwork for a host of civil liberties violations.
The move is “consistent with a trend being played out in schools across the country—and in the courts—to censor First Amendment activities under the guise of school safety,” says Whitehead. “As a result, even American flag apparel was banned as dangerous in one major case.”
While this and other hate speech policies may make some students feel safer in the short term, he says it’s the Rutherford Institute’s position that they won’t actually make the schools any safer.
“Ultimately, what we must decide is whether the schools are here to censor or are they here to educate?” says Whitehead. “While this ACPS policy is inevitably going to result in a legal challenge, it’s not going to resolve the underlying problem of racism in our community and in our country, which is something that needs to be addressed and discussed openly and worked out in an open, supportive environment by the students and mediated by school officials.”
Jeff Schoep, longtime head of the neo-Nazi National Socialist Movement, says he’s still in charge.
AP Images for the Southern Poverty Law Center
The National Socialist Movement, a defendant in a post-Unite the Right lawsuit, made a bizarre shift when its former leader signed over the organization to black civil rights activist James Hart Stern, who then filed a motion admitting liability for the neo-Nazi group.
The complaint, Sines v. Kessler, alleges that the 25 white supremacist defendants who showed up in Charlottesville August 12, 2017, conspired to commit violence. California resident Stern filed a motion for summary judgment in federal court February 28 “based on the truth of all statements made in plaintiffs’ complaint against defendant National Socialist Movement being true.”
Stern says he took over the group February 15 and does not hold the values of the neo-Nazi organization. The motion “rights a wrong that is over 25 years coming,” he says in the court filing.
Jeff Schoep, who has run the organization since 1994 and who is named individually as a defendant in the case, told the Washington Post that Stern “deceived” him when he convinced Schoep to sign over the NSM presidency.
According to Stern, Schoep called his neo-Nazi org an “albatross hanging around his neck” and was worried about the cost of the lawsuit.
It’s not the first time Stern has convinced a white supremacist to give him control: Stern was doing time for wire fraud in Mississippi and former KKK grand wizard Edgar Ray Killen, who was convicted of killing three civil rights workers in 1964, was his cellmate, the Post reports. Killen signed over his life story and power of attorney to Stern, who dissolved that Killen’s Klan in 2016.
And in another lawsuit involving some of the same players, attorney Elmer Woodard filed a motion to dismiss a complaint filed by Jason Kessler and the National Socialists and Traditional Workers Party against former police chief Al Thomas and Virginia State Police Lieutenant Becky Cranniss-Curl for not protecting their First and 14th Amendment rights August 12.
