CHAMBER MEMBER NEWS
Member News is a monthly newsletter that provides news about Chamber members.
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THE LAUNCH PLACE: RAISING CAPITAL IN UNCERTAIN TIMES WEBINAR |
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This webinar is a 12 month follow-up to the SBTDC's April 2020 session "Raising Capital in Uncertain Times". We will review the impact of COVID-19 on early-stage funding and discuss the current funding landscape. Entrepreneurs seeking equity capital will learn about challenges and opportunities in the current environment and will be given the chance to ask questions of the investor participants.
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Averett, with 17 NCAA sports and three varsity club sports, will become the 15th full-time member of the ODAC on July 1, 2022.
Averett has a rich history of more than 40 years of competing in NCAA Division III athletics. The Cougars have won 54 conference championships, made 24 NCAA Tournament appearances and have won one team and one individual NCAA national championship. Averett has produced more than 60 All-America selections and nearly 50 conference players of the year, along with winning numerous other national, regional, state and conference accolades.
Although the change in conference affiliation ushers in a new era for the Cougars, Averett has long been committed to progress and growth within the institution and in athletics. The University’s commitment to a positive student-athlete experience is rooted throughout the E. Stuart James Grant North Campus. Through campaign projects and generous donations, Averett has completed multiple facilities upgrades, including the construction of Frank R. Campbell Stadium, which features the Daly Field and J.T. Emerson Pressbox, as well as quiet study areas for students with comfortable furnishings and technology access in the Carrington Academic Center.
Averett continues to provide new opportunities for students through sports. Since 2016, Averett has added men’s lacrosse and men’s wrestling, brought back women’s lacrosse, added two club sports — esports and competitive dance — and most recently announced the addition of a women’s golf program that will begin competition in fall 2021.
Averett will depart the USA South Athletic Conference following the 2021-22 academic year. Since 1978, the Cougars have been full-time members of the USA South (originally the Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) — the only conference Averett has been affiliated with since the school began NCAA intercollegiate athletics in the 1970s.
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WEST PIEDMONT PLANNING DISTRICT COMMISSION: TWO UPCOMING VIRTUAL EVENTS |
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Virtual Meeting: West Piedmont Planning District Commission Pandemic Recovery and Resiliency Plan
WPPDC has started the process of developing a Pandemic Recovery and Resiliency Plan that will assess the state of the regional economy by anticipating short- and long-term impacts and trends of the COVID-19 pandemic. When complete The Plan will recommend actionable strategies for economic recovery and long-term economic resiliency.
The Plan will focus on understanding the pandemic’s current and future economic and social impacts on the WPPDC Region, how to mitigate these impacts, and potential strategies that can be taken to expedite economic recovery while ensuring increased economic immunity from future threats.
The plan will specifically look to address challenges faced by local businesses in the WPPDC Region.
Date: Thursday, April 29, 2021
Time: 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Location: Virtual Online Meeting
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Virtual Meeting: Natural Disasters and the West Piedmont Planning District
To assess risk from natural hazards, the West Piedmont Planning District Commission is updating its Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan for the counties of Franklin, Henry, Patrick, and Pittsylvania; the cities of Danville and Martinsville; and the Town of Rocky Mount.
This plan will analyze the natural hazards that could impact the region, determine its risk and vulnerability, and define mitigation actions that can be taken to make the region more resilient to natural disasters. The meeting will present the hazards that post a risk to the region and identify which parts are the most vulnerable to those hazards.
Date: May 4, 2021
Time: 6:00-6:45 p.m.
Location: Virtual Online Meeting
Further details and registration information for the public meeting will be posted to recoverywestpiedmont.com on April 8, 2021.
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WPPDC: PINEY FOREST ROAD CORRIDOR PLANNING STUDY |
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The Danville MPO will hold a virtual informational meeting on a planning study for the Piney Forest Road corridor. The study area extends from Holt Garrison Parkway [vicinity of Coleman Marketplace] 2.6 miles north to Franklin Turnpike.
The purpose of the study is to identify strategies and improvements to address existing and future traffic congestion, safety concerns, and the ability to more comfortably walk, bicycle, and use transit in the corridor. Public feedback is encouraged and is a crucial part of the development of this study.
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DANVILLE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS AND HISTORY |
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Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History, through a DRF grant, would like to introduce the next Musicians in Residence:
Musical Tapestries from the Appalachians Banjo & Fiddle Narratives/Authentic Regional Sounds
Adam Hurt and Beth Williams Hartness perform duets of traditional music from the Appalachian south and elsewhere with clawhammer banjo, fiddle, fingerstyle guitar, and vocals. Their engaging program will appeal to players and fans of old-time music as well as those who may be getting their very first taste of this captivating genre.
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Deemed a "banjo virtuoso" by the Washington Post, Adam Hurt has fused several traditional old-time idioms to create his own elegantly innovative clawhammer banjo style, having been introduced to the instrument at age eleven in his native Minnesota. A respected performer and teacher of traditional music, Adam has played at the Kennedy Center and conducted banjo workshops at many venues around the country and abroad. Since moving south in 2002, Adam has placed in or won most of the major old-time banjo competitions, and he has claimed several state banjo and fiddle championships. Adam's music can be heard on multiple recordings. |
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DMFAH: NATIONAL MUSEUM ASSESSMENT PROGRAM |
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Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History has been selected to participate in the National Museum Assessment Program.
This assessment is administered by the American Alliance of Museums. Through guided self-study assessment and on-site consultation with a museum professional, participation in MAP will empower DFMAH to better serve the citizens of Danville and Pittsylvania County by facilitating its meeting and exceeding the highest professional standards of the museum field.
The museum's participation is made possible through funding provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). MAP helps museums strengthen operations, plan for the future, and meet standards through self-study assessment and a consultative site visit from an expert peer reviewer.
DMFAH has chosen to do a MAP Collections Stewardship assessment in order to update its current collections, include new collections, as well as optimize and standardize archival practices. At the end of the year, they hope to give full access to all holdings for university scholars, researchers, students and the community.
The Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History, established in 1971, is a non-profit educational organization whose mission is to promote art, history, and culture in the Dan River Region.
Hours of operation:
Tuesday-Friday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Saturday: Noon-5 p.m.
Sunday: 2–5 p.m.
Following current COVID policy: All visitors to the museum during the COVID-19 pandemic are asked to wear masks when they enter the museum and to social distance.
Masks and sanitizer stations are available to all who enter, but we urge visitors to bring their own PPE. Visitors will be asked to sign in and have their temperatures taken.
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VALLEYSTAR CREDIT UNION: NEW CEO AND CXO |
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ValleyStar Credit Union announces Lisa Lambrecht as its interim Chief Executive Officer [CEO] to lead the credit union as it rises to meet the expectations of digital transformation and innovation.
As the former CEO of Entrust Financial Credit Union in Richmond, and more recently as the Executive Vice President of ValleyStar, Lisa brings 20 years of experience serving credit unions.
Lisa holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business and accounting from Old Dominion University and a Master of Business Administration from the Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University.
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ValleyStar Credit Union announces Karen DeSalvo as its first chief experience officer [CXO] to further the Credit Union’s vision “to improve the quality of life and the financial well-being of our members, community and employees.”
Karen will directly oversee the leadership of the financial centers, contact center, digital services and marketing functions.
She has over 20 years of financial executive management experience working at several large credit unions and banks, and has spearheaded strategies to create strong brands, improve consumer experience and drive organizational growth.
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VALLEYSTAR CREDIT UNION UPDATES |
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ValleyStar ‘Speaks Your Language’ with new branding, website and ad campaign.
ValleyStar has listened to its current customers and is hard at work updating multiple digital platforms. 2021 will bring a wide variety of digital-first initiatives to allow members to bank anytime – anywhere. People want the safety of digital banking and the friendly smile of a financial expert they can trust. ValleyStar continues to meet those expectations that modern banking demands.
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RIVERSIDE HEALTH & REHABILITATION CENTER: FALLS AND BALANCE |
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Falls and Balance
By: Dr. Chrystal G. Harris, PT, DPT, CLT
Have you wondered why everyone talks about falls? If you have ever been to therapy, one of the first questions your therapist will ask you is how many falls have you had in the last 6 months? We all know that falls can result in injuries, but did you realize that one in four people over the age of 65 fall each year? Falls result in more than 2.8 million injuries treated in emergency departments annually, including over 800,000 hospitalizations and more than 27,000 deaths. Now that I have your attention, I would like to educate you on ways to improve your balance and prevent falls.
We have three very complex systems in our body that determine our balance. To keep it simple, they are the feeling of your feet on the floor, your inner ear, and your vision. As we age and/or develop other disease processes such as diabetes, the feeling in our feet diminishes and our brains are not provided good feedback from our feet; therefore, this system’s accuracy diminishes over time.
When you think about your inner ear, think back when you were a child and you would spin yourself in circles until you felt dizzy and possibly fell down. Children tend to enjoy constantly simulating their inner ear and challenging balance but most adults don’t enjoy being spun around in circles to the point of feeling sick.
The last system is your vision, and as we age, we tend to rely on our vision to help keep our balance more than the previous two systems. Now you might be thinking to yourself, but my vision has worsened as I have aged and for many this is true, but this is why it is imperative to always have good lighting during any activity. Humans tend to be more near sighted in low light situations; therefore, anytime you are up moving around without good lighting, your balance will be compromised. If you get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, turn on the lights because the brighter the better. Trying to feel your way in the dark will only put you at a much higher risk of falls.
Staying active and strong, along with changing a few things throughout your home, are some of the best ways to prevent falls. Before starting any exercise program please consult your medical doctor to determine if it is safe for you to begin an exercise program. Staying active and strong doesn’t have to be hard or boring. You can join the gym, start a mall walking group, take those dancing classes you always wanted to do or do anything you enjoy that gets you up and moving and improves the strength of your muscles. When patients come see us for rehab, we get them up and moving, start an exercise program and once they are stronger and getting ready to go home; we do a home visit and teach them fall recovery skills. Home visits are a vital tool in the prevention of falls for our patients. A therapist goes with you and your family member to your home and makes recommendations on how to make your home a safer environment for you. Removal of scatter rugs is probably the number one recommendation we make to patients on how to improve their safety from falls at home but other suggestions may be moving furniture, decluttering your home or installing grab bars in your bathroom.
Fall recovery is a discussion we have with almost every patient that comes to our facility prior to discharging home. Did you know that if it takes you more than one hour to get up from a fall that your risk of death from the fall doubles? We take fall recovery and prevention very seriously because we want all our patients to be safe, healthy and active. Please remove your scatter rugs, because all it takes is catching your toe on it once and you could sustain a hip fracture or even worse injuries. Talk to your doctor about starting an exercise program to ensure you stay strong and active. If you don’t know much about exercise, there are many resources to get you started. You could go to your local gym for assistance using exercise equipment or you could have a physical therapy consult to target specific aspects of your balance and muscle strength. Either way, be safe and get moving!
Dr. Chrystal G. Harris, PT, DPT, CLT, Director of Rehab at Riverside Health & Rehabiliation Center, began her career in Physical Therapy as a Physical Therapy Assistant at the hospital doing inpatient, outpatient and swing bed patients over 20 years ago. She has nearly 18 years of experience in working with patients in the skilled nursing setting. In 2006, she graduated from East Carolina University with a Masters of Physical Therapy. In 2009, she received a certification as a lymphedema therapist. In 2016, she graduated from Shenandoah University with a doctorate in Physical Therapy.
For more information, contact the Admissions Department at Riverside Health and Rehabilitation Center by calling Robin Young, Admissions Director, at 434.766.6117.
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COMMONWEALTH DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT, INC. 10 YEAR BUSINESS ANNIVERSARY |
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Commonwealth Document Management, Inc. (CDM) is celebrating its 10 Year Business Anniversary this month. CDM
is a locally owned and operated full-service document management company that specializes in on-site document shredding, record storage, scanning and hard drive destruction services.
As a result of their strong local partnerships, they have grown from one mobile shred truck serving Southside Virginia to a fleet of five trucks and now cover the entire state of Virginia and over 25 counties in North Carolina.
"The success of small businesses like CDM are essential to the overall growth and economic well-being of the region. Our membership with the Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce has definitely been a catalyst for our growth and success," said CDM Chief Executive Officer / Partner, Rob Giannini.
CDM is also an active community partner having sponsored many fundraiser Shred Events for God's Storehouse, Danville-Pittsylvania County Cancer Association and the Danville-Riverview Rotary Club.
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PITTSYLVANIA/DANVILLE & SOUTHSIDE HEALTH DISTRCITS EXPAND PHASE 2 COVID-19 VACCINATIONS |
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The Virginia Department of Health’s Pittsylvania/Danville Health District [PDHD] and Southside Health District [SSHD] will expand vaccination efforts to Phase 2. All individuals in the PDHD and SSHD age 16 and older will be eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine starting on Monday, April 5.
“We are pleased to begin offering appointments to all members of general public in Pittsylvania/Danville Health District and Southside Health District that have pre-registered,” said Dr. Scott Spillmann, director of the PDHD and SSHD. “However, those with the highest risk will continue to receive priority in the scheduling process.”
To date, nearly 30,000 people in the PDHD and more than 23,000 people in SSHD have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. In PDHD, more than 14,500 are fully vaccinated and, in SSHD, nearly 12,500 are fully vaccinated.
Everyone interested in receiving a vaccination should pre-register, as completely as possible, to include appropriate essential worker category, at vaccinate.virginia.gov or by calling 1-877-VAX-IN-VA [877.829.4682].
When you receive your appointment for a vaccine, please follow these guidelines at the vaccination site:
- Appointments are required at all locations for COVID-19 vaccination in our area. Walk-ins will not be accepted. Please pre-register to be contacted for an appointment.
- Please plan to arrive no earlier than 10 minutes prior to your appointment time. Too many people arriving too early causes backups.
- Please wear “vaccine ready” clothing to the extent feasible [with easy access to your upper arm].
In the meantime, it is important to remain vigilant in COVID-19 prevention. Continue to protect yourself and others: cover your mouth and nose with a mask, wash your hands often, stay at least six feet away from others and avoid gatherings with anyone who is not a member of your household.
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LONGWOOD SBDC: TWO SMALL BUSINESS WORKSHOPS |
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Join us to learn about a variety of small business financing opportunities.
When: April 22, 2021
Time: 9:00-11:00 a.m.
Location: Online via Zoom
Topics include:
- Community Overview presented by Dinwiddie County
- Types of SBA Loan Guarantees and Small Business Loans presented by First National Bank Small Business Finance
- Introduction to the Revolving Loan Fund presented by Crater Planning District Commission
- Overview of the SWaM Microloan and Child Care Financing Program by the Virginia Small Business Financing Authority
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Building the Foundation for Your New Business:
When: April 22, 2021
Time: 10:00-11:30 a.m.
Location: Online via Zoom
Some of the most popular reasons to start a business include-having a unique business idea, designing a career that has the flexibility to grow with you, working toward financial independence and investing in yourself.
Prepare to start a successful business:
- Evaluate your entrepreneurial abilities
- Marketing strategies
- Financial resources
- Legal form of organization
- Tips to prepare & present your business plan
- Cybersecurity tips
Not every small business is positioned for success, so you may be in for a real challenge when you decide to take the plunge, ditch your day job, and become a business owner. The stage is often set in the beginning, so make sure you start with a strong foundation.
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DANVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS: SUPERINTENDENT SUBMITS BUDGET DRAFT |
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Superintendent Angela Hairston submitted to the Danville City School Board a proposed budget. Without any request for increased funding from City Council for operational expenses, the budget invests in five key areas:
● Salary increases for all employees
● Staffing enhancements
● Five additional instructional days
● Increased wrap-around services
● After school programming
“The School Board has a unique and essential role in ensuring that all students have equal access to education and that all employees are supported in their roles as champions for students and learning,” stated Crystal Cobbs, Chair of the Danville City School Board. “It is the board’s responsibility to make sure funds are allocated strategically across the division. We fully support Dr. Hairston’s proposed budget – a budget that invests in key initiatives that will move this division forward by focusing on the needs of all students.”
Employee raises budgeted for in FY22 and the step increase received in FY21 will equate to a 5% raise for all employees over the biennium. This budget includes a step increase plus an additional % yielding an average 3.5% increase for FY22, pending Governor Northam’s approval of the Conference Budget in April.
Hairston is proposing staffing enhancements which include the addition of certified teachers to reduce class sizes to 14-18 students; Literacy Specialists for elementary and middle schools; increased technology support for students; and increased support for Advanced Placement [AP] and International Baccalaureate [IB] programs at Galileo and George Washington High Schools. Hairston is also proposing school be extended by five days to address the effect of unlearned content during the pandemic. Teachers will receive a stipend of $1,500 and other qualifying employees will be paid their daily rate for the additional instructional days for the upcoming year.
In regard to wrap-around services, the proposed budget includes additional social workers and guidance counselors.
For after school programming, Hairston proposes increasing opportunities for after school programming and enrichment activities by investing in and strengthening partnerships with key community partners.
The proposed budget is a working draft for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1, 2021, and is based on Northam’s approval of the Conference Budget. Pending school board approval, the budget will then be submitted to City Council by May 1, 2021.
School board meetings are held the first and third Thursdays of every month at 5:30 p.m. in the Danville Room at the School Board Office located at 341 Main Street. The meetings also stream live on YouTube.
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FOUR SEASONS PEST CONTRAOL TECHNICIANS GRADUATE NCPMA'S INAUGURAL PREMIER TECHNICIAN PROGRAM |
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Four Seasons Pest Control employees Christian Beane and Wes McBride have successfully graduated from the North Carolina Pest Management Association’s [NCPMA] Premier Technician Program.
The NCPMA Premier Technician Program is designed for pest management professionals who are committed to the field and who strive to be industry experts. The program offers a continuous series of courses that elevate a technician’s understanding of pest infestations from discovery to treatment.
Beane and McBride have gained more in-depth classroom and hands-on training for investigating, identifying, and treating pests in eight different subject areas. They were taught how to use the latest in state-of-the-art pest control equipment. Course subjects included ants, bed bugs, cockroaches, flying insects, occasional invader/stored product pests, rodents, wood-boring inspection course/WDIR accreditation, and wood destroying organisms.
Beane serves Four Seasons Pest Control customers from the firm’s Reidsville, North Carolina location. McBride serves customers from the Danville, Virginia location. In order to maintain their Premier Technician designation, Beane and McBride must continue their education and take at least one eight-hour Premier Technicians course every two years.
The NCPMA’s Premier Technician Program is made possible through contributions from NCPMA's strategic partners. These partners include: BASF, Bayer, Bell Laboratories, Corteva Agriscience, FMC, and Syngenta.
Four Seasons Pest Control provides property owners the most effective pest management within its service area. Four Seasons focuses on safety, customer service, and comfort. The firm remains up-to-date with the newest products and latest methods of pest prevention. Since 1998, the firm has grown to include 11 employees. It is a Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce member with two Virginia locations, serving Danville and Moneta, and one North Carolina location serving Reidsville.
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(T) 434.836.6990 | (F) 434.836.6955
150 Slayton Avenue | Danville, VA 24540
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