NxLevel Business Writing Course Offered

The Crater Small Business Development Center of Longwood University in partnership with the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce, Colonial Heights Chamber of Commerce, Hopewell Chamber of Commerce and ConnectSouthside will be offering an 8 week Business Plan Class using the popular curriculum NxLevel. NxLevel is a comprehensive Business Writing course. The class focuses on teaching the necessities for improving business practices while producing a comprehensive business plan to assist business expansion decisions and activities.

Topics that are covered:

• Planning & Research: Entrepreneurship
• Organizational Structure & Management
• Marketing: Analyzing & Understanding
• Marketing Strategies, tactics & Implementation
• Financial Overview: books, records & control
• Managing Your Money
• Understanding Financial Statements
• Financing Your Business – alternative sources of money

Dates:
April 27, May 4, May 11, May 18, May 25, June 1, June 8, June 15th

Time:
4:00 pm – 6:30 pm

Location:
Crater Planning District Commission Board Room
1964 Wakefield Street, Petersburg, VA 23805

Cost:
$250.00
*$200.00 for those in the Cameron jurisdiction and Petersburg, Colonial Heights & Hopewell Chamber Members

RSVP:
girardijm@longwood.edu
804-518-2003

Space is limited - Registration will be required!

*The Cameron Foundation jurisdictions: Cities of Petersburg, Colonial Heights and Hopewell, the counties of Dinwiddie, Prince George and Sussex and the portion of Chesterfield lying South of Route 10.

JES Construction Grows Staff

JES Construction, a leading engineering solutions company specializing in foundation repair, basement waterproofing and crawlspace moisture control, has added additional staff to continue to provide outstanding service and work to their growing clientele in the greater Richmond area. JES introduces Crystal Randolph of Carson, Va., as a service coordinator; Michelle McLees of Chesterfield, Va., as a marketing coordinator; Harold Jones of Midlothian, Va., as a home improvement specialist and Rob Scott of Richmond, Va., as an inspector.

Randolph brings 8 years of office management and customer service experience to the service department. She will be responsible for scheduling service appointments and responding to customer inquiries. Her problem solving and people skills will help to maintain JES’ strong reputation for customer care and satisfaction.

McLees has over seven years of experience in the fields of public relations and marketing communications and has worked for successful brands and organizations such as 3M, the American Heart Association, Bag Boy and U.S. Cellular. McLees will coordinate marketing and public relations efforts at JES. She has a BS in Business Administration from Old Dominion University.

Jones previously owned and operated Jones Quality Construction in Smithville, N.J. which specialized in crawlspace and basement work and repair. He has also managed construction crews and worked hands-on in the home building and remodeling industry for over 20 years. His knowledge and experience is a tremendous addition to the JES team.

Scott comes to JES from S.D. Services, a geotechnical drilling company, where he managed projects as well as served as the site foreman. He is also certified by OSHA as a responsible person on site for soil classification. As an inspector at JES, his knowledge of soil evaluation and how it aids in the design and construction of stable and lasting foundations will be an asset to this position.

“Our experienced, upbeat and dedicated staff is why we are a successful and growing company,” says Jesse Waltz, P.E., President of JES Construction, Inc. “Crystal, Michelle, Harold and Scott are great additions to the JES team and will help us to continue to deliver superior work and service to our customers.”

For more information about JES Construction please visit www.jeswork.com.

Local Ad Agency Teams up with NASCAR

Franklin Street Marketing, a Chesterfield-based healthcare marketing and advertising agency, recently finished producing a groundbreaking national campaign for Health Management Associates (HMA), a nationwide network of hospitals. The campaign features one of NASCAR's best and most beloved drivers, Mark Martin, as the spokesperson and touts HMA's ER Extra, a new system-wide initiative to improve ER wait times.

The ER Extra campaign is the first in the hospital category to feature a celebrity of Martin's caliber as the spokesperson. It is also the first to feature Martin's wife, Arlene, and is Mark Martin's only healthcare-related sponsorship this season.

The campaign included point-of-purchase and event promotion materials, four television spots, and several print ads, radio spots, and outdoor boards. The television spots are available to view on YouTube.

Franklin Street Marketing is a Chesterfield County-based company with over 20 years of experience in marketing and advertising for hospitals and other health organizations. The company strives to make a difference in our community and nationally by helping healthcare organizations provide care to their patients. When hospitals can get their message out, they are in a better position to prevent and detect illness early on, and save lives.

For more information on Franklin Street or the HMA ER Extra campaign featuring Mark Martin, visit franklinstreet.com.

Sabra Featured in Times-Dispatch Article

Sabra Dipping Co., a New York-based food manufacturer is putting the finishing touches on a new factory in Chesterfield County...

In an article published today, John Reid Blackwell describes the progress made by Sabra on its new facility in the Ruffin Mill Industrial Park.

View the online article here. >>>

MIRR Breaks Ground to Improve Midlothian Turnpike

Midlothian Initiative to Revitalize Rights of Way (MIRR) broke ground today on a landscaping project that promises to bring visual improvements to a stretch of Route 60 in Chesterfield County. Senator John Watkins, Jay Stegmaier, Dan Gecker, Will Davis, Bill Levitt, Ray Birk, Duane Schumaker, Tom Jacobson, and Pete Stith participated in the groundbreaking ceremony. The MIRR Task Force is a sub-committee of the Greater Southport Business Association.

The subcommittee and Chesterfield County have been working with Timmons Group to develop a plan to improve, beautify and revitalize the roadways, medians and rights of way in the Huguenot/Courthouse/Midlothian area. The design plan calls for several phases.

The first phase will enhance the medians along Midlothian Turnpike from Alverser Drive on the west to Johnson Willis Drive on the east. The work will cost approximately $680,000 (including maintenance) and will be paid over five years through a special tax assessment of the area property owners.

A presentation showing the area being planned for improvements, type of landscaping being considered and before/after photos is available for download on the Greater Southport Business Association web site.

Austin Brockenbrough Cuts Ribbon to Open New Office

Austin Brockenbrough & Associates, a multi-discipline consulting engineering firm, celebrated their expansion and relocation to their new offices in the Boulders Office Park with a ribbon cutting ceremony on March 9, 2010. Formed in 1955, Brockenbrough provides surveying, civil, structural, mechanical, and electrical engineering services to a wide variety of public and private clients.

As a result of their commitment to being responsible stewards of the environment, they invested in renovations that comply with LEED principles such as energy efficient systems, recycled materials and low VOC paints and hope to receive LEED certification for their efforts.

Brockenbrough differentiates itself by providing superior quality control, maintaining conservative fiscal and ethical management and having only highly qualified professionals responsible for projects.

Kenco Logistic Services Expands in Chesterfield

Kenco will be adding 25 - 30 new jobs and investing $1.6 million at their current site at the Walthall Enterchange in Chesterfield County.

Kenco Logistic Services is one of the nation’s leading third-party logistics providers and has grown to over 100 facilities and more than 25 million square feet of warehouse space in 32 states and Canada. Kenco manages facilities for the automotive, food, textile, appliance, and health-care industries.


For more information, visit ChesterfieldBusiness.com >>>

America's First Successful Site Search

America's first agricultural business was started in Chesterfield County, Virginia.

Chesterfield Company Selected for VALET Program

Sealeze Selected to Participate in Virginia’s VALET Program

Two-year program provides resources to support international business

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) has announced the acceptance of a Chesterfield company, Sealeze, into its two-year Virginia Leaders in Export Trade (VALET) program. Launched in January 2002, the program assists exporters in the Commonwealth that have firmly established domestic operations and are committed to international exporting as an expansion strategy.

Sealeze joins the program as part of the 17th class of VALET companies. To participate, each eligible business must meet several quantitative criteria and complete an application process. Participating firms are chosen based on their dedication to growth through export. Currently, more than 100 Virginia companies have been accepted to participate in the VALET program.

Sealeze is the industry leader in providing brush-based solutions for industrial, military and aerospace applications. The company’s brush products provide a simple, cost-effective way to flexibly seal, shield, protect, close gaps, guide, position, dissipate static, clean and address many other applications. Sealeze weather seals close gaps around all types of doors, significantly reducing building energy costs and they provide an effective barrier to pests like rodents, birds and insects without impairing door movement. Custom-forming capabilities enable shapes and designs that best meet application needs. Sealeze is known for its ability to turn-around engineered solutions about twice as fast as the industry average. Sealeze’s high customer satisfaction is supported by their ISO9001:2000, Kaizen, and Lean TPM programs.

Read more on the VEDP web site >>>

Call for Nominations - 2010 Chesterfield County First Choice Business Awards

Each year Chesterfield County Virginia honors local companies that contribute to the county’s economy and its citizens. The intent is to give recognition to businesses that consistently contribute to the community by giving back to the citizens of Chesterfield through community service, create and deliver products or services to its customers which are innovative, is a leader in valuing its employees, and upholds the principles and standards of ethical business practices.

Do you know a deserving Chesterfield County company? Then nominate them for a 2010 First Choice Business Award!

Nominate a Company >>>