Announcements

Village Bank President and CEO Tom Winfree (center) accepts the Business of the Year Award from Bermuda District Supervisor Dorothy Jaeckle (from left), County Administrator Jay Stegmaier, Matoaca District Supervisor Marleen Durfee and Economic Development Director Will Davis. The annual business awards event was held at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Chester. Awards were determined by a committee of business operators in the county. Chesterfield County announced its First Choice Business award winners last week during the annual Celebrate Chesterfield Business! appreciation event.

Each year, the First Choice Business awards recognize companies that contribute to the county’s economy and citizens by giving back through community service, creating and delivering products or services that are innovative to customers, valuing employees and upholding the principles and standards of ethical business practices.

David Ellena (left), assistant principal of Providence Middle School, met with Congressman Eric Cantor earlier this month to discuss public education. During the meeting, Cantor expressed his concern for county schools following recent budget cuts and commended teachers and administrators for doing a good job. Ellena was in Washington, D.C., attending the annual spring meeting of the National Association of Secondary Principal’s Board of Directors. Ellena represents 8,000 assistant principals across the country as the organization’s assistant principal at large. Photo courtesy of Eric Cantor The 2010 First Choice Business of the Year was awarded to Village Bank. The financial institution is celebrating its 10th year of serving Chesterfield and the metro. Its flagship headquarters on Route 60 near Route 288 set a high standard for future development at the Watkins Centre. Village Bank officials have a strong company commitment, both on a corporate and individual level, to community service. Tom Winfree, president and CEO, is a founding member of the Families of the Wounded Fund. Village Bank also sponsors an annual charity golf tournament that benefits several local charities, including Connor’s Heroes and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. During this past year of economic turmoil, Village Bank has overcome adversity to show marked growth, adding investment services and a mortgage subsidiary to its portfolio of services.

The Chester-based 9U USSSA/AAU baseball team, Virginia Thunder, was ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 2 in the country as of last month. The team has been together for three years with the same coaches. It has also qualified for the elite world series in Orlando. Team members include (front row from left) Sonny Trip, Ethan Eberhart, Nathan Tuck, Ronnie Caricofe, Layne Summerfield and Justin Starke. Second row: Matthew Bartlett, Drake Hundley, Justin Parker, Seth Mayberry and Hunter Vaughn. Coaches: Ron Caricofe, Gregg Bartlett, Todd Tuck and Bo Summerfield. Photo courtesy of Jeremy Cole Alliance Engineering won the Innovation Impact Award for using the challenging economic climate as an opportunity to diversify its traditional client base. Its new initiative, Alliance Biosciences, allows the company to collaborate on multi-discipline projects to combat infectious disease.

The Swift Creek Middle School Interact Club recently held a bag-packing party for the charity Mended Little Hearts. Students filled 40 care bags with donated items they collected from neighbors, friends and local businesses. The tote bags will be given to families whose children are undergoing heart surgery in hopes of making their hospital stays a little brighter. Photo courtesy of Chesterfield County Public Schools Flagstop Corporation was the winner of the Employee Impact Award. Flagstop sets high standards for its employees, and the workers rise to the occasion by providing exceptional customer service. Employees are rewarded with bonuses, profit sharing and top-quality training and professional development opportunities.

The Environmental Stewardship Award is new this year and is designed to recognize a business in the county that has successfully protected the environment. This year’s winner,

Southern RV, held environmental-education clinics that drew more than 470 attendees. The company has an aggressive recycling program for oil, batteries and paper, and company staff maintains the appearance of their business by keeping it clear of trash and debris.

The First Choice Business Award winners will be recognized by the board of supervisors at its July 28 meeting.

Athletics

Jordan Gee, Chesterfield resident and sophomore at Hargrave Military Academy School, threw a record 19 strikeouts recently. In 102 pitches, he issued one walk and one unearned run in a complete game. The team went on to win 7-1. Gee pitched on the Matoaca High School junior varsity squad before transferring to Hargrave in February. He was also starting center for Matoaca High’s varsity basketball team. He will play on the Richmond American 2012 team this summer.

The recreational cheerleading program at the Hopkins “Bobcat” Athletic Association received numerous awards at “The US Finals – The Final Destination” national cheerleading competition in Virginia Beach recently. More than 650 teams competed in the event. Both the minor team (ages 8 and 9) and the junior team (ages 10 to 12) were crowned East Champions in their divisions. The flag team (ages 5 to 8) placed fifth out of nine teams and the senior team (ages 12 to 14) placed third out of eight teams. The Bobcat cheerleaders were undefeated at three age levels in local and state competitions during the regular season. All four of the Bobcat cheerleading teams qualified for the national event by receiving three first place bids and one third place bid at the Easter Cheer and Dance Association Virginia State Championships in November. Coaches include Christy Brown and Courtney Merriman, flag coaches, Kim Robinson, minor coach, Shannon Harley and Kayla Hardy, junior coaches, and Marcquel Miles and Cynthia Roberts, senior coaches. Miles is also the program’s director.

Government

Del. Lee Ware has been chosen by Gov. Bob McDonnell to serve on the Commission on Government Reform and Restructuring. The commission will work to ensure that duplicative, outdated, unnecessary and ineffective services and service-delivery methods are eliminated and that state revenues are dedicated to the core functions of government.

Congressman Randy Forbes was presented with an award from the American Conservative Union for his strong voting record on efforts to create more efficient government, lower taxes and build a strong national defense.

Organizations

This year’s 47-person class at LEAD VIRGINIA includes Chesterfield residents Michele Zajur, Cathryn Lowe and Mike Elkins. The organization is a statewide leadership program in its fifth year of educating Virginia’s leaders about issues relevant to the commonwealth. The 2010 class will visit seven regions in the state to learn about strengths and opportunities unique to each area.

Announcements can be e-mailed to news@ chesterfieldobserver.com, faxed to 744- 3269 or mailed to Chesterfield Observer, Attn: Announcements, P.O. Box 1616, Midlothian, VA 23113.