The People of RVA: Recent Episodes
Richard Saunders
Tune in to hear host Rich Saunders explore the lives of some of the amazing change agents in the greater Richmond area.
It was both interesting and inspiring learning about Faith Walker, who is the executive director of RVA Rapid Transit, a nonprofit whose mission is to advocate for frequent and far-reaching transit in the Richmond region. Faith grew up in Eastern Henrico and spent much of her early life engaging with Richmond's East End community through her family's ministry. After working in banking and sales and a brief stint in San Diego, Faith's career has come full circle, where she is now engaging with the transit user community in the region.
Check out the RVA Rapid Transportation website to learn more about the organization or ways to engage in public transportation advocacy.
Aside from college at Hampden-Sydney, Clint has spent his life in Richmond. A top executive in risk management at Atlantic Union Bank, Clint has recently served as the Board Chair for SOAR365, a nonprofit dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities throughout Central Virginia. A proud father and husband, Clint is also very active in the local running scene, which is how we were connected. Learn about Clint and what he loves about Richmond in this episode!
To learn more about SOAR365, check out the website.
The City of Richmond's Director of Planning & Development Review sat down with me to share on where he came from and how he ended up in RVA. Having moved here with his family from Green Bay, WI soon after the pandemic began, Kevin has settled in and is helping to make some big moves in Richmond.
Episode 14 features a motivated RVA change agent in Will Melton. Will started his career as an entrepreneur at an early age. Having co-owned and led the growth of a small computer sales and repair store into a thriving business in Williamsburg in his early 20s to now leading a regionally recognized digital marketing agency, Will is a veteran marketing consultant and business owner. RVA is lucky that Will and his wife Courtney have decided to make Northside Richmond their permanent home. Will has prioritized giving back to the community through serving in leadership roles for local nonprofit organizations. Through Xponent21, Will and his team are investing in a sustainable RVA through America's Healthiest City initiative including the recent launch of Richmond Water. I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed recording at POWER UP Video!
Listen to Will's weekly radio show on the America's Healthiest City initiative., which is broadcast on ESPN Richmond.
Learn more about Xponent21.
Learn more about Richmond Water.
Follow Will on LinkedIn.
I had a great time recording another episode at POWER UP, this time with Lane Pearson. A western North Carolina native, Lane has called RVA home for many years. An attorney and partner at Fleckenstein & Associates, P.C., Lane also serves on the City of Richmond's Commission of Architectural Review and volunteers his time in serving on nonprofit boards, including the Maggie Walker Land Trust. Lane and his family live in the Battery Park neighborhood and love living in the City, as they have for many years. I hope you enjoy learning about Lane as much as I did!
One of the first microbreweries in the Richmond region to launch in the wake of new state legislation that made it easier for breweries to sell beer for consumption on-premises, Center of the Universe (or simply COTU) has become more than just a place to consume beer. It has become a true community gathering spot in an industrial park just outside the town of Ashland. Join me to learn more about Phil Ray, who co-founded the brewery with his brother Chris in 2012. Chris talks about how it all started, why they chose Virginia and the industrial park location, how the brewery has grown, and his recent career shift to work for Shenandoah Community Capital Fund to help other entrepreneurs reach their dreams.
Some relevant links:
Center of the Universe: https://cotubrewing.com/
Origin Beer Lab: http://www.originbeerlab.com/
St. Baldrick's Foundation: https://www.stbaldricks.org/
Shenandoah Community Capital Fund: https://www.sccfva.org/
Shenandoah Community Capital Fund Success Story: https://www.sccfva.org/post/sagebird-ciderworks
After meeting Brandon at a networking event a few weeks ago I was thrilled when he enthusiastically agreed to be on the Pod! Having been raised in the eastern suburbs of Raleigh and attending ECU for undergrad (go Pirates! Argggh!!) , Brandon has devoted most of his career to being a public servant in Henrico County. Starting as a budget analyst and working his way up into his current executive role as Deputy County Administrator for Administration, Brandon's passion and devotion for the community is an inspiration. If that's not enough to be impressed about, he and his wife have quite the full house with another on the way.
I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed recording it. There is a lot of exciting stuff on the horizon for the County and collaboratively in the region and we get to hear about it from Brandon in this episode. And shout out to PowerUp Video out of Mechanicsville for doing a fabulous job recording and editing this episode. I look forward to the continued partnership with PowerUp moving forward.
Applicable links:
PowerUp Video and Recording Studio: https://www.powerupvideo.com/
Henrico County Current Fiscal Year Budget: https://henrico.us/budget/
Henrico County Capital Improvement Program: https://henrico.us/finance/divisions/office-of-management-and-budget/cip/
Henrico County Volunteer Opportunities: https://henrico.us/services/volunteer/
Greencity Development Video from Henrico County: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hogTL_sKGLI&ab_channel=HenricoCountyGovernment
Richmond City Center Project: https://www.rva.gov/citycenter
Many of you probably already know Jay Paul, as he seems to be quite the fixture in the outdoors community. I hope you all are as inspired by his passion for outdoors as I am!
Relevant links:
Buddy Insurance: https://my.buddy.insure/
Sports Backers: https://www.sportsbackers.org/
VA Capital Trail Foundation: https://www.virginiacapitaltrail.org/
Get to know the amazing Erin Horil with me! Erin is the head coach of the adult triathlon program for Endorphin Fitness, however wears many hats in the organization. Erin moved to Richmond after receiving her Master's Degree in Exercise Physiology from JMU in 2017. Motivating and inspiring many through her dedicated coaching and training, Erin recently earned her "pro card," quite the feat, especially considering all of the injury obstacles that she overcame earlier in her career.
Want to learn more about Endorphin? https://endorphinfitness.com/
Want to reach out to Erin directly? erin@endorphinfitness.com
Episode 8 is brought to you via a sidewalk meetup. Greta and I had never actually met in person, but I passed her on Broad Street and she accepted my invitation to be on this Podcast. I learned a ton about her and am now a total fan. A Danville native who grew up in a segregated school system, it was fascinating to hear Greta's story from architect to the director of the nonprofit agency she now leads, the Better Housing Coalition.
Learn more about the Better Housing Coalition: https://www.betterhousingcoalition.org/
Join me in learning more about Lou, a prominent real estate developer in Richmond who started his career in architecture. Lou and I have an honest discussion about his humble beginnings, his success as an architect, his pivot into development, and the ups and downs of the market. Lou taught me a lot of new things I hadn't expected to learn. I hope you enjoy!
Tressa is pretty awesome, so let's get to know her more together!
Like to Tressa's website: https://www.inhealthrva.com/
This was a fantastic episode getting to learn more about Andreas Addison! Hope you enjoy this is much as I did.
Jason Guillot is a partner at Thalhimer Realty Partners, the development arm of the commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield Thalhimer. A native of Louisiana, Jason is happy to call Richmond home and is helping make Richmond a better place to live through the work he is doing in real estate development. Learn more about the amazing Jason by listening to this episode!
A Richmonder for life, this episode was so much fun to record. Charlie grew up in Richmond and has a lot of really interesting insight to share. He has been transformative in helping both supporting local business and creating community gathering place through the commercial real estate that he purchases and manages. I hope you enjoy!
Lion's Paw Development Website: https://www.lionspawdevelopment.com/
Had an absolute blast getting to know more about Brian and Keep Virginia Cozy!
Learn more about how you can volunteer or support Keep Virginia Cozy: https://keepvirginiacozy.org/
Check out the Keep Virginia Cozy IG: keepvirginiacozy
In my very first episode I have a conversation with my PodCast mentor, neighbor, friend, and all-around good guy, Sheldon Young. Sheldon co-hosts a PodCast about Echelon, which is a connected fitness program similar to Peleton, but in a much more tight-knit community.
To learn more about Echelon: echelonfit.com
To learn more about and listen to Sheldon's PodCast: https://bikethatgoesnowhere.com/