November 2021
CHAMBER MEMBER NEWS
Member News is a monthly newsletter that provides news about Chamber members.
AVERETT UNIVERSITY CUTS RIBBON ON AU AVIATION SERVICES
Averett University held a ribbon cutting event celebrating the opening of AU Aviation Services, the new Fixed Based Operator [FBO] of the Danville Regional Airport. The University and the City of Danville entered into a lease agreement beginning July 1.

Averett hired industry veteran John Earl to serve as its inaugural FBO manager. Earl has extensive experience leading FBOs across the United States that have commonly been recognized for exemplary customer service, including Boston, Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco, as well as in some smaller communities throughout Alabama and Kansas.

The University has had a presence at the airport for 40 years, operating its Aeronautics degree program out of the George J. Falk Flight Operations Center next door to the FBO area. More than 100 Averett Aeronautics majors are learning the business of aviation or receiving in-flight training at Averett’s FAA-approved 141-certified flight school.

Averett is building upon the solid foundation provided by former operator, General Aviation – a multi-generational, family-owned company that operated the FBO since 1948. At today’s event, both the City and Averett presented the former FBO managers – the Rembold family – plaques of recognition for their vision, persistence and commitment to service over these 70 years of aviation growth in the region.

Danville Regional Airport is owned and operated by the City of Danville. It covers 800 acres, and includes a primary runway and a cross runway.
DMFAH PRESENTS TWO EXHIBITIONS IN ONE LOCATION
Exhibition Date: October 16 – November 21, 2021
Location: 24 Reid Street, Chatham, VA 24531
Exhibition Hours: Monday – Saturday | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. • Sunday | 2-4 p.m.
Group Tours by appointment. Please call 434.793.5644.

In partnership with the Smithsonian, the Virginia Association of Museums [VAM], Virginia Humanities, Preservation Virginia and their Crossroads Community Partners: Chatham First, Old Dominion Agricultural Complex, Pittsylvania County Historical Society, and the Reid Street Gallery in Chatham Virginia, have teamed up to bring you Crossroads: Change in Rural America, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and state humanities councils nationwide.

In 1900, about 40% of Americans lived in rural areas and by 2010 less than 18% of the U.S. population lived in rural areas. In just over a century, massive economic and social changes led to massive growth of America's urban areas. Yet, less than 10% of the U.S. landmass is considered urban.

Many Americans assume that rural communities are endangered and hanging on by a thread—suffering from outmigration, ailing schools, and overused land. But that perception is far from true in many areas. Many rural Americans work hard to sustain their communities. Why should revitalizing the rural places left behind matter to those who remain, those who left, and those who will come in the future? All Americans benefit from rural America's successes. We can learn great things from listening to those stories. There is much more to the story of rural America!
Crossroads: Change in Rural America offers small towns a chance to look at their own paths to highlight the changes that affected their fortunes over the past century. The exhibition will prompt discussions about what happened when America’s rural population became a minority of the country’s population and the ripple effects that occurred.

Carson Davenport | Retrospective:
The second exhibition that the DMFAH proudly presents is the work by Danville native, Carson Davenport from its collection, many of which have never been displayed publicly. The works span 50 years of Davenport’s career and beautifully represent his range from realist portraiture to abstract cubist landscapes. Pieces on display will include oil paintings, watercolors, etchings, woodblocks, and drawings. His 1938 mural Harvest Season in Southern Virginia can also be seen nearby in the Chatham Main Street Post Office. The museum’s collection features several holiday cards which became collectibles for friends of Davenport, three WPA mural studies, and a self-portrait of the private artist. Davenport is often quoted as saying “I am not a public speaker. I just prefer to come quietly and leave my work for people to see, and hope they enjoy them.” DMFAH hopes you come to see and enjoy his work in Carson Davenport Retrospective 2021.
HARRIS, HARVEY, NEAL & COMPANY, LLP MERGED WITH SNEAD, WILLIAMS & MAYHEW, PLLC
Harris, Harvey, Neal & Company, LLP, one of the largest and oldest accounting firms in the area, has merged with the prominent local accounting firm of Snead, Williams & Mayhew, PLLC. The merger was effective on September 1, 2021.

Snead, Williams & Mayhew, PLLC directors, Charles W. Snead, CPA and Michael A. Mayhew, CPA have joined Harris, Harvey, Neal & Co., LLP as partners.

Each firm has a long history in the community and are committed to serving their clients. Harris, Harvey, Neal & Company, LLP is celebrating their 70th anniversary this year and has grown to forty employees. The firm is comprised of seven equity-partner Certified Public Accountants [CPAs], ten CPAs, five staff accountants who are CPA-candidates, and numerous bookkeeping and support staff.

The firm provides a myriad of services to individual and business clients including tax preparation, audits, reviews, and compilations, income tax planning, estate and trust planning, estate and fiduciary income tax preparation, business consulting, bookkeeping, payroll services, tax credit and Virginia Enterprise Zone consulting.

Harris, Harvey, Neal & Co., LLP has a regional presence operating offices in Danville, Chatham, Martinsville, and South Boston. The offices locations are:
• 2309 Riverside Drive, Danville 434.792.3220
• 29 Military Drive, Chatham 434.432.2441
• 523 Edmunds Street, South Boston 434.572.7914
• 231 East Church Street, Martinsville 276.632.9871

For more information about the services offered by Harris, Harvey, Neal & Co. visit www.hhn.cpa.
CARLISLE NOW ENROLLING SECOND SEMESTER
CHRISTMAS CASH CODE CONTEST
GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF THE VALLEYS CELEBRATES 90 YEARS
October 10 marks the 90th anniversary of Goodwill Industries of the Valleys. Founded in Roanoke on October 10, 1931, Goodwill consisted of a cabinet and shoe shop, store, mission hall, and 32 rooms for the homeless. The first superintendent was Mr. S.L. Thomas, and he oversaw the work of 20 - 30 people operating a paper plant that generated about $10,000 a year. Records, dating back to 1935, list the Roanoke program as one of 89 Goodwills nationwide and the 64th program organized.

Today, Goodwill Industries of the Valleys is one of 156 independent, community-based Goodwill agencies in the United States and Canada. The current organization was created in January 2000 through the merger of four organizations with similar missions – all committed to serving people in need. Goodwill’s service area covers 35 counties and 14 cities Central, Southwest, and Southside Virginia.

Goodwill Industries of the Valleys will continue to build on the legacy of the last 90 years. The organization strives to make a greater, longer lasting impact in our communities while embarking on an exciting new future.
Goodwill Industries of the Valleys Welcomes New IT Leadership

Goodwill Industries of the Valleys appointed Brenda Moore as Chief Information Officer on October 4, 2021, and Chris Conner as Vice President of Information Technology on October 18, 2021. Both Moore and Conner join Goodwill’s Executive Leadership Team and will lead the Information Technology department.

Moore had been with Medical Facilities of America since 1998 and served as their Chief Information Officer. She was formerly at Deloitte and Touche as a Consulting Group Manager. In her roles, she has 20+ years of experience managing enterprise IT Operations and implementations of various Operational and EMR systems for a large healthcare organization. She is results-driven and excels at analyzing and identifying business and functional requirements and creating/revising workflows and incorporating technology solutions.

Moore holds a Master of Business Administration from William & Mary and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of South Dakota. She is also a certified public accountant licensed by the Virginia Board of Accountancy and a certified Project Manager.

Conner had been with Diagcore/Medical Facilities of America since 2016 and served as their Network Infrastructure Engineer. He was formerly at Sam Moore Furniture, LLC as an IT Director. In his roles, he has 25+ years of expertise in networking, IT management, system and data migrations, and technical support. He is hard-working and results-driven with a talent for figuring out the most complex configurations and issues.

Moore and Conner will focus on the establishment and execution of technology needs, operations, and strategy. They will ensure the alignment with Goodwill’s organizational strategy and the delivery of capabilities required to achieve organizational and community success. They will participate in and contribute to Goodwill’s overall operations and strategy development, bringing current knowledge and future vision to leverage information and technology in business model design, business processes re-engineering, operational improvements, and support for the organization’s mission. 
MAJOR CHANGES AHEAD FOR MIDDLE BORDER FORWARD
After five years of building social capital in the Dan River region through community engagement and grassroots leadership development programming, Middle Border Forward is changing the way it operates. Effective November 1, the nonprofit community development organization will transition to a volunteer-run model, with no paid staff and no physical location.

The change comes after several months of exploratory conversations between staff, board members and community partners. The move to a non-staffed model means Jennifer Gregory’s tenure with the organization will end on Oct. 31, but she sees this as the ultimate reward for her years of service.

Over the next six weeks, the board will engage the community in a strategic planning process to help redefine the organization’s priorities and programming.

The organization’s incoming president, Dr. Jessica Jones says community involvement in not only the strategic planning process, but also in the implementation of future programs and projects is critical to MBF’s continued work in the region. Dr. Jones is the last of the organization’s founding board members still serving. She offers a unique perspective on the evolution of MBF over the past five years and the pending transition.

As part of its new operating model, MBF will solicit volunteers to serve on several committees, including programming, resource development and marketing/public relations. Opportunities to join the movement will be published on the organization’s website and Facebook page as they are announced. Middle Border Forward has been a colorful presence in Danville’s River District since opening its office there in April 2016. The office is scheduled to close next month, but not before the organization hosts one final celebration in the space.
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