In 2022, Christina founded F45 Training Stafford, a community-focused studio offering structured group workouts designed to foster strength, resilience, and connection. Her vision was to create a place where everyone — regardless of age, ability, or experience — could feel supported and capable. “We’re more than a fitness studio,” she explained. “We’re a community that builds each other up.”

Before opening her doors, Christina turned to the University of Mary Washington Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for guidance. She first connected through the SBA’s Boots to Business and Revenue Readiness programs, where she learned about entrepreneurship resources available to veterans. From there, the UMW SBDC became her foundation. Advisors guided her through community research, strengthened her business plan, prepared her for financing, and helped her identify the right location for her studio.

“The UMW SBDC gave me clarity, direction, and confidence,” she said. “They helped me see my vision not just as an idea, but as a business that could truly make an impact.” Their advising also connected her to community partners, including Virginia Talent + Opportunity Partnership (V-TOP), a program that links local employers with college interns. Through that partnership, Christina built a strong team of trainers, employees, and student interns, all united by her mission of making fitness inclusive and empowering.

“The SBDC didn’t just give me business advice,” Christina said. “They became partners in helping me build something that changes lives.”

• Registered as an LLC and launched operations in January 2025
• Secured $5,000 in grant funding through SBDC assistance
• Developed professional branding, website, and marketing strategy
• Expanded reach to serve clinicians, supervisors, agencies, and universities
• Established foundation for future training summits and supervision programs

After spending ten years in the mental health and social services field, Lichele White saw an opportunity to create something deeply personal and mission-driven. She founded an organization focused on supporting individuals at their present stage and assisting them on their healing journey. What started as a solo therapy practice in 2020 has evolved into Rooted in Recovery Therapeutic Services. This vibrant and esteemed mental health practice now provides individual, group, and family therapy to clients throughout Virginia.

Rooted in Recovery plays a crucial role within a larger circle of care crafted by Lichele White, who leads the nonprofit, A Few Good Roots, and manages the New Roots Treatment Center. Through these intertwined initiatives, a comprehensive continuum of support is offered. This includes counseling services and treatment for substance use, alongside essential community resources. These resources encompass food pantries, clothing closets, and a state-certified sober living home, all designed to support individuals on their journey to recovery.

This all-encompassing, holistic strategy allows her team to address every facet of well-being—mind, body, and environment.

When it was time to grow, Lichele realized she needed assistance in managing the business aspects of expansion. Motivated by her bank’s advice, she contacted the Capital Region Small Business Development Center (SBDC) just sixty days prior to finalizing the purchase of a new building. “I assumed services would be costly and complex,” she remembers. “I was delighted to learn that the support was no cost.”

Through personalized business advising, financial training, and loan preparation assistance, the Capital Region SBDC guided Lichele through the process to secure SBA funding to purchase her first building, turning her vision for growth into reality. With the loan approved and business plan refined, she quickly hired four new staff members and increased her services by 30%.

“Once I followed their process, everything fell into place,” Lichele said. “I realized I should have called the SBDC months earlier.”

Beginning in Virginia and now proudly licensed in Maryland and North Carolina, Lichele White is dedicated to broadening her impact while remaining steadfast in her mission: to guarantee that recovery and compassionate mental health support are available to everyone. Plans are underway to establish additional offices in both North and South Carolina.

Economic Impact:

KTL Restorations began as many great American businesses do, rooted in family, craftsmanship, and shared purpose. More than twenty-five years ago, Kurt Lawrance and his father, Tom Lawrance, spent evenings restoring classic vehicles in Tom’s backyard shop after his retirement from a long career in engineering, welding, and automotive work. That early work reflected more than a hobby. Attention to detail, deep respect for automotive history, and pride in doing things the right way quickly set them apart. Clients noticed. Those seeking more than a quick repair found something rarer: excellence.

Opportunity and vision prompted Tom’s move from Long Island to Danville. A newly purchased property included a five-thousand-square-foot shop that felt expansive compared to anything available in New York. KTL started modestly, incorporating initially to access discounted auto parts. Demand steadily followed. Word spread through enthusiast circles. Vehicles arrived from increasingly distant places. Along the way, the Lawrances unknowingly laid the groundwork for what would become a nationally recognized restoration facility.

Today, KTL Restorations operates as a world-renowned shop with three distinct service lines. Full restorations preserve vehicles exactly as they left the factory, honoring every original detail. Restomods blend classic aesthetics with modern drivetrains, braking systems, suspension, and comfort features. Full customs give clients the opportunity to design one-of-a-kind vehicles built entirely from the ground up. Collectors from across the United States, Canada, and overseas seek out KTL for a reputation built on precision and artistry few shops can rival.

Following Tom’s passing in 2014, Kurt and his wife Crystal stepped fully into leadership as second-generation owners. Their vision carried both ambition and personal meaning. One evening, Crystal asked Kurt where he saw the business in five years. His answer came quickly and confidently. He wanted KTL’s work recognized at SEMA, the world’s most prestigious automotive trade show. That milestone arrived in just three years. Since then, the company has grown from a team of three or four employees into a staff of fifteen, operating out of a thirteen-thousand-square-foot main facility and a nine-thousand-square-foot body shop.

Growth brought clarity that passion alone would not sustain expansion. That realization led the Lawrances to the Longwood Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and advisor Michael Duncan, who soon became a trusted partner. During his first visit, Michael saw both opportunity and constraint. Continued expansion within the existing footprint no longer made sense. A multi-year advising relationship followed, defined by candid conversations, strategic planning, and decisive action.

Throughout each phase of expansion, Michael worked alongside the Lawrances, evaluating space options, exploring financing strategies, and preparing the business for long-term sustainability. Crystal describes him as both strategist and steady presence, someone who challenged assumptions while grounding decisions in reality. “We might have eventually moved without his guidance,” she said, “but we would not be where we are today.”

When Andrew Morris moved from California to Tazewell, Virginia in 2024, he saw more than a new place to call home—he saw a need. The region faced a shortage of skilled contractors, leaving residents, particularly veterans and people with disabilities, struggling to find help for basic home modifications. With decades of hands-on experience in residential construction, Andrew founded Ardent Construction to fill that gap and provide reliable, quality workmanship to his new community.

“I wanted to create something meaningful,” he explained. “There’s a big need here for accessibility and integrity in construction. People should feel confident that their contractor will do the job right and treat them fairly.”

Ardent Construction focuses on residential improvements under a Class B general contractor license, specializing in accessibility projects such as wheelchair ramps and walk-in showers.

Andrew’s entrepreneurial path took shape when a contractor licensing course in Tazewell, referred him to the Southwest Virginia Small Business Development Center (SBDC). “I didn’t even know the SBDC existed,” he recalled. “Meeting Denise was a turning point.”

Through personalized advising, Denise helped Andrew develop a business plan, secure a Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) seed capital grant, and connect with local economic development leaders. Those new relationships quickly paid off, opening new business opportunities and earning recognition within the community.

“It’s like having a silent partner who promotes your business with you,” Andrew said. “Denise helped me with everything—from business planning to finding a CPA. She’s been incredible.”

Economic Impact