It started with an idea. Janet Savage was a talented nail technician working in a salon on the second floor. After noticing elderly clients struggle to get up the staircase, she decided to branch out on her own and solve the problem.

“My daughter is also a nail technician, so I asked if she would want to work for me,” Janet says. “I told my clients at the time that I was considering going out on my own. One of them had previous experience with the Blue Ridge Crossroads SBDC and referred me to them. That’s how it all got started.”

“One day, Mandy Archer [the SBDC’s Center Director] told me, ‘It is either go or no from here,’” explains Janet. “When she said that, Nailed It seemed like the best thing I could do.” With the business insight of the SBDC, Janet’s idea for her own salon came to fruition.

She rented the space for her own salon — on the ground level, of course — and, in 2015, opened Nailed It. The SBDC staff guided Janet in making sure she was legally prepared to open her business, and helped her with a ribbon-cutting and press release to celebrate the opening. Unlike most salons, she does not use any electric tools. “My elderly customers like that I do everything by hand, and I don’t charge them much,” she says.

In early 2020, Janet sought to expand. She visited the SBDC again, seeking assistance to purchase a larger building for Nailed It in the community that inspired her from the beginning. It will also be home to additional nail technicians and hairstylists. 

Janet is quick to credit the SBDC and Mandy Archer and Ginny Plant for Nailed It’s success. Janet still maintains a close personal relationship with her SBDC advisors and even picked up Ginny as a Nailed It client. “Once I got confronted with licensing and other obstacles, I probably wouldn’t have gone through with it. The SBDC helped me do pretty much everything,” she says. “Without the SBDC, Nailed It may still very well be an idea floating around in an upstairs salon.”

Sometimes you have to go to the extreme, and no one knows that better than Rick and Crystal Whisenhunt. What started out as sharing their hobby of personal training with close friends and family rapidly morphed into something more. They quickly found themselves at a crossroads with their soon-to-be business, Galax Xtreme Fitness (GXF). Word spread about Rick, who dabbled in Ninja training, and Crystal, new to fitness but nonetheless passionate, and their personalized approach to fitness. “It all just came to a head,” Rick says. “As the community found out about us, we started picking up our activities. We got to thinking it could be something more than a hobby.”

Since its founding in 2017, GXF has been a highly regarded fitness studio in the community, with a one-on-one culture most gyms lack. Even more unique is that Rick and Crystal offer personalized training and wellness solutions without workout equipment. With their exciting new business idea, however, came the daunting task of actually opening it. That is where the Blue Ridge Crossroads SBDC stepped in. “Getting it going was definitely a task. That was the panic stage for us,” Crystal says. “All those little things you don’t normally think about when opening a business until you’re faced with them — paperwork, taxes, licensing requirements — were all so daunting.”

The SBDC was integral in helping Rick and Crystal place 3rd in the Galax JUMP! Business Challenge, which helped them solidify GFX’s expansion. The fitness studio prides itself on marketing to individuals new to fitness who may be intimidated by a mainstream gym. “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care,” Crystal says. “Our customers aren’t here to just take a class. We truly care about them.”

Even during COVID-19, GXF has stayed afloat by connecting with new and existing customers through online group classes for donations only. “The SBDC has answered every question each step of the way, especially during the pandemic,” Crystal says. “Without them, GXF simply would not be in existence. Getting to the mountain was one thing, but making sure you climb the mountain is another. They really helped us climb that mountain.”

Back in 2014, Heather Barbieri and her sister started creating furniture décor pieces by adding lichen to thrifted items. “They were unique, beautiful, and didn’t cost us much to produce,” Heather recalls. From there, Lichen or Knot took many turns, including becoming a vintage vendor, selling tables made from pallet wood and metal pipe at large retail shows from Pennsylvania to South Carolina.

It wasn’t until just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit that Lichen or Knot blossomed into its current shape. According to Heather, she and her husband John began taking plants to their vintage shows, where they sold very quickly. “John and I realized that we could probably sell plants just as well without traveling to the shows,” Heather says. “People enjoyed buying plants from us so much that we could literally sell them out of the back of a truck. And we wouldn’t have to go so far from home.” After purchasing an old gray plumbing truck with a rebuilt engine from a friend, Heather and John rolled their plant-based dreams onto the road with fingers crossed and hopes high. “I knew then,” Heather says, “that I had to give it all I could. This was my chance.”

If Lichen or Knot were a budding plant, then the Roanoke Regional SBDC was the nutrient-rich food that fed it. “Community and Economic Development Director Lydeana Martin connected us with the SBDC’s business advisor, Tom Tanner, who helped us with financials,” Heather explains. “Then we contacted Cheryl Tucker, advisor for the New River Valley area. John and I met with Cheryl many times, and it’s been invaluable.” 

Cheryl’s seasoned advice made all the difference. “She walked us back from the ledge,” says Heather. “John and I were considering a lease agreement for a brick-and-mortar shop in a very prime location. It didn’t take long for Cheryl to realize the danger that we were about to get into. She gently suggested that, while it may work out fine, we shouldn’t rush into an agreement until we had done the hard work of writing a business plan,” Heather goes on. “Business plans aren’t much fun, so it wasn’t what I wanted to hear. But she was absolutely right. We simply weren’t ready.” Heather and John also participated in the C4 Program offered through the SBDC, where they received insights from professional advisors, marketing tools, and other helpful resources that they were able to use on a day-to-day basis.

As the cooler weather set in, Heather and John felt the need to move the business out of their home and into its own space; they couldn’t go through the holidays with flats of monsteras, hoyas, and pothos covering their floors. They found a location in Floyd too beautiful to pass up and opened the doors on Black Friday. Customers from Roanoke, Blacksburg, Radford, and Christiansburg poured in — all Heather and John could have hoped for and more. 

Heather explains their success: “We are offering an experience that people want to return to. Custom care, much like a tailor shop, is what we are going for. I guess that is unique coming out of an old gray plumber’s truck that drives up and down a dirt road every day to bring plants to the people who want them.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in late March 2020, YakAttack, the kayak accessory business with $6 million in annual sales, lived up to its name. Owner Luther Cifers attacked the economic slowdown with a common-sense solution: his company switched production from kayak accessories to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). 

“Quite frankly, we had a lot of orders that just dried up,” Luther says. “Knowing that we had the capability, and knowing that there was an urgent need out there, we decided it would be a shame to just sit out the shutdown. We have an engineering staff onsite, and we design products in-house. Once a product is designed and needs to go to tooling, we also build that tooling. We can go from concept to a functional, shippable product faster than most companies.”

At that point the Longwood SBDC offered its assistance. Within a matter of weeks, YakAttack switched production from kayak accessories to PPE. Luther worked really well with Michael Duncan, the SBDC’s Lead Regional Consultant. “Michael has had a lot of manufacturing experience, and he helped us navigate the whole PPE thing, Luther explains. “Michael’s input guided us through the regulatory hurdles.” 

Once in production, YakAttack provided PPE at cost. “We also donated a lot of PPE with funds raised through a Go Fund Me campaign,” Luther adds. Beneficiaries included Central Southside Community Hospital, local nursing homes, area doctors and dentists, and more. 

Luther, who describes himself as a “homegrown engineer,” established his successful business from the ground up. “YakAttack started in 2009 in a friend’s basement,” he recalls. “In a year’s time, what started as a hobby business netted $20,000. “It was evident that there was a market, but you have to know the right steps to be successful in a business — or you have to figure them out,” Luther says. “We’ve done a lot of figuring out.” 

YakAttack’s “figuring out” has paid off. With a 250-plus product line, the company’s distribution includes all 50 states as well as Canada, Australia, and Europe. “We’re still growing,” Luther adds of the business that currently employs 50. He predicts his business will continue to grow in the 68,000-square-foot building YakAttack now calls home. He plans to take advantage of the SBDC’s resources to help promote that growth. 

“Every growing business is constantly faced with challenges they haven’t encountered before,” Luther concludes. “Having someone like Michael, who’s been down that road before, can save you from making a lot of mistakes. I plan to keep the SBDC at the top of my contact list.”

Shelia Reavis, controller for the Family YMCA of Emporia-Greensville, discovered the Longwood SBDC while looking for information on Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, available because of COVID-19. She considers it her lucky day. “I sent out a generic email to the Longwood SBDC to ask about applying for PPP loans,” Shelia says. “Ellen Templeton responded right away. I felt like I’d found my best friend. She was Johnny on the spot and really down to earth — she was great.”

“A PPP loan was essential for us,” Shelia adds. “Ellen helped walk me through the whole application process. She helped me focus on the amount we needed, but not too much,” Shelia explains. Although the Y had to shut down from mid-March to June 1st, there was only one week that employees went without pay. “We were lucky to be able to continue to pay all our employees,” Shelia adds. 

Shelia is involved in every aspect of its operation. “I supervise the membership and marketing departments, as well as maintenance and custodial services,” she adds. “I also do all the accounting and payroll.” During April and May when the Y was closed, Shelia took advantage of several of the SBDC’s webinars. “I was watching around five webinars a week,” she says. 

Shelia appreciates the SBDC’s help in keeping the Y up and running. “Our town didn’t appreciate how much the Y means to everyone until it went away,” she says of the recent shutdown. Shelia cites a camaraderie that crosses social, racial, and economic barriers. “Looking at the treadmills one day, I saw a judge, a doctor, and a farmer all talking and laughing together while working out,” she recalls. “Where else would these people end up being friends?”

Shelia appreciates the value of friendship — like the one she’s developed with Ellen. 

“Our biggest advantage during the COVID crisis was Ellen and the SBDC,” Shelia concludes. “I could call Ellen any time and ask questions. When we applied for that PPP loan, Ellen was our inside connection.” Shelia has already told several others about the SBDC and its services. “I plan to keep our connection with the SBDC,” she concludes. “It really is like working with a friend.”

Baying of hounds rings out across a rich, green field. A deer and her fawn, surprised, raise their heads from a nearby stream, before quickly slipping into the woods. From the forest, a pack of yelping and panting dogs splash into the stream, followed shortly by riders on horseback dressed in scarlet coats and small black hats.

You haven’t been transported in time. The year is 2020, and this is one of Rappahannock Hunt’s regular hunts.

Rappahannock Hunt (RH) was formed in 1926, and the year 2020 marks its 94th birthday. Officially considered a 501(c) (7) social club, RH includes Culpeper, Madison, and Rappahannock counties in its territory of about 384,000 acres. According to club treasurer Mary Foley, “The club was formed in the Old English tradition. It meets several times a week to ride our horses and work the hounds.”

Even without a formal brick-and-mortar location, costs are involved. RH leases space on a large farm to house and feed all the hounds. They also pay a full-time caregiver to look after the animals.

The hunts themselves are held throughout the breathtaking foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. “We hunt on various land at the invitation of the landowner,” Mary explains. “We are always careful to follow the boundary of the plowed land. We only go where we are invited to go. We have established ourselves as a familiar sight to landowners, and we want to make sure that they want us to continue to come.”

Mary says the fox hunting rituals of the club are a huge part of the draw for many. “We have traditions and certain apparel that we wear. It’s organized and civil. Fox hunting follows a very specific protocol. Because it’s a club, people are of like background and enthusiasm.” 

Despite its outdoor, socially-distanced nature, COVID-19 still delivered a savage blow to RH by debilitating its capacity to hold any fundraisers. In a typical year, the club’s income would be comprised of half club dues and membership fees, and half fundraising from events. But with the rise of COVID-19, events like the hunter pace, trail rides, and even the signature steeplechase event had to be called off. 

RH reached out to the Culpeper SBDC and Advisor David Reardon for a much-needed lifeline. Dave helped Mary and Rappahannock Hunt successfully apply for Payroll Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster (EIDL) loans.

Mary says the sense of relief and reassurance she has felt working with Dave was palpable. “It was a relief and a godsend to be able to participate in those loan programs,” Mary says. “Dave and his family are grounded in the community. He is just a delightful man. The leadership he brought was appreciated, and we enjoyed the soup-to-nuts service. He was truly a real godsend.” 

Knowing that 50 foxhounds will be well kept in their kennels and cared for because the ongoing monthly expenses are covered is no small thing for Rappahannock Hunt. “To have the SBA loans in the bank is a godsend. Because there are too many unknowns in the future, we are not taking any of this for granted.” 

You could say that Norman Thompson is used to having his head in the clouds —  it’s his specialty. 

After 17 years in the Air Force as a Satellite Communications Craftsman, Norman worked 13 years as an engineering manager for satellite giant Echo Star. It was clear that Thompson had found his niche, but he “just didn’t want to stagnate,” Norman recalls. “I really wanted to figure out a way that I could go my own way with the skills and abilities that I had.” 

Norman began to explore the possibility of starting a business. He sought help at the Lord Fairfax SBDC, where he was connected with Center Director Christine Kriz. With so much technical knowledge in so many areas, Norman struggled with which services he should highlight. During a conversation with Christine, Norman hit on what would become the true focus of Mercury Communications LLC.

“Christine was saying something about how poor her cell service was and how it was like that for many of her friends and neighbors. She says ‘If you can do something about that, it would be huge,’” Norman relates. Installing passive Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) in residential, commercial, and areas with large-scale operations became Mercury Communications’ business model. Passive DAS systems are essentially cellular-signal-boosting infrastructures that are built on-site. During COVID-19, with thousands learning and working remotely, this moment has been well-timed for Norman. “It’s caught on fire,” he says. “Christine helped me to focus on what the client wanted and needed.”

Christine provided what Norman calls a “very flexible way of thinking” that was quite helpful. As a result, Mercury Communications has increased sales by 284% in 2020. Christine also helped Mercury establish critical GSA contracts. 

In addition to residential and commercial, both the government and military felt the brunt of COVID-19 in unexpected ways. It became another area where Norman has stepped in. He enthusiastically describes installing a DAS system on an aircraft carrier where soldiers were quarantined, which provided working cellular connections to the outside world for servicemen and women who were away from their families. 

When he reflects on life before Mercury, Norman says, “I wasn’t feeling challenged. Satellite communications is more like Formula One, and cellular is more like NASCAR. There’s more passion in it.” 

As the modern world rushes toward a more virtually-integrated society, the sky remains the limit for Norman Thompson and Mercury Communications. Since he’s a pro at navigating the sky from below, he’ll be ready for what comes next. “We’ll see what the future holds,” Norman says with a smile, “and go from there.”

Balance Gymnastics opened for business in June in the midst of a pandemic. A COVID-19 success story, the newly-launched business is not only surviving, it’s thriving. Owners Matt and Brandy Knabb credit their success to the SBDC-Lynchburg Region. “Opening a gym was a goal of ours,” Brandy says. “We just wanted to find the right time and location.” Mid-2020 was not an optimal time, Brandy admits, but a lease was signed and plans had been made. The couple decided to go ahead with the June opening.

Brandy, originally from Concord and a gymnast from an early age, explains her motivation: “There was nothing like this in Concord. We wanted to provide the community with something it didn’t currently have.” Fortunately, Matt and Brandy connected with the SBDC during planning stages for the project. “A friend who has a gym in Charlottesville recommended the SBDC,” Brandy says. “We went to the Start Smart class last October and set up some one-on-one sessions with Stephanie Keener, Director of the SBDC-Lynchburg Region.”

The first order of business was writing a business plan. “We had all these ideas in our head but didn’t have a formal plan on paper,” Brandy recalls. “We knew we would need to have a business plan in hand to apply for a loan to buy equipment. Stephanie helped us with the beginning steps and told us what the plan needed to include. SBDC Business Advisor Jamie Reynolds helped us create financial projections to make sure a gym in Concord was feasible.” Matt and Brandy also found the SBDC classes helpful. “I know gymnastics, but I’m not a business major,” Brandy relates. “There were so many little things we could have missed had we not had the SBDC on our side.”

Balance Gymnastics was able to open at 30% capacity in June. “We started with a small group of staff and 35 kids whose parents were brave enough to register during COVID-19,” Brandy says. “After we opened, we relied on word-of-mouth and the guidance Stephanie gave us on marketing and social media. As restrictions lifted, we were able to offer more classes. Currently, we have classes for children 18 months old through college age.” As the year progressed, enrollment grew. “We have grown rather quickly,” Brandy notes. “We now have 175 students and a coaching staff of ten.”

The couple is already thinking ahead to the future. “After the first of the year, we plan to go to our next phase and offer adult fitness classes,” Brandy adds. “There are so many things we didn’t have a clue about when we went to the SBDC,” Brandy explains. “If we hadn’t worked with them, I doubt we would have ever been able to open, and definitely not in the same time frame.”

Matt and Brandy happily recommend the SBDC to others interested in starting a business. “The SBDC has something for every aspect of running a business,” Brandy concludes. “They keep you pointed in the right direction, and they really set you up for success right from the start.” 

Springbok Analytics is at the leading edge of revolutionizing how the world views human muscle. To build the necessary infrastructure for the business to launch and assess the market opportunities nationally and internally, they turned to the Central Virginia SBDC.

Founded on technology invented by an interdisciplinary research team at the University of Virginia (UVA), Springbok Analytics developed a first-of-its-kind, AI-driven platform to visualize and analyze individual human muscles. “Our technology replaces the manual and subjective nature of reading and analyzing MRIs through a patented AI and machine-learning-based approach,” explains CEO Scott Magargee. “The result is a better-than-human analysis of musculature that helps health experts make more informed decisions about individual care.” 

These dynamic visualization options give groundbreaking insight to support strength-and-conditioning coaches and trainers, surgeons, physical therapists, and researchers. An extremely valuable tool, it can reduce the risk of injury, guide personalized physical therapy and rehabilitation, and optimize performance. “Our singular goal is to give people previously unavailable insight and organize it in different but easily digestible ways, supporting healthcare’s transformation to precision medicine and personalized care.” Scott says.

The UVA Licensing and Ventures Group referred Scott to Rebecca Haydock, the SBDC’s Executive Director. “Rebecca and her SBDC colleagues have been an invaluable resource for Springbok,” Scott says. “Each counselor with whom I’ve interacted has been very engaged and truly enthusiastic in their support, whether in making introductions to potential investors, connecting us with other public and private resources, or providing guidance on different aspects of the business.” 

“One of the biggest value-adds for us,” Scott continues, “has been the research and analysis provided by Aaron Miller, Director of the Virginia SBDC’s International Business Development Program, and his team. They produced a comprehensive market research report on the international clinical trial opportunities available, and potential strategic partners for Springbok that would have taken us several months and a lot of money to replicate. I could not have been more impressed with their work product. As a result, we are well-positioned to launch formal business development efforts on a global scale in the coming months.”

Scott summarizes, “From my perspective, the SBDC does an incredible job identifying where the organizational gaps are and where they can add the most value — whether it’s a mom-and-pop shop or an emerging tech company trying to get off the ground. Any small business, whether mature or early stage, should leverage all of the resources the SBDC has to offer.” 

Sober Pierre initially came to Charlottesville to get his MBA at the University of Virginia’s Darden School. This, along with his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering, made him a very desirable candidate for corporate America. He held positions at Emerson, Caterpillar, and John Deere. After some reflection, he recognized that his passion wasn’t for the corporate world; he wanted to follow his heart and do something on his own terms.

In 2013, Sober founded Pearl Island Foods to showcase his Haitian culture, make flavorful Caribbean food accessible to the Charlottesville community, and to one day create job opportunities in his family’s beloved country of Haiti.

The company began with the production and sales of a unique brand of spicy coleslaw known as Pikliz. Since then, Sober has joined forces with Executive Chef Javier Figueroa-Ray and successfully launched Pearl Island Catering and Pearl Island Cafe, featuring authentic Caribbean cuisine accessible to the Charlottesville area.

Pearl Island’s success didn’t come without growing pains. Sober sought help from the Central Virginia SBDC along the way. Over the years, Business Advisor Dillon Franks has provided research and business-strategy advice and has assisted Sober with obtaining angel funding. In the wake of the 2020 pandemic, the SBDC’s Business Communications Advisor Greg Dorazio assisted Sober and his team as they pivoted the business to a food-delivery strategy. To help Sober with personnel challenges caused by COVID-19, Sober leaned on Yolunda Harrell, an SBDC Business Advisor.

Sober has also found time to give back to the local community, serving on the Heal Charlottesville grant fund review committee (part of the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation), and on the board of City Schoolyard Garden. He is also a graduate of the Board Development Academy, a program of Charlottesville’s Center for Nonprofit Excellence.