Sans Soucy Vineyards in Brookneal, Virginia, was on the receiving end of some of that grant money through its participation in the Southern Virginia Wine Trail (known as the SoVA Wine Trail), a group of 10 wineries in Southern Virginia that received $7,477 from the VTC. Each grant was given triple power through matching funds by three or more local organizations, resulting in more than $2 million to be used by each recipient to promote its specific event or winery.

“The grant is a force multiplier,” Jackie Anctil, San Soucy’s proprietor, said. “Marketing is one of the more difficult aspects of developing and increasing revenues for any business. It requires creativity and financial resources to be effective and on target. By providing matching funds, the grant literally doubles our advertising budget, enabling us to professionally develop first rate marketing materials and design innovative programs to target the demographic groups that actively participate in agri-tourism.”

The fall season makes these grants especially timely, as many wine festivals are held during these months. Sans Soucy’s annual Shrimp and Wine Festival, which was held on September 10, drew guests from Richmond, Roanoke, Northern Virginia, North Carolina, Washington, D.C. and Maryland. Next month, the vineyard will host its monthly Sangria Saturday’s on October 8 which Anctil says will feature live music and “our famous Blackberry Ginger Sangria and great award-winning wines.”

In addition to the VTC grant money, Anctil says that the collaborative efforts of the wineries that comprise the SoVA Wine Trail have made each of the 10 wineries more successful than they would have been without one another.

“We share what works and what doesn’t work. It allows us to allocate precious resources to being innovative instead of worrying about competing for each other’s customers,” Anctil said. “This is one industry that the individual winery benefits from greater unit density. Tourists are more likely to visit our region if they can visit three or four or more wineries in an afternoon.”

These days, there are more wineries than ever in Virginia for visitors to frequent—a growth that has been nothing short of explosive in the past three decades. According to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), Virginia had just six wineries in 1979 and a mere 286 acres devoted to wine grape production. These days, Virginia has nearly 200 wineries—the fifth largest in the nation. In fiscal 2011, 462,112 cases of wine were sold, up 11.4 percent from fiscal 2010, according to an announcement by Govenor Bob McDonnell earlier this month. As a result, the Commonwealth collected almost $1.8 million in wine liter tax revenue, up from about $1.6 million in fiscal 2010.

While not a grape grower itself, Poplar Forest, the retreat home of Thomas Jefferson in Forest, Virginia, is capitalizing on its former owner’s love of wine through the Thomas Jefferson Wine Festival to be held on November 19.

“The November date encourages travel and tourism during a typically slow time and offers Virginia wineries an opportunity to market their wines in time for holiday dinners and parties,” Angela Lynch, Poplar Forest Director of Communications, said.

Now in its third year, the event, which drew 2,100 people last year, features tastings from 12 Virginia wineries along with food purveyors and work by local crafters and artisans. Poplar Forest has been awarded a grant from the VTC for three years straight and this year, it received $10,000 to support the festival’s marketing efforts.

“While the festival is promoted extensively throughout Virginia, the 2011 grant is a tremendous help in attracting our wine-savvy neighbors in North Carolina. The drive to Poplar Forest from North Carolina is quick and easy, yet the distance is just far enough to encourage overnight stays in Virginia,” Lynch explained.

A newer event also promoting tourism through wine is the Brookneal Wine Festival at the Patrick Henry National Memorial, nationally known as Red Hill in Brookneal, Virginia.

“In 2010, Red Hill partnered with the Brookneal Chamber of Commerce to bring the first annual wine festival to Red Hill,” Karen Gorham, Executive Vice President Red Hill–Patrick Henry National Memorial, said. “It was such a success that we again partnered with the local chamber this year and are already in the planning stages of next year’s event.”

With a set date of July 14, 2012 for the event’s second year, the Town of Brookneal is also benefitting from $2,504 in marketing tourism dollars from the VTC to help get the word out.

“This grant from the Virginia Tourism Corporation greatly aids our marketing efforts, getting the word out to a much broader audience about this new event at Red Hill,” Gorham said. “The grant provides us with the opportunity to enhance our online advertising at multiple sites, for Web site development and search engine optimization which increases traffic to the event page.”

Additional promotions made possible by the grant will come in the way of increased air time on television and radio, as well as the “Virginia is for Lovers” logo in magazines and newspapers and on visual displays around the region, particularly road signage and brochures where this event is advertised, Gorham explained.

“We are particularly excited about having this wine festival at Red Hill because we are currently launching Red Hill wines! Each of the four varieties offered is made from grapes grown in Virginia, and one in particular, our Traminette, is made from grapes grown right here in Charlotte County,” Gorham added.

The new grape growth at Red Hill is further proof that Virginia’s share in the U.S. wine industry is continually growing. In 2008, Virginia ranked ninth nationally in commercial grape with 3.7 million liters produced (15 percent of the overall total nationwide), according to Consumer Goods, a division of the Office of Health and Consumer Goods. Couple this with the fact that in 2007, the state’s 2,400 wine-producing acres rung up cash receipts of $7.56 million, and there’s no question that grapes and tourism mix.

For local growers like Anctil, this recipe for success means that more customers are visiting Sans Soucy from further away. She says that empirical data collected over the last few years indicated that well over 50 percent of their customer base drives more than two hours to visit our winery, and more than 36 percent of that base came from North Carolina.

“They not only buy our wine products, but most likely they also will buy gas, get something to eat, visit a historical site and maybe even spend the evening in a local hotel or B&B,” she said. “That is what I call tourism dollars!”

Moore and Giles, Inc., much like the leather they are known for, has aged well over the last 78 years, evolving from a shoe parts supplier during the Great Depression to a multi-faceted, elite leather supplier. Ironically located on Tannery Row, this company brings the world to Lynchburg through fine leather they import and outsource to designers and manufactures in the United States and beyond.

Their office warehouse in Forest, Virginia, stores hides in beautiful hues ranging from traditional chocolates and caramels to deep sapphires, and in bright metallics and styles designed to imitate ostrich or manta ray. It seems the possibilities are endless and ever-evolving when it comes to what their leather can do and where it will go.

“We are known for celebrating the beauty of natural leather,” said Vice President of Marketing, Brooks Morrison. “Each hide has beautiful characteristics that are not predictable or homogenous and that is something that we think is really cool. You might have one part of the animal that has a lot of wrinkles because it was on the neck or the belly and we want to showcase that individual personality of each hide.”

It is that inherent quality of leather that Moore and Giles is known for, whether it is stretched across a head board in a loft in downtown Lynchburg or covering banquets in a restaurant in Dubai. Many well-known restaurants and hotels around the world have been accessorized with leather from the company, including the St. Regis Hotel in Singapore, The Essex Hotel in New York City and the Fearing’s restaurant in Dallas, Texas.

“This business is a lot like the fashion business; you always have to keep things fresh, especially when you are known for more fashionable leather like we are,” Morrison said. “We have someone that deals in design and we go to a big Italian leather show every year where they introduce new products. Most tanneries that we have been working with for over 20 years know what our customers like and what we like and are anxious to introduce new opportunities in design to us.”

As a supplier, Moore and Giles deals exclusively with manufacturers and designers. Furniture manufactures like Lee, Baker and Hancock Moore are a few that use their leather, along with retailers such as Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, William Sonoma and Crate and Barrel. It is in the design of hotels and restaurants that designers will reach out to Moore and Giles for swatches to sample the extraordinary collection of leathers.

“Our leather swatches are a handshake to our designers, introducing them to our products specifications,” Morrison said. “We are really focusing on reaching the biggest influencers in the industries; the top designers who do a lot of volume in leather. These ‘thought leaders’ use our leather on a regular basis.”

Leather swatches are organized in boxes by color, and new colors and designs are introduced every month while many are discontinued every month. This ever-evolving box holds around 200 leather swatches at a time, allowing the company to accommodate even the most taste-specific designer.

A new presence in the aviation industry has Moore and Giles dealing in a more conventional approach to leather. Neutral tones and an overall absence of imperfections set this aviation leather aside from the embellished leather of the designer world.

“Our aviation leather is treated to meet aviation specifications and is appealing to manufacturers and designers that work with private aircrafts,” Morrison said.

With representatives around the world and connections to two showrooms in Hong Kong and London, Moore and Giles leather is well on its way around the world and back, and not just on airplanes. Four years ago, they launched a bag and accessory line that is their first direct-to-consumer experience.

“We design bags that showcase the beauty of the leather product,” Morrison said. “We got into the business because we travel a lot around the world to design the leather and we really couldn’t find any products on the market that held up well that are also beautiful and functional. We, of course, favor leather so we decided to start a leather bag and accessory line.”

Moore and Giles sell their bag and accessory line on their Web site, mooreandgilesinc.com, as well as through retailers from Connecticut to Seattle. Using mostly Italian leather, but also leather from New Zealand, Spain and the United States, the line is made up of designs ranging from messenger bags to gun cases and wallets to make-up bags. It has evolved into a men’s line; however, more feminine and gender neutral styles have been introduced.

From retail furniture to interior design, airline manufacturers to bags and the innovative designs that are still to come, a footprint has been made in the leather industry by Moore and Giles, Inc.—a bar they continually strive not only to set, but to raise.

Extreme Networking is the brainchild of Jack Bobbitt of Prototype Advertising and Prototype Media, and Mike Lewis, Director of Sales for the Lynchburg Chamber of Commerce. Bobbitt says the two were talking recently about networking and the connections that could be made between Chamber members and clients with Prototype Advertising and advertisers in Lynchburg Business magazine (which is produced by Prototype Media, in addition to Lynchburg Living, Lynchburg Arts, Central Virginia Bridal Guide and Central Virginia Family Guide) and that’s how the idea to put together an “extreme” event came to life.

“The event came about at the suggestion of Jack specifically to reach the readers of Lynchburg Business magazine and members of the Chamber to bring two groups together that might not know each other very well,” Lewis explained.

“The Chamber is always looking to touch and connect with the community at large, so this event was for Chamber members and non-Chamber members alike. Through my connections, Prototype’s connections, Lynchburg Business and the Chamber, we realized we had a very serious database of people to draw from. And obviously with the draw of Phase 2, which is just a tremendous facility, we had the ideal location to make it all happen,” Bobbitt said.

The event, which lasted from 5 to 7 p.m., began with a ribbon cutting at Phase 2, formerly known as Cattle Annie’s, to usher in their new era in business. From there, the floor was open to businesspeople to start making connections over heavy hors d’oeuvres from Flavours Catering by Design.

“So many people have gotten lost in their inability to network and this provided a place for people to meet and greet, pass business cards and get to know one another,” David Norcross, Director of Sales for Prototype Advertising, said. “It was great. There was a lot of enthusiasm in the room—it was noisy, just a lot going on. And I think it worked.”

As a dry event, Extreme Networking set itself apart from other networking events in the area—intentionally removing alcohol to create less of a social atmosphere and more of a business environment.

Lewis estimates that between 150 and 175 people were present—numbers both groups say speaks to the success of this event’s premiere.

“We started getting a buzz about this event right away and social media—Facebook, Twitter and Linked In—that really helped to get people there,” Bobbitt said.

With its initial success and the potential to grow the event to even more “extreme” heights, Norcross says a second Extreme Networking is already in the works for the fall. He believes its immediate success can be attributed to a growing desire by business professionals to have in-person contact with clients and partnerships, in an era where a lot of business is being done online.

“It seems as though there is more of a need of this in the community—and people say this to me often—that people do so much on social networks these days that they don’t actually socialize anymore. So I think there is a need and a desire to have this kind of interaction more often so people can meet face-to-face,” Norcross explained.

In the end, Bobbitt, Norcross and Lewis were all pleased to find that the Extreme Networking event served the exact purpose it set out to do—connect people in order to create business relationships.

“Everyone I saw motivated themselves to move around and actually go network,” Bobbitt said. “You tend to see certain cliques that form at ‘Business After Hours’ kind of events and that was not the case with this event. People were actually networking. They did what they came there to do.”

“My takeaway was that about 50 percent of the room didn’t know each other when they got there, which was great,” Lewis said. “That’s exactly why we wanted to do this. There were lots and lots of new contacts made. We were very encouraged by this.”

The airline announced it will be pulling service from Lynchburg’s Regional Airport on January 4 and the region is reeling about the decision.

“I was completely blindsided by the announcement,” Mark Courtney, Airport Director, said. “Six months before the Delta Network Planning Department made the announcement, I met with Delta representatives and they never mentioned anything about this. Never said anything about underperformance or dissatisfaction with the market—they said nothing good or bad.”

“It’s a complete surprise because by all indications, total passenger and load factor trends are positive … and trending up,” Rex Hammond, President of the Lynchburg Regional Chamber of Commerce, said.

Delta operates three daily flights out of Lynchburg, though in November they dropped to two (Courtney said that usually happens November through February because of a lower demand during the winter months), and usually those flights are 80 percent full.

“Our number one market is Atlanta, where Delta flies,” Courtney said. “We service nearly 12,000 passengers a year just to Atlanta.”

Bryan David, Executive Director of Region 2000, said it seems counterintuitive for Delta to pull service.

“The airline is flying full planes out of Lynchburg,” David said. “Business travelers drive demand and some can’t get seats on flights last minute. If the planes are full, how is Delta not making any money?”

But the airline said it just isn’t profitable to offer service out of Lynchburg anymore. The 50-seat regional jets have a higher operating cost per hour—almost double—what it cost for U.S. Airways to run their turboprop planes to their hub in Charlotte.

“The airline industry has just changed so much,” Courtney said. “It’s all about the low fares. Two and-a-half years ago, we had the fourth highest fares in the country, and we were losing 65 percent of our passengers to other airports.”

Courtney explained that U.S. Airways stepped in and offered lower fares, and Delta followed to match the competitive fares. Passenger traffic took off because of it, and the airport saw growth.

“It’s not about volume of passengers, it’s about high fares, it’s about making money,” David said.

Courtney points out airlines across the country have been delivered a one-two punch, with higher oil prices, the recession, a decline in passenger demand and a reduction in fleet sizes. A lot of airports are facing difficulties right now, and it’s a very challenging time for small airports.

But despite all the challenges, community leaders want to show Delta this region is a very viable market, and they can make money if they keep service here in Lynchburg.

“I was very disappointed Delta wouldn’t let us know there was a problem. We never got a chance to prove to them that this market is profitable,” Courtney said.

That’s what Hammond hopes to do, so he started a letter writing campaign.

“Our first option, and our best option, is to persuade Delta to reconsider,” Hammond explained.

He said most local business leaders, elected officials and local government have written letters without exception.

“Our ultimate hope is that these messages get back to Delta’s CEO and prompt him to ask what rationale went into the decision to discontinue service to Lynchburg and make them reconsider,” he said.

Hammond and Courtney have provided an analysis on load factors and other numbers for people to include in their letter writing campaign: Delta passenger traffic has seen tremendous growth, up 64 percent in 2009. That same year, Delta passenger revenue at Lynchburg Regional increased more than 14 percent compared to the previous year. In 2010, Delta revenue in the first quarter was up 61 percent over the same quarter in 2009.

Hammond points out that a lot of times, it’s scheduling or logistics managers who are making decisions and they are not aware of the community they service. Hammond said there are three areas Delta should consider when making the decision about departing. First, Delta should look at the role and level of support by the airport community and the business customer. Second, the airline should look at the trend of ridership and the load factors of the flights. Third, the airline should look at the potential to provide additional revenue.

“If Delta does decide to leave, it can hurt us as badly as anything I can envision,” Hammond said. “Without question, Delta’s departure would make it more difficult to retain and expand business.”

Hammond believes there is an opportunity to make adjustments to the fare schedule to make Delta profitable here. He said most business representatives he talked to seem to understand they have to increase the ticket price to keep Delta, and they would be okay with that, because most customers prefer jets and prefer a Delta hub.

“The majority of travelers out of Lynchburg are business travelers,” he said. “Delta fears losing customers by raising fares, but I think they can make adjustments to the fare schedule with minimal adjustments to the market share here.”

While Hammond seems hopeful the letters will be enough to make a difference, Courtney doesn’t seem as optimistic.

“In my 23 years in the business, I can’t think of a time when the airlines have changed their minds,” he said.

So, what happens next?

The future of Lynchburg’s Flight

Bryan David is certainly looking at this situation from a glass-half-full perspective.

“Things are not as dire as they seem,” David said, after meeting with leaders and consultants in November. “The market here is just too lucrative for business travelers for commercial airlines to abandon this airport.”

In fact, U.S. Airways has already announced plans to offer additional service in the spring. Starting March 4, 2011, the airline will offer jet service with two daily flights to Charlotte. Each flight can hold up to 50 passengers. A new departure time of 9:12 a.m. will also be added in hopes of appealing to business travelers. Currently, U.S. Airways offers six daily flights on smaller planes between Lynchburg and Charlotte.

Many seem worried that U.S. Airways may increase fares with no competitor, but others, like David, think the airline will keep fares low so they don’t lose customers to another airport or airline. He thinks they’ll take a defensive position to protect their market share here, which is very much alive.

“We are not in any way, shape or form in jeopardy of losing commercial aviation here,” David pointed out. “No matter what Delta decides to do, we’re going to be okay.”

While U.S. Airway’s decision to offer jet service may be progress by some standards, it is a small step in Courtney’s eyes. That’s because he has been talking to United for five or six years to get a third carrier here, with express service to Dulles in Washington, D.C.

“In the past, United has been hesitant because there were already two carriers here and they were uncertain if this market could support three. Now maybe they’ll reconsider, and that service to Dulles would be the most logical,” Courtney said.

“More companies here in the region are doing more international business, especially AREVA, so there’s a real need to get to an international gateway airport from Lynchburg,” David explained.

He said Region 2000 is a good intersection of business and higher education and air travel is one of the highest priorities to help the economy thrive. Part of the long term transportation strategy is to get a global business community to Lynchburg.

“We need to be able to get the world to Lynchburg, need the ability to get the world to our businesses and maybe this will help make that happen,” David said.

He also points out that the types of jobs this region offers—design, nuclear energy, wireless communication—are driving this area forward and these need to be marketed globally.

In the meantime, the letter writing will continue through December, Courtney said, until they get an ultimate response from Delta.

“Airlines respond to the market, and the market has spoken,” he said. “So we just need to convince Delta to reconsider, or convince another airline to come here, because it is a viable market.”

The same applies to marketing. Every now and then, I come across business owners who have a hard time defining who their target customer is. “Honestly, I target everybody,” they say. “I sell to whoever wants to buy.” And they want their advertising efforts to follow suit: “We would like you to target the ‘average’ buyer, please.” There’s just one problem. Average isn’t really anyone and “everybody” doesn’t really exist.

On the flipside, we all have things in common that place us in categories—from simple demographics like gender, age and household income to less tangible things like behaviors and values. So while no one size fits all, all sizes fit some. This is the foundation for market segmentation which is key to any good marketing plan.

Large companies spend millions of dollars conducting extensive market research to develop segmentation models because it helps them better reach their target market. While market research may be too costly for small companies, the idea of segmenting your market can still be accomplished fairly easily. So, before you brush it off as too complicated, step back and answer two simple questions:

1.      Who are my potential customers?

2.      What type of groups can I divide them into?

One way that I find useful is to start with “everybody” and work my way down. If you operate a plumbing service, geography may be a good way to define the most rudimentary group of potential customers. How far are you willing to travel to make service calls? Most people who rent their home don’t need plumbing services beyond what their landlord provides. So, who is left? Homeowners and builders in the greater Lynchburg area, for starters. But how can we refine them further?

Demographics are a good place to begin. Are the potential clients predominantly men or women? Old or young? Married or single? An even better way is to search for even deeper patterns in existing data. Think about your current clients. Who are they and who are they not? Interview your colleagues or employees about what patterns they have seen. In some cases you may even be able to ask clients what led them to you and who else they considered. Industry publications can also be useful, especially when looking for clues about untapped markets.

Another way is to make an inventory of potential needs. I am no expert in plumbing, but for the sake of this example, let’s say plumbing services can be divided into three areas: new construction, emergency services and planned upgrades. Knowing these three main categories makes it possible for us to consider who would be in the market for them.

I will not go into what media channels to use or what marketing mix to apply, but the choices that go into advertising will either work for or against its purpose, which is to create awareness, interest, desire and action. The more impact you want a message to have, the more “surgical” you will need to be in your attack.

Be specific in who you are targeting and speak to them with your ad.  Don’t worry about who you may be excluding because the idea is to cut out the noise and speak directly to a specific target group. If you know what they need, you can present your product or service in a way that makes them know you are talking to them. The basics are the same for consumers as for business customers, even if the mix of marketing tactics you apply and the creative approach you take will differ.

And remember, if you are targeting 30-something Swedish immigrants in Central Virginia—steer clear of jazz music.

“There’s a lot of ‘tax credit work’ at work in downtown Lynchburg,” said Gary Harvey, an architect with Craddock Cunningham Architectural Partners.

Harvey himself has done a good amount of work with tax credits here in town and knows how valuable they can be in getting a project done.

“Tax credits are a great tool to revitalize existing districts and to stop that decay of downtown. It’s great to have a building that was this, become that,” he said.

Historic tax credits can prevent that “downtown decay” because they spur interest in renovating historic spaces and allow developers to get the rehab work done without breaking the bank.

“Tax credits help off-set the additional cost to properly renovate a historic structure,” Harvey explained.

In Virginia, there are two kinds of historic tax credits. The first is a state historic tax credit, which gives back 25 percent of what is spent on the renovations. The second kind is a federal tax credit which gives back 20 percent of what is spent, but in order to qualify, it has to be an income producing structure, like an office or a rental apartment.

“So if you’re rehabbing an old building, you can get 45 cents to every dollar you spend in tax credits,” Harvey said. “And that’s pretty huge.”

There are numerous business owners in Lynchburg who have taken advantage of the tax credits to help transform the old buildings of yesterday into viable buildings today. Up and down Main Street, for example, you can see evidence of this in the new loft apartments, the Market at Main store, and up-and-coming retail space.

“The word has definitely gotten out about tax credits,” Harvey said. “Years ago, it scared everybody. How do you do it? How does it work? Now we’ve started working through the process and found it’s a good use to put new life in an old building. And since it’s financially workable, people become comfortable with it.”

Before and After: The Application Process

The process of applying for historic tax credits isn’t exactly easy, but if you do your homework before you get started, it doesn’t have to be such a daunting task. Before you can even begin, the property has to be eligible for listing on the National Historic Register.

“It has to be eligible, not listed,” Harvey said. “And most historic properties in Virginia are eligible, even if they are not listed on the historic register.”

Once the structure is eligible, a renovator can start the application process, which consists of three steps. First, those applying must confirm that the property is eligible by locating it on a map, researching the building and proving that it is historic. The reasons a building is historic can fall into one of two categories. The first is simply the “George Washington Classification,” which means something important happened in the structure, and there is documentation to prove it. The second basis is the architectural significance, such as a particular design style that might be endangered or unique building components.

Harvey is quick to point out that it doesn’t always have to be the big grand homes that qualify; a lot of the homes in the Fort Hill area, for example, are post-World War II housing stock, which makes them significant in the design style.

After the building is confirmed eligible, the next step in the application process is to document the existing conditions of the building and the renovation plans, which means detailing what and how the building will be renovated and restored.

“The more you keep to the original plan, the safer you are in the application process,” Harvey explained.

During this stage of the process, you also give the estimated cost of the project renovation.

“Most construction projects end up costing more than you hope for, but tax credits won’t out run the budget,” Harvey said. “With tax credits, the value of the project increases as the project budget increases.”

Accountant Nathan Hilton, who is a partner at the Davidson, Doyle and Hilton accounting firm, does a lot of work with tax credits. He meets with people planning to renovate a building in the beginning to assure proper record-keeping is done during the project. Hilton says that before any of the renovation work begins, those who own the building should make sure to do their homework.

“People should know the amount of credits they will receive and how it will impact the project cost, cash flow and tax liability,” Hilton said. “A common mistake a lot of people make is that they will be able to use the credits to offset taxes without limitations.”

The average review time for this second part usually takes six to eight weeks. During this time, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources looks the renovation plan over and flags anything that doesn’t meet the interior standards. The plan must show that you are improving the overall value of the building. Once Part Two has been approved, renovations must be completed within two years.

Part Three is “The Request for the Certification of Completed Work.” Renovators must document what was done and the ultimate cost of the project. All of the work has to meet the Secretary of Interior Preservation Standards—for example, the historic plaster, windows, roof, etc., all have to be renovated correctly. This all has to be done within one year of the work being completed.

If total renovation costs are less than $100,000, a summary of receipts is submitted in order to receive tax credits. If the work totals more than $100,000, an accountant must certify all receipts before credits can be received.

“We’re the last step in the process of getting tax credits,” Hilton said. “We certify that the costs of the project are eligible costs and are properly categorized.”

Big Benefits

The benefits from these historic tax credits go way beyond an impressive building. According to the VDHR, since Virginia’s inception of the program in 1997, it has spurred private investments of more than $1.5 billion in the rehabilitation of more than 1,200 buildings. The federal and state tax credits have generated an economic impact of nearly $1.6 billion dollars throughout the state and created more than 10,000 jobs.

“These tax credits are so beneficial to the community because they make projects feasible for renovation,” Hilton said.

“There are definite advantages to these tax credits,” Harvey said. “It’s helped to bring our downtown back to life. You can live and work downtown, and find those specialty places to eat and shop that keep things local.”

For more information about historic tax credits, visit the Virginia Department of Historic Resources at www.dhr.virginia.gov.

First things first—Get those resumes in tip-top shape and start distributing. Keep your eye on local company career pages and read the classified section of the newspaper. Get involved with local networking groups and take advantage of public seminars given to career-seekers. Getting your name out there and being aware of the opportunities available is the only way you will find yourself a niche in the business world.

But what if you’ve been doing these things for months, maybe even years, and you’re still not getting anywhere? There are resources in Lynchburg that can help, even when you feel like things are impossible or hopeless. If you can relate to this sentiment, then you need to be introduced to the Region 2000 Career Center. Located conveniently in the heart of Lynchburg, at the Plaza on Memorial Avenue, the Career Center is one of the first places to go if you’re job hunting.

Since opening its doors in March of 2003, Deborah Alfers, Center Manager for the Region 2000 Career Center, explained that the organization’s clientele has grown from an initial 50 to now 5,000 a year.

“We have served well over 35,000 jobseekers since opening 8 years ago. … Our rates of performance have earned our center three incentive awards based on our performance being higher than the state’s rates. We are getting credentials and employment to approximately 90 percent of those we serve,” Alfers said.

To begin the process at the Center, job-seekers first register with the organization and then complete an initial assessment, the results of which will then pair them with an appropriate case manager. For those needing less one-on-one contact, there is a computer lab available to provide “self-directed services.” At the lab, clients can run digital job searches and also do research in their extensive resource library.

Counselors are also available to provide jobseekers with advice, support and training to get them on the fast track to a job and, more importantly, a career. This isn’t a place that will help you to just secure a slot on a company’s payroll. The Career Center helps people get the support they need to find ways to get paid to do what they love.

So how much does it cost to become a client at the Career Center? Absolutely nothing! Incredibly enough, the many resources offered at the Center, from education and training, to help with job searches, employer services for recruitment and business consultation, support services and case management, are all free to local jobseekers. The types of people the Center sees every month runs the gamut in terms of career field. Alfers explained that the “trend is toward the dislocated worker due to outsourcing, global competition, downturn in the economy, company shut-downs and lay-offs. [But we also see] a number of jobseekers who do not have a GED or technical training for today’s high tech jobs.”

Looking for a change? The Career Center also welcomes those wanting to enter into a new field. Their counselors and case managers offer GED services to strengthen your educational foundation and also provide training to give you a broader skill set.

“Perhaps now is a good time to upgrade skills and accomplish a recognizable credential so that job seeking can be easier,” Alfers said. “Those who have skills but have been laid off may find their skills have become obsolete and need to update their computer abilities, resumes, interviewing techniques and other technology skills. The Career Center can assist with these services.”

According to the 2010 Region 2000 Economic Growth Study, conducted by Mangum Economic Consulting, LLC in Richmond, there was a monthly average of 3,090 individuals claiming unemployment insurance benefits in our region last year. Of that number, the Virginia Employment Commission’s data shows that more displaced people came from the manufacturing sector than any other field, indicating that the market is changing. With this change, people are now having to find ways to update their skill set and that’s part of the Career Center’s mission.

For those who find that a career change is essential to the success of their job search, the Center’s staff encourages training through funds from the federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA). Alfers explains the idea behind this 1998 Act as “multiple partners operating in a voluntary consortium, providing a wider scope of services and enhancing access to services to create a ‘no wrong door’ approach. As many of the services as possible are delivered on-site and others are through close, formal referral mechanisms.”

Alfers went on to say that the Career Center is currently “the primary service delivery center for the local WIA board for Region 2000.”

Also included in this act is the “One-Stop Approach,” which refers to the idea that those displaced from work should be able to find everything they need for their job search at one location. Ideally, jobseekers should be able to enter one of these mandated agencies and be provided with all the resources he or she may need without having to go to multiple organizations. The Career Center is the epitome of this idea, offering numerous, individualized services tailored to each client who walks through their doors.

In the meantime, Alfers’ advice to those in the market for employment right now?

“Hang in there,” she said. “Unemployment went up dramatically—double what it had been in recent years … but thankfully we did not reach double digit rates as some of our neighbors did in Danville and Martinsville. Finding a new job will become your job for awhile. Devote several hours a day to your job search. Highlight your personal skills and point out your excellent work ethic, social skills and ability to learn quickly as very important skills as well. All in all, with the right attitude, education, training, resume and interviewing techniques, you are much more likely to get a job.”

Set a career goal for yourself and consider taking the first step using resources at the Career Center. Before you know it, you will be well on your way to finding the job or career you desire. That will be the time to kick those feet up and give yourself a pat on the back–You did it!

In the early 1900s, Craddock Terry Shoe Company was one of Lynchburg’s largest employers, one of the United States’ most faithful suppliers during World War II and the fifth largest shoe manufacturer and distributor in the world. That’s a pretty hefty tout for a city with only around 18,000 residents at the time, according to U.S. Census records.

Though Craddock Terry Shoe Company has since been replaced by the Craddock Terry Hotel, Lynchburg still has its foot in the shoe industry—with businesses like Consolidated Shoe Company, Riverside Runners and Capps Shoe Company keeping local and national shoe enthusiasts well-stocked in numerous styles.

Consolidated Shoe Company (CSC), established in 1898, is headquartered right in Lynchburg on Timberlake Road. Specializing in fashionable yet affordable footwear, Consolidated has six unique brands to its name, which cater to the individual styles of the typical CSC client.

“We focus more on individual brands and creating an experience around those brands that extend past the product into the lifestyle of the consumer. We used to be ‘jobbers’—we made products for other people. Now we create product for specific consumers in a niche market,” Amy Gallagher, Consolidated’s Director of Marketing, explained. “We have six brands that each own a different part of the market. There’s no cross over; everything has its own personality.”

Another local shoe distributor that is making leaps in the national market is Old Dominion Footwear. Located in Madison Heights, Old Dominion owns a 50,000 square foot facility which is responsible for distributing exclusive brands such as Duck Head Footwear, AquaDuck Waterproof Footwear, Lalla and Lalla Lew, a children’s line.

As for Lynchburg, it is also still keeping Craddock Terry’s military influence alive through Capps Shoe Company, located on Monticello Avenue. Capps, a lesser known shoe company to civilians, is the only shoe manufacturer in the area. With their manufacturing facility in Gretna and their headquarters in Lynchburg, Capps’ 200 employees produce approximately 2,000 pairs of shoes per day. The military influence comes from Capps being a primary manufacturer of men’s issue shoes and dress oxfords for the United States Army and United States Marine Corps, and women’s issue shoes for the United States Navy, Airforce and Army, as well as primary manufacturer for most of the pumps for PX’s (Post Exchanges) around the world.

“In addition to our military work, we also have five women’s branded lines,” Tom Capps, President of Capps, said. “We specialize in hard-to-fit feet and make over 100 sizes. That’s why we’re able to exist against imports—we’re able to fit a lot of people who couldn’t be fitted with imported shoes.”

Founded a mere 16 years ago in 1994, Capps has seen quite a few changes in a short time.

“We had a lot more domestic manufacturers when we started than now—we have less competition than we used to have,” Capps said. “We have developed a good reputation of quality in our customer base, specifically with the Department of Defense. We have received major contracts that have enabled us to maintain steady business. Because of that business, we’re now the largest employer in Gretna.”

While it seems like business is running smoothly and successfully the way it is, Capps says there are always areas in which to grow.

“We have converted a new section of the [Gretna] factory into a high-end manufacturing facility which will make women’s dress shoes totally out of leather, which will compete with Italian shoes,” he said. “The line is more fashionable than what we typically carry. We should launch the line under the Valley and Johansen labels in the fall.”

With all of the changes and growth in the local shoe industry, however, Capps still remembers where it all started.

“Lynchburg is a shoe hub for a city of its size. There are more shoe people here than any place I know of. All of the shoe companies have provided a lot of business and jobs in Lynchburg and Craddock Terry Shoe Company had a strong impact, not just locally, but on the shoe business throughout the country. At some point, we all started in some manner with Craddock Terry. They had a significant impact and influence,” he said.

Rounding out the veritable shoe powerhouse are businesses like Riverside Runners, which specializes in fitting the running community with the proper footwear, Western Ways, which caters towards the equestrian crowd, Hamilton’s Shoe Salon, which carries an assortment of men’s and women’s shoes, and Alta Shoe Shop, which specializes in casual footwear, work boots and even shoe repair.

Though it’s fun to travel to the Big Apple for a Carrie Bradshaw-esque shoe excursion, those of us who can’t live without our uniquely crafted, fashion-forward kicks needn’t look any further than our own backyard.

Maddox set up shop two years ago in the Forest Crossing Center on Rt. 221 and has since grown from one artist to a staff of seven that includes piercers and receptionists.

“I saw the money potential in it,” Maddox said of the business that she started after selling furniture for nine years.

Though tattoos may still come attached with a less than savory stigma for some, Maddox says her clientele runs the gamut.

“We’re in Forest, in Bedford County, and there’s a different group of people here…I get all different types of people here, but more of an older crowd,” Maddox said. “It’s clean, it’s organized, it’s safe, it’s more family-oriented… someone’s grandma would be comfortable coming here.”

Maddox says an emphasis on service has led to her success.

“Every customer should be waited on immediately, so in order to have good customer service, that’s just the key. Once you have that, the rest will follow,” Maddox said.
She also says she is constantly looking for ways to set her shop apart from the competition. For example, Maddox sells Hardnox Clothing, a Roanoke-based line that proudly touts their anti-establishment roots and uses the tagline, “A Refreshing Punch in the Face.”

Casper’s foray into “body modification” came out of an artistic background. The 10-year Army infantry veteran holds an art degree and was exposed to art at an early age by his mother, an oil painter. He believes that the steady growth of the tattoo industry in Lynchburg is at least partially linked to the growing acceptance of the art form.

“Unless people have been tattooed, or have been in a tattoo shop and talked with people that work there, a lot of people just don’t understand the whole tattoo scene,” Casper said. “They think it’s still a military or biker type setting, but I think with shows like L.A. Ink or Miami Ink, it’s done a lot to expose the general masses to what tattooing is like.”

According to Casper, at one point in the mid- 90s, tattooing was the fastest growing industry in the U.S. and, at its height, a tattoo shop was opened every day.

“We stay just as busy now, but back then, it got to a point within a few years where it was almost overwhelming; we were constantly booked up for weeks,” he said.

Casper points to a changing demographic as one of the main reasons for the industry’s growth.

“The demographics are wide…that’s what happened in the ‘90s—the demographics started to change. Women started to get tattooed a lot more,” he explained.

Bankers, doctors, lawyers and professors have all been inked at Caspian over the years as the shop has grown from just Casper and one other artist to five. According to Casper, the shop has been successful because of a willingness to stay current.

“With any business, if you’re going to be successful, regardless of what you do, you have to have a good grasp on business concepts. The way things have changed and the way
demographics have changed…I think one of the reasons we’ve been as successful as we have been for 19 years is that we’ve changed with the business,” Casper said.

Casper started in a private studio off of Timberlake Road with a 10-year plan that included an emphasis on becoming a part of the fabric of the Lynchburg community.

“I built my business slow and steady. One of our goals with the studio was to be a fixture in the community, so if you live in Lynchburg we want you to say, ‘Hey, Caspian Tattoo is the local shop—that’s where you want to go. They’ve been around forever,’” he said.

To accomplish that goal, Casper has moved from what he terms entry-level advertising to promotional partnerships that make Caspian visible in the community, such as Caspian Tattoo Night at the Lynchburg Hillcats and the Hill City Halloween Tattoo Ball and Convention.

Though he has more competition than he used to, business is steady and Casper says his time in the industry has been a “wild ride.” A ride made even more fun, he says, by never knowing just who might walk through the door.

Of course, you don’t have to take an “out with the old, in with the new” approach just for the sake of changing things up. But to consistently make progress toward your financial goals, you may need to make adjustments in response to changes in the financial markets, the economy and your personal situation. And springtime is as good a time as any to take a fresh look at your investment situation. So consider these suggestions:

• Dispose of things that aren’t working. Whether it’s a burnt-out computer, a non-vacuuming vacuum cleaner or a treadmill that lost its grip back when “the Web” was reserved for spiders, we all own things that are no longer useful. And the same may be true of some of your investments. If one hasn’t performed the way you had hoped, and you’ve given it adequate time, you may be better off by replacing it and using the proceeds to purchase another investment.
• Get rid of duplicates. If you went through everything in your house, you might find several items that do the same thing. Do you really need two toaster ovens? And how many radios can you listen to at one time? If you looked at your investment portfolio in this same way, you might be surprised to find some redundancies. For example, do you own several stocks issued by similar companies that make similar products? This might not be a problem when the stock market is booming, but it could be a definite concern if a downturn affects the industry to which these companies belong. Always look for ways to diversify your holdings. While diversification by itself can’t guarantee profits or protect against loss, it can help you reduce the effects of volatility.
• Put things back in order. Inadvertently and over time, the spaces in your home can get “out of balance.” Perhaps you have too many chairs in one corner, your flat-screen television is crowding out your family pictures, or your new desk takes up too much space in your home office. With some rearranging, however, you can usually get things back in order. And the same need for rearrangement may apply to your portfolio, which might have become unbalanced with too much of one investment and too little of another. This situation could undermine your financial strategy, especially if the imbalance means you are taking on too much risk or, conversely, if your holdings have become too conservative to provide the growth you need. So look for ways to restore your portfolio to its proper balance—one that reflects your risk tolerance, time horizon and long-term goals.

By giving your portfolio an annual spring cleaning, you can help make sure it reflects your current needs and is positioned to help you make progress toward your key financial objectives. And you won’t even have to get near the dust cloths or furniture polish.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. ]]> http://www.lynchburgbusinessmag.com/mag/financial/time-for-spring-cleaning-of-your-investments/feed/ 0