Strike that. At Century Beverage Distributors, it’s more like “Hey, Beer Woman!” With over 110 years of Lichford family history behind them in the beer distribution business, the Lynchburg-based company is led today by Barbara Lichford McGehee and her daughters, Barrett Divina and Corie Saunders. These women are not only continuing to maintain the business of beer but they are also taking it to another level as a complete beverage distributor.

A Beverage Business is Born

In 1900, at the age of 18, Lewis Edmund Lichford, Sr., bought a building in downtown Lynchburg, under what is now the John Lynch Memorial Bridge that runs from 5^th street to Madison Heights, and equipped it with a horse and wagon and four employees. There, he founded a wholesale grocery and produce business named L.E. Lichford, Inc. In 1913, Lichford became a distributor for Anheuser-Busch, Inc., products.

When Lichford, Sr. passed away, his son, Lewis E. Lichford, Jr., became President and began to concentrate on the Anheuser-Busch and Canada Dry business. The wholesale grocery business was sold off in 1956 and six years later, the company handled Anheuser-Busch beers exclusively.

New Leadership, New Name

It was in 2005 that Barbara Lichford McGehee, daughter of Lichford, Jr., the little girl turned grown businesswoman that remembers her family’s past, stepped into the role of President.

“I remember shoveling coal into the furnace downtown—I must have been 8,” McGehee reflected.

But that and some old pictures are about all the reminiscing you’ll get from McGehee. It’s clear that she is focused on the future while honoring the business that her family has worked so hard to build.

McGehee was then joined in 2008 by Phill Sauls as Executive Vice President as they began to transform the company from exclusively an Anheuser-Busch distributor to a complete beverage distributorship for the Central Virginia region. Soon after, in 2009, L.E. Lichford, Inc., became Century Beverage Distributors.

“The name change was about where we are headed,” McGehee said.

Shortly after the change, Century began selling local and regional craft beers. McGehee also began exploring the idea of bringing wine and other beverages onboard. After a trip to California’s “wine country” and a year of research, Century finally received its wine importers license in September of 2009. And in 2010, the company acquired the rights to the Canada Dry line of products and began distributing energy drinks, ready-to-drink teas, soft drinks and water.

A Local Focus

These days, Century also distributes some of the best local and regional craft beers, including Starr Hill Brewery, Legend Brewing Company and, as of this month, Devil’s Backbone Brewery from Nelson County, which just won the 2010 World Beer Cup in the Small Brewpub category.

Local beer and a local impact are key focus points for McGehee and Century. Every time you see a Century Beverage truck at a local event like Friday Cheers (an event McGehee started 20 years ago), know that zero dollars of profit from the event sales go back to Century. That’s right—all the proceeds go to local charities.

In addition to giving back, Century leads in the fight against alcohol abuse by funding national speakers and programs to come to local schools to focus on the dangers of drinking and driving. And one last “did you know:” Century recycles over 80,000 pounds of aluminum and cardboard annually—and all that money goes back to local charities, too.

If you want to see it in action, just take a look at the local Pediatrics floor at Centra Lynchburg General Hospital. Century (along with other key sponsors) made large donations that will not only change lives but create an impact much larger than selling beer. The donations were used to build-out the floor for the youngest of patients to help them heal in a bright and colorful environment that doesn’t feel like a hospital.

“Our reputation is generational. Everyone takes it to heart. We have a pride in our beer and our business,” McGehee said.

A business that Barrett and Corie’s great-grandfather would be proud to witness.

By the Numbers, CBD Distributes:

-223 beers

-217 wines

-101 sodas

-16 waters

-14 teas

-6 sake

-1.83 million cases sold in 2011

-2008: Century Beverage Distributor was the “Regional Distributor of the Year” out of six states

-2010: The company received the “Ambassador of Excellence” award, which recognizes the top distributors in the country based on customer services, sales increase and distribution.

In 2003, Swinton realized her dream when Smart Way Solutions opened for business. The company provides temporary office support by specializing in office organization. Swinton and associates organize paper files, computer files and office space. Smart Way Solutions also offers temporary secretarial staff, bookkeeping and payroll, as well as project work on an “as needed” basis.

Swinton got the idea to start Smart Way Solutions after helping her husband with office organization for his inflatable rental company, Kidz Jump. When stepping in to help Kidz Jump, Swinton thought other companies could benefit from similar services, too. According to Swinton, many companies keep disorganized records and files. By outsourcing the office organization, the company can focus on the daily work they need to accomplish.

Swinton started Smart Way Solutions nine years ago but let the company take a back seat for much of that time. With four kids at home, Swinton opted to start a daycare. This gave her the opportunity to work while not missing precious time with her own children. While she says that running the childcare services was great while her own children were small, Swinton knew that it was not her life’s dream.

“I love children, but I even told one of my employees that and she said, ‘Have you noticed that you’re always in the office?’” Swinton recalled.

This feedback was among many clues that, vocationally, Swinton has a greater passion for managing the office. She was able to flex her office muscles in the daycare setting by helping other childcare providers organize their paperwork for state inspections. Swinton is grateful for her years running the daycare as it provided hands-on experience for running the business of her dreams.

Since her own children are older now, Swinton has closed the daycare but still provides online training for daycare professionals at childcaretrainingonline.org. Now, Swinton is excited to focus on her first love once again: office organization.

Swinton names tax season as the busiest time for Smart Way Solutions. She has worked with financial advisors, government agencies and small business owners. However, Smart Way Solutions is not a temp service. The focus of the business is on helping companies develop solutions on a project-by-project basis.

While juggling two businesses and raising four kids, Swinton has also gone back to school. She is graduating this spring with a degree in business and beginning the MBA program at Liberty University.

Swinton has great hopes for Smart Way Solutions. Not only does she want to expand locally but she’d like to have branches all over the United States.

“I am looking to incorporate within the next year,” Swinton said.

There are a few services that set Smart Way Solutions apart from the rest. Smart Way Solutions are experts at organizing file systems and book keeping. Swinton also has payroll services. Because of this, companies can outsource almost any office task to Smart Way Solutions.

“We are great at being able to handle the load,” Swinton summarized. “I’ve worked with companies in Lynchburg where I’ve gone into their offices and gone through boxes and boxes of files.”

With the plethora of paperwork in the office setting, Smart Way Solutions are the industry problem-solvers to keep records orderly.

Since founding Smart Way Solutions nine years ago, Swinton has gained a remarkable amount of knowledge about running a business.

“Back then, I was so young. I was hesitant. I didn’t have the experience I needed,” Swinton recalled.

Now, the wife and mother of four has the necessary experience, a degree and big plans for the future. Certainly that little girl at the laundromat so many years ago would admire all Swinton has accomplished now.

In 1984, squeaking by for a few summers building pools making $3.50 an hour in spite of his college degree hanging on the wall and a conviction that his employer was sub-par, Bob Davis got fed up and did something about it. He quit and struck out on his own.

Twenty-seven years later, Davis’ Aqua Pros has three stores in the greater Lynchburg area, 20 employees and more than a million dollars in annual sales.

With some business sense and a little bit of chance, Aqua Pros’ offerings have expanded from in-ground pools to include hot tubs, saunas and a hearth shop with stoves and gas fireplaces that keep the business profitable throughout the year.

His early experiences working for someone else helped form the philosophy he credits with the company’s success. He wouldn’t be the cheapest, but he would always be the best in offering the highest-quality products and service with the best value.

He spent 1984 providing pool service. As fast as his previous employer was building pools, he was fixing them. The next year, he built his first in-ground pool. In 1986, Aqua Pros opened its first store in Bedford. A decade later, he opened a store on Timberlake Road. The Madison Heights store followed a year after that.

Davis and his wife found that having a store front helped sell pools, but other than a few shelves of chemicals, the stores were awfully empty, he said.

“When we had our first child, my wife stepped back from the business, so I had to hire sales people,” Davis said. “If I have sales people, I need more stuff to sell.”

Hot tubs came first. For a while, he offered tanning in the back of the shop, but decided it would be better to actually sell the beds to customers. Grills and patio furniture were natural additions. If he could build a pool for a customer, why not sell the total package?

When Davis opened the Timberlake store, another businessman leased space in the back of the shop selling hearths and stoves. Chance was just around the corner.

“I was amazed at the traffic he had in there,” he said. “He called one day and asked out of his lease. I didn’t have to let him out, but I figured I would want someone to let me out of my lease if I needed to, so I did.

“But, I saw the traffic he had and he was gone, so we opened up the hearth business in 1996. That really helped us out. Now I can look at a balance statement, and maybe we don’t sell as many of product A, but we sell more of product B. We have enough diversity that our products carry us through the tough times.”

Tough times, indeed. With a full-blown recession in the last decade and the economy’s continued slow growth, one would think it would be a bad time to be in the business of selling luxury items.

“No matter how bad things are, someone always manages to screw it up,” Davis joked. “There are people who have money, either through being blessed, hard work, or from savings and they always want this kind of stuff.”

Within a short distance from all of the Aqua Pros’ shops, there are big-box retailers who sell some of the same types of items as Davis for a cheaper price.

“You can buy a hot tub anywhere you want to, but you can only get this hot tub from me,” he said, pointing at one of his Marquis Spas. “I know this is a better one. If you care enough to listen and find out the difference and that means something to you and you have that money in your checking account, this is the one you’ll get.

“Everything we have has to be the best. I have to be able to prove that to you. I can’t just say it. It can’t be a cliché. I have to show you. Typically, the seventh reason people buy is because of price. Most people who buy stuff want long-term value and appreciate that. I’m convinced the only way we’ve been able to do well is because of that.”

The other advantage is in having an experienced, well-trained sales staff and the crew and products needed to maintain those high-dollar items, he said. And even if he didn’t sell it to you, Aqua Pros can probably fix it. With the fireplace and stove sales, Davis can even send someone over to sweep the chimney.

That’s a long way from digging pools for minimum wage nearly 30 years ago. For those who find themselves in the younger Davis’ position, if you’re passionate and persistent, you can succeed, he said, adding that one of the main reasons he is still around is that he’s “too dumb to quit.”

“People who really care about quality and value do business with me,” he said. “I am passionate about what I do, passionate about my business. I tell my guys, [if] the day comes when I don’t offer anything useful to you, you need to kick me out.”

As of September, the only other name tacked onto this company’s sign is, “Joe,” as in Joe H. Coleman, president.

Joe Coleman started in the business with Coleman-Adams in 1971. He managed the company office in Charlottesville for 15 years, but got tired of the commute, so he branched off with Coleman-Glass in 2000, he said. After 11 years of that, he and Darryl Glass opted to go their separate ways in September.

“The departure from Coleman-Glass was civil,” Joe said. “We basically split everything. The men just naturally shook out. We worked out the equipment. I relocated to a new location in Forest. It’s more of a parallel move more than a move forward or backward.”

Matt Coleman, his son, works as his project manager. He represents the fifth generation of Colemans in the industry. Joe’s great-grandfather got things rolling.

“We’re continuing the family business,” Joe said. “Matt’s got a son and I have two other grandchildren. There are other male members of the family, so we want to keep it in line to continue the tradition. In the meantime, we want to amplify it and keep the Coleman name prominent in the area from a commercial construction standpoint.”

In the first two months, the Colemans have moved into their new location on Forest Road with equipment and personnel. They’ve finished up some jobs that were underway with the old company and have started getting new work.

“A lot of those contracts are repeat-business customers from the past,” Joe said. “We have re-identified our company and we have a billboard going up. We’ve been getting a lot of phone call and news is spreading through word-of-mouth.”

Joe says the Coleman reputation in construction has also helped this process.

“The best advertising is a job sign going up. If you can establish your brand and people see that things are happening, I’ve always believed that people like to do business with people that other people are doing business with. Our goal is to get our name out there by doing some work and keeping our previous customers active.”

The Colemans say they do not have any radical new plans to change their business model. The idea is to keep the company local as long as they can, although they are willing and able to step outside the region for the right project.

“Our basic business philosophy is to give the customer the best value they can get, the best-looking project,” Joe said. “Communication is important. Trust is important, to maintain it from the beginning all the way through the project. We keep it as fun as we can, being open, honest and building a good project. We keep our employees where they can provide for their families.”

As for Matt’s role, he says he tries to be a hands-on project manager.

“When we deal with customers, we’re there to build a relationship, not just a project, but for the future,” he said. “If they need another project done, they’ll come to us. I like to get personal with the clients.”

The company currently employs eight people. Joe said he would rather have one or two workers too few in order to keep all of his employees busy. But, he said, when jobs come in, he has a network of workers to call on as needed.

Most of the company’s work is in managing contracts.

“In commercial construction, a big key is managing qualified subcontractors,” Joe said. “We’re very schedule-conscious. We consider our team to be our employees and our subcontractors and suppliers we put together for each project.”

So far, he said, that’s working out well in their new venture.

During the transition, the company finished the facelift at Wards Crossing (the shopping center at the southern end of Wards Road near U.S. 460) and is working over at Forest Plaza near the new Walmart, completing shell buildings for lease. Other projects, he said, are out to bid.

“We’ve been real busy,” he said. “The economy is like it is for everybody. We see a break in the opportunities, though. As long as there is an opportunity, we’ll be here.”

This global company, based in Hickory, North Carolina, is considered a leader in providing infrastructure solution for communication networks. CommScope supports wireless, cable television and business enterprises with solutions used to help with networking each. The company’s wireless network solutions facility in Forest, Virginia, became part of CommScope in 2007, when Andrew Solutions was acquired by the company.

“CommScope comprises in total more than $3 billion in revenue globally and our business is, in general, about half in the U.S. and half outside of the U.S.,” Rick Aspan, Vice President of Corporate Communications for CommScope, said. “We are truly a global provider and we support just about every major customer in the wireless, cable TV and Fortune 500 spaces.”

To support the global manufacturing and distribution network that CommScope encompasses, facilities, like those in Forest, are located in every necessary region around the world where products are produced and distributed.

“We manufacture what our customers need close to where they need it,” Aspan said. “We have customers all over the world and in every major name in networking and business, so it’s important for us to be close to our customers.”

CommScope’s Forest location is currently celebrating its 25^th anniversary. Originally founded as Grayson Electronics in 1986 by four engineers with experience at General Electric’s land mobile radio division, the company started as a small engineering design services organization with some manufacturing. Andrew Solutions acquired that original engineering company in 2003, and became an entity of CommScope in 2007.

“In 1997, we relocated to the New Vista Centre industrial park in Forest. We purchased the first shell building at this location,” Dave Cushman, senior vice president of Global Operations, said. “The building still bears the Andrew Solutions name and is a 65,000-square-foot facility on 22 acres in the park.”

As wireless technology, cable television and business enterprises are ever involving industries, CommScope has evolved and adapted over the years.

“As we have evolved, the organization and skill set at the Forest facility has expanded to support multiple CommScope business units on a global level,” Cushman said. “The organization designs both hardware and software products for those businesses, as well as the manufacture of electronic assemblies.”

Andrew Solutions Research and Development (R&D) team of CommScope has developed many different products. A few examples include an emergency location service designed to pinpoint the exact location of a 911 emergency call and products that help expand cell phone coverage and capacity.

“Our R&D teams here develop products that can enhance cell coverage in locations that are difficult to cover, such as in a dense commercial buildings, subways or tunnels,” Cushman said.

Jim Burns, manager of human resources, has helped with the celebratory events of Andrew Solutions 25^th anniversary at the Forest location. With all of the history that the company has under its belt and the many different facets they now encompass, they recently held a celebration to recognize the milestone.

“We have a strong technical staff of engineers, along with a great manufacturing team that assembles and tests the products that we create, so we have assemblers and technicians on-site as well,” Burns said. “We have used the anniversary as an opportunity to give our employees some recognition locally for their accomplishments over these past 25 years.”

The 25^th anniversary celebration kicked off through partnership with the Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce’s After Hours event. This event was held at their Forest location and commemorated the historical perspective of the company and the facility. Celebrating the accomplishments of the CommScope employees in Forest was also an opportunity to reach out to the local community and further efforts to get involved.

“The effects of the work we do and the solutions we make are great, though they are not seen by people, they are used more frequently than the public realizes through wireless networks,” Burns said. “For this reason, we are very community oriented and are involved in United Way, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the American Cancer Society and Relay for Life, etcetera.”

Community outreach is completed willingly by employees and Burns, Cushman and Aspan agree that this positive, willing attitude of their employees is a large part of the company’s success as a whole.

“We feel very proud of the workforce that we have here in Forest,” Burns said. “They are a very dedicated, motivated team of folks. This general area of Lynchburg and Forest has had a history of people who have been trained in this type of industry. We have been fortunate to be able to tap into that skilled workforce here and we are proud that when people come to work for CommScope they feel very comfortable that this is a place that they want to work and they work extremely hard.”

“We started selling seafood at the Bedford Farmer’s Market in 2006 to see if there was any interest in fresh seafood. We wanted to test the waters,” Tina said. “We did really well and we loved every minute of it.”

Customers who came to the Farmer’s Market for fresh fish each week wanted to know exactly where they could find Tina once fall came around and the market closed down. This led Tina, who had not expected such an overwhelming positive response from her customers, to consider possibly opening her own restaurant.

“I am no stranger to the restaurant business, but I swore it off a long time ago and promised that I would never do it again,” Tina said. “I wasn’t planning on doing what we are doing now, but my husband has a way of coaxing me along without me realizing what is going on. He enjoys this kind of business and I do too, but it is a lot of hard work.”

The coercing eventually paid off and after looking around downtown for an open space, Tina opened up a little seafood shop in November 2007. In the beginning, Clam Diggers’ hours fluctuated as the restaurant settled into its current schedule.

“We learned very [quickly] that lunch in Bedford is difficult for a lot of reasons,” Tina said. “During the cold months, people don’t want to come out and it is expensive to eat out every day for an office lunch so we began to focus on dinner. The pub didn’t come along until later.”

In the beginning, Tina focused primarily on the fresh fish market on the weekends and the dinner rush. However, life threw her a curve ball when her husband had an accident while at work. Suddenly, Clam Diggers became their only source of income. At the same time, Hal began looking for a change of pace and career. After considering many options, the couple decided to create a pub from two small storage spaces in the back of the restaurant.

“I was concerned that there wasn’t a lot of foot traffic in Bedford and that, in general, it wasn’t the best place for a pub, but anything that it brought in would be gravy,” Tina said. “The pub has been open for a year and a half and it has done great.”

While the pub and the restaurant bring in consistent traffic throughout the week, it is the fresh fish market that is still the first love of Clam Diggers. Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab, Alaskan Salmon, Canadian Snow Crab legs and more can be purchased on Fridays and Saturdays. Tina is quick to stand behind the claim that it is the freshest seafood that can be found in the area and she believes her customers agree.

“We have always focused on domestic, fresh seafood at the market. Not frozen food—real, fresh food,” Tina said. “Everything in the restaurant is made from the same fresh fish and it is great … people appreciate that.”

Currently, the Clam Diggers market is stocked with items that have become customer favorites over the years. One example is premium grade scallop that is dry packed and boasts no chemicals or processing. Another is fresh frozen shrimp that is caught wild, sorted, cleaned and individually quick frozen and promises the freshest shrimp with intense flavor. All of this fresh food, the convenient hours and a welcoming atmosphere have not only built the client base at Clam Diggers, it also won them the 2010 Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business of the Year award.

“We’ve managed to carve a really nice reputation for ourselves here,” Tina said. “It means a lot that our community sought us out for the Small Business of the Year award. We consider that to be a real honor.”

Clam Diggers restaurant is open Tuesday through Thursday 5 to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; the pub is open Tuesday through Thursday 4 p.m. to close and Friday and Saturday noon to midnight. The fresh fish market is open Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Now, race days at the speedway are a very different scene. Around 65,000 fans browse interactive displays and souvenir row before they pack the stands around the half mile track. Live music plays and helicopters hover as ESPN broadcasts live from the grounds onto national television. Prerace activities are as much a part of the experience on race weekend as the actual race.

Director of Public Relations, Mike Smith, has been with Martinsville Speedway for 10 years. Like each of the 15 full-time employees at the speedway, he is immersed in details throughout the year to prepare for the magnitude of each event. On race weekends, practices and races are broadcast live by either ESPN or Fox and are open to ticket holders. Festivities kick in throughout the day amidst the races on Saturday, and Sunday, the Sprint Cup Race completes the weekend.

“People have the idea that we work here a couple of weekends on race days throughout the year and that’s it,” Smith said. “This is a 40 hour a week job, 52 weeks out of the year and in the fall it really kicks up to 10 hours days for some of us.”

The speedway has a lot to accomplish when preparing for a race weekend. While NASCAR handles everything that happens on the track, the speedway staff anticipates crowd control and safety as well as catering, entertainment, signage, promotional work and more. To accommodate actual festivities on race weekends, the staff of 15 easily grows to almost 2,000.

“What you see on race day has taken months to prepare,” Clay Campbell, president of Martinsville Speedway, said. “It is a big build up and there are major details and work that goes into preparation. Come race day, we really become a city within a city because the amount of people that we bring in here on any given race weekend would be just about equal to a Super Bowl.”

Campbell was continuing the family business in 1988 when he became president of the speedway. His grandfather built the facility and it was in the family until 2004, when Campbell sold it to the International Speedway Corporation (ISC). Though he could step down from the helm with the ISC in the ownership position, he chooses to stay on and continue to guide the speedway as president.

“I have been here a long time and I think that if you can wake up in the morning and look forward to going to work, you are pretty blessed and that is what I have,” he said.

Over the years, the speedway has been shaped by Campbell and his family around what families want in wholesome entertainment. Down to the last detail, both major and minor changes have been made with maintaining a family atmosphere in mind.

“Back in the 70’s, I believe it was Stock Car Racing magazine that coined my grandfather as being the ‘Walt Disney of motor sports’ and that was due to the fact that we had a family atmosphere. We made it an affordable, pleasant experience for all ages,” Campbell said.

Campbell and his staff are proud of the speedway’s success, and work with diligence to prepare for each upcoming event and race. Whether it is the family atmosphere, the racing or the entertainment, fans keep coming back to the speedway year after year.

“I think the excitement and power of racing is the core ingredient of what keeps Martinsville fans excited about what we have going on here,” Smith said.

“It has been a work in progress from the very day it began under my grandfather’s leadership and it still is with what he has instilled upon us, as far as what our guests want and what the competitors want. We are always striving to make the place better,” Campbell said. “That is the way we look at it and that is how we will continue to grow into the future.”

For a complete line-up of fall racing events at Martinsville Speedway, visit www.martinsvillespeedway.com.

The three floors of 720 Commerce Street are in transition to become Iron and Grace, a fitness training center with a positive approach to balancing your life with fitness, as opposed to just another gym. The open loft atmosphere in the historic building lends a calming effect to the holistic foundation of Iron and Grace. Each floor flows to the next and each exercise ties together centered, core strength training.

“What we are bringing here is really unique,” Alaya said. “Both Chad and I have been on the cutting-edge of what is going on in the fitness industry and are constantly learning new things to be able to apply them to our clients lives. We look to optimize and enhance what is going on in the fitness community here.”

Alaya has been a fitness and Pilates trainer for the past 17 years and also prides herself on her education of STOTT Pilates. Chad, her husband of 13 years, is a kettle bell and TRX trainer. Together, they incorporate private, semi-private and full classes to the Lynchburg public.

“We want to make this a successful experience for everybody,” Chad said. “All of our exercises promote mind and body connection. It is primarily about control and using your breath to do deliberate movement.”

Alaya and Chad had a Pilates studio for almost five years in Minnesota, where they also instructed yoga, personal training and a variety of mind and body modalities. When they added Kettle bells to the mix, those who were familiar with Pilates found it an easy transition.

“All of our exercises are approachable at different levels; however, some more than others,” Alaya said. “We specialize in practical exercise that you can put into your everyday life and build your fitness through that practical movement. I have always been a big fan of managing your body.”

Of their three primary fitness specializations, TRX training is the most approachable. It is heavily promoted by world-class athletes yet it is adaptable to any fitness level. Classes of up to 20 people can set their own level of resistance throughout the training, allowing them to simply ease up without having to quit a repetition.

“I can have people do very slow and controlled movements with the TRX and, along the way, incorporate jumps and twists creating the ultimate core workout,” Chad said.

“TRX is a little easier to come into blindly. With the Kettle bells and the Pilates, we really want people to learn how to do the movements before they come into class. It is very form oriented,” Alaya said.

Iron and Grace practices a contemporary approach to Pilates that is strongly influenced by Alaya’s STOTT Pilates training. STOTT is based heavily around five bio-mechanical principles that are laid out very explicitly—breathing, pelvic placement, rib cage placement, scapular movement and head and cervical spine placement.

Iron and Grace will also offer equipment classes through partnership with Kim Buhler, who has been a yoga instructor in Lynchburg for many years and operates a studio above the new fitness training center.

“We have equipment in Kim’s studio upstairs from us to be able to address a group atmosphere,” Alaya said.

All of the Pilates equipment at Iron and Grace is operated by spring tension. This allows for a variety of exercise techniques at many resistance levels, much like the thought behind TRX. The studio has a reformer, a stability chair and barrels for various Pilates exercises.

Through Kettle bells, TRX and Pilates, Chad and Alaya believe they can optimize their client’s level of fitness.

“People have different judgments on what they want to do and Iron and Grace is results driven,” Alaya said. “We offer accountability and we have proven results. In fact, we have never had a client who didn’t reach their goal.”

In addition to the training that will be offered at Iron and Grace, Alaya will also be opening a LOLE concept store on the ground floor.

“LOLE stands for Live Out Loud Everyday and it is a brand that is really geared toward the urban feminine, fashion forward but fitness-oriented woman,” Alaya said. “It won’t be a retail boutique as much as it will be for our clients who will be coming through for classes.”

The concept for Iron and Grace perfectly ties together the various levels of holistic fitness that Chad and Alaya believe in. It also compliments the downtown area that it will call home. Downstairs from the Dance Theatre of Lynchburg and nestled on historic Commerce Street, Iron and Grace is proving to be a welcome addition to Lynchburg’s downtown revitalization.

Faithfully coming to her flower shop almost every day for the past 40 years, Arthur has built her business from scratch. In 1971, when she first began, Arthur dreamed of using the beauty of flowers to serve individuals, families and local business. She believed there was a need to serve a growing Lynchburg.

“We like to say that our business provides beautiful flowers when your heart has something to say,” Arthur said. “For us, business remains about service and value. That is why we have had some of our customers for over 20 years.”

Being her own boss appealed to Arthur when she opened her first shop at her original location on Timberlake Road. Creativity, quality and value were her goals. These, combined with seven day service, became the hallmarks of Arthur’s Flower Cart.

Kandy Scruggs, Arthur’s daughter, joined the family business in 1981 after graduating from Elon College. She shared her mother’s vision and drive, and soon the flower shop grew and prospered.

“Arthur’s Flower Cart has provided a look known throughout Central Virginia,” Scruggs said. “Our flowers and arrangements are a great value in today’s economic environment. They are fresh, fast and on time.”

Over the years, many talented floral designers have been a part of the Arthurs Flower Cart team. Kathy Shirey, Ray Turner and Steve Allen all created beautiful work that helped the business flourish. Soon, growing business created a need for two small stores on either end of Timberlake Road. With two rent payments each month and a growing clientele, Arthur was advised in the early 90’s to build her own location. After carefully considering the opportunity, she decided to proceed and quickly went to work to make it a reality. In 1992, Arthur’s Flower Card opened its doors as an independent business in their own free-standing building. Their new location, still on Timberlake Road, was centralized between the two previous rented shops.

Arthur’s Flower Cart now has seven employees; three full-time and four part-time. They offer flowers, flower arrangements, home décor and more.

“I like to say that we provide flowers for all occasions,” Scruggs said. “We do weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, get well, funerals and sometimes just because. We deliver and have a drive up window that, on the holidays, will have quite a line.”

Like many local businesses in the area, Arthur’s Flower Cart believes in the Buy Local campaign. Locally-owned businesses provide much needed revenue to their community. While there are not many “big-box” stores that are in direct competition for Arthur’s business, the online market is a different story.

“What people don’t realize is that a lot of times when they go online to purchase their flowers, those online orders are then routed to their local florist,” Arthur said.

“The difference is that the consumer pays the service charge that the online order taker charges as opposed to simply paying what their local florist would charge,” Scruggs said. “When you buy your flowers locally, you are helping yourself.”

Arthur also prefers face-to-face customer service as opposed to online ordering, though this type of ordering is re-routed to them eventually.

“We want the traffic in the store,” Arthur said. “While we may receive the orders online anyway, this is a service business and we have these beautiful arrangements and home décor items in the store. It is a shame that people won’t see that when they don’t come in.”

As a local business owner, Arthur has chosen to operate according to the Buy Local principles. Arthur’s Flower Cart purchases all of its flowers from local wholesalers. This keeps their operating standards in line with what their customers expect from them and provides them with the freshest product available daily.

“A lot of times, we have come to the aid of people who have ordered flowers from online wholesalers that do not outsource to local businesses. These customers ended up with 200 long stem roses on the day of their event and no idea what to do with them,” Scruggs said.

Scruggs admits to a love-hate relationship with what she refers to as the Martha Stewart movement that she believes puts customers in this situation.

“Martha got everyone believing they can just do little clusters of flowers as their center pieces, and some of them can,” Scruggs said. “We come to the aid of those who, last minute, realize they can’t. Centerpieces can be a beautiful, eye-catching arrangement and that is where we can help.”

As the oldest operating family floral business in Lynchburg, Arthur’s Flower Cart has created a beautiful environment to work and shop.

“We are working with flowers everyday and sometimes I just think, ‘My job makes people happy,’” Scruggs said. “We serve the community with a product that we are proud of.”

Kenny Parsons first began in the gutter business 12 years ago in Poughkeepsie, New York, and invited his brother, Ryan Parsons, to join the company four years later. When Jeremiah was dating Kenny and Ryan’s sister, Rebecca, he began helping with the family business when visiting.

“I spent some time on the side helping them out with their business and I decided I wanted to get in and see what it was like,” Boles said. “I liked their business model and asked them what they thought about bringing The Brothers that just do Gutters to Lynchburg.”

Boles, a Liberty University graduate who was coaching baseball at Liberty at the time, wanted to move into a position where Rebecca, now his wife, could eventually stay home as a mom. With the Parsons brothers looking to franchise their New York-based business, Boles decided the gutter business was a wise move.

“I got to use their reputable brand and their system to build my own business,” he said.

The brothers decided to move towards a partnership as opposed to a franchise and remain in monthly communication with Boles. In March, he past his one-year operating mark.

“My business in Lynchburg has been in the makings for about two years,” Boles said. “I started last year around March and provide superior service and communication to my customers.”

The Brothers that just do Gutters have a business model designed around six steps they refer to as, “The Six Easy Steps to a Happy Home.”

Step one for potential customers is calling and speaking with a friendly person ready to answer your questions, schedule your estimate or set up a booking.

Step two is setting up an appointment with a company “Solutionist,” which is a professional that will work around the customer’s schedule to look at the job and share their expert opinion on the best solution.

Step three is an appointment scheduled to be completed in a three-hour time frame.

Step four is a courtesy call 15 to 30 minutes prior to their arrival.

Step five is a full review of the project with the Solutionist before beginning.

Step six is a call after a completed job to ensure complete satisfaction.

The incorporation of these six steps into the daily operations of The Brothers that just do Gutters is about customer respect. Constant communication throughout the entire process ensures the client that their home will be treated with the same level of respect they would treat it themselves.

“People worry, ‘Am I getting the best person for the job? Is that person doing a good job? Do I want to let this person in my home?’” Boles said. “I present myself in a professional way. I do the estimates and I am on every job. I think that when you present yourself well and remain postured, you show that you carry a higher level of respect.”

While Boles’ Lynchburg Brothers that just do Gutters location is in its early years, the word continues to spread.  Like most small local businesses, the best advertisement is a good referral from a satisfied customer and much of their work comes from homeowners. However, most people do not call until it is too late for their current gutters and a new instillation is often necessary.

“We have a maintenance program that is set up for homeowners so that situations don’t get out of hand before it is too late,” Boles said. “On the plan, you don’t even have to call me to come clean the gutters. We come out twice a year and clean them without you even having to set up an appointment.”

However, Boles says that with the various types of gutters he deals with, the maintenance program is not necessary. In the case of a guard that comes with a 20-year guarantee, there is not much maintenance involved. Boles goes out-of-his way to educate his customers on all of these options so that they can make the most economical decision for their situation. This is why the Brothers that just do Gutters refer to their workers as “Solutionists.”

“To me, what makes us different is that we just do gutters,” Boles said. “We don’t do siding; we don’t do roofing or remodeling. We are focused on one thing and one thing only and that is gutters. And we are the best there is in that.”

For more information, visit www.BrothersGutters.com, call (434) 237-7711 or email info@brothersgutters.com.