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JUNE 2017
BLACK BEAR MERCANTILE
resurrects the local grocery store PAGE 5
Companies that work for women:
LORD FAIRFAX COMMUNITY COLLEGE PAGE 4
RANKIN’S FURNITURE CELEBRATES 25 YEARS PAGE 6
The big impact of small business
THE ROOMS UP THERE Marshall’s “inn” spot PAGE 7
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FOCUS
Fauquier Times/Gainesville Times/Prince William Times
JUNE 2017
Our economic success rests largely with smaller businesses and the entrepreneurs who lead them By Miles Friedman
Times Business Contributor Miles.Friedman@FauquierCouty.gov
Much of our economic success as a county and as a nation rests on the strong backs of our smaller businesses. While large, multi-national firms play a vital role, the growth of smaller firms is under-appreciated for their unique, dependable place in sustaining the economy. Fauquier County is a community of smaller firms, and we are lucky to have that advantage. Here are some of the reasons: Smaller businesses tend to be homegrown, to hire local workers and to contribute to the community Smaller businesses are less likely to move on Smaller businesses, according to a recent Baylor University study, tend to pay competitive wages and offer sustainable employment The “birth rate” of businesses and the smaller firms that often result is frequently an indicator of the relative economic health of a community Recent data published by the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor
PHOTOS COURTESY FAUQUIER COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Statistics and the Small Business Administration, help illustrate the key role small businesses play in the economy. For example: Roughly half of all private sector jobs are with small businesses Better than 2/3 of new private sector jobs are created by small businesses More than 40% of jobs in the technology area are with smaller businesses The proportion of new patents registered per employee each year is considerably higher for small firms than for large firms The key for economic development is to include a focus on the companies that may not have hundreds of employees and multiple millions in revenue. We see them in every industry. This focus
also requires community commitment to supporting the efforts of local entrepreneurs to start and grow businesses. It is imperative to strike a balance between a core of larger businesses with their great employment and investment potential, and the smaller businesses that are run by local entrepreneurs, who can grow organically, within the local environment. Thus, communities like Fauquier County must value and encourage our national and international firms while, at the same time, providing sustenance to the newer and smaller businesses that make this their home. Fauquier County supports its own firms through programs such as the Fauquier County Microloan Program, sup-
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ported by local banks and the Economic Development Authority (EDA); through small matching grants administered by the Department of Economic Development and funded by the EDA; tax incentive programs that can be utilized by existing businesses who are growing in place; and through comprehensive workforce development services that are administered jointly by the County and Lord Fairfax Community College. Perhaps our most intensive support for homegrown businesses and the entrepreneurs behind them is our network of business incubators, which include the Mason Enterprise Center-Fauquier in Warrenton (a partnership with George Mason University) and the Fauquier Enterprise Centers in Marshall and Vint Hill (collaborations with Lord Fairfax Community College and Vint Hill Village, LLC). All three offer physical locations for growing firms, flexible arrangements, as well as counseling and training for any entrepreneur in Fauquier County. In the first two years of operation, the incubator in Warrenton “touched” over 250 businesses. This is a community filled with smaller businesses and we are stronger for it. Miles Friedman has been Director of Economic Development for Fauquier County since March 2013 and has focused heavily on supporting our existing business community and entrepreneurs.
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COMPANIES THAT WORK FOR WOMEN
JUNE 2017
Fauquier Times/Gainesville Times/Prince William Times
LORD FAIRFAX COMMUNITY COLLEGE PHOTOS BY LATISHA BROOKS PHOTOGRAPHY From left, Christine Kriz, Director, Small Business Development Center, Dr. Cheryl Thompson-Stacy, President LFCC, Jeanian Clark, VP Workforce Solutions and Continuing Education
By Jennifer Goldman
Times Business Contributor Jennifer@Resonance.us
One of Fauquier County’s largest employers also happens to be a fabu-
lous place for working women. Not surprising, Lord Fairfax Community College (LFCC), 13th in the list of the county’s top 50 employers, is headed by a woman. Dr. Cheryl Thompson-Stacy has been president of LFCC for more
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than eight years and remembered what first attracted her to the school was its reputation and the diversity of the community surrounding it. “It’s still rural, yet there are so many things to do,” she noted. “The college was very good, and well thought of in the community.” The school has also been acknowledged as a quality work environment by The Chronicle of Higher Education, which has included LFCC several years in a row in their Great Colleges to Work For survey. In the 2016 survey, Dr. Thompson-Stacy’s statement reads: LFCC is a great place to work because the college highly values its employees and creates a caring, positive work atmosphere…We also offer a work atmosphere that supports a proper work-life balance through flexible work schedules, professional-development opportunities, free fitness classes, and college-wide wellness initiatives. We encourage employees to build relationships with co-workers and the community. These are also the reasons Jeanian Clark, Vice President of Workforce Solutions and Continuing Education, enjoys working for LFCC. “As employees,” said Clark, “we are encouraged and able to engage in community events and organizations that support others.” “The work/life balance is fantastic,” she continued, “I am able to feel fulfilled as a professional, a wife, and a mom.” It’s no surprise that Dr. Thompson-Stacy has encouraged this type of atmosphere at LFCC; she cites her mother and grandmother as her big-
gest influences. “Both of them worked full time jobs, which was very unusual back in the day,” she said. Additionally Dr. Thompson-Stacy shared her proudest moment as a professional woman, which was “handing my mom her college diploma as she walked across the stage at the college commencement ceremony”. LFCC provides benefits and incentives for all of their employees, some of which include maternity leave, vacation and holiday time. These, and other advantages, are what Christine Kriz, Director of the Lord Fairfax Small Business Development Center appreciates about her position with the school. “LFCC promotes lifelong learning,” said Kriz, “and provides opportunities for everyone to advance in their careers.” Currently LFCC is comprised of two campuses (Middletown and Warrenton), two sites (Luray and Vint Hill) and nearly 300 employees; approximately two-thirds of them female. When asked what her favorite aspect of working at LFCC is, Dr. Thompson-Stacy exclaimed, “The LFCC team by far; it’s the best.” “It’s truly a pleasure,” she continued, “to get up every day and work in an environment where people are passionate about their jobs; where students want to make a better life for themselves and their families and where our college improves the quality of life for all of the community we serve.” To find out more about career opportunities available at Lord Fairfax Community College, please visit https://lfcc-careers.silkroad.com/.
Fauquier Times/Gainesville Times/Prince William Times
VENTURE
JUNE 2017
5
Black Bear Mercantile brings back the local grocery store By Hannah Dellinger
HDellinger@fauquier.com
Black Bear Mercantile & Butchery in Warrenton aims to foster an old-timey, nostalgic atmosphere in its store, with a modern twist. The shop models itself after the old butchers who utilized every part of the animal and wasted nothing. Town patrons won’t have to get in their cars and drive to a grocery store to pick up one item, but can walk to their downtown convenience shop instead. They can even ask their butcher to carry the cuts of meat they are craving. And in a modern twist, customers can check out the mercantile’s website for its monthly recipe, stop by the shop to get the ingredients and cook a gourmet meal in the comfort of their own homes. “I think it’s going to be a really nice thing for Downtown Warrenton,” said Todd Eisenhauer, owner of Black Bear Bistro and now the mercantile, which opened at the end of May. “We’ve already had a couple of people come through and do their grocery shopping here.” Ever since Eisenhauer opened his restaurant in 2009, he’s wanted to open a butcher shop to supply the bistro with all of its meat products. “We are really picky about what we sell to people,” said Eisenhauer. “And sometimes you can’t get exactly what you want from your purveyors, because your hands are tied. This is what they have, this is what they’re selling.” When thinking about what else the butcher shop could offer, Eisenhauer and his wife, Liz, realized there weren’t any convenience stores downtown. The couple decided to take the idea a step further and have the store offer rare gourmet pairings with their meats. The store will also continue to add to its expanding craft beer and wine offerings. In the same vein as online subscrip-
TIMES STAFF PHOTO/HANNAH DELLINGER Owner Todd Eisenhauer at his old-fashioned, new-fashioned convenience store at 19 Culpeper Street.
tion sites like Blue Apron, Eisenhauer got the idea to add a new recipe weekly or monthly to the mercantile website and offer all of the ingredients in the shop. The difference between Eisenhauer’s recipes and online subscription sites is that customers aren’t locked in to any monthly payments and they can have more freedom to make the recipes they want to. The mercantile doesn’t have a fullscale butcher shop that breaks down whole animals, but it will sell delicacies like tender dry-aged meat and rare cuts that aren’t common anymore. “It’s the old-time way of doing things,” said Eisenhauer. “You use everything. You just don’t see that anymore.” Eisenhauer said the shop is selling meats from Whiffle Tree Farm and plans to work with other local farmers in the future. The mercantile is open from noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. every other day, except Tuesdays. For more information, visit bbmercantileva.com.
Times Business appreciates your feedback. Send comments or suggestions to Susan McCorkindale, Editor, at smccorkindale@fauquier.com
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JUNE 2017
MILESTONES
Fauquier Times/Gainesville Times/Prince William Times
Rankin’s Furniture celebrates
25th anniversary
Jim Rankin, Owner
TIMES STAFF PHOTO/RANDY LITZINGER
By Amanda Heincer
Times Staff Writer AHeincir@fauquier.com
The Rankin name is well-known in Fauquier County. Rankin’s Hardware, opened by Jim Rankin in January 1966, is now in its 51st year in business and another Rankin establishment marked a milestone this month. Rankin’s Furniture marked its 25th anniversary June 9-10 with a weekend of special discounts and giveaways. The store, in the Waterloo Station shopping center, “kind of just happened,” Rankin said. It came about after Rankin purchased the shopping center with plans to move the hardware store there. “Then I thought that might not be too smart of an idea because someone else could move in there,” he said. So, he decided to open a furniture store instead. When asked about the store’s success, Rankin is humble. “We’re still here, 25 years later,” he said with a laugh. The furniture business isn’t easy, he said. “I think a lot of people think there’s a lot of profit in it,” he continued. “But there’s not. Furniture is a tough business.” In recent years, Rankin explained, there’s been increasing competition from stores that sell cheaper furniture.
But Rankin has always placed importance on selling high-quality goods. “If you want quality, you have to pay for it,” he said. “I don’t want to select furniture if it’s not my quality.” But despite the challenges, Rankin’s has found success. In February, the store’s showroom expanded to include more space to display outdoor furniture and children’s furniture. The store carries a wide variety of living room and dining room furniture, beds and bedroom furniture, and accessories. This week, many of the dining room tables and other items were adorned with “Happy Anniversary” balloons. Rankin said he wanted to thank his customers for making the store’s success possible. “I want to thank the people for patronizing us,” he said. “The people have been good to us. We have very good customer relations, I guess you would say.” So good, Rankin said, that much of their business comes to them by wordof-mouth and recommendations from satisfied customers. “Our customers provide us with as much business as advertising,” he said. Rankin said he also hopes the store’s reputation for high-quality furniture speaks for itself. “I think we are recognized for having good quality,” he said. For more information, visit www. rankinsfurnishings.com.
Fauquier Times/Gainesville Times/Prince William Times
NEW & NOTEWORTHY
JUNE 2017
The Rooms Up There opens in Marshall By Amanda Heincer
Times Staff Writer AHeincir@fauquier.com
Visitors to Marshall may notice the large, 1800s-era house on Main Street, with rooms on the top floor. The rooms up there recently opened as The Rooms Up There, a three-room inn offering something that had been lacking in the town: lodging. Daniel Moore and his friend and business partner Diana Campagna purchased the building at 8393 West Main St. in Marshall last year and have since worked to convert the space into several businesses including offices for Moore’s interior design business, an event space, a home furnishings retail store and the inn. Inn guests walk through a private courtyard to enter the building through a private side entrance. A “pointing Victorian hand” points the way to The Rooms Up There. The rooms were designed while keeping the character and history of the home, built in the 1800s, in mind, said Moore. “There’s a lot of quirkiness and personality in the home and we wanted to
keep that,” Moore said. Two of the guest rooms, called Storehouse One and Storehouse Two, are located above the original stone store house, built in 1800. The third, called the counting room, is in a part of the building that dates back to the 1800s. The upstairs room is where the original residents would count cattle coming down Main Street, Moore said. “We left what we could of the original structures and tried to keep that charm, while creating luxury guest suites,” Moore said. In addition to their suite, all guests have access to The Commons, a living room-type area where all guests can relax and socialize. Moore designed the rooms to reflect a rustic, yet upscale style, he said. The rooms feature photographs by local equestrian photographer Tara Jelenic, all taken locally, and many available for sale. “We try to be supportive of other local businesses and they’ve all be very supportive of us,” Moore said. Guests at the inn receive a voucher to get breakfast at the Red Truck Bakery, a
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short walk down the street. Moore said he’s happy to give recommendations for restaurants in the area and many, including the nearby Field and Main Restaurant are happy to recommend the inn to their customers, he said. “We’re really trying to be supportive of other businesses and not take anything away from the area but add to it,” Moore said. The Rooms Up There opened in early April and word about the new business, and Moore’s new Domestic Aspirations
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-- Fine Home Furnishings retail store that recently opened on the first floor, seems to be spreading, he said. “We seem to be getting a nice little following of people [on social media],” he said. “People are interested and are calling to make reservations.” The inn’s three rooms range in price from $210 to $235 per night. For more information or for reservations, visit www.theroomsupthere.com or the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ theroomsupthere or call 540-364-5343.
PHOTO COURTESY DANIEL MOORE
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