Document 651885

First Quarter 2015
Message from the President
2015
BOARD MEMBERS
OFFICERS
President
Debbie Reading
Dunlap Partners Engineers
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President-Elect/
National Delegate
Liz Steele
Stewart Title
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Secretary
Amelia Wehunt
Timmons Group
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Treasurer
Michelle Graves
Biegler & Associates, P.C.
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Past President
Sandy Whitehead
Commonwealth of Virginia
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DIRECTORS
Rowena Fratarcangelo
Chris Hairston-White
Ginny Johnston
Brenda Karp
Chandra Lantz
Kate Wagner
Debbie Wake
2015…..Can you believe we are 15
years into the new millennium? I
remember when I was a little girl
(very little) and thinking about the
new century. I would count up how
old I would be when 2000 came
and I thought, “Wow, I will never
live to see it, I will be too old!” Of
course, parts of my thoughts were
spot on (the old part) but here I
am in 2015 still kicking up a fuss!
Times have changed so much in my
life time. Some of our youngest
members do not remember life
without a microwave oven or only
having a black and white television
or telephones that were actually mounted on the walls with
cords attached, heaven forbid! These young women are our
future leaders. These are the 2015 “Women to Watch” as we
celebrate our 25th Anniversary and move forward into another
25 years and beyond of leadership in the commercial real
estate industry.
It’s an exciting year for CREW Richmond with excellent
upcoming programs and events. From our monthly meetings
and special members’ events to our philanthropic service to
others, we will be keeping our members engaged, informed
and educated.
2015 is about Leadership.
Leadership - lead·er·ship (noun)
1.The ability to guide, direct, or influence people
2.The office or position of the head of an organization or
other body of people
3.Guidance or direction.
As members, we all are leaders in this industry and we set
the precedent for our future women leaders. Whether we
are the visionary leader, the motivational leader, the
shepherding leader or a combination of several, we represent
the women in our business and help to set the tone for the
advancement of Women in Commercial Real Estate.
Several years ago I was fortunate enough to see Colin Powell Page 2
speak about Leadership. As one of our country’s greatest and strongest contemporary leaders, Mr.
Powell’s words resonated with me.
“If you are going to lead….LEAD, take care of your troops, have an execution plan, perpetual
optimism is a force multiplayer, egos are your worst enemy and…… to LEAD is an Honor.”
2015 is about the 20+ women who took on this role 25 years ago and started an organization
promoting women in commercial real estate which, until recent years, had been a male dominated
profession. These women took a chance, had an execution plan and created a pathway trailblazing
the way for all of us to follow. It is in these footsteps I am honored to follow and serve.
Thank you!
Debbie Reading
2015 President CREW Richmond
Meet Your 2015 Board Members
President - Debbie
Reading is Director of
Business Development
for Dunlap and
Partners Engineers
where she is
responsible for
marketing and business
development. Dunlap
and Partners is a multifaceted firm
specializing in projects
from small tenant upfits to large scale
corporate
headquarters such as
MeadWestvaco and the
new Gateway Building downtown with a focus
on sustainability and energy modeling.
Prior to joining Dunlap and Partners in 2008,
Debbie provided marketing and design services
for several other design firms including
Baskervill, Smarter Interiors and Thomas
Hamilton and Associates.
An avid “Buckeye” fan, Debbie originally hails
from central Ohio where she attended Franklin
University and Capital University. She gets
back to “Buckeye Land” several times a year
where her extended family still resides.
In 2004 Debbie joined CREW Richmond and has
served on the board in various capacities
including Network Liaison, Secretary and
Director of Programs.
Debbie resides in Midlothian with her husband
of 25 years, Tim and their puggle, Zoey and
little black cat, Miss Stella. They have 3 grown
children Jarrod, in Richmond, Matthew in
Peaks Island, Maine and Rebecca in
Wilmington, North Carolina.
Debbie is very involved and volunteers as much
as possible with UNOS (United Network of
Organ Sharing) which has a very special place
in her heart.
President-Elect - Liz Steele is Commercial
Accounts Manager/Commercial Counsel for
Stewart Title in
Richmond, Virginia.
Liz received her
J.D. from Seton
Hall School of Law
in Newark, New
Jersey in 1993 and
was in private
practice for several
years in New Jersey
before going inhouse with the
claims division of
AIG Environmental
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in New York, New York. In 1998, she relocated
to Richmond Virginia where she has worked as
commercial underwriting counsel and claims
counsel for various national and regional title
underwriters. She is mom to three, an avid
runner and skier and a self-proclaimed “cranky
yankee”.
Immediate Past President - Sandy Whitehead
is a registered
architect,
working for the
Commonwealth
of Virginia as a
review architect
in the Bureau of
Capital Outlay
Management
(BCOM). As a
state review
architect, Sandy
works for the
State Building
Official evaluating plans and specifications
prepared by other architects and engineers for
compliance with the building code,
accessibility regulations, specific
Commonwealth of Virginia requirements, and
general constructability. Sandy also inspects
construction and processes Building Permits
and Certificates of Use and Occupancy. Sandy
is involved with a variety of project types,
from $50,000,000 state-of-the-art University
science buildings, dormitories, and libraries to
much smaller Visitors’ Centers for the Virginia
State Parks. Prior to joining BCOM in 2009, Sandy worked as
a Project Architect and Associate for 23 years
at Baskervill on a variety of Commercial,
Retail, and Health Care projects. Sandy
graduated from the architectural school at the
University of Virginia, and became a registered
architect in 1994. Sandy is also a Leed AP, a
Green Globes Professional (GGP) and has ICC
(International Code Council) certifications in
Plans Review and Commercial Inspections.
Sandy joined CREW Richmond in 2006, and
served as the 2014 CREW Richmond Chapter
President. Sandy and her husband John have
two children: Kevin who will graduate from
the University of Virginia in May, and Julia who
attends the University of South Carolina and is
spending the next two semesters abroad
attending the University of Chile in Santiago.
Treasurer - Michelle
Graves began her
career with Biegler
& Associates in
1993. She has over
twenty years of
experience in small
business
accounting,
providing services
including accounts
payable, accounts
receivable, payroll
and payroll tax
preparation and
reporting, general
ledger accounting,
financial statement preparation and bank
reconciliation. She also has over ten years of
experience with real estate development and
accounting, notably with real estate tax
credits and complex entity structures.
She is a QuickBooks ProAdvisor and enjoys
assisting clients with accounting software setup, training and support. Michelle is also one
of the instructors for the Becker CPA Review
Course in Glen Allen, Virginia.
Michelle has a B.S. degree in Accounting from
the University of Phoenix, and received CPA
certification in July 2007.
Secretary - Amelia Wehunt is a licensed
professional
engineer and
project
manager at
Timmons
Group, a
consulting firm
specializing in
multidisciplined
civil
engineering
services. Over
the past eight
years she has developed specialties in site
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design, redevelopment, and stormwater
management. Much of her work, in addition
to designing and preparing construction plans,
involves stakeholder coordination and work
sessions, representation at public meetings,
and providing construction support services. Prior to working at Timmons Group, Amelia
attended the University of Virginia where she
majored in civil engineering and minored in
engineering business. In her spare time,
Amelia enjoys spending time with her husband
Mark, son Philip, and their two chocolate labs.
Director, Community Service - Brenda Karp is
the Vice President of
Leasing for The
Breeden Company, a
commercial, multifamily, residential,
and resort developer
based in Virginia
Beach, Virginia.
Brenda is responsible
for The Breeden
Company’s
commercial real
estate portfolio
which includes the
sale and
development of land
as well as securing
National, Regional,
and local tenants for their Richmond,
Yorktown, Newport News and Smithfield,
Virginia shopping centers. Brenda has more
than 20 years of corporate real estate
experience including tenant and landlord
representation, site and market analysis, sales
forecasting, and acquisition due diligence. Her
career has included positions with HeiligMeyers Furniture, Richfood Holdings, The
Shopping Center Group, Divaris Real Estate and
The Breeden Company.
Director, Sponsorship - Debbie Wake has
been in the real estate industry for over 30
years. She began her career at Best Products
in their real estate department and negotiated
leases and purchase agreements for their new
retail locations. She then worked at the
headquarters for Marriott Hotels doing hotel
development. Later, she moved back to
Richmond and worked at Investors Savings and
Loans and was
responsible for
restructuring their
hotel loans. After
the RTC took over
the bank, she moved
to the real estate
department for
Heilig Meyers
Furniture. In 2000,
she started her
brokerage career
with Divaris Real
Estate and has
represented owners
of property, national tenants in their real
estate expansion program in VA, and the
Commonwealth of VA with their real estate
needs.
Debbie has been married to Jim Wake for 19
years and has three children, Eric, Lee and
Moly. She enjoys spending time on the water,
diving, hiking, and just having fun!
Director, Communications - Kate Wagner
Kate Wagner is
SVP – Commercial
Lending for
McLean, VA based
Sonabank with her
office in
Midlothian, VA.
She is a veteran
commercial
lender with 30
years of banking
experience
working with
companies in a
wide variety of
industries. As a
generalist in
commercial
lending, Kate has experience in the full
spectrum of financing options from SBA loans
to land development loans. She specializes in
working with business owners that desire a
true financial partner.
Kate obtained a BA in Economics from the
University of Massachusetts/Boston in 1982
and an MBA in 1984 from the Mason Collage of
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Business at William and Mary with a
concentration in finance. She is currently a
member of CREW Richmond, GRACRE, Henrico
Business Leaders, Short Pump Rotary Club,
Midlothian Business Alliance, Venture Forum,
and the Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce.
Kate and her husband, Clayton, live in
Midlothian with their various four legged and
feathered children. Outside of work, she
enjoys community service, golf, reading,
cooking, and playing with the aforementioned
children.
Director, Programs - Chris Hairston-White
Chris R. HairstonWhite is a Sr.
Business Banking
Relationship
Manager, Vice
President at Wells
Fargo Bank, N.A.
Mrs. HairstonWhite’s passion for
business is fulfilled
by effectively
acquiring,
managing, and
growing account
relationships of
small businesses
and accurately
assessing their financial needs for the purpose
of formulating a business plan and strategies.
Her portfolio consists of business clients that
have gross revenues between $2MM to $20MM.
She received her Bachelors of Science from
Virginia Commonwealth University and began
her career with Bank of America. After two
years as a Personal Retail Banker she grew to a
position as a Retail Banking Manager. She later
transitioned into Business Banking with
Premier Bank, Inc formerly Consolidated Bank
& Trust Co. as Vice President-Commercial
Lender and eventually earned her a spot as
Business Relationship Manager at Wells Fargo,
NA. Beyond her 11 years in banking, Chris has
a strong presence in the community. She is a
member of Commercial Real Estate for Women
(CREW) Richmond, Leadership Metro Richmond
Class of 2009, and Board of Directors for ART
180. She has contributed on the Associate
Board for the Center Stage Foundation, Board
of Directors for Virginia Tourism Authority, and
Board of Directors for F.I.R.S.T. Contractors,
Inc. Chris enjoys spending time with her
family, gardening, and interior design. She
currently resides in Henrico County, Virginia
with her husband, Dwayne, two beautiful
children, Kameron and Kirsten. She can be
contacted at [email protected] or at (804) 697-7431.
Director, Membership - Ginny Johnston
Virginia W. Johnston, CID, is Director of
Interior
Design
at
Commonwealth Architects, and brings over 10
years of expertise in design, planning and
project management to the firm. Her
knowledge of current design trends has helped
to enhance the spaces of clients in the
corporate, government, and higher education
sectors. Throughout her career, Virginia has
been an integral part of interdisciplinary
design teams that have been recognized with
numerous awards and loyal repeat clients.
Recent projects include the MWV
Headquarters, Gumenick Properties
Headquarters, Riverfront Investment Group &
Old Dominion Electric Cooperative.
Director, Media Relations - Chandra Lantz is
a partner whose
experience
crosses several
practice areas.
Her practice
includes
commercial
business disputes
in state and
federal courts
with special
emphasis on
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construction litigation and disputes connected
with the use and development of real
property. She also tackles unique land use
disputes on behalf of private entities as well
as local governments. Chandra represents
clients in both the prosecution and defense of
significant contract claims, business claims,
business torts, and insurance coverage
disputes. She routinely advises owners
contractors, subcontractors, design
professionals, sureties and others in the
construction and real estate development
industries regarding construction matters, title
disputes, and zoning litigation. Her practice
also includes title insurance issues including
coverage, ownership, title defects and
encumbrances.
Prior to joining Hirschler Fleischer, Chandra
was a judicial clerk for The Honorable
Elizabeth B. Lacy of the Supreme Court of
Virginia. She uses this insight in her appellate
work before state and federal appellate
courts.
Director, Network Liaison - Rowena
Fratarcangelo Rowena Fratarcangelo, Network
Liaison, CREW Member for 7 years
I work for the
Greater
Richmond
Partnership, the
regional
economic
development
group that
represents the
City of
Richmond and
Hanover,
Henrico, and
Chesterfield
counties. As Vice President, Business
Development, I am part of the business
attraction and marketing team. We market the
Richmond region globally, and in 2014 I was
incredibly fortunate to lead three trips to
Germany. I regularly work with all types of
domestic and international companies that are
looking to relocate or expand in Greater
Richmond. I assist with their site selection
process, helping them find appropriate real
estate, educating them on the benefits of
locating in the region, and facilitating
connections with local service providers, area
universities, and existing businesses.
My husband, Dante, and I live in the City of
Richmond with Tigger and Rudy, our two
rescue dogs. I’m in a book group and play on a
women’s volleyball team at the Richmond
Volleyball Club. Although I’ve lived in
Richmond since August 1990 and regularly
show prospects around the region, there are
still so many things in the area that I haven’t
seen or done. In honor of my upcoming
anniversary of being a Richmond resident, I’m
working on a list of 25 things to do by 25!
Administrator - Tamsin Hepner is a
Professional Engineer and graduate of Virginia
Tech, where she received a degree in
Biological Systems Engineering. She worked in
civil engineering for 15 years, most recently as
a project manager for Timmons Group. While
at Timmons Group she also organized and
hosted the "Commercial Coffee” networking
events. Now she works as the Administrator
for CREW Richmond. She also spends her time
at home taking care of her three young
daughters.
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CREW RICHMOND CELEBRATES 25 YEARS!!!
In celebration of CREW Richmond's 25th anniversary (1990-2015), the
CREW Richmond Past Presidents are planning an event to honor the "Top 25
Women to Watch" in Richmond's commercial real estate market. The
celebration will take place in November 2015. Details on how to submit
nominations to follow!
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CREW Richmond 2014 Holiday Party
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On Wednesday, December 10th, CREW
Richmond members enjoyed an evening
holiday party held at the home of CREW
member Jane Sper. The attendees were
treated to beautiful views from Jane’s home in
The Prestwould off Franklin Street, and
feasted heartily on a buffet of tasty
appetizers. Our hostess prepared a special
martini blended with grapefruit and
pomegranate that was refreshing and slightly
deceptive in its potency (see recipe below).
Congratulations to Caroline Browder who was
the door prize winner of a Southern Seasons
gift basket!
Special thanks to Ginny Johnston for
coordinating our Bus Ticket “Drive” for Flagler
of St. Joseph’s Villa. Thanks to the generosity
of our members, CREW Richmond raised
$550.00 to purchase bus tickets for families in
Flagler’s Rapid Rehousing Program.
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Jane Sper’s Holiday Martini Recipe
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1 ½ oz vodka (Jane uses Belvedere)
1 oz fresh pink or red grapefruit juice
1 oz POM pomegranate juice
¾ oz St Germaine
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add all the
ingredients and shake. Pour into a chilled
martini glass and ENJOY!!
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January Luncheon Meeting
by Kate Wagner
It was apropos that the program for our
introductory luncheon meeting at our new
venue at the John Marshall Ballrooms was
Speed Networking as members had an
opportunity to introduce themselves to other
members they may not have known well.
While each luncheon includes an opportunity
to make connections, some of us may tend to
associate
with
members
we know
fairly well
and miss a
chance to
become
more
familiar
with the
skills and
interests of other members. As a new member
last year, I remember feeling a bit
overwhelmed with the number of members I
didn’t know coming into the group, and being
anxious about “breaking into” this group of
very successful and talented women. The
Speed Networking program at the January
meeting was well organized, and each
attendee was assigned to three stations out of
15 total. For a 10 minute period, the
assigned
to that
same
table. At
the end
of the 10
minutes,
the
group
would
move on to the second assigned station and
repeat the process with a new group that
gathered at that particular spot. Repeat one
last time, and most of us had an opportunity
to really get to know at least six members we
may not have known well in the past. The
challenging part was breaking up at the end of
each 10 minute period, and a number of tables
found themselves immersed in a vigorous
conversation and reluctant to leave! A very
productive event with lots of positive feedback
from the attendees.
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Congratulations to Lacey Martin who was the
door prize winner of the Carytown Burgers &
Fries networking lunch gift.
attendees went to the first numbered station,
and spent time connecting with the others
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February Luncheon Meeting
by Kate Wagner
Our hearty members braved the elements to
attend the February luncheon meeting
featuring Kim Scheeler, President and CEO of
the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce,
and his presentation on “Innovation and the
Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in RVA”. The
traditional model of economic development
components of an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
are:
• Creative People
• Cool Places to Live and Work
• Startup Accelerators (Lighthouse Labs,
RVA Works, 80 amps, etc)
• Early Investors (NRV, Virginia Capital
Partners)
• Engaged communities (Venture
Richmond)
• Institutional Funding
• Partnering Universities (VCU, U of R)
• Innovative Industries
Scheeler concluded his remarks by discussing
changes within the Small Business
Development Center (SBDC) that will better
align its resources with the technology and
venture orientation of its client base.
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has relied on trying to entice large companies
to relocate to a region. In the 21st century,
this traditional approach has been coupled
with talent focused incentives to ensure the
workforce, millennials and younger, attracts
economic development. Scheeler outlined the
approaches to growing an entrepreneurial
ecosystem; Talent Development is
a Long Term commitment, while
Talent Attraction came be
achieved through Short Term
strategies. Given that millennials
tend to prefer entrepreneurial
economies, short term initiatives
include i.e.* Entrepreneurial
Trilogy, RVA Internship Portal,
YRichmond and HYPE. Long
term, the key is building an
Entrepreneurial Ecosystem. The
Rowena Fratarcangelo, Network Liaison,
informed the attendees of the resources
available through the CREW Network website,
and reported that only 18 of CREW Richmond’s
64 members had current bio information on
the CrewBiz portion of the website. In order
for CREW Richmond to achieve the Gold
Standard level in this area, a greater
proportion of our membership needs to see
that their bio is included with their
membership listing. She requested that we
target at least 30 members with bios by our
next luncheon meeting.
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Ginny Johnston, Membership Director,
reported that two new membership categories
have been created for CREW Richmond: a
Student membership and a Retired Professional
membership. Annual dues are lower than
regular memberships in both categories.
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Congratulations to Jessica Ewald for winning
the door prize Carytown Burgers & Fries
network lunch gift.
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Ginny Johnston announced that the Bluegrass
Ball to benefit Flagler House would be held on
May 16, 2015.
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Congratulations!!
Ginny Johnston has been promoted to Director of Interior Design
at Commonwealth Architects!
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New Members
Renee McDowell brings with her to Dominion Service Company over a
decade of administrative, marketing and managerial experience and
specializes in small business growth. She believes that Relationship
Marketing & Customer Service has contributed to her success in
growing companies. Treating the customer to a buying experience that
you would want yourself & getting to know your customer is vital.
Renee is also extremely passionate and well known for her
philanthropy, leading & volunteering for many nonprofits in the area.
She believes community involvement and giving back to those who
supported your company and growth are also vital to one's success.
She was born and raised in Richmond, but recently returned back from
residing in the Outer Banks after the birth of her daughter who is now
7 months old. She also has a four legged son who is 8. She enjoys sports, concerts, food, craft
beer, wine, traveling, roller coasters and skydiving.She can be reached at [email protected].
Tammy Philblad works as a Regional Property Manager at Excel Trust
- a real estate investment trust specializing in open air shopping
centers. She has 15 years of experience in the field of real estate
and commercial property management, including portfolio
management, lease administration, transaction management, project
and construction management, facility management, lease
negotiations, tenant improvements, property renovations, tenant
evictions and financial reporting. Her strengths include project
organization and is extremely detail oriented, works well under
pressure and thrives on a heavy workload. She has the ability to
maintain excellent relations with tenants to determine issues that might affect their business and
assures compliance with their lease terms. One of the properties Tammy is currently managing is
West Broad Village in Short Pump, Virginia, where she resides with her 12-year old daughter,
Savannah. Tammy can be reached at [email protected].
Stephanie Kite is Program Manager for the VCU Kornblau Real Estate
Program. Stephanie works year-long to help plan and coordinate the
annual VCU Real Estate Trends Conference. In addition to the
conference, she works closely with the faculty of the Program to manage
all administrative functions, advise students, review curriculum and
organize meetings and activities for the real estate professional
fraternity, Rho Epsilon. She has worked for the Program since 2012, but
has been with VCU for 15 years. She is a proud VCU alum and is
completing a Social Media Strategist certification.
Stephanie is from Richmond, VA and is married to Trae where they raise
their three children; Justin, Jonathan and Jenna. Stephanie can be
reached at [email protected].
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CREW Richmond
2015 Sponsor Spotlight
Skyscraper Sponsor - Brandywine Realty Trust
Brandywine Realty Trust is one of the largest, publicly traded, fullservice, integrated real estate companies in the United States. The
company is headquartered in Radnor, PA., and has regional offices
in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Texas, and California.
Organized as a real estate investment trust in 1986, Brandywine
owns, leases and manages an urban town center portfolio
comprising 286 properties and 34.1 million square feet as of
December 31, 2014. In the Greater Richmond market, Brandywine
owns and/or manages over 4 million square feet of office and office-flex properties primarily in
the Arboretum, Boulders, Dabney Center, Southpark and Paragon Place business parks. Patricia
Taylor-Marais, CID, Director of Design, oversees the in-house design services of Brandywine’s
Central Virginia Region. Her work encompasses all facets of design, building renovation process
and office product procurement and development. Since joining Brandywine Realty Trust in 2011,
Ms. Taylor-Marais has been involved in the planning and construction of over 1.5 million square
feet annually of office space. She has over 24 years of commercial real estate related experience.
For more information, contact Patricia at (804) 521-1861 or [email protected].
Highrise Sponsor - Dominion Service Company
Dominion Service Company is a privately held, local HVAC
& Electrical company with roots dating back to 1979. When
the firm was started by the Tunnell family, they had one
goal in mind: Deliver outstanding service, value and
honesty to our clients. As the firm has continued to evolve,
improve and modernize its approach and mentality with respect to heating, cooling and electrical
service, its core values, commitment to excellence and focus on customers has never changed.
Dominion Service Company started exclusively servicing commercial HVAC customers in Richmond
and expanded into the Hampton Roads market in the mid-1980s. In early 2014, the company
opened a presence in Northern Virginia as a result of referral requests. While the firm does offer
residential services now, its focus remains on commercial work and the Northern Virginia office is
solely serving that market. Renee McDowell, Business Development, joined the company in July
of 2014 and is using her contacts from her days as marketing manager at Stockner’s Nursery to
grow the business. She is a Richmond native, and returned to the area to join Dominion Service
Company.
For more information, contact Renee at (804) 745-0007 or [email protected]. Page 13
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CREW Richmond UCREW Event
!CREW Richmond hosted a UCREW luncheon on November 19, 2014. UCREW is an interactive session
designed to introduce the opportunities available in commercial real estate to university students
and women looking to change careers or re-enter the workforce.
The Richmond UCREW event brought together nearly 20 students and university staff from Virginia
Commonwealth University, Virginia State University, and Virginia Union University.
Participants were divided among multiple tables with one or two CREW Richmond members at
each table. CREW members introduced themselves and gave a short summary of their educational
backgrounds, work experience, offered suggestions about breaking into the field, and answered
questions. University participants then rotated to a new table to hear from CREW members at that
table.
Hosting multiple universities in one setting allowed students to gain additional networking
experience and provided a change of scenery from campus events.
Special thanks to Andrea Brandenburger for organizing a fun and successful UCREW event and to
CREW Richmond members Jessie Ewald, Debbie Reading, Monique Johnson, Sandy Whitehead,
Deborah Fourness, and Lee Ann Gudorp for volunteering for the event.
If you want to help plan or to participate in a 2015 event, contact Rowena Fratarcangelo at
[email protected].
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CREW Networking
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Carytown Burgers & Fries has graciously donated 2 free lunches per
meeting (up to 8 meetings). The drawing is open to members at each
meeting. This way the winning member can use the free lunch to network
with another CREW member! Good luck ladies!! Members Only — Please
remember to drop your business card in the bag to be eligible to win.
Congratulations to Lacey Martin from Dewberry who was January’s
winner of the Carytown Burgers & Fries lunch and to Jessie Ewald from
Draper Aden Associates who was February's winner of the Carytown
Burgers & Fries lunch!
Save the Date
CREW 2015 Leadership Summit - June 18 - 19, 2015 - Baltimore, Maryland
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Virginia Legislative Update!
!February 23, 2015
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Proposed Laws That May Impact Your Real Estate or
Development Business
!By Chandra D. Lantz, Esq.
!The Virginia General Assembly convened on January 14, 2015. Below is a sample of bills
still pending before the General Assembly that may impact the opportunities and
obligations of companies in the real estate and development industries.
!REAL PROPERTY DISCLOSURES
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HB 1642 Residential property disclosure regarding special flood hazard zones. Adds and
additional representation to the seller's representation to a prospective purchaser of residential
property under the Virginia Residential Property Disclosure Act, stating that the seller makes no
representations as to whether the property is located in a special flood hazard zones.
!LAND USE AND ZONING
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SB 1019 Reduction in maximum allowable land preservation tax credit. Reduces from
$100,000 to $20,000 the maximum amount of the land preservation tax credit that may be
claimed beginning with income tax returns for taxable year 2015. Any taxpayer affected by the
credit reduction would be allowed an additional taxable years in which to claim the land
preservation tax credit.
!HB 1828 Land preservation tax credit changes. Reduces the maximum amount of tax credits
that may be issued in each calendar year from $100 million to $85 million beginning in 2015.
Reduce the maximum amount of the land preservation tax credit that may be claimed in any
year by a taxpayer to $20,000 in taxable years 2015 and 2016 and $50,000 for each taxable
year thereafter. Also makes changes to the application filing deadline and prohibits the
Department of Taxation from issuing any tax credit for a donation from any allocation or pool of
tax credits attributable to a calendar year prior to the year in which the complete tax credit
application for the donation was filed.
!SB 1312 Private roads. Prohibits enforcement of a provision in a recorded deed or plat for a
subdivision of 50 or fewer lots that prohibits the owner of a private road from dedicating the road
for public use or reaching an agreement with the locality or the Department of Transportation for
the improvement or maintenance of the road.
!LANDLORD AND TENANT
!
HB 1867 Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; visible mold remediation. Requires a
landlord to promptly remediate mold conditions where there is visible evidence of mold in a
dwelling unit and to make available to the tenant copies of any available written information
related to the remediation of mold.
!HB 1905 Landlord and tenant law; retaliatory conduct by landlord. Modifies the standard
Hirschler Fleischer!
!
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Page 15
for finding retaliatory conduct by a landlord by removing the threshold finding that the "primary"
reason for a landlord taking an action for possession or termination of a rental agreement is
retaliation. He law prohibits an increase in rent, decrease in services, action for possession, or
termination of a lease after a tenant has made a complaint regarding code compliance, alleged
a violation of law, joined a tenants’ organization, or testified against the landlord, except where
the tenant is in default or at fault for the violations.
!PROPERTY OWNERS ASSOCIATIONS
!
SB 1008 Condominium and Property Owners' Association Acts; statement of unit and lot
owner rights. Provides that every unit owner under the Virginia Condominium Act and every lot
owner under the Property Owners' Association Act, who is a member in good standing of the
unit owners' association or property owners' association has the right (i) of access to all books
and records kept by or on behalf of the association, (ii) to cast a vote on any matter requiring a
vote by the association's membership in proportion to the unit or lot owner's ownership interest,
(iii) to have notice of any meeting of the executive organ or board of directors and to participate
in such meeting, (iv) to have notice of any proceeding conducted against the unit or lot owner to
enforce any rule or regulation of the association and the opportunity to be heard and
represented by counsel at such proceeding, and (v) to have all funds of the association
managed in accordance with generally accepted fiduciary standards.
!!
Chandra Lantz is a trial lawyer and member of Hirschler Fleischer’s Construction & Suretyship
Practice Group and Insurance Recovery Team. She also chairs the firm’s Local Government
Law practice. She handles a variety of commercial business disputes and provides counseling
and risk management services for the construction and development industries. Contact:
Chandra D. Lantz, 804.771.9586 or [email protected].
!
©2015 Hirschler Fleischer. Attorney advertising materials. These materials have been prepared for informational purposes only and are not
legal advice. This information is not intended to create an attorney-client or similar relationship. Please do not send us confidential
information. Past successes cannot be an assurance of future success. Whether you need legal services and which lawyer you select are
important decisions that should not be based solely upon these materials. Contact: James L. Weinberg, President, Hirschler Fleischer,
!!
!!
The Edgeworth Building, 2100 East Cary Street, Richmond, Virginia 23223, 804.771.9500.
6400284-1 088000.00063
Hirschler Fleischer!
!
www.hf-law.com!
Page 16
Virginia Legislative Update!
!
February 23, 2015
!
Proposed Laws That May Impact Your Construction Business
!By Chandra D. Lantz, Esq.
!The Virginia General Assembly convened on January 14, 2015. Below is a sample of bills
still pending before the General Assembly that may impact the opportunities and
obligations of companies in the construction industry.
!PUBLIC PROCUREMENT ACT
!
HB 1835 Methods of procurement; job order contracting and cooperative procurement.
The bill contains numerous technical amendments at the recommendation of the General Laws
Special Joint Subcommittee Studying the Virginia Public Procurement Act. Makes numerous
changes and clarifications to the public procurement procedures:
!
•
•
•
•
•
Clarifies that small purchase procedures include the procurement of construction.
Clarifies that term contracting for architectural and engineering services may be
used in certain instances but that the sum of all such projects in a one-year period
shall not exceed $500,000, but with certain exceptions (such as, the limit for a state
agency is $1 million and for localities with populations in excess of 80,000 the limit is
$5 million).
Increases the limits for job order contracting to $500,000 for single-job and $5 million
total in one year and provides that (i) order splitting to avoid maximum dollar
amounts is prohibited, (ii) no public body shall issue or use a job order solely for the
purpose of procuring professional architectural or engineering services, and (iii) job
order contracting shall not be used for construction, maintenance, or asset
management services for a highway, bridge, tunnel, or overpass.
The bill clarifies the provisions of the VPPA related to cooperative procurement.
Certain public bodies are required to report their experiences and findings relating
job order contracting in general, the job order project cost limitations, and the
architectural and professional engineering term contract limits to the Chairmen of the
House Committee on General Laws and the Senate Committee on General Laws
and Technology.
!SB 1226 Requests for proposal requirements. Provides that Requests for Proposal must
include the specifics of any scoring system to be used in evaluating bids and to indicate the
weight that will be given to individual components of a proposal.
!HB 1608 Prohibiting certain local government practices that would require contractors to
provide certain compensation or benefits. Prohibits localities from establishing procurement
provisions that would a contractor to use a wage floor or any other employee benefit or
compensation above what is otherwise required by state or federal law. The prohibition shall not
affect contracts between a locality and another party that were executed prior to January 31,
2016, or the renewal or future rebids of services thereof. Also, localities shall not be prohibited
from entering into contracts for economic development incentives in which the company
receiving the incentives is required to maintain a certain stated wage level for its employees.
Hirschler Fleischer!
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Page 17
!HB 1628 Contract modification limits. Provides that the limitation on the amount by which a
fixed-priced contract may be increased do not limit the amount a party to a public contract may
claim or recover against a public body in the event of a contract dispute, but that the
unauthorized approval of a modification cannot be the basis for a contract claim or dispute.
!HB 1637 Job order contracting and design professional contracts. Increases the project
limit for job order contracting to $500,000 for single tasks and to $4 million for the sum of all
projects performed in a one-year contract term. The bill also (i) decreases the population
threshold for localities for the procurement of architectural and engineering services from 80,000
to 78,000 and (ii) increases the single project limit for architectural and engineering services for
such localities to $2.5 million and the aggregate limit for projects performed in a one-year
contract term to $10 million.
!HB 1854 Small, women-owned, and minority-owned businesses; enhancement or
remedial measures. Requires state contracts awarded to enhance participation by small,
women-owned, and minority-owned businesses include a requirement that no more than 60
percent of the work be subcontracted to another contractor except under certain circumstances.
The bill authorizes the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity to investigate
complaints that the business has violated the contract provision and authorizes the Department
to revoke the business's certification as a small, women-owned, or minority-owned business for
a period of one year upon determination that the contract provision has been violated.
!HB 2148 Virginia Public Procurement Act; small, women-owned, and minority-owned
businesses. Defines "historically black colleges and universities" and provides that the term
"minority-owned business" includes historically black colleges and universities.
!MECHANICS’ LIENS
!
SB 891 Subcontractor’s waiver of lien rights. Provides that a subcontractor cannot waive or
diminish his rights to file a lien, make a payment bond claim, recover additional costs, or any
other rights in advance of providing any labor, services or materials to a project.
!PROFESSIONAL REGULATION
!
SB 956 Penalties for overheight vehicles. Requires that the owner, rather than the driver, of
any vehicle exceeding the prescribed maximum height be fined and held financially responsible
for any damage caused to overhead bridges or structures.
!HB 2103 New home inspections; penalty. Makes it unlawful for any person who is not a
certified home inspector to perform (i) a home inspection on any new residential structure or (ii)
any inspection on any new residential structure unless the seller of the property or his agent is
given the opportunity to accompany the home inspector during the inspection. The bill also
authorizes the Board to issue a certificate to practice as a certified home inspector to any
applicant who has submitted satisfactory evidence that he has successfully completed a training
module developed by the Board in conjunction with the Department of Housing and Community
Development based on the International Residential Code component of the Virginia Uniform
Statewide Building Code.
!WORKERS COMPENSATION
!
HB 1372 Workers' compensation insurance; use of experience rating; loss limitation for
not-at-fault motor vehicle accidents. Directs the State Corporation Commission (SCC) to
adopt regulations that establish standards for determining a loss limitation to be included in the
Hirschler Fleischer!
!
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Page 18
calculation of workers' compensation insurance experience modifications when a motor vehicle
accident is determined to be a not-at-fault motor vehicle accident. The bill requires the SCC to
establish how all loss experience remaining after such deduction of the loss limitation should be
distributed among workers' compensation classifications. The SCC is also required to ensure
that the amount, if any, by which an employer's experience rating would otherwise be modified
as the result of a motor vehicle accident in which an employee is injured or killed shall be
reduced if the accident was a not-at-fault motor vehicle accident.
!!
Chandra Lantz is a trial lawyer and member of Hirschler Fleischer’s Construction & Suretyship
Practice Group and Insurance Recovery Team. She also chairs the firm’s Local Government
Law practice. She handles a variety of commercial business disputes and provides counseling
and risk management services for the construction and development industries. Contact:
Chandra D. Lantz, 804.771.9586 or [email protected].
!
©2015 Hirschler Fleischer. Attorney advertising materials. These materials have been prepared for informational purposes only and are not
legal advice. This information is not intended to create an attorney-client or similar relationship. Please do not send us confidential
information. Past successes cannot be an assurance of future success. Whether you need legal services and which lawyer you select are
important decisions that should not be based solely upon these materials. Contact: James L. Weinberg, President, Hirschler Fleischer,
!!
!!
The Edgeworth Building, 2100 East Cary Street, Richmond, Virginia 23223, 804.771.9500.
6400263-2 088000.00063
Hirschler Fleischer!
!
www.hf-law.com!
Page 19
Join us for our annual Women's History Month celebration! Each year we celebrate the tremendous impact of women who are giving,
advocating, and volunteering to make our community stronger.
This year, we are honored to have Virginia's First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe as
our keynote speaker. We will also be presenting our annual Royal-Green Award
for outstanding leadership and contribution throughout our history. Tuesday, March 24, 2015
5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. (registration begins at 5:15 p.m.) Drinks and heavy hors d'oeuvres will be served. "
Virginia War Memorial 621 S. Belvidere Street
Richmond, VA 23220"
"
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Space is limited - Register HERE!"
"
The cost of the event is $30."
Thanks to our Corporate Sponsors:
Page 20
SPONSORSHIP
SKYSCRAPER
Thanks to our 2015 Annual Sponsors !!!
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HIGHRISE
HIGHRISE
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DEVELOPER
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GROUNDBREAKER
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For information about sponsorships, please contact Debbie Wake, Divaris Real Estate,Inc. at
804-977-2098/[email protected]
Page 21
March
2015 Committees
!
Communications
Kate Wagner
[email protected]
!
Community Service
Brenda Karp
[email protected]
!
CREW Network Liaison
Rowena Fratarcangelo
[email protected]
!
Membership
Ginny Johnston
[email protected]
!
Media Relations
Chandra Lantz
[email protected]
March Meeting
Monthly Lunch Program: Institutions Building Better Communities - A
look into how VCU is transforming RVA
Wednesday, March March 18, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm
Location: The John Marshall, 101 N. 5th Street
April
April Meeting
Wednesday, April 15, 11:30 am-1:00 pm
Location: The John Marshall, 101 N. 5th Street
May
May Meeting
Wednesday, May 20, 11:30 am-1:00 pm
Location: The John Marshall, 101 N. 5th Street
!
Programs
Chris Hairston-White
[email protected]
!
Sponsorship
Debbie Wake
[email protected]
!
http://www.CREWrichmond.org
http://CREWnetwork.org
To help with or provide information for the Newsletter, please contact Kate Wagner, Sonabank
[email protected]