Shenandoah Valley Life

This episode of SV Life features Tom Weber, Chief Medical Officer for MD Ortho Systems. Listen in as Tom shares his journey to becoming a doctor and the evolution of practicing in a hospital setting to redefining the way care is delivered through a proprietary digital platform.

What does it mean to energize the community for good? Tune in as Kevin Gibson shares the journey of VA Momentum, a local running events organization founded by two friends with a vision to create inclusive spaces where people of all skill levels and backgrounds feel welcome.

With family connections in the Valley, Leigh Evans spent a lot of time here before it officially became home last year. Now settled in and serving as the Executive Director of the Shenandoah Valley Technology Council and director of Research to Impact at JMU, Leigh shares her vision for both moving forward and what this community means to her.

This episode features AJ Jalal, owner of AJ's Gentlemen's Barbershop. Listen in as AJ shares the journey that brought him to the United States and why he chose to build a life and a business in the Shenandoah Valley. AJ's story of growing his business and what a barbershop can mean to the community is a fascinating one.

Valley native and Riverbank Farms owner Jack Dixon shares his story in our latest SV Life Podcast. With roots in the Valley that run generations back, Jack spent some time out of the area before he and his wife returned home and he began delving into regenerative farming. Listen in as Jack shares his plans for the farm, what drew him back to the area and what makes him stay.

Harrisonburg native and entrepreneur Tanner Johnson shares the story and evolution of Pure Shenandoah, an Elkton based company that makes products ranging from CBD oils to hemp fiber. With roots that run deep in the Valley, Tanner and his siblings are honoring the legacy of not just their family's entrepreneurial spirt but the Valley's agricultural legacy as well.

In this episode of the SV Life Podcast, Jay talks with George Neighbors, owner of X-Roads Advisory and Shenandoah Valley visitor turned resident. Listen in as George shares the path that led to his current business venture and to the Shenandoah Valley.

In this #SVLifePodcast episode, Jay talks with Connie Frigo, executive director of JMU X-Labs and Patrice Ludwig, interim assistant vice provost for Research and Innovation and associate professor of X-Labs courses. With varied backgrounds leading to their current roles, Connie and Patrice share how X-Labs got its start and has grown and how its "Reimagined Internship" is a huge win for students, the local business community and beyond.

Born and raised in the Valley, Nadia Dames followed in her father's footsteps and now leads the family aviation instrument business in the Town of Dayton. Listen in as Nadia shares her story and what makes the Valley home.

In this episode of SV Life, we talk with JuiceWorks 3D Founder, Andrei Dacko. Listen in as Andrei shares how his experience as a young student and former educator laid the foundation for his business and the plans he has for helping to grow the talent pipeline in our region.

In this episode, we talk with Dick Halterman, lifelong Valley native, business owner and member of the Augusta County Economic Development Authority. Listen in as Dick shares a little of his background, business and what he loves about the Valley.

In this episode, we talk with Eric Terry of Dynamic Aviation. Eric joined Dynamic Aviation in 2023 as the Senior Vice President of Human Resources. Listen is as he shares a little of his background and what led him to the Shenandoah Valley as well as some of the exciting things happening at Dynamic Aviation.

Professional firefighter and entrepreneur Josh Grim holds tight to his West Virginia roots while embracing life in the Valley. Listen in as Josh shares the professional and personal paths that led him to Augusta County and what keeps he and his family here.

In this episode, Jay talks with Thomas Rea, Valley native and Executive Vice President & Regional Commercial Executive for Bank of the James. After finishing his undergrad at Virginia Tech, Thomas returned home and made the conscious decision to build a life here in the Valley. Listen in as he shares his story, how his view of the Valley and what is offers evolved from childhood to now and a project he is currently involved in.

In this episode, we talk with Lisa Shull, Executive Director of the Explore More Discovery Museum in Downtown Harrisonburg. Now celebrating it's twentieth year and beloved by families across the Valley, the museum began with just the spark of an idea and a lot of dedication from a team of volunteers.

In this episode of the Shenandoah Valley Life Podcast, we chat with Matt Bingay, Executive Director and General Manager of WMRA, the Shenandoah Valley's public radio station. A graduate of JMU's Music Industry program, Matt has spent his career in public radio and has much to share about what makes WMRA and the Valley so unique.

Born and raised in the Valley, Greg Rogers is the CEO of Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative. Studying electrical engineering at Virginia Tech, Greg became interested in the power sector and aside from a few years working as a civilian engineer with the Department of the Navy in Annapolis, Md, has spent his career in the industry. Listen in as Greg shares the path that led to his current position, SVEC's history and what's to come, and what Greg envisions as the perfect day in the Valley.

In this episode, Jay talks with guest and JMU Engineering Professor and Assistant Department Head Jacquelyn Nagel. Listen in to learn about the path Jacquelyn took to get here and the work she's doing to connect engineering students with the business community.

Todd Livick is a Valley Native who returned to the Valley after time serving in the U.S. Army and living in Northern Virginia. Todd, whose great-great grandfather founded Augusta Military Academy, has come full circle as he now serves as the Director of Advancement at Fishburne Military School. Listen in as Todd shares the path that led him back home to the Valley and to his current role as well as future plans for Fishburne Military School.

Born and raised in the Shenandoah Valley and a graduate of JMU, Courtney Thompson of the Greater Augusta Regional Chamber of Commerce has spent her entire career in the Augusta County-Staunton-Waynesboro area. Prior to working at the Chamber, Courtney's professional career focused on business development in the banking industry. Her involvement with the Chamber as a two term board member eventually led to her current role as Executive Director. Listen in as Courtney shares her love of the Valley and talks about all it has to offer personally and professionally.

This episode of the Shenandoah Valley Life podcast features Kelli Williams with Virginia Tourism Corporation. Kelli made her way to the Valley from Michigan at the start of her college years. She fell in love with the Valley and what was to be a stop along the way quickly turned into more than a decade with no plans to leave. Now a Destination Development Manager with Virginia Tourism Corporation, Kelli is able to merge her passion for the Valley with her professional career. Listen in as she shares her story and what excites her for the future of tourism in the Valley.

In this episode, Jay talks with Executive Director of Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance Andrea Dono. A passionate advocate for the downtown area and beyond, Andrea moved to the Valley seven years ago from Northern Virginia and hasn't looked back since. Listen in as she talks about the path that led to her current role, a little about HDR's history and plans for the future.

With 4 of the top 5 agriculture producing localities in the state located in the Shenandoah Valley, the impact of the ag industry is huge. Our guest for this episode is John King, president of Virginia Poultry Growers Cooperative who has been with the coop since its inception in 2004. In this episode, he talks about the path he took to get to the Valley and the impact the coop has on the Valley and the world.

Executive Director of the Lexington-Rockbridge County Chamber of Commerce Tracy Lyons relocated to the Valley from Alabama, with a stop in Richmond along the way. Listen in as she shares her story, some history of the area, and highlights why locals love it and visitors keep coming back.

With a more than 100 year history, Rockingham Cooperative has roots that run deep and so does Valley native and coop feed division manager Keith Turner. Growing up on a local farm, Keith knows first hand the struggles a small farm can go through and helped found The Farm Ministry, a resource that supports farmers through the purchase of the products they produce from donated funds.

The success of a grant funded partnership between Blue Ridge Community College and pharmaceutical company, Merck sparked the creation of an innovative and career launching program called JobStarter. Hear from BRCC President Dr. John Downey and JobStarter coordinator Andrea Livick as they talk about the formation and success of this three week paid training designed to prepare students for a career in advanced manufacturing.

Mark Toorock has made an interesting transition in his career, from being involved in securities on Wall Street to conducting the production of major parkour events all over the world. A major focus of Mark's is his thought provoking comment, and an admonition to adults, is that adults have forgotten how to play. We are our most creative when we are playing and Mark through his creation of parkour courses, challenges young and old, to push our boundaries and has found that the Shenandoah Valley is a perfect place to make this happen.

April Anderson sought a career in the rapidly expanding craft beer brewing industry and landed at the right place at the right time with the right people. California provided a perfect environment to learn the trade and provide her expertise to rapidly move up the ladder in the craft-brewing scene, but family and personal issues brought her back home. April has come into her own as the master brewer at Rockbridge Vineyards and was there to help guide the creation of their brewery alongside their winery, where she is producing some delicious craft beers in the Shenandoah Valley.

Scott Asbell, SVP's producer for the Shenandoah Valley Life Podcast series. talks about his serial entrepreneurial background and approach to life. A humorous and talented renaissance man, Scott discusses his purchase of a bowling alley when he was a junior at JMU, his building of a tiny home, his musical talent and his YouTube videos under the moniker of Slack Scott: Not cheap, not lazy, just efficient and thrifty – all of which embodies the spirit of the Shenandoah Valley.

Hannah Cooper with the Staunton Innovation Hub, an adventurist in her personal life, explains how so many of her personal traits are analogous to the Staunton Innovation Hub management philosophy and how through a circuitous early adulthood professional journey, she stayed and thrived in the Shenandoah Valley.

Aimee Roberts with Nest Realty is in charge of a very polished publication that reaches a target audience of decision makers. Aimee and Nest have partnered with the Shenandoah Regional Airport and the Shenandoah Valley Partnership to tell the story of living, working, playing and serving in the Valley. Listen to what drew Aimee to the Valley and how she is channels her story of family, hiking, outdoors, education and living in a small town into the creation of each Friends of Nest publication.

Greg Campbell has been at the Shenandoah Regional Airport (SHD) since 1988, worked at the airport through college at Bridgewater and has a tireless supporter of the airports growth as an asset in the region. No less passionate about the airport, Heather Ream has the pleasure of developing the message about the airport and our ability to be one stop from most anywhere in the world. Learn about how the Shenandoah Valley supports and has been supported by the Shenandoah Regional Airport.

Andy VanHook may be the face most associated with Appeal Production, but he and his partners have become a force in video production in the Shenandoah Valley. As stated on their website, “Welcome to the video sanctuary.” Andy talks about Appeal Production's humble beginnings, working for beer – and their employer was out of beer – to launching Appeal Production in the Great Recession and becoming the go-to firm for video marketing in the Valley.

We continue the discussion with sisters Jessica Hall and Stephanie Auville about their passion for flowers, their very creative social media following, and the rapid growth of their companies, Harmony Harvest and Floral Genius. Executive Director Jay Langston spoke with them about their exponential growth during the pandemic, their winning a FedEx National Small Business Award, and the following they have developed with their very humorous social media postings.

Sisters Jessica Hall and Stephanie Auville have teamed up to literally grow their companies in the Shenandoah Valley. Their mantra, better living through flowers, is contagious as you listen to their self-described flower-obsessed story of developing their two companies, Harmony Harvest and Floral Genius. Executive Director Jay Langston spoke with Jessica and Stephanie about their reason for moving to the Shenandoah Valley, their purchase of the farm and the number of business assistance programs, that have helped them quickly expand beyond start-up businesses and their families.

Debbie Irwin is the Executive Director of the Shenandoah Community Capital Fund (SCCF), an entrepreneurial support organization that believes the most vibrant communities grow from within. SVP Executive Director Jay Langston spoke with Debbie about how SCCF's diverse services help grow businesses of all scales and backgrounds and how the Shenandoah Valley became the home she always hoped for.

With a mission to serve the greater good, Ryan Gundling cofounded Ryzing Technologies after a local business plan competition. Five years after the successful competition, Ryzing Technologies is expanding their capabilities as a designer and manufacturer of textile-based engineering solutions. SVP Executive Director Jay Langston spoke with Ryan about his entrepreneurial growth and how the Shenandoah Valley's premier quality of life attracts and grows the right talent for his company.

From a home-based business, to a growing up year, to taking it back to basics, Jennifer Ledford's “Idea Factory” has progressed many times over the past two decades. One thing remains constant for this innovative entrepreneur – her passion for embracing and supporting the entrepreneurial community. SVP Executive Director Jay Langston spoke with Jennifer about her initial inspiration, how she has leveraged community resources to grow, and what's on the horizon for her business.

Located in an 1800s historical building, Jon Henry General Store offers local and fair-trade treats, gifts, and eats. But Jon Henry is anything but general. An entrepreneur, farmer, and artist, Jon combined his background as a curator and history of family farming to create a charming shop local experience. SVP Executive Director Jay Langston spoke with Jon about how he utilizes local resources to expand his services and his passion to grow an accessible local food movement.

Kala Dougan's enthusiasm for aviation began at a young age, and now she introduces young people to aviation through NEXTGEN Aviators. Born from a successful, multi-generational aviation company, this new program provides hands-on exploration of a broad range of aviation careers including aerospace engineering, parts fabrication and assembly, electronics and avionics, and flight. SVP Executive Director Jay Langston asked Kala what she loves most about her career and what's on the horizon for the aviation industry in the Shenandoah Valley.

Known for its rich history of maple syrup-producing sugar farms, Highland County's impressive resources and passion for supporting local is attracting startups, telecommuters and young families. SVP Executive Director Jay Langston spoke with Chris Swecker, Executive Director, Highland County Chamber of Commerce, and Bruce Folks, Owner, Bruce's Syrup & Candies, about their life in one of Virginia's most rural mountain counties. Discover why family farmers, entrepreneurs, and everyone in between chooses to call Virginia's Sweet Spot home.

William & Moon Snyder are the inspiration and energy behind The Oliver Art House. This power couple is splashing into the creative arts scene and developing a nurturing environment for the community to explore arts in the Shenandoah Valley. SVP Executive Director Jay Langston spoke with William & Moon about how their dynamic backgrounds and passion are positively impacting the community in which they live, work and play. Learn more about the vision behind their collaborative learning space and how they make it habit to carpe diem.

Driving technology, productivity and innovation, the Shenandoah Valley is home to a host of different manufacturing companies across multiple industries. Long-standing Shenandoah Valley company, Modine, specializes in thermal heat exchange and produces HVAC products at their growing Buena Vista facility. SVP Executive Director Jay Langston spoke with Brent Secrist, Plant Superintendent, about his Modine manufacturing career path and what he appreciates most about his life in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. Learn more about this innovative company, growing a career in manufacturing, and what makes the region an incredible place to raise a family.

The Shenandoah Valley has strong agrarian roots where local is defined by a country drive, not a 100+ mile commute. Home to four of the top five agricultural-producing counties in Virginia, robust transportation network, and supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem, agribusinesses plant roots here and grow. SVP Executive Director Jay Langston spoke with Corwin Heatwole, Founder of Farmer Focus, about how his unique business model puts the decision-making back in the hands of the farmer. Learn how this young, innovative and thriving company is revolutionizing modern-day farming in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.

Massanutten Resort offers four-seasons of multigenerational activities in the heart of Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. Their 6,000 acres of mountain fun is recognized as one of the premier all-seasons resort destinations on the East Coast. SVP Executive Director Jay Langston spoke with Matthias Smith, Vice President and General Manager, and Sarah Elson, Business Relations Director, about how this leading employer attracts and retains Shenandoah Valley talent. Learn how Massanutten Resort offers the tools for professional development and community engagement to create an impressive and positive impact on the quality of life for both residents and visitors.

In Spring 2018, internationally-owned Speyside Bourbon Cooperage opened their first U.S. stave mill operation in Bath County. Less than one year later the company announced additional investment to add new equipment and a second shift to the operation. SVP Executive Director Jay Langston spoke with Maggie Anderson, Product Development consultant for Speyside, about the Shenandoah Valley resources that help Speyside thrive. Get to know this family-focused company, cool job opportunities with room to grow, and why there's nothing more satisfying than living in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.

Jamie Goodin is a creator, innovator, entrepreneur, community champion, and more. Jamie's energy and passion for creating impact stems from pure curiosity and the determination to produce an outcome that benefits Shenandoah Valley residents. SVP Executive Director Jay Langston spoke with Jamie about how the Shenandoah Valley empowers residents to fuel change and create real impact in the communities where they live, work and thrive.

Launched at the onset of the pandemic as a philanthropic effort to procure personal protective equipment (PPE) for the National Guard and other First Responders, Valley Guard Supply is owned and brought to market by military and medical service veterans. SVP Executive Director Jay Langston spoke with Nicky Swayne, General Manager, and Chris Ashley, Director of Operations, about how the region's business-friendly environment, talented labor pool, and innovative partnerships developed a valuable ecosystem to quickly launch and establish this essential business.

Peter Denbigh is an entrepreneur in several start-up companies and one of the catalyzing energies behind the Staunton Innovation Hub. A James Madison University graduate, one of his most successful ventures is the best-selling party game “Watch Ya' Mouth”. SVP Executive Director Jay Langston spoke with Peter about how the region's entrepreneurial ecosystem supported his many business ventures, what he's doing to break down barriers for other entrepreneurs, and why he loves calling the Shenandoah Valley home.