Dr. Kat and Dr. Tess have been together their whole lives. Only ten months apart, the sisters were in the same grade all through school. Their time at Life University was no different — they took every class together. Their mom and dad even joked that they shared a brain cell! They also share a love of helping others achieve better health through chiropractic. Both hold advanced certification in Activator Methods Chiropractic Technique and regularly add to their knowledge and expertise through continuing education programs and professional conferences.

The two sisters contacted the Crater Small Business Development Center (Crater SBDC) right after completing their chiropractic degree. They were seeking assistance with putting together a business plan. Dr. Mayes indicated that with all their medical training business planning was not taught. The Crater SBDC Director worked with the clients teaching them how to put together a sound business plan and financial projections. The business plan was completed along with the financials – both sisters were excited about the accomplishment.

The biggest challenge for this start-up company was obtaining funding. In spite of obstacles, they plowed ahead with the business learning to make use of the resources they had. Within a year, they were able to move the business from their home to a commercial building. The Crater SBDC provided marketing strategies and assisted them with their Open House. Today they are in their new beautiful location. Sales have already increased and their client base has doubled. They currently have a part-time receptionist.

Dr. Kat and Dr. Tess stated “Crater Small Business Development Center worked with us to create an excellent business plan and presented us with the opportunity to sit down with a marketing professional. Although we were unable to obtain financing due to the state of the economy and unwillingness of lenders to work with start-up companies, the Crater SBDC worked diligently to help us by putting us in contact with non-conventional lending resources. They continue to offer support through classes, QuickBooks assistance, and other resources. The Crater SBDC has supported us in many ways, including offering encouragement and words of wisdom when things were not going our way. We are grateful to have access to such a wonderful resource!”

Quintessential Chiropractic, LLC
10301 Memory Lane
Suite 101-C
Chesterfield, VA 23832
804-536-6262

www.quintchiro.com
www.facebook.com/QuintChiro

Virginia SBDC Success Story – Joey Faucette

Charles “Mike “Chandler, owner of Chandler Construction of VA, Inc., started his Class “A” Contractor business in 1993.  The company does commercial and residential construction and remodeling.

In 2011, he contacted the South Boston Branch of the Longwood Small Business Development Center (LSBDC) looking for options to restructure his loans.  The LSBDC assisted him with writing a business plan and his loan application.  His business plan and loan application were submitted to a local bank and his loan request was approved.  In June 2012, Mike continued to strengthen skill sets by attending a seminar on “Basis Bookkeeping and Basic Payroll for Small Business Owners” at the LSBDC.

Despite a struggling economy and a decline in home construction over the past four years Chandler Construction of VA Inc. has continued to stay busy building and remodeling homes.  Mr. Chandler stated “the Longwood Small Business Development Center in South Boston was very instrumental in helping me restructure my loans and getting me on the right path to compete in today’s economy.  The South Boston office went above and beyond in helping me.”

Chandler Construction of VA, Inc. is located at 3071 Dan River Church Road in South Boston, Virginia.  For further information you may email chandlerconstruction.va@comcast.net.

An occupational therapist by training, woman by birth, mother by choice and business woman by design, Kristin Springfield wears many hats. She started her company, Womanly Journey, four years ago with a goal to flood the marketplace with positive and wholesome options for women and girls.

Throughout her career she noticed that many women exhibited low self-esteem, practiced self-defeating behavior, made poor life choices, and suffered from anxiety and depression. Finding herself with the daunting task of raising a teenage girl to be healthy, happy, and confident, she decided it was time to spring into action. She began by designing a beautiful charm bracelet for her daughter, Mackenzie, complete with a small book that explained the significance of each charm as a reminder of the value of being a woman.

Kristin signed up and attended and “Are You Ready to Start a Business?” seminar in January of 2010. She took the lessons from that class to heart and began building a plan to move forward while balancing a career and caring for a large blended family. The SBDC continues working with Kristin on marketing her company and helping her break into the public speaking arena. Kristin delivered a wonderful keynote address for the Women’s Business Conference: Sharing their Stories that was held in Danville in May 2012. Since then, she has booked a number of other speaking engagements with leads supplied by the SBDC.

Meet Kristin and view her beautiful jewelry at www.womanlyjourney.com.

A long standing friend was an owner of a well-known 22 year old glass company in Hopewell, Virginia. Mr. Mosley admired Mr. Carraway’s business success from being a glass cutter to owning two successful business locations. Mr. Carraway was not only a friend of the Mosley’s but David had a business relationship with Carraway Glass. So when David approached Mr. Carraway about possibly selling the business, Mr. Mosley went to his local bank who then referred them to Diane Howerton.

The Mosley’s came to Diane with lots of questions; business value, negotiation process, business potential, funding options and business plan assistance. Diane provided a business valuation model based on four years of the company’s tax returns. The purpose of which was to determine the value of the asking price and to provide some benchmarks for negotiations. David and Jeanette put their heart and soul into the business plan and doing the due diligence necessary to determine the viability of buying Carraway Glass.

There were many challenges along the way particularly between the negotiating the purchase and change in financial institution mid-stream to fund the transaction. The initial meetings with Diane started in July 2005 and the deal finally closed February 2006. The bank that helped close the loan was Bruce Brockwell with the Bank of Virginia. The purchase price included owner financing on the value of the good will and the bank incorporating a SBA guarantee on the loan. In a thank you note from David and Jeanette, “It has been a long and sometimes difficult process but without your help it probably would not have happened. The business plan you worked so hard on gave us the knowledge and confidence to go through with the deal.”

In a recent visit and interview with Carolyn, a longstanding client of the Longwood SBDC, she told of the importance of family no matter what challenge one undertakes. Carolyn explains:“Family is like a carefully woven afghan… one string comes loose, and the whole afghan unravels.” All of Carolyn’s six sisters work in the business in some capacity and are very close. Her father, Corbett Bowman, now 80 years old, also works daily in the business. His stories of growing up in Southside Virginia and raising a family on a tobacco farm provide an understanding of the character traits that make The Farmer’s Daughters so successful.

Corbett Bowman grew up on a farm himself, with 10 other siblings, five boys and five girls. A World War II Veteran, Corbett enlisted at the age of 18 because he could not bear to know that two of his brothers might be alone as the only family members involved in the war effort. He rode his bicycle ten miles to the recruitment center to volunteer. After returning home, he settled down on a 110 acre farm in Burkeville where he raised tobacco, corn, cows, chickens, and hogs, and of course, seven daughters! Carolyn says:“That’s where it all began. That’s where we learned to work. Growing up on a tobacco farm creates a way of life where you are used to the challenges of making a living. You learn at a very young age how to set goals and meet them. You also learn how to make the best use of resources. My dollhouse was a shoebox. We had to use and play with what we had.” From this background came the resilience, the goal setting, and the imagination that Carolyn and her family need to do what they do so successfully today: beautiful landscaping.

Along with these skills, Carolyn’s background and personality has equipped her with a very positive attitude. She is insistent on following through with her plans and states:“Don’t dare tell me “no”. Even my license plate says“just do it”. If someone tells me I can’t do something, I’ll do it just to prove them wrong.” This trait came in handy when Carolyn decided to leave her long employment history in various sales positions and strike out on her own. In 2000, she started her own home based business after she had been denied insurance coverage by her employer. She returned to her love of the land and growing plants and from this grew The Farmer’s Daughters. Soon after starting the business, Carolyn moved her business to a rented plot of land that she ultimately wanted to purchase. It was then that she was referred by the Bank of Charlotte County to Sheri McGuire at the Longwood Small Business Development Center for help in constructing her very first business plan.

With her new business plan in hand, Carolyn was able to finance the purchase of the land and set goals for her business. She and her family have grown the business by over 500% since she started and she is again planning to expand. The Farmer’s Daughters has grown to include two greenhouses, a gift shop, an office and serve customers as far away as Richmond. Carolyn is President of the business and her sister Penny is Vice President. Carolyn, Penny, and their sister Sherry do most of the landscaping work while another sister, Janet runs the retail gift shop and greenhouse. They get help from other sisters, Rosa, Susie, and Cathy on weekends and evenings. When talking about the involvement of the SBDC, Carolyn states:“When I started out, the SBDC made me feel so welcome and gave me the feeling that I had what it takes to succeed. The staff of the SBDC looked through my eyes and saw my business as I saw it. Not many people have that ability.”

Carolyn continues to work with the SBDC through her business planning activities and recommends that others also take advantage of the services:“People come up to me, women in particular, and ask me about going into business for themselves. I tell them they need to do two things: Have a drive to succeed and go get help from the Longwood SBDC. Just knowing that someone is out there to listen and help you structure your plans is a big help.” Carolyn and her sisters agree:“starting your own business is the hardest thing you will ever do, but by far it’s the most satisfying.” They, like their father before them, are passing on the traditions of hard work and business skills to their children. When visiting, take notice of the next generation, as Carolyn’s son Corbett age 6, Penny’s daughter Emily, age 5, and Janet’s daughter Emma Claire, 22 months, play with their own imagination and creativity under the watchful eye of “The Farmer’s Daughters”.

Rawles-Aden Lumber Company began operations in Petersburg, Virginia, in 1960. From humble beginnings, the company has grown into a multi-million dollar corporation servicing the Mid Atlantic region as a distributor of specialty building and remodeling products, both imported and domestic. Jack explains the company’s competitive advantages as “the coordinated product mix and the superior product knowledge of our professional staff.” Jack himself has a long history with the company, having demonstrated an early interest in the forestry and lumber business.

Jack earned his Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Forest Management and a minor in business at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. Upon graduation in 1973, he served in the United States Army, completing his tour of duty as a Captain in the Army Reserve. Jack did not immediately begin working for his father’s company, but worked for a German engineering firm that had an emphasis in forestry products. This experience provided Jack with an exposure and education in international business and travel which has proven invaluable to his business today.

In 1975, Jack was living the good life, traveling the world. Atlanta was his home-base. It was during this period that Mr. Rawles, co-owner of Rawles-Aden Lumber, flew to Atlanta to recruit Jack back to his hometown of Petersburg to begin management grooming. Jack agreed to do so, married his college sweetheart, Nancy, and returned home. He worked as a territory sales representative for Rawles-Aden and thoroughly enjoyed meeting and working with clients and being “out in the field” from 1975 – 1988.

As both principals were aging, it was necessary for Jack to focus his energies in the corporate office. As Jack says, “There was a rude awakening with my OJT (on the job training) in management and administration. It’s been bitter sweet because of the many challenging transitions.” In 1992, Mr. Rawles died which was the loss not only of a founding principal but also the loss of the company CFO, hence another new role for Jack. During this period he also learned that his father had Parkinson’s disease. Then in 1995, Jack lost his father, the business location had an $800,000 fire, and the financial institution for the business gave the company six weeks to find another bank.

The company was wasting away because of the difficulty of finding a bank that would work with them. The business was too small for the big banks and too large for the smaller community banks. To complicate matters, the financial community frowned upon using inventory as collateral.

In 2000, Mr. Aden was very concerned about the lack of cash flow, the tight margins and keeping his nineteen person work force in place. He did not know where to turn and even entertained the thought of selling or merging the business. Jack was looking into refinancing as an option because of extreme finance service charges and the need for a working capital line of credit. He met with Diane Howerton and Ken Copeland of the Longwood SBDC to analyze and prepare financial projections. The internal analysis with the assistance of student interns revealed that restructuring the debt would result in a 20% increase in cash flow. A proposal was prepared, with assistance of staff and students of the SBDC, and reviewed by several financial institutions. Longwood SBDC’s relationship with lenders generated a lead with First International Capital. With an SBA loan guarantee by First International Financial, known today as UPS Capital, Rawles-Aden Lumber was able to operate on a positive cash flow. This positive change made it possible for the company to hire a professional warehouse manager; upgrade the computer system, replace aging equipment, add new product lines and expand into new markets. Jack states:

“I can’t say enough for what the SBDC did for us. It (their services) kept us in business. The SBDC assistance and analysis was presented in such a wonderfully professional manner. This is the essence of what business assistance programs should be doing.”

The company experienced a major turnaround and expanded their workforce to 23 people. Even with these accomplishments, Jack has found time to volunteer his time and financial resources in some interesting areas. He participates in a partnership that is working towards privatizing individual forest product facilities in the former Yugoslavia. He has participated in two mission trips to Haiti and was scheduled to return this year; however, the political unrest has prevented him from doing so. He is a founding and active member of the Brandermill Church. His newest role is as President of Learn to Earn which is a committee of professional business people, educators and community leaders working with the Crater Workforce Initiative Board.

On asking Jack about his vision for the future of the company and industry, he said, “We are blessed to be living in this part of the world. With the great advances in technology and the vast opportunities for an expanded global reach, the growth potential opportunities are limitless.” Jack continued in this interview to praise the assistance from Longwood University through the SBDC program…

“The primary reason we are so grateful for SBDC is that we were so discouraged during that time…. not only did the SBDC throw us a lifeline, they got us enthused about what our business could do.”

Thank you Jack, from all of us at the Longwood SBDC! We’ll be watching your success and we’ll be there if you need us!

Kelley and Jenney had been conducting cheerleading training, competitions and activities in the Dinwiddie County schools when they saw the need for more space and an interest to expand their course offerings. In addition, they saw a need in dance and had an opportunity to partner with friends Jane and Jannabeth Mann to form Star Factory, LLC . By partnering with the Manns, this made the large project more affordable to all parties and the program offerings comprehensive. This multi use facility would be used by both businesses, Cheer Stars and Starlight Studios.

Diane Howerton, director, received a call from Mrs. Frakes based on a recommendation from their local banker, Mark Stevens, First Vice President from the Bank of McKenney. All four women were in the education field in some capacity, and had not had a need to develop a business plan, much less pro forma projections. This transaction was more intertwined than most because of the structure of the LLC which needed to be reflected in the cash flow projections. A key requirement from the bank was to see how the financial projections were going to be structured particularly with the operational expenses the responsibility of both businesses.

At the initial April meeting, everyone realized what needed to be done and did their fair share. There were several follow-up meetings, emails and lots of communication for two months. Comprehensive business plans for Cheer Stars and Starlight Studios were presented to the bank in June 2007 and the ground breaking ceremonies were held in late July. They were on their way and have had outstanding success in meeting the demand for training and acquiring more equipment.

Kelley Frakes commented, “It was a daunting task to try to relate what we wanted to do on paper. Diane Howerton made this project so much easier. It was still challenging, but it would have been almost impossible without her. She helped us birth our dream to reality.”

1. The world’s largest air-cell building at London’s Heathrow Airport
2. The world’s largest aircraft hangar for the US Navy
3. The parachute which landed the Beagle 2 spacecraft on Mars on Christmas Day 2003
4. More than 5,000 hot-air balloons, currently operating in 48 countries
5. More than 100 thermal airships
6. More than 110 gas balloons (both helium and hydrogen capable)
7. The world’s largest hot air balloon, at 73,600m3
8. The world’s largest manned super pressure balloon at 36,086m3
9. The world’s largest thermal airship at 8,500m3
10. The GA-42 helium airship at 26m long and 1,190m3

More recent innovations include:

1. The world’s first type-certified pressurized thermal airship
2. The first use of silicone impregnated balloon fabrics
3. The first use of synthetic envelope material approved for hydrogen gas
4. The first practical solar balloon (a balloon flight with the payload heated only by the sun)
5. The first sustained manned flight in the Jetstream
6. The first balloon capsule with active pressurization

After fully studying the U.S. market, Lindstrand decided to locate their first U.S. production facility in South Boston, Virginia. Larry Harris, Branch Center Director, worked with the Halifax County IDA and Lindstrand managers to build a business plan for the company’s U.S. operations. After several meetings with Per Lindstrand and Angela Lewis, the facility manager, a business plan was completed and funds were obtained to open the facility. The company purchased the STAR Warehouse, a former tobacco warehouse, renovated the facility and is now expanding to manufacture both air ships and inflatable structures such as portable air craft hangers and portable hospitals. This facility officially opened in June, 2006 and is producing products for U.S. companies and U.S. military operations here and abroad. It is important to note that while exporting to several countries, including China, Japan, and Korea, Lindstrand is one of very few companies who source all raw materials in the United States.

Lindstrand has made a very positive impact on the South Boston area, expecting to have invested over $2.5 million in their operation by the end of their first year. The company currently has 18 employees and, with current expansions of airships and other inflatables, expects to employ 70 people by 2008.

Angela Lewis spoke about Larry’s assistance in the startup of their U.S. operations:

“The startup process for our British firm in the U.S. was not easy. Larry sat with us for days working on the business plan. He was incredibly supportive of our efforts and has been so ever since. I believe we wouldn’t be here without him.”