Getting fit is good business

As many of you know my hobby is fitness. I teach a fitness class twice a week at 5:45 AM. Why? It forces me to stay in the habit of early morning work outs. More importantly, it allows me to live out what I believe is one of the best solutions to our healthcare crisis in the US, personal responsibility for a healthy lifestyle. I gain a great deal of satisfaction watching the class achieve their progressive fitness goals. I have heard it said “the early morning indoor cycling class is better than a cup of coffee and more addicting”….. we have some 3+ year veterans….

I listened to regional candidates for the Virginia General Assembly answer questions about a range of subjects in a candidates’ forum last week. One of the questions related to reducing health care costs. I was pleasantly surprised by one of the candidates’ answer. He suggested that we need to encourage fitness and healthy lifestyles. As business, this is one of the best examples of a powerful win-win concept. Potentially lower costs combined with higher productivity and creativity.

John Barrett at the Culpeper Department of Parks and Recreation is leading the way for our community. He has a slate of programs this fall that are very cool. Literally, as the weather turns from summer to our famous autumn temperatures in the Northern Piedmont of Virginia, there are some “must try” outdoor events to sign up for. Plus they are family friendly for appropriate age groups. Here are a couple of John’s picks:
Saturday, October 1 – the 4th Culpeper Cycling Century is fast becoming a premier event for the county.  Last year 207 riders took to the roads of Culpeper to enjoy the excitement of the county’s beautiful vistas and camaraderie.  This year the department is expecting over 300 riders.  There are three distances offered, 33, 65 and 100 miles.  The ride starts and finishes at the Bike Stop (rentals available), 120 W. Culpeper Street.  All funds raised go to the Culpeper Recreation Foundation, Inc. a 501 (c) (3) tax exempt organization to help with park capital improvement projects.  The ride begins at 8:30 AM.

Sunday, October 2 – 2nd Annual Culpeper Fall 5K – the event will be held at the Culpeper Sports Complex and Eastern View High School.  All profit goes to support the UVA Division of Neuroradiology.  This will be a cross country course event and begin at 8 AM.”

In addition, Culpeper is a great location to launch your fitness interests regionally. I will be at the Giant Acorn Triathlon at Lake Anna on October 2nd for the Sprint Triathlon by Setup Events. I marvel at the athletes that are woven thru the business community in Culpeper. One of my favorites just completed a ½ Ironman Triathlon last weekend, braving the current and tides of the James River near Williamsburg. The race is a raw 6 hour workout encompassing a mile+ river current swim, 72 mile bike ride, and a ½ marathon run. Congratulations Ed.

Culpeper - where fitness is smart business.

Seasons to come hold excitement

The Fall and Holiday seasons in Culpeper are shaping up to be pretty exciting. As I look at the calendar for the next few months our community will be visited by thousands of guests. Our warm hospitality, amazing events , and country lifestyle are a certain attraction for those in the cities within car, train, and plane distance to Culpeper.

The first event on the radar is the Chamber Pepper Open Golf Tournament. Our local business leaders often invite business guests to Culpeper to play in the tournament. The scenic Country Club of Culpeper is known for hosting a great tournament. We have a few surprises for the tournament guests this year. Players will be treated to a very special, one of a kind, first release, Chamber golf shirt produced locally by Cintas. Sign up soon, spaces are going fast for the September 26th tournament PepperOpen.com.

Next, One of the most popular events drawing Culpeper Fans from far and wide is the Farm Tour - the weekend of October 1st and 2nd. The tour is a refuge from major east coast cities displaying farm life at its best. Agribusiness in Culpeper is a proud part of our heritage and one that we plan to support and preserve. Horses, Llamas, and Cows oh my…. Yes I had to say it…. Between organic farms, flowers grown for international markets, and animals of all shapes and sizes – the Farm Tour grows in popularity. This is a great event to invite family and friends. The action is all weekend with opportunities to discover some of the coolest parts of Culpeper and meet some of the finest people.

The following weekend is another full weekend for Culpeper. The Culpeper Air Show is on Saturday followed by the Taste of Culpeper (A CRI  event) on Sunday. Another weekend to invite family and friends for a full “Out of the House” weekend… For example, start with dinner in town on Friday evening followed by a free movie at the Library of Congress. Get up early on Saturday morning for a stroll thru the farmers market at the corner of Commerce and Davis Streets.  Retreat to one of our restaurants for a big country breakfast and gear up for the Air Show in the afternoon at Culpeper County Airport. I hear that there may be transportation to and from the airport from Town. The Air Show is one of the finest in the world and it is “FREE”. This is aviation at its best – bi planes, WWII fighters, formation flying, simulated aerial combat (so I hear), and jets – it is all here in Culpeper. Grab the shuttle back to town for some dinner and shopping. Save some energy …. Sunday is the ‘Taste of Culpeper” held in downtown Historic Culpeper!!! Whew what a weekend. Now consider that the leaves will be starting to change and the apple orchards will be selling their latest crop of apples.

That takes care of just some of the fall events in Culpeper. I will have to save the Holidays for another Monday write up. Go to CulpeperChamber.com and StarExponent.com for links and other local events.

Secret to success lies in workforce

Published in the Culpeper Star Exponent 9/5/2011

I have the rare privilege of working closely with our local companies and as the Chamber President I am driven in support of our businesses. My personal experience working inside multi-national, domestic, mid-sized, and small businesses has allowed me to understand business from a unique perspective.

Regardless of the size of the company, every successful manager will tell you that their success is dependent on those doing the work. As we observe Labor Day, we can take a moment and consider how much we benefit from our great local work force. A favorite song from Alabama - Forty Hour Week lyrics say it well “There are people in this country who work hard every day. Not for fame or fortune do they strive. But the fruits of their labor are worth more than their pay. And it's time a few of them were recognized.”

 From the Chamber of Commerce I would like to say THANK YOU to our work force for your outstanding performance. The results have been evident in our local economy.  Because you are smart, flexible, and have a resilient “can do” attitude, many of our companies have been able to preserve jobs in our area. It is because of your talent and teamwork that our local economy has successfully weathered economic downturns.

We are also fortunate to have an educational base to provide training and retraining in preparation for the jobs of today and tomorrow. Because of the vision of our community leaders, we are fortunate to have Germanna Community College as a strong partner in workforce development. The Germanna’s Daniel Technology Center has fostered workforce training and development for dozens of companies with broad and tailored programs. Our workforce needs change quickly sometimes. Having a strong workforce training facility with a close relationship with the business community has made Culpeper and the region much stronger economically.

In addition, in support of our workforce, the Career & Technical Department of the Culpeper County School System is well focused on job preparation before graduation. The department is very aware of our local workforce needs and works closely with our businesses and community college to prepare our high school students for real jobs. When a business sees the future changing and thus the job needs changing – the schools are prepared to adapt. 

Much of the teamwork in Culpeper among the business community is like an underground river, ever present, nourishing the roots of economic prosperity. Though there may be challenges with ups and downs in the economy, our excellent workforce is a significant part of our durability. From frontline retail and hospitality to highly trained manufacturing, our workforce is known for being especially professional, creative, and adaptable. Great job!