Annual Chamber Banquet Nov. 8

By: Business Monday - Jim Charapich | Culpeper Star Exponent 
Published: October 01, 2012

We continue to deliver value to our customers and to the community. When it comes to business, we are shaped by the free market. We do not have the luxury of resting on our laurels. We are constantly driven by the question – how can I serve my customers better? Sometimes we are even recognized for our efforts and achievements. Though, as a business we do not seek such recognition, we are often pleasantly surprised when it comes our way.

The Culpeper Chamber would like for you to join with us in recognizing outstanding achievement in our community. We offer an opportunity to provide nominations for us to consider in several categories of achievement for local business excellence. We will then recognize the businesses, organizations, and owners at the annual banquet Nov 8.

The award categories are as follows: LB Henretty Award, Business of the Year, Most Improved Small Business Location, Small Business Person of the Year, Young Professional of the Year, and the Non-Profit of the Year. The criteria and nomination forms may be found at the banquet webpagewww.ChamberBanquet.com.

This will be the 98^th annual banquet for the Culpeper Chamber. Our history of service to the community can be well described by pointing out a few of the names on the list of past Chairmen of the Board of Directors: JL Fray 1915, Giles Miller 1939, T.I. Martin 1941, Wert Hurt Sr. 1945, John Yowell , Jr. 1953, J. Carlton Clore 1963, L.B. Henretty 1965, D. French Slaughter, Jr. 1967, Waller Jones 1971, W. Robert Jebson 1977, J.R. Yeaman III 1981, Daniel Peacock 1986, Jere Willis III 1990, T.I. Martin, Jr. 1992, Lee Kirk 2002, Win Carithers 2007 and 2008, and Raven Yates 2012… to name a few.

I encourage you to register early this year as I expect the Germanna’s Daniel Technology Center capacity will be sold out. We will have a very important dignitary as our keynote speaker, Aneesh Chopra – Former Chief US Technology Officer and former Virginia Secretary of Technology.

"After an incredible three years as the nation’s first Chief Technology Officer," White House Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra said in a statement, "I am returning to my home state of Virginia to continue my work using innovative new technologies and platforms to improve health care, education and energy and to grow the jobs and industries of the future."

Mr. Chopra worked to advance the President’s technology agenda by fostering new ideas and encouraging government-wide coordination to help the country meet its goals from job creation, to reducing health care costs, to protecting the homeland. In 2011 Chopra was named to Modern Healthcare’s list of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare. In 2008 Chopra was listed in Government Technology magazine’s Top 25 in their Doers, Dreamers, and Drivers issue.

We look forward to one of the best banquet events so far. Register today at www.CulpeperChamber.com.

Jim Charapich is the President/CEO of the Culpeper Chamber of Commerce. He can be reached at jcharapich@culpepervachamber.org.

Educational Resources Support Our Local Economic Stability, Growth and Success

Culpeper Star Exponent

Business Monday

September 24, 2012

Jim Charapich

“I continue to be amazed at Culpeper” were the comments from the Lead Culpeper 2012 group last week. We have covered a lot of ground in introducing the leadership class to various aspects of Culpeper.

Last week our session was on Education. We asked Dr. Johnson to open the session with a discussion about public education. She immediately earned the admiration and respect of the emerging leaders. There is a lot more to educating Culpeper students than SOLs. There is a balance between experiential 21^st Century learning, and the ability to perform on standardized tests. We are fortunate to have the leadership in our schools to develop the best strategies for our students.

Former Chairman of the Culpeper County School Board, George Dasher followed Dr. Johnson with a discussion about his experience as a School Board member. He spoke from the perspective of a career business professional. His project management and engineering background were evident in his experiential assessment. Our leadership class felt a transformation from preconceived notions to a revelation of the extraordinary talent of our educators in today’s complex system. Ask Mr. Dasher about Blueberry Ice Cream some time. The story will bring a certain “ah ha” moment worthy of repeating often.

The afternoon was built to address higher education offered by Germanna. With presentations by Germanna’s President Dr. Sam, VP Jeanne Wesley, and Kim Rodenberg, the class was again left with the sense that we are very fortunate in Culpeper. To have a community College in Culpeper is a big part of creating new jobs. Companies looking for a place to locate consider a Community College as essential for continuous training of their workforce.  The real take away from the Community College discussion, is that it enables a culture of life-long learning in the community. A progressively educated workforce is one of the most important components to economic prosperity.

Finally, to pull it all together, the group heard from two of our most inspiring champions of education: Chuck Gyory, President, and Mike Dale, Vice President, of Career Partners, Inc. Career Partners works in a unique way to bring educational focus on wealth creation to Culpeper High School students. The program is called E Squared, or Entrepreneurial Energy. As they put it so well, Entrepreneurial Energy is what Drives America. Regardless of the area of interest that a student may excel in… music, science, technology, engineering, math, etc…learning how to take an idea or a talent and turn it into wealth supports life-long success. In fact, it is through wealth creation that individuals are able to support the community they serve in exponential ways. Needless to say – our leadership class was very impressed with the E Squared Program, volunteering to help as the program rolls out in January of 2013.

At the end of the day I polled the class, “So, What are our opportunities in Education?” Hands went up with a variety of thoughts. Success…. An engaged group of thought leaders are emerging, built on the foundation laid by such great leaders as Dr. Johnson, George Dasher, Dr. Sam, Jean Wesley, Kim Rodenberg, Chuck Gyory, Mike Dale, and so many others in our community.

The Northern Virginia Economic Forecast

Culpeper Star Exponent

Business Monday

September 17, 2012

Jim Charapich

We are adopted by different areas of Virginia as part of their economic picture. Depending on the agency, data source, or perspective of the reporter, Culpeper may be a part of Charlottesville, Fredericksburg, or Northern Virginia at any givien time. I was able to attend the Northern Virginia Employer Advisory Committee luncheon last week to hear “The Northern Virginia Economic Forecast.”

The panelists were in my opinion “Rock Stars” of economic development. They included Dr. Gerry Gordon, President & CEO, Fairfax Economic Development Agency, Stephanie Landrum, SVP & CFO, Alexandria Economic Development Partnership, Jennifer Ives, Deputy Director, Arlington Economic Development Office, Tom Flynn, Director, Loudoun Department of Economic Development, and Jeffrey Kaczmarek, Executive Director, Prince William Department of Economic Development. The panel was moderated by the highly regarded Dr. Fuller, Director, Center for Regional Analysis at George Mason University.

My objective in accepting the invitation to attend was to understand the outlook from the experts in Northern Virginia regarding how they see Sequestration and the affect that it may have on the Northern Virginia economy. Sequestration relates to a mandated reduction of Federal dollars spent. In a previous presentation to the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, I heard Dr. Fuller present information showing that Virginia is the largest beneficiary of Federal spending among the States. Thus, any substantial cuts would result in an uncomfortable impact to the Virginia economy, especially the economies of NOVA and Tidewater.

The panelists were not asked directly to address this question and yet as the “elephant in the room” several of them made reference to the issue in their presentation. Though each of the jurisdictions has slightly different attributes, there is no doubt that the federal government is a contributor to the economies. How large a contributor, emerged as the question being addressed in the presentations. The focus of the discussion pivoted from my expectation, that Sequestration will create the proverbial “economic cliff” in January 2013, to the diversity and strength of the private sector in Northern Virginia.

As a satellite of NOVA in this regard, we often feel the ripple effect of the Northern Virginia economy in Culpeper… eventually. I was encouraged by the strength of the outlook by each of the jurisdictions.Actually, I was very impressed with the focus on our competitive position in the global economy.

Dr. Fuller asked a final question, “Who is your competition?” – The answers tell the story…. London, New York, Silicon Valley, Tel Aviv, Taipei, and other global cities were on their lists. Given that the Town of Culpeper was originally called Fairfax and according to Dr. Gordon, Silicon Valley is now saying that they are “The Next Fairfax”, Culpeper appears to be on the global radar in very positive ways.  

Leadership Training For Everyone

Culpeper Star Exponent       

Business Monday

September 10, 2012

Jim Charapich

Skip and Lou Price have lived in Culpeper now for over 20 years. They are well known for running one of the finest Frame Shops in Virginia – Village Frameworks & Gallery. They are active in the community contributing to so many organizations with their time and resources. They have served the Chamber of Commerce for over a decade in helping at CulpeperFest as well as Skip serving in leadership at the Chamber as the Small Business Committee Chairman. 

One of the benefits of serving at the Chamber is being able to refine leadership skills through working with other local leaders to bring positive change to the community. Skip is one of those that I have learned a great deal from. His leadership, family focus, and track record are a real asset to the Culpeper community.

 It was no surprise when Skip called to tell me about a program that he was facilitating to help cultivate leadership in the community. The program is aimed at providing fellow businesses with tools to enable healthy and successful habits like time management, financial planning, customer service, and goal setting. These are some of the basics in business and yet they are often set aside in the urgency of the moment.

 Together with the resources of the Culpeper Baptist Church, Skip has been able to bring “Leadership Training for Everyone” to the Culpeper Baptist Church as part of the Dave Ramsey – EntreLeadership Simulcast on Friday September 21st from 9:45 AM – 5 PM at Culpeper Baptist Church.  The program description reads “If you are ready to take your leadership to the next level, join Dave Ramsey for this live broadcast of his one-day event based on his number-one New York Times best-seller EntreLeadership.”

In speaking with Lou Price regarding her experience in listening to Dave Ramsey she said “Who would have thought that talking about financial health could be fun?” Apparently Dave Ramsey’s organization, based in Nashville and has been recognized as one of “The Best Places to Work” for several years. There must be a reason for his success. Having these principles delivered here in Culpeper live is a real treat. 

Consider taking a day to tune up your business with the fun and dynamic presentation on September 21st. Go to www.CulpeperBaptist.org to register or call540-825-8192 for more information. This is a rare opportunity for only $39. 

Thanks Skip, Lou, and the Leadership of the Culpeper Baptist Church for advancing leadership principles for our business community.http://www2.starexponent.com/lifestyles/2012/sep/10/leadership-training-everyone-sept-21-ar-2192327/

Culpeper Times ~ Made in the Piedmont

Published in the Culpeper Times - Made in the Piedmont July 18, 2012 Edition

When was the last time that you opened a 2000 piece puzzle? How did you begin putting it together? Of course, you laid the pieces out and began searching for similar colors, patterns, and shapes. Most master puzzle makers frame the outside first since it is easy to see the straight patterns and corners. Filling in the rest takes much more time and focus to assemble.

As you can imagine our economic picture is a big puzzle as well. There are many parts to it. It would be difficult to put it together if all that you saw were a few pieces. Likewise, it would be difficult to put it together without laying all of the pieces out to begin the framework. In essence, filling in the pieces takes a broad awareness and yet focused talent.

As I facilitated discussion at the 2012 Virginia Leadership Summit, one of the prominent business leaders pointed out the importance of being able to market regions in Virginia. He was referring to the ability to collaborate among local jurisdictions to bring more visibility and opportunity by working together. Competition for opportunity and economic prosperity is fierce nationally and globally. Our strength in working together is essential.

I spoke with Helen Cauthen, President & CEO of the Thomas Jefferson Partnership for Economic Development recently about the role of TJPED in helping to put the pieces of the puzzle together in our region. The partnership’s geography is comprised of the cities, towns, and counties in the Planning District 9 (Culpeper and surrounding counties) and PD 10 (Charlottesville and surrounding counties). In addition to working with the public officials, the partnership includes both public and private partners, bringing education, business, and government together.

“As we approach our region, we work from an attitude of abundance” said Ms. Cauthen. “We have so many assets and opportunities; It is a matter of understanding priorities and then facilitating opportunity where it makes sense.” The regional picture is difficult to see from either the silo of a locality or the broader view at the state level. Thus, as astutely pointed out in the Summit, we need a regional partner to help put the pieces together.

As we find ourselves in the reaches of the global marketplace. It is important to have a regional coherence. It is significant to have a workforce population to draw from that is 333,396 strong. It is obvious that not everyone that lives in a jurisdiction works in that same jurisdiction, thus it is important to aggregate the larger picture for prospective companies to bring jobs to our area.

One of the latest examples of the importance of the TJPED role was their facilitation of a Target Markets Report conducted by Younger Associates. The report was funded in large part by local governments, who paid smaller portions of the total $150,000 study. The benefit, as a group we were able to fund the quality and breadth of analysis for both localities and the region. Now each economic development office throughout the region is aware of their relative strengths and opportunities, evidence of a coherent strategy and attitude of abundance.

In addition to working as our regional economic development engine, TJPED is the administrator and fiscal agent for the Piedmont Workforce Network. The PWN mission is “linking resources and meeting employment needs” for the region. TJPED also hosts the Central Virginia Small Business Development Center. This center is much like the center that the Culpeper Department of Economic Development helps to support for the Culpeper area.

When it comes to the economic puzzle, TJPED is a critical part in developing economic opportunity in our region. The target markets report helped to frame the puzzle. Our localities now have the information, resources, and support to fill in their individual pieces with the strength of a regional catalyst, TJPED. Go to www.TJPED.com for more information.

Jim Charapich, President/CEO

Culpeper Chamber of Commerce

Culpeper Chamber very active and growing

Published in the Culpeper Star Exponent Monday, July 16, 2012

The Culpeper Chamber is now almost 550 members strong. Our members are very active and engaged in what we do. The Chamber office is often the face of the Chamber as we are the staff facilitating the requests and direction that the members want to go. However, as a member driven organization we are in a constant state of evaluation and improvement. In fact, there are many ships at sail under what may appear to be one large ship.

The Leadshare groups have been very busy this year as they are growing both in numbers individually as well as increasing the meeting times. I am really impressed with the benefits of the leadshare program. The obvious benefit is the exchange of business referrals. However, for a small business or a home based business there is not a better place to keep professional communication skills sharp and ready for the next opportunity.

The Young Professionals are active and growing. There are a number of signature activities that they have developed and grown throughout the year. The group will have a table at BIE Day reaching out to the young educators to join them. They will also host the Crab Feast on September 8th at Verdun Adventure Bound. It is as fun as it sounds… look for more info on the Chamber website.

The Pepper Open has an interesting problem this year. We are looking into adding an additional day of play due to the high interest in participation. Perhaps it has something to do with the new clubhouse and new golf carts at the Country Club of Culpeper. Or it could be the gift that we include in the player fees, the very sought after Dri-Fit golf shirt with the stylish Chamber logo on one sleeve, and the Nike Swoosh on the other. Yes, very cool – thank you Cintas…

We are working on the Annual Banquet held on November 8th. We look forward to awarding members and local business for their outstanding achievements in different categories. We have not released the name of our keynote speaker – we are working on a few amazing prospects. Stay tuned to the Chamber website for more exciting information.

There are several other projects that we are working on for the Fall. Planning has begun on several projects for 2013. The ships are always sailing forward and the seas are always exciting. Jump on board and join us at www.CulpeperChamber.com 

Jim Charapich, President/CEO
Culpeper Chamber of Commerce

Summer Fun in Culpeper

Published in the Culpeper Star Exponent Monday, July 9, 2012
Summer fun, and right here in your own back yard? We are all ambassadors for Culpeper in one way or another. The Chamber of Commerce staff sees firsthand the influence that you have on the world. We hear so often that visitors are here because they heard about our community from a friend or a relative and wanted to see what all of the buzz was about.

Our local economy relies partially on the visitors that come to Culpeper every day. They come for different experiences, world renowned restaurants, sophisticated shopping, antiquing, history, outdoors activities, or soon the State Theatre, to name a few. We are fortunate to hear it all at the Visitor Center. We are sometimes referred to as 411 Culpeper, because we get some of the most interesting questions…. LoL.

As much as we think that we have finally cornered all of the information that we need about our community, we are undoubtedly surprised by a new question. Thus, we pay close attention to the calendar of events on the Culpeper Tourism website www.VisitCulpeperVa.com for many of the Tourism related events. In addition, we maintain one of the longest standing online calendars in Culpeper at the Culpeper Chamber website www.CulpeperChamber.com. Listings on the Chamber calendar are free and easy to submit, however, we double check them for content before they are published. We also pay close attention to the Culpeper Star Exponent calendar of events. Among the three calendars, and a few others from time to time, we have most of what is going on in this busy community covered…

Whew… as I said, this is a constant effort but worth being able to give the information to the visitors about our community. In addition to visitors, we also answer many questions by those that live, work, and play in Culpeper. There is a great deal of satisfaction in offering friendly hospitality to locals and visitors alike.

Now, back to “Ambassadors.” We are all ambassadors, and in order to play this role well, you will need to do one very important activity. Yes, I am going to challenge you… Your first step is to come to the Visitor Center at the Depot. We have a wealth of information about what you can do in Culpeper.  Now here is The Challenge: In July, as you are thinking of vacation….take time to plan and experience a “Stay-cation” in Culpeper.

Take advantage of something new to you. Have you been to the Library of Congress for a movie? It is easy and it is free (and cool). You will want to tell 10 friends about it… now that is “Kool” because that is great for our economy. Have you been to the Cedar Mountain Battlefield? Try a walking tour with Virginia Morton sometime. It will change your view of Davis Street in Culpeper. Yes, they are connected in a big way…. See what I mean… Summer Fun right here in Culpeper. What will your next adventure be? See you a the Depot!!