Martinsville.com 2021 Engage, Enjoy, Expand in Martinsville – Henry County Applied Felts, Inc. - World’s Leading Felt Liner Manufacturer Drake Extrusion, Inc. - Supplier to the North American Automotive Industry Serenity Cabinets & Millwork - Old World Craftsmanship from Start to Finish Sponsored by the Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce CONSTRUCTION.COM Ahead of the Competition For over three quarters of a century, Frith Construction has been the “go to” industrial and commercial construction company in this region. We offer design/build, bid, and lease methodologies to satisfy the needs of our clients. From the drawing board to the bulldozer, from the concrete through the interior finishes, we complete your project both large and small ON TIME and ON BUDGET! We stake our reputation on it! COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL INSTITUTIONAL CHURCHES BANKS DISASTER Since 1945, Frith Construction has helped thousands of businesses in Virginia and North Carolina have the structures they need. They have included multi-story offices, warehouses with dozens of acres under one roof, attractive architectural showpieces, and highly complex manufacturing facilities. Frith Construction Company Phone: 276-632-7241 P.O. Drawer 5028 www.frithconstruction.com Martinsville, VA 24115 [email protected] CONTENTS 2 Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce What the Chamber Does for You 4 Sovah Health Shares These Tips Brighter Days Ahead: Staying Healthy in 2021 8 The Harvest Foundation 15 Resilience and Creativity 12 Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow K-12 Education in Martinsville-Henry County 15 MHC-PC Association of Realtors Hottest Pandemic Purchase 16 Martinsville Speedway A New Race Season 18 Our Organization Abundant with Business 22 Pathways to Healthy Living 23 Martinsville-Henry County’s Trails and Access Points 23 Smith River Sports Complex Perseveres Passed Covid-19 24 By the Numbers A Glimpse of Martinsville-Henry County 25 Move to Martinsville Something for Everyone 27 Jim Frith Q&A Culmination of Great Substance 30 Flourishing During the Pandemic 30 Growth and Expansion 34 Blue Ridge Regional Airport Editors: Vision of Growth Kimberly Keller, Sharon Shepherd and Lisa Watkins 35 Commonwealth Crossing Open and Ready for Business Contributors: 36 Biz Briefs • Sovah Health Martinsville 44 Chamber Champions • Latala Hodges - The Harvest Foundation 45 Chamber Membership Directory • Houston Stutz – Smith River Sports Complex • Brent Gambill – Martinsville Speedway Graphic • Beth Designer: Deatherage - Momenta Printing by: Angela Poole - Angela’s Graphx Discover MHCSanwell is the Martinsville Printing Company – Henry County Chamber of Commerce’s annual community magazine. For additional information, contact the Chamber, 276.632.6401 or [email protected]. 115 Broad Street phone 276.632.6401 P.O. Box 709 fax 276.632.5059 Martinsville, VA 24112 [email protected] 1 Discover MHC Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce What the Chamber Does For You... REFERRALS—MARKETING—BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT—RIBBON CUTTINGS— • NETWORKING—WORKSHOPS—ADVOCACYNETWORKING Acts as your salesperson every day as we promote the Martinsville and Henry County Because Chamber members want to develop new business contacts and prospects, the Chamber offers Business After Area. This includes maps, brochures, guides Hours. Members gather at different host locations to relax in • and our annual Discover MHC magazine. an informal setting to spread the word about your business or RIBBON CUTTINGS Validates that you are an involved business, organization. working to make Martinsville and Henry • County a better place to Engage-Enjoy-Expand. The Chamber stands ready to assist members with ribbon cut- tings,VALIDATION grand opening events and open houses. Keeps you informed of Chamber and membership • events through eblasts and Facebook. Your business or organization can proudly display your mem- Provide workshops and seminars addressing bershipREFERRAL decal representing SERVICES a united business front. a host of employer business-related topics • and issues. The Chamber serves as an extended marketing team for its membership. The numerous daily requests for information on Is your voice when needed to represent the products, services or vendors are referred only to Chamber business community on local, state and federal members.BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT • issues. Helps impact your future by involving participants The Chamber partners with the PHCC, Longwood Business from an array of professions in many Development Center, SCORE, the EDC, City, County and others hours of planning and working to shape the to assist businesses in their training and resource needs. • future of Martinsville and Henry County. Answers your mail and phone calls by responding to all requests for information on products and services • offered by Chamber membership. 115 Broad Street—P.O. Box 709 Offers advertising services such as opportunities Martinsville, VA 24114 to sponsor events and programs, directory 276/632-6401 ads, eblasts, Facebook and on one [email protected] of the Chamber’s TV shows. www.martinsville.com 2 Discover MHC Letter Chamber Officers Lisa Watkins Anne Jacobsen-Smith President Vice Chair Government Affairs from the Hooker Furniture Blake Collins Chairman Jay Dickens President... Martinsville Speedway Vice Chair Organizational Improvement The Lester Group Charles Whitfield Immediate Past Chair Mary Handy Charis Transportation Secretary/Treasurer not been an easy one Stifel Bren Hankins The past year has Vice Chair Membership Development both personally and Mountain Valley Hospice & for our community, Palliative Care economically, and Chamber Directors yet, Martinsville and Dave Baker William Kirby (Bill) Henry County are Bassett Furniture Industries American National Bank resilient. Upon an Chief Eddie Cassady Dr. Jephat LeGrant order from Governor Martinsville City Police Department LeGrant Back & Neck Pain Center Ralph Northam, Jimmy Cockram Karen Pratt the onset of COVID- Nilit America Carter Bank & Trust 19 saw businesses Wayne Draper Susan Sabin Right Now Remediation, The Spencer-Penn Centre close, citizens lose their jobs or have their hours Restoration & Repair cut, employees working from home, schools David Swisher LaDonna Hairston Appalachian Power Company going virtual and restaurants offering to go only. Performance 276 Joni Temple MHC came together to take care of our residents Monica Hatchett AmeriStaff, Inc. and businesses. Organizations implemented Henry County Public Schools grant opportunities, childcare assistance was offered, food insecurities were addressed, and a concentration was given to healthcare needs. As you read Discover MHC 2021, you will see what Chamber Staff was done to help the residents and businesses of MHC. Hopefully, it will make you proud to call Martinsville and Henry County home! COVID-19 was no match for MHC. Our community proved its resiliency, and I am proud to highlight some of these accomplishments in Discover MHC. Facility and office expansions, technology upgrades, a “best of the best” award, and a “can do attitude” are some of what you will read about in the enclosed articles. Over $10 million was invested in Martinsville and Henry County, employment opportunities were created, and buildings were repurposed.Lisa Watkins President, Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce Lisa Watkins – President, Sharon Shepherd – Deputy Director, Kimberly Keller – Uptown Entrepreneurial Development Manager 3 Martinsville.com Brighter Days Ahead: Staying Healthy in 2021 Sovah Health shares these tips e are privileged to call the WMartinsville area home and serve as a leader in this community through advancing our mission of Making Communities Healthier. That mission has never been more vital to the health and well-being of our community than it was 2020 and continues stepsto be thisto year. When we saw that COVID-19 was preparebeginning to spread overseas, we began taking our facility before the virus was even detected in the United States. We implemented our robust emergency operations plan and executed it down to the final detail to keep our patients, providers, employees and community members safe. Every member of our team was ready to step up to the challenge of caring for our patients, and we saw our providers, employees and staff come together like never before. As we look ahead, there is certainly much to be hopeful for in the light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As more effective treatments have been instituted and with exceptionally effective vaccines on the way, we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Even so, it is still essential to our health and the health of others that we continue to do all we physically can to stop the spread of this disease – by continuing Sovah Health Emergency Room Care Team to wear our masks, maintaining social distancing and practicing good hand hygiene – until the pandemic is safely at an end. (L to R) Lauren Yates, Taylor Hampton, and Caitlin Lacy In addition to these essential precautions, there are a few key things that can help you get and stay healthy for 2021 and beyond. If you are looking to take better care of yourself this year, these tips are a great place to start. After all, there’s no better time to focus on your Eatinghealth than Healthy right now. There’s a reason why healthy eating is always mentioned as a big contributor to your health. Because it’s true. Healthy eating can reduce your risk of illnesses like heart disease, diabetes and cancer. It can