December events scheduled by the Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce include Virtual Annual Meeting, December 8, and Virtual Pink Bag Luncheon, December 10. For registration and additional information, go to www.virginiapeninsulachamber.com/events/calendar.



Top October agents for CENTURY 21 Nachman Realty’s Peninsula office were Donna Bösze, top listing agent; Theresa Ashberry, top selling, closing and producing agent; and Patrizia Ridout and Theresa Ashberry, top referring agents.
Doug Hockaday has been named an executive search consultant with the Lee Group Search. Hockaday will specialize in partnering with companies nationwide to recruit the talent necessary to grow their business operations. A Yorktown native, Hockaday will recruit professionals for leadership positions at the corporate, regional and operations level. He will collaborate with multiple industries, including those in engineering, plastics, chemical, consumer products, food and beverage, automotive and aerospace.
Tidewater Physicians Multispecialty Group (TPMG) provides the full spectrum of spine care with its new TPMG Comprehensive Spine Center (CSC), designed to improve the efficiency and quality of treatment for patients suffering from spine pain. With locations in Williamsburg and Newport News, CSC is a collaboration among orthopedic specialists Drs. Shane McGowan, Jeffrey Moore, Lara Quinlan and Michael Potter, and pain management specialists Drs. Christopher Dawson and Mark Newman.
Joe S. Frank, former mayor of Newport News (right), was honored by Newport News City Council with a plaque that has been installed on the Warwick Boulevard bridge over Mariners’ Lake. The plaque reads, “This bridge, named in honor of Joe S. Frank, Mayor, City of Newport News, 1996 – 2010. The city’s first directly elected Mayor. Dedicated October 2020.” Mayor McKinley L. Price presented the plaque. Mayor Frank served on Newport News City Council for a total of 22 years, including two terms as vice mayor and 14 years as mayor. The newly replaced bridge connects to the Mariners’ Museum multi-purpose trail and is perfect for walking and biking.
Langley For Families Foundation approved $207,590 in third quarter grants going to 27 nonprofit organizations across Hampton Roads. Gloucester Mathews Care Clinic and Lackey Clinic were among those receiving funding this quarter. These clinics provide vital medical services to uninsured and underinsured community members. The other organizations include Avalon Center, Big Brother Big Sisters Services, Bon Secours Mary Immaculate Foundation, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Virginia Peninsula, Children’s Assistive Technology Services, Children’s Harbor, Elf Patrol, Fear 2 Freedom, Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore, Gloucester Housing Partnership, Housing Development Corporation of Hampton Roads, Lake Taylor Transitional Care Hospital Foundation, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Virginia, LGBT Life Center, Natasha House, Rock Solid Foundation, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Norfolk, St. Mary’s Home for Disabled Children, Starbase Victory, Transitions Family Violence Services, VersAbility Resources, Virginia Beach Justice Initiative, Williamsburg House of Mercy, York County Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization and Youth Challenge. The foundation also donated $10,000 to support the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Hampton Roads.
DF Ventures, a business unit of Drucker + Falk, acquired 720 Thimble Shoals Boulevard in September. Michael Shapiro of DF Commercial represented the buyer, and Peter Abraham of Harvey Lindsay represented the seller on the purchase and sale. Built in 1991, 720 Thimble Shoals Boulevard is a 48 percent leased 77,377 square foot office/warehouse property. DF Ventures plans to renovate and modernize the vacant space, enhancing curb appeal and leasing the vacancies.
Holly Koons has been named the inaugural executive director of the new Christopher Newport University Fine Arts Center that will open in 2021. Koons began her position in October. Former executive director of the Arlington Arts Center, Koons has amassed 20 years of experience in nonprofit visual arts curation and management. Her career includes key positions with the Greater Reston (Virginia) Arts Center and the Telfair Museums in Savannah, Georgia. Raised in Georgia, she holds a BA from the University of Georgia in English and art history, and a MA in art history from the University of Notre Dame.
Sydney Battle has joined Newport News Visitor Center as a part-time travel counselor. Battle is part of a team of travel counselors responsible for providing tourism information to visitors, using maps to give directions, selling gift-shop merchandise, answering phone inquiries, proofing promotional materials and assisting with data entry. A 2017 graduate of Hampton University, Battle earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. A native of California, she worked for three years as a part-time recreation specialist with the special events division of Newport News Parks, Recreation and Tourism. She also assisted Newport News libraries with its social media management and worked as a volunteer coordinator assistant for the One City Marathon in 2018 and 2019.
Criner Remodeling, a design-build remodeling contractor serving the Peninsula for 43 years, has received the National 2020 Master Design Award from Qualified Remodeling magazine. Criner Remodeling won the Gold Award for detached structure, for its work in designing and building a pool house overlooking the water in Hampton. The 2020 Master Design Award winners come from throughout the U.S. and collectively, represent the finest remodeling solutions. Criner Remodeling has been featured for winning the award and in an additional article for being one of the best designed projects. Articles can be viewed at qualifiedremodeler.com/designers-notebook-artful-combination, and qualifiedremodeler.com/detached-structure-10/ Shown here accepting the award are (from left) Paul Criner CGR CAPS, Robert Criner GMR CAPS and Ben Rooker, the design team for Criner Remodeling that developed and executed the project.
The Salvation Army Virginia Peninsula Corps is starting its annual holiday fundraising campaign early across the country in order to rescue Christmas. The funds raised through the organization’s iconic red kettles are at risk this year due to COVID-19, while requests for services are at an all-time high. Shown here are dedicated bell ringers Mike (“Yaz”) Yazkowsky, left, chairman of the Salvation Army of the Peninsula board of advisors, and Jim Mears, chairman of the board’s Christmas committee. Individuals or companies willing to volunteer should call Jim Colston, operations, at 757-838-4875, ext. 404 or email jim.colston@uss.salvationarmy.org.
Riverside Health System received the 2020 Digital Health Most Wired recognition as a certified level 9 from the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives. The annual survey assesses how effectively healthcare organizations apply core and advanced technologies into their clinical and business programs to improve health and care in their communities. This is the 16th consecutive year Riverside has received this Most Wired recognition, and it is the only health system based in Virginia to earn level 9 certification in any of the 2020 surveys. It is also one of only seven systems nationwide to achieve level 9 certification for long-term care.
Sharon Martin, president of the Rotary Club of Warwick at City Center, presented a $500 donation check on behalf of The Warwick Rotary Foundation and the Warwick Rotary Club to the Colonial Virginia Council of the Boy Scouts of America and in recognition of the 2020 World Polio Day. Accepting the check is Zachary Oman, field director and chief operating officer of the Colonial Virginia Council of the Boy Scouts of America. The club contributed $500 to Polio Plus as part of its commitment to eradicate polio for good.
The Club is helping to promote a cleaner environment by participating in the Plastic Bag Recycling Program at Virginia Living Museum (VLM). The Club drops off plastic bags at its weekly breakfast meeting held at VLM and through a partnership with TREX, the collection of plastic bags and film allows the museum to be awarded composite benches for its efforts. The recycled plastic is transformed into a wood-alternative composite and used for each bench. The museum’s first TREX bench was dedicated to the club and placed in the Conservation Gardens. The Club has enabled two more bench donations and to date the museum has removed 4,000 pounds of single use plastic from the waste stream.
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