Tidbits – June 2019

Danielle Toms has joined CENTURY 21 Nachman Realty. Originally from Washington, Toms moved to Virginia in 1991, when she joined the U. S. Army. A graduate of Saint Leo University with a degree in human resources management, Toms will be handling residential sales.


Taylor Made Diagnostics has opened a new occupational health service at 803 Diligence Drive. The business offers both in-office or mobile-onsite services, including pre-employment testing, regulatory exams, Department of Transportation (DOT) and non-DOT drug and alcohol testing, hearing surveillance, respirator fit testing and hazardous exposure surveillance. Caroline Taylor, owner, has been operating this award winning small, woman-owned business and occupational medicine practice in Chesapeake since 1995.


Millie B’s Desserts is located in the Melville Building in Port Warwick. Mildred L. Byrd is owner of the business. A former elementary school principal in Fremont, California, Byrd received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Virginia State College, her Master of Arts degree from San Jose State University and her Administrative Credential from National University of San Jose. Now in retirement, she is baking cinnamon rolls and pound cakes for her customers. Phone number for Millie B’s Desserts is 757-726-7175; email is milbreaca1927@gmail.com.


Chris L. Bowman has been appointed by Hampton City Council to the Hampton-Newport News Community Service Board. Bowman worked in mental health for 20 years with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services at Eastern State Hospital. He has a master’s degree in public administration and is a Virginia Licensed Nursing Home Administrator.


Upon her return from Panama, Warwick at City Center Rotary Club member Leslie Borwick shared information with other members about her bridge-building project, a joint venture between Bridges to Prosperity and Rotary International.

Sylvia Weinstein, Oyster Pointer publisher and editor, (center) was recognized and presented with flowers by Sharon Martin,left, club member, and Davetta Rinehart, club president, for her long-time support of the club.

Club members Carol Davanay, left, and Davetta Rinehart, right, were presented with their Paul Harris+3 pins by Carol Chamberlain, club foundation chair.


W.M. Jordan and Warwick Mechanical held their second annual Building Community, Demolishing Hunger Food and Fund Drive for the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank. This friendly competition provided the equivalent of more than 76,500 meals to the community, compared with 50,300 meals last year.


Virginia Peninsula Foodbank (VPFB) was a big winner at the 4th Annual Food Lion FEEDY awards at Food Lion corporate headquarters in Salisbury, N.C. In addition to be awarded a grant for its Child Nutrition programs, VPFB was awarded a grant to expand its hunger relief efforts for the military community and was randomly selected out of the foodbanks in attendance to receive $10,000. Celebrating the receipt of the awards are Craig Gallaer, grants and direct marketing manager: Karen Joyner, VPFB CEO; Jacquelyn Linder, VPFB director of nutrition programs; and Donna Tighe, VPFB director of development.


Peninsula Sports Club recognized Connie Minnick, Doug Roper and Larry Hagen for their years of service to Peninsula student athletes. Awards were presented by Bud Porter, long-time member, and Sonny Seay, club president. Pictured are (from left) Seay, Minnick, Roper, Hagen and Porter.


Garrett Realty Partners is the new name of Greg Garrett Realty’s 34-year-old real estate business. This name change reflects the company’s agent-centered approach to the real estate industry as it focuses on building the future of its agents and employees. The company has been actively hiring new and experienced talent while promoting individuals within who are eager to change the real estate industry in Hampton Roads. Garrett Realty Partners has opened additional offices to serve the Williamsburg and Virginia Beach markets. Playing significant roles in the business are (left to right) Collin McDowell, vice president/partner; Garrett, founder and CEO; Lindsay Pennington, managing broker; and Adam Triplett, vice president/partner.


Boys & Girls Clubs of the Virginia Peninsula (BGCVP) named Satinika Perrin from the Marshall Courts Club as 2019 Youth of the Year at its 31st Annual Steak ’n’ Burger Dinner in March. Perrin was selected from among 5,500 club members and three other finalists — Amere Langley, Carleah Johnson and Destini Bryant. Representing BGCVP in Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Youth of the Year Contest, she competed with 13 representatives from clubs across Virginia and DC and finished as first runner-up. Perrin, a senior at Achievable Dream High School, plans to attend college to seek a degree in developmental psychology and social work. Attending the recognition are (from left) McKinley Price, Newport News Mayor; Perrin; Scott Russell, Ferguson’s senior vice president of category management (and BGC Board Member); Walida Hooker, club director; and Jakala Bellamy, 2018 Youth of the Year and emcee for the night.


Boys & Girls Clubs of the Virginia Peninsula (BGCVP) and Kroger have partnered in support of the BGCVP’s Eat SMART Program, the feeding initiative that provides nutritionally balanced meals and snacks to kids and teens during their out of school time at the clubs. More than 900 meals and snacks are served daily. This partnership was guided by Kroger’s Zero Hunger | Zero Waste initiative, a national effort aimed at ending hunger in the communities Kroger calls home and eliminating waste across the company by 2025. The partnership focuses on health and life skills, one of BGCVP’s five core program areas.


David I. Cohen, M.D. has been named vice president and chief medical officer for Riverside Regional Medical Center. Certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine, Cohen comes to Riverside from Arizona, where he most recently served as chief medical officer at Banner Baywood Medical Center. He earned his undergraduate degree at Duke University and studied medicine at Northwestern University Medical School before completing a general surgery internship at Rush Presbyterian–St. Luke’s Medical Center and an emergency medicine residency at the University of Chicago. Riverside Regional Medical Center is the only hospital in the Peninsula region to maintain a Comprehensive Stroke Center designation, a Level III neonatal intensive care unit (offering mechanical ventilation, access to pediatric specialists, imaging capabilities, and surgeries requiring anesthesia) and Level II Trauma Center.


Kate Parkinson
Brandi Jancaitis
Gary Lloyd

Riverside Health System is expanding its Operation Family Caregiver (OFC) program statewide, following the addition of certified caregiver coach Kate Parkinson. OFC, a collaboration between the Riverside Center for Excellence in Aging and Lifelong Health and the Virginia Department of Veterans Services, provides coaching and support programs at no cost to caregivers of newly returning service members and veterans across the Commonwealth. Parkinson, a U.S. Air Force Veteran, serves as service coordinator of the Christian Village of Eastern Virginia and has spent more than two years with Hampton Roads Neuropsychology. Other certified coaches on the OFC team include Brandi Jancaitis, a military spouse who earned a Master of Public Health degree from Virginia Commonwealth University; and Gary Lloyd, a licensed professional counselor and retired Naval Flight Officer.


Newport News Redevelopment and Housing Authority (NNRHA) has been awarded $4,053,812 in Capital Grand funding from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for use during the fiscal year ending in 2020. This funding supports the capital needs of public housing and allows for development of new affordable housing. NNRHA will continue the renovations of Marshall Courts and support initiatives of the Choice Neighborhood Implementation Plan. Karen R. Wilds is NNRHA executive director.


Newport News Tourism received a Virgo Travel and Tourism Award for its nomination of 4 Taps 4 Cities in the Regional Marketing Initiative category. This category was created to showcase two or more cities that work together to establish a campaign marketing the region as a whole. Newport News Tourism developed 4 Taps 4 Cities as a sub-trail of the Toast the Coast: Beer, Wine and Shine Trail, which stretches from New Kent County to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. 4 Taps 4 Cities was created to introduce craft beverage enthusiasts to Newport News, Hampton, Williamsburg and Smithfield.


Kimi Dornan
Carla Stokes
Chris Pray

Top April agents for CENTURY 21 Nachman Realty’s Peninsula Office were Kimi Dornan, top listing agent; Carla Stokes, top selling and top producing agent; and Chris Pray, top closing agent.


Patrick Banks
Philip Richard

Patrick Banks and Philip Richard have each been appointed senior vice president and relationship manager of Old Point National Bank’s real estate finance team. Banks brings 20 years of business lending and banking experience in Hampton Roads. Richard has more than 20 years of commercial lending and banking experience.