The Shadow
HOT SPRINGS — The Bath County Chamber of Commerce hosted its 10th annual Membership Meeting and Business Appreciation Dinner at Garth Newel Music Center last Thursday, April 25.
Emcee for the evening and executive director of the chamber, Emily Fry, celebrated her five-year mark with the chamber with a program honoring the chamber members and their accomplishments throughout the year.
The nine volunteers who make up the chamber Board of Directors were recognized. They include Pam Stidham, Tom Richardson, Cara Major, Celine Pritt, Janet Seldomridge, Robin Mutscheller, Josh McDaniel, Kate Loeffler and Erica Doyle.
Leaving the board this year after serving two consecutive terms is John Loeffler of the Inn at Gristmill Square. The chamber thanked him for his service to the organization and will present him with a plaque to commemorate his time with them.
With a completely full house the chamber reached its cap at 128 attendees that make up the business community. Members enjoyed a buffet-style dinner by Executive Chef Josh Elliot and a short performance from Jeannette Fang and Teresa Ling of the Garth Newel Quartet.
The short membership meeting was followed by a recap of the chamber year in which they reported their success in offering one-on-one mentoring sessions with the SCORE program for businesses.
“This has proved to be a successful program that is open to the public and has served well in obtaining and helping new businesses owners get off the ground,” Fry said.
The chamber hosted 12 networking events, four events with educational components including the SCORE small business start-up workshops and one small scale fundraiser, specifically geared to the people and business of Bath County.
In addition, the chamber marked its 10th year hosting the Chamber Cascades Classic Golf Tournament and went out with a bang hosting the 15th and final Bath County Triathlon.
The chamber expanded its partnership with County of Bath Tourism with the lodging and dining group to hold monthly meetings with Mikula Harris, the new marketing firm for the county, to create better communications between the tourism office and its tourism partners. In addition, they launched a brand new website and membership database.
More recently, the chamber has been working on its newest fundraiser that will replace the annual triathlon, the “Do That” Festival.
The chamber hosted two ribbon cuttings for new businesses and welcomed 14 new members this year, all of which were recognized in the program.
Each year the chamber presents a Business of the Year award to a chamber business for its significant role in driving Bath County’s business community and economic growth.
To be considered for a Business of the Year award, the organization must be setting the standards for excellence and innovation with their business practices and community involvement.
The nominees for the 2019 Business of the year award were the Inn at Warm Springs & Tavern, Fry’s Property Management and Bacova Beer Company.
The first candidate, the Inn at Warm Springs and Tavern, is a full service inn and restaurant. Formerly the Warm Springs Inn, it is a registered historical property dating back to 1796 and began business as an inn sometime in 1835. In 2017, owners Jarek Mika and Travis Gordon bought the inn with hopes of reviving it as a hub for the community.
In April of 2018 they opened the restaurant counterpart to the inn, which offers a traditional authentic Virginia style dining experience with a menu infused and inspired by their chef’s European-style roots.
Since purchasing the inn, Jarek and Travis have put their heart and soul into renovating and updating the inn while preserving the historical culture of the property including an outdoor patio where the service and experience extends to the great outdoors with mountain views of the Warm Springs area and the natural hot springs.
The Inn at Warm Springs operates within the lodging and dining sector of the business community, bringing a new and different food experience to Bath County. It demonstrates a creative innovative approach to the food service industry by creating a place where the community feels at home, welcoming guests and locals alike to come together in a relaxed atmosphere right in their backdoor and celebrating a space with rich history and importance to the county.
Since opening the restaurant they now have 11 employees, most of whom are residents of Bath County.
The Inn promotes Bath County and supports business collaborations within the community by participating in those collaborations and creating new ones. Donating to local organizations is just a small part of the Inn at Warm Springs’ contributions to the thriving economy in Bath County.
They are a partner of the annual Plein Air Festival, Christmas Mother Program, Project Healing Waters and the upcoming We’re So Fly Festival. Last year they worked along with the Doris Via Foundation for a sale that benefited the foundation directly.
They are regular hosts and caterers of chamber events and functions, sponsors of major fundraisers and an important asset to membership. Long-term goals for the inn include opening a coffee shop and bakery, creating a community market and bringing the Three Hills Inn counterpart back to life.
“The Inn at Warm Springs is an example of economic development at its finest within our small community. Jarek and Travis have breathed new life into an important landmark and continue to deliver and expand their commitment to Bath County,” Fry said.
The second candidate, Fry’s Property Management, is a locally owned and operated property management service offering lawn care and grounds maintenance. Services include, but are not limited to, mowing, landscaping, fertilization, airification, snow , leaf and tree removal, light excavation commercial spraying and more.
Owner Alex Fry was born and raised in Millboro and started Fry’s Property Management in 2016, at just 22 years old.
Fry’s Property Management manages over 60 homes in Bath County, including two large homeowner’s associations in Hot Springs. They operate within the trades sector in the community employing anywhere from 5-7 full- and part-time employees throughout the year.
“The company is a prime example of job creation despite the odds of low employment rates within our community,” Fry said.
“Alex is among the growing population of young professionals in Bath County choosing to start their own business and stay rooted at home instead of working outside the area or moving to find better job opportunity. Young professionals such as himself are the future of economic development and future of family owned businesses,” she added.
Fry’s Property Management takes pride in partnering with local businesses and the greater community. They pride themselves in sub-contracting out work to local businesses instead of seeking help outside of Bath County. In addition, they support local organizations through partnerships and donations, including the Bath County Athletic Booster Club.
Fry’s Property Management has been a member of the chamber since starting the business and is a sponsor of many small chamber fundraisers.
They participate regularly in chamber after-hours events and help advocate on the importance on relationship building through chamber programs.
They have also helped volunteer at the Bath County Triathlon, and employees have lent a hand in helping move the chamber office several times over the past three years.
They have demonstrated exponential growth since the start of business from serving only one home owners association, with two part-time employees to expanding contracts all over Bath County with 5-7 employees and adding to their list of services to include landscaping and commercial spraying.
The goal of the company is to continue to create jobs, keep expanding the services offered and keep delivering excellent service to clients and properties here in Bath County.
“Fry’s Property Management is the very definition of family-owned as three generations of the family have worked for the business and have aided in its growth and success. They have been known to go out of the way to lend a helping hand to those in the community in need from removing deadfall out of yards after a storm or pulling a strangers car out of a ditch after a heavy snow,” Fry said.
The final candidate for business of the year was Bacova Beer Company, a small, family-run craft brewery. With the motto?“brewing truth, not trends,” owners Seth and Emily Ellis reject the idea that craft beer is just a trend.
Opening its taproom doors in downtown Hot Springs in November 2018, they are teaching the community that beer has been around in all its various styles and flavors for millennia.
Seth started brewing beer out of his home in 2008 and quickly gained his reputation in the Bath community with his tasty brews. Ten years later his dream came to life in the form of a big green heart as the first ever brewery in Bath County.
Operating in the hospitality sector of the community, Bacova Beer has filled the service gap of craft beer in the county. With seven beers on tap, live music on the weekends and food trucks to accompany, Bacova Beer has created an atmosphere that local community residents and tourists have been asking for to revive downtown Hot Springs.
They now employ two members of the community who help brew and in the tap room on weekends.
“Bacova beer since it’s opening less than six months ago has served as a hub for the community and a platform for partnerships of small businesses,” Fry said.
They debuted their beers during the Plein Air Festival for a night painting event and have worked with several state organizations for private parties.
They have partnered with local food providers such as Inn at Warm Springs, The Little Cheerful, Gristmill and even regional food services on weekends to bring diverse food options to the community and promote local business.
Ongoing promotions with The Inn at Gristmill Square, LCdO, Snead’s 1912 Steak and Subway are supported by keeping takeout menus in the brewery and allowing guests to bring in food to accompany their beers.
Long-term goals for the company include self-distribution to local restaurants with draft systems, distribution outside of Bath County, expanding employment opportunities as needed and overall being a catalyst for more businesses to open up in downtown Hot Springs.
They have already accomplished this with the coming of Michael’s Pizzeria right next door, to open soon. Bacova Beer has been a chamber member since opening and values the exposure that they have received from hosting chamber events and supporting its programs.
“They feel that the SCORE program was a great resource of validation of a solid business model for their success,” Fry said. “Social media marketing and word have mouth along with their premier location have served their marketing efforts well.”
“The community testifies that Bacova beer has provided as sense of community that they have been longing for,” Fry said.
Last year’s Business of the Year recipient, Shawn Puller of Garth Newel Music Center, presented the 2019 Business of the Year Award to Bacova Beer Company.
Seth and Emily Ellis, co-owners of Bacova Beer accepted the award with a thank-you speech to the community pointing out that the businesses in the room are indeed the backbone of the economy in Bath County.
The chamber expressed appreciation to all the sponsors of the evening and the members who support the chamber. They also congratulated the nominees and winner of Business of the Year.
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Seth and Emily Ellis, owners of Bacova Beer Company, received the 2019 Business of the Year award during the annual Bath County Chamber of Commerce Membership Meeting and Business Appreciation Dinner at Garth Newel Music Center. (Photo Courtesy Bath County Chamber of Commerce)
