Mark Smith of Midas of Richmond Photo by Ash Daniel
Best Local Business Spokesperson Mark Smith, Midas of Richmond Visit midas.com for locations. You probably know Mark Smith as the franchise owner of Midas of Richmond from his radio and TV presence, but he also works with numerous charities throughout the area, including Virginia Blood Service, Deep Run High School's Dance Marathon and FeedMore. "I always tell people that nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something. You need to find something that turns you on and go for it," Smith says. "I think we can all change the world in a big or small way." 2. Hugh Joyce of James River Air Conditioning 3. Mac Mac for Auto Connection
2013 Best & Worst
Best Homegrown Company Hardywood Park Craft Brewery 2408 Ownby Lane, 420-2420 Hardywood Park Craft Brewery co-founder Patrick Murtaugh says he wants his brewery to "invigorate and ingrain" itself in the culture of Richmond. By using local ingredients and sustainable energy to produce quirky selections like Virginia blackberry and pumpkin beers, they've been doing very well. Their most Richmond product? The RVA IPA made from hops grown by farmers around the city. 2. Goochland Drive-In Theater 3. Ukrop's Homestyle Foods Best Corporate Citizen Ukrop family Though Ukrop's grocery stores were sold to Dutch-based conglomerate Ahold several years ago, Ukrop's Homestyle Foods is still going strong, and the Ukrop family has remained active in the region by generously supporting a number of organizations, including Richmond Sports Backers, Richmond Public Schools and the Greater Richmond Aquatics Partnership. "We've been really blessed with the ability to give back to the area," says Bobby Ukrop. 2. Dominion Resources 3. Capital One Best Local Brand That's Still in Business C.F. Sauer Co. Conrad Frederick Sauer began producing vanilla extract on his 21st birthday in 1887. Though the business has expanded beyond Richmond and offers a wide array of spices and flavorings, their recipe for vanilla extract has remained the same. "The company has achieved longevity because of family values and the integrity of the four Sauer brothers that manage the company now," says Brand Manager Erin Hatcher. 2. Ukrop's Homestyle Foods 3. Legend Brewing Co. Local Company That Makes Best Use of Social Media Goochland Drive-In Theater 4344 Old Fredericksburg Road, 457-3456 Instead of spending huge sums on radio or TV ads, Goochland Drive-In Theater owner John Heidel uses Facebook to interact with moviegoers. "The best advertising is word of mouth, and Facebook is purely word of mouth," Heidel says. And there are a lot of people talking: The Drive-In has more than 25,000 fans, and he hopes to add another 5,000 by the end of the year. 2. Shyndigz 3. Hardywood Park Craft Brewery Business That Should Come to Richmond Wegmans Is Richmond next after Wegmans opens its store in Charlottesville in 2015? The company only opens two or three stores annually, so will 2016 be our year? Oh, yeah, the family-owned, Rochester-based Wegmans was the preferred market of the characters from The Office. 2. Ikea 3. Harris Teeter Best Green-Focused Local Company Ellwood Thompson's Local Market 4 N. Thompson St., 359-7525 Most people in the 21st century eat bananas grown in Florida, drink coffee from South America and grill beef from the Midwest, but Ellwood Thompson's Local Market sources almost all of their products within 100 miles of Richmond. Doing so requires less packaging and fuel for transport. "The benefits of eating food from sustainable local farms encompass a huge range of environmental and health factors," says Marketing Manager Becky Crump. 2. (Tie) Raising Green Kids and Relay Foods 3. Farm to Family
