Vote For 2024 Businesses of the Year

Non-Profits:

• Grandparents As Parents (GAP) of Shenandoah County is a Grandparent/Caregiver Support Group operating for the past six years. They work with 63 families with 80 children and meet monthly. It is an opportunity to meet other caregivers and to learn about resources available in our area. Free childcare is provided, and it gives the children the opportunity to establish new friendships with kids in similar situations to their own.

• Shen-Paco Industries proudly celebrated 50 years of dedicated service to individuals with disabilities in the Shenandoah Valley this year. This year, with 90 clients they focused on increasing visibility in Shenandoah County, introducing residents and businesses to their impactful services, including secure document shredding, janitorial services, and meaningful employment opportunities for adults with disabilities. Their day programs and group homes continue to provide enriching experiences, fostering independence and inclusivity for their participants.

• Shenandoah Community Foundation is celebrating 25 years of connecting people who care with causes that matter, providing more than $5 million in grants and scholarships to local nonprofits and students since 1999. This year, the Community Foundation gave $150,000 to Shenandoah County Public Schools to update their sound systems and contributed matching funds to the Giving Tuesday campaign facilitated by the Shenandoah County Chamber. The Community Foundation is honored to work with generous individuals and organizations to create opportunities for them to make an impact today and create lasting legacies in our community. 

Tourism:

• Jon Henry General Store has revitalized 4 structures in Downtown New Market centered around local food with its 200+ local suppliers. The shop welcomes over 60,000 customers throughout the year with their monthly Bacon Bonanzas drawing hundreds of folks from as far as Tennessee, West VA, Pennsylvania, NY, Ohio, and further. Many families drive hours to snag deals on everything from pumpkins to pork butt. The shop's recent installation of 6 EV Car Chargers anchors visitors to Main Street as they're left to wander, shop, eat, and drink waiting for their batteries to charge. The store continues to receive local and national recognition for its work feeding families like reinvesting $85k into free local produce giveaways alongside the local 7 Day Adventist Churches. The shop sponsors many local culture events.

• Shenandoah County Fair For more than a century, the Shenandoah County Fair, the oldest of its kind in the Shenandoah Valley, has attracted thousands of visitors. The annual Fair, hosting motorsport events, concerts and an array of Open & 4H/FFA Livestock events and shows,  is held the week prior to Labor Day each year.  Harness races are held during fair week and on spring and fall weekends. The annual Christmas in the Valley holiday light show brightens each Holiday season. From rock concerts to wedding receptions, motorsport events to private parties, there is always something for everyone at the Shenandoah County Fairgrounds!

• Wolf Gap Vineyard & Winery is known for its breathtaking views of the Shenandoah Valley and award-winning wines, this family-owned vineyard has become a cornerstone of the local tourism scene. Wolf Gap Vineyard goes above and beyond in creating memorable moments for its guests. Hosting an incredible 100 live music shows annually and welcoming over 20,000 visitors in 2024—more than half of whom traveled from outside the Valley—it has solidified its place as a hub for community and culture. Recognized nationally, the vineyard was voted #1 Best Winery Tour in America by Newsweek and has already earned four Gold Medals for its exceptional wines this year. They have a commitment to hospitality and regional pride. Visitors can enjoy intimate tastings, revel in the vibrant music scene, or simply relax amidst panoramic views that showcase the Shenandoah Valley. 

Young Professional:

• Olivia Hilton serves as the Town Manager of Mount Jackson. One facet of her role is developing quality of life initiatives with a dual focus of community engagement and business development. She is spearheading the Master Park & Pedestrian Connectivity Plan, improving river access, long term community planning, beautification, and brand creation. She has received over $500,000 in grant funding in ShenCo and Mount Jackson's green spaces have grown by 20 acres. Olivia is currently working on her doctorate in Strategic Leadership from James Madison University. She earned a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from JMU, a B.S. in Public Relations and a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Radford University. She is a member of the Board of Directors for ELGL - ‘Engaging Local Government Leaders’ - an international nonprofit, a Board Member for CREW Community Center, and a Rotarian. She was a graduate of the Virginia Women’s Municipal Leadership Institute in 2024 and the Chamber's Leadership Shenandoah class of 2019. 

• Ashley Proctor is the Marketing and Event Manager for Shenandoah Caverns, The Yellow Barn and American Celebration on Parade. She's a Leadership Shenandoah County Graduate. In addition to her work duties she is a wedding planner and has helped coordinate and volunteered for “A Night to Shine”, the Pregnancy Center’s Annual Banquet, the Lincoln Reagan Dinner, and the Furry Friends Animal Rescue dance and many Chamber functions. She has helped coordinate high school proms for both public and homeschools and the Shenandoah Scholars banquet. This year she created a Trunk or Treat event for local children and had over 500 people attend.

• Tracey Jenkins is the Banking Center Manager for First Bank in Woodstock. As an active member of the Chamber she currently Chairs the Ambassadors, is a Co-Chair of the Annual Awards Party,  and was the Lead Share Woodstock Chair from 2021-2024. She's active in the Woodstock Rotary Club as the Assistant Secretary and Chairs the Shrimp & Catfish committee, and serves on the Community Funding committee. Tracey is a Graduate of the Chamber's Leadership Shenandoah County program and the Virginia School of Bank Management.

Home-Based:

• Angie Renee Photography is more than just capturing moments, she empowers businesses, celebrates milestones, and weaves the visual tapestry of our vibrant Shenandoah community in her work. Owner Angie Vann uses her talents and services free of charge for many local nonprofit organizations and businesses to include the Shenandoah County Pregnancy Center's volunteer appreciation and marketing materials, Theatre Shenandoah, the Chamber's Annual Awards, Valor Awards, Women's Leadership, and the Young Entrepreneurs Market. She's an active Chamber member and graduate of the Leadership Shenandoah County program. Her business growth has outperformed expectations this year capturing headshots for the Board of Supervisors, Police Departments, high school senior portraits, Shenandoah County Young Farmers Truck & Tractor Pull, new building images for George's and Seven Bends Aesthetics, Rev-Up ShenCo and Woofstock just to name a few she works with. 

• Fieldsmith Home Arts, which began in 2019 by Bev Butterfield, is a cooking and home arts school. Fieldsmith promotes the value of supporting local agriculture and eating healthy. Bev participates in team teaching classes with other local small businesses, such as the recent “Get Your Party On”, where she was joined in demonstrations and sales of handmade products by 8 other local vendors. In addition, she offers classes to learn to use seasonal produce, working in partnership with Jon Henry General Store. Fieldsmith hosts numerous Corporate Retreats for team building, Adult Birthday parties, bridal showers, supper clubs, as well as classes for the general public. Bev is very active in our community serving on the Shenandoah Community Foundation; Economic Development Authority, representing the Southern end of the County; hosted monthly community lectures for adults at the New Market Library for past 13 years; and active in the Rotary Club of Woodstock.

• Shenandoah Valley Productions, LLC (SVP) has provided online creative services for over ten years, and is owned and operated by Hank Zimmerman, whose record of innovative work and community involvement spans decades in Shenandoah County. The company has developed and currently maintains highly-customized websites for the Shenandoah County Fair and Shenandoah Downs. Video production services include marketing videos for tourism-related organizations, as well as special-purpose video productions, for Autumnfest, Response, Inc., and Shenandoah County Pregnancy Center. Most recently, SVP produced a 25th Anniversary video for the Shenandoah County Community Foundation. Hank is heavily involved in community service with the Shenandoah County Historical Society, the Fort Valley Ruritan Club, and the Woodstock Rotary Club. 

Small Business:

• AD Engineering's 2024 business achievements include increasing their full-time time employees from 2.5 to 12, with the original business plan to be 25 within 5 years. They grew revenue from 0 to over $2M, they designed in-house equipment and maxed out their original production capacity, doubling anticipated volume which led to installing a second manufacturing line ahead of schedule. They are a recipient of the VEDP - Economic Gardening Program and the VJIP for training funds for new employees. AD Engineering received recognition from Governor Youngkin for economic development, manufacturing innovations, and job creation and have now expanded into multi-state markets. AD is SWaM Certified and hosts Interns from Broadway High School and Blue Ridge Community College.

• Box Office Brewery has been instrumental in revitalizing the Downtown of Strasburg. They support and participate in the annual Mayfest and Christmas Holiday Parade, Mayfest Heels & Hops and Duck Race events, Vintage in the Valley and most recently, a Sponsor for the first Tumbling Run Rodeo. Also in 2024, they participated in the Town Scarecrow Stroll and Strasburg Business Alliance Frosty Frenzy and Open House. They support many local non-profits, including the Strasburg Community Library with assistance for the flooding of their basement, the Strasburg Museum and the Strasburg Express Valley Baseball team. They often donate to the local schools. Box Office has been awarded the NVDAILY Best of Shenandoah County for Brewery, Wings, Live Entertainment Venue, Happy Hour, and Sports Bar for 4 Straight Years. They host live music every Friday & Saturday Night. They host a Young Performers Open Mic Night every month where school age youngsters get to perform their talents on stage. They also provide food to the local Fire & Rescue personnel on occasions. Box Office Brewery employs 22 employees which includes bartenders, servers and kitchen staff ranging in age from 16 to 65 years of age.

• Muse Vineyards had a very busy 2024 which included building an addition to the winery (production facility) which doubles their capacity. They were honored to be chosen as a recipient of a grant from the US Department of Agriculture's  Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) to install a renewable energy system (solar) for the winery and tasting room which will help them to be a sustainable and environment friendly business in the County. They were chosen for the second year as the best Vineyard/Winery of the year in the Northern Virginia Daily competition. In November they won the Shenandoah Cup Wine Competition with their Erato. Muse is a proud supporter and sponsor of the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life, Blue Ridge Hospice's Paws & Purrs program, the Friends of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River, the Potomac Riverkeeper Network, and the  Seven Bends State Park. Together with the Woodstock Brewhouse, they created a new beer from Petit Verdot grape juice called Monarch's Muse and continue to donate a percentage of the sales of the beer to support the pollinator habitat at Seven Bends Park. Sales of Seven Bends wine from Muse Vineyards supports Friends of the North Fork.  Muse is a Chamber Annual Sponsor and owner Sally is an active member of the Rotary Club of Woodstock. 

• Flour & Water continued to flourish on Main St. in Woodstock in 2024! Not only did the bakery see 10% growth YOY, they launched several new offerings including; daily hot lunch specials, winter wine dinner series, continued community partnerships and collaborations and our Summer Supper series which launched their full time Friday Supper offering with expanded hours. Their culinary reach, which now includes Wholesale, goes to 9 cafes, restaurants and vineyards from Luray to Winchester and into Upperville. They collaborate with various community business partners on events like our Ladies Nite Out with The ButterCup, Dinner Events with Cave Ridge Vineyards, and most recently a holiday entertaining event with Fieldsmith Home Arts and Muse Vineyards. Additionally, they participated in various Woodstock Enhancement events throughout the year including WoodsTaco where they won Best Dessert Taco, Showmanship and People’s Choice honors. For four years straight they were awarded Best Bakery by the Northern Virginia Daily and were runners up in Coffeehouse and Pizza categories. We continue to be dedicated to supporting various causes in our community through partnerships and events with organizations like PFLAG and Response and sponsorships of various sports, music and civic organizations throughout the county. They are proud to support a full kitchen staff of 18 from Triplett Tech alumni! 

• George's is a family-owned and operated business, with Core Values that revolve around doing the right thing, valuing our people, delighting our customers, and delivering results. Their core values have led to best in company turnover numbers and staffing levels that rival pre-pandemic times. With more than 1,100 Team Members, George’s is one of the largest employers in the county. Their Team Members represent more than 20 countries and speak multiple languages. George's has experienced large construction projects this year to add space, remove their older manual processing equipment and install new automated equipment. This automation will increase production output while reducing the physical impact on their team members. George’s partners with many nationally known and loved retail fast food chains and wholesale food companies. George’s is firmly rooted in this community, and their Team Members assist with several community service events.  

• Bowman Andros Products provides 800 high-quality jobs in Shenandoah County. They are a family owned and privately run company, headquartered in the southwest countryside of France, known as a global leader in fruit processing, frozen desserts, dairy and confectionery. Andros currently owns and operates 46 factories worldwide including two US fruit processing factories in Mt. Jackson for our Private label, Pie Fillings and Food Service. Their Mt. Jackson manufacturing facility produces branded, private label and co-packing of high quality, unique, fruit-based foods. Buddy Fruits is made domestically in Virginia. Family runs through everything that Bowman Andros Products does. When discussions began about expansion they had several location options, but chose to stay loyal to their employees and community by expanding in Mt. Jackson. They expect a lot of growth that they hope will generate additional investments in manufacturing in our Valley.

• United Bank has grown to be one of the top fifty largest banking companies in the United States. In 1987, United Bankshares, Inc. became a publicly traded company, and just a year later, hit the $1 billion mark in total assets. Today, and 33 acquisitions later, United Bankshares, Inc. has total assets of nearly $30 billion and more than 200 locations across eight states –  each built on a strong foundation of customer service and commitment to community. United Bank is the community bank for the markets they serve. They offer local decision-making and the personalized service our customers have come to expect, with the insights, technologies, products, and services of a large bank – and a deep commitment to the communities in which they operate. Their flexible, local decision-making approach enables their team to create customized solutions for their customers. With over 2,500 employees and experienced leadership United Bank is committed to serving its communities and its customers with safe, sound, and secure practices – backed by strong earnings, sound asset quality, and strong capital for decades to come.