Loudoun County, Virginia: Preserving Tradition, Embracing Innovation

LOUDOUN COUNTY 

VIRGINIA 

Preserving Tradition, Embracing Innovation 

Photography by David Galen 

Narrative by Dusty Smith 

A publication of 

Loudoun County Economic Development

Thank you for your interest in this HPNbooks publication. For more information about other HPNbooks publications, or 

information about producing your own book with us, please visit www.hpnbooks.com.


VIRGINIA 

Preserving Tradition, Embracing Innovation 

Photography by David Galen 

Narrative by Dusty Smith 

A publication of 

Loudoun County Economic Development 

HPNbooks 

A division of Lammert Incorporated 

San Antonio, Texas

First Edition 

Copyright © 2017 HPNbooks 

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher. 

All inquiries should be addressed to HPNbooks, 11535 Galm Road, Suite 101, San Antonio, Texas, 78254. Phone (800) 749-9790, www.hpnbooks.com. 

ISBN: 978-1-944891-27- 5 

Library of Congress: 2017934037 

Loudoun County, Virginia: Preserving Tradition, Embracing Innovation 

photographer: David Galen 

author: Dusty Smith 

designers: Jason Lively, Vanessa Lively 

contributing writers for Loudoun County partners: Joe Goodpasture, Brenda Thompson 

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VIRGINIA: Preserving Tradition, Embracing Innovation 

2 

HPNbooks 

president: Ron Lammert 

project manager: Bob Sadoski 

administration: Donna M. Mata, Lori K. Smith, Melissa G. Quinn 

book sales: Joe Neely 

production: Colin Hart, Evelyn Hart, Glenda Tarazon Krouse, Tim Lippard, Christopher D. Sturdevant

Contents 

Legacy Sponsors ........................................................................................4 

Foreword by Phyllis J. Randall ..................................................................5 

Chapter One A Community Respecting Its Past ...............7 

Chapter Two 

A Community That Works.............................25 

Chapter Three A Community of Culture.................................37 

Chapter Four 

A Community of Quality.................................53 

Endnotes ..................................................................................................66 

Loudoun County Partners.......................................................................68 

Sponsors .................................................................................................113 

About the Photographer........................................................................114 

About the Author....................................................................................115 

CONTENTS 

3

LEGACY SPONSORS 

Through their generous support, these companies 

helped to make this project possible. 

Middleburg Real Estate /Atoka Properties 

P.O. Box 485, Middleburg, Virginia 20118 

Leesburg: 703-777-1170 

Middleburg: 540-687-6321 

Purcellville: 540-338-7770 

www.atokaproperties.com 

TYG Homes 

Keller Williams Realty 

20130 Lakeview Center Plaza, Suite 110 

Ashburn, Virginia 20147 

703-430-1116 

www.TYG4YOU.com 


4

Foreword 

There is No Place Like Loudoun 

As chair of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, I would like to tell you why Loudoun County, Virginia is a magnificent 

county in which to live or locate your business. 

As Loudoun’s top elected leader, every day I am honored to meet smart, accomplished residents of our county. Many manage 

federal programs in the nation’s capital; others are corporate icons. Some run businesses on land that has been in their families 

for generations; others have founded tech startups that are attracting an impressive amount of investment. Loudoun is the 

home to many professional athletes, including players from the area’s only National Football League team, the Washington 

Redskins. Loudoun is also the home of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Janelia Research Campus. Dedicated to advancing 

imaging and neuroscience, Janelia is proud to host the winner of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize in Chemistry. 

Whenever you download a book, stream a movie, buy products online, email your coworker or send a picture to a friend, 

chances are those bits and bytes flow through servers located in Loudoun County, Virginia. Because of our impressive and 

expanding number of data centers, Loudoun is now known across the globe as the backbone of the Internet and the home of 

the cloud. In fact, because seventy percent of the entire world’s Internet traffic flows through Loudoun, we can reasonably be 

called the Internet capital of the world. 

In addition, Loudoun is the home of world-class wine and beer. More than sixty-five craft beverage businesses, including 

wineries, breweries, meaderies and distilleries, are located in Loudoun. In our farm-based business district, Loudoun is the 

host of wine trails and ale trails. We are proud that the fruits of our vines have been lauded by connoisseurs across the U.S. 

and overseas. Loudoun also has a thriving equestrian community and a strong and growing agriculturally based economy. 

As you turn the pages of this book, you will see why we are so proud of our community. I also hope that you will see why 

Loudoun is a great place to live, work, play and learn. 

We look forward to welcoming you to our magnificent county. 

Phyllis J. Randall 

Phyllis J. Randall, Chair 

Loudoun County Board of Supervisors 

Buddy Rizer, CEcD, Executive Director 

703-777-0592 (o) | 571-248-1520 (m) 

FOREWORD 

5

v 

The water wheel at Waterford Mill has not turned in decades, but demonstrations 

of 18th- and 19th century crafts continue each year at the mill during the annual 

Homes Tour and Crafts Exhibit. 


6

CHAPTER ONE 

A Community Respecting Its Past 

Loudoun County has been assembled bit by bit since its founding more than 250 years ago, 

although its roots reach at least a millennia into the past, when Native Americans for the first 

time looked down from the Bull Run Mountains onto the land that would eventually comprise 

the county. Those first dwellers began hunting and, eventually, farming the land, establishing 

an agricultural bent long before Europeans trekked across the Atlantic Ocean and set foot on 

the New World. 

Cut from a 5-million-acre tract of land first granted by King Charles II of England in 1649, 

the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1757 authorized the creation of the county, a sprawling 

500-square-mile expanse of Virginia’s Piedmont named after John Campbell, the earl of Loudoun. 

Quakers and Germans descendants were among the first to settle in Loudoun, establishing 

the first villages and towns, such as Waterford and Lovettsville in the county’s northern tip. 

Farms and mills occupied larger swaths of the landscape as the county developed. Just 

about the time the Civil War divided the United States, train tracks cut deep into the county 

from the east, passing through Sterling and Ashburn before ending in Purcellville, only to 

disappear in the middle of the 20th century. Now some 50 years later, a rail system once again 

aims to better connect Loudoun to the east. 

That first endeavor, originally called the Alexandria, Loudoun and Hampshire Railroad, 

later adopted the now familiar-sounding Washington and Old Dominion name. The footprint 

of that rail line has become a public park filled with bicyclists, walkers and runners whenever 

the weather permits. 

Loudoun transformed into a suburb as the 21st century dawned, home to high-tech businesses, 

government contractors and known particularly for the data centers that continue to 

pop up across the eastern terrain. 1 

v 

The Corner Store is located in Waterford, a village founded by Quaker Amos Janney in 1733. Many homes in Waterford can take visitors back in time, having changed very little over the 

course of time. Loudoun’s county clerk stored the Declaration of Independence in his family vault at Rokeby during the War of 1812. http://www.loudounmuseum.org/loudoun-history/ 

CHAPTER ONE 

7

v 

Clockwise from top left: Rokeby, southeast of Leesburg, was built in 1753. Formerly known as Dodona Manor, once the home of George C. and Katherine Marshall, the family yellow structure is now known as the Marshall House. The iconic 

Loudoun County Courthouse in Leesburg was the third brick courthouse built in the town. The first reading in Virginia of the Declaration of Independence occurred in 1776 on the steps of the first courthouse, which served the county until 1811. 

Ford’s Store in Round Hill. 


8

Rich History 

Parts of Loudoun remain much as they were 150 hundred 

years ago, without power lines, subdivisions or pavement 

occupying the view. 

Unison is among those areas, having changed little 

since the Civil War, and seemingly caught in time. The 

4,400-acre Unison Battlefield Historic District is listed on 

the Virginia Landmarks Registry as well as the National 

Register of Historic Places. The battle is considered key 

because it stymied a Union attempt to cut off the retreating 

Confederate army as it headed toward Richmond following 

the Battle of Antietam. 

Gen. Robert E. Lee had dispatched J.E.B. Stuart to 

surprise Union troops, and on Nov. 1, 1862, the Battle of 

Unison delayed Union forces long enough for Lee to escape 

to Culpeper. 2 

The Villages 

v 

Built in 1804 by George Carter, Oatlands Historic House sits along Route 15 and is a National Trust Historic Site 

as well as a National Historic Landmark. The Eustis family ultimately donated the property to the public in 1965. 

www.virginia.org/listings/HistoricSites/OatlandsHistoricHouseandGardens/ http://www.oatlands.org/about-oatlands/ 

Among the attractions of this piece of the Piedmont are the villages, old and new, from Waterford, founded by Quaker Amos Janney in 1733 to Brambleton, which didn’t begin to 

spring up until the 21st century. 3 

Passers through the older villages west of Route 15 need little imagination to picture 19th century life. Old stone homes and stores practically lean over the narrow strips of asphalt 

that carry cars over streets once traveled by horse. A number of old buildings have become familiar landmarks, including the Bluemont and Philomont general stores, and the Corner 

Store in Waterford. 

CHAPTER ONE 

9


10 

v 

The tiny, red Old School House in Leesburg provides a glimpse into Loudoun’s past.

v 

Civil War veterans are among those buried at the Mt. Zion cemetery. One of the first battles at the dawn of the Civil War took place at Ball’s 

Bluff, which today pays tribute to the memory of those who lost their lives. The site includes a national military cemetery. 

CHAPTER ONE 

11

v 

Clockwise from top left: The General Store is Philomont is among the many iconic storefronts in towns across Loudoun. Completed in 1809, the Aldie Mill along Route 50 operated until 1971, and now is among the historic sites owned by the 

Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. Only the Leesburg and Middleburg post offices in Loudoun are older than Waterford’s. Passersby or antique hunters stop by regularly to peruse the goods at this shop in Lucketts. 


12

v 

The Shabby Cottage in Hamilton draws passersby with its unusual offerings. 

CHAPTER ONE 

13

County Courthouse 

Leesburg, first settled in 1722, became the county seat in 1758, a designation that remains today. 

Loudouners built the first of three brick courthouses on the courthouse grounds in Leesburg in 1761. It was from the steps of that courthouse 

that the first reading of Declaration of Independence in Virginia occurred in 1776. 

Additional courthouses followed in 1811 and 1895. The location has a storied past, once the site of slave auctions. Later, two freed black men 

were tried at the courthouse for helping women and children escape slavery. 

Such history resulted in the courthouse becoming an Underground Railroad Network to Freedom site. 4 

The Towns 

Hamilton, Hillsboro, Leesburg, Lovettsville, Middleburg, Purcellville, Round Hill, Taylorstown 

James Dillon, of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, began settling the area that would become Purcellville in 1853. During the past three decades, spurts 

of growth in and around the town boosted its population to about 7,700 by 2010, the last time a U.S. Census count was conducted. 

The town that arguably attracts the most tourists is Middleburg, which straddles John Mosby Highway in the heart of the hunt country, surrounded 

by large estates. The destination town has catered to the needs of celebrities from President John F. Kennedy to actor Tom Cruise. 

To connect Loudoun’s towns to the denser populations to the east, work progressed steadily on the Alexandria, Loudoun and Hampshire 

Railroad. By 1860, about a year before the Civil War tore the country in two, the railroad reached Leesburg. Over time, that rail line would come to 

be known as the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad. 


14

CHAPTER ONE 

15

v 

Clockwise from top left: Taylorstown, VA. The end, or the beginning depending on your perspective, of the W&OD Trail in Purcellville. The tree canopy 

covers the trail along its western stretch whereas power lines run down the center of much of it to the east. The Old Stone School House in Hillsboro 

continues to draw crowds to events held on its grounds in the town that sits between Leesburg and Purcellville. White Palace Restaurant, Purcellville, VA. 


16

v 

Lightfoot Restaurant, named after Francis Lee Lightfoot, stands across from the Loudoun County Courthouse. 

CHAPTER ONE 

17

Civil War 

Connections to both sides of the Civil War fill the county’s history. Soldiers from 

Loudoun fought for both sides of the war, while the county courthouse has ties to the 

Underground Railroad. At the courthouse, a Confederate soldier has long paid tribute to 

those who fought for the South, while a monument recognizing the site’s relevance to the 

Underground Railroad is being planned. 

To the south, just off Route 15 — a corridor preserved as part of the Journey Through 

Hallowed Ground – Mt. Zion Old School Baptist Church sits in Aldie. Among the graves at 

Mt. Zion are Civil War veterans, a fitting characteristic considering the activity there during 

the war. Built in 1851, the church sits at the intersection of Old Carolina Road and Route 

50, and served as a military rendezvous, prison, barracks, battleground and hospital. 5 

Loudoun’s proximity as a border county of the Confederacy resulted in several battles 

taking place here. Among the earliest was the 1861 Battle of Balls Bluff. Confederate troops 

pushed back the Northern army, earning an early victory. The next year, Confederate John 

Singleton Mosby began organizing raids out of Middleburg, aggravating Union forces. 6 

Mosby scored an overwhelming victory against Union forces from Massachusetts and 

New York at Mt. Zion in 1864. 

Not far from Mt. Zion, just a little ways north along Route 15, sits Oak Hill, which 

President James Monroe owned for 22 years, from 1808 to 1830, although he only lived 

there for three of those years following his presidency in 1825. Monroe inherited the property 

from an uncle, but financial troubles forced him to sell all of his real estate by 1830. 7 

In 1941, George and Katherine Marshall purchased the Marshall House in Leesburg, 

once known as Dodona Manor. Marshall helped draft the European Recovery Plan — 

known commonly as the Marshall Plan in his honor — following WWII. That plan aimed 

to assist western European countries struggling to recover from the war, but also served 

as an obstacle to the spread of communism. 

Katherine Marshall established the George C. Marshall International Center, which 

restored The Marshall House, to help keep her husband’s legacy alive. 8 

Rails to Trails 

In 1958, a significant chapter in Loudoun’s history began with construction of Dulles 

International Airport, which opened for service in 1962. Bill May, who lead the development 

of Miller & Smith’s One Loudoun in Ashburn, recently called the airport “the goose 

that laid the golden egg.” 9 

Travel by flight began to overshadow trains, and in 1968, as ridership dwindled 

and commercial uses faded on the W&OD Railroad, it ceased operation. The power 

company known at that time as VEPCO — today operating as Dominion Virginia Power 

— purchased the property to route power lines far into the future. With a power line 

easement preserved, Dominion sold the land in 1974 to the Northern Virginia Regional 

Park Authority, which converted it to the 45-mile W&OD Trail, running from Arlington 

to Purcellville. Besides a paved bicycle path, it includes 32 miles of equestrian trails. 10 v 

Opposite, clockwise from top left: Donning the garb of the Civil War era, these women are participating 

in a reenactment. A goal of the Waterford Fair is to show people what like was like decades or event 

centuries ago. A worker at the Waterford Fair demonstrates some crafts for spectators. 


18

CHAPTER ONE 

19


20 

v 

Clockwise from top left: The Philomont General Store. Stopping for refreshments at the 

Bluemont General Store along Loudoun’s western edge. These national flags are at the 

Little River Inn in Aldie. Among the gorgeous views along the county’s rural roads, such 

as at the intersection of Shreve Mill Road and Evergreen Mills Road outside Leesburg.

v 

A horse farm off Hogback Mountain Road. 

CHAPTER ONE 

21


22 

v 

Clockwise from top left: Loudoun Museum. Downtown Leesburg. 

Adirondack chairs for sale along Route 50 in Aldie.

v 

Middleburg, Virginia. Waterford, Virginia. 

CHAPTER ONE 

23

v 

The iconic Loudoun County Courthouse in 

Leesburg was the third brick courthouse built 

vin the town. The first reading in Virginia of 

A the key Declaration to luring new of Independence businesses to occurred Loudoun County, Dulles 

International in 1776 the Airport, steps of is the expected first courthouse, to remain a primary economic 

driver which for served the the county county far until into the 1811. future. 


24

CHAPTER TWO 

A Community That Works 

Farming 

Loudoun has been known as a farming community for so long that many living in 

jurisdictions to the east are surprised to learn there’s actually more going on in Loudoun 

than agriculture. That said, the county’s west remains rural, with magnificent mountain 

views, vast farmlands and historic villages and towns. 

The Virginia Cooperative Extension continues to educate young Loudouners from 5 

to 19 about farming and agriculture through its 4-H program. The Loudoun County Fair 

continues to award prizes for raising livestock and even kissing a pig. 11 

Suburbia 

But developers have transformed some of that farmland, primarily in eastern Loudoun, 

to suburban communities with homes crowded onto smaller lots. Some opposed the 

transition, while others considered the change necessary to draw economic development 

to parcels near Dulles International Airport as long as leaders could maintain adequate 

services and a decent education system. 

Over the course of about 15 years, starting in the early 1990s, the suburban east 

began to develop, with large planned communities winning approval for thousands of 

v 

Orbital ATK helps shuttle items to the International Space Station on behalf of NASA. Cyber security company Telos. Dynalectric 

CHAPTER TWO 

25

v 

Clockwise from top left: Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce President Tony Howard has grown The Business Advocate into one of the largest in the entire Washington, DC, metropolitan area. Architect Eero Saarinen designed the main 

terminal at Dulles International Airport, creating a familiar façade that airport advocates have preserved over the decades. K2M technology has helped expand options for patients with spinal problems. While Dulles International Airport is an 

economic driver, Leesburg Executive Airport is a jewel that houses dozens of smaller aircraft and helps some executives forego the hectic atmosphere at Dulles. 


26

new homes. A highly educated and diverse population has 

filled homes as quickly as the builders construct them. 

Loudoun, like eastern neighbor Fairfax County, has 

become known for its McMansion mentality in certain 

areas, where former farmlands were converted to residential 

developments with huge homes on large lots and few 

amenities. But zoning restrictions set in place after the turn 

of the century has slowed development in areas farther 

away from towns in the rural west. 

Much of eastern Loudoun has developed in large 

planned communities that have evolved over time from 

including occasional strip shopping centers to more 

mixed-use concepts with vibrant commercial centers that 

often include residential uses that keep such areas thriving 

in the evenings. 

In many ways, Loudoun offers a perfect dichotomy of 

agriculture and technology, with the growing population 

of educated residents who wish to preserve the west’s rural 

character and economy while continuing to bring bigger 

and better things to eastern Loudoun. 

v 

Long empty halls are a common site in the county’s data centers, a significant portion of which are located in Ashburn. While the insides often glow and have 

miles of neatly formed, multi-colored wires, from the outside data centers tend to be fairly bland structures. 

CHAPTER TWO 

27

High-tech companies 

Among Loudoun’s coolest secrets are businesses that 

strive to lead not just the nation but the world. 

K2M, for example, has attracted attention globally for 

its work in technologies that help spine surgeons expand 

patient options. Recently, the company advanced the use 

of 3D printing technologies to create implants capable of 

integrating with human bone. 12 

EIT provides manufacturing and engineering services 

across a range of fields from medical and marketing to 

industrial process control and military defense. The diverse 

number of projects EIT has become involved with includes 

the now-familiar yellow “first-down line” seen on television 

broadcasts of college and professional football games. 13 

Sterling-based aerospace and defense contractor Orbital 

ATK in recent years has been among the companies delivering 

cargo to the International Space Station for NASA 

since the termination of the U.S. space shuttle program. 14 

AOL and MCI were among the early prominent businesses 

that once staked their futures in Loudoun County, 

setting the stage for a tech industry that has become a 

central player in funneling the world’s Internet traffic. 

AOL remains in its iconic “wedding cake” building, but 

Raytheon has taken over much of a familiar campus straddling 

Pacific Boulevard and connected by pedestrian bridges. 

Verizon took over the former MCI campus in 2005, but 

recently announced an agreement to sell the property along 

Loudoun County Parkway. 

In recent years, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s 

Janelia Research Campus became home to a Nobel prize 

winner. The unassuming Eric Betzig, PhD, does not 

appear to have let the award go to his head, maintaining 

an easygoing attitude. Betzig is one of 19 Nobel laureates 

who work for HHMI, but the only one at Janelia Farm. 

However, there’s plenty of fascinating work happening at 

Janelia Farm. 15 

The facilities with which the county, particularly 

Ashburn, has become synonymous are data centers, large 

concrete building that gobble up energy and, at times, 

emit a droning buzz. Data centers have become such a 

common site in Ashburn that the area is known as “data 

center alley,” a phrase Loudoun Department of Economic 

Development (DED) Executive Director Buddy Rizer likes 

to use. 

Large concrete and steel data centers continue to spring 

up across Loudoun, making Ashburn a major player in 

Internet traffic. The Loudoun DED estimates that 70 

percent of the world’s Internet traffic passes through our 

digital infrastructure and claims that the county holds the 

“world’s largest concentration of data centers.” 16 


28 

v 

Data center developers are known for their color-coded wiring 

inside warehouse-like buildings.

v 

The National Conference Center in Leesburg offers 

250,000 square feet of meeting space. 

v 

The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema at One Loudoun strictly forbids mobile phone usage during movies, 

but also invites outbursts during movie party nights such as Quote-Alongs. 

v 

Lansdowne Resort opened in 1991, offering a golf course, 

296 rooms, a spa, meeting space, an amphitheater, 

multiple pools and an array of restaurants. 

CHAPTER TWO 

29


30 

v 

The team at Makersmiths provides the tools, training 

and things needed to enable creativity.

Need for Power 

Data centers require not just a significant amount of power, 

but redundant power sources to make sure servers remain 

online despite foul weather or other potential disruptions. 

From airlines to Internet, servers must remain operational 

24/7 for a number of companies. Besides two longtime electric 

suppliers — Dominion Virginia Power and Novec — a new 

supplier called the Panda Stonewall Power Project in Leesburg 

plans to open its doors soon. Panda will operate a clean, natural 

gas-fueled, 778-megawatt generating station. 

Data centers also rely on water to cool servers that generate 

significant heat, often connecting not only to public water 

systems, but also collecting rain water for reuse. 17 

v 

Carnivals make routine stops throughout the year, including this one in Ashburn. 

Regal Fox Cinemas at Brambleton Town Center. 

CHAPTER TWO 

31


32 

v 

New communities are already popping up on the north and 

south side of the Dulles Greenway, the location of a future 

Metro stop called Ashburn Station, expected to open in 2020.

v 

Clockwise from top left: South Riding is among Loudoun’s many large planned communities. Loudoun Station. 

Brambleton. Loudoun offers a range of housing options, but primarily is a suburban community to the east and 

more rural west of Route 15. This not-so-historic, but beautiful mill sits at the entry to the Lenah Mill community. 

CHAPTER TWO 

33

v 

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Janelia Research Campus performs research in areas 

from Evolution and Genetics to Theory and Computational Neuroscience, just to name a few. 


34

Economic Drivers 

For those wondering what exactly drives business to Loudoun County, former County Chairman Scott 

K. York puts it rather simply: “It’s think is a mix of things. One, having an international airport in our backyard; 

two, the quality of education that we have; and three, the stock of housing that we have, although 

some of it is costly.” 

Dulles International Airport has drawn significant business to Loudoun and Fairfax counties as companies 

seek proximity to such hubs. 

The most recent estimates show that Dulles Airport generates about $78 million in tax revenue annually 

for Loudoun. But the airport remains in its relative infancy. With its primary runway at just 23 percent 

capacity now, plenty of headroom remains for the future growth of both international and domestic flights. 18 

One project now underway is expected to improve accessibility to the airport and, therefore, drive 

up usage: an extension of Washington, DC’s, Metro service to the airport and beyond to Ashburn. The 

Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, the entity that oversees the airport and that has been tasked 

with construction of the Metro extension, estimates completion by 2020. 19 Known as the Silver Line Phase 

extension, the project has been in the planning stages since the 1960s. 

Loudoun Chamber 

A thriving business community relies on advocates to make its collective voice heard across all levels 

of governments, and here it is known as the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce, a giant compared 

to many of its peers in the Washington, D.C., region. Under the leadership of Tony Howard, who serves 

as president, the chamber is among the largest in the region, serving more than 1,300 members, offering 

vibrant business advocacy. 20 

v 

Janelia’s Eric Betzig, PhD, a group leader developing optical imaging 

technologies for biology, is a Nobel laureate. 

CHAPTER TWO 

35

v 

The iconic Loudoun County Courthouse in 

Leesburg was the third brick courthouse built 

vin the town. The first reading in Virginia of 

A the key Declaration to luring new of Independence businesses to occurred Loudoun County, Dulles 

vInternational in 1776 the Airport, steps of is the expected first courthouse, to remain a primary economic 

Sunset driver which for served Hills the Vineyard the county county far in Purcellville until into the 1811. future. has employed sustainable farming practices since its first harvest in 2001. 


36

CHAPTER THREE 

A Community of Culture 

Farm to Fork 

Bolstered by a strong agricultural core, Loudoun has 

embraced the farm-to-fork trend, so much so that a local 

marketing expert named Miriam Natsuti launched an 

annual Farm-to-Fork Loudoun event in 2011. Participating 

restaurants showcase the county’s best local products, from 

meat and produce to wine, beer and spirits. 21 

Alcohol Industry 

Over the course of a little more than a decade, changes 

in state and county regulations have resulted in significant 

growth in the alcohol production and tasting industry, 

particularly in Loudoun. With 45 wineries and tasting 

rooms, a number that continues to grow, winemakers far 

outnumber other types of alcohol production in Loudoun 

and paved the way for breweries, distilleries and cideries. 

Nearly two dozen breweries have opened since about 

2010 all across the county, from Bluemont to Sterling 

and from Lovettsville to Middleburg. Two distilleries 

have opened as well, one of which also makes cider. 22 

The industry contributes not only to the rural economy 

through sales, but also brings tourism dollars to Loudoun. 

Taking it one step further, Black Hops Farm opened 

to serve as a clearinghouse of sorts for hops. And more 

recently, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced plans for 

a Michigan-based firm to invest $1 million in the Pilot Malt 

House, a malting intended to benefit brewers. 

v 

The large white house at Morven Park is known as the Davis Mansion, to honor Westmoreland Davis, who served as Virginia’s governor from 1918 to 1922. 

The arts center at Franklin Park, opened in 2008, offers theater, music, art exhibits, comedy and much more. Residents can also find a pool, a fishing pond, a 

huge playground, athletic fields/courts at Franklin Park, which opened in 1998. 

CHAPTER THREE 

37

The Arts 

Many of Loudoun’s wineries and breweries offer live 

music to complement their tasting rooms, spotlighting 

another high point in Loudoun’s cultural makeup. In 

addition, a few venues round out the music scene with big 

regional acts. 

Owners of the Tally Ho Theatre in Leesburg have 

repurposed the old theater into a concert venue for live 

music and comedy shows. Originally built in 1932, children 

decades ago crammed into weekend matinees and 

older residents watched Hollywood’s latest offerings. The 

Devine family bought the theater in 1999. After struggling 

to stay in the movie business as newer, more comfortable 

theaters sprang up around the county, they decided to 

make the conversion in 2012. 23 

By that time, wineries offered music on the weekends 

and breweries were beginning to follow. 

The Lost Rhino Brewing Company opened in 2011 

and began providing live music, including many regional 

acts. Several other brewers have also dabbled in the music 

business to attract more guests to their tasting rooms. 24 

Then, in 2015, Smokehouse Live in Leesburg opened 

with a recipe of barbecue, bourbon and, of course, live 

bands from the region and beyond. 25 

But those looking for more high-brow entertainment 

have options as well. The Loudoun Symphony Orchestra 

performs a number of concerts throughout the year. 

Maestro Mark Allen McCoy, has had engagements in Italy, 

Japan, Poland, Russia and the Ukraine, among other places. 

The symphony began conducting a search for its new 

conductor in 2017 after Maestro Mark McCoy’s passing in 

2016. He performed with a range of popular musicians 

from Marvin Hamlisch to Bruce Hornsby. 26 

There’s also the Franklin Park Arts Center in western 

Loudoun. A structure that from the outside appears to be 

a barn and silo houses a performing and visual arts mecca 

where musicians, thespians, comedians, dancers and 

numerous other artists perform throughout the year. 

A theater group conceived the notion in 1997 to 

transform a 19th century dairy barn at Franklin Farm into 

a performing arts facility. But before the funds could be 

raised, boys playing with matches burned the barn to the 

ground. Determined supporters pushed ahead and planned 

a new facility. Voters approved a $1.4 million bond to help 

The Friends of Franklin Park Arts Center completed the 

structure, and in February 2008, it opened. 27 

To support local visual, literary and performing artists, 

advocates in 1986 formed the nonprofit Loudoun Arts 

Council. The council promotes artists and highlights local 

events, offers classes and workshops, and has created a 

number of programs intended to bolster the artistic community. 

28 


38 

v 

Leesburg’s annual Flower and Garden Festival takes over the 

downtown area as vendors transform the landscape. Farmers’ 

markets help feed Loudoun’s farm-to-table appetite.

CHAPTER THREE 

39


40 

v 

Kayaks and canoes regularly crawl across Beaverdam Reservoir, just 

off Belmont Ridge Road. Loudoun Water owns the reservoir.

v 

Clockwise from top left: As Loudoun has grown, so has its need for nighttime entertainment, particularly of the family friendly variety. Topgolf’s new flagship 

location in Ashburn has a bar, but with multiple levels, can welcome families as well. Hard at work at the Mt. Defiance Cidery and Distillery in Middleburg. 

Besides activities such as rock wall climbing, park operators create a new corn maze each year. 

CHAPTER THREE 

41


42 

v 

Clockwise from top left: Lovettsville, also called The German 

Settlement, is known for its annual Oktoberfest. The Point-to-Point 

Races at Oatlands are among Loudoun’s many equestrian events. Twice 

a year, farmers across Loudoun invite the public in to learn about 

agriculture, pet cute animals and enjoy the scenic views during the 

Loudoun Farm Tours. For those wanting a taste of true hunt country, 

but can’t make the Middleburg Hunt, there’s always the town’s annual 

Christmas parade, in which the horses and hounds are always a part.

v 

A drive down Bridges Farm Lane reveals breathtaking views. 

CHAPTER THREE 

43

Fine Dining 

County residents and visitors alike can enjoy a broad range of flavors, including a 

number of upscale restaurants both old and new. From Lightfoot, Magnolia’s at the Mill 

and Tuscarora Mill to the Salamander Resort, the Red Fox Tavern and DC Prime, those 

looking for a special occasion have no shortage of options. 

Established in 1728, The Red Fox Inn and Tavern remains a fixture of Middleburg 

and Loudoun’s hunt country. Numerous celebrities have paid visits to the eatery, which 

sits between the Bull Run and Blue Ridge mountains, including President John F. 

Kennedy, Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman and Tom Cruise. 

The dimly lit restaurant harkens to the days before electricity burned brightly 

throughout the county. The stone building is listed the U.S. Department of the Interior’s 

National Register of Historic places. Virginia Peanut Soup, “a staple since the dawn of 

time,” according to video on website, remains on the menu today. Other fare on the menu 

aim to provide the smell, look, taste and feel of hunt country, according to the inn’s website. 

During the Civil War, the bar was used as an operating table. 29 

Another historic building along King Street in Leesburg houses Lightfoot Restaurant, 

named after Declaration of Independence signer Francis Lightfoot Lee. The building, 

originally constructed in 1888, served as People’s National Bank for more than 50 years 

before a 1999 restoration resulted in the 340-seat restaurant. 30 

Repurposed from a mill constructed in 1905 and in operation until the 1940s, 

Magnolia’s at the Mill opened in 2004, providing the Town of Purcellville in western 

Loudoun with a fine-dining attraction that appeals to residents countywide. Like many 

of Loudoun’s restaurants, Magnolia’s turns to local farmers for much of its menu. Bruce 

Brownell was responsible for converting the mill. 31 

Brownell also developed Market Station in Leesburg in the mid-1980s piecing together 

some of Leesburg’s historic industrial and commercial structures. The Tuscarora Mill 

restaurant, informally known as Tuskie’s, anchors the shopping center and has remained 

one of the town’s fine-dining gems for more than three decades. 32 

The Clyde’s restaurant brand opened up Clyde’s at Willow Creek Farm in 2006 

on a parcel adjacent to the Loudoun County Public Schools administrative building 

in Ashburn. A significant portion of the structure was rebuilt from the 1885 40-foot x 

84-foot Chandler Barn. A number of 18-century horse-drawn carriages comprise the focal 

points of the restaurant’s décor, while gardens behind the location provide some of the 

herbs and vegetables found on the menu. 33 

In 2013, Sheila C. Johnson’s grand vision, The Salamander Resort and Spa in 

Middleburg. Johnson — founding partner of Black Entertainment Television and a member 

of the owner partnerships of the Washington Mystics, the Washington Wizards and 

the Washington Capitals — wanted to create DC’s “first truly luxurious resort and spa,” 

according to promotional materials. 

Staged on 340 acres in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the resort includes 

168 rooms, a 5,000-square-foot ballroom, several smaller ballrooms, a 2,000-square-foot 

presidential suite and an equestrian center. 34 

DC Prime Owners Mark Craig, Kevin Cox and Rick Crowe call the restaurant in 

Ashburn near The George Washington University campus “a lifelong dream.” Their goal is 

to provide the best possible food available, with beef supplied from Chicago, and seafood 

from Maryland, Maine and Hawaii. 35 

v 

Opposite, clockwise from top left: It’s hard to count just how many water activities are available at A.V. Symington 

Aquatic Center in Leesburg. Field of Flowers in Purcellville offers pick-your-own flowers for an incredibly 

reasonable price. Downtown Leesburg 


44

CHAPTER THREE 

45

Equestrian Events 

If Virginia is for lovers, then Loudoun is for horse lovers, according to Visit Loudoun, which promotes tourism in the county. 

“In fact, there are more horses here than in any other county in Virginia, which is why many Olympic riders live and train here,” reads the 

Visit Loudoun website. 

The Morven Park International Equestrian Center in Leesburg serves as the venue for a long list of equestrian events each year, including the 

Middleburg Classic AA Hunter Show and the Morven Park Fall Horse Trials. 

The facility now called Morven Park blossomed from a small stone house built in 1780 into the 22-room Greek-revival estate known today as 

The Davis Mansion at Morven Park. After a rotating cast of owners, in 1903, Westmoreland and Marguerite Davis bought the estate. Westmoreland 

Davis served as Virginia’s governor from 1918 to 1922. Marguerite Davis established the Westmoreland Davis Memorial Foundation to preserve 

the home and keep the public informed about her husband’s work. Morven Park opened to the public in 1967. 

That same year, the Morven Park Equestrian Institute began training students, with about 40 graduating each year until 1991. 36 

The oldest horse show in the country began in 1853 when Richard Henry Dulany sparked the idea for the Upperville Horse and Colt Show 

after finding an injured colt during a winter ride. Dulany and some nearby planters agreed to hold a horse show, hoping to encourage better treatment 

of the area’s young horse population. Organizers planned the first show that summer with two classes: colts and fillies. Dulany continued 

to organize and head the event until 1906, and it has continued ever since. 37 

The area surrounding Middleburg is known as Hunt Country. Each year, horses, hounds and riders dressed in their fox-hunting best, lead 

the town’s Christmas parade. Horses get much of the attention, but for some equestrians, all eyes are on the fox. The Masters of Foxhounds 

Association first recognized the Middleburg Hunt in 1908. It remains an annual tradition. 38 


46

v 

Clockwise from top left: Equestrian Event. Boys pick rocks for skipping across Beaverdam Reservoir. Loudouners take advantage 

of the W&OD Trail more than usual during the Washington metropolitan area’s annual Bike to Work Day. 

CHAPTER THREE 

47


48

Other Annual Events 

For more than two decades, each fall Oktoberfest has taken over the Town of 

Lovettsville, which also calls itself The German Settlement. The town began to rise in the 

early 19th century, took the name Lovettsville in 1828, and was incorporated in 1876. 39 

Visit Loudoun took advantage of the county’s growing and popular wine industry 

with Epicurience Virginia. The annual food and wine festival is set to take place at 

One Loudoun, one of the county’s newest and busiest communities. The event features 

wine from across the state. Visit Loudoun, which promotes tourism, has dubbed 

the county DC’s Wine Country. 40 

Purcellville also hold a wine and food festival each summer, featuring local farmers 

and wineries. 41 

Organizers of the Leesburg Flower and Garden Festival transform downtown 

Leesburg each spring, drawing more than 150 vendors who offer ideas and goods that 

residents can use to beautify their lawns and bolster their gardens. 42 

Then there’s the Loudoun County Fair, which has a heavy agricultural bent, but 

still offers exciting rides and entertainment in addition to traditional fair food. Among 

the highlights for the annual event are a demolition derby and a kiss-the-pig contest. 43 

Washington Dulles International Airport serves as Loudoun’s golden goose, but 

Leesburg Executive Airport offers something different, housing a large number of 

small craft owned by local pilots, businesses, or executives. Just as fall sets in each 

year, the airport serves as host to the Leesburg Air Show, attracting a wide swath of 

attendees from young child to aging veterans. They can glimpse old warplanes, new 

experimental planes and watch as stunt pilots show their daring. 44 

v 

Leesburg’s Fourth of July Parade draws huge crowds to the historic town each year. Plane enthusiasts can 

walk among some fascinating aircraft each year during the Leesburg Airshow at Leesburg Executive Airport. 

Purcellville’s annual Fourth of July Parade. A number of car shows take place throughout the year in 

Loudoun, including this one in Sterling. 

CHAPTER THREE 

49

Parks 

Whether seeking relaxation or entertainment, a number 

of parks dots the county’s landscape, from county and 

regional parks to federal and, coming soon, state operations. 

The U.S. Parks Service operates three parks at least part 

of which are in Loudoun, including the Appalachian Trail, 

C&O Canal and Harper’s Ferry national parks 

Built in 1810 for George Mason’s nephew, Temple Hall 

Farm has had many famous visitors, including the Marquis 

de Lafayette, presidents John Quincy Adams and James 

Monroe, and John Singleton Mosby. The farm came into 

the possession of Mr. and Mrs. James H. Symington in 

1940. Mrs. Symington donated the 286-acre farm to the 

Northern Virginia Park Authority in 1985. Today Temple 

Hall Farm Regional Park operates as a working farm and 

interpretive center. 45 

The first 600 acres of a planned 1,500-acre state park 

were donated by the Robert and Dee Leggett Foundation. 

The park is adjacent to the Appalachian Trail in western 

Loudoun. 46 

Beaverdam Reservoir has served not only as a reservoir, 

but also as an activity center for years in the county. Local 

crew teams have made the reservoir their home. After 

briefly shutting the facility down, and with plans to do so 

again in the future, Loudoun Water, which took the reservoir 

over from the City of Fairfax has reopened it to the 

public. In addition, Loudoun Water reached an agreement 

with the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority to 

master plan and operate the reservoir as a park. 47 

Then there’s the Loudoun County Parks, Recreation 

and Community Services, which oversees dozens of 

facilities, from community centers and historic sites to 

recreation centers and trails, offering plenty of active and 

passive settings. 48 

Nightlife 

As the county grows and its families mature, residents 

have been seeking evening entertainment options that do 

not require leaving the county. More and more bars are 

staying open later and new family friendly entertainment 

hubs have opened in recent years, including multiple 

upscale movie theaters, Topgolf’s new flagship facility in 

Ashburn and the adjacent iFly skydiving simulator. In 

addition, The Zone at Loudoun Station provides a range 

of activities for the entire family, including arcade games 

and laser tag and bowling as well as a restaurant and bar. 

All of those are just the newest attractions in Loudoun. 


50

v 

Opposite: Tuscarora Mill Restaurant. South Street Under. 

This page: Stone Tower Winery. Creeks Edge Winery. 

CHAPTER THREE 

51

v 

The brick courthouse in Leesburg, where residents gather for concerts, memorial ceremonies and other events to this day, was built in 1895. 


52

CHAPTER FOUR 

A Community of Quality 

The Loudoun Courthouse grounds in the center of Leesburg are often used for large gatherings, from summer concerts to memorial services. Few communities within Loudoun 

lack some type of parade, from homecoming to Independence Day celebrations, but two parades every resident or visitor should see are the Leesburg Independence Day Celebration 

Parade and the Middleburg Christmas Parade. Crowds line the streets for both events, bringing friends and neighbors together for huge celebrations. 

v 

Loudoun County High School on Dry Mill Road in Leesburg has been seeing graduates off since 

1954. A member of the Loudoun County Volunteer Rescue Squad. Village of Leesburg. 

CHAPTER FOUR 

53

Education 

Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) have developed a great reputation, with some 

high schools earning high marks nationally. While there’s always room for improvement, 

Loudoun public education system is among the attractions for new business. LCPS has also 

branched out in recent years, authorizing charter schools in Middleburg and Hillsboro. 49 

“One of the most important qualities a business looks for is the school system,” said 

Loudoun Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall. 

The LCPS recently kicked off construction of the Academies of Loudoun, which will 

combine the Academy of Engineering and Technology, the Academy of Science and the 

Monroe Advance Technical Academy on a single campus focused on science, technology, 

engineering and math (STEM) programs. 50 

The school system also has built a strong relationship with Northern Virginia 

Community College (NOVA). 51 Not only can students get a jump on college by passing 

achievement tests, they can take actual classes at some county schools that qualify for full 

college credit. More and more, NOVA has become the portal through which students pass 

on their way to four-year schools, particularly George Mason University (GMU). Students 

who earn their associates degrees are promised a space at GMU, which offers some classes 

at its satellite location in Sterling. GMU has plans to build a full campus in Loudoun. 52 

The George Washington University long ago established a campus in Loudoun, occupying 

a portion of Ashburn just north of Route 7. The campus offers a range of undergraduate 

and graduate education, with some fascinating laboratories, including a wind tunnel and 

driving simulators that enable students to perform experiments in a safe environment. 53 

To the west in Purcellville, college-bound students can find Patrick Henry College, 

which focuses on educating students in a Christian environment. According to its website, 

“Patrick Henry College believes that God is the source of all truth, be it spiritual, moral, 

philosophical, or scientific.” 54 


54 

v 

Loudoun Country Day School opened in 2010 along Evergreen Mills Road south 

of Leesburg. This familiar building north of Route 7 in Ashburn houses The 

George Washington University Virginia Science & Technology Campus.

v 

Clockwise from top left: Until crowds simply outgrew the space, the green at Leesburg Town Hall served as a common gathering place for summer concerts 

and other events. The Village at Leesburg offers the opportunity to live, work and play without ever getting in a car. Loudoun’s Gum Spring Library resides 

in an office building in the Stone Ridge community south of Route 50, also known as Lee Jackson Memorial Highway. 

CHAPTER FOUR 

55

v 

Patrick Henry College in Purcellville’s motto is For Christ and for Liberty. Patrick Henry College is a Classical Christian Liberal Arts school. 


56

Civic Organizations 

A number of civic organizations in Loudoun focus on its residents needs, from Rotary, Ruritan and Lion’s 

clubs to volunteer fire and rescue companies, residents often find ways to give their time to help others in need. 

Volunteers have founded Rotary clubs in Purcellville, Sterling, Dulles South, Ashburn and Leesburg, where 

two clubs have formed. Sterling has a Lions and a Ruritan club. 

Volunteer fire and rescue workers staff more than a dozen county fire and rescue stations, providing coverage 

in the evenings and on weekends, while career staff handles calls on weekdays. Career staff fully cover 

several of the county’s newest fire stations. 55 

Transportation 

A varied range of transportation options exist in the county: private and public roads (both tolled and 

toll-free), buses, air travel, the coming connection to Metro, the W&OD Trail, the seemingly primitive White’s 

Ferry across the Potomac River. 

A small ferry such as White’s Ferry that crosses the Potomac River between Loudoun and Montgomery 

counties seems like a throwback to an earlier time, but continues to carry cars and trucks across the water just 

north of Leesburg. The ferry plays a key role as one of just four ways across the Potomac west of the American 

Legion Bridge, which is part of the Capital Beltway. Most of the crossings are far west of most commuter paths 

and carry one lane in each direction. 56 

For those in their cars, Route 7 and Route 50 are the primary roads used by those commuting to jobs east 

of Loudoun. Some choose to pay tolls along the Dulles Toll Road and/or the private Dulles Greenway to avoid 

the other crowded routes. Loudoun provides a number of internal and commuter bus options for residents, 

and around the year 2020, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is expected to open Phase 2 

of the Silver Line, connecting Ashburn and Dulles Airport to Washington, D.C. 

v 

Volunteer squads across the county raise most of their own funds. Opportunities abound for students at GWU’s campus in 

Ashburn. Loudoun residents rely on a volunteer system of fire and rescue workers as well as career staff. 

CHAPTER FOUR 

57

v 

Greater Loudoun Babe Ruth baseball. 


58

CHAPTER FIVE 

A Community of People 

Sports fields are a common problem in growing areas, and Loudoun is no different. In addition, the spectrum of types of fields continues to grow, with cricket fields being among the 

latest requests. Loudoun Soccer, one of the many soccer leagues in the county has its own complex in Leesburg. 

High school sports are huge in Loudoun County. And while there are plenty of sports for students to play, football continues to garner much of the attention. And football has been 

a highlight for several schools. Stone Bridge, Broad Run, Briar Woods and Tuscarora high schools have all appeared in state football championship games in recent years. 

Higher-level sports can be found in Loudoun. During the summer, the Purcellville Cannons fire up the crowds at Fireman’s Field. The Cannons, a nonprofit organization, is part of 

the Valley Baseball League, which is sanctioned by the NCAA and supported by Major League Baseball. 

Of course, few residents are unaware that the Washington Redskins’ administrative headquarters and practice facility sits in Ashburn. While the team moved its summer training camp 

to Richmond a few years back, during the season, players gather daily in Ashburn. A few years back, the team added an indoor facility to their outdoor practice fields. The bubble that 

contains the indoor field has become a familiar site along Loudoun County Road at Gloucester Parkway. Home games are played at FedEx Field in Landover, MD. 57 

The Redskins purchased the Ashburn site in 1990. Each year, it seems, some other jurisdiction in the region makes a pitch for the team to relocate, but the team has not budged. 

v 

An excited participant in the Franklin Park 5K Color Run. Field hockey is just one the sports with growing needs in terms of fields. Baseball is ingrained 

in Loudoun’s youth, including those playing in the Greater Loudoun Babe Ruth league, which began in 1956. 

CHAPTER FIVE 

59

v 

Crossing the finish line at the Franklin Park 5K Color Run is a cloudy but colorful experience. 


60

v 

Boulder Crest Retreat opened near Bluemont in 2013 to offer a place for combat veterans and their families to find respite. 

CHAPTER FIVE 

61

Places of Worship 

Diversity abounds in Loudoun, which becomes clear when considering the various places of 

worship within its borders. Besides scores of Christian churches, adherents of the Hindu, Islamic, 

Judaic and Sikh faiths also have staked ground in the county. In addition, those who consider 

themselves agnostic or atheist have found their home in Loudoun. 

Health Care 

Once a concern of residents across the county, health care options have grown significantly. 

Both of the region’s largest hospital operators — Inova Health System and Hospital Corporation of 

America (HCA) — have full-service facilities in the county as well as smaller facilities. In addition, 

other care providers, such as Nova Urgent Care and the Loudoun Medical Group join a vast array 

of private practice doctors and specialists. In addition, the Loudoun Free Clinic provides services 

for low-income, uninsured adults. 

First known as Leesburg Hospital, Inova Loudoun Hospital opened its doors in 1912 and 

operated as a nonprofit until merging with the larger nonprofit Inova Health System in 2005. Inova 

has hospital campuses in Lansdowne and Leesburg as well as a free-standing full-service emergency 

facility in Ashburn. HCA’s StoneSprings Hospital opened its doors in December 2015 along Route 

50, after HCA first opened an urgent care facility. 58 

With DC just about 30 miles to the east and a number of military bases in the region, members 

of the military and veterans are familiar members of the population. Some who need a place to go 

for peace and respite. 

That’s why Ken and Julia Falke built Bouldercrest, which opened its doors in 2013. The retreat 

helps soldiers overcome obstacles most of us could never comprehend. Their mission: “To provide 

free, world class, short-duration, high-impact retreats for combat veterans and their families.” 59 v 


62 

The non-denominational Community Church stands tall along Route 7 in 

Ashburn. St. John the Apostle Roman Catholic Church in Leesburg.

v 

Clockwise from top left: Loudoun’s newest hospital, StoneSprings Hospital Center, opened in December 2015 along Route 50 in the Dulles South area. HealthSouth Rehabilitation 

Hospital of Northern Virginia in Aldie. Inova Loudoun Hospital recently opened a full-service, free-standing emergency room in Ashburn to expand its coverage area. The new Ashburn 

facility, joins Inova’s Lansdowne and Cornwall hospital campuses as well as a medical pavilion in the Dulles South area. Loudoun Hospital joined Inova Health System in 2005. 

CHAPTER FIVE 

63


64 

v 

The Rotary Club of Leesburg’s annual REHAU Resolution Race raises money for a 

number of local nonprofit organizations. White’s Ferry is the last of 100 ferries that 

once crossed the Potomac River. To promote health and wellness, the Loudoun County 

Chamber of Commerce created the annual Superhero 5K Walk and Kids Fun Run.

v 

A patriotic site at Crossroads Baptist Church in Leesburg. 

CHAPTER FIVE 

65

Endnotes 

1. Source: The History of Loudoun County, 

Virginia, Timeline: 1600’s – Indians & Settlers www. 

loudounhistory.org/loudoun-history-timeline-indians.html 

and Loudoun County Government History 

www.loudoun.gov/index.aspx?nid=174 

2. Source: Piedmont Environmental Council, 

“Unison Historic District Offers a Window to the 

Civil War www.pecva.org/maps-and-resources/publications/piedmont-view/117-fall-2010-piedmontview/322-unison-historic-district-offers-a-windowto-the-civil-war 

3. Source: Village of Waterford History www.waterfordhistory.org/about-waterford.htm 

4. Source: The Journey Through Hallowed Ground 

(Courthouse) www.hallowedground.org/African- 

American-Heritage/Leesburg-Historic-District- 

Loudoun-County-Courthouse, Friends of the 

Thomas Balch Library, “The National Underground 

Railroad Network to Freedom: The Loudoun County 

Courthouse” www.balchfriends.org/glimpse/ and 

Loudoun County Government, Courthouse History 

www.loudoun.gov/index.aspx?NID=859 

5. Source: Northern Virginia Regional Park 

Authority, Mt. Zion Church www.novaparks.com/ 

parks/mt-zion-historic-park/history 

6. Source: The History of Loudoun County, 

Virginia, Ball’s Bluff, Mosby www.loudounhistory. 

org/history/loudoun-cw-chronology.htm 

7. Source: U.S. National Parks Service, Monroe, 

Oak Hill www.nps.gov/nr/travel/presidents/monroe_ 

oak_hill.html and www.nps.gov/nr/travel/journey/ 

oak.htm 

8. The George C. Marshall International Center 

www.georgecmarshall.org/Visit-The-Marshall-House 

9. Source: The Loudoun Tribune, “Bill May 

His Way: One Loudoun’s Visionary Speaks Out” 

www.loudountribune.com/bill-may-his-way-oneloudouns-visionary-speaks-out 

10. Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, 

W&OD Trail www.novaparks.com/parks/washington-and-old-dominion-railroad-regional-park/history 

11. Source: Loudoun County Fair www.loudouncountyfair.com 

12. Source: K2M investors.k2m.com/releasedetail. 

cfm?ReleaseID=973648 

13. EIT www.eit.com/about 

14. Orbital ATK www.orbitalatk.com 

15. Howard Hughes Medical Institute – Janelia 

Research Campus www.janelia.org 

16. Source: Raging Wire www.ragingwire.com/lp/ 

virginia-data-center/new-pods?utm_source=Paid%20 

Search&utm_medium=Google&utm_campaign=Virginia&lp={lpurl}&kw=%2Bdata%20%2Bcenter%20 

In%20%2Bashburn&gclid=Cj0KEQjwhtO7BRC 

twuO9gfTH-fQBEiQAdJ8FY0lsQe-XcWyFj5uM- 

IWo7YvF7XsA151624xPrRo8dCIaAr178P8HAQ 

and Loudoun County Department of Economic 

Development biz.loudoun.gov/index.aspx?NID=115 

and biz.loudoun.gov/index.aspx?NID=115#sthash. 

Uc2wNz0F.dpuf 

17. Source: Panda Stonewall www.pandafunds.com/ 

invest/stonewall 

18. Source: Washington Metropolitan Airports 

Authority, Dulles International Airport website 

www.flydulles.com/iad/dulles-international-airport, 

Dulles Airport Statistics, www.flydulles.com/iad/airport-overview 

and Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, 

Timeline www.dullesmetro.com 

19. Source: Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, 

Timeline, www.dullesmetro.com 

20. Source: The Washington Business Journal, 

Loudoun Chamber 3rd Largest in DC region 

www.bizjournals.com/washington/subscriber-only/2014/06/20/chambers-of-commerce.html 

21. Source: Farm to Fork Loudoun www.farmtoforkloudoun.com/about.html 

22. Loudoun Department of Economic 

Development, Craft Beverages www.loudounfarms. 

org/index.aspx?NID=134 

23. Tally Ho Theatre tallyholeesburg.com/About 

24. Lost Rhino Brewing Company lostrhino.com 

25. Smokehouse Live www.smokehouse-live.com 


66

26. Loudoun Symphony Orchestra, History www. 

loudounsymphony.org/about/our-history/ and 

Maestro McCoy www.loudounsymphony.org/about/ 

maestro-mark-allen-mccoy 

27. Source: Franklin Park Arts Center www.franklinparkartscenter.org/about-us/history 

28. Source: Loudoun Arts Council www. 

loudounarts.org/about-us 

29. Source: Red Fox Inn and Tavern www.redfox. 

com/our-story 

30. Source: Lightfoot Restaurant www.lightfootrestaurant.com/about 

31. Magnolia’s at the Mill www.magnoliasmill.com 

32. Source: Tuscarora Mill www.tuskies.com/ 

AboutUs.php and Loudoun Now, “Tuskies Hits 30: 

Leesburg’s Fine Dining Pioneer” www.loudounnow. 

com/2015/12/23/tuskies-hits-30-leesburgs-fine-dining-pioneer 

33. Clyde’s Willow Creek Farm www.clydes.com/ 

willow#About 

34. Source: Salamander Resort and Spa www.salamanderresort.com/overview/fact-sheet 

35. Source: DC Prime website www.dcprimesteaks. 

com/about-dc-prime-steaks.php 

36. Source: Morven Park History www.morvenpark. 

org/about/history and www.morvenpark.org/programs/equestrian.html 

37. Source: Upperville Horse and Colt Show www. 

upperville.com/history 

38. Source: The Middleburg Hunt www.middleburghunt.com/History.htm 

39. Town of Lovettsville www.lovettsvilleva.gov 

40. Source: Epicurience Virginia website www.epicvirginia.com 

41. Source: Purcellville Food & Wine Festival www. 

purcellvillewineandfood.com 

42. Source: Flower & Garden Festival www.flowerandgarden.org/history 

43. Source: Loudoun County Fair www.loudouncountyfair.com 

44. Source: Leesburg Airshow leesburgairshow.com 


Authority, Temple Hall Farm www.novaparks.com/ 

parks/temple-hall-farm-regional-park/history 

46. Source: Loudoun Now, “Park Progress: Efforts 

to Open Loudoun’s First State Park Are Advancing 

on Two Fronts” www.loudounnow.com/2016/02/17/ 

park-progress-efforts-to-open-loudouns-first-statepark-are-advancing-on-two-fronts 


Authority, Beaverdam Reservoir history www. 

novaparks.com/parks/beaverdam-reservoir 

48. Source: Loudoun County Parks, Recreation and 

Community Services www.loudoun.gov/prcs 

49. Source: Loudoun County Public Schools www. 

lcps.org 

50. Source: Loudoun County Government, 

Academies of Loudoun document www.loudoun. 

gov/DocumentCenter/View/107701 

51. Source: Northern Virginia Community College 

www.nvcc.edu/loudoun/index.html 

52. Source: George Mason University www2.gmu. 

edu/about-mason/our-campuses 

53. Source: The George Washington University, 

Virginia Science & Technology Campus virginia. 

gwu.edu and virginia.gwu.edu/about and cisr.gwu. 

edu/driving-simulation 

54. Source: Patrick Henry College phc.edu/about 

55. Source: Loudoun Volunteer Fire and Rescue 

www.loudoun.gov/index.aspx?NID=1973 

56. Source: White’s Ferry www.poolesvillemd. 

gov/338/Whites-Ferry 

57. The Washington Redskins www.redskins.com 

58. www.inova.org/patient-and-visitor-information/ 

facilities/inova-loudoun-hospital/index.jsp 

59. Source: Boulder Crest Retreat www.bouldercrestretreat.org/why-we-exist 

and www.bouldercrestretreat.org/our-past 

ENDNOTES 

67


68

LOUDOUN COUNTY PARTNERS 

Profiles of businesses, organizations, and families 

that have contributed to the development 

and economic base of Loudoun County 

Janelia Research Campus ........................................................................................70 

Lansdowne Resort and Spa ......................................................................................74 

Washington Dulles International Airport: Connecting Loudoun County to the World..........78 

My Guys Moving & Storage, Inc...............................................................................81 

The George Washington University Virginia Science & Technology Campus......................82 

Best Western Leesburg Hotel and Convention Center ...................................................85 

M.E. Flow, Inc. .....................................................................................................86 

StoneSprings Hospital Center ..................................................................................88 

Cardinal Bakery, Inc ..............................................................................................90 

Colonial Funeral Home of Leesburg ..........................................................................92 

Miller & Smith, One Loudoun..................................................................................94 

Giesecke & Devrient ..............................................................................................96 

TYG HOMES formerly The Yahner Group with Keller Williams Realty ............................98 

Inova Loudoun Hospital ........................................................................................100 

Middleburg Real Estate/Atoka Properties .................................................................102 

Middleburg Bank .................................................................................................104 

REHAU ..............................................................................................................106 

The National Conference Center and West Belmont Place at The National .....................107 

Sommerset Retirement Community ..........................................................................108 

K2M Group Holdings, Inc......................................................................................109 

Bank of Clarke County .........................................................................................110 

Galen Photography...............................................................................................111 

Loudoun County Department of Economic Development ..............................................112 

LOUDOUN COUNTY PARTNERS 

69

JANELIA RESEARCH CAMPUS 

❖ 

With its sprawling, open hallways and social gathering spots for scientists to 

discuss ideas and build relationships, Janelia’s architecture was designed with 

collaboration in mind. 

Whether it is a microscope that captures the color-coded 

minutiae of our cells, or an insight into how our brains 

channel information into behavior, many advances in 

science distill to a fundamental moment, when diligence, 

creativity, and a little luck synchronize. Like puzzle pieces, 

each scientific finding adds to the larger picture, and with 

every uncovered clue, our understanding of life itself 

becomes clearer. In concert with this philosophy, the Janelia 

Research Campus conducts basic science as a means of 

furthering fundamental scientific knowledge. 

Just thirteen years ago, Janelia began as a blueprint of an 

S-shaped structure envisioned and commissioned by the 

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), a global philanthropy 

based in Chevy Chase, Maryland, which supports 

biomedical research and science education. Now, nestled in the 

green and gold hillside of Ashburn, Virginia, Janelia’s threetiered 

“landscape building” hums as a scientific enterprise 

where bold thinkers and inquisitive minds come to probe the 

unknowns of neurobiology, the campus’s primary focus. 

In step with HHMI’s mantra, “people not projects,” the 

science at Janelia is driven by scientists who investigate 

unanswered questions of fundamental biology. Janelia, however, 

brings an unconventional twist—both in its approach 

and its architecture—to the mission. 

“In a way, I see Janelia as an experiment itself,” says Gerald 

Rubin, executive director of Janelia. “We’re trying to ask 

the question, ‘Is there a more powerful way that scientists 

can interact to better pursue basic biomedical research?’” 

Rubin and scientists at Janelia believe the answer is yes. 

By deviating from the path of traditional academic research, 

Janelia’s founders devised a model of scientific focus and 

synergy, where one campus directs its full attention to a 

select scope of science using a broad range of disciplines. 

For Janelia, that scope is imaging and neurobiology. Using 

simple animal models, such as flies and mice, scientists study 

cells in the brain that underlie complex animal behavior. In 

parallel, other researchers design and develop world-class 

microscopes to peer into the otherwise undetectable parts 

of the brain, developing embryo, or individual cell. It is a 

codependent collaboration that cinches the gap between 

biologists, chemists, physicists, computational scientists, 

and engineers. It is not the norm in academic research. 

“Ultimately, we want to have a disruptive impact on 

scientific culture as a whole, and bring the idea of an 

alternative model, like Janelia, to the foreground,” says Rubin. 


70

❖ 

Left and below: Within the glass-paned walls of Janelia’s landscape building, 

scientists conduct research in labs that are uniquely tailored to their 

scientific needs. 

Janelia’s anomalies do not end there—scientists purposefully 

pursue problems that others have shied away from. 

They ask tough questions of themselves and of each other, 

and the labs work together, not just as colleagues, but as 

partners invested in research. Furthermore, HHMI funds 

the independent research campus entirely. This allows 

the 488 staff scientists, including one Nobel Laureate and 

nine members of the National Academy of Sciences, to 

explore their passions in an open, autonomous environment, 

free from paperwork and burdensome administrative tasks. 

From the sprawling, open hallways that connect labs, to 

Bob’s, the campus pub named for architect Robert McGhee, 

Janelia has collaboration built right into its design. 

Jeremy Freeman, for example, leverages Bob’s as a hub for 

collaboration. Freeman, a Janelia neuroscientist who applies 

computation to study the brain, employs his knowledge of 

software design and neural theory (which tries to provide 

compact explanations of complex neuroscientific data) to 

LOUDON COUNTY PARTNERS 

71

Freeman’s assortment of collaborations includes studies 

of neural networks in flies, fish, and mice. Though he and 

his colleagues use different methods to study those animals, 

each scientist seeks to answer questions of behavior: 

What are the neural processes that trigger a fly’s evasive 

leap during a predator’s attack? How does a mouse use its 

whiskers to sense a tight space, and then navigate out of it? 

How does a fish decide how fast to swim? 

As in any think-tank environment, this fluidity of ideas 

and the freedom to explore challenging questions combine 

to support the progression of knowledge, and in Janelia’s 

case, the progression of new technology. 

Scientists and other innovators at Janelia share their 

discoveries and advances by hosting outside researchers in 

the campus’ visiting scientist program, or by inviting them 

to use Janelia’s Advanced Imaging Center (AIC), which houses 

five cutting-edge microscopes (all developed at Janelia). 

Through periodic competitions, scientists from across the 

❖ 

Above:The lattice light sheet microscope is one of Janelia’s state-of-the-art 

imaging technologies that scientists use to visualize complex biology. 

Right: Janelia scientists illuminated the brain and spinal cord of a ten-day old 

Medaka fish to study nervous system development. 

COURTESY OF THE PHILIPP KELLER LAB. 

work with other researchers and brainstorm new approaches 

to their experiments and data analysis. He says it all starts 

with a conversation, and what better way to foster freeflowing 

discussion than to claim a table at the campus pub? 

“The vast majority of my collaborations are driven by 

interactions with people who are describing challenges 

they’re facing–whether it’s data analysis or simply trying to 

make sense of a result,” says Freeman. “At Janelia, you’re 

evaluated based on the quality of your work, and if that 

quality is improved by working collaboratively, then there’s 

nothing but support for that.” 


72

world, including researchers from other scientific disciplines, 

can apply to use specific microscopes in the AIC for their 

own experiments; those with approved proposals use and 

benefit from Janelia’s resources free of charge. Not all the 

innovations developed at Janelia are confined to the campus, 

however. Because of Janelia’s open science philosophy, novel 

tools and reagents created on campus (such as dyes and 

genetically modified fly lines) are dispersed globally to other 

scientists working in both academia and the business sector. 

In addition to opening its doors and facilities to visiting 

scientists, Janelia also invites the Loudoun County community 

to its free lecture series called Dialogues of Discovery. The 

lectures, held four times per year, bring in researchers who 

share stories of scientific insight, discovery, and impact, with 

a personal touch. 

Janelia’s unconventional environment, from its scientific 

mission to its physical design, draws in scientists who want 

to overcome the constraints of technology and ask questions 

that others gave up on long ago. Rubin admits that Janelia’s 

approach to science is not for everyone. But for those who 

are committed to and passionate about their research—those 

who cannot imagine themselves doing anything else—it may 

be the perfect fit. 

In many ways, science is one of the key pillars that 

underpin our society. Every insight and bit of knowledge 

empowers the next big advance, be that in medicine, 

technology, or other fields. To this end, Janelia pursues 

neurobiology and imaging to simultaneously bolster the 

greater community’s knowledge of the brain and showcase 

the benefits of unrehearsed, unconventional science. 

❖ 

Janelia opens its doors to thousands of visitors each year, hosting conferences 

and public events like the Dialogues of Discovery lecture series. 


73

❖ 

LANSDOWNE 

RESORT AND SPA 

Below: Annual events like Lansdowne Celebrates America attracts thousands 

for the July Fourth weekend. 

Opposite, top: The rooms and suites have resort, golf course and 

Potomac River views. 

Opposite, bottom: Wine lees are incorporated into the lotions and oils used in 

their vinotherapy treatments. Wine lees are a byproduct of the harvest from 

local vineyards. 

Before the architects could even sketch it onto a blueprint, 

the story of Lansdowne Resort and Spa was already 

in the making. The foundation is a unique and exquisite 

mix of rich history and beautiful land—the bountiful vines 

of the countryside’s many vineyards, the meandering, lifegiving 

waters of the Potomac, the watchful eye of majestic 

mountains, as well as quaint towns and historic landmarks. 

Indeed, embraced by the Potomac River and the Blue 

Ridge Mountains, the 476 acres on which Lansdowne 

Resort and Spa now sits have quite a story to tell; a story 

which dates all the way back to 600 A.D. when Native 

Americans sought it out for its arable land and its prime 

location along what was then called the Patowmack River. 

Fast forward a few hundred years into the early 1700s 

and the story continues with a young Thomas Lee being 

appointed the assistant land agent by England’s sixth Lord 

of Fairfax. Lee set aside 800 acres of the land for himself 

and his family and, although they did not actually live on 

the land, they farmed it for most of the next century. During 

this time, they also became an integral 

part of local, state, and national history. 

As a matter of fact, not only did 

Leesburg get its name from Lee, but the 

Lee family patriarch held several official 

positions as well—from the Virginia 

House of Burgesses all the way up to the 

office of the Governor of Virginia. Two of 

his eleven sons—Francis Lightfoot Lee 

and Richard Henry Lee—signed the 

nation’s Declaration of Independence. 

Another of his sons—Thomas Ludwell 

Lee—was an heir of the land that would 

eventually become Lansdowne, which 

he passed down to his own namesake, 

Thomas Ludwell Lee, Jr. 

The first Lee to build a home and live on the land was 

Lee, Jr., and his family. They named their new homestead 

Coton Farm in honor of their ancestral home in England. 

They grew wheat and corn and operated a distillery 

and a meat house. Stories of the land include hosting 

General Marquis de Lafayette; operating an ordinary 

(tavern); and Mrs. Lee hosting American soldiers for dinner 

during the War of 1812. While the land changed hands 

many times over the years, it always exhibited a history 

rich in hospitality and still does to this day. 

After the passing of Lee, Jr., the property was eventually 

sold outside of the Lee family and, in time—due to road 

expansions and fires—the houses disappeared as well. The 

property continued to change hands until 1991 when it 

became the home of Lansdowne Resort and Spa—a one-ofa-kind 

destination whose beauty and history—just like the 

sweet flavors of a fine wine—intermingle and become one 

with the Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. terrain it 

calls home; an oasis where guests are invited to transform an 

unforgettable environment into unforgettable experiences. 

“Here at Lansdowne Resort and Spa, we call those experiences 

the Lansdowne Life and the Lansdowne Life never fails 


74

to leave our guests feeling refreshed, inspired and enriched 

with a new sense of purpose and perspective,” Managing 

Director Michael Stephens says of the sprawling resort and 

spa located just miles from the nation’s capital and considered 

the gateway into Northern Virginia Wine Country. 

Like its guests, the resort itself is continually being 

refreshed, rejuvenated and inspired; having evolved from a 

single golf course resort where locals from Washington, D.C. 

came for a short getaway into a naturally-inspiring AAA Four 

Diamond resort of approachable sophistication for families, 

couples, business travelers and event attendees from all 

over the world to a full-service destination resort, which not 

only pays homage to the great heritage and beauty of the 

land it calls home, but passionately reflects it in every detail. 

In addition to several historic landmarks on the property, 

including the remains of a historic mill and dam along 

Goose Creek, a body of water that backs up to the property’s 

Robert Trent Jones, Jr., Golf Course, Lansdowne Resort 

and Spa is particularly inspired by the good life of Virginia 

wine country. 

Completely reimagined in 2016 in celebration of 

the property’s twenty-fifth anniversary, Lansdowne’s 

296 deluxe guestrooms, signature suites and presidential 

suite now include upscale amenities with 

the “Wine Country Lifestyle” intertwined throughout. 

The décor of the rooms coincides with the estate’s 

picturesque views, with earth-toned colors capturing 

the essence of wine country, textured fabrics and cleanlined 

furnishings providing residential ambiance. Bar 

carts doubling as mini bars, wine cask nightstands, 

and glasses made from recycled wine bottles bring 

it all together. 

“As with all of our resort, our new guestrooms 

were thoughtfully and intimately designed to enrich 

the lives of our guests,” Stephens said. “Our whole 

mission and purpose here at Lansdowne is to inspire our 

guests and provide opportunities to experience the good 

life, to live in the moment and to take time to 

enjoy it.” 

Guests are invited, for example, to refresh 

and recharge at Lansdowne’s Spa Minérale, a 

12,000-square-foot luxury destination spa, 

which features a variety of mesmerizing spa 

treatments to pamper and decompress both 

mind and body. The spa offers thirteen treatment 

rooms including a couples’ suite, a private 

spa suite and unique relaxation lounges as 

well as saunas, steam rooms and whirlpools. 

Services include a myriad of relaxing treatments 

from a full menu of massages, body masks, 

facials, hydrotherapy, and salon services along 

with vino therapy. In keeping with the wine 

country theme, signature treatments include the 

chardonnay wrap, cabernet and cacao cocoon 

and the chardonnay facial. 


75

Other opportunities to delve into 

the Lansdowne Life continue on the 

resort’s famous golf courses. A premier 

golf destination in the Mid-Atlantic 

region, Lansdowne features 45 holes 

of championship golf—two 18-hole 

courses and one 9-hole course—the 

first designed by famed golf course 

architect Robert Trent Jones, Jr., and 

the second and third by legendary 

professional golfer Greg Norman. 

The 18-hole, par-72 course, which 

bears Jones’ name, was the resort’s first 

course and is a spectacular environment showcasing the 

renowned designer’s masterful touch. It incorporates fields, 

woodlands, natural stone outcroppings and centuries-old 

rock walls to offer a classic experience to both accomplished 

and novice golfers alike. 

Likewise, Greg Norman’s 18-hole course also presents 

golfers with a stunning setting integrating the natural undulations 

of the Potomac River Valley. Using the famed golfer’s 

“Least Disturbance Approach,” the front nine ventures along 

the river toward Goose Creek and the back nine meanders 

east along the Potomac River. The last four holes on 

the front nine measure exactly one mile. It was dubbed 

“The Hardest Mile in Golf” by Norman himself. 

The third course of the Lansdowne trio is the Sharkbite 

Course, a nine-hole course designed by Norman. Located 

along the Potomac River and adjacent to the front nine of the 

Norman course, Sharkbite is a much more forgiving course, 

which was specifically designed for junior golfers, families 

and golfing enthusiasts alike. It is often used by groups for 

team-building and can be converted into an 18-hole FootGolf 

course certified by the American FootGolf League and features 

an exciting mix of three, four, and five-par challenges. 

All the resort’s golf offerings are anchored by a 45,000- 

square foot clubhouse, which features spacious locker 

room facilities with an indoor hot tub and steam sauna; 

a well-appointed golf shop and dual practice range; 

as well as a steak and seafood house, Piedmont’s Table; 

a bar, Pub 46; and an elegant ballroom and an outdoor 

dining terrace overlooking the Potomac River Valley for 

weddings and other private parties and functions. The 

terrace is also home to the Lansdowne Resort and Spa 

Monarch Butterfly Way Station, an inspiring and beautiful 

garden designed to help bolster declining Monarch 

Populations, which is just one of many programs to 

preserve its beautiful environment. 

Of course, no resort is complete without food and drink 

and Lansdowne works diligently to present a smorgasbord 

of offerings that are not only delectable and exquisite, but 

fun for the palate and authentic to the region. The property 

features multiple year-round and seasonal restaurants 

with menus sure to please even the most discriminating 

taste buds. 

Coton & Rye is a celebration of Virginia’s culinary history, 

with signature dishes from the past. Famous turkey pot pies 

and local partnerships with Loudoun County farms are 

what we are known for. Coton & Rye’s beverage program 

centers around local ingredients, Virginia wine, and locally 

crafted beverages. 

Fitness and recreation enthusiasts are invited to enjoy 

Lansdowne’s state-of-the-art health and fitness center; tennis 

complex with three lit courts; basketball, racquetball and 

volleyball courts; well-equipped children’s playground; and, 

last but certainly not least, the colossal aquatic center with 

five pools, a waterslide, and splash fountain as well as a 

heated indoor lap pool. 

Hikers and nature lovers can enjoy the Potomac Heritage 

Trail, the Loudoun Trail or the popular 2.5-mile paved trail 


76

known as Lansdowne Loop. For wine and beer enthusiasts, 

forty-five wineries and twenty craft breweries are located 

within minutes of the resort. Guests can choose to explore 

on their own or as a part of an exciting guided wine 

tour package offered by the resort on Saturdays. Indeed, 

as the front porch of Virginia wine country, Lansdowne 

Resort and Spa is proud that the nation’s first wines were 

produced in Virginia over 400 years ago and its own homeland 

is still among the greatest producers of fine wines 

throughout America. 

For museum lovers, the Smithsonian National Air and 

Space Museum and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center are 

just minutes away; and for those who love retail therapy, 

shopping and dining opportunities are plentiful at the 

Leesburg Premium Outlets, Dulles Town Center Mall and 

One Loudoun. 

Additionally, guests are sure to be charmed by Loudoun 

County’s collection of seven towns and eighteen villages 

located near the resort, including the historic towns of 

Leesburg and Middleburg, which are both teeming with 

small boutiques, antique shops and art galleries. For outdoor 

family fun and historical adventures, Morven Park and 

Oatlands Historic House and Garden are nearby. 

Not to mention, the nation’s capital and Dulles 

International Airport are located practically right next door 

to the resort. Whether in the area on business or for an 

event, a wedding, a meeting or a conference—many of 

which are held at Lansdowne’s own beautiful conference 

center—Lansdowne Resort and Spa is a very convenient 

place to escape, relax, and re-energize. “Lansdowne is a 

place where you’ll feel deeply connected to nature, 

history, exquisite dining, and a healthy active lifestyle,” 

says Stephens. 

“Many guests leave with a new sense of purpose and 

perspective. The Lansdowne life is different for everyone 

and that’s what makes the experience so enriching,” 

said Stephens. 

To learn more about Lansdowne Resort and Spa, visit 

www.lansdowneresortandspa.com. 

❖ 

Above: Sunrise yoga and daily free fitness classes are offered. 

Bikes are for rent for both paved and nature trails, a new feature for 

Lansdowne guests. 


77

WASHINGTON DULLES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: 

CONNECTING LOUDOUN COUNTY TO THE WORLD 

by Rob Yingling 

Setting aside 12,000 acres of airport land, plus a rail 

and highway corridor, helped ensure Dulles would have 

plenty of room to grow in harmony with the cosmopolitan 

community evolving around it. 

In many respects, Dulles International Airport operates 

like a small city. Nearly 20,000 employees work for airlines, 

caterers, contractors, law enforcement agencies, rental car 

companies, warehouses and business offices. All of this 

activity pumps about $5 billion through the local economy 

each year. Massive airport garages and parking lots serve as 

testament to the many employees and passengers who arrive 

by automobile. Newly elevated rail bridges traversing the 

airport signal an expansion of transportation choices. 

Multiple lines of descending white lights that trot across 

the night sky remind everyone that Dulles is a 24/7 engine 

of commerce for the region. 

Like many cities its size, Dulles International has onsite 

facilities that handle everything from road maintenance to 

metal fabrication to hands-on customer service. If a sign 

needs to be made, it can be produced onsite and installed by 

airport employees. If a water main needs repair, the equipment 

to dig it up and the people to weld it together can 

respond immediately with trucks and tools. When the snow 

falls, hundreds of airport workers change into a runwayclearing 

task force that drives the airport’s own fleet of plows. 

❖ 

Above: Washington Dulles International Airport from above. 

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF J. DAVID BUERK. 

Right: Airport snow throwers clear a Dulles runway after a record setting 

blizzard in January 2016. 

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF VERNON LEBEAU. 

John Foster Dulles logged almost half a million miles 

traveling the globe from Washington as Secretary of State 

under President Dwight D. Eisenhower. It is only fitting 

that an airport known for connecting the Nation’s Capital to 

the world is named after him. Built at the dawn of the jet 

travel age, Dulles International Airport was planned with a 

bold future in mind. As a massive, iconic terminal building 

blossomed from the bucolic countryside, the airport planted 

an early seed for economic development that followed. 


78

Dulles is kept safe thanks to round-the-clock patrols 

performed by a dedicated airport police department. The 

full-service organization includes specialized response 

teams trained to be ready for anything unusual. Drills are 

held frequently, and the airport has its own police shooting 

range for practice. Behind the airport hotel, a K-9 facility is 

the home office for twelve teams of dogs and handlers who 

work and live together. The teams roam the airport inside 

and out, and are often called upon if a piece of luggage or 

other item looks out of place and needs a quick check. 

Medical emergencies and fire rescue responses are handled 

from one of three fire stations located at the airport. While 

most calls are for minor incidents in or near the terminal, the 

department is frequently called into Loudoun County to 

assist local responders at accident scenes and building fires. 

The fire department’s supply of film-forming foam keeps 

them ready for incidents on the airfield, while also providing 

an important resource for snuffing out gas or electrical fires 

in nearby communities. A mock aircraft on Dulles property 

equipped with a controlled flame gives firefighters the needed 

practice for a disaster they hope never to meet in real life. 

Much of what keeps the heartbeat of Dulles pulsing is 

unseen by people who travel there. Air traffic controllers 

keep watch of moving planes from their 300-foot-tall perch. 

Technicians constantly monitor the movement of automatic 

AeroTrain cars from a control room at the end of the line. 

Thousands of closed-circuit cameras and other systems 

connect to a main airport command center located beneath 

the airport gates. The center is staffed round-the-clock with 

Airport Operations duty managers who act as the nerve 

center for the airport, directing resources and responding 

to any unusual situation. 

From the moment each passenger arrives, Dulles is 

designed to delight. The terminal is the product of Architect 

Eero Saarinen, known also for designing furniture, corporate 

offices and the St. Louis Gateway Arch. Views stretching up 

to the iconic ‘swoosh’ roofline of the terminal have been 

preserved from major obstructions—inside and out. Ticket 

counters stretching from end to end offer a diverse menu 

of airlines and destinations from Seoul to Johannesburg. 

Modern security screening facilities were built below ground 

to maintain terminal views and provide a smooth transition 

to the underground AeroTrain system. Skylights and massive 

overhead support cables make the new space inviting and 

roomy. Glass-enclosed trains whisk passengers in seconds 

to remote concourses, increasing the airport’s flight capacity 

while providing more space to shop and dine instead of just 

park and fly. The airport was once dominated by mobile 

lounges that connected passengers from the terminal directly 

to the aircraft, providing sweeping airfield views along the 

way. A fraction of them still remain in operation, providing 

arriving international flights with on-demand transportation 

to state-of-the-art Customs processing areas. The International 

Arrivals Hall is named for James A. Wilding, the first chief 

executive of the authority that oversees Dulles. 

The palette that is Dulles International is ever-changing. 

Expansion through the years has led to new parking 

facilities, a longer terminal building, new concourses, more 

taxiways and a new runway. Inside, an influx of gourmet 

restaurants and luxury shops cater to the latest passenger 

❖ 

Above: The terminal and original airport traffic control tower of Washington 

Dulles International Airport, designed by Architect Eero Saarinen. 

Below: Artistic glass adds color to natural light in the James A. Wilding 

International Arrivals Hall. 

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF DULLES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. 


79

❖ 

Above: Rendering of Silver Line Metrorail station. 

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF DULLES METRORAIL PROJECT. 

Below: Runners on Dulles Runway 1-Right. 

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF J. DAVID BUERK. 

desires. Members-only airline clubs offer high standards 

of comfort and service to their frequent-flyer clientele. 

A children’s play area shrinks the airport’s major features 

to kid-friendly size. 

Having a large footprint gives Dulles the flexibility to 

host memorable special community events without stopping 

the everyday flow of passenger 

planes. One prime example is 

the annual Dulles Day Plane 

Pull, a fundraiser for Special 

Olympics Virginia athletes. The 

event was the first of its kind, 

but witnessed by few others than 

the Plane Pull participants. Over 

the years, donations increased, 

more teams became enamored 

by friendly competition, and the 

public was invited to see the 

contest and experience Dulles 

behind-the-scenes through tours 

and demonstrations. Attendance 

and fundraising continue to 

break records as the regional community has grown to 

support it over the years. These days, more than 2,000 

runners gather once a year at the break of dawn to trot on 

the runways, and then thousands more come to witness 

teams pulling an eighty-two-ton airplane for the benefit 

of others. 

The most dramatic change at Dulles since its dedication 

will be the opening of a new Dulles International train 

station on the Metrorail line that will whisk passengers 

directly to downtown Washington, D.C. The Silver Line 

Metrorail service will extend beyond Dulles International to 

points west, including the town of Ashburn. Long thought 

of as a game-changer, rail service will add a much-desired 

transportation choice that is enjoyed at capital city airports 

around the world. It should come as no surprise the 

corridor for rail was envisioned more than fifty years 

ago and set aside during the original construction. It will 

not take long for Metrorail to become a vital component to 

life in the airport and around Loudoun County. 

Beyond the terminal, the ground is fertile for the future 

of Dulles development. Two airline concourse buildings 

could double to four, with underground AeroTrain service 

to eight stations. Three parallel runways already run 

north-to-south, all within view of the existing control 

tower. A fourth runway running west-to-east operates next 

to a site dedicated for a fifth. Land along the airport’s 

western edge boasts direct runway and roadway access that 

offer a springboard for future economic development. 

A new airport hotel could accommodate travelers just 

steps away from their flight. Most other major metropolitan 

airports became hemmed in years ago, putting construction 

in conflict with the community and ending their potential 

to expand. But Dulles International keeps looking up— 

filling the needs of today while focusing on opportunities 

of tomorrow. 


80

❖ 

MY GUYS MOVING & 

STORAGE, INC. 

Left: Convoy of My Guys Moving trucks. 

Below: Professional home preparation and protection. 

Located in Loudoun County with franchises and offices in 

Virginia, Maryland and Florida, My Guys Moving & Storage 

brand looks familiar to most folks because its design was 

inspired by the World War II caricature of a guy looking 

over a wall with the phrase, ‘Kilroy Was Here’. Over the years, 

the moving company has grown to become a household 

name in the DC Metro area due to its recognizable logo 

combined with tens of thousands of satisfied customers. 

Brett and Patrick Burks purchased the assets of a wellknown 

moving company in 2011. They operated under 

that name until 2013 when they rebranded to My Guys 

Moving & Storage, Inc., to emphasize the company’s ability 

to service large residential and commercial moves as well 

as accommodate long distance relocations. 

With about 20,000 square feet of storage space, the 

military-approved warehouse was big enough to build a 

simulated townhouse inside that serves as a professional 

training facility so that the movers “make their mistakes in 

our house, not your house.” 

The mission of My Guys Moving & Storage is to be the 

nation’s premier moving company, focused on providing 

exemplary moving services and a stress-free moving experience. 

With an overall customer recommendation rating of 

95.4 percent based on 2,091 survey results, My Guys is well 

on the way to accomplishing its mission, as evidenced by 

the numerous awards it has won: Angie’s List Super Service 

Award 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015; Best Moving Service— 

Loudoun County 2014, 2015, 2016; Best Moving Service— 

Prince William County 2014, 2015, 2016; Best Moving 

Service—Arlington 2016; and Best Moving Service—Fairfax 

2016. My Guys has been featured in such publications as the 

Loudoun Times-Mirror and Prince William Today. 

Corporate headquarters located in Sterling, Virginia, provide 

moving and storage services for over 6,000 customers annually, 

and currently employs approximately thirty men and women 

year-round, with additional help hired during peak season. 

My Guys Moving & Storage gives back to the community 

by supporting charitable causes run by organizations such 

as the Sterling Rotary, the Sterling Lion’s Club, Loudoun 

Interfaith Relief, Toys for Tots, The Fisher House, and 

Loudoun Abused Women’s Shelter (LAWS). In addition to 

helping military families, the company has assisted in 

providing college scholarships for high school seniors and 

helped feed the underserved children of Loudoun County. 

My Guys is a member of the American Moving & Storage 

Association and A+BBB Accredited member. 

With relationships with the most prominent real estate 

agents and brokers in the region, My Guys Moving & Storage 

is the professional moving company to consider for your 

next relocation. 

For more information or for a free estimate, please visit 

www.MyGuysMoving.com. 

Bottom: Simulated-townhouse training facility. 


81

❖ 

Aerial view of the campus. 

THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY 

VIRGINIA SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY CAMPUS 

The brainchild of George Washington himself, The 

George Washington University (GW) is an integral part 

of the Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia landscape 

where the nation’s first president helped to pour the very 

foundation of America. 

“George Washington University was created in 1821 

through an Act of Congress, fulfilling George Washington’s 

vision of an institution located in the nation’s capital and 

dedicated to educating and preparing future leaders,” said 

Dr. Ali Eskandarian, Ph.D., Dean of The George Washington 

University’s Virginia Science & Technology Campus. “Today, 

GW is the largest institution of higher education in the 

District of Columbia with more than 26,000 students 

hailing from all 50 states and the District of Columbia 

as well as 130 countries. Students study a rich range of 

disciplines—from forensic science and creative writing to 

international affairs and computer engineering to medicine, 

public health, the law and public policy.” 

Indeed, from Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon in 

Washington, D.C. to the Virginia Science & Technology Campus 

in Loudoun County, GW’s three campuses are not the only 

places the university is physically and academically at the 

core of U.S. government, policy, and law, but also at the very 

convergence of the worlds of science, technology, media, 

and the arts. This creates an unparalleled environment for 

students and faculty to study and work alongside leaders and 

practitioners in every discipline and, even more importantly, 

take part in interchanges that shape the community, the 

country and the world. In addition to its main campuses, 

the university also has several graduate education centers in 

the metropolitan D.C. area as well as Hampton Roads, Virginia. 

According to Dr. Eskandarian, Virginia Science & 

Technology Campus (VSTC) opened its doors in 1991 and 

has, in its first quarter of a century in existence, physically 

expanded from a single building and fifty acres to six 

buildings and 130 acres. Located in Ashburn, just thirty 

miles from GW’s main campus in Washington, D.C. and 

nine miles from Washington Dulles Airport and the Dulles 

High-Tech Corridor. Celebrated as the university’s dynamic 

hub for discovery and innovation, VSTC offers its more 

than 400 full and part time students—many of whom are 

working professionals—the unique opportunity not only to 

focus on cross-disciplinary learning across several primary 

fields of study to include education, health sciences and 

information management, technology and nursing, but 

to pursue more than twenty undergraduate and graduate 

degree and certificate programs in those fields. 


82

In addition to its 400-plus students, VSTC is the home 

base for 750 employees who provide support to both 

the campus as well as a host of enterprise-wide activities. 

Of those 750, approximately 125 serve as teaching and 

research faculty who, along with students, actively conduct 

a wide range of interdisciplinary research in seventeen 

research labs, centers and institutes. 

“At VSTC, we are advancing the frontiers of knowledge in 

cross-disciplinary STEM-based disciplines—from biological 

and health sciences, big data and data analytics, highperformance 

computing, energy science and technology and 

infrastructure safety engineering—and we are integrating 

those disciplines for real-world applications,” explains 

Dr. Eskandarian. “All of our schools are making great strides 

for local, national and global communities, with scores of 

researchers and innovative thinkers tackling some of the 

most pressing challenges facing our community and planet.” 

One of VSTC’s interdisciplinary teams, for example, has 

created and constructed a cutting-edge model aimed at 

understanding how earthquakes affect nuclear reactors, 

knowledge that could help prevent the recurrence of disasters 

like that in Fukushima, Japan, which claimed almost 

16,000 lives in 2011. Closer to home, the GW Teachers 

in Industry Project—an initiative to provide middle and 

high school core content teachers the opportunity to 

experience firsthand the work environment for which 

they are preparing their students—is bridging the gap 

between academic preparation and the workforce needs 

of regional businesses. 

The school also has forged partnerships with industry, 

government and the community, and works diligently to 

support regional opportunities. For example, its investment 

in big data and data analytics—a collaboration with 

academic, corporate and public-sector partners—is both 

transforming the region into a “knowledge hub” for data 

processing and data analytics and stimulating economic 

growth at the same time. 

Faculty research is strengthened by the university’s investment 

in Colonial One—a high-performance computing 

cluster and storage resource that provides big data initiatives 

with cutting-edge computing, network capacity and 

engineering services and the school’s High Performance 

Computing Laboratory (HPCL) uniquely addresses the 

growing needs of a data-driven society. GW’s Cyber 

Academy at VSTC further offers a “one-stop-shop” approach 

to government agencies, private companies, and military 

branches interested in working in collaboration with 

academia to solve contemporary cybersecurity problems 

and to prepare for emerging and evolving threats. 

On the energy front, VSTC investigators with world-class 

expertise in chemistry, physics and engineering—and their 

multidisciplinary teams—develop innovative solutions to 

critical energy problems. VSTC research addresses reduced 

carbon dioxide emissions, greater fuel economy in vehicles, 

increased capacity of rechargeable batteries, improved 

designs of wind turbine energy and assures the safety of 

nuclear reactors. 

❖ 

Above: The High Performance Computing (HPC) Lab. 

LEFT: PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF DAVID GALEN. 

Below: The Colonial One HPC facility. 


83

❖ 

Above: New wet lab classroom space in Discovery Hall. 

Below: School of nursing—one of our rising stars—image of our simulation 

lab with nursing students working with simulated patients. 

VSTC’s Computational Biology Institute builds on 

GW’s strengths in life and computational sciences to better 

understand complex biological systems and manage an 

ever-growing volume of biological and genetic information; 

and the university also is investing more than $5 million 

to establish the GW Autism and Neurodevelopmental 

Disorders Institute as a leader in autism research and policy. 

The GW Autism and Neurodevelopment Disorders Institute 

is primarily housed at VSTC as is the new Center for 

Biomolecular Sciences, which unites experimentalists and 

theorists across schools to unravel the molecular mechanisms 

of biological processes and investigations. 

The George Washington University School of Nursing also 

is located at VSTC. Ranked among the nation’s top nursing 

schools by U.S. News & World Report, the school prepares 

compassionate healthcare practitioners who are diligently 

improving the well-being of their communities and actively 

advancing research and leadership to completely transform 

the face of healthcare nationwide. The school has one of 

the most sophisticated learning environments in its Skills 

and Simulation Laboratories and offers associate, bachelors 

and doctorate degree programs. For military veterans, the 

school translates their military service from a variety of 

specialties to academic credits, allowing them to take part in 

the GW’s Accelerated and Veterans Bachelor of Science in 

Nursing (BSN), which can be completed in fifteen months. 

From local to global, GW and VSTC perpetually strives 

to be a good neighbor and partner and maintains a longterm 

commitment to the Commonwealth of Virginia where 

more than 50,000 GW alumni live and work every day. 

The economic impact of the university on the commonwealth 

is valued at $530 million-plus. Locally, VSTC leaders 

are active on area leadership and economic development 

boards and the campus opens its doors to more than 6,000 

visitors each year for the Dean’s Speaker Series as well as 

art exhibitions and other special activities each year. VSTC’s 

annual Science, Technology and Engineering Day—a partnership 

with Loudoun County Public Schools—has given 

more than a thousand high school students the opportunity 

to participate in hands-on workshops with GW faculty since 

the program’s inception. 

“Our vision for VSTC is to continue building a dynamic 

intellectual and social environment, benefiting our students, 

researchers, faculty and staff, as well as our partners, the 

community and the many GW alumni living in Virginia,” 

said Dr. Eskandarian. “And, we will continue to support 

the region’s economic development, address the intricate 

challenges that face our nation and the world and enrich 

the quality of life in the region. We hope you will join us 

on the journey.” 

For more information on The George Washington 

University’s Virginia Science & Technology Campus, visit 

online at www.virginia.gwu.edu. 


84

Delightful. Quaint. Top rate. A gem. 

These are words used to describe the Best Western Leesburg 

Hotel and Conference Center in Leesburg, Virginia—and not by 

marketers paid to advertise the property like one might think, 

but by the guests themselves in published TripAdvisor reviews. 

Guests cannot seem to say enough about the friendly, 

professional and welcoming staff; the spacious and beautiful 

rooms; the delicious, fresh, hot breakfast; the prime meeting 

and banquet space; and the hotel’s close proximity to a 

plethora of historical sites, dining and shopping establishments, 

local vineyards and wineries, biking trails and more. 

Nestled in the historic and growing township of Leesburg, 

the Best Western Leesburg Hotel and Conference Center, 

features ninety-nine comfortable and well-appointed guest 

rooms and suites fully equipped with microwaves, refrigerators, 

cable television and free wireless high-speed Internet 

access. In addition to a daily, hot southern-style complimentary 

breakfast buffet, its amenities include a seasonal outdoor 

swimming pool, a well-equipped exercise facility, full business 

services and 3,000 square feet of meeting and banquet 

facilities to accommodate up to 175 guests. 

“Our company’s slogan, ‘We love guests,’ may sound simple, 

but it is the very foundation of everything that we do here 

at the Best Western Leesburg,” says General Manager Richard 

Menster. “We want our guests to not only feel at home, 

but to, hopefully, feel a little spoiled as well. That’s why 

we are always trying to add touches beyond the expected.” 

For example, while many hotels have continental-type 

breakfasts or food that is prepared off-site, the Best Western 

Leesburg has a full kitchen for the on-site preparation of a 

wide variety of hot breakfast offerings and also has a dedicated 

dining area that seats approximately fifty people. The hotel’s 

shuttle service goes above and beyond as well, not only transporting 

guests to and from Washington-Dulles Airport about 

thirty miles away, but also local businesses and corporations 

within a three-mile radius of the hotel, not to mention 

historical sites, attractions and biking trails. Additionally, 

with more than forty vineyards and almost as many wedding 

venues within thirty minutes of the hotel, the Best Western 

Leesburg caters to and is a popular home-base for visiting 

wine enthusiasts, tourists and wedding parties alike. 

Originally built in 1985, the Best Western Leesburg 

celebrated its thirtieth anniversary in 2015 with the start of 

a complete renovation project. In addition to a complete 

facelift for the rooms, which includes all new furnishings, 

the lobby and common areas are being refreshed and 

revitalized as well. The entire renovation is expected to be 

completed in 2016. 

For more information, to reserve a room or meeting space 

at the Best Western Leesburg Hotel and Convention Center, 

call 703-777-9400 or visit www.bestwesternleesburg.com. 

BEST WESTERN 

LEESBURG HOTEL AND 

CONVENTION CENTER 


85

M.E. FLOW, INC. 

❖ 

Right: Michelle Goulet-Swart, vice president and Scott Goulet, president 

(brother and sister). 

Below: Brian Goulet accepting the American Standard Dealer of the Year 

Award in 2011. 

A third-generation family-owned heating, air conditioning 

and plumbing business, M.E. Flow, Inc., was started in 1951 

in a basement in Alexandria and has since grown to cover 

all of Northern Virginia. 

But what is with the name? 

“Because it is so fitting for a heating, air conditioning and 

plumbing company, people ask almost every day about our 

name. But, while it sure makes for a great slogan and helps 

people to remember us, M.E. Flow is really just named after 

my grandfather and our company’s founder, Millard Edward 

Flow,” laughs Scott Goulet, who is today the third generation 

to hold the title of company president and CEO. 

During its first three decades, M.E. Flow grew steadily 

under its founder’s guidance—from brainchild to full-fledged 

heating and cooling company employing up to twenty 

employees. It really began to take off, however, in the late 

1980s when Flow began transitioning from family business 

to family legacy by successfully convincing his son-in-law, 

Brian Goulet, his grandson, Scott Goulet, and his granddaughter, 

Michelle Goulet-Swart, to join him. 

A man with an entrepreneurial spirit himself, Brian was a 

natural choice to become the company’s next CEO and 

president. Almost immediately, he recognized the opportunity 

for expansion, starting with Loudoun County, he and wife, 

Judy’s beloved hometown-of-choice. 

“Dad moved us to Loudoun County from Alexandria 

because he wanted to bring us up in a laid-back environment,” 

said Scott. “We settled on thirty beautiful acres where he and 

mom enjoyed gardening as well as breeding Morgan horses. 

“We first expanded into Loudoun and then neighboring 

Frederick County; and, by 2001, we had also added plumbing 

to our menu of services,” Scott continued. “Being able to 

deliver quality heating, cooling and plumbing services from 

Fairfax to Alexandria to Winchester and Loudoun County 

and all places in between was, and still is, very important to 

us. In fact, one of the highlights for us came in 2015 when 

the Mayor of Leesburg helped us celebrate twenty-five years 

in Loudoun County by recognizing M.E. Flow as a Legacy 

Business. Honestly, we could not believe that twenty-five 

years had gone by so quickly!” 


86

Unfortunately, Brian never got to enjoy the Legacy Award 

as he was killed in a tragic accident in 2012. To this day, 

he is sorely missed by his family, employees, customers, 

community members, and other local business owners. Like 

M.E. Flow himself, he left a mark on the company that is 

undeniable and a big part of why Scott, Michelle and several 

other family members—from Michelle’s husband, Frank, 

nephew Derek, cousin Heidi and nephew Grant—happily 

carry on the family legacy. It is also why his many grandchildren 

enjoy working at the office during their time off. 

When asked what she thinks makes the company so 

successful, Michelle, who has headed up company payroll 

for more than a quarter of a century, is quick to give credit 

to her grandfather’s ingenuity and her father’s vision—most 

especially his persistence and insistence that everyone in the 

company remember the Golden Rule. 

“It can’t go without saying that a large part of our success 

is because of our caring and dedicated team members and 

the relationships we have with our customer,” Michelle said. 

“We respect our employees and work hard to make this a 

great place for them to come every day. We are also extremely 

grateful to our customers who we have been proudly serving 

since 1951 and we strive to deliver peace-of-mind every time.” 

Today, M.E. Flow, Inc., has three locations and more than 

120 employees, including a host of licensed and highly 

trained technicians who are trained to not only deal with 

heating, cooling and plumbing, but to also mitigate health 

hazards that exist in the home due to indoor air quality 

problems. The company offers sales, installation, service and 

repair of all HVAC systems as well as water heaters, water 

purification and softening treatment for the areas hard water, 

air cleaning systems, allergen solutions, and a full range of 

plumbing services. The company is the recipient of many 

awards such as Best Loudoun County Plumber and 

American Standard Dealer of the Year awards, the latter of 

which was accepted by Brian in 2011 and has continued to 

be awarded it year after year. 

“My sister and I are committed to carrying on the family 

tradition of caring for our customers and striving for 

excellence,” Scott said, adding that clients range from 

residential to businesses to historic landmarks and 

structures that are part of the very fabric of American 

history. “When you go with ‘The Flow,’ you get a winning 

combination of teamwork, which translates to excellence 

in customer satisfaction. We thank our customers for 

allowing our team of highly-trained technicians to keep 

their heating, cooling, and plumbing systems in top 

shape and are thankful to our grandfather and founder, 

Millard Edward Flow, for starting M.E. Flow!” 

“Why did we want to participate in this book? Because, 

just like our father, we love the Loudoun County community 

and are happy to be a part of something that will be around 

for many years to come,” Michelle added with a smile. 

For more information on M.E. Flow, Inc., visit online at 

www.meflow.com. 

❖ 

Above: M.E. Flow in historic downtown Leesburg. 

Left: Brian Goulet’s grandchildren left to right, Krista, Ben, Michael 

and Amanda. 


87

STONESPRINGS 

HOSPITAL CENTER 

❖ 

Top: The front of StoneSprings Hospital Center. 

Above: An L&D nurse with mother and father. 

Aircraft may no longer come in for a landing at Glascock 

Landing Field in Loudoun County, Virginia, but state-ofthe-art 

healthcare certainly does. 

Located along Route 50 and nestled on fifty-one acres 

of land that once donned the runways of Loudoun’s first 

airport, the first phase of StoneSprings Hospital Center—a 

124 bed acute care facility built to serve the people and 

communities of Northern Virginia, including Loudoun 

County and metropolitan Washington, D.C.—officially 

opened its doors for business on December 7, 2015. Sixteen 

long years in the making, it is the county’s first new 

hospital in more than a century and a member of the 

HCA Healthcare Systems family, the world’s largest private 

healthcare provider with more than 168 hospitals across 

the United States and England. 

In addition to 124 private patient rooms, the initial 230,000 

square foot, $186 million hospital complex also features 

a 100,000 square foot medical office building, a 24/7, 

full-service emergency room, as well as medical, surgical, 

obstetric, pediatric and intensive care services, advanced 

heart and vascular care including a cutting-edge cardiac 

catheterization lab, top-notch orthopedics, and state-of-theart 

diagnostic imaging and interventional equipment including 

technology to perform minimally-invasive robotic surgery. 

“Expert physicians and staff, along with the latest 

technology, provide outstanding medical care and quality 

outcomes for our patients—but it is the compassionate and 

personalized care of the StoneSprings Hospital Center team 

that makes the difference to our patients and their families,” 

Hospital Chief Executive Officer Lance Jones said. 


88

Like the entire hospital, the obstetrics unit combines 

revolutionary technology with special touches to make the 

patient experience exceptional and the birthing experience 

more memorable. Even the nurses at StoneSprings are 

individually equipped with the latest in technology, each one 

carrying a hospital assigned iPhone during their shifts so 

that patients under their care cannot only contact them 

directly, but the nurses can likewise contact the patients’ 

doctors at all times. 

Aesthetically, the interior and exterior of the hospital were 

designed to both harmonize with the geographical area as well 

as create a warm, inviting and serene environment designed 

to promote healing and enhance the patient experience. The 

exterior is modern, yet ties in the history of Northern Virginia 

through the use of stone, reminiscent of the stone walls 

still found in the surrounding countryside that pre-date 

the American Civil War. The interior itself is patient—and 

visitor—friendly, with ample space for guests to wait 

comfortably while a loved one is being cared for by the best, 

most experienced and compassionate staff around. 

“Our mission statement, ‘Delivering exceptional care— 

every patient, every time,’ is the driving force behind 

everything we do at StoneSprings Hospital Center,” Jones said. 

“Our highly trained and comprehensive care teams paired 

with technologically advanced services in a warm and 

welcoming environment allows us to create a personalized 

healthcare experience for each patient.” 

“The results of our selective hiring and recruitment process 

allowed us to create a highly-trained, very seasoned and 

compassionate workforce that truly cares about each patient. 

Having a team like this allows us to provide quality care, 

in a safe environment—the way we all want to receive care,” 

said Jones. 

As the hospital grows with the community they serve, 

they will continue to expand their services in emergency 

care, cardiac care, neuro sciences, minimally-invasive 

robotic surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, GI, orthopedics 

and beyond. 

In addition to increasing access to high-quality healthcare, 

StoneSprings Hospital Center will improve the area’s 

emergency preparedness capabilities, provide 500 new jobs, 

and generate more than $2.1 million in local tax revenues. 

A workforce of more than 500 employees and local, state, 

and federal taxes of more than $2.1 million will continue 

to grow greater with each passing year. 

To learn more, visit the hospital’s website online at 

www.stonespringshospital.com or in person at 24440 Stone 

Springs Boulevard, near the intersection of Route 50 and 

Stone Springs Boulevard in Loudoun County, Virginia. 


89

CARDINAL BAKERY, INC. 

In the wee hours of the morning while most people are 

in a peaceful slumber, the people of Cardinal Bakery in 

Sterling, Virginia, are working hard to make sure their 

signature handmade breads rise before their customers do. 

“We bake all night so that our customers have fresh bread 

every single morning,” says Joe Politano, founder of the 

family owned and operated wholesale bakery, which opened 

in Sterling in 1985. “It’s what we’ve been doing for thirty 

years now and it’s what we hope to be doing for many more 

years to come.” 

Their customers—several hundred food establishments 

in the Maryland, Virginia, Southeastern Pennsylvania, and 

Washington, D.C. area—certainly hope so, too. 

Specializing in authentic Italian-style bread and a variety 

of brick oven breads—from traditional handmade loaves, 

sub rolls in various sizes to bagels, Texas toast, and delicious 

croissants and Danish pastries, just to name a few—Cardinal 

supplies its customers with more than six tons of baked 

freshness each and every day. 

“Over the fifteen years Deli South has been in business; 

Cardinal Bakery is our only choice for bread. The quality and 

consistency of their product is unwavering, and the service 

is second to none,” said Chris Scharrer, president of Deli 

South in Leesburg. “They are one of the few vendors that 

take an honest interest in the wellbeing of our business and 

the relationship that has been forged over time.” 

“For over twenty years, the Italian Gourmet has enjoyed 

the reliable service of Cardinal Bakery,” added Jeremy 

and Margaret Schottler, owners of the Italian Gourmet in 

Vienna, Virginia. “The fresh rolls and breads that Cardinal 

delivers every morning are an integral part of the success 

of our sandwich business.” 

“The day we opened our doors in 2003, there was no 

doubt in our mind who our baker would be. Their bread and 

rolls are the best in the area. They remind me of the great 

grinder rolls I would get as a kid growing up in New York. 

All of their bread comes to us fresh daily and their rolls 

are the main reason our subs have become so famous,” 

says Robert C. Lesando, president of Santini’s Deli. “Since 

then we have opened several more Santini's and have 

switched from making our own pizza dough to buying the 

dough for all of our locations from Cardinal.” 

Though Cardinal is now celebrating more than three 

decades in Virginia, its roots can actually be traced all the way 

back to Italy where eleven-year-old Joe Politano first became 

an apprentice to a local baker. He worked before and after 

school as well as on weekends learning the trade and art of 

bread making and, in 1966, when his family immigrated to 


90

Long Island, New York, the teenager continued to perfect 

what would become his life’s work and eventually his family 

legacy. He remained in New York for nearly two decades 

and worked his way up to plant manager of a multimillion 

dollar bread company before finally deciding to move his 

family to Leesburg in 1984. 

A friend and prospective business partner had told him 

about the area’s need for quality bread products and within 

a year the new partners had acquired the necessary financing 

to establish their own bakery. As fate would have it; 

however, the partnership dissolved within a year, and Joe’s 

own brother, Frank Politano, stepped in to fill the void. 

Indeed, from its humble beginnings on Davis Drive in 

Sterling, Virginia, Cardinal Bakery has enjoyed continuous 

growth throughout the years and, in fact, expanded and 

relocated from its initial location two times in the first 

seven years alone. The first move came after just five years 

when the bustling bakery relocated to Beaumede Corporate 

Park in neighboring Ashburn. With easy access to all of 

Northern Virginia, the Beaumede Park facility seemed to 

be the ideal location for facilitating the distribution of its 

products and its new warehouse and office space offered the 

burgeoning business room for expansion. 

Expand it did; so quickly, in fact, that in less than two 

years, the company and its ever-growing workforce and 

expanding delivery fleet had outgrown even its new 

facilities and needed to relocate once more. In 1992, 

Cardinal Bakery moved back to Sterling and reopened its 

doors at 45449 Severn Way in Sterling. As part of its 

continued growth, Cardinal moved again in 2015, to its 

present facility, 22704 Commerce Center Court in Sterling, 

a location especially designed to handle multiple future 

expansions. This is where the company remains today. 

Cardinal Bakery currently employs sixty-three skilled and 

dedicated team members, many of whom have been employed 

at the company for more than two decades. Original founder, 

Joe, still serves as company president, while brother Frank 

serves as vice president. After his tour in the Navy, Joe’s son, 

Michael, decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and learn 

the bakery business from the ground up. Today Joe, Frank and 

Michael are co-owners of Cardinal. Other family members 

who have joined in the business over the years include 

Joe’s sister, Maria Raso, who oversees the company’s packing 

department and nephew “Raso” as head of distribution. 

“Cardinal Bakery is truly a family business and my heartfelt 

thanks go out to my family and close associates in making 

our business a success,” Joe said during the company’s 

thirtieth year anniversary celebration in October 2015. 

“We are proud to serve our very loyal customer base and to 

be a member of the Sterling business community.” 

For more information, visit www.cardinalbakery.com. 


91

COLONIAL FUNERAL HOME 

OF LEESBURG 

❖ 

Above: Colonial Funeral Home of Leesburg from years gone by. 

Below: Greg and Suzanne Walley. 

Greg and Suzanne Walley sit in the office at Colonial Funeral 

Home of Leesburg, which together they own and operate with 

several other family members. Suzanne smiles as she hands her 

husband the day’s mail. On top is an envelope containing yet 

another thank you card from another grateful client. 

“Your family demonstrated compassion and the highest 

level of professionalism throughout the entire process,” Greg 

said, reading out loud the words penned by a recent client 

who had trusted Colonial with her beloved mother’s final 

arrangements. “You thought of the small details that meant 

the most. I truly believe it takes a special type of person to 

work with family members who have lost someone close. 

Thank you to your entire family and team for being those 

special people!” 

Greg, who has known he wanted to be a funeral director 

since he was in high school, laid down the card and smiled 

back at his wife. Helping people is a true passion for both as 

well as the entire team at Colonial and cards like this, of which 

there are many, help to affirm that they are doing their jobs. 

“From decades of experience, we know that our success 

comes from the trust our neighbors and friends place in us 

when our services are needed,” Greg continued, adding that 

both passion and compassion are at the very foundation of 

their business. “We are ever conscious that it is our privilege 

to serve families at a time of crisis and transition and we feel 

this responsibility very deeply.” 

Colonial Funeral Home of Leesburg has been serving area 

families for well over a century having been started by 

Charles T. Birkby and Lloyd Slack in 1877. In the beginning, 

Birkby and Slack not only helped people bury their 

deceased, but they made coffins as well as repaired furniture. 

As the years and owners passed on, the business was passed 

along to partners, family members, dedicated employees and 

others who shared a passion for helping people deal with 

one of life’s most difficult certainties—death. 

There have also been several locations, with the present 

one at 201 Edwards Ferry Road being a home remodeled in 

the 1950s by former employees-turned-owners Lawrence 

Muse and Stanley Reed, who bought the business from one 

of the founding father’s sons, Lloyd F. Slack, Jr. 

In 1982 the business was sold to Georgia W. Bange, Gary 

Totman, and Georgia’s brother, Don White. White sold his 

interest in 1996 and Bange and Totman welcomed James E. 

Clem and wife, Connie Clem, as new partners in 1996. 


92

Following the 2003 death of Totman and the 2009 death of 

Bange, the Clems continued as sole owners until July 29, 

2013 when they were happy to help current owners, Greg 

and Suzanne, realize their lifelong dream. 

Greg became a part of the Colonial family a decade before 

becoming owner, having started as general manager in July 

2003. Prior to that he had managed multiple funeral homes 

including Colonial Funeral Home of Falls Church and Fort 

Lincoln Funeral Home and Cemetery in Maryland and, in 

total, has spent more than three decades in the business that 

has become an intrinsic part of his life and family. He enjoys 

recounting how it all started at a high school career day at 

Edison High School in Alexandria. Sheer curiosity sent him 

into the classroom where a local funeral home director was 

making a presentation and something “just clicked,” he says. 

“Within a few months, I was married to my high school 

sweetheart, Suzanne, and we were off to Atlanta where I 

enrolled in Gupton-Jones College of Mortuary Sciences,” 

he said, adding that his new bride worked to support him 

while he was a student there. 

“It was always our hope that we would go into business 

together and Colonial is the fulfilment of that dream” echoes 

Suzanne, who doubles as the business’ finance manager. 

“Now, we want nothing more than to carry on the great 

reputation that Colonial has established generation after 

generation for almost a century and a half here in Leesburg 

and to do so as a family business in an industry that is 

becoming more and more corporate.” 

Colonial Funeral Home of Leesburg is very much a family 

business. Family members working with Greg and Suzanne 

include: Greg’s brother Darrell Walley, a licensed funeral 

home director who has been in the business since 1984 and 

has worked at Colonial since 2009; all three of their sons— 

oldest son, Ryan, who studied mortuary sciences at his 

father’s alma mater and is currently a Funeral Services 

Intern; middle son, Chad, who is a Funeral Associate; and 

youngest son Taylor, who has joined on as a Funeral 

Assistant. Even the team members that are not related by 

blood have become like family and share the same Walley 

family and Colonial Funeral Home trait—an innate and true 

passion for compassion and helping others. 

To learn more about Colonial Funeral Home of Leesburg 

and the many services offered, visit their website at 

www.colonialfuneralhome.com. 

❖ 

Above: Colonial Funeral Home, located at 201 Edwards Ferry Road 

Northeast in Leesburg. 

Below: A vintage hearse. 


93

❖ 

MILLER & SMITH 

ONE LOUDOUN 

Above: Left to right, Dave Miller and Gordon Smith. 

Right: Epicurience Wine and Food Festival, Virginia, 2016. 

The year was 1964—the year that changed everything for 

a generation of homebuyers. 

That was the year when a local homebuilding company— 

Miller & Smith—set out to reimagine how a Washingtonarea 

home could look and live. 

The homes and communities developed by Miller & Smith 

defied convention and inspired people to think beyond the 

Colonial-style home then common in the area. Design-savvy 

homebuyers took notice, as did the judges for the building 

industry’s preeminent design competitions. ‘Builder of the 

Year’ and ‘Best in Show’ accolades poured in and by 2012, 

Miller & Smith had earned more than 400 awards for design 

and construction excellence. 

Miller & Smith, headquartered in McLean, was founded 

by David Miller and Gordon Smith, friends from Harvard 

Business School who set out to create a local homebuilding 

company known for world-class design and customer service. 

Miller & Smith’s early growth was slow but steady as 

the company targeted challenging projects that would 

showcase Miller & Smith’s design savvy and set it apart 

from mass-market builders. The company soon earned a 

reputation for being a design leader and one of the 

Washington region’s most innovative homebuilders. 

The company continued to evolve as new opportunities 

presented themselves and Miller & Smith was able to 

assemble the right teams and partnerships to capitalize 

on them. Miller & Smith expanded its core capabilities 

to include land development, commercial construction 

and development, and real estate advisory services. They 

continued to grow very deliberately and strategically, always 

keeping an eye on how each project would contribute to the 

success of the company as well as the larger communities 

Miller & Smith serves. 

Miller & Smith is well known for One Loudoun, a mixeduse 

development located at the corner of Route 7 and the 

Loudoun County Parkway in Ashburn. One Loudoun is 

a new urban, walkable community, all-encompassing, 

integrating more than 100 acres of open space, parks and 

trails where people live, work, shop, dine and socialize. 

Known as Loudoun’s ‘new downtown’, it is a unique 

combination of sophisticated culture and connectivity just 

three miles from Washington Dulles International Airport 

and twenty-five miles from Washington, D.C. 


94

One Loudoun has beautiful streetscapes with urbaninspired 

homes, a plethora of shops, boutiques, restaurants 

and entertainment, as well as nearly three million square 

feet of planned office space including the World Trade 

Center Dulles Airport, all centered around a downtown 

plaza with year-round performances and entertainment. 

Miller & Smith’s commercial expertise lies in acquiring, 

developing, building and managing commercial real estate. 

The firm has an established track record of creating 

high-value commercial projects, from Class A office space, 

warehouse and industrial complexes to mixed-use developments 

with upscale shopping, dining and hospitality. 

Miller & Smith brings the same high level of creativity 

and attention to detail to every commercial project, ensuring 

that it is a positive addition to the landscape, whether it 

is a stand-alone structure or part of a larger development. 

The scope of the commercial services offered by Miller & 

Smith include due diligence to assess entitlements, encumbrances, 

and cost estimates; project team coordination; 

file audits—plans, permits, regulatory agency oversight; 

project budgeting and cost variance tracking; scheduling, 

milestones and progress tracking; bid administration, 

construction and construction management; and sales, 

leasing and marketing coordination. 

Miller & Smith’s commitment to the communities it 

serves goes beyond thoughtful land development and 

quality construction. The firm and its employees are proud 

to give back and support local organizations that serve its 

neighbors in need. Among the organizations supported by 

Miller & Smith are HomeAid, Women Giving Back, Home 

Builders Care, Loudoun Youth, and the Loudoun Chamber 

of Commerce. 

Miller & Smith is proud to be among the region’s largest 

privately owned real estate companies. Miller & Smith’s 

homes division has built more than 5,400 single-family 

homes, 8,800 townhomes, and 2,125 condominiums. 

Miller & Smith’s Land Development Group has developed 

more than 12,700 homesites in ninety-two communities 

throughout Maryland, Virginia and Delaware. 

After more than fifty years of success, Miller & Smith 

continues to shape the Washington region through creative 

development, intelligent design, open collaboration, and a 

deeply rooted sense of pride in its hometown. After wowing 

nearly 20,000 homebuyers in ninety-six communities, 

Miller & Smith is still guided by a quote from Ralph Waldo 

Emerson that inspired its founders, “Do not follow where 

the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and 

leave a trail.” 

❖ 

Left: One Loudoun Plaza. 


95

❖ 

GIESECKE & DEVRIENT 

Above: G&D offers a one-stop shop for payment and security enablement 

for wearables. 

Below: G&D drives hardware and software security solutions for the IoT. 

With more than a century and a half of experience, 

it is no wonder Giesecke & Devrient (G&D), a globallyrenowned 

security technology provider, is trusted to secure 

the physical currencies and rapidly-growing digital assets 

of governments, financial institutions, mobile network 

operators and technology companies all over the world. 

The privately-held company—which was founded in 

Germany in 1852 by Hermann Giesecke and Alphonse 

Devrient—has 58 subsidiaries and joint ventures in 31 

countries across six continents. With global headquarters 

in Munich, Germany, the company employs 11,000 

people worldwide. 

Loudoun County is the home-base of G&D’s subsidiaries 

in the Americas. Employing approximately 2,200 people 

throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and Brazil, 

Giesecke & Devrient has been in operation for over a half 

century in the Americas. U.S. operations began in 1990 and 

initially focused on producing and supporting sophisticated, 

high-speed banknote currency systems. Like its global parent 

company, the U.S. office soon expanded to include smart 

card technology solutions and over-the-air secure management 

of the ever-growing population of connected devices. 

“Today’s society relies on secure mobile connections 

to communicate and conduct transactions no 

matter the location. The fact is, people and machines 

are connected in ways not even imagined just a 

few years ago,” said Scott Marquardt, president of 

G&D’s U.S. Mobile Security business. “Remote access 

to our friends, home, money and information is 

a requirement in today’s world, which means the 

security of our communications and transactions 

is critical. That’s where G&D comes in. We work 

‘behind the screens’ of today’s ultra-connected society 

and offer secure connected solutions for all devices, 

anywhere, anytime.” 

G&D employees represent the top tier of experts 

in banknote processing and security solutions for the 

telecommunication, financial institution and connected 

device industries. The company’s customer base is 

serviced in the U.S. by two G&D companies: Currency 

Technology and Mobile Security. G&D serves Fortune 500 

companies, government entities, wireless operators and 

financial institutions as well as private sector enterprises, 

original equipment manufacturers and infrastructures for 

protected access and electronic identification. G&D’s 

clientele, products and services continue to grow as rapidly 

as the physical and digital assets they safeguard. 

G&D Mobile Security is focused on end-to-end solutions 

that keep our connected society secure and efficient. G&D 

employees design, build and operate innovative solutions 

that secure mobile communications and transactions. 

G&D has driven hardware security in the wireless industry 

for the last thirty years—beginning with the invention of 

the removable SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card that 

stores customer subscription information in mobile phones. 

While continuing to produce the traditional SIM cards, 

today’s G&D also specializes in the electronic SIM (eSIM), an 

important driver of the Internet of Things (IoT) revolution. 

eSIM technology provides connectivity options for personal 

and IoT devices, like smart watches, smart homes and 

connected cars. 

G&D introduced the EMV “chip” credit card in European 

and Canadian markets over a decade ago and is now driving 

EMV technology in the United States. Integrating marketleading 

EMV solutions into mobile offerings, G&D can 

authenticate and dynamically manage payment credentials 

to cards and mobile devices—securing the alternate payment 

methods that are ever more in demand. 

“Whether you pay by card, phone or connected wearable, 

your transactions are protected by the highest security 


96

standards in the marketplace,” Marquardt states, adding 

that G&D partners with firms all over the world to bring 

the latest value-added services to the market. “We future 

proof our systems by remaining flexible and open to new 

services and products as our markets demand them.” 

While G&D ships and manages literally billions of EMV 

and SIM cards across the globe each year, G&D Mobile 

Security’s focus is on enabling and securing tomorrow’s 

connectivity. G&D works with the top twenty auto manufacturers 

to secure connected cars. The game-changing 

technology behind the dynamic LTE and Wi-Fi capable 

mobile phones is enabled by a state-of-the-art G&D SIM 

card. Giesecke & Devrient technology also gives us the 

ability to connect all our devices—personal, commercial, 

industrial—remotely, on demand, and with security assured 

at all points in the process. 

Located in its Dulles headquarters, G&D’s Currency 

Technology business provides banknote processing systems 

for scanning, inspecting, counting, sorting and authenticating 

banknotes. In addition, G&D’s software development 

center in Toronto produces vault management and banknote 

inventory control and optimization software. 

G&D continues to extend its expertise in banknote 

processing and is the number one provider of high speed 

banknote processing systems and solutions to central banks, 

banknote printers, commercial banks, public transportation 

authorities and Cash in Transit (CIT) companies. Additionally, 

G&D emerged as the primary provider of banknote processing 

solutions for North American casinos after being the first 

to develop and produce banknote processing systems capable 

of simultaneously processing banknotes and bar coded casino 

tickets used to track wagering at slot machines. This key 

innovation enabled casino operators to significantly reduce 

the costs associated with processing banknotes and tickets 

and ultimately resulted in the sale of over 450 banknote 

processing systems to over 200 clients in North America— 

which happens to be the world’s largest casino market. 

Proud of his company’s work, Jim Petit, president of 

G&D’s Currency Technology business states, “Across the 

currency ecosystem, G&D’s solutions provide efficiency, 

visibility and information, which contribute to the 

continued optimization of the cash handling process.” 

G&D’s success in its targeted markets is based on 

compliance with maximum security standards in banknote 

coupled with outstanding support services and long service 

life of the systems. 

Over the past 160 years, G&D has consistently provided 

next generation security solutions and is well positioned 

to do so for the next century. Petit sums up the company’s 

approach, “Innovation and customer focus are central to 

G&D’s philosophy supporting our slogan, “Creating 

Confidence” in everything we do.” 

For more information on Giesecke & Devrient, visit 

www.gi-de.com. 

❖ 

Above: G&D works ‘behind the screens’ of today’s ultra-connected society 

and offers secure connected solutions for all devices, anywhere, anytime. 

Below: The BPS ® C4—compact solution for tomorrow’s cash centers. 


97

TYG HOMES FORMERLY THE YAHNER GROUP 

WITH KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY 

❖ 

Top, left: Back row, Shannon Natale, Alyson Readen, Deborah Brown 

(the mint on the pillow), J. M. Poirier, JP Blankenship, Ray Blankenship and 

Chris Kent. Front row, Shubkarmen Kaur Sawhney, Nancy Yahner, 

TYG STAGE & REdesign Team, Lisa Forczyk and Ivye Tighe. 

Not shown: Ryan Vergara, Alexa Love, and Becky Brouse (the wizard.) 

Whether you are a buyer, seller, investor, or stayer, 

TYG HOMES (TYG) wants to be your partner in local real 

estate. Nancy Yahner, founder of TYG, believes “It’s not 

just about real estate transactions—it is about giving back 

to the community we love. Clients always come first.” 

Nancy operates TYG according to six core values: a proactive 

approach, bring the fun, always growing, intentionally 

positive, do the right thing, and do the extra. “We focus 

on building a community” Nancy says. “Each real estate 

transaction helps as many as 650 people, ranging from 

public utility providers, to flooring vendors, to painters— 

all contributing to the growth of Loudoun County.” 

It all started with a ‘No’. In 1989, Nancy was turned 

down for a position as a new home sales assistant. When 

told she was not ready for that job, she decided to become 

a licensed Realtor ® instead. Nancy earned her real estate 

license and joined Long & Foster as a single agent. She was 

soon joined by a fellow agent and they became the Power of 

Two. When her partner moved out of state, Nancy was on 

her own again as NancyWorks4You. 

The business grew and Nancy hired her first assistant. In 

2000, another agent was added, and in 2001, the agency 

became The Yahner Group and worked in the Sterling Long 

& Foster office. In 2003, Nancy relocated the business to 

her home office in Purcellville. The Yahner Group joined 

Keller Williams Realty in 2007 and moved to the Loudoun 

Gateway office in Ashburn where the company currently 

resides. The Yahner Group became TYG HOMES in 2015. 

Working with the TYG team gives clients a tremendous 

advantage. Knowledgeable agent specialists help navigate 

through complex real estate transactions providing a positive 

experience, before, during, and after the sale. TYG provides 

the support to ensure the transaction moves through the 

process as quickly and smoothly as possible. Nancy’s original 

mantra has propelled the business for more than twentyseven 

years; “It is not about the houses, it is all about YOU!” 

TYG’s business is ninety-seven percent repeat and referral. 


98

Over the years, TYG has earned the reputation as a premier 

residential real estate agency in Loudoun County, known for 

experience, innovation, insight into client needs, and strong 

market knowledge. 

TYG’s dedication to value added services has led to the 

introduction of two new services—The TYG Schlepper and 

TYG STAGE & REdesign. The TYG Schlepper is a companyowned 

pickup truck that may be borrowed by TYG VIP 

clients to schlep such items as mulch, furniture or 

appliances within a sixty-mile radius of the Ashburn office. 

The TYG STAGE & REdesign service was launched in 

2016 to assist clients with home improvements to enhance 

the value of their property as they get ready for market— 

transforming homes for today’s buyers. Additionally, they 

assist with color selection, furniture placement, and personal 

or online shopping for buyers—your home, your lifestyle. 

They also work with stayers—redesigning for living, being 

mindful of future resale value. Whether you are a buyer, 

seller, or stayer, TYG STAGE & REdesign is there 4YOU! 

They also offer, entertaining, event, and holiday staging! 

TYG is dedicated to client service, which is exemplified 

through their client appreciation program where they 

have provided smoke detector batteries, handmade gifts, 

Thanksgiving pies, Valentine roses, as well as developed a 

program for children featuring McGruff, the Crime Stopper. 

They hold a client appreciation brunch annually at 

Lansdowne Resort, Barnhouse Brewery, or other local venues. 

TYG believes in giving back. They are involved in 

the Blanketing the Community in Comfort program, which 

provides handmade blankets for those in need. They support 

the Loudoun Hunger Relief, Red Cross, the Antwaan Randle 

El Foundation, which helps underserved youth, and the 

Wholehearted Foundation, which supports families with 

children who have congenital heart defects. 

TYG is excited about the future of real estate and 

continuing to serve their clients and the community with 

excellence, vision, and value added services. TYG Homes 

can be reached at 703-430-1116 or visit info@TYG4YOU.com. 

A special thank you to former team members: Judy Orme, 

Suzanne Riley, Michelle Simons, Michelle Bluhm, Mark DiLuigi, 

Annette Brennan, Ann Beck, and Seth Guida. 

❖ 

Above: Once a month, TYG holds their team meeting off-site instead of at the 

office. This meeting was held at Shoe’s Cup and Cork in Leesburg. 

Left: The original blanket maker, Minnie Yahner—working at Blanketing the 

Community in Comfort. 


99

INOVA LOUDOUN HOSPITAL 

❖ 

Above: Inova Loudoun Hospital—Lansdowne Campus. 

Right: Inova HealthPlex—Ashburn. 

Inova Loudoun Hospital is a 183-bed, nationally-recognized, 

advanced community hospital that has served the 

Loudoun County area for more than a century. 

In 2005 a merger with the Inova Health System brought 

much needed financial stability to the hospital to support 

continued growth and expansion. Since the merger, Inova 

Loudoun Hospital has established a variety of programs 

and services to include: coronary intervention, outpatient 

specialty rehabilitation, a comprehensive cancer center, 

inpatient and outpatient surgery centers, and additional 

emergency rooms in Ashburn and Leesburg. The merger also 

brought the opening of the only dedicated pediatric care unit, 

hospital-based natural birth center, and children’s emergency 

room in Loudoun. Additionally, the Mobile Health Services 

team brings health screenings and other preventive and wellness 

efforts right to the community via a fully equipped bus. 

Inova Loudoun Hospital is ranked among the top hospitals 

in the country for overall patient safety, breast, stroke and 

cancer care, hip, knee and spinal surgery, radiation oncology, 

and nursing. The hospital is a certified Joint Commission 

Center of Excellence for hip and knee replacements, spinal 

surgeries, and as a designated Primary Stroke Center. 

Inova Loudoun Hospital offers a wide range of adult and 

pediatric surgical procedures. The hospital’s state-of-the-art 

surgery center was recently expanded to accommodate the 

robust robotic surgery program and numerous subspecialties, 

including colorectal, vascular, breast, and neuro-surgical procedures. 

Robotic-assisted daVinci ® surgical technology allows 

the expert surgeons to perform the latest minimally-invasive 

procedures in general surgery, urology, colorectal medicine, 

and gynecology. Orthopedic surgeons use MAKOplasty robotic 

arm-assisted technology for partial knee replacements. 

A leader in emergency care, the emergency room at Inova 

Loudoun Hospital-Lansdowne was one of four emergency 

departments nationwide to receive the prestigious Lantern 

Award from the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) in 

2015. In 2016 the Children’s Emergency Room at Inova 

Loudoun Hospital was also granted the Lantern Award, a 

visible symbol of an emergency department’s exceptional 

practice and innovative performance in the core areas of 

leadership, practice, education, advocacy, and research. 

Hospital officials are now working to enhance the emergency 

room at the Lansdowne campus in an effort to attain 

designation as the first Level III Trauma Center in Loudoun 

County. A $5 million renovation and expansion of the emergency 

room is part of this effort. As a trauma center, Inova 

Loudoun Hospital will be able to treat patients who currently 

must be transported to Fairfax. 

The cancer center at Inova Loudoun Hospital received a 

three-year accreditation from ARC-ASTRO, the only hospital in 

northern Virginia to receive this designation. The hospital also 

received accreditation for breast care from NAPBC and an outstanding 

achievement award from the Commission on Cancer. 

The Inova Heart and Vascular Institute—Schaufeld Family 

Heart Center, located on the Lansdowne campus, provides 

state-of-the-art technologies to treat patients with heart and 

vascular disease through diagnosis, evaluation, education, 

treatment and rehabilitation. Precutaneous coronary 

intervention (PCI), a minimally invasive procedure for 

blocked arteries, allows Loudoun County residents to receive 

this treatment close to home. To meet the growing needs of 

Loudoun County, the Inova Heart and Vascular Institute— 

Schaufeld Family Heart Center will undergo a three year, 

multi-phased expansion, slated for completion in 2020. 


100

The hospital’s Natural Birth Center offers healthy women 

the option of a more natural, family-centered, and homelike 

birthing experience. The labor and delivery process 

does not include routine medical interventions. But, if 

complications should arise, access to advanced technology 

and medical resources—including the county’s only level 

IIIA NICU—are just steps away. 

The hospital’s recent advances continue a tradition that 

began in the early 1900s when Loudoun County was a mostly 

rural, but growing, county with a need for more modern 

medical care. An advocate of small, community hospitals— 

P. Howell Lightfoot—attracted the attention of two local 

physicians, Dr. William C. Orr and Dr. John A. Gibson, 

who felt Leesburg needed a hospital desperately. With 

$100 in the bank and pledges of $2,000, the founders rented 

a house on Market Street for $30 a month and Leesburg 

Hospital’s first patient was admitted on June 5, 1912. 

With little equipment and less money, hospital officials 

turned to the ladies of the community to provide volunteer 

supervision of housekeeping and a dependable source of 

ongoing fundraising. Forty ladies representing the churches 

of Leesburg and surrounding towns met for the first time 

on June 25, 1912, and formed the Ladies Board of Managers. 

The new hospital received enthusiastic support from 

the community, but, in less than two years it was forced 

to turn patients away because of limited space. Plans for 

a larger facility began in 1914 and the Ladies Board led 

a fundraising campaign that resulted in the purchase 

of thirteen acres on Cornwall Street. Construction of the 

new hospital began in March 1917 and the facility opened 

in 1918. 

By the end of World War II, the hospital once again was 

overcrowded and another expansion was completed in 1951. 

The hospital was expanded to 80 beds in 1960 and a 

new three-story, $6.6 million hospital was built in 1974 on 

the northwest side of the Cornwall Street campus. A longterm 

care unit opened with 80 beds in 1974 and, in 1981, 

the 100-bed long term care center opened. Construction of 

the new Lansdowne Campus in 1997 brought private 

rooms, the new Ladies Board Birthing Inn and Women’s 

Center, expanded surgical services and diagnostic services. 

Within the next decade, Inova Loudoun Hospital will 

have a new, seven-floor patient tower, private patient rooms 

and additional parking. Expanded surgery, obstetric and 

emergency department capabilities will be added to the 

Lansdowne facility. 

Phase two of the hospital’s long-term $275 million master 

plan provides expanded outpatient services; imaging and 

hospital support; 24 post-surgical beds and an intensive 

care unit (ICU); 32 telemetry and future step-down beds; 

a new OB unit and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) 

with enhanced neonatal capabilities; the expansion of the 

Inova Heart and Vascular Institute—Schaufeld Family Heart 

Center; and an expanded kitchen, cafeteria, and dining area. 

Now moving into its second century of service to 

Loudoun County, Inova Loudoun Hospital is continuing to 

expand its facilities and services to meet the needs of an 

ever-growing community. 

❖ 

Left: Inova Loudoun Medical Campus—Leesburg. 

Right: The future of Inova Loudoun Hospital—Lansdowne Campus. 


101

MIDDLEBURG REAL ESTATE/ 

ATOKA PROPERTIES 

If you have skimmed this book you have probably learned 

Loudoun remains one of the fastest-growing counties in the 

country. If you have simply thumbed through and looked at 

the pictures, you have likely noticed our county is a mix of 

urban, suburban, farmland and beautiful countryside. And if 

you have thought—“This is a dynamic, thriving and beautiful 

area. I’d like to explore moving here; but how do I go about 

it?” We believe Middleburg Real Estate/Atoka Properties 

(MRE/AP) has the answers for you. 

Founded in 1939, our real estate firm is one of the oldest 

in the region. We take great pride in the firm’s longevity 

and legacy of success. We also understand the importance 

of home ownership, but realize we are not simply in 

business to sell houses, but to build lasting relationships 

with homeowners who become neighbors, friends—and 

when the time comes—repeat clients. 

While MRE/AP remains mindful of our past, we focus on the 

here and now, as well as the future unearthing market trends, 

interest rates, new developments in technology, marketing/ 

advertising, shifting interests in single-family homes, condos, 

townhouses, farmland, as well as countryside estates of all 

sizes. Our geographic locations are important to our success 

and MRE/AP is committed to responsible growth. 

In early 2016, we had offices in Middleburg, Purcellville 

and Leesburg. Each of our buildings is charming and 

historic, but each also has state-of-the-art technology. Before 

the year is out we plan to add a fourth office in the growing 

and desirable Ashburn area. 

Technology and location are keys to our success, but 

the essential ingredients are our agents. We hire and keep 

outstanding professionals—men and women of great 

integrity who are intelligent, well-informed, dedicated to 

their jobs and to helping their clients make responsible 

decisions. Those decisions can vary significantly from client 

to client, and our personnel have an edge as they know the 

various markets. 


102

Indeed, our clients run the gamut from first time buyers 

to high-wealth individuals looking for multimillion dollar 

estates—not only in Loudoun County but throughout 

Northern Virginia. Through our agents’ broad expertise and 

our geographically diverse office locations, we are wellpositioned 

to assist virtually any buyer or seller. The nearby 

counties of Fauquier, Clarke, Rappahannock and Fairfax 

(to name a few) are also in our wheelhouse. 

Middleburg is known for its equine events, celebrities, 

statesmen and sports figures. MRE/AP has been associated 

with sales and listings of properties once owned by 

such luminaries as Paul and Bunny Mellon, Jack and 

Jackie Kennedy, Muhammad Ali, and Abe Pollin, the late 

owner of the NHL’s Washington Capitals and the NBA’s 

Washington Wizards. 

But do not be intimidated. The Middleburg area, including 

places like The Plains, Upperville, Aldie, Marshall, Delaplane, 

Paris, Bluemont, and Round Hill, attracts people from all walks 

of life. What they share is an appreciation of the beauty of 

the land; the rolling hills and mountains; the country lanes 

and the sense of community and camaraderie. It is unique: 

residents in this part of the world are not interested in 

“keeping up with the Joneses;” they are interested in sharing 

their interests with the Joneses. 

If Middleburg seems laid back, there is plenty of hustle 

and bustle in the eastern part of Loudoun. While Leesburg 

has an appealing old town, the area has grown by leaps 

and bounds offering benefits such as upscale supermarkets, 

theatre complexes, fine healthcare options, new office space, 

and all the rest. The area also offers housing options—from 

condos to historic in-town homes to mature and new suburban 

areas—MRE/AP agents know these market segments. 

Purcellville is situated between Middleburg and Leesburg. 

MRE/AP has an office in the Old Town area, which is central 

to the surrounding countryside and in-town properties. 

Towns in the northern portion of the county also offer 

their own unique appeals: Waterford is an historic village, 

but outside the town center one can find interesting homes 

on lovely lots. Lovettsville has wonderful neighborhoods and 

is just minutes from Maryland. 

Middleburg Real Estate/Atoka Properties is a growing 

company, but we remain true to our core values of volunteer 

community involvement, top-notch service and a pledge 

to adhere to the highest ethical and professional standards 

for our clients and colleagues. Part of that involves staying 

abreast of new developments in the real estate world. 

To ensure we are second to none, MRE/AP developed an 

accredited real estate school housed in our Leesburg offices. 

We work diligently to perform for our customers with 

quality, value, results and service. We are stewards of our 

communities and environment—working to preserve our 

history and unique quality of life. Our mission is to facilitate 

real estate transactions that are beyond reproach. 

Want to learn more about real estate in our area? Contact 

us. We are confident we will meet your needs. 

❖ 

Tradition…experience…vision. Come join us on the journey. 


103

❖ 

MIDDLEBURG BANK 

Above: Middleburg National Bank founded in 1924. 

Below: Clients completing transactions in the lobby of the new 

111 West Washington Street location in the late 1950s. 

“Neighbors You Can Bank On .” It is not just a slogan. 

It is the foundation on which Middleburg Bank was 

built almost a century ago and remains the key to its 

success today. 

“Our bank was a neighborhood bank when it was founded 

on July 1, 1924, and it is still a neighborhood bank today,” 

said President and CEO Gary R. Shook. “Today, we are just 

quite a bit larger and call many neighborhoods throughout 

Virginia home.” 

Originally dubbed Middleburg National Bank, the bank 

was founded by Daniel C. Sands, a Wall Street financier who 

owned a farm in Middleburg and Charlotte Noland, founder 

and headmistress of Foxcroft School, a college-preparatory 

boarding and day school for girls, which is still operational 

today. The duo, both of who were also Masters of the 

renowned Middleburg Hunt, established the bank so 

Middleburg residents could conduct their banking business 

locally without having to travel to Leesburg or Warrenton, 

a concept that caught on quickly. 

As a matter of fact, within three months of opening, 

the bank held just shy of $106,000. Approximately thirtyfive 

percent of this was loaned out to clients, the bank 

was strong enough to withstand the chokehold of the 

Great Depression, which struck just few years later. 

“It was our bank’s founding philosophy of keeping a 

high touch connection with the community and establishing 

trust with clients that enabled the institution to survive the 

Great Depression as well as recessions of recent years and the 

many other financial ups and downs in between.” Shook said. 

“That philosophy is also what has allowed us to continue 

to grow without merging or selling out to another bank— 

something rare in our industry and a fact in which we are 

very proud.” 

Today, Middleburg Bank is a full-service commercial 

bank and operates under the umbrella of the publicallytraded 

financial holding company, Middleburg Financial 

Corporation, traded on the NASDAQ Small Cap Market 

under the symbol MBRG. In addition to the bank, 

Middleburg Financial Corporation owns and operates 

Middleburg Investment Group Inc., Middleburg Trust 

Company and Middleburg Mortgage, which together offer 

clients a wide array of products and services for both 

business and personal needs from banking and borrowing 

to investments and retirement planning. 

Headquartered in Middleburg at 111 West Washington 

Street since 1958, the bank’s total assets as of 2015 

were $1.26 billion with market capitalization topping 

$134 million. Its more than 200 employees proudly served 

18,000 plus client households via one dozen financial 

service centers—each center staffed with representatives 

from commercial banking, retail banking, mortgage 

lending, investment brokerage, and investment and trust 

management functions. There are financial service centers 

in Ashburn, Gainesville, Leesburg, Marshall, Middleburg, 


104

Purcellville, Reston, Richmond, Warrenton, and Williamsburg. 

In addition to the physical locations, the bank also offers 

the latest in banking technology to include twenty-four-hour 

account access through online banking, Fox 2400 Phone 

Teller and ATMs. 

However, although advances in technology are crucial in 

today’s banking world, Shook is quick to point out that 

banking has been and will always be first and foremost a 

people business. 

“While helpful to our society and business, an ATM, a 

smart phone or a Google search will never replace people,” 

he said. “When it comes time for advice about your 

finances, we know that you want to talk to a person who 

knows you and can provide advice based on your specific 

circumstances; which is the very reason why, since 1924, 

Middleburg Bank has always sought to hire the best people 

and provide them the best training.” 

Per Shook, the average Middleburg Bank employee 

tenure is almost ten years and each one must pass an 

average of thirteen different courses each year to stay 

current on the company’s products as well as ever-changing 

financial regulations. 

“As a result, the advice you receive is timely, accurate and 

appropriate for your situation,” Shook said. 

Middleburg Bank’s sister subsidiary, Middleburg 

Investment Group, Inc., includes Middleburg Trust 

Company and Middleburg Investment Advisors. 

Headquartered in Richmond with additional offices in 

Middleburg and Williamsburg, Middleburg Trust and 

Middleburg Investment provide comprehensive portfolio 

management, trust administration and estate settlement 

services and, together, manage another $1.6 billion in 

assets. Middleburg Investment Advisors is headquartered 

in Alexandria and specializes in fixed income securities 

and invest primarily in investment grade issues. 

“We are in business to help—to help families buy new 

homes, invest for retirement and put their kids through 

college. We finance business expansions and help small 

businesses get started,” said Shook. “And, it is through 

all these activities and others that we strive to be good 

neighbors to and enrich the communities we serve—we 

strive to literally be ‘Neighbors You Can Bank On .’” 

For more information on Middleburg Bank, Middleburg 

Investment Group or Middleburg Trust, call 703-777-6327 

or visit the Internet at www.middleburgbank.com and 

www.middleburgtrust.com. 

❖ 

Above: Employee meeting group; seated (left to right) President and CEO 

Gary Shook, and SEVP Chief Operating Officer Jeff Culver, 2016. 

Below: Middleburg Bank. 


105

❖ 

Above: The Palladium Building. 

Right: CEO Christian Fabian. 

REHAU 

Founded in Bavaria, Germany, in 1948 by Helmut 

Wagner and named for the small town where it got its start 

with just three employees and one extruder, REHAU is 

a leading global brand for polymer-based products and 

system solutions for construction, automotive and industry. 

The company is family-owned, privately-held and employs 

approximately 20,000 individuals around the world. 

“Whether at home, in the supermarket, on the street or in 

the air, our products are all around you every day as we 

strive to help shape the world of today and tomorrow,” say 

the founder’s sons—Jobst Wagner and Dr. Veit Wagner—who 

serve as president and vice president, respectively, of the 

REHAU group. “Planes and cars need to be lighter, buildings 

more energy efficient, residential and commercial spaces 

more flexible. The ecological and economic challenges of our 

times are complex and call for effective, sustainable solutions 

and responsible conduct. This is where REHAU brings its 

strength as an experienced polymer specialist.” 

From windows and doors, heating, plumbing and geothermal 

to kitchen cabinetry, the company’s products enhance 

comfort and lifestyle, reduce energy costs and create healthy, 

safe environments. As a supplier to the automotive, furniture 

and appliance manufacturing industries, REHAU’s polymerbased 

solutions integrate seamlessly into its customers’ 

production environments. From optimizing the design, 

comfort, and safety of automobiles with innovative bumper 

and fender systems to supplying components for furniture 

and appliance manufacturing to complex system solutions for 

transportation, the company serves as a creative development 

partner to industry. In addition, “lifelong learning” in the 

form of training and education for both customers and 

employees is a hallmark of REHAU’s corporate philosophy. 

On a global scale, the company 

has about 170 locations, 

including more than forty 

plants. REHAU expanded into 

North America in 1959 with a 

sales office in New York City, 

followed by a production 

plant in Montréal, Canada, in 

1961. Montréal served as the 

North American headquarters 

from 1969 until 1979 when it 

moved to Leesburg, Virginia. 

With approximately 3,000 employees and Leesburg as 

its center point, the REHAU Americas region now comprises 

the United States, Canada and Mexico as well as Central 

and South America and today consists of more than twentyfive 

locations from Toronto, Ontario, Canada to Buenos Aires 

in Argentina. Current REHAU Americas CEO Christian 

Fabian, a German native, worked in several of the company’s 

international locations before relocating with his family 

in 2005 to Loudoun County, which they now enjoy calling 

home. In addition to his leadership role at REHAU, Fabian 

actively serves the community in a number of volunteer 

roles, as well. 

For more information, visit www.na.rehau.com. 


106

These are exciting times at The National Conference 

Center with many changes in the forty years since it was 

founded as the Xerox Learning Center. Built on 2,500 acres 

along the Potomac River as a purpose-built venue for learning, 

The National has long been recognized as a genuine 

pioneer in the training, learning and meeting industry. 

With the addition of the beautiful West Belmont Place, 

The National is Loudoun County’s premier event venue and 

home to many of the most important meetings, beautiful 

galas and worldly special events. 

The most purposeful change for this sixty-five-acre 

campus has been the continued outreach to the community, 

literally “opening the gates” with innovative programming 

designed to welcome the Loudoun community. West Belmont 

Place at The National is home to many of the community’s 

largest events, including high school proms, cultural events 

and civic organizations. From Breakfast with Santa to Jazz 

in the Park to extraordinary monthly Chef Tables with the 

Executive Club, there is a bountiful calendar of invitations 

and opportunities to experience hospitality at The National. 

As the prototype for the best and most comprehensive 

conference centers in the nation, The National accommodates 

programs from eighteen to 1,800 guests in purpose-built, 

flexible facilities designed for productive, distraction-free 

meetings, events and residential training sessions. With 250 

meeting rooms organized into 5 distinctive areas for maximum 

privacy and versatility as well as 917 guest rooms, 

including 78 suites, the campus offers the very latest presentation 

technology with onsite audiovisual and IT support. 

The National accommodates corporate retreats, conferences, 

conventions, training sessions and educational 

programs. The 365,000 square feet of meeting and event 

space includes the largest ballroom in Northern Virginia 

(16,552 square feet), the perfect venue for beautiful 

weddings, social and special events. 

The culinary program is chef-driven by a team dedicated 

to farm-to-fork and buy local programming. The Black 

Olive Bar and Grill provides the perfect atmosphere for 

relaxing after a busy day with scheduled entertainment 

Monday thru Thursday plus twelve wide screen monitors 

featuring daily sports. 

The National also has its own experimental learning, 

team building and ropes course, The National Challenge 

Course. This fourteen-element course was designed and 

built as one of the finest, most comprehensive and userfriendly 

challenge courses in the county. 

A dedicated team of professional 

ambassadors is devoted to meet 

the needs of every conference 

client. The National is conveniently 

located only twelve miles 

from Dulles International Airport 

and forty-five minutes from 

Washington, D.C. Surrounded by 

Loudoun County wineries, woodlands 

and horse country, this 

beautiful facility features a choice 

of large outdoor terraces, patios, 

courtyards and the West Lawn. 

The National has been recognized 

with numerous accolades, 

including Pinnacle Awards, the 

M&C Gold Key Award, and the 

Paragon Award. The facility is 

recognized by the International Association of Conference 

Centers as Green Seal certified. 

For more information on planning an event at The 

National and West Belmont Place, contact the sales office 

at 703-724-5111 or visit www.conferencecenter.com or 

www.westbelmontplace.com. 

THE NATIONAL 

CONFERENCE CENTER AND 

WEST BELMONT PLACE 

AT THE NATIONAL 


107

SOMMERSET 

RETIREMENT COMMUNITY 

Nestled on a tree-lined drive in Sterling, Virginia, 

Sommerset Retirement Community offers active seniors from 

throughout Loudoun County and across the country an 

exciting alternative to senior living—independently, but far 

from alone. 

“Sommerset residents are some of the warmest, friendliest 

people on earth,” said Marketing Director Rachelle Mitchell. 

“New residents immediately feel welcomed and quickly 

become an active part of a real, old-fashioned community of 

friends who share a love of independence and a love of 

joining together to try new things, make discoveries and find 

new reasons to smile every day.” 

“It’s true,” said the daughter of one resident. “I was worried 

about my mom adjusting. Now, when I call, she’s out and 

about with her new friends.” 

Opened in October of 1988, Sommerset is an independent, 

full-service rental retirement community staffed around 

the clock by professionals with decades of experience in 

senior living. In addition to beautiful and spacious private 

apartments—each with a private balcony—Sommerset features 

immaculately groomed grounds, a wellness center with 

organized fitness programs and other adjoining community 

spaces where residents can gather, dine, visit and enjoy life 

together. Services and amenities such as meals, exterior 

and interior maintenance, weekly housekeeping, flat linen 

service and free transportation to doctors’ appointments, 

shopping and special activities are included in the affordable 

monthly rent. 

“Unlike retirement communities that include assisted 

living, Sommerset is all about savoring new freedom to live,” 

says Mitchell, adding that the community not only provides 

a full calendar of social activities and events for residents to 

enjoy during their new found free time, but is superbly 

located in close proximity to excellent shopping, entertainment 

and medical services. 

When residents do need a little extra help, each apartment 

is equipped with an emergency pull cord and response 

system, and Sommerset’s experienced twenty-four hour 

personnel are always on duty to provide a fast response to any 

emergency situation. Staff members are happy to recommend 

private caregivers when and if needed, the latter of which 

makes the community especially appreciated by couples. 

“Our community’s flexibility in working with outside 

caregiver resources is especially valuable when residents who 

are couples develop differing needs for care,” said Mitchell. 

“Here, they can remain together instead of having one spouse 

separated into an assisted-living facility.” 

Once more, the community is a great value as there is no 

buy-in expense or entrance fee and no long term commitment. 

Sommerset is managed by Amurcon Realty Company. 

Based in Richmond, Virginia, Amurcon handles, manages 

and markets multifamily housing and rental retirement communities 

throughout Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic region. 

To learn more about Sommerset Retirement Community, 

visit in person at 22355 Providence Village Drive in Sterling 

or online at www.sommersetretirement.com. 


108

A leading global medical device company headquartered 

in Leesburg is developing complex spine and minimally 

invasive spine technologies and techniques used by spine 

surgeons worldwide to treat some of the most difficult and 

challenging spinal problems for patients of all ages. 

K2M launched its first products for patient use in 2005 

and now has more than seventy differentiated product lines 

and more than 600 issued and pending patents designed to 

treat a wide range of spinal pathologies at leading academic 

hospitals around the world. K2M’s innovative technologies 

include advanced 3D printing methods used to create 

implants that are impossible to manufacture using traditional 

techniques. Today, the company offers the most comprehensive 

portfolio of FDA-cleared, 3D-printed spinal devices on 

the market, cementing K2M as the leader in the 3D printing 

of spinal devices. 

The company began in 2003 when founder Eric Major was 

searching for new technologies to address the unmet needs 

of patients living with spinal deformities. He teamed up with 

Dr. John Kostuik, a Johns Hopkins University surgeon and 

world-renowned pioneer in treating complex spinal pathologies, 

along with his brother, Lane Major, and his father-in-law, 

Lewis Parker. K2M started in Major’s garage, and on January 1, 

2004, the company launched with a focus on treating pediatric 

scoliosis, commonly found in teenage girls. K2M continues to 

build upon its successful foundation and existing products to 

develop a robust pipeline that brings differentiated treatment 

options to spinal patients and surgeons around the world. 

A major milestone for K2M came in May 2014 when the 

company went public on NASDAQ under the KTWO banner. 

K2M issued its IPO, creating a public asset that has allowed 

the company to compete head-to-head with medical technology 

giants such as Medtronic and Johnson & Johnson. 

Access to three airports and key railways throughout the 

northeast have kept K2M’s base operations in Loudoun 

County. K2M’s new world-class, 146,000 square foot global 

headquarters and innovation center in Leesburg features stateof-the-art 

enhancements such as bio-skills, bio-materials and 

3D printing labs. The company devotes significant resources 

to promote ongoing surgeon education. Internationallyrecognized 

surgeons from all over the world routinely travel 

to K2M for continued medical education to hone their 

skills on the safe and effective use of K2M’s technology. 

The region’s eclectic talent pool allows K2M to recruit 

the best and brightest employees. K2M employs more than 

500 full-time employees, with about 300 at the corporate 

headquarters in Leesburg. The firm’s global footprint and distribution 

network supports surgeons in nearly forty countries. 

K2M’s support for philanthropy is on both local and global 

scales and is a cornerstone of the company’s approach 

to business. Since its inception, Eric Major and K2M have 

been committed to positively impacting patients and their 

communities through initiatives in many different countries, 

including Ghana, Nepal, Mongolia, the Dominican Republic 

and others. Whether fulfilling its responsibilities as a corporate 

citizen or through employee engagement promoting 

social good, K2M remains committed to giving back through 

a variety of efforts, including charitable donations, grants, 

sponsorships and volunteerism. 

❖ 

Below: The K2M Headquarters in Leesburg. 

K2M GROUP 

HOLDINGS, INC. 


109

❖ 

BANK OF CLARKE COUNTY 

Right: Bank of Clarke County’s current President John R. Milleson. 

Below: The first president of Bank of Clarke County, Ammashaddi Moore, Jr. 

By the early 1880s, Virginia was beginning its slow 

recovery from the devastation of the Civil War. The rich 

soil of Clarke County farms was producing vast quantities 

of high quality wheat and other grains, along with grapes 

and apples. Several large mills produced flour that 

was shipped to northern markets, miners extracted copper, 

iron and other metals from nearby mountains, and logging 

was extensive. 

This growing economy required strong financial support, 

but Clarke County had been without a bank since the failure 

of the Bank of Berryville several years earlier. The nearest 

established banks were in Winchester and Front Royal, a trip 

of several hours by horse and buggy. In January of 1881, a 

group of interested citizens began discussing the need for a 

new banking house to be headquartered in Berryville. 

Meeting with positive community support, local business 

leaders swiftly raised 100 percent of the capital required to 

establish a new bank in Clarke County. On April 1, 1881, 

Bank of Clarke County opened for business, operating in 

temporary quarters until a new building on North Church 

Street could be constructed with a fireproof vault and 

burglarproof safe. Thus, began the storied journey of a 

strong, local, independent community bank. 

For 135 years, Bank of Clarke County has grown 

and evolved with the changing times, guided by the strong, 

solid values that have governed the bank throughout 

its history. 

The bank’s sound and prudent policies have served 

the bank well in both boom times and bad. Thousands of 

banks across the nation failed during the great economic 

depression of the 1930s, but Bank of Clarke County 

remained solvent by carefully balancing income with 

expenses. When the economy rebounded after World War II, 

the bank was ready to help finance unprecedented demand 

for new homes, cars, and agricultural equipment. In more 

recent years, the bank has kept pace with technological 

expansion, adding online banking/bill pay, mobile app 

banking, remote deposit capture, smart ATMs and other 

progressive banking services. 

Today, Bank of Clarke County remains a highly competitive 

community bank with twelve branches in Berryville, Boyce, 

Winchester (with six locations), Stephens City, Purcellville, 

Ashburn at One Loudoun, and Leesburg. 

Bank of Clarke County is the oldest business in Clarke 

County and remains a strong and vital community institution, 

committed to remaining an independent commercial bank. 

For more than a century, the sheer determination and 

dedication of its stockholders, directors, officers and staff— 

past and present—have guaranteed that Bank of Clarke 

County continues to live up to its rich and historic legacy as 

it forges confidently into the future. 


110

GALEN PHOTOGRAPHY 

Business photography tells 

a story, establishes a brand 

and maintains a concept in 

the customer’s mind. Galen 

Photography engages your 

audience with professional 

images for advertising, architecture 

and industrial applications. 

With twenty-five years 

of dedication to our clients, 

we remain focused on building 

relationships based on reliability 

and trust. Let us tell your story. For commercial photography 

and video production, contact david@galenphoto.com or visit 

www.galenphoto.com. 

❖ 

Clockwise, starting from the top left: 

Our projects include aviation, healthcare, architecture, industry, products and 

hospitality. We also specialize in aerial and elevated photography, executive 

and environmental portraits, corporate events and group photos. 

Center: David Galen. 


111


DEPARTMENT OF 

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 

BY BUDDY RIZER, CECD 

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 

❖ 

Buddy Rizer, CEcD, executive director of the Loudoun County Department of 

Economic Development. 

The pages of this book showcase many Loudoun-based 

businesses that are at the forefront of their industries. Together 

with Loudoun’s civic leaders, residents and educators, they 

have made this a world-class community. Loudoun County, 

Virginia is number one in many ways, including: 

• #1 county in America in household income for three 

years in a row. 

• #1 in business investment for counties of its size. 

• #1 data center market in the world. 

• #1 in wineries and breweries in Virginia. 

• #1 in horses, wine grapes, bees, and honey sales in Virginia. 

• #1 healthiest county in Virginia. 

People love living in Loudoun. In the county’s most recent 

community survey, 98 percent of respondents said they feel 

safe in Loudoun, and 94 percent rated the quality of life high. 

Combined with great schools and low unemployment (only 

3.2 percent), is it any wonder why Loudoun has also been 

ranked the happiest county in America for two years in a row? 

Where other than Loudoun can you find a giant satellite 

company like Orbital ATK just minutes away from the largest 

hops processing facility on the east coast? What other county 

in the D.C. metro area features such diverse, upscale recreation 

choices as iFly, TopGolf and equestrian arts? What other local 

community has historic venues near stunning mountain vistas 

that fuel a $42-million destination wedding industry, along 

with the number one data center market in the world? 

From Leesburg to Dulles Airport, Loudoun has a 

cosmopolitan range of mixed-use developments and walkable 

urban places. Beyond Route 15, Loudoun has more than 

3,000 agricultural businesses on 135,000 acres of farmland. 

This is a community where an app developer might live 

near a hydroponic lettuce grower. This is where a scientist 

might be next door to an alpaca farm. In Loudoun, people 

who spent their days in cubicles in federal agencies now grow 

vegetables for a living—or make award-winning whisky. 

If you move your company to Loudoun, your employees 

do not have to choose between a city, country or suburban 

lifestyle; they can have the best of all worlds. 

Loudoun is a place where big dreams have room to grow. 

Loudoun companies that started out in their founders’ 

homes—like Orbital ATK, FCi Federal and K2M—now have 

a global impact. Thousands of companies have found that 

Loudoun has the assets that helped their business dreams 

come true. Here are just a few: 

• Loudoun is the only county on the Metrorail Silver Line 

that has greenfield sites near planned metro stations. 

• Loudoun has the region’s fastest commercial development 

approval time. 

• Loudoun is a tech mecca. 

• Loudoun has a robust startup ecosystem that helps 

companies grow. 

• Employees love living in Loudoun. 

• Loudoun’s Dulles Airport connects businesses to 

international partners and customers. 

• Loudoun Economic Development helps make corporate 

relocations or expansions. 

Locate your business in Loudoun County. Please call 

the economic development team at 1-(800)-LOUDOUN or 

visit LoudounPossible.com. 


112

Sponsors 

Bank of Clarke County.....................................................................................110 

Best Western Leesburg Hotel and Convention Center...............................................85 

Cardinal Bakery, Inc .........................................................................................90 

Colonial Funeral Home of Leesburg .....................................................................92 

Galen Photography..........................................................................................111 

Giesecke & Devrient .........................................................................................96 

Inova Loudoun Hospital ...................................................................................100 

Janelia Research Campus ...................................................................................70 

K2M Group Holdings, Inc. ................................................................................109 

Lansdowne Resort and Spa .................................................................................74 

Loudoun County Department of Economic Development .........................................112 

M.E. Flow, Inc. ................................................................................................86 

Middleburg Bank.............................................................................................104 

Middleburg Real Estate/Atoka Properties ............................................................102 

Miller & Smith.................................................................................................94 

My Guys Moving & Storage, Inc..........................................................................81 

One Loudoun ...................................................................................................94 

REHAU .........................................................................................................106 

Sommerset Retirement Community .....................................................................108 

StoneSprings Hospital Center .............................................................................88 

The George Washington University Virginia Science & Technology Campus.................82 

The National Conference Center and West Belmont Place at The National ................107 

TYG HOMES formerly The Yahner Group with Keller Williams Realty .......................98 

Washington Dulles International Airport: Connecting Loudoun County to the World.....78 

SPONSORS 

113

About the Photographer 

D AVID 

G ALEN 

Everyone has a story to tell. David Galen helps businesses and organizations tell 

their story by creating images that describe what they do and who they are. Dave 

started his business in 1991 by covering publicity events for associations and has 

always been interested in motivating, inspiring and helping others. Dave’s passion for 

architectural photography requires him to capture projects for general contractors, 

engineering firms, designers, and commercial real estate developers. His experience 

in editorial, lifestyle, and product photography balance his portfolio by capturing 

images in aviation, healthcare, hospitality, Information Technology, manufacturing, 

public safety, and transportation. The Galen Group, Inc., has evolved into a business 

that creates still and motion images that engage the viewer, influence perceptions and 

motivate behavior. 

He has volunteered as an EMT with the Loudoun County Volunteer Rescue Squad 

since 2004 and currently serves as their spokesperson and community outreach liaison. Dave has been an active member of 

the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce since 1995. His photo books published in 2000 and 2008 captured Loudoun’s 

charm and culture as the county continues to grow. Dave lives in Leesburg with his wife and children and feels blessed to be 

part of a community that offers a balanced lifestyle, great schools, and amazing business opportunities. 


114

About the Author 

D USTY 

S MITH 

Dusty Smith began working in media in 1999 and moved to Loudoun County in 

2004. He has an extensive background covering land use issues, transportation, 

business, politics, economic development and government in Northern Virginia 

for multiple print and online news organizations. After an internship for Fortune 

magazine’s Washington bureau that focused on lobbying and campaign finance, 

Dusty covered several Northern Virginia jurisdictions. In 2007, the Center for Public 

Integrity recruited him for a project exposing questionable land acquisition 

practices. His work has earned statewide awards for a business series, a story about 

political misconduct and his coverage of a murder-for-hire trial. Dusty has also 

appeared as a local journalist for several regional and national issues both on NPR’s 

Kojo Nnamdi Show and MSNBC. He now works in public relations for Commonwealth 

Consultants. He lives in Ashburn, Virginia, with his wife and daughter. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

115


116

ISBN: 978-1-944891-27-5 

LEADERSHIP SPONSORS

Loudoun County, Virginia: Preserving Tradition, Embracing Innovation

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