by Jessica Sabbath
Going out to restaurants and bars in Washington, D.C. is a completely new experience.
As I hung out inside a dark and crowded bar over Memorial Day weekend, my eyes didn’t sting, and I left without the distinct smell of smoke lingering on my clothes or in my hair.
Smoking has been prohibited from restaurant dining areas and offices in the nation’s capital since April 2006 and in bars since January of this year. I can’t tell you the economic impacts of the move, but I did have some observations of the ban’s effect.
My nonsmoking friends enjoyed the smoke-free air and promised to return to Washington bars and restaurants more often.
But one negative effect of the smoking ban was immediately apparent. As we approached the club, we noticed a huge crowd gathered outside. Convinced that it was a line waiting to get in, we almost took our business elsewhere. Turns out it was just the club’s crowded roped-off section for smokers.
As Virginia lawmakers continue to wrangle over whether to ban smoking in restaurants, bars, or all public places, I encourage them to spend time in areas that have banned smoking to see firsthand the consequences — good and bad — of a smoking ban.
Competition is so intense among wireless providers that nTelos, based in Waynesboro, is handing out money to woo subscribers. Street teams fanned out across cities yesterday in Virginia and West Virginia and gave away more than $13,000 in $1 bills to commuters and shoppers. The company’s message: switching to nTelos can put more money in your wallet. “We wanted to communicate that in very real terms,” Mike Minnis, the company’s director of public relations, said in a statement.
by Robert Powell
Intercept Youth Services Inc. in Richmond continued to collect awards Friday as the U.S. Small Business Administration named its president, Mark T. Bogert, the Virginia Small Business Person of the Year.
In the past year, Intercept Youth Services also received the 2006 Impact Award from the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce and the Blue Ribbon Small Business Award for 2007 from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
The company operates 15 residential, therapeutic group homes for youths with emotional disabilities who are in foster care. Bogert and his wife, Penny, started Incept Youth Services in 1996 with the help of an SBA loans. Last year, the company had revenue of $10 million and employed about 200 people at group homes in Richmond, Staunton, Fredericksburg and the Tidewater area.
Bogert’s award was the top honor presented at an awards luncheon at the Jefferson Hotel. Other awards included:
Young Entrepreneur of the Year for Virginia and SBA’s Region III: Alex De Paula, president, Special Touch Inc., Virginia Beach.
Minority Small Business Champion of the Year for Virginia and Region III: My Lan Tran, minority business program manager, City of Richmond Office of Minority Business Development.
Financial Services Champion of the Year: Ray L. Barnes Jr., executive vice president and small business banking manager, BB&T, Winston-Salem, N.C.
Home-based Business Champion of the Year: Crystal Sauls, president, Sauls International, Richmond.
Small Business Journalist of the Year: Kathryn Marie Harper, president and publisher, Discovery Publications Inc., Warrenton.
Veteran Small Business Champion of the Year: James B. Boyd, director, Southwest Virginia Community College Small Business Development Center, Richlands.
Women in Business Champion of the Year: Dona A.P. Storey, president and CEO, Quality Technical Services Inc., Virginia Beach.
Commonwealth Award: Clair A. Harrington, partner, Meyer, Georgen and Marrs PC, Richmond.
