This year marked a first in the history of the Prince William Chamber’s business awards.
Each year, the Chamber invites Manassas, Manassas Park, and Prince William County to present an award of their choosing at the annual business awards event. The selection criteria are entirely up to them.
“To my knowledge, this was the first time that Prince William County -- in this case, it was actually Board of County Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart -- gave an award,” said Betty Dean, Chair-elect of the Prince William Chamber.
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It’s one of the biggest names in technology, and it’s one of the biggest companies in the area: Micron, Inc., winner of the Prince William Chamber’s 2018 Tech Company of the Year.
Micron is one of the world’s leading providers of advanced semiconductor solutions and number one exporter in Virginia. Micron’s memory DRAM and NAND are in products such as computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, gaming systems and cars.
“Micron is the hidden gem of tech companies, not only in the City of Manassas, but in the entire Commonwealth,” states a nomination form submitted Manassas govenrment, the locality in which Micron is located.
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And if the name of this new experiential tourism trail doesn’t catch your eye, maybe the sound will. Say it aloud. It rhymes. It has rhythm. Who doesn’t love a bacchanalian motif?
Music and poetry aside, the “Steins, Vines and Moonshine Trail” promises to be lots of fun. The trail includes nearly twenty craft breweries, wineries and distilleries. Beverage producers and tasting rooms are located throughout the Prince William area, including Haymarket, Woodbridge, Nokesville, Lake Ridge, Gainesville and Manassas.
“Visitors and residents seek experiences now more than ever, and this trail adds just a small flavor of things to come,” says Ann Marie Maher, Director of Tourism for the Prince William County Office of Tourism.
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MANASSAS -- When Jackie Krick founded IMPACTO Youth back in 2013, the idea was to inspire youth to be the drivers of their own fulfilling destiny. The nonprofit wanted to teach economically and socially disadvantaged youth that opportunities are there for all who want them, and if they need an extra hand, there’s help.
Through IMPACTO Youth’s programs that encourage workforce development, leadership, learning and literacy, they are succeeding, and that’s why they received the Chamber’s 2018 Arts and Education award.
“We were nominated by the Manassas City Superintendent and Sharon Henry from SPARK,” said Caroline Shaaber, Executive Director.
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10 - Learn how to put up nesting boxes and invite bluebirds to your yard. And be sure to ask what they eat. You might be surprised.
9 - Meet Wilson the friendly Ball Python. Not sure we have to say much more about that, except...ask what he eats?
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STAFFORD -- If there’s one thing Marie King wants for her fashion design students, it’s to be successful. And they can’t do that without a firm footing in business.
That’s why this fashion design expert has included business courses and activities in the diploma program that was recently awarded approval by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), the Commonwealth's coordinating body for higher education.
LoK Institute, which had its ribbon cutting March 20, is a private, single-campus vocational school in Stafford where King and her staff will teach adults the art and business of fashion design.
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MANASSAS -- Established in 1994, Weber Rector Real Estate Services has brokered over $765 million dollars worth of commercial real estate transactions. That’s a pretty significant number, and one of the reasons they won the 2018 Excellence in Real Estate award from the Prince William Chamber of Commerce.
The Manassas-based firm is considered one of the most established commercial real estate brokerage firms serving Northern Virginia, spanning Prince William, Fauquier, Culpeper and Stafford counties, and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.
From 2016 to 2017, they nearly doubled their sales and leasing volume.
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Here’s a term you might not be familiar with — the sandwich generation. It typically refers to the generation that cares for both children and aging parents.
Traditionally, the generation is made up of people in their thirties and forties. But with technology, advanced healthcare and a wide span of years during which parents decide to have children, the sandwich generation can include people in their twenties and fifties, maybe even sixties, in some cases. The Pew Research Center says, “Who is the sandwich generation? Its members are mostly middle-aged: 71% of this group is ages 40 to 59. An additional 19% are younger than 40 and 10% are age 60 or older.”
No matter what age you are, though, there is no doubt that sandwich generation caregivers experience some significant challenges.
Time is not on our side
There are only so many hours in the day, and so many days in the week. Even if you break that down into minutes, sandwich generation caregivers might still find themselves operating at a deficit. The senior parent in your life might need to see a specialist with limited availability twenty minutes before your youngest is due to play the final game of the baseball season.
Both need rides, both need to be there on time or earlier, and both want you to be there with them. You can’t reschedule either activity, and your spouse is slated to be out of town for the week. Yes, you can probably find a ride for your baseball star, but you don’t know how your mother will feel after her appointment or how long the appointment will take, so you may not be able to make the game, even late.
Sometimes, even though you’ve planned better than an agent undertaking mission impossible, the situation is still very much impossible. You can’t be in two places at the same time, at least at this point in human evolution.
Money is finite
If you’ve ever been in the position of standing in the checkout line only to realize you didn’t have enough in the bank to cover the purchase and you weren’t sure whether you’d reached your credit limit on your card, then you know what it’s like to start sweating over finances. That’s the feeling many sandwich generation caregivers have when they are financially supporting children and parents. Twelve-year-old Jennifer needs braces, but 83-year-old dad needs prescriptions that Medicare 
doesn’t cover. Long-term care benefits are running out, and you haven’t even started thinking about pitching in to cover your oldest child’s college tuition this semester.
While this scenario doesn’t fit everyone, even when aging family members bring with them enough to support themselves financially, cash flow can be a constant exercise in strategy, paperwork and patience. Budgeting requires careful attention to expected and unexpected life events. Factor in time for forms and payments to be processed, and you could start feeling like a harried business owner who has never taken a business course.
Attention is valuable
From your youngest tugging at your pant leg to your mother calling you from the other room, it’s pretty obvious you are needed. It seems like dad always wants to talk just as the kids are coming through the door from school. Why is it that whenever you try to read to your mother, your kids start duking it out in the living room? Maybe it’s more like your college-age kid is blowing up your phone with texts while your father is asking you again about tomorrow’s plans, while your high-school-age child wants to know what’s for dinner.
The more you look around, the more you see that you being there for the ones you love is greatly valued. But how do you manage to give everyone what they need without burning yourself out?
You are n
ot alone
According to the Pew Research Center, “Nearly half (47%) of adults in their 40s and 50s have a parent age 65 or older and are either raising a young child or financially supporting a grown child (age 18 or older).”
And, “…nearly four-in-ten (38%) say both their grown children and their parents rely on them for emotional support.”
If you feel exhausted half the time, this could be the reason why. And while these challenges are common, they can lead to caregiving fatigue, especially if you don’t have enough support. That’s not a road you want to travel. If you feel you’re headed in that direction, be sure to reach out. Friends, family, doctors, local agencies and other organizations are there to help you find an extra pair of hands, ears and wheels when you most need them.
This post is sponsored by Home Instead Senior Care, serving Prince William and Fauquier counties.
Nearly 50 years of working to give back to the community have paid off.
“It is one thing to receive an award. It is another to know that our volunteers and members of the community were the ones to nominate us and our peers in the business community that chose us. We are both humbled and grateful, said Steven Liga, ACTS CEO, after winning the Prince William Chamber of Commerce’s 2018 Health & Human Services Award.
“The Chamber Award is particularly gratifying because it was our peers in the business community that recognized that we are an integral part of what makes this county great,” Liga said. “Being chosen by the businesses in this county validates that they see us as peers.”
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