Richmond Va Business Blog
The Best Business in Richmond Virginia
Let’s Get This Baby on the Road
0454 days
by M. Fletcher
in Richmond Business
What’s an active young couple to do when news of a third family member comes along? While lifestyle changes are inevitable, there’s no need to revert to couch potato status. Richmond based Tots on-the go is here to help you make that adjustment while keeping your healthy lifestyle. And no need to think that your traveling days are over. Tots on-the-go provides what you need to get you, and baby, back on the road.
Tots on-the-go is a children’s boutique offering quality strollers and travel gear for the active family. They’ve been around since 2005 and their business keeps expanding. And that’s a good thing for families who are also expanding.
The owners of Tots-on-the go are parents of two young energetic boys. They make it their mission to help other parents and grandparents find products to make their lives easier and in so doing allowing them to focus on the children. They aren’t worried about selling you the most expensive product. They’re concerned about helping you to find the products that will fit your lifestyle. That’s one of the reasons they started offering their programs such as Rentals, Try It Before You Buy it and their 45 Day Return Policy.
Perhaps their most unique program is the rental program. Why rent when you could buy? Tots on-the go provides the following reasons. When you rent you get:
- Quality, like new JPMA certified baby gear
- Thoroughly cleaned and sanitized after every use
- Try it before you buy it
- Ship to your destination
In addition, local deliveries are available in various locations in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. In Virginia those localities include Richmond, Charlottesville, Williamsburg, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Hampton and Virginia Beach.
There are many reasons to consider renting from Tots on-the go.
Heading over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s for Thanksgiving? That compact fuel efficient car might be great for tooling around town. But how are you going to pack the stroller, and the high chair? And, while grandma might delight in holding the little one for hours on end, eventually everyone has to sleep and a Pack-and-Play would be handy. Tots on-the-go can help by either delivering the needed equipment to grandma’s or providing more compact portable equipment to make your travels more efficient and enjoyable.
To take advantage of the rental service, you need to place your order at least 7-10 days prior to your planned arrival at your destinations. You can make reservations by an electronic form on the website, by phone or e-mail.
Because they’re very much family oriented, Tots on-the-go also has a blog that offers travel, fitness and fashion tips for the busy parent. Product reviews and gift ideas are also available. In addition to the blog, you can follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
Locally, the Tots on-the-go showroom is located at 13541 East Boundary, Suite 116, in Midlothian, VA
And is open open 7 days a week by appointment, 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Also check out her blog on Baby Travel Gear Tips
Virginia Slate Company: Classic Elegance and Quality
0454 days
by M. Fletcher
in Richmond Business
Nearly 20 years ago Cassel Adamson Jr. purchased a quarry in Buckingham County when he saw an opportunity to provide locally quarried roofing slate from Virginia. But endless federal regulations and fines coupled with the type of slate available in Buckingham, wouldn’t allow Adamson to provide the quality and quantity of slate that he desired.
Faced with these challenges, yet hesitant to give up on a Virginia product, Adamson was hesitant when his son Cassel Adamson III proposed importing natural slate. But when he agreed he managed to build a company to provide a product that is based on quality, service, availability, and price.
That company today is The Virginia Slate Company. By embracing the vision of importing slate, The Virginia Slate Company is unique with regard to the slate it provides. The majority of slate companies in the United States are able to offer only one type of slate from their local quarry. By contrast, Virginia Slate is one of a handful of U.S. companies to offer a full range of domestic and imported Slates from around the world.
Slate isn’t cheap, ranging from $400-500 per square. Depending on the thickness, a square could be anywhere from 900 to 3300 lbs. The total cost of installing a slate roof is based on the area to be covered as well as the type and thickness of the slate.
Why slate? Virginia Slate offers these benefits of natural slate roofing:
- Leed certified Green
- Recyclable
- Extremely durable and has a long life expectancy
- Environmentally friendly, a natural product from the earth
- Requires minimum repairs, ease in care and maintenance
- High re-sale value/good salvage value
- Excellent fire retardant
- Insurance and loan advantages
- The Natural beauty of the product
- One of the few roofing products that have been tested by time.
It you’re considering slate, Virginia Slate has a 25,000 square foot facility that holds a variety of slate, granite and quartzite. Colors include black, unfading gray, semi-weathering gray-green, mottled purple, unfading red and more.
Because of their relationship with providers and their delivery schedule, they can provide the product you need in less than 6 months. That may seem like a long time to wait for product you need. But this isn’t like going to the big box store and buying what’s on the shelf. The sate you will be receiving has been hand-selected from top-producing quarries all over the world.
In addition, along with that quality and choice of selection, you’ll get a 100-year guarantee. And because they know you won’t be shopping for a new roof in a few years, they want to make you a satisfied customer. Thus, the commitment from Virginia Slate is to afford their clients with the very best slate for their individual roofing, flooring, or structural applications.
If you’re considering slate for a building or renovation project, the Virginia Slate website offers a list of Frequently Asked Questions. Or you might want to view their gallery or visit their facility. Why not give them a call at 1-888-827-5283? Or even drop by Virginia Slate – 2471 Goodes Bridge Road, Richmond, VA 23224-2521 (804) 282-7929
Virginia Insurance Group: Helping People Feel More Secure for 35 Years
0467 days
by M. Fletcher
in Richmond Business
Insurance, it’s one of those things nobody wants to need. But we all do. But with so many options and so many plans, how do you select what’s best for you and your family? Virginia Insurance Group believes they have that answer.
Virginia Insurance Group has provided protection for families and individuals across the Commonwealth for over 35 years. They pride themselves on superior customer service and competitive rates. They know that often shopping for and purchasing insurance can be confusing.
Consumers find themselves asking:
- - How much insurance do I really need?
- What kind of insurance do I need?
- What’s the best option? The best plan?
Whether you need insurance for your home, your vehicle, your boat, or life insurance for yourself or family, Virginia Insurance Group wants to help you answer those questions. They seek to help you maximize your financial investment in insurance and make sure you get the best protection for your dollar. In this economy, that’s something we all can use.
In making those decisions, you need an insurance company that you can trust. Someone that you know is looking out for your best interest and is not just seeking to sell you the most expensive policy that you probably don’t need anyway.
With Virginia Insurance Group you’re not bound to just one insurance company option. They represent a broad array of financially strong companies. And by working with Virginia Insurance Group you have the added benefit of special discounts and coverages that you might not get directly from a larger corporation. Among those companies represented are Erie Insurance, GMAC Insurance, Mercury Insurance, Progressive Insurance and Travelers Insurance.
Virginia Insurance Group is based in Richmond but serves customers from across the Commonwealth. By working through them you have the opportunity to maximize the available discounts offered by the companies listed above. Virginia Insurance Group is there to help you find the discounts and plans that match you individual situation.
One of the main benefits of working with an independent agent is that they are not limited to offering you auto or home insurance from just one company. They’re able to shop around, really so you don’t have to. That gives you the opportunity to get the best value.
Having an insurance broker who knows your name and your situation is an added benefit.
Karen M. says: “I like being able to call for help with my insurance and know the people I’m talking to.”
We’re all looking for a little more convenience these days and Virginia Insurance Group provides that through their website. You can surf around for testimonials and plans you need, and when you’re ready to talk, you can let them know.
Virginia Insurance Group provides an online Service Center to answer your questions about policies and claims. You can submit your queries and expect a prompt, no-obligation response.
Times are tough. The economy continues to struggle. No one wants to spend more for insurance than what is absolutely necessary.
Virginia Insurance Group can help you determine exactly what you need, and then provide you the best options for purchasing.
And that makes us all feel more secure.
Related articles
- Watching the Insurance Laws of Virginia (sandsandersonriskmanager.com)
- Handling An Automobile Injury Claim on Your Own: What are the Risks? (allenandallen.com)
- Top 5 Strangest Types of Insurance (makethelist.net)
Media General: Keeping Richmond informed for almost 125 years
0502 days
by M. Fletcher
in Richmond Business
Richmonders recognize the name Lewis Ginter whether it is from the Botanical Gardens or the Ginter Park neighborhood. But only a few realize that Lewis Ginter also was the founder of one of the prime news sources in the City and one that has become a major media empire throughout the Southeastern United States.
In 1886, Major Lewis Ginter became the founder and publisher of The Daily Times. Captain Page McCarty became the first editor. A year later, in 1887, Ginter gave the newspaper to another famous Richmond resident by the name of Joseph Bryan. In 1890 the name was changed to The Times.
Just across the James River in the Town of Manchester, J.F. Bradley and Ben P. Owen Jr. began The Leader. Manchester would later become a part of the City of Richmond.
During the Civil War recovery and reconstruction in Richmond, Monument Avenue was laid out in 1887, with a series of monuments at various intersections honoring the city’s Confederate heroes (east to west) J.E.B. Stuart, Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, and Stonewall Jackson and oceanographer Matthew F. Maury. Richmond’s Hollywood Cemetery became the final resting place of both Stuart and Davis. Contributing to Richmond’s industrial reconstruction was the first successful electrically-powered trolley system in the United States, the Richmond Union Passenger Railway.
All of this contributed to the growth of the Richmond Newspaper industry and to the growth of the company that would eventually be known as Media General.
A series of other events, and publications arose and in 1903 Joseph Bryan’s Times and John L. Williams’ Dispatch consolidated into the Richmond Times-Dispatch, which became Richmond’s morning newspaper. The same day, Williams’ News and Bryan’s Evening Leader were consolidated into The News Leader, becoming Richmond’s evening newspaper. Bryan owned the Times-Dispatch and Williams owned The News Leader. In 1940, the newspapers combined to form Richmond Newspapers, Inc.
Twenty years later Media General was formed and Richmond Newspapers, Inc. became a wholly owned subsidiary of the media conglomerate.
Today Media General is an independent, publicly owned communications company situated all across the Southeastern part of the United States. Media General has interests in newspapers, television stations and interactive media. In addition to now owning 21 daily newspapers, also among the company holdings are 18 network-affiliated television stations and their accompanying websites. Media General also has 200 specialty publications including weekly newspapers and publications targeted by demographics to reach particular communities.
In June of this year Media General announced that it plans to extend part of its Yahoo advertising sales partnership to all of its network-affiliated television stations by the end of 2010. It was reported that this made Media General the first member of the Yahoo Newspaper Consortium to take this step. The announcement came with Media General saying it would extend the partnership to television stations in the following locations: Birmingham, Ala., Columbus, Ohio, Mobile, Ala. and Greenville/Spartanburg and S.C./Ashville, N.C.
From the very simple beginnings of a daily newspaper in a Reconstruction era town, Media General has grown to be a major information source for the Southeast. And if their history is any indication, that influence will continue to spread.