ChamberLink February 2012 : Page 14

14 ChamberLink • February 2012 Business BRIEFS Kiplinger’s rates UMW among nation’s best values The University of Mary Washing-ton is listed among Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine’s “100 Best Values in Public Colleges” for 2012. The university ranks fifth among Virginia’s best values and 44th out of 100 four-year public institutions nationwide when comparing tuition costs, according to the February 2012 issue of Kiplinger’s. The list is available online at www.kiplinger.com/tools/ colleges. “Given these hard times in higher education, the word ‘value’ takes on special resonance,” said Jane Bennett Clark, senior editor of Kiplinger’s , in the magazine article. The magazine selects the best values from a pool of more than 500 public four-year colleges and universities, ranking them on academic quality, including admission and retention rates, student-faculty ratios and four-year and six-year graduation rates, as well as on cost and financial aid. Other Virginia schools on the in-state “best value” list include the University of Virginia (#3) and the College of William and Mary (#4). Of the Virginia schools listed, UMW has the lowest average debt at graduation at $15,600, which is less than the total cost per year for an in-state student to attend Mary Washington. By contrast, other no-table Virginia best value schools have average debts ranging from $19,400 (UVA) to $21,367 (William and Mary). UMW has appeared consistently on Kiplinger’s best value list and has been ranked among its top 50 values since 2006. The university continuously ranks high in selective college guidebooks, including in the Princeton Review’s 2012 edition of “The Best 376 Colleges” and Forbes. com’s list of “The Top 100 Best Buy Colleges.” For two years in a row, Mary Washington has been the only institution in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia named as a “Best Buy School” in the Fiske Guide to Colleges. Mary Washington Healthcare appoints Chief Nursing Officer Fred Rankin, president of Mary Washington Health-care recently announced that Marianna Bedway, RN, has been promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, effective Jan. 1. “It is an honor to be selected for this leadership role. Nurses, as key members of the health care team of MWHC, are critical to providing compassionate care,” Ms. Bedway said. “I am excited about what lies ahead as we partner to improve each day, delivering on our commitment as nurses to provide extraordinary care to our patients and the community.” Ms. Bedway has more than 23 years of service with MWHC, previously serving as Vice President of Clinical Services for Mary Washington Hospital and of Orthopedic Services and Neurosciences for Mary Washington Healthcare. Her areas of responsibility included Emergency Services, Perioperative Services, Trauma Services and the Neurosciences and Human Motion Centers of Excellence. She was instrumen-tal in implementing performance improvements in Emergency Services and in establishing the Level II Trauma program. Ms. Bedway holds a Master’s in Public Adminis-tration and Policy from Virginia Tech, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the College of Nursing at Ohio State University. She serves on the board of the Hope House in Fredericksburg and on the Spotsylvania County Fire and EMS Commission. Mary Washington Healthcare is a fully integrated, not-for-profit regional medical system providing inpatient and outpatient care through more than 40 facilities, including Mary Washington Hospital, a 437-bed regional medical center, and Stafford Hospital, a 100-bed community hospital. For more information please visit www.MaryWashingtonHealthcare.com. Virginia Commerce Bank opens customer care center Virginia Commerce Bank con-tinues to seek ways to improve its customers’ banking experience and is proud to announce the recent opening of a customer service call center. The call center, known as VCB Customer Care, is located in Manassas and staffed by knowledge-able banking professionals. VCB Customer Care is an ex-tension of the service customers receive in the Bank’s branches with the additional convenience of ex-tended hours and direct access to a care center associate. Instead of reaching an automated answering service and navigating through a maze of numbered options, callers will speak directly to an experienced banker who, in most cases, will be able to facilitate requests right away without transfer or delay. “At VCB, we take pride in pro-viding the highest level of service to our customers which is evident with our recent recognition by Washington Consumers’ Checkbook magazine with a top rating for service,” said Peter A. Converse, president and CEO of the bank. “VCB Customer Care will continue our legacy of highly personal and exceptional service with our staff of knowledgeable associates—not machines—answering customer phone calls and fulfilling or facili-tating requests.” To reach VCB Customer Care, simply dial (877) 822-5015 to speak directly with a customer ser-vice associate, or contact them via email at customercare@vcbonline. com. VCB Customer Care is open from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on Saturdays. Established in 1988, Virginia Commerce Bank (NASDAQ:VCBI) is a full-service, community bank headquartered in Arlington with more than $2.9 billion in assets. The bank serves the Northern Virginia and Fredericksburg mar-kets with 28 branches, a mortgage lending office and a wealth man-agement services department. For further information go to www. VCBonline.com. Virginia Commerce Bank employees step toward the bottom line – waistline, that is Virginia Commerce Bank employ-ees recently stepped up their game by completing a company-wide walking program that encouraged fitness and overall wellness. The 12-week fitness program, “Stepitup,” utilized pedometers to track employees’ steps and offered incentives for par-ticipation and for meeting minimum walking goals. Beginning in September, 48 teams comprised of 231 employees began logging daily steps with a minimum goal of 5,500 steps per day, increas-ing to 8,500 steps per day by the end of the program. At the end of each four-week session, the step goal increased and prizes were awarded to individual participants who met the minimum step goal, while teams were ranked by the total number of steps they collectively tallied. Meeting the Stepitup goals each day was no walk in the park. Employees reached walking goals through a variety of methods in-cluding walking to lunch instead of driving, taking family pets on longer walks, parking farther away at the grocery store, incorporating daily gym workouts, and spending more time being active outside with family members and friends. Some employees participated in local 5K races and community charity walks, combining their enhanced fitness regimen with their community support. During the three-month Stepitup initiative, VCB’s employees walked more than 162 million steps (which roughly translates to 1,200 trips around the Capital Beltway), with the winning team collecting nearly twelve million steps among its five members. A ceremony took place Dec. 15 to honor the top team. Stepitup was adapted from a similar program offered by United Healthcare. The insurance carrier supported the bank’s fitness initiative with pedometers, advice on imple-menting the program and prizes. VCB’s insurance broker, Insurance Advantage, provided gift cards for monthly prize drawings and partici-pated in the ceremony for the pro-gram’s winners. The fitness program is just one aspect of an ongoing well-ness initiative at VCB. A different wellness topic — including breast cancer awareness, diabetes education and holiday stress relief tips — is be-ing highlighted each month through a combination of staff presentations, an online newsletter and the distri-bution of informational collateral materials. UMW’s Eagle Village nets Sweet Frog Frozen Yogurt The University of Mary Wash-ington Foundation has announced that Sweet Frog, a popular Rich-mond-based frozen-yogurt chain, will locate in Eagle Village adjacent to the university. A March opening is planned. “We have long wanted to at-tract this type of business to Eagle Village due to student and faculty feedback that was collected in the early stages of this project,” said Jeff Rountree, CEO of the UMW Foundation and president of Eagle Property Holdings, LLC. “The frozen-yogurt industry has ex-ploded in the past few years with Sweet Frog, in particular, opening over 50 locations in just the past two years.” Raven Williams, senior sales and development manager for Sweet Frog, said the chain selected the Eagle Village location because of its accessibility and inviting atmosphere. “At Sweet Frog, we want to be more than just a dessert place, we want to be a part of the community and we were impressed with the community feel of Eagle Village,” she said. Eagle Village will be the second location for Sweet Frog in the Freder-icksburg Region. After undergoing extensive renova-tions, the brightly decorated Sweet Frog’s store will be located in the for-mer Glass America space with direct frontage on U.S. Route 1. Plans also call for an outdoor patio. Eagle Village, owned by the UMW Foundation, is a 23-acre pedestrian-friendly residential and retail mixed-use village in the former Park & Shop retail center. The first phase of construction was completed in July 2010. It includes an apartment-style residence complex for UMW students; office, retail and restaurant facilities; and a multi-level parking garage. %QPHNKEVU QT&KURWVGU! $WUKPGUU&KURWVGU %Q&#0f;1YPGT&KURWVGU N %QPkKEV%QWPUGNKPI N &KXQTEGCUUGVFKXKUKQP EWUVQF[ N N /QTGCHHQTFCDNG&#0e;RGCEGHWNRTKXCVG
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Business Briefs

Kiplinger’s rates UMW among nation’s best values The University of Mary Washington is listed among Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine’s “100 Best Values in Public Colleges” for 2012. The university ranks fifth among Virginia’s best values and 44th out of 100 four-year public institutions nationwide when comparing tuition costs, according to the February 2012 issue of Kiplinger’s. The list is available online at www.kiplinger.com/tools/colleges. “Given these hard times in higher education, the word ‘value’ takes on special resonance,” said Jane Bennett Clark, senior editor of Kiplinger’s, in the magazine article. The magazine selects the best values from a pool of more than 500 public four-year colleges and universities, ranking them on academic quality, including admission and retention rates, student-faculty ratios and four-year and six-year graduation rates, as well as on cost and financial aid. Other Virginia schools on the in-state “best value” list include the University of Virginia (#3) and the College of William and Mary (#4). Of the Virginia schools listed, UMW has the lowest average debt at graduation at $15,600, which is less than the total cost per year for an in-state student to attend Mary Washington. By contrast, other notable Virginia best value schools have average debts ranging from $19,400 (UVA) to $21,367 (William and Mary). UMW has appeared consistently on Kiplinger’s best value list and has been ranked among its top 50 values since 2006. The university continuously ranks high in selective college guidebooks, including in the Princeton Review’s 2012 edition of “The Best 376 Colleges” and Forbes.com’s list of “The Top 100 Best Buy Colleges.” For two years in a row, Mary Washington has been the only institution in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia named as a “Best Buy School” in the Fiske Guide to Colleges. UMW’s Eagle Village nets Sweet Frog Frozen Yogurt The University of Mary Washington Foundation has announced that Sweet Frog, a popular Richmond-based frozen-yogurt chain, will locate in Eagle Village adjacent to the university. A March opening is planned. “We have long wanted to attract this type of business to Eagle Village due to student and faculty feedback that was collected in the early stages of this project,” said Jeff Rountree, CEO of the UMW Foundation and president of Eagle Property Holdings, LLC. “The frozen-yogurt industry has exploded in the past few years with Sweet Frog, in particular, opening over 50 locations in just the past two years.” Raven Williams, senior sales and development manager for Sweet Frog, said the chain selected the Eagle Village location because of its accessibility and inviting atmosphere. “At Sweet Frog, we want to be more than just a dessert place, we want to be a part of the community and we were impressed with the community feel of Eagle Village,” she said. Eagle Village will be the second location for Sweet Frog in the Fredericksburg Region. After undergoing extensive renovations, the brightly decorated Sweet Frog’s store will be located in the former Glass America space with direct frontage on U.S. Route 1. Plans also call for an outdoor patio. Eagle Village, owned by the UMW Foundation, is a 23-acre pedestrian-friendly residential and retail mixed-use village in the former Park & Shop retail center. The first phase of construction was completed in July 2010. It includes an apartment-style residence complex for UMW students; office, retail and restaurant facilities; and a multi-level parking garage. Virginia Commerce Bank Virginia Commerce Bank employees recently stepped up their game by completing a company-wide walking program that encouraged fitness and overall wellness. The 12-week fitness program, “Stepitup,” utilized pedometers to track employees’ steps and offered incentives for participation and for meeting minimum walking goals. Beginning in September, 48 teams comprised of 231 employees began logging daily steps with a minimum goal of 5,500 steps per day, increasing to 8,500 steps per day by the end of the program. At the end of each four-week session, the step goal increased and prizes were awarded to individual participants who met the minimum step goal, while teams were ranked by the total number of steps they collectively tallied. Meeting the Stepitup goals each day was no walk in the park. Employees reached walking goals through a variety of methods including walking to lunch instead of driving, taking family pets on longer walks, parking farther away at the grocery store, incorporating daily gym workouts, and spending more time being active outside with family members and friends. Some employees participated in local 5K races and community charity walks, combining their enhanced fitness regimen with their community support. During the three-month Stepitup initiative, VCB’s employees walked more than 162 million steps (which roughly translates to 1,200 trips around the Capital Beltway), with the winning team collecting nearly twelve million steps among its five members. A ceremony took place Dec. 15 to honor the top team. Stepitup was adapted from a similar program offered by United Healthcare. The insurance carrier supported the bank’s fitness initiative with pedometers, advice on implementing the program and prizes. VCB’s insurance broker, Insurance Advantage, provided gift cards for monthly prize drawings and participated in the ceremony for the program’s winners. The fitness program is just one aspect of an ongoing wellness initiative at VCB. A different wellness topic — including breast cancer awareness, diabetes education and holiday stress relief tips — is being highlighted each month through a combination of staff presentations, an online newsletter and the distribution of informational collateral materials. Virginia Commerce Bank continues to seek ways to improve its customers’ banking experience and is proud to announce the recent opening of a customer service call center. The call center, known as VCB Customer Care, is located in Manassas and staffed by knowledgeable banking professionals. VCB Customer Care is an extension of the service customers receive in the Bank’s branches with the additional convenience of extended hours and direct access to a care center associate. Instead of reaching an automated answering service and navigating through a maze of numbered options, callers will speak directly to an experienced banker who, in most cases, will be able to facilitate requests right away without transfer or delay. “At VCB, we take pride in providing the highest level of service to our customers which is evident with our recent recognition by Washington Consumers’ Checkbook magazine with a top rating for service,” said Peter A. Converse, president and CEO of the bank. “VCB Customer Care will continue our legacy of highly personal and exceptional service with our staff of knowledgeable associates—not machines—answering customer phone calls and fulfilling or facilitating requests.” To reach VCB Customer Care, simply dial (877) 822-5015 to speak directly with a customer service associate, or contact them via email at customercare@vcbonline.com. VCB Customer Care is open from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on Saturdays. Established in 1988, Virginia Commerce Bank (NASDAQ:VCBI) is a full-service, community bank headquartered in Arlington with more than $2.9 billion in assets. The bank serves the Northern Virginia and Fredericksburg markets with 28 branches, a mortgage lending office and a wealth management services department. For further information go to www.VCBonline.com. Mary Washington Healthcare appoints Chief Nursing Officer Fred Rankin, president of Mary Washington Healthcare recently announced that Marianna Bedway, RN, has been promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, effective Jan. 1. “It is an honor to be selected for this leadership role. Nurses, as key members of the health care team of MWHC, are critical to providing compassionate care,” Ms. Bedway said. “I am excited about what lies ahead as we partner to improve each day, delivering on our commitment as nurses to provide extraordinary care to our patients and the community.” Ms. Bedway has more than 23 years of service with MWHC, previously serving as Vice President of Clinical Services for Mary Washington Hospital and of Orthopedic Services and Neurosciences for Mary Washington Healthcare. Her areas of responsibility included Emergency Services, Perioperative Services, Trauma Services and the Neurosciences and Human Motion Centers of Excellence. She was instrumental in implementing performance improvements in Emergency Services and in establishing the Level II Trauma program. Ms. Bedway holds a Master’s in Public Administration and Policy from Virginia Tech, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the College of Nursing at Ohio State University. She serves on the board of the Hope House in Fredericksburg and on the Spotsylvania County Fire and EMS Commission. Mary Washington Healthcare is a fully integrated, not-for-profit regional medical system providing inpatient and outpatient care through more than 40 facilities, including Mary Washington Hospital, a 437-bed regional medical center, and Stafford Hospital, a 100-bed community hospital. For more information please visit www.MaryWashingtonHealthcare.com.

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