By Debbie Adams
The Vinton Area Chamber of Commerce elected and installed its officers and board of directors for 2022 at their annual Holiday Open House meeting at the Charles Hill Community Center on December 16. Dr. Richard Turner, chairman of the Nominating Committee conducted the elections process. The new officers were sworn in by Vinton Mayor Brad Grose.
Chamber officers and Executive Board members for 2022 include:
- President: Jason Boothe (Greenway-Boothe Real Estate)
- First Vice President: Allison Finney (American Efficiency Inns)
- Second Vice President: Page Stovall (Noble Senior Living)
- Past President: Justin Davison (Member One)
Vinton native Jason Boothe works for Greenway Boothe Real Estate Team@Mountain View Real Estate in Vinton. He is very active in the community of Vinton, where he has served as a board member and Coach for the Vinton Booster Club, Head of Field Maintenance and Vice President and President of the William Byrd Baseball Booster Club from 2017-2020.
Along with his Board positions, Boothe also coached in the Vinton community for over 15 years. His “love for the kids and parents” has made him lifelong friendships. He has also served as a Deacon at Lynn Haven Baptist.
Boothe has been married to his wife Nicole for 25 years (in May) who is employed by William Byrd High School. They have two children. His daughter Taylor and son-in-law Collin reside in Georgia where Collin serves in the Army. His son Bryce works for Roanoke City.
“I’m the very proud Pappy to my new granddaughter, Rylan Rice, who lives with mommy and daddy in Georgia,” Boothe says.
“I can’t express how excited I am to be able to work with such an amazing group of people that truly care about the Town,” said Boothe. “I look forward to serving the members of this great Chamber, and we will do everything we possibly can to make Vinton the place to bring your business.”
Allison Finney will continue serving as First Vice President of the Chamber. She is a graduate of William Byrd High School and Virginia Tech where she majored in Housing, Interior Design and Resource Management with an option in Residential Management. She manages several residential properties (apartments and single-family homes) in Roanoke, Salem, and Vinton. Finney also manages American Efficiency Inns, an extended stay motel located in downtown Vinton.
She has been involved with many organizations over the years. She is a founding member of the Square Society, serving on their board for many years and eventually becoming president. While serving as president, she also served on the Center in the Square Board of Directors. She has been on the Vinton Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors for ten years and on the Executive Board for going on eight years.
Page Stovall is excited to serve on the executive committee as the Second Vice President of the Chamber. She is a third-generation resident of the Town of Vinton, a graduate of William Byrd High School and received a Bachelor of Science degree at Radford University in 2012, concentrating in Recreation Therapy. Stovall is the Business Office Manager at The Elk’s, a Noble Senior Living Community in Bedford, Virginia. She also continues as an Independent Consultant for Rodan & Fields.
Stovall loves spending time with her husband, family, and friends. She enjoys engaging with the Roanoke Valley showing what Vinton truly has to offer. She is grateful to be a part of the evolving things happening in this great town.
Justin Davison will transition to Past President of the Chamber, first elected as President in 2017. Davison was born in New Jersey but has called Vinton home since 2008. He is currently the Market Manager for the Member One Federal Credit Union in Vinton. He was recently selected for the Roanoker Magazine’s “40 Under 40” Award for 2022 for career achievements, community involvement, accolades, and more. He is always looking for ways to give back to the community and support great local non-profits. He believes having a Servant’s Heart will continue to bless him and is thankful for all the support he has received over the years.
Members of the VACC Board of Directors for 2022 include:
- Michelle Barklow (individual)
- Andy Bishop (Twin Creeks Brewing Co. in Vinton and Twin Creeks Brewpub at Explore Park)
- Donald Childress (Coastal Insurance Planning of Virginia)
- Anthony Conner (The Conner Group)
- John Conner (The Conner Group)
- Tim Greenway (Mountain View Real Estate)
- Tim Nininger (Star City Pest Control)
- Kat Pascal (Farmburguesa)
- Paula Robins: Bank of Botetourt
- Justin Smith (Neely’s Accounting)
- Richard Turner (JMU/Fritz Sports & Events Enterprises)
Michelle Barklow works at Lawrence Transportation. She grew up in Illinois, then relocated to Florida with Star King Enterprises, which brought her to Vinton several years ago. She and her husband, Brian, owned The Salad Factory in downtown Roanoke. Barklow has quickly become a “Vintonite,” and loves being involved in the community and its growth. She and her husband have three sons–Michael, Jordan, and Devin.
Andy Bishop grew up in Botetourt County and is a graduate of Lord Botetourt High School. He graduated from Virginia Western Community College and Old Dominion University receiving an Associate degree in electrical and electronic engineering technology and a Bachelor’s in mechanical engineering. He has worked as an engineer for local industries in the fields of medical device manufacturing, research and development, and telecommunications. Bishop is now an owner of Twin Creeks Brewing Company in Vinton and Twin Creeks Brewpub in Roanoke County at Explore Park and is Director of Operations for Magnets USA.
Donald Childress is a Vinton native, born and raised. He is the son of the late Donald Childress Sr. and Yvonne Childress of Vinton. He has one older sister, Dawn and one younger brother, Chris. He has one son, Damon of whom he is very proud. Childress graduated from William Byrd High School in June 1994. He attended Emory and Henry College earning a BS in Business Management. He also played basketball all four years he attended E&H. He graduated Emory & Henry in 1998 and continues to support various programs the college offers.
Childress is the Owner/President/Agent of Coastal Insurance Planning of VA. He started his business in 2009. In February 2019, he moved his business from Salem to his hometown of Vinton. He is proud of the company he has established. He has brought aboard more than 45 licensed agents throughout the state of Virginia.
His duties include recruiting new agents, assisting clients with Medicare Benefit Plans, Life, Annuity and Long-Term Care plans. Donald oversees the overall operations of the business from start to finish. Coastal Insurance Planning of VA has grown rapidly over the years and currently has over 3000 clients throughout the states of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and West Virginia. Most of their clients are in Central and Southwest Virginia.
Childress enjoys kayaking, playing golf, and attending music festivals and concerts. He joined the Vinton Chamber to get more involved in his community and volunteer with future projects in the community.
Board member Anthony Conner is a financial professional with The Conner Group, a DBA of New York Life and affiliated registered investment advisory firm, Eagle Strategies.
The Conner Group is a locally owned financial planning and advisory firm. Conner works with a wide variety of clients including business owners and pre-retirees.
Prior to his start in the financial services industry, Anthony earned his B.S. Degree from Carson-Newman University in 1982.
Anthony is proud to be a member of the Million Dollar Roundtable (MDRT) for the last 19 years. He also is a member of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA).
Conner enjoys traveling, playing golf, and spending time with his wife Lisa of 40 years. They have three children and two grandchildren.
John B. Conner is a Partner with The Conner Group, and a Financial Advisor with Eagle Strategies LLC.
John came into the financial services business in 2013, working alongside his dad, Anthony Conner. John works with a wide variety of clients, including business owners, executives, physicians, young professionals and families. John takes a holistic approach when it comes to financial planning and risk management. He wants his clients to understand their current financial situation and what challenges they may need to address in order to achieve the goals set before them. He enjoys developing relationships with his clients that are built on trust and confidence. Many of his clients are some of his closest friends.
Prior to becoming a Financial Advisor with The Conner Group, John graduated from Roanoke College in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a concentration in Finance. John is proud to be a Top of the Table member of the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) and member of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisers (NAIFA).
Outside of the office, John has served as past board member for the Susan G. Komen Virginia Blue Ridge Affiliate. He also enjoys playing golf, traveling and spending time with his wife, Ashleigh and their two dogs, Tucker and Brody.
Board member Tim Greenway is the owner and broker of Vinton’s own Mountain View Real Estate, LLC located at 200 Bowman Street in Vinton.
He is a lifelong resident of the town of Vinton and a William Byrd High School graduate–Class of 1982. He continues to be a huge supporter of his alma mater and can be seen at many of the sporting events cheering on the Terriers.
Greenway graduated from Radford University in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting. The degree led him to work as the controller for Cycle Systems, Inc, a local recycling firm, for over 16 years.
Then another dream and another path in life presented itself in building houses–which he has engaged in for the past 25 years. In 2002 he received his real estate license, and his broker’s license in 2017 and opened Mountain View Real Estate LLC, where he proudly boasts 16 real estate agents/colleagues in serving the entire Roanoke Valley.
Greenway has been married for 37 years to Paula Greenway; they have three children–Maia, Brad and Chelsea. He is blessed with four grandchildren, Carson, Avery, Brantley, and Brady.
He is a fixture in Vinton as he attends Vinton Baptist Church where he serves as a deacon. He’s also a member of the Vinton Breakfast Lions Club, the Old Stag Hunt Club, and has served on many committees for Vinton. He proudly represents Vinton on the Roanoke County School Board.
In his brief downtimes, Greenway enjoys most sports, hunting, golf, and of course, spending time with those grandkids. He is a supporter of many charities, but his favorite involvement is when he can help children.
Tim Nininger is the owner of Star City Pest Control and Wildlife Services. He is from Smith Mountain Lake in Moneta. He attended Northside and Christiansburg High Schools, Arizona State University, and Clemson University. He has three children Tori (18), Tanner (18), and Taylor (15).
Nininger says he joined the Vinton Chamber because his friend Jason Boothe invited him, and he became impressed with all the things the Chamber does for the Town of Vinton. He enjoys coaching wrestling at two wrestling clubs for kids 5-18 years of age—Roanoke Area Wrestling (RAW) in Roanoke and the Smith Mountain Lake Elite Wrestling Club (SML).
Kat Pascal, a Roanoke native, is a community advocate, strategist, and entrepreneur. She is the co-owner of the Vinton and Roanoke Farmburguesa restaurants, and a former bank manager for a national bank. Pascal attended William Byrd High School and Virginia Western Community College.
She has a passion for volunteerism, traveling, and family. She is bilingual in English and Spanish. She is the mother of two sons, Jacob and Julian, ages nine and ten.
Pascal is the co-founder of Latinas Network and sits on several non-profit boards in the area.
Paula E. Robins is employed by Bank of Botetourt. She has over thirty-eight years of retail banking experience and has previously served as branch manager and community development officer at the Bank’s Peters Creek & Bonsack offices. She can be frequently seen walking the sidewalks in town, conversing with community members and small businesses. Robins is a member of the Order of Eastern Stars, a group of dedicated women donating their time to community programs. She has been actively engaged in numerous chambers of commerce in the region. She grew up in Salem and currently resides in Roanoke City with her husband, Reggie.
Board member Justin Smith joined the Neely’s Accounting Services, Inc. team in their Roanoke office in December 2016. On January 1, 2019, he accepted the role of Senior Accountant in their Vinton office. He is a graduate of William Byrd High School and received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Emory & Henry College. He completed an MBA from King University and is a ProAdvisor with QuickBooks and has extensive experience in business accounting, payroll, and tax.
Board member Dr. Richard Turner has served as the Roanoke Program Coordinator for James Madison University’s Educational Leadership Program at the Roanoke Higher Education Center since 2016. He supervises student teachers and teaches graduate classes for JMU.
He is currently the Chief Marketing Officer for Fritz Sports and Event Enterprises, which specializes in NASCAR sponsorship opportunities. He works for NASCAR, and worked for BK Racing from 2013-2017.
Turner graduated from Northside High School in 1978, completed his undergraduate work at Virginia Tech in 1982, and earned his Master’s degree at Virginia Tech in 1987 and his Doctorate from Nova/Southeastern University in 1994.
He served as Assistant Principal at William Byrd High School (1992-99) and as Principal from 1999 until 2016. He also served Roanoke County Schools as a Marketing Specialist and developed the current Apprenticeship Program in 2016-17.
Town of Vinton representatives to the Chamber include:
- Mayor Brad Grose
- Town Manager Pete Peters
- Community Programs Director Chasity Barbour
Mayor Brad Grose is the Owner/President of Dominion Electronics Inc. in Vinton and is currently serving his fifth term as Mayor of Vinton elected to that position in 2004. He was first elected to Vinton Town Council in 2000. He served two terms as Chairman of the Roanoke Valley-Allegheny Regional Commission Executive Board and has served two terms as VACC President.
Grose is a member of the Vinton Breakfast Lions Club, the Vinton Vision Committee, and a board member of the Roanoke Valley Economic Development Partnership. He has received the Virginia Municipal League “Certified Local Government Official-Gold Award” and a commendation from the Commonwealth of Virginia General Assembly for Public Service.
He is a Charter graduate of the Vinton Citizens Police Academy and Advanced Citizens Police Academy. He is also “Santa” for the Vinton Christmas Parade. He is an active member of Parkway Wesleyan Church. He has been married to his wife, Debby, for 43 years and has two children: Melissa (Randy) and Amanda (Marcus), two grandchildren (Jacob and Justin) and several pets.
Richard “Pete” Peters was appointed as Vinton Town Manager as of January 1, 2021. He previously served as Assistant Town Manager and Economic Development Director for the Town of Vinton for five years, spent 10 years as Director of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism for Botetourt County, two years as Director of Athletic Programs and Facilities at Roanoke Catholic School, and seven years with the City of Roanoke Department of Parks and Recreation.
Peters graduated from William Byrd High School in 1993. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Recreation Administration from Ferrum College, and his Graduate Certificate in Local Government Management from Virginia Tech.
He is a Professional Member of the International City/County Managers Association (ICMA) and the Virginia Local Government Managers Association (VLGMA).
Peters currently serves as a board member on the Roanoke Valley Resource Authority (RVRA), the Roanoke Regional Partnership, the Roanoke Valley Alleghany Regional Commission (RVARC), and the Roanoke Valley Transportation Planning Organization (RVTPO).
He and his wife Cameron have been married for 21 years and have two children—Cadence (17) and Falan (16). His hobbies include mountain biking, kayaking, and camping.
Chasity Barbour is the Community Programs Director for the Town of Vinton. She serves as the Lead Advisor of the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce Leadership of the Roanoke Valley program, is a participant in the Smith Mountain Lake Academy of Leaders, and Vice President of the Dogwood Committee.
Barbour has two daughters, Skylour Stultz, who attends West Virginia University, and Kaidence Stores, who attends William Byrd Middle School. Last, but not least, is her “better half, Sean Stores, who “supports his girls with anything.” He is employed at Yokohama Tire and is a Union Officer. In their spare time the family loves camping, ATVS, and motorcycles.
The Vinton Area Chamber of Commerce has two employees:
- Executive Director Angie Chewning
- Executive Assistant/Financial Coordinator Kathryn Sowers.
Angie Chewning became Executive Director of the Chamber in the fall of 2010. In the time since, she has continued to spread the word and to promote business growth in the Vinton area.
She has three children—Cydney, Drake, and Abbie–and one grandchild, Kellen. New daughter-in-law Hannah married Drake in November 2021.
Chewning serves on the Roanoke Regional Partnership Board, the Urban Development Advisory Committee, and the Sassy Sister Group of Women of the Vinton Moose Lodge–a group formed by women Moose members to serve the community. Their events include a food drive at Thanksgiving and Christmas, where they collect food for Vinton families and creating and planning fun events to welcome people into the lodge. She also is a member of Fem City Roanoke Chapter.
Chewning served as Chair of the Vinton Relay for Life from 2012-2016. She has served as a member of the Town of Vinton Revitalization Committee and the Preventive Council Committee. She has also served on the American Cancer Association Council.
She has volunteered at Explore Park’s Illuminights since its beginnings. Chewning loves to promote all things Vinton and is always encouraging folks to “Shop Local.” She loves volunteering for events and organizations that help people and make our community a better place.
“I love sharing what it was like growing up and living in Vinton,” says Chewning. “I love being a part of the new growth and look forward to many things to come. It feels like home. I’m ‘In.’ Are you?”
“I am looking forward to 2022,” said Chewning. “We have new and improved ideas to share and execute, and we are very excited to make them happen. We hope to gain new members, sponsors and, of course, new visitors to our events, businesses, and our Town. We will continue to promote and support our local businesses and encourage everyone to do the same. We will continue to hold premiere events to bring folks to our town and hope they see something they like and come back for another visit or to check out that business they saw or eat at one of our restaurants. We will continue to encourage folks to ‘EAT SHOP PLAY LIVE IN vINton’!”
Kathryn Sowers worked for the Vinton Chamber of Commerce several years ago and returned in 2010 to temporarily bridge the gap between Executive Directors and was then invited to be the part-time Executive Assistant and Financial Coordinator.
Sowers is a native of Vinton. She has one son—Todd–and three grandchildren, Christiaan, Austin, and Hannah.
Volunteering is an important part of her life. She is the Secretary/Treasurer of the Vinton-Roanoke County “High Ground” Veteran’s Monument on the grounds of the Vinton War Memorial.
Sowers serves on the Board of Directors for General Federation of Women’s Club International, Southeastern Region, state of Virginia, Blue Ridge District, GFWC Woman’s Club of Vinton and GFWC Totera Woman’s Club. This past year she was nominated and selected as the General Federation of Women’s Clubs Southeastern Region Jennie June Award Winner. She is one of 16 selected from the entire United States for this award.
She is Secretary/Treasurer of the Arnold R. Burton Scholarship Fund, which awards scholarships to two William Byrd High School students each year. She is also very involved in her church—Vinton Baptist–and the Roanoke Valley Baptist Association and WMU.
The Vinton Area Chamber of Commerce works not just to benefit local businesses, but to promote the entire Vinton community through a host of special events for residents of Vinton and beyond.
