Thank you for your interest in Entrepreneurs’ Organization of Southeast Virginia. For additional information, please reach out to the respective contact(s) below:
General Inquiries
executivedirector@eoseva.org
Membership Inquiries
Christina Tate, Executive Director
Email: executivedirector@eoseva.org
Phone: 757.279-8757
Strategic Alliance Partner Inquiries
Erik J. Olson, Strategic Alliance Partner Chair
Email: erik@thisisarray.com
Phone: 757.333.3021 (Office)
Marketing & Communications Inquiries
Chip Dodd, Marketing & Communications Chair
Email: chip@ssvainc.org
Phone: 757.497.5837 (Office)
Array Digital, a leading digital marketing agency headquartered in Chesapeake, Virginia, has been awarded the Small Business of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce.
Array Digital specializes in website design, online advertising, SEO and social media for clients in the home services, legal, and medical industries.
Growing substantially since being designated a Best Place to Work in 2017, the title still holds true. With unlimited paid time off (PTO) and great benefits they continue to grow their local and remote staff.
“It’s great to be surrounded by such a smart and dedicated group of people,” says Creative Director Jake Maines. Following in co-founder Kevin Daisey’s footsteps, Jake was recently named a Millenial on the Move by CoVaBIZ magazine.
“Everything at Array Digital starts with our amazing people who believe strongly in our core values; transparency, quality, urgency, winning and passion,” says CMO Kevin Daisey.
CEO and EO member Erik J Olson attributes the growth to the company’s “extreme focus” on digital marketing.
Array Digital
660 Independence Parkway #310
Chesapeake, VA 23320
Inc. magazine named 4 Southeast Virginia EO Member companies to Inc. 5000 2015 List, an exclusive ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies.
Receiving the honor were:
Sara Baldwin: New Ravenna
Martin Joseph: 360 IT Partners
Thanos Polizos: ODUrent.com
Matthew Saunders: Simple Real Estate Solutions
Congratulations!
Dermacare of Chesapeake
http://www.dermacarechesapeake.com
Dermacare Skincare & Laser Clinic is the premier Med Spa serving South Hampton Roads. We offer medical level esthetic treatments as well as laser and light based procedures including laser hair, vein & tattoo removal, and laser and RF based skin tightening. We are also known for our amazing “liquid face lifts” using Botox and dermal fillers to take years of a patient’s appearance! Great treatments, no downtime, superb results!
Year Founded – 2006
Number of Years in EO – New Member in 2011
Spouse Name – Sheryl
Children – Brian (13)
Board Positions held – None (yet!)
What was your first entrepreneurial experience?
Working in my mother’s wallpaper and paint store during middle and high school. I quickly learned the art of great customer service and how to make change…the old fashioned way!!
Favorite Quote?
I dug out my high school yearbook to see what I thought worthy back then: “Many are the men have faults, few can overcome them.” 28 years later I’ll call myself a work in progress!
What are you passionate about outside of your business?
Flying (Navy Reserve pilot), Sailing and Scouting (with my son) along with all the backpacking that goes with it!
Open items on your bucket list?
Sail around the world exploring lots of “out of the way” places. Go on a “real” safari…no tourists, just me (son and wife if they are up for it) and a guide, middle of nowhere…living off the land for a few weeks.
A-Active is Honored As One of Hampton Roads Best Places to Work
Virginia Beach, VA, July 18, 2011 – A-Active Termite and Pest Control Company of Virginia Beach, VA has been named by Inside Business as a “Best Places to Work.” The company was honored at a luncheon today held at Norfolk Airport Hilton.
Entered into the Small Business category, A-Active was nominated by an employee. To complete the nomination additional employees responded to the online employee survey that covered topics such as work environment, culture, turnover, employee satisfaction, fair and equitable treatment, compensation, benefits, community service and employee training opportunities.
To shape and innovate his business model, Kevin J. Kordek, owner, has always looked at the pest management business through both the eyes of his employees and customers. He feels that being honored by his employees with their nomination and participation in the survey required to be considered in this contest validates his efforts.
“I am extremely proud to have built an organization where my employees are just as proud,” says Kordek. “We routinely give our employees opportunities to take ownership and make a positive impact in their own work environment. I believe that makes all the difference.”
Kordek is an Entomologist and graduate of James Madison University with more than 27 years in the pest control industry. He is the immediate past president of the National Pest Management Association and has held numerous leadership positions with the Virginia Pest Management Association.
Company Overview: Since 1967 A-Active Termite and Pest Control has serviced Southeast Virginia and is currently one of the largest independently owned pest management companies in Hampton Roads. A-Active is the only local pest management company to have 2 trained and certified Entomologists on staff. Owned by Kevin Kordek and known for outstanding customer service and education, A-Active was named Small Business of the Year in 2003 by the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce and was the inaugural recipient of the Pest Control Technology Magazine Crown Award for Customer Service in 2005. In 2009 A-Active was named the “Business Partner of the Year” by the Community Association Institutes Southeast Virginia Chapter. Company leadership motivates every employee to focus daily on helping people improve the quality of their lives through the management and eradication of pests. To learn more visit www.123bugfree.com.
Solitude Lake Management: Love of water, quality service bring growth, name change
BY JESSE HINES
Kevin Tucker, founder and president of Solitude Lake Management (SLM), relays a humorous, yet telling story related to his company’s recent name change (it was previously Virginia Lake Management): he authored a letter detailing his reasons for changing the company’s name and sent it to his clients. One client saw the letterhead with the name Solitude Lake Management on it and tossed it aside without reading it because she was already so satisfied with her current water management company, Virginia Lake Management. Eventually, she realized what happened and shared a laugh with Tucker about the episode.
While such a reaction can indicate the potential difficulties inherent in changing the name of an established business (Tucker says it’s been smooth sailing for the most part), it also shows how much Tucker’s clients value his company’s work, to the extent that “competitors” might not even get a chance to have their marketing materials read.
So, why the name change?
“Virginia seemed like a very big place back in 1998 when I decided to start this company. Today, Virginia is but one of the many states we serve throughout the United States. At this point, we have chosen to redefine ourselves, not only for our customers, but in the overall market. We have chosen a name that will better identify who we are, what we stand for and where we are going—one that better reflects the principles that characterize us and the markets we serve,” Tucker explains in a press release announcing the name change. The new name took effect in November 2010.
Tucker has taken his business from one man (with part-time help) working from home servicing one state to 16 full-time employees (including himself), working out of four offices servicing eight states: Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New Jersey and New York.
SLM does exactly what its name indicates: the company manages lakes and ponds for “homeowner and condominium associations; apartment communities; commercial developments; golf courses; municipal, state and federally-owned lakes; private ponds; fishing and recreational lakes’ and similar properties,” according to its website.
Tucker’s team is responsible for making their clients’ lakes and ponds look good and clean as they restore ecological balance to these bodies of water. A major problem they encounter? Algae. It’s “green, shiny and visible,” Tucker says, and it’s his job get rid of it in an environmentally sustainable way.
In addition to algae and aquatic vegetation control, SLM installs and maintains fountains, manages fisheries, monitors water quality and measures water depth. And a lot more. They also have an online store where they sell water quality products.
“Most of what we do you can’t do yourself. [You’re] either not legally allowed to do it yourself or there’s a high degree of failure,” Tucker says.
“Dollar for dollar [we’re] the best but not necessarily the least expensive,” Tucker says, preferring his company’s value to come from their high level of service rather than the parading of bargain basement prices.
A Hampton Roads native who spent many years on the Outer Banks, water has thus always been a big part of Tucker’s life. He loves the water: whitewater rafting, kayaking, surfing, boating, getting in the ocean or just watching a waterfall. Tucker is married with three children, who accompany him on his outdoor adventures.
TESS GOLDBLATT
Solitude Lake Management
Address: 11861 Canon Blvd., Ste. E, Newport News, VA 23606
Phone: 757-591-8780
Contact: Kevin Tucker, president
Website: www.solitudelakemanagement.com
Pete Owen is currently the President and Founder of Atlantic Building Corporation, a privately held exterior commercial renovation company located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He is also the Vice President of Atlantic Systems Consulting, Inc., an up-and-coming business solutions and technology consulting firm also located in Virginia Beach, VA.
At Atlantic Building, Mr. Owen oversees over fifty field employees and a team of administrative and sales officers. The fifteen year old company services approximately 250 million square feet of both private and commercial properties throughout Hampton Roads specializing in renovation, maintenance and repair contracts.
Mr. Owen is a member of the South Eastern Virginia Community Associations Institute, providing education to community associations, individuals, public agencies, corporations, and other organizations. He has served on many boards and committees, as well as a provider professional education and training. He holds a Virginia Class ‘A” Contractor’s License.
He, along with his company, has also provided financial and/or physical labor support to many non-profit organizations in the community such as For Kids, Habitat for Humanity, Hampton Roads Community Care, and the Make a Wish Foundation.
Prior to starting his own Class ‘A’ Contracting business, Mr. Owen was in leadership as a Project Manager and Estimator for thirteen years at a large government and commercial contracting firm based in Virginia Beach.
Mr. Owen was born in Hawaii, and moved to Hampton Roads in 1975. He is married with four wonderful children. He enjoys golf, surfing, and snowboarding. If you see Pete at a learning or social event please stop and introduce yourself! Welcome Pete!!
SOLitude Lake Management was recently highlighted in an industry-specific webcast. The story can be found here www.escntv.com
Congratulations, to Kevin Tucker for this accomplishment.
In 1998 Virginia Lake Management Company was born out of our love for water and the outdoors and our desire to preserve our natural resources. Our incredible success and growth has made it necessary to redefine for our customers who we are, what we stand for, and where we are going. We have chosen a new name for our company that better reflects the principles that define us and the markets we serve.
SOLitude Lake Management will continue to be your environmental partner, working with you every day to improve water quality and preserve your natural resources, reducing our environmental footprint, and leaving our world a better place. We very much look forward to the journey ahead.
SOLitude\sol-i-tüd, säl-i-tüd\ n – 1: the harmony found with sun, self, land and water through
appreciation and preservation of lake and freshwater ecosystems. 2: the peaceful calm resulting from the reflection on and centering of self through the restoration of ecological balance. — syn. see also Virginia Lake Management.
Toll-Free 888.480.LAKE (5253) solitudelakemanagement.com
Serving VA, NC, MD, DE, PA, WV, NJ & NY.
Inc. magazine named 4 EO Southeast Virginia Member companies to its eighth annual Inc. 5000, an exclusive ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies.
Receiving the honor were:
Sara Baldwin: New Ravenna
Martin Joseph: 360 IT Partners
Marion Long: Therapeutic Interventions
Kurt Noer: Customer Magnetism
Drew Monroe: Prosper Insurance
Thanos Polizos: ODUrent.com
Matthew Saunders: Simple Real Estate Solutions
Congratulations to honorees.
Inc. magazine named 4 EO Southeast Virginia Member companies to its seventh annual Inc. 5000, an exclusive ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies.
Receiving the honor were:
Martin Joseph: 360 IT Partners
Marion Long: Therapeutic Interventions
Kurt Noer: Customer Magnetism
Brad Scott: Cetan Corp
Congratulations to our 4 honorees. Job well done.
