People & Places to Watch in 2017

This should be a huge year for these people and places. Get to know them before they blow up. Photos by Kim Frost

Megan Walker

There’s a senior star at Monacan High School in Chesterfield. Her name is Megan Walker, and she was the most sought-after female high school basketball player in the country until Nov. 10 when she committed to UConn. Voted the top prospect by ESPN Women, she received offers from the best women’s basketball programs in America. But even with so much success, Walker says her family is what helps her handle the pressure. “They’re all just so important,” she says. “Because my support system is everything.” —Cole Smith

Code RVA and Michael Bolling

At the regional Code RVA high school opening next fall, English and history will be integrated and called global study. Content will be taught through a blend of online courses and face-to-face instruction. Teams of students will solve realistic problems using computer science. And seniors can graduate with a community college associate’s degree, industry certifications and apprenticeships. The school, whose location was still being determined at press time, will draw students from 13 divisions using a lottery system. “One of the pillars that is driving this is trying to get a diverse population that’s representative of the Richmond region – racial, economic and gender diversity,” says Michael Bolling, executive director. —Tina Eshleman

ICA and Stephanie Smith

VCU’s Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) is scheduled to open in fall 2017. The $41 million, Stephen Holl-designed space for contemporary art, performance and film stands as a cultural beacon at the busy intersection of Belvidere and Broad streets. Chief curator Stephanie Smith, who has previously held posts at the Art Gallery of Ontario, the University of Chicago’s Smart Museum of Art and the Rice University Art Gallery in Houston, Texas, says she envisions this new entity as “flexible, playful, rigorous and generous.” —Harry Kollatz Jr.

Levar Stoney, Richmond Mayor-Elect

The 35-year-old mayor-elect scored a surprising outright victory in Richmond’s crowded — and crazy — mayoral election. Now, Virginia’s former secretary of the commonwealth must deliver on his campaign’s promise to tap into the city’s potential and revive its beleaguered public school system. A first-time officeholder, Stoney also must demonstrate he can work with Richmond’s City Council and School Board to restore confidence in City Hall. He’s fond of saying he’ll govern with as much vigor as he campaigned with. His first 100 days will be critical to proving that. —Mark Robinson

Tim Miller

The COO of the 2015 Union Cycliste Internationale Road World Championships has a new pet project. Miller, now with RPM Events Group, is laying the groundwork for another international cycling race in Virginia. Think the reach of the Worlds, but with a smaller price tag, he says. “It’s a world-class cycling event, but we’re really building so much more around it,” he says. “We want to touch a much broader population than just cycling fans.” In October, UCI officially put the stage race — dubbed the “Commonwealth Cycling Classic” — on its calendar for Aug. 24-27, 2017. Stay tuned for a big announcement in January. —MR

Baxter Perkinson Center for the Arts

The decades-old dream of a performing arts center for the Chester community will soon take on solid form. Hugh Cline, chairman of the Chesterfield Cultural Arts Foundation, expects construction on the 23,000-square-foot, $9 million project to start by early December. “Ideally, we’d love to open by December 2017,” Cline says. The new Baxter Perkinson Center for the Arts is named in honor of Virginia Family Dentistry founder and president W. Baxter Perkinson Jr. and his father. In August, Perkinson pledged $1 million to the center, which will include a 388-seat theater, a gallery, a 1,500-square-foot multi-purpose room and classrooms. —TE

Kelling Donald

Kelling Donald, a chemistry professor at the University of Richmond, was one of seven recipients in the nation honored earlier this year with a $60,000 award from the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, in recognition of his teaching and research. His students are involved in his research, and that’s a key to learning, he says. “They are learning, and at the same time doing research” he says. Donald is a computational or theoretical chemist, using mathematical ideas to solve chemical problems. His lab seeks to model chemical systems using computer programs as a way to understand molecular bonding interactions. —Tharon Giddens

Marlow Jones

Marlow Jones, a Petersburg assistant fire marshal, says he’s ready to take on the fight of righting the city’s numerous financial woes. He’s a boxing fanatic known for mentoring local youth, and he recently donned political gloves in a second run for City Council. The 42-year-old lost to the incumbent, but continues to give back to the community by coaching youth boxing and wrestling at his nonprofit Blandford Community Center. Jones, who grew up in Petersburg public housing, says that boxing “saved” him. —Leah Small

First Tee

As school budgets are cut year after year, physical education programs often suffer. That’s where The First Tee of Greater Richmond comes to the rescue. The program brings golf education to elementary schools, providing free lesson plans and training to teachers. After raising $700,000 through private donors, the program will expand into Henrico and Hanover counties, reaching 127 schools and some 44,000 students by the end of 2017. “It gives [kids] an opportunity to be introduced to the game of golf,” says Brent Schneider, First Tee’s executive director. “Most importantly, it gives them an opportunity to get engaged through the lens of the First Tee program.” —Rodrigo Arriaza

JeQuan Lewis and Mo Alie-Cox

JeQuan Lewis, the sharp-shooting senior point guard, and Mo Alie-Cox, the rim-rocking forward, will anchor the VCU men’s basketball team on offense and defense in Head Coach Will Wade’s second season. The Rams are expected to be in the fray in a competitive Atlantic 10, building on last season’s tournament championship berth with an experienced core of returning players. Both Lewis and Alie-Cox were named to preseason all-A-10 teams. Beyond the accolades, the dynamic duo will provide invaluable leadership on and off the court as the Rams seek to extend their NCAA Tournament appearance streak to seven come March. —MR

Startup Space

Shockoe Bottom will be home to a new incubator for high-growth startups and a $5 to $10 million venture capital seed fund, thanks to angel investors Will Loving and Brad Cummings. In a former tobacco warehouse at 1717 E. Cary St., businesses will receive coaching from Startup Virginia, a new nonprofit, and will be able to flourish within the building —renting more office space when the time is right and networking with other business owners in the space.  “The end goal is to help these companies grow and be profitable,” Loving says, “and then stay in Richmond and not have to transplant to New York and California where there is easier access to funding.” —Susan Winiecki

GreenGate

Yes, Short Pump continues to expand westward. Markel | Eagle, the developer behind GreenGate, a new 70-acre mixed-use residential, retail and office project off West Broad, promises to “put the urban in suburban,” with outposts of well-loved restaurants such as The Daily and Mellow Mushroom and a mural project headed by Ed Trask. More than 800 people already have expressed interest in living there, from families attracted to Henrico County schools to empty nesters, says Principal Partner J.B. Gurley. “From an architectural standpoint, there is some great inspiration in this city, and we tried to tie into that,” he says. —Jessica Ronky Haddad

Evatran

This month, Evatran, the Richmond-based manufacturer of “Plugless” electric car charging stations, relocates to the HandCraft Cleaners building in Scott’s Addition. The move allows the company to consolidate its offices and manufacturing in one location as the company ramps up production on its second-generation wireless charging pad system for the Tesla Model S. “The goal is to scale our production for the next year,” says spokesman Ned Freeman. While the charging systems are manufactured in the U.S., Evatran is also investing $5 million in the Chinese market. —Nicole Cohen

Cobblestone Development

They’re Richmond’s own “Fixer Uppers.” Breese and Josh Romano of Cobblestone Development are the husband-and-wife team responsible for renovating 32 homes around the city in 2016. Josh takes care of the construction while Breese is the mind behind the design. More than house flippers out to make a fast buck, Cobblestone strives to preserve the historic integrity of older homes while making them more livable for modern families by using quality materials. “We care a lot about our customers and we care a lot about the city,” Josh says. “We’re trying to create inspired living.” Look for a big announcement from them in 2017. —JRH

Brenner Pass

Of all the comings and goings we’ll see in 2017’s dinescape, the formation of Butchertown Restaurant Group is among the biggest. Brittanny Anderson, Brad Hemp and Nathan Conway began their partnership with the opening of Metzger Bar & Butchery in 2014, but early next year, they’re adding Alpine-inspired Brenner Pass and adjoining bakery and café Chairlift — and with them, new partners James Kohler and Olivia Wilson. Anderson, who sees Chairlift as an expandable concept, says that’s not all the group has up its sleeve; Hawaiian-food concept Iki Kai, fronted by employee Krystle Montes, could get going as early as summer or fall. —Stephanie Breijo

Brookland Park Boulevard

After decades of decline, Brookland Park Boulevard is rebounding. In October, the Two Pillars Tattoo and Sign Shop opened at 224 W. Brookland Park Blvd., and at press time, Black Hand Coffee Co. was preparing to move its coffee roasting operation into a former gas station at the intersection with Barton Avenue. Dixon/Lee Development Group has begun construction on a co-working space and apartments in the old American National Bank building. Rob Gassie will be setting up across the street as Bing Bicycle Co., and Hampton Nash LLC, which bought the 1920s-era Brookland Theater in May, expects to start renovations in early 2017. —TE

Reggie Gordon

Gordon, who previously served as CEO of the Greater Richmond chapter of the American Red Cross, took over the city’s Office of Community Wealth Building in June. The department is tasked with chipping away at the city’s 27 percent poverty rate by increasing opportunities for residents. Next year is about “drilling down” he says, and figuring out, as a city, how we define community wealth. “We have thousands and thousands of people who need to find pathways toward economic self-sufficiency,” he says. Gordon, a city hall outsider, is also tasked with bridging the gap between outgoing mayor Dwight C. Jones’ administration and the new Stoney team at 901 E. Broad. —MR

Kim Bobo

When Kim Bobo’s husband died suddenly of a heart attack three years ago, she decided that she needed to help the Chicago-based organization she’d founded, Interfaith Worker Justice, transition to new leadership while she was in good health. After doing that, she searched for another place where she could make a contribution. Citing the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy’s commitment to economic and racial justice, she says, “I felt called to be here.” In 2017, she’ll lead the center’s legislative efforts on Medicaid expansion and restoration of driving privileges, and she’ll begin calling attention to “one of the worst ‘payment of wages’ laws I’ve ever seen.” —TE

Paul Dent

Novel combinations of old drugs make for potent cancer fighters in Paul Dent’s laboratory, the Institute of Molecular Medicine at the VCU Massey Cancer Center. The goal is to take existing drugs and make them even more toxic to the cancer cells than either alone. The lab is an especially busy place: Dent has seven clinical trials ongoing and another four planned, awaiting funding and grants. While other researchers revel in pure research, Dent takes satisfaction in repurposing existing products to benefit others. “To me, doing this job is like the ultimate kick,” he says. “Everything I do in the lab is going to patients.” —TG

Waterford Park

Developers floated their concept multiple times in 2016 for a proposed water park off Genito Road across from Clover Hill High School. Sweet Frog founder Derek Cha and his partner in the project, Brett Burkhart, want to build the park as the focal point of a mixed commercial and residential development that will be called Waterford Park. They have 105 acres off Genito that backs up to state Route 288, with initial plans calling for a 17-acre lake for activities including wakeboarding and cable skiing. Long-range plans call for $185 million in development over 15 years. —TG

Glass Smith

I was in a restaurant when my phone — seemingly safe in its case — fell and shattered. According to Blue Crump, CEO of Glass Smith, mine wasn’t the only one. “There’s a little over 40,000 phones that break in the U.S. every day,” he says. Enter Glass Smith, the mobile repair startup. The concept is simple: Visit glasssmith.com and specify your broken iPhone, Android or iPad model, and your problem, and a certified technician will meet you at a coffee shop, your home, you name it, and fix your device in roughly 20 minutes at a competitive price. The Manchester-based company, which launched in September, is already in eight markets; next year it hopes to add 10 to 15 more. —SB

BRT Pulse

The 2017 Dominion Christmas Parade is expected to feature a most anticipated rolling unit: the first bus rapid transit vehicle for the Greater Richmond Transit Co.’s Pulse service. By then, work on 26 new platforms at 14 stops, and a new fiber-optics system buried under Broad Street’s median, are scheduled for completion. The project’s price tag totals almost $65 million in federal, state and regional funds. Pulse will provide express travel between Rocketts Landing and Willow Lawn. A separate group, RVA Rapid Transit, meanwhile seeks to make the first leg of Pulse part of an extensive overhaul of Richmond’s laggard transit system. –HK

Heather Waters and Richmond International Film Festival

When the Sixth Annual Richmond International Film Festival (RIFF) unreels some 133 films from Feb. 27 to March 5, the roster of events created by founder Heather Waters widens to include music. The RIFF Music Fest will feature about 60 bands competing at venues including Sound of Music, the Broadberry and the Camel. Waters, president of the Virginia Production Alliance, says, “RIFF is about bringing together artists and influencers that share a common vision. This promotes tourism, and economic development, and I’d like to see Richmond as a music and film incubator arts hub for the mid-Atlantic region.” —HK

Chickahominy Falls

Once it’s built in Hanover County, Chickahominy Falls will boast a unique amenity: a 10-acre organic farm. Intended primarily as a community for residents 55 and older, the development also will offer homes designed for millennials and young families. Roger Glover, owner of Cornerstone Homes, says site development should begin in spring 2017 with construction of the marketing center and work to ready the farm. The first homes should be completed in spring 2018. More than 400 people have expressed interest in the community thus far. “I want to put together something that is a good model that can be done in other communities and that is sustainable,” Glover says. —JRH