The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced last week that seven Virginia farms, wineries and other agricultural enterprises have received grants for business development assistance to pursue marketing opportunities for agricultural commodities.

The funds were awarded through the USDA Value-Added Producer Grant program. Forty-five states and Puerto Rico received grant funding totaling more than $22.5 million.

Funds may be used for feasibility studies or business plans, working capital for marketing value-added agricultural products and for farm-based renewable energy projects. Eligible applicants include independent producers, farmer and rancher cooperatives, and agricultural producer groups. Value-added products are created when a producer increases the consumer value of an agricultural commodity in the production or processing stage.

The Virginia recipients include:
- Croftburn Farm Meats, Culpeper: $149,800
- Narmada Winery LLC, Amissville: $297,663
- Gary E. Conner Dairy, Stuarts Draft: $35,000
- Mountain Rose Vineyards, Wise: $147,980
- Chrysalis Vineyards, Middleburg: $65,000
- Shenandoah Valley Beef Cooperative, Weyers Cave: $46,500
- Van der Hyde Dairy, Chatham: $150,000

Funding of individual recipients is contingent upon their meeting the conditions of the grant agreement.

Information next year’s grants will be available at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/coops/vadg.htm.

The DuPont Community Credit Union Corporate Charity Cause for Paws Team will be sponsoring a family friendly “Fur Ball” on Saturday, June 19, to benefit area SPCA programs and facilities. The fund raising event will be from 1 – 5 p.m. at Westwood Elementary School, 548 Rosser Ave., Waynesboro.

Scruffy Murphy and Mojo Cookie & the Doughboys will provide entertainment at the event. Tickets are on sale for $5 in advance and $7 at the door the day of the event. A silent auction of creatively-themed baskets will also be conducted at the ball, food and drink will also be on sale, and activities for children will be provided.

To purchase tickets or for questions you can call 540.946.3200 x3106, x3414 or eMail jbartley@mydccu.com, ttyson@mydccu.com.

Each year DCCU employees select a charity to support as the Credit Union’s Corporate Charity. This year employees chose to support the Augusta Regional SPCA, Rockingham-Harrisonburg SPCA, and the Shenandoah County Animal Shelter. Employees are raising funds to be distributed to each organization from the “Fur Ball” and a Prize-A-Day Drawing for August.

The members of DuPont Community Credit Union recently elected three members to the Board of Directors for three-year terms.

Leslie E. Ramsey of Waynesboro, Shane Wills of Staunton were elected for the first time to the Board, and Mary E. Rothacker of Waynesboro was re-elected to the Board.

Mr. Ramsey, an Augusta County native, graduated from the Jefferson Professional Institute School of Business in Charlottesville. Mr. Ramsey retired in 1996, after 26 years of service with Ntelos.

Mr. Wills, a native of Rockbridge County, graduated from Eastern Mennonite University with a business and organizational management degree. He recently completed his masters of business administration from Averett University. Mr. Wills is the plant manager for Valley Precision Inc. in Waynesboro.

Mrs. Rothacker is a retired credit union CEO. In addition to serving on the DCCU Board, she is treasurer of the Waynesboro Woman’s Club and chairman of the Nominating Committee for the Waynesboro AARP Chapter and an active volunteer with her church. Mrs. Rothacker is serving her third term on the Board.

The Board of Directors also selected its officers at their May Board meeting. Everett J. Campbell Jr. of Afton will serve as chairman of the Board of Directors. Robert Arbaugh of Waynesboro will serve as vice chairman of the Board. Mrs. Rothacker will serve as secretary of the Board. Q. Maurice Gresham of Waynesboro will serve as treasurer of the Board. In addition, Walter H. Hendrix was selected director emeritus. Mr. Hendrix is a past chairman, vice chairman and treasurer of the Board, and served for 18 years.

DIGICO Shoot | Post | Design (DIGICO), a creative video and motion design firm based in Harrisonburg, has won an American Marketing Association EMMA Award for Best TV Advertising.

The 30-second commercial titled “Mark Your Calendars” promoted the 2010 Shenandoah Valley Builder’s Association Home and Garden Show, held annually in Harrisonburg. The commercial depicts the variety of people who attend the SVBA Home and Garden Show.

“We’re thrilled to have the commercial recognized alongside our industry peers,” said Joey Groah, DIGICO partner/producer. “The EMMA judges are heavy-hitters, working with household names on a daily basis. It’s great to have them single out our work,” he said.

The EMMA judges’ comments on the commercial included, “It’s hard to make this event a ‘must do,’ but they successfully did it.” The 2010 EMMA judges were Cathy Ferris McPherson, strategic planner, The Martin Agency; and Annie Strickler Suttle, communications director, ICLEI, department press secretary, The Sierra Club.

“We had a notable increase in upscale business volume, which was the purpose of that spot,” said Hal DuBois, owner of Excel Arts Promotions, the promoter of the SVBA Home Show.

The SVBA Home and Garden Show commercial can be viewed online at www.goDIGICO.com/blog.

Edited by Chris Graham

DuPont Community Credit Union recently announced that two staff members have been promoted to management positions. David Whitcomb has been promoted to mortgage manager, and Michelle Wilcher has been promoted to retail branch manager.

“We are pleased to announce the addition of David and Michelle to our management team,” said Gerald B. Hershey, DCCU president/CEO. “We look forward to the contributions both will make to assure we are providing the best possible service to our members.”

Mr. Whitcomb most recently served as systems implementation specialist at the Credit Union. He has a bachelor of science degree from Penn State. Mr. Whitcomb lives in Waynesboro with his wife, Sabrina, and their daughter.

Mrs. Wilcher will be retail branch manager of the Stuarts Draft office. Mrs. Wilcher has been with DCCU for 12 years, serving in the past as a loan officer and most recently as a member service supervisor. She has an associate’s degree from Blue Ridge Community College. Mrs. Wilcher lives in Craigsville with her husband, Kelly, and their three sons.

DCCU is a not-for-profit, full-service financial cooperative organized to serve the ever changing financial needs of all the members who own it. For more information visit our website at www.mydccu.com.

A new report from the United States Chamber of Commerce, “Enterprising States: Creating Jobs, Economic Development, and Prosperity in Challenging Times,” places Virginia in the top ten in numerous categories related to states job creation and economic development policies and environments.

The report ranks Virginia:

#1- Cost-of-Living Adjusted Median Family Income

#2- Top Overall Growth Performers

#6- Best Tax and Regulation Climates for Business

#10- Entrepreneurship and Innovation

“The foremost priority of this Administration is creating good jobs for our citizens and revitalizing Virginia’s economy,” Gov. Bob McDonnell said in a statement. “This report demonstrates that Virginia’s reputation for being the best state in America in which to do business is well deserved. While job creators know that Virginia is a location where they can grow their businesses and succeed, we know that in the competitive global marketplace we cannot just rest on our laurels. We won’t be pleased until Virginia leads the nation in every pro-business survey and category, and we won’t rest until every Virginian can find a good-paying job in the city or county they call home.”

The newly-elected Board of Directors of the Greater Augusta Chamber of Commerce elected new officers for the remainder of the 2010 year.

The new officer slate is:

- Chair – John Riley*
- Chair Elect – Michelle Carter*
- Secretary – Leonard Pittman*
- Treasurer – Mike Marrin*
- Special Events Committee Chair – Dawn Zimmerman*
- Economic Development Committee Chair – Mark Frazier*
- Membership Committee Chair – Leonard Pittman*
- Education Committee Chair – Ann Leatherwood
- Agriculture Committee Chair – Don Benner

*denotes Executive Committee membership

DuPont Community Credit Union recently announced its 19 scholarship winners at the 51st annual Membership Meeting.

Since beginning the scholarship program, more than $152,000 has been awarded to high-school seniors, and 98 seniors applied this year.
“We are very pleased to provide scholarships to this year’s 19 recipients,” said Everett J. Campbell, chairman of the DCCU Board of Directors. “Each winner receives a $1,000 award, and the Credit Union strongly believes that by assisting in furthering their education it is a winning combination for the students and our community.”

Among the 2010 winners are:

- Melissa Davick, Buffalo Gap High School
- Bly Patterson, Fort Defiance High School
- John Moore, Robert E. Lee High School
- Kelly Tuennermann, Riverheads High School
- Gregory Ranzini, Stuart Hall
- Emily Barrett, Stuarts Draft High School
- Matthew Jenny, Waynesboro High School
- Brandon Stinespring, Wilson Memorial High School
- Shana Sherman, Broadway High School
- Dyllan Chapins, Central High School
- Drake Cary, Harrisonburg High School
- Makenzie Beam, Spotswood High School
- Matthew Golliday, Stonewall Jackson High School
- Jenna Smoot, Strasburg High School
- Kayleigh Knicely, Turner Ashby High School
- Tina Mills, Bath County High
- Emily Wagner, Highland High School
- Aaron Smith, Parry McClure High School
- Amanda Miller, Rockbridge High School

The new 21-member board of directors for the Greater Augusta Regional Chamber of Commerce was announced today after voting by members.

The new board:

- Jackie Archer, Blue Ridge Beverage Co.
- Don Benner Scott & Stringfellow LLC
- Michelle Carter, Valley Industrial Piping
- Bob Chambers, Hollister Inc.
- Mark Frazier, NIBCO
- Lynn Gilliland, Mary Baldwin College
- Wayne Hannah, Shenandoah Valley Electric Coop
- John Hill, Poindexter, Schorsch, Jones & Hill, PC
- Kent Iberg, Vector Industries
- Ann Leatherwood, Blue Ridge Community College
- Mary Mannix, Augusta Health
- Mike Marrin, Elmore Hupp & Company P.L.C.
- Jeff May, Two Guys Flying
- Mary McDermott, nTelos
- Leonard Pittman, StellarOne
- John Riley, John’s Computer Services

- Emmett Toms, Dominion-Virginia Power
- Roger Watson, The News Leader
- Robert Withers, Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Company
- Steve Wittenberg, Mix 93.1, WKDW, WKCY-FM, 98 Rock, 93.7
- Dawn Zimmerman, Residence Inn Waynesboro

DuPont Community Credit Union saw loan growth for the first quarter of 2010 compared to the first quarter of 2009. The credit union also funded $2.7 million in small business loans during the first quarter.

The Waynesboro-headquartered credit union, which operates nine branches in the Central Shenandoah Valley region, reported a 0.4 percent decrease in total loans outstanding over the previous quarter and a 7.3 percent increase over the first quarter of 2009.

This brings the amount of total loans to $580 million as of the end of the first quarter. Total real estate loans increased 0.5 percent during the first quarter of 2010, which includes $18.5 million funded during the first quarter.

DCCU also reported that the credit union’s equity or net worth ended the first quarter at $63.6 million, signifying its continuing soundness. In addition, it maintained the designation as “well-capitalized” by the National Credit Union Administration, the highest designation. NCUA is the federal government regulator of credit unions (www.ncua.gov).

DCCU is a not-for-profit, full-service financial cooperative organized to serve the ever changing financial needs of all the members who own it. For more information visit our website at www.mydccu.com.