5 Power Players In CVille!

1. Ken Boyd, Albemarle County Board of Supervisors

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Ken Boyd is a member of the Albemarle County, Virginia Board of Supervisors.
Boyd has been noted for his strong support of developers and sprawling developments in Central Virginia. He represents the Rivanna Magisterial District. His current term ends in 2015.

Boyd believes in strategic, well-planned commercial and residential growth. Currently, he influences policy and decision making as a member of the following organizations: (1). Rivanna Solid Waste Authority; (2). Rivanna Water & Sewer Authority; (3). Pantops Community Advisory Council; (4). Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail Authority; (5). Darden Towe Memorial Park Committee.

Boyd is also the owner of Boyd Financial Services, a financial planning company.

2. Bob Stroh, General Manager, Charlottesville Parking Center, Inc

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Website

When you control most of the parking around The CVille Downtown Mall, you’re in the catbird seat, especially as The Downtown Mall expands its footprint into Midtown, Belmont and Hogwaller.

Stroh is the General Manager of Charlottesville Parking Center, Inc, the company you are most likely paying to park when you mosey Downtown. Stroh’s real estate is some of the most valuable in CVille, and it will only increase in value as the Downtown Mall becomes even more of a hub for retail, restaurants, music and professional services.

Stroh is also the co-chair of the Downtown Business Association of Charlottesville, an influential group of business owners and leaders who help “set the tone” for the nine most important blocks in CVille. In his spare time, Stroh enjoys cycling and shopping local.

3. Coy Barefoot, Journalist/Activist/UVa Adjunct Faculty

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Website

Coy Barefoot is a veteran journalist, speaker, best-selling author and historian. Barefoot epitomizes Charlottesville like traffic does on Route 29. Barefoot has fully integrated his flagship brand – “Inside Charlottesville” – across traditional (TV, radio, print) and digital media (website, social, mobile) to create a power brand that dictates news coverage in Central Virginia.

Barefoot is passionate about Charlottesville, so, at times, you see his principles assimilated into his coverage. In this “activist role,” you will hear Barefoot discussing growth, sustainability and government involvement from a citizen’s perspective.

Barefoot is the creator, host and Executive Producer of “Inside Charlottesville,” a program that covers politics, science, history and culture on both the national and state level. Barefoot teaches history at the University of Virginia and serves as the President and Executive Director of the Virginia History Lab.

4. Will Richey, Owner, Revolutionary Soup, The Whiskey Jar & The Alley Light

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Photo: The Whiskey Jar Website
The Whiskey Jar Facebook | Website | Twitter
Revolutionary Soup Facebook | Website | Twitter

Will Richey is the owner of Revolutionary Soup, The Whiskey Jar and The Alley Light, a recently launched speakeasy that is booming in popularity behind Revolutionary Soup. Richey also owns a farm called, “Red Row Farm,” where he raises organic produce for his restaurants. A serial entrepreneur, Richey is a board member for The Wine Guild of Charlottesville.

Richey is one of the driving forces behind the “farm to table” movement that has pleasantly consumed Charlottesville’s culinary culture. As Richey builds his empire, we expect his influence to grow to Mid-Atlantic heights as the “farm to table” movement continues to bask in the limelight.

So far, everything Richey touches appears to turn to gold, including some of the best facial hair this side of Afton Mountain.

5. Courteney Blum Stuart, Editor, C-Ville Weekly

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Facebook | Website | Twitter

One of the marquee journalists in Charlottesville, Courteney Blum Stuart has survived the demise of an iconic local newspaper (The Hook) and an executive power struggle (Bill Chapman + Blair Kelly vs. Hawes Spencer) that directly contributed to said newspaper’s fall from power. Stuart also side-stepped the crash landing of two managing editors (Giles Morris at The C-Ville Weekly and Spencer at The Hook) and now finds herself atop the editorial totem pole at The C-Ville Weekly, the only print weekly left standing in town.

A gritty, hard-nosed reporter who is unafraid of covering the tough stories, Stuart’s influence has already been felt at The C-Ville Weekly since her arrival a few months ago.

Watch the editorial coverage at The C-Ville Weekly closely. We expect to see more breaking news and hard-fact reporting under Stuart’s leadership rather than the fluff pieces we’ve grown accustom to reading in this beleaguered pub. Stuart’s tenacity will be well received by readers who miss the “watch dog reporting” published by The Hook and its intrepid news team.

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