Worldstrides, a national educational student travel organization, recently moved into its new headquarters as part of the Waterhouse project in downtown Charlottesville. The mixed use project, located along west Water Street, contains 130,000 square feet of new and renovated space that includes residential units, office space, and parking. The move is somewhat of a homecoming for the company, formerly known as Lakeland Tours, which began as a City business two decades ago.  Spurred by several mergers and organic growth, the now 250-employee organization has become a leader in student travel.

The Downtown Business Association of Charlottesville (DBAC) welcomed Worldstrides and its employees with excitement as the company's presence will significantly boost the daytime population of the downtown area. DBAC provided welcome bags to all employees and helped distribute signs and banners throughout downtown in recognition of the move.

The City and the Charlottesville Economic Development Authority helped facilitate this project by entering into a performance agreement with the developer that permits a portion of the real estate tax increment created by the new investment to be shared with the developer for a period of five years. The agreement recognizes both the challenge and higher cost of urban infill development as well as the City's desire to help cultivate employment opportunities when possible.

The Farm Cville is a new neighborhood grocery and "gourmet bodega" born out of a vision to connect the people of Charlottesville with the vibrant agricultural community. Founded by Bill Davies, The Farm Cville partners with local food producers, bakeries, and other local initiatives to offer flavorful and healthy food at fair prices. For example, The Farm purchases much of its greens and fresh-produce from Horse & Buggy Produce, which is a farm-share program that distributes the products of small-farms in Albemarle and the Shenandoah Valley. Also, The Farm gets its coffees and espressos from Shenandoah Joe, its breads and pastries from the Albemarle Baking Co. on West Main St., and offers an array of local wines to choose from at reasonable prices.

These initiatives reflect Bill's belief in the fundamental connection between community and high-quality nourishment. After fifteen years in the wine business, and other work in the markets for grassfed-beef and organic rice, Bill came to Charlottesville from Napa Valley, California with his wife and two children. Bill opened the store because "people need good things to eat, and good food and drink bring people together." At this time of the year, who could disagree?

Situated at the south foot of the Belmont Bridge and a block from the Downtown Mall, The Farm Cville is located at 205 Monticello Road, near Spudnuts and The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative. Next time you're on the Downtown Mall, be sure to walk across the bridge and pick up some fresh food, sip a hot cappuccino, or just to say hi and support a bustling new small business. Like The Farm Cville on Facebook and receive up-to-date notices of daily specials. 

On December 8th, SHW Group opened its doors to Charlottesville area Better Business Challenge participants and other local businesses for an event that was certainly "Not Your Average Office Party." As participants in the Better Business Challenge, SHW Group has made a commitment to sustainability in its day to day operations, and during the open house, the firm's principals, Bill Bradley and Rob Winstead, got a chance to showcase some of their green initiatives while celebrating the holiday season in style.

Partygoers left impressed by the small steps that SHW Group has made to make their business more environmentally friendly, such as the use of landfill-rescued office furniture and outdoor lighting made from recycled plastic. Additionally, the SHW Group office boasts green items ranging from self-powering automatic faucets to tables and desks made of discarded doors. The office places a strong emphasis on using natural light rather than artificial, and has extra switches installed near the doors to allow virtually all the electricity entering the office to be cut off overnight and on weekends.

These small steps encourage a focus on sustainability that is at the heart of the Charlottesville Better Business Challenge's mission. This grant-funded, locally-sponsored initiative encourages businesses to engage in a friendly competition with one another in a mission to incorporate green practices into everyday business operations. The Better Business Challenge utilizes a scorecard system that rewards companies for such things as cutting wasteful consumption or attending Better Business Challenge events. In May, Challenge officials will collect the scorecards and name a winner. Currently, 101 Charlottesville-area businesses are signed up for the Challenge, but others are still welcome to join! To learn more, please visit the Challenge WEBSITE or contact Teri Kent at 434-466-5157.

A new group in Charlottesville, Central Virginia Business Owners (CVBO), is giving aspiring and existing business owners the much-needed opportunity to network with one another. Through this networking group, founders Brion Draper of American Made Signs and Mike Silverman of Silver Streak Media, are helping small businesses and startups in our community make the connections and get the resources that they need to be successful in Charlottesville - at no charge.

In October, CVBO hosted the 2011 Business Expo at CitySpace, which gave small business owners who don't typically have the resources to market their businesses in such venues the opportunity to showcase their goods and services to the public. More than 150 local entrepreneurs participated in the expo. In addition to such special events, Central Virginia Business Owners also holds monthly meetings with guest speakers offering expertise on various business topics such as procurement, financing, and customer service. These free meetings also include organized networking time and business demonstrations. Members are free to attend as often or as little as they like, and attendees are welcome to speak in front of the group if they choose. People of all levels of business experience are encouraged to come.

CVBO currently has networking meetings planned for January 24th from 6:00pm to 8:30pm at the Stutlz Center at PVCC and February 29th from 6:00pm to 9:00pm at CitySpace. CLICK HERE for more information and free membership signup.