If there is one thing that we’ve learned in the last two years, it’s this: Where you work matters. The health of the workplace environment is one of the most important benefits that prospective employees consider when searching for a job.

Our annual Best Places to Work feature is an inside-glimpse into the businesses who are committed to their employees just as much as they are to their customers and their community. On the following pages, we are highlighting 12 local businesses that strive to retain happy, empowered
employees. Each was nominated by a current employee and selected for its incredible culture.

Benchmark Systems

Benchmark Systems serves medical professionals and their patients through their software system that gives healthcare professionals instant access to patient data from anywhere, at any time, and across multiple platforms. Through their system, patients can also view, download, and upload various documents from within their electronic medical records, with the goal of creating a secure and seamless process for everyone. With the healthcare sector facing increasing compliance burdens and technological demands that it traditionally hasn’t had to deal with, Benchmark aims to create solutions and platforms to best serve the industry.

Benchmark Systems creates a unique culture that allows its employees to succeed in their own individual way while still working toward a common goal as a team. Employees are allowed to have a flexible work environment, which includes the opportunity to work from home. All employees are included in different employee engagement activities from Trivia Thursdays to annual company picnics to community events. Benchmark Systems strives to cultivate a culture that allows for everyone to grow and leaves employees wanting to stay. They have an average tenure of 12 years, which speaks to their continued appreciation for this hardworking group.

Harman Eye Center

Harman Eye Center was founded in 1988 with a focus on providing the highest quality eye care and superior service to our patients. They have since grown to include multiple locations and have established their own Harman Eye Surgery Center and dedicated LASIK center. Their success is attributed to their patient-focused, specialized care and their commitment to staying at the forefront of proven ophthalmic technology.

Harman Eye Center’s providers and staff go above and beyond to guarantee their community the highest quality care. From providing a day of free eye exams for indigent patients to participating in health fairs to their partnerships with Blue Ridge Medical Center and PATHS Community Medical Center, Harman Eye Center works to ensure access to superior eye care for all.

Balance Gymnastics and Fitness

Balance opened its doors in 2020. Along with gymnastics classes, Balance offers pole vaulting, ninja, and will soon launch a preschool program, called Balance Beginnings, which will focus on academics and athletics. Balance will be moving into a new facility including multiple loose foam pits and an upstairs preschool in the summer of 2022!

Balance works to create a positive and encouraging environment. All of their athletes are people first and gymnasts/pole vaulters/ninjas second. They work alongside each child closely to help them achieve their goals in the sport and have a positive experience while doing it. There is a “new skill bell” that athletes ring whenever they achieve a new skill. From preschool up to their highest level, when the bell is rung, the whole gym cheers and watches the new skill. For staff members, the culture at Balance is empowering and encouraging. They all have the common goals of helping their athletes succeed in and out of the gym. Because of that, the coaches at Balance will frequently collaborate together in hopes of figuring out the best ways to support their athletes.

The Arc of Central Virginia

The Arc of Central Virginia is celebrating its 60th year this year. They are dedicated to providing advocacy and services to people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. At The Arc, they believe that all people should live their lives to the fullest; lives that are based on choice and preference. Through their advocacy efforts, they connect at a local, state, and national level, with other Arc chapters in an effort to ensure that people with disabilities have equal rights, and are afforded the same opportunities as people without disabilities.

In the workplace, The Arc team treats each other with respect and kindness. The organization’s culture encourages meaningful interactions between colleagues. Everyone is closely tied to the organization’s mission—to promote and protect the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively support their inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetime. Their leadership has a clear objective on how to make an impact in the lives of others and uses it to motivate employees. The building is boisterous with regular social events, and staff engage with each other frequently.

KAYA HEALTH

KAYA HEALTH is a company founded on the idea of “saving two lives at once”; both the patient and the healthcare worker. With physician suicide rates being the highest of any profession, they created a place that allows those in healthcare, who have dedicated their lives to caring well for others, to do so without sacrificing their own well-being. Instead of gauging success by productivity, they have designed an environment that promotes sincere and compassionate care for patient and self.

Since its inception, KAYA Health has cleared barriers to best care for the community. They have designed the practice to remove the thorns of healthcare; expensive visits, different doctors each visit, short appointments, long waits and impersonal care.

Their office has been featured in Consumer Magazine and, recently, in the Washington Post.

Spectrum Stone Designs

Spectrum Stone Designs is a fabricator of natural stone, including quartzite, granite, and marble, as well as quartz, an engineered stone. Starting with a raw slab of stone, they use their own precise templates and personnel to cut, polish and install new countertops for their commercial and residential clientele. Standing behind their work and craftsmanship has led to repeat satisfied customers along with several awards in the local magazines and newspaper.

Daily communication and collaboration on projects, between customer service, templating, the fabricators, and the installation crews creates a team atmosphere. With pressing deadlines and a lot to do, it can be stressful, but they strive to maintain a positive outlook by playing upbeat music in the shop and taking company lunches on a regular basis. Company dinners and an annual company trip help the team to bond and recharge together.

Spectrum Stone Designs gives back to the community with projects involving St. Jude’s Home, Miriam’s House, Miller Home, Lynchburg Humane Society, and contributing to local youth sports and schools.

TMoore Real Estate Group
TMoore Real Estate Group is a boutique-style real estate firm providing high touch personal and professional service while helping customers navigate the home buying and selling process. Whether someone is relocating, just beginning, moving up, scaling down, or investing, TMoore Real Estate ensures a wonderful real estate experience, where more really does matter.

The culture in the TMoore Real Estate Office is encouraging, uplifting, and fun. They share in each other’s successes and failures, and celebrate with team lunches and dinners. They are always striving to stay on top of the market with CE classes, seminars, webinars, and podcasts.

TMoore Real Estate has sponsored local soccer and cheerleading teams such as Lynchburg Football Club, Dynamic Cheer, and Champion Athletics.

My Guys Moving & Service

My Guys Moving & Service has operated as a franchise for 10 years. In 2021, they converted to a corporate location when they acquired Knight Moving & Storage and consolidated operations in Forest, VA. My Guys is committed to providing the best residential and commercial moving and storage in the region.

My Guys prioritizes the success and growth of their team members and are proud to provide career paths for personnel looking to grow within the company. They pay 100 percent of the cost for those seeking their Class A Commercial Driver’s License. Recently, they made affordable health care available to all employees and brought on a Leadership Development Team to consistently improve work/life balance.

My Guys assists disaster relief efforts by transporting supplies to areas hit by natural disasters. They also aid organizations like Toys for Tots to help gather food, clothes, and toys for underserved children. They assist military veteran associations and are on the board of The Salvation Army in Loudoun County. Always looking to serve the community, they most recently moved the recipient of the St. Jude Dream Home winner into her new home.

Brookville High School, Campbell County Schools

Brookville High School is the largest high school out of four in Campbell County. It houses roughly 1000 students and about 90 teachers and staff.

Their workplace culture can be described as a family—their Hive Family, as the Brookville mascot is a bee. Their teachers and staff work tirelessly to make sure that their students are learning and growing everyday as young people. They have worked hard to bring their school spirit back as they have not had their community back together completely in over a year and a half.

Brookville High School supports their students by helping them find ways to help their community, whether it be in partnership with the Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) to hold a Touch a Truck event at BHS for special needs children or working with the Campbell County Humane Society to provide blankets for animals.

Bon Air Brokerage, LLC

Founded in 2006, Bon Air provides private jet charter, management, and maintenance to the Lynchburg area. Their extensive fleet includes four Citation 550s, a CJ, a CJ2, a Citation Ultra, and a Citation Excel, to name a few. Their pilots, aircraft maintenance technicians, line service technicians, and administrative personnel all work together to provide quality services.

While the aviation industry is known for its fast-paced, intense environment, Bon Air finds a way to take the time to invest into the lives of its employees. Their company provides a culture for growth no matter the age or skill of the employee. Being in a college town,

Bon Air works to provide jobs for the younger generation, with almost 50 percent of their staff being under the age of 30.
Bon Air gives back in many ways, but particularly in disaster relief. In 2019, they loaded up their aircraft and delivered essential items to those in the Bahamas who were devastated by Hurricane Dorian. Currently, they have pilots and aircraft ready 24/7 to carry out organ transplant flights, ultimately contributing to the saving of many lives.

Girls on the Run Central Virginia and Blue Ridge

Girls on the Run inspires girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running. Girls on the Run is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams. Girls on the Run Central Virginia and Blue Ridge is an independent Council of Girls on the Run International, which has a network of over 200 Councils across 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Their organization relies heavily on volunteers to bring their program to girls throughout the Central Virginia region. These volunteers may be educators, parents, and/or community volunteers. Many come from the local running community. As such, they partner with different events that involve supporting their volunteers in their other passions. They are non-profit partners with the Virginia 10-Miler and provide volunteer support for that event. They also volunteer with the Charlottesville 10-Miler and the Blue Ridge Marathon events. They partner with Lynchburg City Parks and Rec and other non-profits to serve the youth in their community through events such as the Lynchburg Youth Sports Day.

Travel Lovers

Travel Lovers has been locally owned and operated for over 25 years. They specialize in custom travel, river and ocean cruises, and independent travel and tours around the world for every budget.

All the agents at Travel Lovers help their clients achieve their travel dreams, whether it be a honeymoon or a bucket list destination somewhere in the world. Their office atmosphere is positive and happy unless there is a hurricane or COVID! Even in those instances, they work through the rough spots to best benefit their clients. They remained open throughout the pandemic, working tirelessly for their clients.

Travel Lovers is a major sponsor of the local Meals on Wheels and their annual fundraiser, Wheels Up. Travel Lovers has also been a sponsor of the Rotary Club of Forest Annual Field of Honor that benefits local nonprofit organizations and other local projects. Both the agency itself and the associates at Travel Lovers support many local organizations that benefit the community and pay it forward including Brookhill Farms, The Forest Rotary Club, Beacon of Hope, The Gateway, CASA, and HumanKind.