We Sought Inspiration and We Found It
“Are we there yet?” I laughed as I spoke these words to my trusty co-pilot and carpool buddy Kent Brockwell, as we pulled onto a narrow country road in the middle of nowhere, Gloucester County, Virginia.
Our destination was historic Holly Knoll, the historic rivahfront home of Civil Rights-era educator Dr. Robert Russa Moton and setting of The Gloucester Institute. The entire team gathered for a day-long off-site creative seminar, focussed on constructive feedback and the creative brainstorming process, led by our good friend and creative consultant Patrick Simkins.
The food was delicious. The home was stunning. The setting was serene. The breeze blew off the York River and through the trees. The history of the property was a big bonus for a history buff like me. Rarely do you find a place where history was made – and still is being made – in such a setting.
During one creative exercise, the team was able to wander the grounds, with pen and paper, and just jot down ideas. I saw one of our staffers sitting on a bench, under a 400-year-old oak tree, writing down thoughts. It was the exact same tree where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once sat to pen parts of his “I Have a Dream” speech.
We sought inspiration and we found it….an hour away from Richmond. If your company needs to get away for a day or longer — to reset and refocus — I highly recommend contacting Holly Knoll. Maybe it’s the smell of homestyle fried chicken and collard greens. Maybe it was the honeysuckle. Maybe it was the sound of the wind blowing. The birds were chirping, but my iPhone wasn’t. Maybe it was all of the above, but there’s something in the air at Holly Knoll. If you visit, I’d love to hear about it.
MONDAY:
LESS ZOOM, MORE ZOOMIES
On Monday morning, Creative Director Carissa Ghaffari, Senior Copywriter Derek Fair, and Account Executive Amanda Anderson worked with the fine folks from Keep It Reel Creative to finish shooting a new video for our client Holiday Barn Pet Resorts. Earlier this month we captured their Midlothian location so this go-round was all about their Glen Allen resort. And although we resisted our desire to swim on such a beautiful day, the playful pups didn’t hesitate one bit when taking a plunge in the pool.
TUESDAY:
WHEN MR. BROCKWELL SPEAKS, PEOPLE LISTEN
Prior to our off-site retreat at Holly Knoll, I invited Communications Director Kent Brockwell to speak to the members of the Magnificent Midlothian Rotary Club. Mr. Brockwell is a partner in another business venture called FLWR PWR, Virginia’s first cannabis consulting and marketing firm. Kent gave an excellent update on the progress that Virginia is making after its landmark adult-use legalization in 2021. The legal cannabis industry is projected to be a $41 billion dollar industry by 2025. Once Virginia sets up its retail marketplace regulations, industry experts predict the Commonwealth will account for almost $1.2 billion of those sales by the third year of adult-use retail operations. In 1849, there was a gold rush. In 2023, there’s a green rush. If your business or non-profit group needs an excellent speaker for a great price (free), I know a guy. You can connect with Kent on LinkedIn or you can email Mr. B here.
WEDNESDAY:
THE BUZZ ABOUT BIZZ
This week our friends at Front Porch Coffeehouse & Gathering Place in Kilmarnock. announced an exciting new monthly business advice event called Bizz & Buzz. The series will launch June 6 and continue on the first Tuesdays of each month afterwards. The free event will feature a casual conversation opportunity for business owners to chat with a rotating panel of local business experts. Thanks to the fine folks at Rappahannock Record for helping us share the news!
THURSDAY:
YOU GET A JOB, YOU GET A JOB!
This week, we welcomed two new Madison+Main-iacs to the team — Account Executive Samuel Nfor and Copywriter Lauren McKinney. Both jumped in to work right away and we’re thrilled to have them on the team.
FRIDAY:
CELEBRATING MAY
April showers bring May flowers, but did you also know that May is also National Dental Care Awareness Month, which our friends at Lucy Corr Foundation celebrate year round with their Lucy Corr Dental Lucy Corr Dental Clinic. The clinic provides seniors age 65+ who are un- or underinsured with free oral health care, such as routine exams and screenings.
May is also my personal favorite month because it’s National Hamburger Month! We celebrate it all 365 days at the Texas Inn, which is home of (probably) the best burger in the Universe — The Cheesy Western. “What the heck is a Cheesy Western?” you’re wondering. Glad you asked…
A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE EVENTS
Rampart Readers — “Rolling Thunder”
Fort Monroe
Virtual Event
May 27, 2023 | 11 – 1 p.m.
Get ready for a special reading activity from Fort Monroe Authority! Author Kate Messner will be sharing her story “Rolling Thunder” to honor the sacrifices of American veterans and their families in a poetic tribute done by a little boy and his grandfather’s motorcycle club. Join them for this free event!
Bizz & Buzz
Front Porch Coffeehouse
139 S. Main Street
Kilmarnock, VA 22482
June 6, 2023 | 3 – 5 p.m.
Looking to mix and mingle as a local small business owner? Visit Front Porch Coffeehouse for their monthly Bizz & Buzz event. Meet with business professionals for advice, networking, and much more. Mark your calendar for this free event!
HCB2’s Boxer Brief 5K
City Stadium, Home of the Richmond Kickers
Richmond, VA
June 10, 2023 | 8 a.m. + Virtual Option
The “Run To Save Buns” is back! Join Hitting Cancer Below The Belt for its 11th annual Boxer Brief 5K Run/Walk, which raises the level of awareness to colorectal cancer while offering education in an effort to prevent and defeat our country’s second largest cancer killer in men and women. This is a super fun event with lots of ways to participate and we hope to see you there! Register or donate today!
“New knowledge is the most valuable commodityWith malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, I somehow believe that all of us, black and white, both North and South, are going to strive on to finish the work which [Lincoln] so nobly began to make America an example for the world of equal justice and equal opportunity for all who strive and are willing to serve under the flag that makes men free. on earth. The more truth we have to work with, the richer we become.“ — Dr. Robert Russa Moton, Keynote address at the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial