Debra Girvin started a human resources consulting company after being downsized in 1997.
She created the firm as a temporary gig to fill the gap until she found a permanent job.
But her Lochlyn Co. took off, generating revenue and building a client base. She stopped her job search.
"That's when I became serious about my company," she said.
She became even more persistent about Lochlyn a couple of years later when her husband took early retirement. The two decided to move the company from Bethlehem, Pa., to a business-friendly location with a more temperate climate.
They looked at several cities, including Nashville and Knoxville, Tenn., and Raleigh-Durham, N.C., in addition to the Richmond area. They chose to move to Chesterfield County in 2000.
"The area appealed to us," she said.
Three years after moving to Chesterfield, Girvin changed her company's direction.
"It occurred to me that my business model needed to focus on small and midsize businesses without a human resources department," she said, noting that before her move she worked with large companies. "I now work with businesses that range from two to 300 employees."
Girvin built her business through networking groups such as BNI (formerly known as Business Network International) and by becoming involved in business advocacy with the Greater Richmond Chamber and the Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce. She is past chair of the Chesterfield chamber and is chair-elect of the Chesterfield Business Council of the Greater Richmond Chamber. She also is a member of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, serving on the management relations committee.
The Greater Richmond Chamber also was instrumental in helping her get acclimated and tuned into different groups, she said.
Lenita Gilreath, president of the Chesterfield County Chamber of Commerce, turned to Girvin for help with the organization's hiring process.
"It was a great timesaver for me," she said. "She does an excellent job. In the HR world, rules and regulations change on a daily basis. She is up-to-date on all the issues that affect us. She has mentored me along the way. I look to her for that type of professional guidance."
This fall, Girvin is introducing a new human resources Web product called HR2GONOW that she hopes to license.
"It's a Web-based membership program where small businesses will be able to get forms, business news and updates, and access information to get answers for their HR questions," she said.
The program will have different membership levels. Girvin is working on pricing each level. The highest level will provide accessibility to Girvin's expertise.
"They can contact me and discuss issues," she said about the top tier.
Girvin's business has grown from two clients to more than 100 clients since moving to the Richmond area. Her territory includes Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and New York City.
"Our clients in New York are typically small companies that are in film and film production," she said. "They have special issues."
Girvin also helps foreign-owned companies during the startup stage of their business.
"They want to bring intellectual capital from their own countries, and I help them go through the process," she said. "The company I worked for before was Japanese-owned. We would bring in employees for a year or two. That was my responsibility to make sure they were here legally."
She sees an increase in the number of companies that need guidance regarding compliance with state and federal laws and regulations.
"When a small business gets started, it's hard to know what rules apply to you," she said. "There are more and more regulations regarding employees that you have to adhere to."
Ron Roskowski of TurnAround Factor, a Chesterfield-based management and business-improvement consulting firm, asked Girvin to write policies and procedures for the company's human resources manual. She also assisted the company when it had to lay off employees.
"She did a good job," Roskowski said. "She produced high-quality work and was easy to work with."
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