David Fitzgerald stops by the Glen Allen Supermarket nearly every afternoon to grab a cup of coffee. “Everyone there is very friendly,“ the Henrico County resident said. “They know most everybody that comes in. If they don’t know you on your first trip, they will know you the next time.“ Rhonda Abernathy and her husband, Jeffrey, bought the store in May 2008 from 79-year-old Emmett Allen when he decided to retire. His father, E.L. Allen, started the business in 1925 as a general store.

Rick Mears likes how Core Consulting looks at the decision-making process from all angles when it provides information-technology strategy and advice to its clients. “Core has provided valuable insight into how to achieve our objective of modernizing our enterprise systems while preserving the edge the systems provide for us in our business,“ said Mears, senior vice president and chief information officer at medical and surgical products distributor Owens & Minor Inc.

Whenever Ava Deal needs an engagement gift, she knows exactly what to buy: Mariposa cocktail napkin holders from Tweed. Deal started shopping at the store when it opened in The Shoppes at Westgate in 2004. “I go there for almost every gift I need. The selection is a combination of whimsical and traditional. It’s unique,“ she said. “It’s an upbeat, fun experience.“

Entrepreneur Bob Cabaniss admits that he hasn’t been an easy client for his accountants at Keiter, Stephens, Hurst, Gary & Shreaves. Cabaniss is the owner of Williamsville Wellness, a treatment center for compulsive gamblers and alcoholics in Hanover County. But he has operated several other businesses over the years, including being a wine and beer wholesaler and a microbrewer.

Lawrence Chavis stops by Sally Bell’s Kitchen at least three times each week. “I wanted some homemade food, not fast food,“ said Chavis, who discovered the Southern eatery on West Grace Street near Virginia Commonwealth University’s academic campus about 20 years ago. Chavis has tasted almost all of the items at Sally Bell’s.

Employees: Three full-time and 19 part-time, including Martha Jones
  Location: 708 W. Grace St.
  Contact: (804) 644-2838 or http://www.sallybellskitchen.com

Emily Baish visited several day care centers earlier this year before deciding to place her two children in Tuckaway Child Development and Early Education Centers. “When I visited Tuckaway I felt comfortable,“ she said. “I could see my kids there.“ It’s important to Baish that the school has a caring atmosphere. “I have incredible trust in Tuckaway,“ she said. “My kids are happy and secure there so I am happy.“

Edward Kassab wanted to find a way to make a difference—and give back. As a student at Penn State University, Kassab worked as an orderly in a nursing home as part of a community-service project. After receiving his master’s degree in vocational rehabilitation, he worked as a nursing-home administrator in Pennsylvania and North Carolina before moving in 1989 to Richmond, where he worked as an administrator for two long-term-care facilities.

Bobby Marchetti relies on Higgins & Gerstenmaier to come up with unique landscaping ideas for the shopping centers his Marchetti Properties is developing. “When you drive into the project, the first thing you see is the landscaping,“ Marchetti said. “Higgins & Gerstenmaier provide a great presentation. They are probably the most talented guys in Richmond.“

Gregory Herceg likes knowing he can call the Insurance Advocacy Group anytime he needs to. “Whenever I have an issue that relates to property and casualty, they jump right on it,“ said Herceg, president and CEO of the Kloke Group, a residential and commercial moving and storage company. Kloke spends hundreds of thousands of dollars a year on property and casualty insurance. It’s the company’s fourth-largest expense.

Jenny Langhorst likes that three generations of her family take lessons from Cecilia Marano at Glen Allen Dance Center. “It’s fun, and Cecilia is great with the kids,“ said Langhorst, who is enrolled in the Henrico County dance school along with her daughter and mother. “Everyone is very patient,“ she said. “If you have any kind of problem with a certain step or a certain dance, they make a point to let the student know they will spend extra time with them.“

Rick Alvey’s passion for music serves as an inspiration for students at his Mechanicsville Music shop. Megan Adkins, 11, takes lessons there and is auditioning for the Richmond Youth Orchestra. She has been playing the violin since the second grade. “The people at Mechanicsville Music are the ones who encouraged Megan to pursue other avenues and try out for the orchestra,“ said her mother, Jennifer Adkins. “They knew it would end her lessons, but it was the next step.“

Bonnie Adelman delivered 10 cases of her homemade cheese spread to the Kroger store at The Shoppes at Bellgrade in Chesterfield County in late November 2006. By the end of the day, shoppers had snapped up all 120 jars. “We had nothing left,“ recalls her husband, Ron, of their inventory of Miss Bonnie’s Gourmet Pimento Cheese Spread. “Thanksgiving was the next day, but we had to postpone it [for ourselves] until Friday so that we could make more.“

Libby Brown called interior designer Betsy Gates Moore in 1999. Brown and her husband had started construction to turn Fowl Cay island in the Bahamas into a mini resort. They knew that all the furniture and accessories for the resort would have to be sent by barges. They wanted someone who could handle the project from beginning to end.

John Glander and Robert Meadows of Professional Risk Associates Inc. understand the nuances of medical malpractice insurance. Their company has specialized in medical malpractice insurance for physicians and physician groups since Glander founded the firm in 1989. He started the company with one employee, Don Riley. The company employs 25 people, all of whom are now shareholders.