It's been said that stars shine brightest in the darkest sky. That's true of the guys we've chosen to spotlight this month for the courage, competence, creativity, compassion and conscience they've brought to Loudoun County just as our own spirits have lagged.
Dan Doherty, 42, EMT
At the end of March, The Loudoun County First Responders Graduate Fire and EMS Training sent 81 new graduates to the front lines of keeping us safe. Dan Doherty from the Ashburn Volunteer Fire-Rescue Company, a newly minted EMT, was at the top of his class.
Asked why the 42-year-old IT professional and father of two decided to undergo the training just as his ambulance could be first on the scene of local COVID-19 cases, he said, “My kids were getting older and I’d been volunteering with them. I just wanted to do something meaningful in my community.”
To land top honors took a combination of excellent test scores, physical ability and trainers’ observations of how well recruits work with the rest of the class as a team. “I guess they found that I exhibited aspects of leadership that they were looking for,” Dan said grinning.
He’ll now be “precepting” -- essentially being trained by -- Sgt. Cathy Cottone, a 28-year old paramedic who famously delivered a baby during the “Snowmageddon” blizzard. When Dan receives Cathy’s stamp of approval, he’ll be able to serve as an Attending In Charge, or the responder in charge of any medical call. “I love what I’m doing,” he said.
Eric Byrd, 54, Small Business Development Center, George Mason University
In the first six weeks of Virginia's business shutdown, Eric Byrd saw as many small business clients as he usually sees in a year at the Loudoun Small Business Development Center. Ordinarily, there’s a natural progression from those just starting out to those moving on to one-on-one coaching. Now, all of a sudden, everyone wants to know the same thing: “How do I get government assistance and what do I do in the meantime?”
Business is always inherently uncertain and risky anyway, but now many small business owners have to make tough decisions in the absence of any revenue at all, Eric says. That creates a much higher level of anxiety and urgency for answers. “Our job is to be the calm voice in the storm. We want to share things that reduce the chaos. There’s plenty chaos to go around.” SBDC does that by helping businesses set up processes to make their businesses sustainable – not solve all their problems for them
Eric believes, “A lot of businesses are having to take a hard look at themselves and decide whether it is worth continuing or not. Many will decide they can’t stay open and they will close. The businesses that survive will be a lot stronger.” Being adaptable will be key, which is why delivering accurate information is so important. “As crazy as it’s been the last couple of months, it has been extremely gratifying and satisfying to help people.” He adds, “We’re seeing the best in people in a lot of ways. A lot of that is driven by concern that their business is around so people have a place to work.” See http://LoudounSBDC.com
Dan Haney, 34, Shenandoah Seasonal
Visiting Dan Haney at Shenandoah Seasonal farm in Boyce is literally a breath of fresh air. You know when someone is doing something they love – something so perfectly right – when happiness rolls off of their face like sunshine.
For Dan and his wife Ali, the journey to family farming began a world away, managing an orphanage for impoverished children in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Dan is from a local farming family, and had thought he’d like to farm someday, but his experience in the Peace Corps taught him not to wait to do with his life what would make him truly happy. For him, that meant working side by side with Ali, growing vegetables.
Her political science degree and his environmental science degree prepared Ali to chair the board of the Loudoun Valley Home-Grown Markets Cooperative and him to turn farming into a sustainable business, Dan says. Ironically, the constraints of quarantine led them away from the Leesburg Farmers Market to a more profitable way to sell their produce.
To eliminate waste, they now survey their crops weekly, and determine how many “shares” of produce they can harvest. They pre-sell and package the produce in salad or green bundles. Customers get the best assortment available, and everyone gets enough of what they need. Their rich variety – around 30 different crops in any one season – has been built on personal taste and experience, which they’re happy to pass along.
“This week you might make bok choy and green garlic, because they go nicely together. You may never have eaten or know what green garlic is, but I’m going to show you. That’s entertaining for you, and it’s entertaining for me to explain how to cook things you’ll enjoy. Plus, it helps you avoid the grocery store for now.” (http://www.shenandoahseasonal.com/)
Jack Azar, 57, Manhattan Pizza
Jack Azar appreciates having a large family, because he and his brother were orphaned in Jerusalem when he was six. He came to the states and was raised by an evangelical family until he ran away at age 11. Manhattan Pizza was founded by his in-laws in Ashburn in 1996, and purchased by him and his brother Essa in 2005.
He’s always been generous – but lately, seeing so many neighbors out of work, he was led to do more.
For starters, if you’re an out of work restaurant worker, you can pick up a pizza for free, no questions asked. Knowing that the shutdown had left his supplier, US Food, with supplies they couldn’t sell, he agreed to buy milk, produce, chicken and lamb patties, whatever was on hand, for pennies on the dollar and packaged it up for local families.
Working through Loudoun County Public School parent liaisons, Jack has been able to identify some 300 families who can really use groceries either weekly or bi-weekly, and he now distributes from one of his three local restaurant locations weekly (Leesburg, Purcellville or South Riding.) “The plan is to keep doing it until I can’t do it anymore,” Jack said. “This gives me joy to do, because without the good of others, I’d have nothing. This is the time to raise our game. There are a lot of people who need things who are unable to help themselves. I know that for a fact because I was that kid.”
JJ Sengpiehl, 9, Drone Pilot, Philanthropist
JJ Sengpiehl just turned 9. For his birthday, he was saving up for a high-quality drone he could use for his interest in photography. Then, while watching Elton John’s “Living Room Concert for America,” JJ told his dad Jason that he’d rather donate the $100 in his piggy bank to help people out of work. “I have everything I need, Dad. Other people need it more," he said. That simple act of generosity humbled others into doing more.
Jason works for Allstate, which had offered to match any employee contribution for local COVID-19 efforts up to $500. It just made sense to kick in $400 to get the maximum matching funds, Jason said. When the request went through, William Simkins in Jason's finance department decided to add another $500. Allstate matched both donations, turning JJ’s $100 into a cool $2,000.
Jason suggested giving the money to Tree of Life Ministries in Purcellville and Tree of Life was so touched that it asked its supporters if anyone had a lead on a drone for JJ. One was immediately supplied. Not only that, but friends of the ministry tapped their local Captain America to deliver the drone to JJ on his birthday, April 22nd. For his part, JJ was a little taken aback by the fuss. "I just did what I needed to."