Congressman Goode recognizes Danville businesses

By Denice Thibodeau
Danville Register & Bee
Published: July 3, 2008

All around the world, business incubators work to help their region’s new businesses flourish. In the Danville-Pittsylvania County area, the incubator is the Dan River Business Development Center in Ringgold.

The development center helps its clients in a variety of ways, from offering office and light industrial space at affordable rates to providing office services, support and counseling to new businesses getting started in this area.

Last month, the National Business Incubation Association announced that two local companies, DVF FoodService Inc. and One-Stop Cellular, had been chosen as finalists for its annual awards.

One-Stop Cellular was named as a finalist in the outstanding incubator client category, and brought home the top award at a ceremony in May.

DVF FoodService was a finalist in the outstanding incubator graduate category.

The nominations are a huge honor, according to Linda Hutson Green, president of the development center.

“There are more than 5,000 incubators worldwide,” she said, adding that the client list of some of the competing incubators can include some top companies, like Apple Computer.

If you consider that each of those incubators can have hundreds of clients, the competition for both the nominations and the awards is huge.

U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode, R-5th, visited both companies Wednesday to recognize their achievement.

At DVF FoodService, he congratulated owner Donnie Stevens; Stevens’ wife, Jackie, who is the director of marketing; and their son, Justin Stevens, who is vice president of purchasing for the company.

He presented them with a flag that had flown over the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

“It was flown in honor of DVF FoodService, in recognition of the company’s significant entrepreneurial achievements,” Goode said.

The congressman and Green then made a similar presentation at One-Stop Cellular.

“They were recognized out of over 100,000 companies and won the international award for national incubator tenant of the year, based on their sales, their quality service, performance and what they contributed back to the community,” Green said.

Goode presented co-owners Charles Fulp and Scott Brooks with a flag flown over the Capitol in honor of their company’s first-place award.

“I want to commend you, Scott, and you, Charlie. You’re both young and you’ve got 200 persons working for you,” Goode said. “Thank you for all you’ve done for job growth in our area.”

Mayor Sherman Saunders and Councilman Buddy Rawley also were present for both presentations. Goode praised them for their support and thanked Danville city government for “being pro-business and interested in helping our small businesses.”

Contact Denice Thibodeau at or (434) 791-7985.