We Are Richmond(ers)
I spent a lot of years chasing my big league dreams across the country. St. Cloud, MN, to St. Paul, MN, to Yakima, WA, to Altoona, PA, to Myrtle Beach, SC, to Montgomery, AL, to Richmond, VA. I took wonderful friends and experiences from every stop, but none of them felt like home to me until I came to the RVA.
I still very much had big league aspirations during my initial time here from 2009-2015, and I was fond of saying “Richmond is as good a place as any to wait until I get the call.” Point being, I was happy here and I wasn’t going to move for anything other than my “big break.”
That call never came from the Major Leagues, but it did come from Virginia Tech. It was indeed a dream opportunity, but I still had some sadness about leaving Richmond. The great thing was that Blacksburg is close enough that I could come back often. And due to it being such a huge Hokie city, I actually did that many times for work.
Somewhere along the line though, Richmond became much more to me than a great place to wait. It truly became home. We moved a lot when I was growing up, and I went a long way away to college. And then my minor league baseball odyssey. I had met a lot of people over the years, but I hadn’t come anything close to putting down roots.
That changed in Richmond. When we started the Flying Squirrels, our chief objective was to meet as many people as possible. Since we had no connections, we needed to make all the connections. Parney was vital to that of course, and he let me tag along to a lot of meetings and gatherings that were generally reserved for top-level executives and administrators. You know, the movers and shakers. I was certainly not that.
Because of that inclusion, I was able to make friends capable of making a real impact in this area. In sports, sure, but also in the schools and local government and everywhere else. Those connections were actually a large reason I got my job at Virginia Tech.
Renée and I had a delightful community of people in Blacksburg, many of whom will be lifelong friends. But, when we made the choice to pivot in our lives and found the Ladybugs, there were only two cities we considered. Charlotte, NC and Richmond. We love Charlotte. A vibrant and growing city. We visited and toured a number of potential homes, but as we pondered the choices we agreed that it just didn’t feel right.
Richmond treated me as its own from the very beginning of my time here. And I realized that as I had grown in age and in my career, my network of friends and connections had here as well. The Richmond we chose to move back to is much different than the one I left seven years ago. There is a boom-town mentality here now, but the soul is still very much the same.
Parney text me one day when I told him we were coming back “I support that decision. Let the embrace of Richmond help you build your Society.” He was right. And it has.
Friends that I hadn’t seen or talked to much during my time at Tech welcomed us back with open arms. Many of the young people that I had worked with at the Squirrels have become community leaders, while the leaders I already was close with had blossomed even further into their own lives.
Because of that we have been able to establish an outstanding Board of Directors, filled with people that are all close to us, and many who have mentored us along the way. The skills that I unwittingly developed while the “Voice of the Squirrels” have come back around to prove useful in this endeavor.
Most importantly, we love it here. I mean really love it. Time has a way of providing perspective and gratitude for things you may have taken for granted. It certainly has for me as it pertains to Richmond.
We have rekindled long dormant friendships as though we hadn’t skipped a beat. And of course, all the Richmond Hokies we have met only add to that feeling of home here.
Recently I worked with the Richmond Kickers on a video project in an attempt to entice the cast of “Ted Lasso” to visit Richmond for an exhibition match. While helping to write the script for the project I realized what Richmond has become. Progressiveness combined with history. That is an awesome combination. There is culture here. There is diversity here. There are ideas here. There are great restaurants here. Believe me, Renée has a list of about 50 that we need to visit already.
My old friend Jerrine Lee, who now leads Richmond Region Tourism has been invaluable to our startup. As have Parney, Dennis Bickmeier, Brian Callaghan, Bob Weirup and on and on the list goes.
People will ask “are you from Richmond?” We always answer no, and say I’m from Chicago or Minnesota and Renée is from Philly. But honestly, in many ways we feel like we are.
And we don’t plan on going anywhere. I have had many homes for a time. And I will always be from where I’m from. But, nowhere has ever felt more like home than here. I feel like I’m rediscovering it, but with a wiser perspective and appreciation. And that is a heckuva lot of fun!
So, we look forward to reconnecting or connecting for the first time. Cause baby, we’re back! And we couldn’t be more excited about that. Cheers RVA, we will see you soon!