Insight Into Action Named Loudoun Small Business of the Year
Author: Renss Greene
Published: Nov 7, 2022
Updated: Nov 8, 2022
Ashburn-based mental health clinic Insight Into Action Therapy was crowned Loudoun’s Small Business of the Year at the Loudoun Chamber’s 28th annual Small Business Awards Friday, Nov. 4.
The business, which offers outpatient mental health, addiction treatment, psychological and psychiatric services, was selected from among the winners in six small business categories. They won in the health and wellness business category, placing them in competition with the winners in the virtual business, destination business, nonprofit organization, main street business, and superior service business categories.
Co-founders Craig James and Cyndi Turner said while they founded Insight Into Action in 2014—putting their homes up as collateral to finance the business—they have worked together for more than 20 years.
“Being a therapist is not what you go to school for, you’re born with it,” James said.
“Craig and I have, I think, one of the best jobs in the world—we get to help people in our community,” Turner said.
FreshEye Innovative Solutions founder Jaclyn O’Brien Gardner was also honored twice, both as Loudoun’s Top Entrepreneur of the Year, and when her Ashburn-based bookkeeping firm was named Virtual Business of the Year. She said the business was born out of her own struggles with Lyme Disease—she decided to try opening her own business while coping with the disease. And she recalled her newborn daughter, now a toddler, spending her first 10 months of life in the hospital fighting for her life through five open heart surgeries. She said the reason it worked out is “because of God, and that was the path that I was supposed to be on.”
“When you focus on relationships and you’re on the right path, things just start to naturally align and to work out,” she said. “And they’re not always easy. Don’t get defeated. Just keep pushing through.”
And Hamilton-based Watermark Woods Native Plants, in addition to winning Main Street Business of the Year, won the People’s Choice Award after online public voting. Loudoun Chamber President and CEO Tony Howard said the public voted for their favorite finalist in each category, this year casting more than 16,600 votes.
Watermark Woods owner and Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy President Julie Borneman said she started the business because there was no other place nearby to buy quality, pesticide-free plants native to Northern Virginia.
“I think the People’s Choice Award also speaks to the fact that we have great people—both our customers and the people who work for Watermark Woods that keep the customers coming back and spending countless hours with them, and counseling them on plants and what’s the best thing to do for their yard, their wildlife, and good for the ecology,” she said.
Morven Park was named this year’s Destination Business of the Year. Executive Director Stacey Metcalfe said she likes to call it “Loudoun County’s back yard,” and credited her “small but very might team” who seek to keep alive the vision of Marguerite Davis and the Westmoreland Davis Memorial Foundation to open the property to the community.
“I would like to dedicate this award to my team, and actually to our families who miss us when we’re working those long hours, but they know that we have crazy passion and love for our happy place,” Metcalfe said.
Philanthropic fundraising and giving circle 100WomenStrong was named Nonprofit Organization of the Year. Founder Karen Schaufeld said this year, the group passed $3.5 million in funding for Loudoun nonprofits since its creation.
“The reality is, we all have a beautiful voice, we’re all working hard in the community, we all care about it—it’s collective,” she said. “And we get to support wonderful nonprofits that are all doing collective work as well.”
And You’ve Got Maids of Northern Virginia was named the Superior Services Business of the Year. Owner and Loudoun Literacy Council board member Natasha Magrath said her company goes beyond cleaning—among other things, they also do food drives for Loudoun Hunger Relief, a children’s book drive for the Loudoun Literacy Council, and once a quarter close the office for a day while the whole company goes out to volunteer.
“All the finalists tonight, remember, we are all winners and achievers. Each one of us is unique in what we do,” she said. “This award that I am holding in my hand tonight does not belong to me. It belongs to all my employees.”
“I have so much love and respect for our small business community. It is an honor to be here to help celebrate our small business award finalists and winners,” co-host and Business Brand Ambassador founder Erica Rowe said.
“Everyone here is, in my eyes, truly a winner here tonight,” Loudoun Chamber President and CEO Tony Howard said.
All of the four finalists in each category were honored at the event Friday night in a ballroom at the Washington Dulles Marriott.
Virtual Business of the Year finalists included ARM Consulting, Lifecycle Sherlock, and BB Insurance.
Destination Business of the Year finalists included EatLoco Farmers Market, Escape Room LoCo, and Stone Gables Bed and Breakfast.
Nonprofit Organization of the Year finalists included Legacy Farms, the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and P.A.S.T.A., Peers and Students Taking Action.
Main Street Business of the Year finalists included The Difference Baker, GAM Graphics and Marketing, and SpeedPro Northern Virginia.
Superior Service Business of the Year finalists included the CEO Consulting Group, Dulles South Chantilly Automotive, and Toth Financial.
Health and Wellness Business of the Year finalists included Athari Biosciences, Dulles Life Smiles, and The Dental Co. of Leesburg.
And finalists for Loudoun’s Top Entrepreneur of the Year included Text P2P founder Greg Armfield, CEO Consulting Group founder Tina Johnson, and Cork & Keg Tours founder Renee Ventrice.
