​By Samantha Ruark, Communications Manager, Arlington Chamber of Commerce

Hello everyone! My name is Samantha Ruark, and I am the Chamber’s new Communications Manager. I joined the team on May 2, 2022, and am already fully immersed in the Chamber’s work.  

I am originally from North Carolina and graduated from the University of North Carolina Wilmington in 2018 with a degree in Communications. After graduating, I moved to Newport, North Carolina where I worked as a Communications Specialist for an environmental nonprofit. Looking to live in a larger city, I moved to the DMV area in March 2020. Although my first year here didn’t go as expected due to the pandemic, I was still able to get to know the area a bit and create a new home in Alexandria, Virginia. I spent the past two years as an Executive Assistant at the Catholic Charities Diocese of Arlington (which is a member of the Chamber). While I enjoyed my time there and the incredible work that they do, I was longing to get back into a communications role and am proud to be working here at the Chamber with our wonderful staff. 

By Todd Youngdahl, CFP® and Ann Blakey, CFP®, Washington Wealth Advisors
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As a small business owner, you’re used to giving your all to the business, but it’s important to know which self-employment plans make sense for your needs. Knowing what retirement plan options are available to you, and to offer your employees, if applicable, can allow you to remain on track.

​You have options when it comes to determining which self-employed retirement plan can help you achieve your retirement goals while you focus on your business. Each plan has their own contribution limits, tax advantages, and employee benefits. ​

By Will Mulligan, Membership Engagement Manager,  Arlington Chamber of Commerce 
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Hello everyone, I am Will Mulligan, the new Membership Engagement Manager at the Chamber. I am happy to be joining the Chamber staff as of May 1, 2022, and begin working with all of our members. 

I was born in Worchester, Massachusetts and I graduated from Murray State University in 1998 with a degree in Political Science and Economics. Since then, my professional career has given me the amazing opportunity to live all over the country. I have spent the last two years as the Executive Director of the Indian River Michigan Chamber of Commerce, so I am bringing in a lot of great experience to my role here in Arlington. A little bit about me — I am a golfer and curler, love to cook, and enjoy trying the food of different cultures. I am looking forward to exploring Arlington’s fantastic culinary scene! I also enjoy going out with my dog Fuji for a hike or even just some time at the dog park. 

By Lesa Hanlin, Director of Strategic Initiatives, University of Virginia School of Continuing and Professional Studies
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Coming back from my first monthly Director’s meeting at a former position, I had a decision to make. How much of the high level information I’d learned at the meeting should I share with my staff? On the drive back, I worked out my approach. 
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What I was grappling with was transparency. In a recent Forbes article, transparency is defined as “the practice of being open and honest with others, no matter how challenging it might be” (Atchison, 2021).  

​Transparency is one of the top factors consistently cited for employee satisfaction. The more transparent employees feel the management is, the more satisfied they are with their jobs. The benefits of transparency go far beyond job satisfaction, of course, contributing to a healthy culture, genuine relationships built on trust, more innovation, higher employee retention, and some say there’s a financial benefit to workplace transparency as well.

​By Sam Miller, Intern, Arlington Chamber of  Commerce
Hello everyone! My name is Sam Miller and I have been interning at the Chamber since mid-January. I am residing in Arlington for this semester only, as I am graduating from Roanoke College with a bachelor’s in communications in May. Originally, I am from Massachusetts, which is where I will be returning to this summer. Spending a semester in Arlington has been the most exciting semester of my college career. ​

Carola McGiffert, Owner, 30 Minute Hit Arlington

​In 2020, I worked for a global education company whose revenue and investment stemmed largely from China. So it wasn’t a big surprise when almost 90 percent of the corporate leadership was laid off in the first few months of COVID, including me. I was grateful for the generous severance, but I had no idea what my next professional step would be. I had spent more than 25 years in the US-China policy space and, given the political situation in 2020, I didn’t see a path forward in that field. More importantly, I finally admitted to myself that I didn’t want to continue in that field; it did not play to my strengths or interests.

Katie Marden, Owner/Founder, Flash Running Wild
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The average office environment has seen a lot of changes over the past two years, some objectively positive and others arguably negative. On the one hand, employees are being allowed to telework far more frequently, if not 100% of the time, with more flexible hours. On the other hand, this flexibility has come at a cost for many of us – that definitive line that used to exist between work hours and home/family/friends/life hours, that line has been blurred, if not completely erased. No longer do we feel justified in ignoring our email after 6:00 p.m., and squeezing in some work before dropping the kids off at school is completely normal now, if not expected. 

Elizabeth Addington, Operations Manager, Arlington Chamber of Commerce
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​Hello, fellow Arlingtonians! I am Elizabeth Addington, the new Operations Manager at the Chamber. Proudly born and raised in Alexandria and a current resident of Arlington, I’m delighted to support my community in this new role. I graduated from James Madison University in 2018 with a degree in Art History and Technical Theatre and earned a Master’s in Management from George Mason University in 2021. With my passion for mission-driven work, relationship building, and back-of-house operations, I am thrilled to serve as the Chamber’s first point of contact for our members and greater Arlington community. I am inspired by the Chamber's spirit and willingness to always lend a helping hand and its genuine investment in the growth and success of each and every individual, small business, and large organization in Arlington.

By Kara Simon, Owner/Operator, Loving Heart Holistic Wellness

The New York Times defines Civic Engagement as “working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference. It means promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes.” In this blog, I want to highlight the importance of civic engagement and share why it matters as a business owner.

Steven Marku, Government Affairs Director, Arlington Chamber of Commerce

Eight years ago, when my now-wife and I were planning to move to the Washington area for her new job, we started looking around at where we should live. It didn’t take long to realize that Arlington was the place for us. A year after moving down here, I was hired as Chief of Staff to Delegate Mark Levine, representing Arlington’s interests in the General Assembly. Over the years, I’ve gotten to know so many people involved in this community through politics, government, philanthropy, and business.