100 PEOPLE TO MEET IN 2021 | Innovators


Josh Levi President, Data Center


Coalition Loudoun County


Josh Levi left a 20-year career with the Northern Virginia Technology Council in July 2019 to become inaugural president of the Data Center Coalition. The group was created to advocate for the data center industry in Virginia, which it says holds the world’s largest data center market. Levi, a graduate of Virginia Tech with a law degree from the University of Richmond School of Law, can draw upon his network built at the council, where he was vice president for policy. He has grown the association from six member companies to 14 data center owners and operators. In 2021, he says, the coalition will increase community engagement to focus on philanthropy, sustainability and workforce issues.


Haniel Lynn CEO, Kastle Systems


Charis Jones Owner and designer, Sassy Jones


Richmond


It takes a bold attitude to wear the looks dreamed up by Charis Jones, she says. Big and vivid, her jewelry and handbags turn heads and lift revenue. This summer, her company, Sassy Jones, became the No. 1 Virginia company (and No. 75 overall) on the Inc. 5000 ranking of the country’s fastest-growing, privately held companies. Her e-commerce site has a 75% return customer rate, Jones says, compared with an industry average of about 30%. She serves the “professional, African American woman,” Jones says. What resonates with her customers? “It’s simply how it makes her feel,” she says. “We don’t sell jewelry; we sell confidence.” Sassy Jones builds bonds with innovative methods such as livestreams, dinners — and even a cruise to the Bahamas. The company recently made its HSN debut, and Jones will also be appearing on the HBO Max show, “Stylish with Jenna Lyons,” which debuts in December.


Charles Merritt Co-founder and CEO, Buddy


Richmond


Calling it “insurance for risk-takers,” Outside magazine named Buddy as one of “The Next-Gen Outdoor Innovations We’re Watching.” The on-demand accident insurance startup, founded by Charles Merritt and two fellow outdoor enthusiasts, is drawing attention for streamlining a typically burdensome process. Through the Buddy platform, customers can quickly purchase no-deductible, short-term insurance, with benefits paid directly to them. Merritt is a graduate of the University of North Carolina and the VCU Brandcenter. His company’s mission is “to help people fearlessly enjoy an active and outdoor life.”


Contributed photos www.VirginiaBusiness.com VIRGINIA BUSINESS | 91 Falls Church


In a year when security and safety were put to the test, Haniel Lynn responded with the launch of KastleSafeSpaces in May. It leveraged the company’s internet of things and smartphone services to offer such features as hands-free opening of elevators and office doors, health screenings, contact tracing, and occupancy monitoring to prevent overcrowding. Lynn, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with an MBA from the Wharton School, joined Kastle Systems as CEO in November 2018. He came from a 16-year career at CEB, now Gartner, where he served as a group president. Kastle says it’s the largest managed security services provider in the country, maintaining security for more than 40,000 businesses.


Stephen Gosling


Selden Grandy


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