REID A. BROWN PRESIDENT, BROWN DISTRIBUTING CO., RICHMOND
Brown is continuing a family tradi- tion, as the great-grandson of Brown Distributing’s founder leads the company that was born in Richmond at the end of World War I.
Brown Distributing was founded in Richmond in 1919, as the Brown brothers launched a soda bottling business. Reid Brown, a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder, joined the firm in 2009. Since then, the business has expanded into Florida, creating a new division that distributes beer, wine, spirits and specialty beverages into the state.
The distributor also has gained accolades for jumping on the trend of microbreweries. In 2012, Brown Distributing’s Florida division was named the Craſt Beer Distributor of the Year, presented by the National Beer Wholesalers Association and the Brewers Association.
Brown now has more than 500 employees and is the provider for both mainstream and obscure drinks, from Belgium’s The Musketeers Troubadour brews to Virginia’s Bold Rock Hard Cider.
BENJAMIN J.
WILLIAM G. ‘BILL’
CRUTCHFIELD JR. FOUNDER AND CEO, CRUTCHFIELD CORP., CHARLOTTESVILLE
One of the biggest names in electronics, Crutchfield Corp. was established in 1974 when Bill Crutchfield had trouble finding an aſter-market stereo while restoring a Porsche 356 coupe. He realized there was no one-stop shop for consumer electronics, so he started the company that became his legacy.
Crutchfield is a pioneer in online electronic sales and was inducted into the Consumer Electronics Association Hall of Fame. His company launched its website in September 1995, about two months aſter
Amazon.com went live. The company continues to collect accolades, being tied for first (with Dell) out of 37 businesses in the consumer electronics cate- gory of Newsweek’s Best Online Shops 2021. A former U.S. Air Force officer, Crutchfield has flown for decades. His love for dogs is reflected in the company’s many dog-friendly practices, including the bring-your-dog-to-work norm at the corporate headquarters. He also serves on the University of Virginia Health System board.
The privately held company employs
about 700 people, most of whom work at its Albemarle County headquarters, although Crutchfield also has a brick-and-mortar store in Harrisonburg, a call center in Norton and a research office in Christiansburg.
DAVENPORT JR. CHAIRMAN, DAVENPORT ENERGY INC., FIRST PIEDMONT CORP., CHATHAM
Davenport Energy has been a family-run fuel distrib- utor since 1941, when Davenport’s father estab-
lished the Pittsylvania County business as Chatham Oil Co. Ben Davenport also serves as chair of First Piedmont Corp., a waste management service that runs an industrial landfill. A devoted Virginia Tech Hokie since earning his business degree there, Davenport has served on multiple boards associated with the university, including terms on the Virginia Tech board of visitors. He was on the board from 2002 to 2010, serving during the tragic April 16, 2007, mass shooting at the university. In 2016, Davenport received Virginia Tech’s highest honor, the William H. Ruffner Medal, which recognizes “notable and distinguished service” to the university. In 2020, he received the Sorensen Leadership Award from the University of Virginia’s Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership. Davenport has served on the boards of many community organizations, including the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, the Virginia Health Care Foundation and the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation, as well as the state board of GO Virginia. Davenport Energy serves approximately 30,000 customers throughout Virginia and North Carolina, with about 175 employees. The distribu- tor also delivers gas and diesel to 200 gas stations in the region.
ARTHUR ‘BO’ FISHER III CEO, FISHER AUTO PARTS, STAUNTON
Fisher has just one workplace listed on his LinkedIn profile: Fisher Auto Parts, the family business where he has worked since 1970 and that today ranks as the fiſth-largest distributor of auto parts in the country. A James Madison University alumnus, Fisher took over as
CEO and chairman of the board aſter the death of his father, Art Fisher, in 2004. At the time, Bo Fisher had been president of Fisher Auto Parts since 1992 and owned a majority of the company. He is also co-chairman of the Automotive Parts Services Group. Fisher Auto Parts is one of the region’s most prolific auto parts dealers, with 360 stores in 15 states throughout the East Coast and Midwest. The company was founded in 1929 by Fisher’s grandfather, Blair Coiner, and the company was known as Coiner Parts until 1983. Although the company has been in the family since its inception, Bo Fisher has spent the past year and change in a contentious legal battle with his brother, David Fisher, over $65 million in company shares leſt behind by their mother, Mary, who died in 2018.
DAVID M. GUERNSEY PRESIDENT AND CEO, GUERNSEY INC., DULLES
A fender-bender car crash when he was a high school senior altered the trajectory of Guernsey’s life. He collided with a Cadillac and ended up owing $150 for damages, so he put college on hold and got a job selling typewriters in 1971.
Guernsey had a knack for sales, but he could anticipate that
workplace supply needs were shiſting. As a 21-year-old, he opened his own supplies dealer- ship that has now evolved into Guernsey Office Products, a massive office supply business based in Northern Virginia. Although he started out just selling typewriters, today Guernsey sells office supplies, furniture, janitorial supplies, breakroom products and corporate promo- tional products.
As Guernsey’s company grew, he brought in family members to join his team, and at vari- ous points his brother, sister, daughter, wife, niece and nephew have all worked for the firm. Guernsey has served on many community boards, including stints as chairman of both the Arlington and Fairfax chambers of commerce, chairman of the Office Products Industry Association and chairman of the National Federation of Independent Business.
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