Comprised of 15 local business and community leaders with considerable banking experience, our Board of Directors represents a diverse mix of individuals dedicated to helping Virginia Company Bank best serve our Peninsula community.  Our Directors are:

John F. Biagas
Owner, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Bay Electric Co., Inc., an electrical and general contractor located on the Peninsula.  After studying business management and accounting at McNeese State University, he joined three of his older brothers in Maryland, where they formed their own electrical and general contracting business, AVA Electric.  In 1997, Mr. Biagas purchased Bay Electric and moved his family to the Peninsula.  Under his direction, Bay Electric has become one of the fastest growing minority-owned electrical and general construction contractors in the Mid-Atlantic region. A Master Electrician licensed in four states and the District of Columbia, Mr. Biagas is the former National President (2005) of the Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) organization.  He was one of the founders of the Hampton Roads, VA IEC Chapter and served in numerous leadership roles for the Chapter.  In addition, he serves on numerous boards both local and statewide, such as An Achievable Dream, Boys and Girls Club, National Association of Minority Contractors, National Association of Certified Government Business Enterprises, Virginia Minority Suppliers Development Council, and the Young President’s Organization, Virginia Chapter.

Donald W. Davis
President of Donald W. Davis, PC, a land surveying company based in York County founded in 1982. Mr. Davis was appointed by Governors Gilmore, Warner, and Kaine to the Commonwealth of Virginia Chesapeake Bay Local Assistance Board and has been Chairman since 2004. He is active in many business associations, commissions, and civic organizations such as the Virginia Housing and Builders Association, the Peninsula Housing and Builders Association, the Virginia Citizens Planning Association, the York County Business Association and the Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Davis is past Chairman of the York County Board of Zoning and Subdivision Appeals.

Jack L. Ezzell, Jr.
Chief Executive Officer of Zel Technologies, LLC, an information technology and engineering services firm based in Hampton and founded in 1988. Mr. Ezzell is the recipient of the Virginia Outstanding Industrialist Award for 2006 and a former Daily Press Citizen of the Year. Prior to founding Zel Technologies, Mr. Ezzell was in the United States Air Force, retiring as Colonel. He is a former advisory board member of SunTrust Bank – Peninsula. Mr. Ezzell has been actively involved in many Peninsula civic and charitable entities. He has held leadership and Board positions with Norfolk State University, Hampton Roads Partnership, Hampton Industrial Development Authority, WHRO Public Broadcasting, Jamestown/Yorktown, Inc. Foundation, and ARC of the Virginia Peninsula, among others.  He has served on numerous state boards and commissions during his career.

Manfred C. Freeman, Jr.
Mr. Freeman has over 30 years of business experience in the Hampton Roads area. He was Vice President and Owner of E. V. Williams Co. Inc., a road building contractor in Hampton and Virginia Beach until 1997 when the construction company was sold. He was retained by the new owners, E. V. Williams, Inc., as Vice President of Operations during a transition period until 1998, when Mr. Freeman retired. Since that time he has managed or helped manage various companies and partnerships, including Manfred C. Freeman, Jr. LLC, Holly Inc., F & M Investors, M & R Investors, Custom Vinyl Products, LLC and Williams Holding, and he has held ownership in all entities. Mr. Freeman has served on the Board of the Virginia Road and Transportation Builders Association for many years.  He also has served on the Board for the Northeast Chapter of American Concrete Paving Association and was elected its President for two consecutive years. He is currently on the Board of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Virginia Peninsula and is Chairman of the Poquoson Industrial Development Authority. Mr. Freeman has served as its Chairman since the Poquoson IDA was formed in 1999. He also has been Chairman for the Poquoson Museum since its opening in 2001.

L. Alvin Garrison, Jr.
As a Certified Public Accountant, Mr. Garrison has over 30 years experience doing business in the Peninsula and Williamsburg areas. He became a member of local CPA firm Hall, Cotman, Garrison, & Roseberry in 1975. Mr. Garrison became a member of Witt Mares in 2003 when the firms merged, and he retired in 2006. His professional affiliations include the American Institute of Certified Public Accounts and The Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants, and he served as President of the Peninsula Chapter of CPA’s. Mr. Garrison is actively involved in community service revolving around the health care industry as a Director and past Chairman of the Board of the Williamsburg Community Hospital, a Director and past Chairman of the Board of Williamsburg Health Services, a Director of the Williamsburg Community Health Foundation, and a Trustee and Director of the Sentara Healthcare System. Currently a member of the Williamsburg Rotary Club, Mr. Garrison is also a member, as well as past President, of the Kingsmill Men’s Golf Association. He is also presently the Executive Director of the Williamsburg Hotel & Motel Association. Mr. Garrison is originally from Smithfield, Virginia, and is a graduate of Elon University.

Mark C. Hanna
President and Chief Executive Officer of Virginia Company Bank
A graduate of Wake Forest University and MBA recipient from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Mark Hanna has been in the banking industry for over 19 years.  Past experience includes credit, lending, and management positions, prior to moving to Hampton Roads in 2002.  From 2002 to 2005, Mr. Hanna served as Peninsula Area Executive for BB&T. Mr. Hanna joined Virginia Company Bank as President in September of 2005 and became President and CEO in November 2006.  He is active in a number of Peninsula civic and education organizations.  Of special note, Mr. Hanna served as the Chairman of the American Heart Association Heartwalk in 2004 and as the Sponsorship Chair for the event in 2005.  He is currently serving as the Chairman Elect for the Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce and is Chair of the Development Committee and a Director for the Hampton Roads Chapter of the American Red Cross.  In addition, Mr. Hanna is on the Board for the Olde Towne Medical Center and the Colonial Chapter of the Boy Scouts of America.

Joseph D. Harrow
President of the Middle Peninsula Insurance and Financial Services, Inc since 1994. He has lived in Williamsburg since 1987, where he began his career at SunTrust Bank as a Commercial Lending Officer. He sits on the board of the Williamsburg Land Conservancy. Mr. Harrow serves on the James City County Educational Foundation as well. He is the past chairman of Hospice Support Care of Williamsburg.   He is the past chairman of the following insurance company agent council advisory boards: Selective Insurance Company, Northern Neck Insurance Company, and Donegal Insurance Company.  Mr. Harrow has been very active in coaching girls and boys youth baseball and basketball in the Williamsburg area for many years. Of interest, he spoke on Wall Street at the annual investor conference for Selective Insurance Company in 2006.  Mr. Harrow is a 1986 graduate of Randolph-Macon College.

Claude (Chip) A. S. Hornsby
Chip is the former Group Chief Executive and a former member of the Board of Directors of Wolseley plc, a publicly traded London based company and parent to Ferguson Enterprises, having annual sales of approximately $18 billion. He is also a member of the Board of Visitors of Christopher Newport University, the Board of Trustees of Hampton Roads Academy, and the Board of Advisors of Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business. A graduate of Virginia Tech, Mr. Hornsby has a wealth of business experience both locally and internationally.

Raymond L. Howell, Jr.
Owner and President of several Meineke franchises in Hampton, Yorktown, Gloucester, Williamsburg, and Salisbury, Maryland.  In addition, Mr. Howell was named the 2006 Meineke Franchisee of the Year.  He has been appointed as one of only seven National Council Members for the Meineke National Franchise and is the Council Chairman for a three state 100 store region. He is Chairman of National Advertising for Meineke for the United States and Canada. Mr. Howell is very active in the Peninsula community, having coached 24 youth sports teams over many years. He has been recognized by Gloucester County for his more than 1000 hours of community service to the Peninsula.

Allen R. Jones, Jr.
A licensed physical therapist and is owner and Chief Executive Officer of Dominion Physical Therapy & Associates, Inc., a rehabilitative services firm with six offices in Williamsburg, Newport News, Portsmouth and Hampton. Mr. Jones served on the Wachovia/SouthTrust/Cenit Bank Advisory Board. He is past Chairman of the Newport News Industrial Development Authority and is a board member of Norfolk State University Foundation. Mr. Jones is also a member of the Boards of Trustees for the Mariners Museum, the Virginia Living Museum, St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, the Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce and the Newport News Educational Foundation. In 2000, he received the “Top 40, Under 40” award by Inside Business Magazine. In July 2002, he was appointed by Governor Warner to the One Virginia, One Future Economic Development Steering Committee. Governor Warner also appointed Mr. Jones to the Virginia Public Broadcasting Board.

D. Wayne Moore
A licensed attorney that has practiced law on the Peninsula since 1967, Mr. Moore is City Attorney for the City of Poquoson and Commissioner of Accounts for York County. He served on the boards of First National Bank of Poquoson (now part of Wachovia) from 1976 to 1981 (Chairman for one year) and First Virginia Bank of Hampton Roads (now part of BB&T) from 1999 to 2003. Mr. Moore was an advisory board member for Central Fidelity Bank (now part of Wachovia) from 1985 to 1989 and Branch Banking and Trust Company of Virginia from 2003 to 2004. He is a member of the Virginia State Bar, the Newport News Bar Association and the York County Bar Association. Mr. Moore is a past President of the Newport News Bar Association and is currently Chairman of the Virginia Conference of Commissioners of Accounts.

Conway H. Sheild, III
A shareholder and Secretary of the law firm of Jones Blechman Woltz and Kelly, P.C. and has practiced law with this firm since 1969. He previously served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Peninsula Region Bank Board for RBC Centura Bank from 1999 to 2003 and was a member of the Board of Directors of First Coastal Bank from 1997 to 1999, before it was acquired by Centura Bank. Mr. Sheild has been active in many community organizations, and chairman of numerous civic and charitable boards on the Virginia Peninsula, including the United Way of the Virginia Peninsula, the United Way – Campaign of the Virginia Peninsula, the Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, Virginia International Terminals, Inc., Riverside Behavioral Center Hospital, and Peninsula Family Services/Travelers Aid.  He currently serves on the boards of Riverside Hospital Regional Health Care, Virginia Living Museum (president-elect) and WHRO Public Broadcasting Foundation (former Chairman). He also has served on boards for the two schools he attended, Virginia Episcopal School and Washington and Lee University.  In addition, Mr. Sheild was the former chairman of Christopher Newport University’s School of Business Board of Directors. He was designated as the “Distinguished Citizen for the Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce” for the year 2000.

Charles W. Wornom
President of Abbitt Realty Company, a full service real estate firm doing business on the Virginia Peninsula for over 60 years. He has been associated with Abbitt Realty for 38 years. Mr. Wornom served on the Wachovia/SouthTrust/Cenit Bank Advisory Board. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Virginia Living Museum, past Chairman of the Newport News Redevelopment and Housing Authority, past Chairman of the Newport News Economic and Industrial Development Authorities, past President of the Warwick Rotary Club, past Chairman of the Peninsula Apartment Council, and is on the Board of Trustees of Randolph-Macon College. Mr. Wornom is also a member of Greater Peninsula NOW, Inc. Mr. Wornom is a trustee of the Mariners Museum and The Virginia Living Museum. He is a member of the Appraisal Institute, Institute of Real Estate Management, Peninsula Homebuilders Association, Virginia Peninsula Board of Realtors, and the Virginia Association of Realtors. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Business School of Christopher Newport University. Mr. Wornom was a past President of the Society of Alumni Randolph-Macon College.

In memory of Michael E. Mares, 1952-2009

As one of the founding directors of the Bank, Mr. Mares was one of the early visionaries who saw the need for Virginia Company Bank in our community. His efforts were very instrumental in soliciting investors and obtaining our Charter. Mr. Mares stayed very actively engaged in directing the Bank, serving as Chair of both the Audit Committee and the Compliance Committee. Additionally, he served on the Compensation Committee and the Real Estate Committee.

Michael E. Mares
Until his untimely death in October of 2009, Mr. Mares was a certified public accountant and former member of Witt Mares, as well as a licensed attorney. He practiced as a certified public accountant for 27 years and earned a reputation for expertise in the areas of partnership and individual taxation, S corporations and estate planning. Prior to joining Witt Mares in 1980, Mr. Mares practiced law locally. Five times he was named one of the “100 Most Influential CPAs in the U.S.” Mr. Mares was both an author and instructor for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Virginia State Bar Association and was nationally recognized as an authority on tax law. He testified several times before the U.S. Senate and House Committees on tax issues and was interviewed on MSNBC, CNBC’s Power Lunch, and Court TV’s Prime Time Justice on tax matters. Mr. Mares served on many civic boards, including the Mary Immaculate Hospital Board and Bon Secours Hampton Roads Audit Committee.