Inside Business

NORFOLK — A year ago, Jason Friedman was working as a financial adviser when he realized the difficulties people often face when trying to find their own financial advisers. “People either didn’t know where to go, didn’t know who to trust or thought financial advisers weren’t accessible to them,” he said. Almost like a light bulb moment, Friedman said he decided to create a platform that would make that search easier.

CHESAPEAKE — Four decades ago, 504 Capital Corp. was a fledgling organization. Last year, the Chesapeake-headquartered business hit the $1 billion mark in total project financing and assisted small businesses in creating or retaining 9,399 jobs. On May 3, 504 Capital Corp. celebrated its 40th anniversary of connecting small businesses to capital and driving economic development through job growth and retention.

When Glen Pierce was 9 years old, his father introduced him to the game of golf in the field next to his childhood home, and by age 14, he was riding his bike to Kempsville Meadows Golf Course for work, where he picked up balls at the driving range. Today, Pierce is the PGA director of golf at Virginia Beach National and Heron Ridge golf clubs, both in Virginia Beach. But 17 years ago, life threw him a major curveball as he was being promoted to take on his current roles.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced additional administration and board appointments. Glenn Davis, of Virginia Beach, was appointed director of the Department of Energy. Taylor V. Adams, Virginia Beach’s deputy city manager for agriculture, Convention & Visitors Bureau, economic development and planning and community development, was appointed to the Virginia Tourism Authority.

PATRICK LEMERY New job: Director of production, Advanced Integrated Technologies Previously: Production manager, Advanced Integrated Technologies Specialties: Mechanics, ship repair and modernization MATTHEW MASCIANGELO New job: Vice president of quality and safety, Advanced Integrated Technologies Previously: Quality assurance manager, Advanced Integrated Technologies Education: Bachelor’s, East Carolina University VIKRAM “VIK” ATAL New job: President and CEO, PRA Group Inc.

Champion Domain Beverly Run LLC purchased 516.5 acres at 20500 Devasya Lane in Milford from International Swaminarayan Satsang Organization Corp. for $7 million. Krista Costa and Nicole Campbell represented the buyer. Emprise WB LLC purchased 1.14 acres in Peninsula Town Center at Kilgore Avenue in Hampton from Peninsula Main VA LLC for $500,000. Missy Martinovich represented the buyer. SNABOO Investments sold a 5,500-square-foot office building at 3204 Tyre Neck Road in Portsmouth to Robert A.

First session of the Cox Small Business Leadership Academy. This nine-week virtual program, sponsored by Old Dominion University’s Strome College of Business and Cox Communications, provides education and strategies to help businesses grow. Register by May 27 at https://ww1.odu.edu/business/community-connections/cox-academy. Virginia Peninsula Chamber Open House, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., 11850, Merchants Walk, Suite 110, Newport News.

NORFOLK — Norfolk Botanical Garden will soon be under new leadership, but will continue to blossom as it has for the past 85 years. After nine years as president and CEO, Michael Desplaines is leaving the state’s largest botanical garden in late June for the CEO position at The Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden in Arcadia, California.

NEWPORT NEWS — Karen Dutro, executive director of NetworkPeninsula, had a dream. She said she dreamed of developing a hub — a shared office and meeting space for other local nonprofits — since she founded the nonprofit organization in 2007. That dream finally came true when its hub space opened earlier this year. “Finding affordable and accessible office space for a small nonprofit is challenging, particularly when many of their resources are dedicated to providing programming,” Dutro said.