September 9, 2020
Community Housing Partners (CHP), which provides affordable and sustainable housing across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, recently received recognition as a leading employer in Virginia’s New River Valley. The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce named CHP among the top 25 best places to work in the area at its virtual Leadership in Changing Times and Best Places to Work Conference on Aug. 26.
“CHP is thankful for the recognition of our efforts to be an employer of choice in the New River Valley and beyond,” said Laura Croft, Assistant Vice President of Human Capital. “We have a culture of employee development and recognition, and we are constantly striving to improve the benefits and support we offer our team members, especially during these challenging times.”
At the conference, the chamber also inducted CEO Janaka Casper and Board Member Debbie Sherman-Lee into its Hall of Fame. They were among the first group of individuals to receive this honor. The chamber plans to dedicate a wall recognizing the honorees later this year. (Read more about the 2020 Hall of Fame honorees.)
The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce also named Riley Schmitt, Communications and Digital Media Specialist, to its “30 under 30” list. This program recognizes young professionals who are change makers in the community. Earlier this summer, the chamber also recognized Schmitt with the Emerging Leader Award during its annual Women’s Leadership Conference. (Watch a video of Schmitt accepting the award.)
CHP has earned several awards from the chamber in recent years. Last year, Jake Powell, Director of Homeownership, was named the Nonprofit Leader of the Year and Samantha Livesay, Community Relations Coordinator for Homeownership, earned both the Spark Plug Award and the Community Builder Award. CHP was also named the best place to work in the nonprofit category at last year’s awards luncheon.
Founded in 1975 in the New River Valley, CHP has corporate offices in Christiansburg, Virginia, and owns and manages eight apartment communities in Montgomery County. Local activities also include homeownership, energy conservation and training, and resident services. Today, the nonprofit has more than 350 employees spread across six states in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic.