2019 MBL Awards

The 2019 MBL Awards Ballroom Decor
Astyra President Sam Young
 
 
Imagine: large groups of chatting professionals dressed in suits, mermaid aerial silk performers and multiple servers walking around with tasty hors d’oeuvres.
 
Astyra didn’t have to imagine as this is what we encountered at the Metropolitan Business League Awards Reception and Dinner! Many of us were attending the awards for our first time and did not know what to expect.
 
After mingling for about an hour, we headed to the ballroom to enjoy dinner and cheer for the winners. There were 24 nominees and only six categories which kept everyone on the edge of their seats wondering who the award winners could be.
 
Our President, Sam Young, was given the opportunity to introduce special guest speaker Chiedo John. Both men were able to keep the crowd entertained with witty jokes and their captivating speeches.
 
Chiedo John is a rising entrepreneur who founded Chiedo Labs, a tech advising and web developing company, in 2012. Mr. John recently became an MBL member and was honored to have been able to speak in front of such a large crowd.

SpeakUp LightUp 2019

Ken and Sam flaking ODU classmate James Brown
Astyra’s founders attended the Cameron K. Gallagher (CKG) Foundation’s SpeakUp LightUp event in January.
 
This event focuses on the CKG Foundation’s goal of changing the negative view towards mental illnesses. Each ticket purchase helps fund the free mental health services offered to families by the CKG. The tickets came with a white paint suit that each person decorates with bright paint and/or accessories to wear to the event. At the event, attendees celebrate and radiate their positive messages through their outfits.

Out & About in Minneapolis

Overlooking Minneapolis

Astyra founders Ken Ampy and Sam Young traveled to Minneapolis mid-April for an InterCity Visit (ICV) with the ChamberRVA board. Similar to previous visits in recent years to places such as Pittsburgh, Denver and Austin, they found the trip to Minneapolis very engaging and refreshing.

The InterCity Visit allows for leaders from the Richmond region to visit a peer city to hear about great initiatives and generate meaningful dialogue in the hopes of bringing about change in Richmond, VA.

These three-day agenda packed trips have directly resulted in many Richmond initiatives, businesses and programs being implemented. During the trip, attendees expand their knowledge on the chosen city’s community operations and determine if it is possible to mimic some of the ideas in Richmond.

Now on his 10th ICV, Ken chose the innovation track while Sam, on his 8th trip, chose the public housing track.

2017 Lead Virginia Class

Astyra President, Sam Young is a member of Lead Virginia class of 2017. The program aims to educate proven leaders about regional differences, opportunities and challenges across the Commonwealth.

Lead Virginia participants have a unique opportunity to travel to different regions in Virginia and meet with regional leaders to learn about assets and innovations unique to each region, best practices and how each region contributes to the whole of the Commonwealth.
 
Sam highly recommends Lead VA to others. His favorite part of the experience has been meeting new people, and it has helped him to learn more about Virginia and its history.

Astyra’s 20th Birthday Celebration

Caption
Astyra celebrated being in business for 20 years on September 9, 2017. A huge thank you to Jackson’s Beer Garden and Smokehouse for their fabulous food and outstanding venue.
 
The staff was joined by former and current associates, clients, community leaders, and elected officials.
 
Mayor Levar Stoney was in attendance and remarked to the crowd, “Astyra is Richmond”; eluding to the company’s entire existence in downtown, as well as it’s ongoing community service in the RVA region.
 
“We’ve been blessed and lucky”, reflected Young.
“I look forward to the next 20”, Ampy added.
The Celebration was the last of a series of events commemorating the milestone that included a state-fair style carnival, Astyra Day at the Diamond, and other outings.
 
Company founders Ken Ampy and Sam Young mingled with guests and shared stories about their 20-year journey.

AstyraFEST!

We had an array of tasty Carnival-style food and games to entertain!

Everyone who attended had a great time watching some of the office staff having a pie thrown in their face, all in good fun and for a good cause! 
 
Astyra matched the funds raised, and donated everything to Child Savers.
 
Click here to view all photos of this fun event. 
 
We hope you will attend our next event in September.

2017 Board Appointments

Sam visits the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville, VA.

In January, Astyra’s President, Sam Young joined the Sport’s Backers Board of Directors.

In April, Sam joined the Lead Virginia class of 2017. He and 50 other business and community leaders from around the Commonwealth of Virginia will explore the region and grapple with major issues, challenges and opportunities facing the Commonwealth. The group has visited Williamsburg and Danville thus far.

Right On Cue Tournament 2017

Astyra's teams

Astyra formed 3 teams to participate in the annual “Right on Cue” tournament, hosted by ChamberRVA in March.

Astyra was the proud sponsor of the trophy.

Pictured above, Sam Young stands with the winners of the pool tournament, ChamberRVA's CEO, Kim Scheeler and the current Chair Ned Masse.

2016 Board Appointments

Astyra staff at the Chamber's Annual Luncheon
Sam Young testing out the BRT routes with the Chamber's President, Kim Scheeler.

Over the summer, Sam Young stepped down after a 1-year term as Chair of the Board for the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce.

During his term, Sam led initiatives, such as the InterCity Visit to Nashville, the Port of Richmond expansion, the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, and Workforce development for the region.
 
Sam passed the gavel to Ned Massey of WestRock.
 
No time was wasted, as Sam found himself immediately at the helm of another local organization. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board for the Metropolitan Business League.
 
The second half of the company’s founding duo continues to be quite busy in the community involvement arena as well.
 
Ken Ampy, having concluded a 7-year run on the Science Museum of Virginia Foundation Board, was appointed by Governor McAuiffle to the State Council for Higher Education of Virginia (SCHEV) board for a 4-year term. Ken hopes to bring his experience on the Old Dominion Board of Visitors to bare for all State colleges and universities.
 
Additionally, Ken joined the Virginia Credit Union Board as an Associate Board member. VACU has become a significant presence in the Virginia financial community topping $3 Billion in assets for the first time earlier this year.
 
Appointment to SCHEV. Ken Ampy with Secretary of the Commonwealth, Kelly Thomasson.

Committed To Giving Back

Mark Thompson.
Denise and Melanie pictured with Keynote Speaker, Vernice "Flygirl" Armour.
Brittany Brown.

Astyra is proud of our staff who engage in community service initiatives. Below are some highlights of employees who were active in the community in 2015. 

Mark Thompson, Astyra’s CFO, is a member of the Sports Backers Presidents Council Executive Committee and served as the Chair for the Scholar Athlete dinner, held on June 2, 2015. He has been with the group for 5 years.
 
Melanie Parrish, Director of Client Accounts and Denise White, Recruiting Team Lead attended the First Annual Diversity and Inclusion Symposium, co-hosted by VCU and the Greater Richmond Society of Human Resource Management on June 26, 2015. 
 
The symposium brought together business, academic and community leaders as well as human resource, diversity and inclusion professionals to promote the widespread value of diversity and inclusion. 
 
Keynote speakers included Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, President of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and Vernice “Flygirl” Armour, America’s First African American Combat Pilot, Former Captain in the United States Marines.

In August, 2015 Technical Recruiter, Victor Rogers was selected to be part of Mentor Richmond, hosted by the Greater Chamber Richmond Chamber. Click here to learn more. 
 
Brittany Brown came from a cheerleading background, and just couldn’t refuse Astyra’s President, Sam Young when he requested that she help coach a cheerleading squad with the Wells Athletic Association.
 
Brittany truly enjoyed the experience and she commented, “Not only did I have the opportunity to work with talented girls who were doing something I love, the exercise didn’t hurt either!” 

Healthcare Staffing Ventures

Ken Ampy and Angela Wilkes at the NAHSE Conference in New Orleans.
2015 was a very important year for Astyra in the healthcare sector. 
 
DMAS exercised their renewal options for the Behavioral Health Services Administrator Contract with Magellan Health. This means that Astyra’s role as the provider for Customer Service Associates for the Magellan of Virginia Behavioral Health Program will be extended through 2018. 

Astyra continued to develop our relationship with KEPRO, a leading healthcare management company headquartered in Harrisburg, PA, assisting on direct hire placements in Florida and Ohio.
Owners, Ken Ampy and Sam Young spent some time traveling to different states in an effort to learn more about how Astyra can help with the staffing needs of this important industry. 
 
They attended the NAHSE Conference in New Orleans in October, and traveled to Detroit and Nashville, where they visited local hospitals to see the behind-the-scenes of the hospital system.

InterCity Visit In Nashville

Astyra owners, Sam Young and Ken Ampy, joined the Greater Richmond Chamber for the 23rd Annual InterCity Visit (ICV). This year the group visited Nashville, TN.

Participants of the InterCity Visit learned about the business community’s priorities for a strong education system, attracting and retaining talent, and the entrepreneurial community in Nashville. 

Click here if you would like to learn more about ICV. 

New Chair Of The Greater Richmond Chamber

Several Astyra staff members attended the 148th annual Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce’s Luncheon on June 17, 2015, to celebrate Astyra President, Sam Young, as he was passed the gavel from Nancy Bagranoff, Dean, Robins School of Business at the University of Richmond.

He was introduced as the new Chair of the Chamber Board of Directors for the upcoming year. Sam shared his goals and what he’d like to accomplish during his 1 year term. He also shared some stories of his experiences through the years at the Chamber.