Belmont Elected President of Del Ray Business Association

ALEXANDRIA, VA -- At its January membership meeting, the Del Ray Business Association elected Dennis Belmont president of the business group representing small, independent and locally owned businesses.

"It's an honor to work with such an incredible group of independent, locally-owned businesses," said Belmont. "As both a Del Ray business owner and resident, I'm excited about this opportunity to help our business community continue to grow, and share why our neighborhood is the best place in the region to live, work, eat, and shop. Del Ray truly has it all."

Belmont, the owner of Belmonster Creative, has been a small business owner since 2000 and has served on the DRBA board as chair of the Marketing Committee since 2014. He has participated in multiple CEO training programs, including Vistage, Strategic Coach and Leadership Alexandria. His graphic design talents are showcased throughout the Del Ray neighborhood; his work in the community includes designing the DRBA logo and the "Eat, Shop, Live" street banners along Mount Vernon Avenue, plus design work for Holy Cow, the sushi bar and the Alexandria Police Foundation, among others. He has lived in Del Ray since 2005.

During his two-year term as president of the association, Belmont plans to focus on expanding opportunities for small business education and growth while continuing to lobby the City of Alexandria for improvements to Del Ray, including pedestrian-scale street lighting.

The following members were elected for two-year terms:

• Shannon Catlett, of John Marshall Bank, who currently serves as secretary of the DRBA board
• Lauren Fisher, owner of Del Ray Psychological & Wellness Associates
• Nicole Jones, owner of Stomping Ground
• Sandy Modell, owner of The Wholistic Hound Academy and former DASH general manager
• Hilary Riedermann, owner of Idea Sink Marketing

They join Mara Benner of Four Directions Wellness, Bill Blackburn of Pork Barrel BBQ, Pat Miller of Art on the Avenue, Anthony Istrico of Istrico Productions LLC, Sue Kovalsky of Jen Walker Real Estate, citizen member Gayle Reuter, and Brian Story of AXA Advisors, LLC on the board.

The Del Ray Business Association represents the independently owned restaurants, retailers and businesses in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria. DRBA also hosts community events, including First Thursdays, Taste of Del Ray, The Del Ray Halloween Parade, The Alexandria Turkey Trot and more. For more information, visit www.visitdelray.com.

PHOTO of Dennis Belmont courtesy of DRBA