The GJBeat

Justin left his lucrative career in the financial industry following a passion to co-found Noke Van Co in Roanoke. It started small with explosive growth in a very short time. His vans are a dream for anyone who loves adventure. In 2023, Noke Van Co. won the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce's New Small Business of the Year Award. Justin and wife Keri are now jumping the endless hurdles to pursue their other dream of opening the doors to Fishburn P...

Molly Bullington finally made it here for an excellent conversation. She tells of how she gained ownership of Blue Ridge Racing which is the management company for Roanoke's largest running events. She has likely given you a high five at the finish of the Blue Ridge Marathon, Salem Half Marathon, The Drumstick Dash or others. Charleston, SC is her birthplace making it to Roanoke as an engineering graduate from Virginia Tech. She found her career passion elsewhere and...

This is the first official repeat guest on the GJBeat. Matt's life turned upside down in early 2022 and he was instantly thrown into the local spotlight. Since the cycling death of his wife, Tabatha, life has changed in so many difficult yet positive ways. Matt left his career to pursue ownership of Fleet Feet Roanoke which finalized in late 2022 while also fighting grueling court battles until recently. His honesty is refreshingly brutal and unedited giving a real ins...

Carrie Cousins is a writer, designer and marketer in Roanoke with a strong bond to the region and its growth. Having worked in media, marketing, and education, she's passionate about seeing people here grow and thrive. She's currently the Director of Digital Marketing for LeadPoint Digital and an adjunct professor at Virginia Tech and 4x marathoner. The conversation starts with the outdoors and running -- viva Las Vegas! -- and moves into marketing, AI, and back to running again.

Third time's a charm for Kat Van Orden(we hope!). She is a self proclaimed newbie of trail running while showing the results of a seasoned champ. Kat got the victory at the 2023 Frozen Toe trail race immediately followed up by an injury she is very familiar with. She now navigates coming back from not one, not two but three ACL reconstruction surgeries at the age of 25. But she isn't letting it diminish her optimistic outlook. She's a coach, fitness addict and ...