In a day and age when longtime devotion to a business or organization seems to be less and less common, there are those who remain fiercely loyal.

Ira Argricola, executive vice president for government affairs for the Hampton Roads Chamber, has demonstrated such loyalty, and after 39 years with the Chamber he will retire at the end of July.

Agricola’s grandparents moved to the region from St. Louis, Missouri, during World War II to work in the shipyard in support of the war effort. Agricola, 66, was born in Portsmouth.

The semester before he graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in community services, Agricola returned to the city by the water to work in municipal government while completing his degree.

Five and a half years later, he made a fateful connection.

“The city was applying for ‘All American City’ honors, and I had a lot of interaction with the chamber director, Jim Dunn, who recruited me to work at the Portsmouth Chamber,” Agricola said of his start with the organization in 1981.

In 1984, when the five cities on the Southside merged to create the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, Agricola took on his role overseeing the executive directors for each division.

Responsible for the chamber’s public policy initiatives — on a local, state and federal level — Agricola often found himself deep in research, engaging members and elected officials and helping to organize chamber efforts.

He received a graduate level certificate from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute of Organization Management at the University of Delaware after completion of the six-year professional development course in 1989.

“It’s basically chamber school,” he said. “It was designed to prepare you to run any type of organization.”

While the pandemic was not a factor in Agricola’s retirement, he said it has strengthened his faith and demonstrated the critical importance of family and friends in his daily life.

As he steps down from his post and readies his successors, Emily Hasty and Tage Counts, Agricola took time to answer some questions for Inside Business. Some of Agricola’s replies were edited.

Q: What was it like to work for the same organization for almost four decades?

A: While I worked for the same organization for nearly 40 years, in many ways the organization and the legislative environment evolved so much year over year that the personal challenge was always there.

Q: What motivated you to continue the work you did?

A: Many years ago a consultant I was working with said to me that “You are so fortunate to work in an organization that gets to do so much good every day.” … That sums up my motivation.

Q: How has the Hampton Roads region changed and grown through the years?

A: My sense is that the Hampton Roads region has become much more of a cohesive metro area over the years. Several decades ago, interaction between the Peninsula and Southside was very limited. Now there are regional organizations that serve the entire area, and there is essentially one market. The merger of our metropolitan statistical area and the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, as well as efforts from the chamber to work collaboratively, has been a unifying factor.

Q: What do you love most about living, working and playing in Hampton Roads?

A: I enjoy living in a region that has the Atlantic Ocean, Chesapeake Bay and countless natural areas to explore. Colonial Williamsburg is one of my favorite places to visit.

Q: I’m sure your work allowed you to rub elbows with a lot of the movers and shakers in the region. Who are some of those players; and on the flipside, who are individuals who may not have gotten the credit they deserved?

A: Aubrey Layne, Virginia Secretary of Finance, and I went through the first class of LEAD Hampton Roads together. I believe he has been an incredible leader for our state. Bill Ward, late mayor of Chesapeake, was also a role model throughout the years. Years ago, while preparing for a military homecoming celebration for troops returning from Desert Storm, the mayor learned that the featured performer, Charlie Daniels Band, used a divisive flag as a backdrop. The mayor said he was the mayor for all of the people in Chesapeake and the flag was quietly replaced with an American flag.

Q: You were known as the “Voice of Business in Hampton Roads.” How did you handle the weight of that responsibility?

A: A simple rule I followed through the years was answering the question; what is in the best interest of our members? Being the “Voice of Business” means representing and providing a voice to businesses large and small throughout our region.

Q: What was it like covering Virginia’s General Assembly each year and relocating to Richmond during the sessions?

A: As part of the job I lived in hotel rooms for much of the 45 or 60 days of the Virginia Legislative session each year. My spouse, Belinda, is the director of retail banking for TowneBank, so I returned each weekend and reunited with family. While there was some sacrifice, I always put it in perspective with those who deploy with our military — so being able to return home each week was a blessing!

Q: What are some of the issues that you advocated for on the local, state and federal level throughout the years?

A: Federal: Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC). During my career, I worked on three of these. At various junctures, it required me to spend time in Washington. Our region’s economy is heavily dependent on Department of Defense spending; 42% of our regional G.D.P. Several of our bases, like the Norfolk Naval Shipyard and Oceana Naval Air Station, were slated for closure. The chamber along with congressional representatives and city officials worked collaboratively to save our federal facilities.

State: The chamber worked on a long-term sustainable source of transportation funding for more than a decade. We supported a number of solutions, like a regional sales tax that was defeated in a referendum. Ultimately, the General Assembly passed a regional gas tax for Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia that has allowed us to build out our surface transportation network.

Local: In Virginia Beach, I lobbied successfully for public–private partnerships, including the Virginia Beach Town Center, the 31st Street Hilton with Neptune Park, and Sandbridge sand replenishment.

Q: What role did you play in the establishment of Virginia Beach’s Town Center? In what ways did you see this as an important economic boost for the city?

A: While subsequent phases of Virginia Beach’s Town Center have not been controversial, phase I endured a contentious approval process. The chamber and the Central Business Association were the primary groups supporting the plan to develop Town Center as a public–private partnership and special tax district. The successful development of Town Center as a quality destination to shop, be entertained, live and work was an absolute “game changer” in Virginia Beach. It is an asset for citizens and visitors alike.

Q: How would the advice you give local businesses be different today than it was at the start of your career?

A: At the beginning of my career, many businesses encouraged their employees to serve on committees and get involved in their chamber. As pressures on time have evolved, there is more of an emphasis on quality engagement. The chamber has adjusted to provide all levels of engagement, from just attending an event occasionally to participating in virtual training to serving on a board. My advice is to choose the level of engagement you are comfortable with and to have fun with it!

Q: What led you to start the Patriotic Festival? What do you enjoy most about being involved with the festival?

A: Almost 17 years ago I was one of several individuals, including the late Thom Wilson, husband of Virginia Beach City councilwoman Rosemary Wilson, who developed the festival after the city approached the Chamber to consider an event that would help rebuild the city’s image as a military friendly community. It came following the two-year, divisive BRAC process that almost closed Oceana Naval Air Station.

The festival, which honors our men and women in uniform with nightly concerts by top country artists, has grown throughout the years — a recent study reflected a $23 million economic impact. I enjoy the excitement of bringing great national entertainment to our region, building significant economic success and in providing over $200,000 worth of free tickets to the military in our region each year.

Q: What are your retirement plans?

A: I look forward to chairing the VB Patriotic Festival, traveling, spending time in the Outer Banks at our family cottage and seeing my very special granddaughter, 7-month-old Emma Anne, as often as possible. I am a very blessed man to have enjoyed such a long career and the chamber will always be an important part of who I am.

Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-222-5356, sandra.pennecke@insidebiz.com

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