The Roanoker - January/February 2021 - 34

40 UNDER 40

Michael Shelton, 36

Beth Simms, 33

Nathaniel Sloan, 32

Devon Rood Slovensky, 35

Owner/Financial Planner,
360 Financial Solutions

Cultural and Economic Development
Director, Town of Rocky Mount

Owner/Executive Chef,
bloom | restaurant & wine-bar

Owner/Attorney, Slovensky Law PLLC

" I love the charm of Roanoke. "
Michael Shelton is an Iraqi
Freedom War veteran, actively
participating in various
veterans' organizations.
He has grown his company
ten-fold over the past three
years, with offices in Roanoke,
Lynchburg, Bethesda, MD and
Charleston, SC. Most recently,
he developed a landmark AI
resource enabling business
owners to stream financials in
the medical, construction and
real estate sectors. He received
the prestigious Chartered
Retirement Planning Counselor
designation from the College
for Financial Planning and
holds the Registered Financial
Consultant credential. He
also founded the Brambleton
Area Business Association in
2015 and served as President,
facilitating monthly meetings for
economic development leaders,
law enforcement personnel,
business owners, politicians and
community service groups. " I'm
passionate about influencing
people to go outside the norm.
This is reflected in my leadership
style and choices in the business
and community, " he says. " ...I've
worked hard to bring people
together on collaborate projects
to encourage that rising tide for
all to enjoy. "
*	 VWCC Curriculum Advisory
Committee
*	 Roanoke Small Business
Veteran of the Year, 2017
*	 Financial Officer, American
Legion, 2016-2017
*	 Strategic Planning Committee,
Roanoke County Police
Department, 2017

34 JAN/FEB 2021

" Rocky Mount [is] the hottest
small town in Virginia's Blue
Ridge region. "
A Henry, Virginia native, Beth
Simms earned her degree in
History from Ferrum College
in 2009. She volunteered at
the Harvester Performance
Center before assuming her
current position, impressing
local business owners with her
enthusiasm and ability to make
things happen in her community.
Simms was instrumental in
creating a $5,000 grant from
the Reset Rocky Mount Small
Business Grant Town's allocation
of the CARES Act; grants
went towards marketing, rent,
utilities, employee training or
inventory for local businesses.
From constant visits to check
in and support businesses and
sharing social media images at
the farmers market to creating
a Sidewalk Sell Day, Simms is
heralded by the community
for her ability to focus on both
the big and small picture at
the same time. " I'm a native of
Franklin County with a diverse
background, and I look at all the
angles, " Simms says. " My passion
ensures that I won't give up on
projects and that I get them done
right. I have an obsession with
figuring out new ways to make
things better and I hope that it
has kindled an enthusiasm for
our town! "
*	 Member of Ferrum College's
Alumni Board of Directors
*	 2017 alumni of the E.A. Morris
Fellowship for Emerging
Leaders program

" [I love] Roanoke's innate
respect for community and its
abundance of nature. "
Born and raised on Ojai Farm,
an organic standard practicing
vegetable farm in Ferrum,
Nathaniel Sloan grew up raising,
harvesting and preserving food,
a practice he continues today.
Sloan's passion for quality, local
food pairs with his belief that food
and community go hand in hand,
creating his restaurant as a space
where people can gather and
share. Sloan plays an integral part
of the Wasena neighborhood's
rebuild and growth, working with
other businesses to promote the
area and encourage community
events such as Black Lives
Matter. He works closely with
nonprofit organizations like The
Humble Hustle, Music Lab at the
Jefferson Center and the Latino
Community Foundation, and
participated in the " Take-Out
Hunger " campaign last summer.
His experience in the industry
distinguishes him as a leader in
the region for accessing fresh
ingredients, helping many farms
become established staples.
" The community of Roanoke
inspires me to create and
provide a hospitality experience
that nourishes not only the
guests that enter one of our
establishments, " Sloan says, " but
also one that further supports
our local community as a result of
ingredient purchasing/sourcing,
the promotion of overall wellness
and the advancement of equality. "
*	 Platinum, Best New Restaurant,
Roanoker Magazine, 2020
*	 Featured on " Man Fire Food "
Season 6, Episode 2, " Swine
Dining "

" The Star City has always had
my heart...we have the best of
everything in this friendly city. "
Devon Rood Slovensky's small
family law firm grew from a
solo practice into a small firm
with an associate, paralegal and
two assistants. She received the
2017 Pegasus Scholarship from
the American Inns of Court as
one of two American attorneys
chosen to represent the group in
London, England, and litigated
Madrid v. Robinson, the first
case in the Western District
of Virginia to enforce an I-864
immigration affidavit of support.
Slovensky is a member of the
Ted Dalton American Inn of
Court and served as president
of the Roanoke Chapter of the
Virginia Women Attorneys
Association in 2015-16. She was
awarded the 2020 Women of
Achievement by the Girl Scouts
of Virginia Skyline, and in 2019
was named the Roanoke Bar
Association Lawyer of the Year.
She was appointed to the Virginia
Star Bar Special Committee on
Access to Legal Services, and is
also a Supreme Court of Virginia
certified guardian ad litem for
incapacitated adults. " As a family
lawyer, I work with a lot of people
going through some of the most
dramatic experiences of their
lives-good and bad, " Slovensky
says. " ... My firm illuminates the
path for our clients going through
these challenges and helps them
navigate a sometimes seemingly
arcane system. I love helping
people through these life changes
and reach a new equilibrium. "
*	 Earned B.A. in Economics and
American Politics, UVA
*	 Earned J.D., George Mason
University

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The Roanoker - January/February 2021

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