Pan Asia Resources

The meaning of Vidya in Sanskrit is knowledge, but many more adjectives sprang to my mind during this interview. Vidya to me came across as a highly passionate, principled, strong and fiercely independent woman. She is a remarkable dancer who has been blessed by some legendary teachers in the world of Bharatanatyam. Here are some snippets our very interesting conversation. Please tell me how you came up with the name Brihadisha for your dance school? Brihadisha is the primary idol in the Tanjore temple. Tanjore is where my Guru hails from, and where I learned Bharatanatyam. I relate Tanjore to my Guru, Shri K.P. Kittappa Pillai. His family was settled in Tanjore for several years, and were patronized by the Maratha King Sarfoji. I spent most of my summer holidays learning dance at my guru’s home. It was a second home to me. My guru’s ancestors have written several compositions on Brihadisha. To me, Brihadisha and Tanjore are synonymous to each other so I felt it was apt to n...

Loudoun Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization whose mission is to create safe and affordable housing for residents in Loudoun County. We sat down with its Director of Resource Development, Kari Murphy and got her insights into how the program works, how you can contribute and the impact it has on the community. Kari, could you tell us about yourself, and what you do at Loudoun Habitat for Humanity? I am the Director of Resource Development for Loudoun Habitat for Humanity. I am also a wife and mother of two wonderful boys. I grew up in the mid-west in a small town. I mention this because what I love about serving the community through my job was learned by growing up in a tiny mid-western town. In my hometown, individuals supported each other and the local business within the community. I saw an outpouring of support and assistance within the community all throughout my childhood. I love that I am now able to practice that in my profession on a day-to-day bas...

I t’s not every day that you meet a successful, grounded entrepreneur who is always ready to help the community and other entrepreneurs grow. So, I am really happy and excited to be meeting Gladys Burke, owner of ADJ Enterprises and getting to talk to her about her entrepreneurial journey. Tell me about ADJ Enterprises and your entrepreneurial work here? That is interesting what got me started. It goes two-fold. One is when I had my first child and fell in absolute love with him and being a mom. I was new to the area and didn’t know anyone here. So I wanted to do something that would allow me to take care of him myself. The flexibility of managing your time by having your own business appealed to me. Family is my utmost priority. Also, at that point I was trying to break into broadcasting and journalism. I faced some difficulty here from a race relations standpoint for opportunities. I decided I am never going to let one person determine my destiny. And that is why I...

March is Women’s History Month. Pan Asia Resources decided to take this time to interview some of Loudoun County’s most influential women. For one of our first interviews, we got to sit down with Loudoun Economic Development’s Small Business & Entrepreneurial Manager, Vanessa Wagner, to discuss her role with Loudoun Small Biz, how she got here and her thoughts on women-owned small businesses.   We love the title you have on your LinkedIn profile – Entrepreneurship Advocate/Startup Catalyst – Can you tell us more about what you do? I focus on supporting small businesses and growing the entrepreneur ecosystem in Loudoun  County. It is all about providing the right resources at the right time. This includes providing programs, business introductions, referrals, investment opportunities and working with partner organizations. If an opportunity does not exist, we (Loudoun Economic Development) try to create it. My overarching mission at Loudoun Economic ...