Ukrops Scout Downtown Address

The senior Ukrop brother, chairman of Ukrop’s Super Markets Inc. and First Market Bank, is no stranger to putting his money where his mouth is. Few local business leaders have invested as much in the city’s future. He serves on myriad community boards, yet the avid golfer and William & Mary alumnus is most recognized for his spirited drive to see downtown thrive.

He serves as chairman of the Virginia Performing Arts Foundation and the Richmond Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau. He’s vice chairman of the Virginia High Speed Rail Development Committee and works tirelessly with Richmond Renaissance. He also serves on the boards of the Coalition for a Greater Richmond and the Council for America’s First Freedom. In July Style named Ukrop the third most powerful person in Richmond.

As for giving up their Windsor Farms home, the Ukrops think the trade-off is worth it. “We’re tired of raking leaves,” he says. Ukrop says that as new urbanites, he and Bobby will be able to don their walking shoes, take in the town, then come home to “lots of amenities.”

“I think it’ll be a fun place to live,” he says of the downtown he envisions. Already the area holds his office and much of his business. And you know what they say about the place that holds your heart. “When I told [Bobby] we might only be in the house one more Christmas, she winked,” Ukrop says, thinking of home. — Brandon Walters

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