Lisa Smith at Pearson Smith Realty

As a resident of Northern Virginia for over 40 years, Lisa has seen the Route 50 corridor grow from horse farms and country stores to major shopping centers, office parks and master-planned communities. While attending George Mason University and working in a local pizza shop, she met Margaret Whiston, who ran a floral business in Vienna, Virginia, and she became her mentor.

Lisa knew she wanted to own her own business and she always appreciated the art of gardening and arranging flowers. Her business was soon launched, and she concentrated on weddings and high-end corporate accounts in Washington, D.C. While running that company for 21 years, she learned the importance of consistency, customer satisfaction, great service and referrals.

While Lisa was in the floral business, she initiated a 501C3 organization to give back to the local community. The Stone Ridge 5K Race for Education was born out of the desire to bring together the different communities along the Route 50 corridor that make up the Loudoun County area known as Dulles South. The 5K Race and 1K Fun Run were developed as a way to raise money and assist in funding the academic and athletic needs of new schools most affected by the growth throughout Dulles South. From 2005-2016, the race has donated over $250,000 to the local schools.

With the race in high gear, Lisa was approached by several home builders in the area about coming to work for them in sales. Since Lisa had a huge interest in remodeling, construction, decorating and buying real estate for investment, she thought it sounded like a perfect opportunity.