Our Mission
We believe in giving back We believe in standing together We believe that “we RISE by lifting others”
How We Got Started
Rise & Grow is a total heart venture for Proximo Marketing’s President and Vice President, Courtney Riley and Erica Bradley. It offers the duo an opportunity to do what they are truly called to do…help others, and not just those that “can afford it,” but those that need it. Together, the pair started Rise and Grow to make BIG differences by providing funding for small businesses.
Low quality services and intimidating prices stop NOW!
About Rise & Grow
Rise & Grow is a 501c3 nonprofit organization created to provide marketing grants to businesses and non-profits that have been adversely affected by crisis of some sort. Rise & Grow is here to change the way business is done for start-ups, small businesses, nonprofits and struggling companies.
Our Partners
In order to make our vision of providing quality marketing services to small businesses come true, we have partnered with exceptional companies.
Proximo Marketing Strategies is a full-service digital marketing agency in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Originally designed to act as a marketing partner, combating the stress of hiring internal marketing professionals or departments, Proximo is now a leader in strategic marketing. The team of professionals at Proximo are knowledgeable across multiple facets of marketing and take a hands-on approach to give clients the best of the best.
PB&J Marcomm is a strategic marketing agency with a focus on finding solutions to make non-profits successful and sustainable in the long-term fulfillment of their mission. They accomplish this through a solid infrastructure for fundraising; identifying everyone’s roles in the culture of philanthropy; and creating an actionable development plan.
Join our team and become a partner today!
Meet our Board of Advisors
Erica Bradley
Courtney Riley
Mildred “Nany” Gonzalez
Deanna Kimrey
Todd Meigs
Erica Bradley
Erica is the Executive Director of Rise & Grow and specializes in client relations, team management and quality control. Erica is the Vice President of Proximo Marketing Strategies and is a Treatment Coordinator at Norge Dental Center. She serves as the Committee Chair for the March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction, is a Board member of the Kiwanis Club of Toano and a member of the Peninsula Women’s Network. Erica is currently furthering her education as a full time student at Liberty University. Born and raised in Williamsburg VA, Erica owns a home in the Toano area with her sweet furbaby kitty, Tessa Jane. She attributes her success to God and her strong faith in Christ, and is dedicated to fulfilling His will for her life.
Courtney Riley
Courtney is the Vice President of Rise & Grow and the owner of Proximo Marketing Strategies, an international digital marketing firm based out of Yorktown, Virginia. Courtney also works as adjunct faculty at Thomas Nelson Community College, educating students on best practices for marketing in the 21st century.
In early 2017, Courtney helped to launch her second company, Cowork Gloucester VA, a business incubator created for entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses to work together in an environment that fosters community, productivity and creativity. Cowork members benefit from mentorship, education and exclusive resources, geared toward business growth.
In late 2017, Courtney took a position with a thriving dental practice, as the Acquisitions Executive. Alongside the doctor and board of advisors, Courtney works to research, purchase and develop dental practices throughout the Tidewater area, with plans to venture out of state in the future. Courtney uses her dental background and marketing experience, to duplicate successful systems and strategies at these new practices, ensuring they swiftly reach optimum performance.
In 2018, she partnered with two colleagues, to also launch the first childcare coworking space in Virginia, Balance Space Coworking LLC.
Recently named one of Hampton Roads’ “Top 40 Under 40” & “Hampton Roads’ 2016 Woman of Excellence,” Courtney is determined to change our world!
She has recently co-authored a book titled, Brass Ovaries: Own Yours, which features a collection of interview- style stories from highly respected women of diverse generations, industries, and backgrounds, from across the U.S. The book is inspired, like many of Courtney’s endeavors, by a passion to empower other professional women to “Own Their Brass,” and rise above the fears that hold them back from fulfilling their purposes.
Courtney serves on the boards of several non-profit organizations including but not limited to; Kiwanis, Peninsula Women’s Network and March of Dimes, and speaks Internationally on topics such as Social Media Marketing, and other platforms that serve these organizations as a catalyst for growth. She is the proud parent of a gifted baseball player and a 3-month-old baby girl, and married to the love of her life. Courtney is passionate about empowering individuals to find balance between family and the entrepreneurial life, and attributes her own personal and professional success to her faith in Christ!
Mildred “Nany” Gonzalez
Nany is the Treasurer for Rise & Grow as well as, the owner of MOR Consulting Services. After working in the Nonprofit world for a few years, she decided to launch on her own and share with others what she has learned along the way in the areas of business development, management, accounting, taxation, human resources and inventory systems.
Gonzalez holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Accounting, in addition to various professional certifications and accreditations.
Deanna Kimrey
Deanna is a Board Member at Large of Rise & Grow and the Relationship Manager for BayPort Credit Union, DeAnna also serves as: Committee Chair for the March of Dimes Signature Chef’s Auction, helping to raise almost $200k over the last eight years, the President-Elect for the Kiwanis Club of Toano, Treasurer for Peninsula Women’s Network and she is one of the founders of BLING (Business Ladies of Industry Networking Group). She always says that her passions are Business and Babies!
Todd Meigs
Todd is originally from Trussville, Alabama and after tours in the Air Force and as a government civilian, he settled in the Hampton Roads area in 2002. Currently, aside from Rise, he manages a program within an Air Force Wing with over 1,000 personnel in 17 different units spread across the globe and ensures the units assigned to it follow doctrine, manages their resources properly and advocates for them when they aren’t resourced properly.
When not working for Rise or the Air Force, he owns two businesses of his own in transportation and photography. He lives in Yorktown and has been to 42 different countries and has been to every state at least once.
