SUPERPOWER: Seeing other people’s strengths
President and General Manager of Agritourism, Orr’s Farm Market
For Katy Orr-Dove, some of her sweetest childhood memories were from her family’s 1,100-acre farm. She remembers many adventures with her cousins across the farm, like having a cherry pit–spitting contest with staffers on their break, but she also fondly recalls her time helping with the daily operations, too.
As one of the older of the nine cousins, she says she always felt a sense of responsibility and pride for the family business. Her family never pushed her to go into farming; instead, they left her to find the right path for herself. She decided initially to pursue a career as a kindergarten teacher, but she later realized her true calling was to share not only the farm’s produce but also the story of her family’s farm.
Orr-Dove is now part of the third-generation family business, serving as president and general manager of agritourism. She oversees operations at the Martinsburg farm as well as at the new satellite location in Shenandoah Junction. Although she had to equip herself with the business knowledge needed for the endeavor, her background as a teacher has helped her in some unexpected ways. She helps teach and train the new staff members, many of whom are teenagers, each season. The farm also offers seasonal field trips for area youth, and a summer camp is a possible future opportunity.
Family and relationships are the connective threads that bind all operations of the farm, including the guests. “I love the relationships we form with our staff and our guests,” she says. “I love when people tell me this place is different than any place they’ve ever been. The world can be a very stressful place, so I want to create that atmosphere for families to relax and unwind by spending quality family time together.” Eventually, Orr-Dove hopes to incorporate another of her passions into her work by adding a trail riding business into the farm’s tourism offerings.
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