The Arlington Chamber is pleased to announce that Robert Hawthorne, Lola C. Reinsch, and the late Bert Johnson will be will be inducted into the Arlington Business Hall of Fame at the 37th Annual Arlington Best Business Awards. The Arlington Business Hall of Fame honors individuals with a connection to Arlington County who have demonstrated a long record of successful management expertise and business skills, along with notable achievements, and exceptional civic and community involvement.

“We are proud to induct three outstanding Arlington business leaders this year into the Arlington Business Hall of Fame," said Kate Bates, Arlington Chamber President & CEO. "Bob, Lola, and Bert are each an important part of the Arlington legacy. Each of their accomplishments, support, and advocacy for local business have shaped Arlington into the community that it is today."

Robert "Bob" Hawthorne was born and raised in the Westover community of Arlington County in 1948. In 1971, he graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in Business Management and began his banking career in 1971 at the Clarendon Bank and Trust in Arlington which later was merged into First American Bank of Virginia. He later graduated from the Stonier Graduate School of Banking and the Wharton Executive Management Program and was a First Lt. and member of the US Army Reserves from 1968 to 1974.

In 1992, Bob joined George Mason Bank which later merged into United Bank. During his career as a commercial lender, Bob facilitated loans in excess of one billion dollars to local businesses and real estate projects. When he retired in 2021, he held the position of Market President for Arlington and Alexandria. Throughout his career, it was important for Bob to participate in the growth of his community. He loves to speak about the joy of watching Arlington grow responsibly over the last 50 years and has helped numerous companies grow, aiding in good economies and bad, and mentored many young bankers through the years. Some of Robert's community commitments included serving on the Board of many organizations such as the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, Arlington Community Foundation, Northern Virginia Chamber, Washington Performing Arts Center, and more. He also helped to start the organization Medical Care for Children and was instrumental to the founding of Leadership Arlington, now Leadership Center for Excellence.

Lola C. Reinsch is a native is Arlington Virginia and is the President Owner and CEO of the Reinsch Companies. She is also the owner and manager of rental apartment communities and developer of real estate entities in Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida. After graduating from Purdue University, Lola held leadership roles in human resources, the fashion industry, and national and real estate marketing with B.F. Goodrich, IBM, The Singer Company, Memorex Corporation, and Coldwell Banker Commercial Brokers. She subsequently joined her family venture, the Reinsch Companies, where she eventually became owner, President/CEO.

Lola continues a longstanding legacy of community involvement and philanthropy, begun in the 1960s by her parents, Emerson G. and Dolores G. Reinsch. She is an avid supporter and patron of healthcare, education, and the arts, for many years supporting an Alzheimer’s cure, National Capital Treatment & Recovery, Red Cross, and local hospitals and universities, including George Mason and Georgia Tech. Her support of the arts includes the McLean Project for the Arts, Museum of Contemporary Arts Arlington, the Smithsonian, as well as theatres, including: Arena Stage, Ford’s, National, Signature, Studio, Synetic, and 1st Stage. Most recently, Lola directed multi-year, multi-million-dollar donations to capital campaigns on behalf of Marymount University, INOVA, and VHC Health. Lola also assisted with the naming of the Outpatient Pavilion & Reinsch Center for Breast Health at VHC Health, the funding of Inova Hospital's Cardiomyopathy Program, funding of the McLean Project for the Arts future Arts & Education Center, and much more. She is also involved in several Boards including Arlington Community Foundation, Inova Health Foundation, Marymount University, Northern Virginia Apartment Association, VHC Health, and various banks. 

Bert Johnson (1915-1992) served as the Arlington County Manager from 1962 to 1976. Prior to his role as the Arlington County Manager, Bert served in the Navy in the Pacific in World War II, taught political science at Northwestern University, and was city manager in Boulder, Colorado, Evanston, Illinois, and Lebanon, Montana. During his time as the Arlington County Manager, his training and experience in finance and budgeting were invaluable in a jurisdiction where residents were demanding more and better services. The development of Rosslyn as an office center and the construction of the Metro subway system began during his tenure. During this time, Bert was also appointed by President Nixon to serve on the Advisory Committee on the Intergovernmental Policy.

After he retired in 1976, he became a consultant to the Committee of Economic Development of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. Civil Service Commission, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the State Department and the government of the Virgin Islands. Bert was also an adjunct professor of government at American University.

Bert Johnson, Robert Hawthorne, and Lola C. Reinch will each be inducted into the Arlington Business Hall of Fame at the 37th Annual Arlington Business Awards on May 16, 2023. For tickets or additional information, visit arlingtonchamber.org/events or call (703) 525-2400.