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BERRYVILLE, Va., Sept. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Bank of Clarke has announced the opening of a new retail branch at 1313 Dolley Madison Boulevard, Suite 100, in McLean, VA. This is the Bank's first full-service branch in Fairfax County, and the second branch it has opened since 2022.

"Bank of Clarke is focused on pursuing prudent growth while remaining an independent community bank," said Brandon Lorey, President and CEO of Bank of Clarke. "Opening this branch will give us the opportunity to expand strategically and deliver our distinctive brand of community banking to Fairfax County."

Since 2021, the Bank has operated a Loan Production Office on Greensboro Drive in Tysons Corner focused on commercial loans; that team, led by Alex Saidii, is now based at the Dolley Madison location. The new branch offers the full suite of retail and business banking, lending, and wealth management solutions offered at the Bank's other locations. Seasoned banker Sunbo Lagbaja serves as the branch manager.

"The success of the Tyson's commercial team has created demand for a retail branch in the area," said Joe Zmitrovich, President and Chief Banking Officer. "We are excited to enhance our support for the local community through this broader presence."

About Bank of Clarke

Founded on April 1, 1881, Bank of Clarke now operates 15 full-service branches, one loan production office, a wealth management office, and one drive-through only facility. The main office is located at 2 East Main Street in Berryville, Virginia, with additional offices in greater Clarke County, Frederick County, Fauquier County, Loudoun County, Fairfax County, and the City of Winchester, VA, as well as an office in Frederick, Maryland. Eagle Financial Services, Inc., the Bank's holding company, has traded on Nasdaq under EFSI since February 2025.

Bank of Clarke's mission is to be a trusted partner in the communities it serves, providing financial solutions to help people achieve their financial goals at every life stage. The bank aims to build lifelong relationships with customers, employees, shareholders, and communities, maintaining its status as a high-performing, independent community bank that offers best-in-class technology, products, and services. For more information, visit www.bankofclarke.bank.

SOURCE Bank of Clarke

Bank of Clarke is opening its new branch at 1313 Dolley Madison Boulevard, Suite 100, in McLean, VA in September 2025.

The new branch will offer a full suite of retail and business banking, lending, and wealth management solutions, consistent with other Bank of Clarke locations.

The McLean location is the second branch that Bank of Clarke has opened since 2022.

Bank of Clarke previously operated a Loan Production Office in Tysons Corner focused on commercial loans since 2021, which has now been integrated into the new McLean branch.

A Boy Scouts of America troop leader from McLean, Virginia, says he owes his life to his troop after they saved him during a bike ride on March 30.

Laurent Lee, 59, joined a group of Scouts, other leaders and parents for a bike ride in Lorton as part of the Cycling Merit Badge.

The first part of the ride felt like any other fun outing for Boy Scout Troop 1916. The group rode the trails near Laurel Hill Park, even stopping to see the old Lorton Reformatory and pose for photos from the guard tower.

“It was a very fun ride,” said Verena Biesold, who was on the ride with her 13-year-old son, Raphael Loosen.

But when they reached the 3-mile mark of the 5-mile ride near Furnace Road, elation turned to terror.

Lee, who was riding with his son, stopped to check something on his son’s bike chain. The last thing he remembers is leaning over to look at it.

“Then, that’s when I fell over. After that, just everything (went) dark,” Lee said.

He had gone into cardiac arrest.

Scouts jump into action

Douglas Johnson, the troop’s chartered organization representative who organized the ride, said at first he thought Lee had simply tripped on his bike pedals. But when he got closer, he realized Lee was unconscious.

“One of our parents on the ride took a pulse and wasn’t able to detect any pulse whatsoever,” Johnson said.

As his mother called 911, Raphael stepped in, using CPR training he’d learned in school just days earlier.

“I said, ‘I got this,’ because I learned it like a week before that,” Raphael recalled.

Scout leaders then rotated in. Among them was Nori Yoshimizu, who, like Raphael, had also gotten CPR certified just days before.

“I did CPR for a while, and I got too tired. Then Doug went for a while, and I came back and did some more,” Yoshimizu said.

As this was happening, Nori’s son Avi pulled Laurent’s son, Davin, aside to comfort him.

“I just brought him over to the side and said, ‘It’ll be OK,’” Avi said. “Your dad’s going to be fine.”

Davin said he remembers being in shock as he watched his father on the ground and his troop working to save him.

“I felt sort of numb, like really, really numb,” Davin said. “I had a lot of faith that dad was going to be OK.”

Biesold kept her phone on speaker so dispatchers could guide them through CPR.

“I thought he was dead. He looked to me like he was gone,” she said.

Dispatchers gave instructions as the troop worked to revive Lee.

After nine minutes, the ambulance arrived. EMTs began their work, and before they left, they gave the troop a glimmer of hope.

“They came over and said to us just before they left, ‘He has a pulse and he’s breathing normally,’” Johnson said.

‘It’s so surreal’

After several days in the hospital, including time spent in the ICU, Laurent miraculously made a full recovery. He credits several factors: the troop’s quick action, the fact that he collapsed near a road and not deep in the woods, and that he was wearing a helmet when he fell. He also praised the first responders and medical staff at Inova Hospital for bringing him back — what his son Davin now calls “Dad 2.0.”

“Talk about all the stars lining up for me to survive this! It’s just every single thing,” Laurent said.

Six months later, the troop returned to Laurel Hill Park.

Davin said he’s thankful for the group of Scout leaders and parents, especially his fellow Scouts, Raphael and Avi.

“We’re just really thankful to the Scouts for saving dad,” Davin said.

Standing near the spot where he collapsed, Laurent thanked the group he calls his guardian angels who lived up to the Scout motto: Be prepared.

“Without them, of course, I wouldn’t be here,” he said.

He said there’s now an even deeper bond between his family and this group.

“I can never repay the team here who saved me. … I hope I get an opportunity to help others like this,” Laurent said.

After his heart attack, doctors told Laurent he had a 90% blockage in one of his arteries — something he said could have been caught earlier if he’d paid closer attention to his health.

“That’s one of the key messages that I have for everyone: Get checked, stay on top (of your health) and never take anything for granted,” he said.

He also plans to get CPR certified himself so he can be ready to help someone else.

“So that we can all jump in there (during) those critical early minutes,” Laurent said.

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Sweetgreen is officially cruising into Chesterbrook Shopping Center in McLean, and it’s bringing a beach-inspired Mexican restaurant from D.C. along for the ride.

The fast-casual health food chain anticipates opening at 6220 Old Dominion Drive this fall. The 2,571-square-foot restaurant will be joined in the free-standing, former Truist Bank building by Surfside, which is expanding into Virginia for the first time.

Sweetgreen’s plans for a Chesterbrook location first emerged late last year, when the business reached out to Fairfax County’s Zoning Office, seeking to confirm whether it could use the vacant bank building’s drive-thru aisle as a pick-up lane for customers.

However, shopping center owner Federal Realty didn’t confirm the lease signing until today (Thursday).

“We’re excited to plant roots in McLean and bring our fresh, seasonal menu to the Chesterbrook Shopping Center,” Sweetgreen co-founder and CEO Jonathan Neman said in a press release. “As we grow across the D.C. region, this new location brings us one step closer to our mission of connecting more communities to craveable, real food — sourced directly from farmers we know and trust. We can’t wait to welcome McLean locals through our doors.”

Neman opened the first Sweetgreen on Aug. 1, 2007 in D.C. with two friends from college, just a couple of months after they graduated. The trio wanted to “reimagine fast food” by providing both convenience and healthy, quality meals, serving salads, protein plates and rice and grain bowls.

The chain has since expanded nationwide with more than 250 locations, including 12 in Northern Virginia. In Fairfax County, it can be found at Reston Town Center, the Mosaic District in Merrifield, Tysons Galleria and, as of April 1, Fairfax Corner.

Surfside, on the other hand, is making its first foray into Virginia after launching in 2008 with a storefront at D.C.’s Grover Park neighborhood. Though that location closed in 2019, the business now has a full-service restaurant in Tenleytown, taco stands at Dupont Circle and the Wharf, and an expansion in Nantucket, Massachusetts.

Owned by Georgetown Events restauranteur Bo Blair, Surfside serves a variety of Tex-Mex food with flavors and an ambiance that evokes a beachside getaway, according to Federal Realty:

Surfside, a beloved fast-casual restaurant founded in DC fifteen years ago and known for its laid-back, beach-inspired vibe, is bringing its fresh flavors to Virginia for the first time at Chesterbrook! The menu features tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, and burritos named after iconic islands and coastal towns like Cozumel, Port Antonio, Malibu, and Martha’s Vineyard. Guests can enjoy frozen and tropical cocktails on tap — including margaritas and sangria — beneath a ceiling lined with vintage surfboards.

Perfect for busy weeknights or casual gatherings, Surfside also offers generous family-style fajita boxes to-go, packed with grilled meats, peppers, rice, tortillas, and all the fixings.

Federal Realty didn’t provide a potential opening timeframe, but unlike Sweetgreen, Surfside doesn’t appear to have filed for construction permits yet, so its arrival likely isn’t imminent.

Chesterbrook Shopping Center has welcomed a number of new retail tenants over the past couple of years. The Maryland-based fashion boutique Sassanova was the most recent addition, opening the doors of its first Virginia location just last week (July 17).

The shopping center is also making progress on an $8.5 million renovation that has been in the works since fall 2022. Changes still to come in the months ahead include the installations of a second pollinator garden and new landscaping beds, asphalt repaving for the parking lot, a new look for the property’s pylon sign, and the addition of more seating and gathering spaces.