Susan Pilato Shares Insights on Business Design and the Future of ORF

Susan Pilato is the founding principal and CEO of PC&A Business Environments and founder of Mantra Inspired Furniture. Susan shared how her entrepreneurial vision has grown into a business focused on helping clients achieve their goals through thoughtful design, business growth and environmental responsibility.

PC&A is a woman-owned solutions provider that guides clients through every step of the process, from initial design concepts and furniture procurement to installation and ongoing facility maintenance. The goal is to create spaces that reflect each client’s brand and vision. The company also shares Rotary’s commitment to protecting the environment.

PC&A draws from hundreds of brands, services and curated products to find the best fit for each client. With no allegiance to a particular brand or pressure to meet sales quotas, the team can focus on what matters most: delivering the right solutions for each project.

Susan also highlighted the company’s commitment to sustainability through its “Earth to Table” vision, which promotes eco-friendly, solid wood furniture and thoughtful design choices that make a lasting environmental impact. PC&A continues to expand its reach across multiple states and industry sectors.

In addition to her work with PC&A, Susan serves as chair of the Norfolk Airport Authority Board of Commissioners. She provided an update on recent accomplishments and future plans for Norfolk International Airport (ORF). Recently completed projects include interior wayfinding improvements, a Customs and Border Protection Federal Inspection Station facility, and the Alpha Expansion.

Upcoming projects include a new aircraft observation area and playground, a consolidated TSA checkpoint, a new area for car rentals on site and new flooring. All this at a time when the air industry is looking for enhanced, safe and convenient international travel.

Thank you, Susan, for sharing your expertise, entrepreneurial spirit and insights into two important areas of our community: sustainable business design and the future of regional air travel.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Tracy Ashley

Rotarian Tracy Ashley moved from her family home near Washington, D.C. to Hampton Roads as an Old Dominion University freshman. She then built her post-college life here. She married Ron, a Norfolk police lieutenant, and they raised their two children in Suffolk’s Bennett’s Creek area.

Along the way, Tracy’s parents and brother also moved to Hampton Roads. Daughter Madison works in marketing for Stihl USA in Virginia Beach. Son Dylan is a train ride away in D.C. where directs industry relations for the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association. 

Tracy is executive director of the Lake Taylor Transitional Care Hospital Foundation. She joined the Rotary Club of Norfolk in October 2025. After working on the Peninsula for eight years, she “wanted to get involved in the community” on the southside.  Several professionals she knew recommended the Rotary Club of Norfolk. 

“I love it,” Tracy says of the club. “I like the people and the variety of speakers.” A bonus for her is getting to know different people when the club rotates luncheon table assignments. 

Tracy jumped right into Rotary volunteering last fall by helping build the club’s holiday parade float and walking in the downtown Norfolk parade. She also is a meeting greeter and on the club’s program committee. Beyond the club, Tracy serves on the board of the Peninsula SPCA. 

Tracy graduated from ODU with a marketing degree and uses it to help nonprofits do their best work. Her first role was helping the Muscular Dystrophy Association create local segments for the annual Jerry Lewis Telethon. She then worked for the American Heart Association before joining ODU. At her alma mater she was a major gifts officer for four years often traveling to connect with alumni in Arizona and California. Most recently, she spent eight years at the Virginia Peninsula Community College (formerly Thomas Nelson Community College) before joining the Lake Taylor team.

Lake Taylor is a long-term acute care hospital, skilled nursing facility and long-term care center. Its patients include adults as well as children with complex needs. Tracy enjoys walking the halls to connect with patients and their families. She is proud of how the hospital has evolved and expanded since its founding in Norfolk in 1908. 

When not working, Tracy enjoys traveling and spending time with family and walking Riley, her German Shepherd. She is excited to welcome her first grandchild soon. Even better, the baby girl will be near Tracy since the parents-to-be live in Chesapeake. 

Be sure to introduce yourself to Tracy next time you see her.