Ryan Swartz
Ryan is a native of the Shenandoah Valley where he and his family live. Ryan started his education/work life weaving rag rugs made of scrap materials with his grandmother to be sold at arts and crafts fairs and individual orders. He and his cousin Jared also started their entrepreneurial careers with a lawn mowing and farmhand business at the age of 8. They’ve made great business partners since.
Their families now own and operate Dry River Properties and Camp Bear Wallow. From there at the age of 15, he spent a couple years bagging groceries and stocking shelves at the local grocery store after school and on the weekends. On his time off, he worked stocking shelves and helping customers at the local farm store until he traded in both of those jobs to work second and third shifts at a book factory so he could start a business management degree at the local community college during the day.
After his desire for shift work and factory experience expired, he moved on to maintenance man for a large construction company where he soon became a Foreman and manager for 13 years. After meeting and soon marrying his wife Ashley, they set off together with their obsession of real estate and photography and formed their first business together which became Swartz Company. Ryan and Ashley continue to be very passionate in their entrepreneurial endeavors and expanding Swartz Company as well as their residential, commercial and short term rental real estate.
Ryan has always dreamed of being some sort of artist or National Geographic Photographer after seeing his Grandmother and Great Grandmother in the publication for the family rug weaving business and the community that surrounded them. Ironically, in the same publication was an article on Virginia Craftsmen where Ryan’s father worked most of his adult life and that the family now owns. The first photos of his portfolio were made on his dad’s Pentax film camera and Polaroid that he had as a hobby photographer while serving in the Army. Ryan believes that in order for local and afar communities to grow stronger we have to work together and build on the successes of one another. Unless all work is done, there’s no such thing as competition. Everyone who desires should have the support from others in the community to pursue and succeed in entrepreneurship. He believes its always been our backbone. “When your market gets saturated or you feel squeezed, just move on to your next responsibility”. This is why they have blended all of their knowledge and travels into one place. A place where they strive to support and guide others in need of some of the little things they’ve figured out along the way in order for them to move on with their journeys. His personal passion is to connect with, and connect like minded folks who need and can give equal inspiration toward one another to build and create greater experiences.
In his downtime, Ryan enjoys hiking, biking, fishing and gardening. Basically anything outdoors with his family and pup. He and his family have a true passion to host new and returning guests who need or want short term rentals. In the winter he builds furniture and works on historical restorations with Virginia Craftsmen, a family owned business. They spend a lot of time on a grass fed beef farm that practices land rejuvenation techniques. He is also a novelist brewer, cider and wine maker. A complete lover of learning, experiencing new things and collaborating.
“I'll keep digging, 'till I feel something.”― Maynard James Keenan
“At some point, if you're lucky, you realize you're not the story. You're part of the story. The story is much bigger than you.” ― Maynard James Keenan, A Perfect Union of Contrary Things
“The harder I work the luckier I get” - Samuel Goldwyn
”It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.” - John Wooden
”You're either part of the solution or you're part of the problem.” - Eldridge Cleaver