IN OUR COMMUNITY : ALUMNI
Flipping Expectations
Katherine “ Breese ” Anderson Romano ’ 03 has had a passion for design since she was a child — she just never thought she ’ d have the chance to pursue it as a career . But as coowner of Cobblestone Development Group with husband Josh , she gets to apply her eye for design as they work to renovate some of Richmond ’ s older homes and neighborhoods .
One could say she and her husband “ flip ” houses , but the work involved is so much more , she said . The couple purchases homes and does complete ceiling-to-floor renovations . When a client becomes interested in purchasing a home , Mrs . Romano will work with him or her to design the interior space to their specifications .
She said the couple does many projects in Richmond ’ s Northside / Brookland Park area , taking old , often run-down houses and turning them into stylish , modern homes for anyone from young professionals to older retired couples . “ Those homes are so versatile and just classic Richmond ,” she said . “ Those are some of my favorite ones we do .”
In the company ’ s four years of existence , its numbers have increased from 13 homes in 2013 to nearly quadruple that in 2016 . Mrs . Romano said she loves getting the chance to pursue her passion while working alongside her husband , and she credits Steward for giving her the drive to do so .
“ A strong sense of self-confidence was always instilled in me throughout my years [ at Steward ],” she said . “ It assured me that I can take chances and do anything I set my mind to .”
Spreading Love and Acceptance
Meg Trepp ’ 16 with Josh Kaplan ( left ), founder of Giving Opportunities to All who Love Soccer ( GOALS ), and Tim Harris , motivational speaker and founder of Tim ’ s Big Heart Foundation
Meg Trepp ’ 16 certainly made an impact on Steward during her time here , and her efforts have only led to more accomplishments after she left the school .
A freshman at Elon University , Ms . Trepp recently received the Lovin ’ Award from Lovin ’ Scoopful , an ice cream company founded by Maria and Tim Shriver to serve as an ongoing source of revenue for Special Olympics . She was awarded for founding Steward ’ s Special Olympics Club in 2013 , which is now the largest club at Steward with more than 50 members . She also organized a Bowl-A-Thon in the spring of 2015 as a service day / educational event for the entire community that focused on disability awareness .
As part of the award , Ms . Trepp ’ s picture and story will be featured on one of Lovin ’ Scoopfuls new flavors , to be introduced this spring .
“ I ’ m so humbled and honored by the award — I do this work because I love it and I never expect or want recognition ,” she said . “ In the spirit of keeping things inclusive , I ask that my friend Hope , who is a Special Olympian with Down syndrome , be honored as well for helping me with the Bowl-A-Thon . I also want to share the victory with Anna Kilduff ’ 20 , who helped me tremendously and has now taken over the Special Olympics Club at Steward .”
Ms . Trepp regularly participates in causes that benefit the Special Olympics , such as Over the Edge RVA hosted by Special Olympics Virginia . This past October , she raised $ 1,000 for the organization , and thus was given the opportunity to rappel down the side of the SunTrust Center building in downtown Richmond .
At Elon , Ms . Trepp plans on taking part in the two Special Olympics events the university hosts on its campus each academic year , and she aspires to start her own Special Olympics club .
24 | The Colonnade
Richmond magazine named Cobblestone Development on its "People & Places to Watch in
2017" list!