Leslie Currle believes the most important part of supporting small businesses is showing up. Showing up to meetings and workshops. Showing up to answer questions, talk through numbers, and stand beside entrepreneurs when the next step feels uncertain.
On any given day, Leslie might be meeting with a first-time entrepreneur, catching up with a chamber partner, or helping a small business owner map out their next stage of growth. Across Page, Warren, Shenandoah, Frederick, and Clarke counties, she’s a familiar and trusted face in the local business community.
As a Business Development and Lending Officer with People Inc. Financial Services, Leslie connects business owners with funding, training, and technical assistance designed to help them grow with confidence. That steady support reflects years of hands-on experience in lending and business development, paired with the perspective of someone who has owned a business herself.
Building Her Own Success Story
Before rejoining People Inc., Leslie served as a Business Development Manager with the agency for more than three years. She has also worked as a Mortgage Loan Officer with ALCOVA Mortgage since 2017 and previously served in business development roles with SHINE Systems & Technologies. Earlier in her career, she held leadership positions at Arlington Community Federal Credit Union and Justice Federal Credit Union, shaping her deep understanding of lending systems and small-business financial needs.
Leslie has strengthened her connection to local economic growth through service roles in her community. She studied Business Administration and Management at Northern Virginia Community College, chaired the Page County Economic Development Authority, and served on the Luray Downtown Initiative Board of Directors, giving her valuable insight into regional development priorities across Page County, the Shenandoah Valley, and the City of Winchester.
Her professional foundation is reinforced by personal business ownership experience.
“This is actually my second go-round with People Inc. When I first joined, I already had a couple of experiences that made me feel it would be a really good fit. I have a background in lending, and I’ve done lending for most of my career,” Leslie explains.
“I’ve also been a small business owner. My husband and I had a service company in Northern Virginia for several years, which gave me really good insight into what it takes to maintain a business.”
Leslie first joined People Inc. in 2014 as a Business Development Manager, serving the Shenandoah Valley region for just over three years. During that time, she worked closely with entrepreneurs and partners, deepening her ties to the local business landscape.
After several years away, she returned to the organization in 2023 to step into her current role as a Business Development and Lending Officer. Nearly two years into her second tenure, she now supports business owners across five counties and continues to expand People Inc.’s lending and community partnerships.
Her time both inside and outside the agency, she says, gives her a wider view of what small businesses need and how People Inc. can help them move forward with confidence.
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Ask Leslie what she enjoys most about her role, and the answer comes instantly.
“The people, the community,” Leslie shares. “Working with the business owners and helping them… it’s very rewarding to help them achieve those goals and grow and expand. It’s a lot of fun when you see businesses that you’ve helped and they continue to grow and flourish.”
That spirit of connection shows up again and again in her stories. Partnerships, referrals, and collaborative problem-solving fuel much of the success she sees across the region.
One client story in Warren County stands out. Leslie recalls helping William Huck, owner of C&C Frozen Treats, when he was just starting his ice-cream shop. He needed funding to expand his operations and, as Leslie explains, she spent meaningful time supporting him with technical assistance and financial preparation. Together, they were able to secure funding for equipment — an additional ice cream machine and a freezer — that allowed him to grow his product line.
Not long after, William returned with a new opportunity: the chance to purchase the building he had been leasing. Leslie helped coordinate multiple partners to make that possible, bringing lenders to the table and structuring support that opened even more doors for William’s business.
“Sometimes they come back to us for that next step,” Leslie says. “To me, that’s just so rewarding.”
And the success is sweet. She describes William with a smile: “The amazing thing about him is that whatever flavor he makes tastes exactly like that. I always say he’s like the ‘Willy Wonka’ of ice cream; he’s so unique. He’ll make flavors like broccoli, and it tastes just like broccoli.”
Showing Up for Community
For Leslie, strong partnerships don’t happen by chance. They’re built by showing up, listening closely, and responding to what communities actually need.
When she talks about community strengths, Leslie immediately points to collaboration and flexibility. She describes partnerships as central to her role, saying that referrals and shared problem-solving make real progress possible across the region.
Her partnership mindset takes shape in very practical ways. After a conversation with the Shenandoah County Chamber president about challenges among home-based businesses, Leslie developed a three-part, in-person workshop series at People Inc.’s Woodstock office. The sessions focused on networking, marketing, and putting yourself out there — so engaging, she says, that they often “ended up running over” because participants were fully immersed. Now, she’s exploring opportunities to bring similar programming to other localities she serves.
At the core of her approach is a simple philosophy: “Showing up. You have to be there, meet your clients and meet your partners where they are.”
That presence extends well beyond workshops and occasional events. In Warren County, Leslie helped start a lead-share networking group through the Chamber, an accessible alternative to rigid, high-cost networking models. The group meets twice a month and continues to grow, giving small business owners space to connect and support each other.
Leslie also speaks directly to the hesitation many business owners feel today, particularly around borrowing.
“Right now, people are just afraid to take that step and borrow money when they’re unsure of the economy. That’s where we can come in and show how we might be able help them.”
Her goal, she explains, is to show how funding can help businesses grow. And in the end, she believes the relationships behind that growth come from effort, presence, and consistency.
“As long as you’re constantly in their space, then that’s how you’re going to make those connections.”
Built for the Long Haul
Now in her sixth year total with People Inc., including nearly two years since returning to the organization, Leslie credits flexibility as one of the most important mindsets in her role.
She describes how the work has shifted since her first tenure.
“The landscape has changed so much since the first time I’ve been here,” Leslie says. “So many of the requests are much larger than what we can handle.”
That shift requires creative problem-solving and strong relationships. Leslie works closely with bankers, chambers, and economic development partners to build support around each business request, bringing new lenders to the table when needed. When a project requires more than one organization can provide, she turns to those partnerships to make it work, explaining that “it’s trying to be flexible and make sure I’m expanding my reach to find other partners that may be able to come in. It’s really important to have a team of those on your side.”
That adaptability, paired with a deep understanding of the communities she serves, keeps Leslie moving forward, even on long days filled with travel and meetings. And when those days stretch across counties, she relies on two lighthearted essentials: “Coffee and podcasts,” she laughs.
Her favorites include Swindled, How I Built This by Guy Raz, and true-crime podcasts like Casefile, all perfect listening for the miles between visits.
Even as funding needs shift across the region, Leslie keeps pushing forward, meeting people where they are and helping businesses take their next step. The results speak for themselves. Clients who once walked in with a dream now stand as local anchors in their communities, growing, hiring, and giving back.
Leslie thinks again of William Huck and the journey from an idea to a thriving ice-cream shop that has become a local favorite.
“I think the rest is history because he’s really a figure in that community,” she says.
It’s the kind of success Leslie works for every day, helping businesses find their footing and build something that lasts.
Top photo: Leslie outside her office at People Incorporated’s Woodstock, Virginia location. Photo courtesy of People Incorporated of Virginia.
People Incorporated Financial Services (PIFS), an affiliate of People Incorporated of Virginia, provides capital and training to help entrepreneurs thrive. As a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), PIFS makes long-term, community-focused partnerships possible by reinvesting in local businesses and entrepreneurs.
To learn more, reach out to PIFS at (276) 619-2297 or PIFS@peopleinc.net and start your business story.
