The Ridgeway Town Council honored C.D. Prillaman, a longtime volunteer, business owner, and community advocate, with a resolution recognizing his years of dedicated service to the town. The resolution, passed on January 7, acknowledges Prillaman’s contributions through his company, Prillaman Landscape Dimensions, Inc., and his involvement with local civic projects.
Prillaman serves on the Ridgeway Volunteer Rescue Squad Board of Directors as a citizen member and plays an active role in the town’s Special Events Committee. His landscaping company also serves as the town’s public works contractor, handling maintenance and beautification projects.
Mayor Craig O’Der Jr. praised Prillaman as a visionary and dedicated leader.
“He lives right outside the township; I wish he actually lived in the town so he could serve on council because he’d be an excellent council member,” O’Der said.
From the moment O’Der took office, Prillaman was eager to share ideas and propose solutions to enhance the town’s quality of life.
“He’s just really great to have around and always offers a great idea,” O’Der said. “A lot of times when you’re the elected person, everybody expects you to come up with the vision of how to make things better, but I’ve always tried to adopt the philosophy that there’s never a bad idea, and C.D. has certainly given me a lot of great ideas.”
One of Prillaman’s most significant contributions was his leadership in Ridgeway’s Bee City initiative. O’Der recalled how a simple conversation sparked a major community project.
“I was eating Honey Nut Cheerios and read something on the box about helping the bees. General Mills was offering grant money for pollinator gardens,” O’Der said. “I talked to C.D. about that, and he came back with (the idea of) making Ridgeway a Bee City. I was all for it.”
Under Prillaman’s guidance, the town worked with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to establish pollinator gardens in designated rights-of-way. Over the past four years, he has donated labor and expertise to install four pollinator gardens, a project hailed as a huge success.
Now, Prillaman is at the forefront of Ridgeway’s next goal: becoming a Tree City. His background in landscaping and design makes him a valuable leader in the effort to expand green spaces and beautify the town’s entryways.
“When I became mayor, one thing I wanted to do was spruce up Ridgeway—not that it needed sprucing up—but I rode around with C.D., and we looked at all these gateway signs for the community to see how we could improve the town’s appearance,” O’Der said.
Beyond landscaping and town beautification, Prillaman is a key organizer of Ridgeway’s annual Christmas Parade and Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. His commitment to the town extends well beyond his business, as he constantly steps up to volunteer his time and skills.
“When we do these community events, it’s always great to have volunteers to help manage them,” O’Der said. “C.D. is always one of those people who shows up. That’s one of the reasons the town wanted to recognize his service.”
Although Ridgeway already has awards recognizing excellence in education and public service, town officials felt that Prillaman’s efforts deserved special recognition.
O’Der suggested that the resolution could also be considered Ridgeway’s 2024 Volunteer of the Year Award.
“C.D. has great enthusiasm. He genuinely wants to see the community thrive and improve,” O’Der said. “We truly appreciate him. He’s such a great citizen for Ridgeway.”
Beyond his work with town projects, Prillaman’s company has mowed neglected properties where owners are unresponsive or refuse to maintain their land—often going beyond the requirements of his contract.
“Not only does he step up, he’s the kind of guy who brings great ideas to the table,” O’Der said. “It’s a collective effort, but C.D. just loves serving the community.”
O’Der’s connection with Prillaman dates back to the 1980s when Prillaman was one of his Boy Scout leaders.
“C.D. was one of my Scoutmasters in Collinsville and one of the first people I got to know,” O’Der said. “I think he was a teenager then, and he was already leading Boy Scout troops. Even back then, he had an infectious enthusiasm for helping others.”
Although they lost touch for years, the two later reconnected while serving on the Piedmont Youth Soccer League (PYSL) Board. Once again, Prillaman proved to be an invaluable volunteer, dedicating countless hours to running programs for local youth.
“He just gave a lot of his time and was very passionate about volunteering,” O’Der said. “Just a great guy to work with.”
For Prillaman, receiving the resolution was an unexpected but appreciated honor.
“It’s nice to be recognized for work that really is unseen,” he said. “Little things happen behind the scenes that people don’t notice, and I guess that’s why Craig did it—just to show that he cares about what myself and our crews do.”
Prillaman emphasized that the honor extends beyond him personally—it is a recognition of his entire company’s dedication to Ridgeway.
“We feel that as a company, it’s our responsibility to give back to the community so it’s a great place to live, work, and play,” he said. “We just like to give back. We want to make Ridgeway great again.”
A Legacy of Giving Back
Prillaman’s commitment to Ridgeway began 15 years ago when he advocated for proper maintenance of the town’s common areas and streets. Eventually, he negotiated a low-cost contract to keep Ridgeway clean and well-maintained.
“The town has a tight budget, so we try to do what we can,” Prillaman said.
Although his company is compensated, Prillaman often goes beyond the contract requirements, ensuring that trash is picked up daily to address what he sees as a major issue for the town.
“We have a contract that we have to go by, and they pay us, of course, but I feel like—and Craig would agree with me—we go beyond the call of duty,” he said.
As Ridgeway looks to the future, Prillaman remains a steadfast advocate for progress, ensuring that the town continues to grow, improve, and thrive.
