Meet Middleburg Sandy Long, Senior Administrative

Story and photo by Kerry Phelps Dale

For 15 years, Sandy Long has been the first person to greet visitors and clients of Yount, Hyde & Barbour, PC of Middleburg, usually sitting at the front desk with a cheerful welcome, a big smile and if you’re lucky, her hearty, contagious laughter.

She loves her clients; they are the highlight of her job. “The clients are number one. Haven’t you heard,” teases Sandy. “But I really do like my clients.” Many of them have become friends, she said. In the past several years Sandy’s job has blossomed to include marketing. “I’m starting to do community stuff—chamber of commerce and business associations.”

At home, Sandy likes to sit outside with her husband, Ray, their two dogs and a glass of wine. At her home in Winchester, she often walks her dogs and stops to visit with one or a couple of her clients who have moved into Westminister Canterbury Assisted Living. One woman even bakes and hands out dog biscuits to Sandy’s two dogs, a 14-year-old Dachsund and a 19-month old Miniature Australian Shepherd. She’s not a fan of television and invites her friends to “stop in and let’s have a chat,” she says, “and, of course, a glass of wine…or two.”

“I love to travel, but we just don’t get the chance as often as I’d like.” Sandy thinks an RV might be in her future. “It would be fun to get in the RV with the husband and dogs and head down the road.” It will be pretty easy for the Longs to take off for road trips when the time comes: no gardening or mowing for Sandy or Ray. They’re pretty clear on that with no apologies. “That’s why we moved where we live. HOA mows the lawns.”

Sandy makes the bank run for the accounting firm every day. Sometimes with a colleague or trainee in tow. “People know me,” she says. The accompanying co-worker invariably asks, “Does everybody know you? Do you know everybody?”

After 15 years with YHB and 5 years working in town before that, yes, Sandy knows a lot of the Middleburg Community. And for anyone who doesn’t know Sandy yet, her infectious laugh will draw you in. ML

This article first appeared in the August 2019 issue of Middleburg Life.