Sue Branham, born on July 18, 1937, is the owner of The Corner, a ladies' and children's ready-to-wear business in downtown Grundy, Virginia. She purchased the existing business in March 1977 and continued to teach at Grundy Junior High School until 1991. Branham was directly impacted by the 1977 flood that occurred a month after she acquired the business. She resides on Route 83, outside the floodplain, and has been involved in the community's efforts to address the recurring flood issues. 

Tim Potter is the personnel director of the town of Grundy in Grundy, Virginia. He is involved in addressing the town's opportunities and challenges, particularly focusing on the flood project with the Corps of Engineers. 

Chuck Crabtree was born in 1952, in Buchanan County, where he was also raised. His family, originally from West Virginia, moved to Grundy in the late 1920s, following the coal mining industry. His grandfather was one of the first contractors for Harman Mining Corporation in Harman, Virginia, where he mined coal using ponies to pull the coal out of the mountains. Crabtree's family lived in a small camp, in houses owned by the Harman Mining Corporation, known as company houses.