Bob Moorman started his career at WC & AN Miller as a project manager in the Potomac Falls development nearly 30 years ago. When he joined the Potomac office as a Realtor in 1986, it had six employees.
Potomac has grown during Moorman’s time here. Potomac Falls is an established community, and the Potomac WC & AN Miller office has 75 employees.
“The backup of traffic is just incredible,” along Travilah and Piney Meetinghouse roads near his home, Moorman said.
But some things haven’t changed.
“I don’t think we’ll ever have a McDonalds,” said Moorman. “If you’re coming down Falls Road and you catch the lights, you can go through the town of Potomac in about 10 seconds.”
If some of old Potomac has remained, Moorman has remained with it. In recognition of his tenure and importance in the Potomac community, he has been named Businessperson of the Year by the Potomac Chamber of Commerce, in connection with Potomac Day 2005.
MOORMAN, NOW the manager of the Potomac WC & AN Miller offices, came to Washington, D.C., in 1964, where he attended Alice Deal Junior High School and Woodrow Wilson High School.
He married his wife Shannon in 1980 and the couple has four sons, Tim, Bob, Michael, and Steven, all college students.
He moved to Potomac so his children could attend Montgomery County Schools: Travilah Elementary, Robert Frost Middle School, and Thomas Wootton High School.
Moorman has been a Chamber of Commerce member since 1976. He was chamber vice president in 2000 and president in 2002 and 2003.
A technophile, Moorman led the Chamber of Commerce's effort to develop a Web page and WC & AN Miller’s installation of voice mail and other technologies.
Michael Seay, vice president and director of sales for Miller, has been a friend of Moorman since they attended Deal and Wilson together.
“There’s givers in life and there’s takers in life. Bob’s just a real giver,” Seay said.
Seay recalled telling Moorman about a needy family in southeast Washington that he had worked with through his church.
“I told Bob about this family and Bob said, ‘Mike, I’ll meet you down there on Sunday,’” Seay said. “He drove down to Anacostia. He brought down food, he brought down clothing, he brought down money for this family. He came down and he gave these things to this mother and her children. That’s just the type of guy he is. … He’s always looking out for other people.”
Moorman has been no less generous as a personal friend, Seay said.
“He’s always been there for my kids. … And he doesn’t want anything in return,” Seay said.
MOORMAN IS an avid private pilot and kayaker. He kayaked the Potomac for the entire length of the C&O Canal from Cumberland, Md., to Washington, D.C., though he readily admits skipping the hairier parts, including a little obstacle called Great Falls.
“There are some parts of Potomac I absolutely love, especially around Violette’s Lock,” he said. “It’s very, very pretty and there’s nothing like the Potomac River.”
Potomac property values will likely continue their ascent, Moorman said, not just because of the market squeeze in the Washington area. “You’re not going to find any place as nice to live as Potomac. You’re not going to find any place as convenient to get to Washington where you can just drop onto the Parkway.”
On Oct. 29, Moorman will ride in the Potomac Day Parade, but not before helping to set up the business fair and announcer's table as he does every year as a Chamber of Commerce volunteer.
“I’m just really excited to get such a thing. I’ve never had such an honor. … I presented it many times as president of the chamber to people. … But it’s just, that the people of the chamber selected me, it’s really an honor that they would do that,” he said of the award.
Of course, getting the award has a price too.
“I just bought myself another 10-year tour,” he said.