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This week’s edition of Business Leaders takes a look at how a long-standing restaurant sustains success, briefs from the local business community and how HISD names its schools.
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A perspective on a Reagan name change 1B · Business Briefs 2B • Other HISD school names 3B Saturday, December 5, 2015 • Page 1B
Simos family keeps it serving Small businesses enjoy increase in sales from Small Business Saturday For The Leader Shoppers across the nation showed their love for small businesses this weekend, as Small Business Saturday celebrated its sixth anniversary. According to the Post-Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and American Express, a record 95 million consumers shopped at independent businesses on Small Business Saturday, marking an 8% increase over 2014. Additionally, consumers spent roughly $16.2 billion on Small Business Saturday this year, up 14% from the $14.3 billion that was spent last year.
Simos Diner keeps family ties close with mom, pop, son diner
Other key insights from Small Business Saturday this year include: -More than 4,100 Neighborhood Champions around the country rallied local businesses and created events and activities in their communities, a 48% increase over 2014 -Over 200 Federal Officials and Agencies showed support for Small Business Saturday through posts on social media. -More than 400 organizations signed up to support the nationwide initiative through the Small Business Saturday Coalition “It’s very encouraging to see small businesses participate every year and more shoppers giving local entrepreneurs a chance to compete for their business,” said NFIB President and CEO Dan Danner in a press release. “Americans are returning to Main Street for the things they need and ultimately that’s a very healthy economic trend.” “Small Business Saturday is an increasingly important economic engine for independent businesses,” said Janey Whiteside, senior vice president and general manager of American Express OPEN in the release. “These impressive numbers demonstrate the value that Small Business Saturday brings to local businesses, and American Express is proud to support the Shop Small Movement. We encourage shoppers to support their local businesses not only on Small Business Saturday, but all year long.” The Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey was conducted among a nationally representative sample of 2,363 males and females 18 years of age or older. The sample was collected using an email invitation and an online survey. The study was conducted anonymously by independent marketing performance specialist Ebiquity on November 29, 2015. The survey has an overall margin of error of +/- 2.0%, at the 95% level of confidence.
By Jonathan Garris jgarris@theleadernews.com When it comes to good breakfasts and lunches, nothing hits the spot quite like good oldfashioned diner food. It’s something George Simos and his son, Stephen, know better than most. George Simos has been in the business since 1971 and previously had a location, known as Simos Grill, along Bissonnet, until 1992. The reason for moving was relatively simple. “The person who owned the shopping center raised the rent on us and my father didn’t like the price,” Stephen Simos said. The restaurant has sat at 5004 North Shepherd Drive ever since, and is a mom and pop (and son) anchor along the busy road, offering breakfast and brunch to patrons across a broad demographic. “I was 10 years old when he bought the place,” Stephen Simos said. “When I was younger it was a lot of the older generation but now you see a lot of younger folks. I get a lot of St. Pius X High School kids during the summer, too.” George Simos, who moved from Greece to Australia where he owned a coffee shop with his brother, moved to the US and worked in a major hotel in Houston before starting his grill. Owning his own restaurant was a lifelong dream and George Simos admits he enjoys having control even with his son and wife, Stella, working so closely at the diner. “I want to control almost everything and I want to be on top of these guys,” George Simos said. “You have me now,” Stephen Simos jokes
Photos by Jonathan Garris Top: George and Stephen Simos have been working together for years. Bottom: Stella Simos is also on hand at the diner which has been on Shepherd Drive for more than 20 years, serving old-fashioned diner food.
with his father about the checks and balances with working with his father. “I check his stuff out, he checks my stuff out.” George Simos might say he’s retired, but his family knows the truth. “He can’t get away,” Stephen Simos says with a laugh. The menu stayed roughly the same with breakfast mainstays like toast, eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, omelettes, and pancakes, along with lunch specials like chicken fried steak, baked chicken, grilled pork chops and plenty of steamed veggies. Stephen Simos said he and his father follow a simple philosophy that has kept them in business for generations – serving only fresh food. “That’s my dad’s motto – if it isn’t fresh he
doesn’t fool with it,” Stephen Simos said. George Simos says he journeys to local farmers markets for the majority of his ingredients and said that about 90 percent of the food served in the restaurant is fresh. The big sellers are chicken and dumplings, beef stew, cabbage rolls, gyro sandwiches and other dishes. “We support the community any way we can and we try to hire Waltrip graduates part time while they’re working in college along with other students,” Stephen Simos said. “We love this community.” Simo’s Diner is open from 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information call 713-697-5553.
Rebranding Reagan High - For the better or worse? By Jacob Millwee For The Leader There is a common business buzz word called “branding.” Essentially what branding is in the business context is creating an image or a short phrase that has direct association with a company. It’s different than a slogan or mascot in that the branding concept is intrinsically wrapped up in identity. Company names and logos for example are types of branding. It takes its name from a very Texan act, that of branding cattle. Every brand is different and distinct, and you can glance at any cow and know who owns them – an instant association if it is a familiar brand. You can apply the branding concept to communities as well. From that perspective the Heights has a strong brand. We have name recognition throughout the greater Houston area, and are known for shopping, art, great food, and a friendly
Millwee
small town atmosphere. What’s not to love? The Chamber is doing its part to strengthen the brand with the Buy Local First Campaign and the Passport to the Heights program. You can have a negative association as well; branding can backfire on you. Few think of Detroit for example, as prosperous now. Even if it becomes so, it will take years for the city to shed its poor image – if it ever can. With all this information on the table, I reach out to you regarding the
impending name change of John H. Reagan High School. Reagan High has been educating students since 1926. It has been recognized for its architectural beauty, won numerous awards in its 89 years, and has produced many noteworthy alumni. It is simply put a community institution. It is also a very important part of the identity of the Heights (and thus the branding), an identity that is threatened by its removal. Because make no mistake – names and ideas are often far more important than tangibles, and even though it will be the same building, the same staff, and for a period the same students it will be a different school once the name has changed – a school without legacy. The name change is motivated by recognition that some of our institution names are offensive. And some of them are offensive, because people are offended. A concern if you will, over negative branding. A movement has swept through HISD to change
these offensive names, particularly those that were born out of the Confederacy and thus imply support and approval of the Confederacy’s ideals and goals, specifically slavery in this case. I think holistically this is a valid conversation, one we as a society should be forced to struggle with periodically. My issue here however is that the HISD powers that be are attempting to address this conversation with a broad sweep of the hand, and thus throwing several babies out with the bathwater – John H. Reagan among them. The world, society, and history are built on nuances, nuances that are ignored by broad paint strokes such as these. There is a distinction that needs to be made between honoring someone because they were a Confederate, and honoring someone who was a Confederate. I will not go into John H. Reagan’s personal resume here, except to say that I don’t believe that the name
change is justified and to encourage you to do your own research into the man named one of the Four Greatest Texans alongside Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston, and James Stephen Hogg and draw your own conclusions. I will say that changing the name of Reagan High School will have a negative impact on our community, and thus should only be done if it is firmly necessary. Few neighborhoods have the rich history that the Heights enjoys, and that history informs all of those wonderful things I mentioned above for which our brand is known. When we turn our back on that history we endanger everything that makes this community great and risk losing our individual community identity. We will merely be City of Houston such and such street at such and such street. A rally is being held at the SPJST Lodge on December 8th, in support of retaining the John H. Reagan name. You will see me there.
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