Inside: Around Edmond, Locally Owned, Local Heroes, My Home, My Yard FREE TAKE ONE
Mayor Douglas
Why Shopping In Edmond Matters
Bruce Maxwell
3 Important Rules For Small Businesses
Edmond Football
EWC Pres. Katie Taylor
UCO, Memorial, North & Santa Fe Hit The Gridiron
Crest Foods
Cardboard Boat Regatta
Empowering Edmond Nonprofits Meet The Harroz Family
Edmond’s End Of Summer Bash!
EDMONDACTIVE.COM VOLUME 2, ISSUE 8, September 2010
advertising / editorial / publishing Sherri Hultner
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editorial / layout / photography
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Chris Hultner
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editorial / photography Trevor Hultner photography Jeff Hultner contributors
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Jennifer Hicks Bruce Maxwell Find us on the web at: Facebook & Twitter @ EdmondActive Join the conversation online, get daily specials & deals from our advertisers and get ready for a great prize as we near 1,500 Facebook fans!
Hultner Publications is in no way responsible for claims made by advertisers herein. Advertising in Edmond Active Magazine does not constitute an endorsement by Hultner Publications or Edmond Active Magazine
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Sherri Hultner 405.315.7325
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ON THE COVER Mayor Patrice Douglas sat down with us to discuss the importance of keeping your sales tax dollars local. Photo by Chris Hultner
TABLE OF CONTENTS 4. Out And About
16. EWC Pres. Katie Taylor
6.
Shop Local
18. Mayor Douglas
7.
Local Heroes
20. High School Football
8.
Locally Owned
22. Cardboard Boat Regatta
sherrih@edmondactive.com
Chris Hultner 405.315.6405 chrish@edmondactive.com All photography and editorial in Edmond Active Magazine is copyrighted (2009-10) material and may not be reprinted or used in any way without written permission from the publisher.
10. Around Edmond
26. UCO Football
12. My Yard
28. Events Calendar
14. My Home
30. Bruce Maxwell edmondactive.com 03
OutAndAbout
This month we have decided to dedicate this issue to All Things Local. It is so important, especially with the economy in its current state, to pay attention to what affects all of us daily. You might think that this doesn’t matter much, but when it comes down to even the local roads within Edmond you drive daily, it all relies on you. In this issue, we know you’ll want to read what Mayor Douglas has to say about this subject. When you go to make your out of state or city purchases or your online purchase, consider that Mayor Douglas states in that for the first time since 1983, Edmond’s sales tax revenue is down more than 6%. This is huge! And, be sure to read the article about what the Edmond Women’s Club does to benefit local businesses, charities & students with grants! Bruce Maxwell gave us an interview with his perspective on what it takes to own and run small businesses for more than two decades and lastly, our interview with the Crest Foods family and how they have stayed strong for 30 years while offering the best product at the lowest price possible, even still, with Wal Mart in the picture! When we moved here in November 2005, the economy was booming. We didn’t give much thought to where we shopped; just that it was convenient for us. We shopped at mostly big box stores, and usually down Penn. Ave., before we noticed the local boutiques, restaurants and services. For this, I am regretful, as I now know that my business is what helps keep a lot of the small businesses lights on. Since 2005, we’ve all seen what happened to the economy and notably, small business is employing more people than corporations now! With this statistic alone, it only makes sense that we, as consumers, lend a hand in such a difficult time and support these
business owners! Take some time to stop at Crest Foods, which is a locally owned grocery store, or visit with Camden & Bruce Maxwell of The Paper Lion, on 15th & Bryant, who take the time to find and offer some of the most unique items we’ve seen in town and they support local artists and crafters, too! Stop in to see Curtis at The Clubhouse Barbershop, on 33rd Street just west of Broadway, he offers fantastic haircuts at less than a franchise and is a great guy, to boot! The theme here is that these business owners live and work here in the Edmond area, they shop & spend in Edmond and with your business they are able to hire more employees locally, and put their profits directly back into the community. As well, they and businesses like them are the flavor to which defines our community. From reader feedback, I’ve heard many things including the myth that Shopping Locally costs too much. Not true at all. For clothing, I stopped into Hip and Swanky and Tees for Your Soul, and they had acquired some fantastic, unique finds that were adorable and not too pricey! For gourmet foods, I found the Beef Jerky Emporium, on Danforth, offering some fantastic options for grain fed steaks and an entire wall of Made in Oklahoma Jerky. You get the idea. It’s just about changing the way we think about our daily purchases. But even if you do shop at big box stores and stop at national chain restaurants, which we know everyone does and these big box stores also contribute to our sales tax revenues in a big way, be mindful of where you do it. The tax revenue you spend here will stay in Edmond, and it goes toward the infrastructure of our community even something as small as fixing the pothole that you have to keep swerving to avoid
or maintaining the parks we all enjoy, etc. When you spend with businesses outside of the city or state, the tax revenue leaves Edmond and ends up benefitting another city and another state. This includes business to business, as well! We participate in a movement called 7 days of local, and it’s pretty cool. Once a month, we make the conscious effort to do everything for 7 days with local businesses in mind, and we make the choice between giving out of state businesses our money, or to do everything in our day with locally owned businesses. We were able to do it in August without spending anything extra and actually saved $80 in the process. You can do this each month at the first of the month, and to the degree to which is comfortable for you, whether going completely organic in your local purchases or just watching what city you spend your money in. Either way it benefits everyone in the community, including you. As well, we have information in Around Edmond on the Keep It Local OK card and the Dealio card, both of which are locally based and owned and offer great discounts with local businesses! Hope you all enjoy the emerging fall with all of the fun, football and cooler weather it will bring, and don’t forget to consider our advertisers when you’re out and about! You can follow us at our website at EdmondActive.com or at Facebook or Twitter at @EdmondActive, where we will be bringing you event coverage, daily specials from our advertisers and so much more! And, be sure to follow at Facebook & Twitter @ShopLocalEdmond, where I will be posting daily in October on all things shopping!
Sherri Hultner
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EDMOND’S WINE RESOURCE since 1973
Edmond Wine Shop For 36 years we have been Edmon wine. We work hard to keep every providing professional service, the
d’s resource for great
customer happy by best selection and
competitive pricing. We appreciate your past and continued patronage.
July 15, 2010 1520 South Boulevard Edmond OK 73013 405.341.9122
edmondactive.com 05
Shop Local
PAINT YOUR ART OUT Be sure to check out Paint Your Art Out at 100 N. Broadway, where you can stop in to paint with your friends, kids, family or business and create your own masterpiece. For current paintings, be sure to check their online calendar and you can find more info and register there as well: http:// paintyourartout.net
ELITE CUSTOM GOLF CARS Are you looking to build a custom golf cart for the upcoming hunting season, purchase a new one or just accessorize you current ride? Give owner Richard Avants a call, located here in Edmond on 321 W. 18th Street, at 341-1597 and he can hook you up with the best service out there!
RESTORE PLASTIC SURGERY CENTER We’d like to welcome our newest advertiser, Restore Plastic Surgery. Dr. Scott Newbrough, who offers Breast Augmentation, Breast Lift, Breast Reduction, Tummy Tuck, Liposuction, Rhinoplasty, Facelift, Neck Lift, Brow Lift, Eyelid Surgery, Dermal Fillers, Laser Resurfacing, Laser Tattoo Removal, Chemical Peels, Mole Excisions & more. They are located on 3824 S. Boulevard, 715-2227, and can be found at Facebook @ Restore Plastic Surgery Center or at Twitter @RestoreSurgery. Keep your eye out at both of these locations for fantastic specials throughout each month! 06 edmondactive.com
Renaissance Day Spa
RENAISSANCE SALON & SPA This is a full service day spa that offers anything from hair services, Massages, Facials, Mani/Pedi’s in a serene enviroment and it’s located in a charming 100 year old farmhouse at 10440 N. Broadway Extension just off of Britton. Give them a call to make an appointment at 751-8888!
WHICH WICH SUPERIOR SANDWICHES Located on Bryant just south of 2nd Street, Which Wich Superior Sandwiches offers over 50 different sandwiches and a great atmosphere! It’s a great option for UCO students and families, alike to eat out and eat healthy! If you are in need of catering, give them a call at 471.5363!
Aqua Nails & Day Spa
THE CLUBHOUSE BARBERSHOP Stop in to see Curtis and Co. at The Clubhouse Barbershop! He’s about to unleash his back to school specials to keep everyone looking great for the first day of school! Give him a call at 286-2038 or stop in at 316 W. 33rd Street just west of Broadway.
AQUA NAILS DAY SPA Lena is running some fantastic specials this month ~ $45 for an hour massage and $35 for a Mani/Pedi. If you take the clubhousecoupon in the latest issue in, you will receive 20% off of any service
TIMELESS ACCENTS Do you love Ariat Boots? Stop into Timeless Accents in Arcadia; spend $50 and register to win a new pair of Ariat Boots, valued up to $200! Contest runs until September 30, 2010. Hit Rt. 66 just a ? mile east of Pops! Check for Misty online @TimelessAccents
THE NAIL LOUNGE In Edmond and looking for a great place to get your mani/pedi in a relaxing enviroment? The Nail Lounge is located on Danforth just west of Santa Fe! Give them a call to set up an appointment at 513-7000 or stop in!
Local Heros
THE PAPER LION Come fall into fall at The Paper Lion this month located at 15th & Bryant in Spring Creek Village! New fall scents from Tyler and Aromatique are starting to arrive now, and if you’re a Christmas collector, be sure to check out the ever changing new lines of Christmas décor just starting to line the shelves! You can find them online too, at @ThePaperLion!
House Of Hope By Sherri Hultner
THE BEEF JERKY EMPORIUM The new store is located at 810 Danforth and has an enormous selection of hot sauces, bbq sauces, pie fillings, spices, steaks, sausage, tamales an over 50 kinds of jerky that are fantastic for any tailgating party or would make a fantastic early Christmas present for any carnivore on your list! Don’t forget to stop by on October 9 for their official Grand Opening! Check for them online at @TheBeefJerkyEmporium!
LOTSA NOODLES Located on Memorial just south of the AMC Theaters Quail Springs Mall, Lotsa Noodles doesn’t disappoint. From their Kids Eat Free Mondays to the excellent selection on their menu at a terrific price, you’ll want to stop in! Their food is freshly prepared and they have anything from pasta, sandwiches, salads ~ You name it! Tired of paying high prices for fresh quality food? Give em a try!!! You can follow Lotsa Noodles at Twitter @LotsaNoodles for daily upates & specials!
This month we have selected Kenyon & Brandi Woods of Authentic Custom Homes to be Edmond Active’s Local Hero’s. They are participating in a program called House of Hope, which is built and then sold where the proceeds of the sale go to the Homebuilders Care Committee of the Central Oklahoma Homebuilders Association, which is headed up by Laurie Mathews. The first $10,000 of the proceeds goes to throw a Christmas party at Children’s Hospital (an event the Homebuilders Care Committee has done before). They not only purchase gifts for the children who are ill but also for their siblings, since a family dealing with a catastrophic illness often does not have the time, energy, and/or finances to do so. As well, the proceeds go to benefit the Cavett Kid’s Foundation. Their mission is to provide a forum of support through various camps, events and programs for children battling life?threatening and chronic illnesses while promoting character, coping skills and connection. Currently, they help over 10,000 parents and their families annually through 5 camps, 25 events and 3 programs, at no cost to the parents and families. After our tour of this home, located in Rosewood Estates on 173rd & May Ave., our feeling walking away was one that says Brandi and Kenyon are extremely talented in design and architecture, but as well have huge hearts and are dedicated to the project at hand. This program isn’t one that has been annual, as it ceased in 2006 due to the economy. If you’d like to see this home, it will be included in the 2010 Parade of Homes, and will be well decorated and listed for approx. $225,000. It is a fantastic home, built for the right reasons and we hope you all take the time to go out and take a look. For more information on this project, please visit www. BuildAnOriginal.com and you can follow the progress on Facebook & Twitter @BuildAnOriginal edmondactive.com 07
Locally Owned
Crest Foods:
How they keep it in the family, keep it affordable and keep it local. By Chris & Sherri Hultner
Crest Foods is one of the few locally & family owned grocery stores in the metro and we are lucky enough to have one right here in Edmond on Santa Fe & 15th Street, which was the 3rd location to open in 1997. The first store opened after Nick’s return from WWII and his dad asked him what he was going to do with himself. Since he had grown up in the grocery business his dad said “Well why don’t you open a grocery store!” So he did and, in Midwest City, Nick opened his first grocery store and it was named “Nick’s Brett Drive Grocery”. He loved this business as his father had owned a grocery store since 1926 called “Fairview Grocery” at Southwest 29th and Agnew. To this day, 89 year old Nick Harroz 08 edmondactive.com
can even be found still stocking shelves, which is a true testament to his love for the grocery business. Be sure to stop by Crest Foods as they have taken the time and made the effort to provide prices to it’s customers that are comparable to even Wal-Mart. We sat down and talked with Bruce & Nick Harroz to find out about their history and how, as a small business, Crest Foods is able to compete and thrive in the Big Box environment. First question, why was there a 20 year gap from opening your first store to the opening of your second store? Nick: Well (laughing)… Money. How are you able to compete in today’s
market with low prices, when Wal-Mart seems to be edging everyone out? Bruce: First of all, we were doing this before big box stores came around. We pay for everything as we go and have no debt, and we buy straight from the manufacturers. This way we are able to keep prices lower or comparable to big box stores. We noticed that there are a large variety of products some other stores don’t carry. Bruce: Yes, this is because we ask our customers for their suggestions. We ask them what they’d like us to carry and then do our very best to source it out and get it for them at the best price. A lot of our selection is from customer requests.
Locally Owned Crest Foods is known with all 7 locations for great customer service. How do you do this and keep it up? Bruce: Old school principles. The customer is always number 1. Always. You have a Shopping Tour with Lara Veazey, who is a registered dietician and are the only store locally to do this. Crest: Yes, we offer this service to help our shoppers with healthy shopping choices and to learn how to shop for their families. The “Crest” private label is very popular. What do you do to ensure quality with this brand? Bruce: Well, by picking quality manufacturers. For instance, our Crest Water is spring water not filtered water. How many private label items does Crest carry? Bruce: Well, we’ve got bread, cheese, milk, water, ice cream, frozen vegetables, garlic bread, parmesan cheese and a good
number of other products that are Crest private label. We’ve always wondered what the difference was between national brands and private label brands. Are the private labels just made by the national brands and repackaged as the store’s private label brand? Bruce: I’m not sure what the other store’s do, but we choose who makes our label’s products. It seems as if Wal-Mart is trying to replace all of the name brands with their brands. Bruce: Yeah, they’re going backwards and they’re making a huge mistake and are already trying to go back to where they were. Not sure who made that bonehead decision, but we love it because they’re just sending folks our way. Variety is a big deal in a grocery store. We seem to spend a longer time in Crest as opposed to Wal-Mart, is there
a psychology in the way that you set up your stores? Bruce: Yes. We want a pleasant shopping experience for our customers. My dad’s always said, “Give em wide aisles”, you know, everyone else wants to just cram you in there. I don’t like to be cramped in there, I want to get in and get around people and I don’t want to have to wait. We try to design our stores with how it flows with the shopper. Our wives give us a lot of feedback and to make changes we don’t have to go through a lot of red tape. Is Crest Foods only in Oklahoma? Bruce: Yes, we have our distribution and trucking here so due to cost, we are only in the metro. Who’s to say where we’ll be in 10 years? We take it slow and make sure we can pay for what we have. If we can pay for expansion, then we know it’s time to make another move.
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Around Edmond 10 Things To Do On A Date In And Around Edmond:
1
Looking for a unique date? Grab a great bottle of wine or your favorite beverage & snack and head over for a painting session at Paint Your Art Out at 100 N. Broadway.
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If you’re competitive, head over to Boulevard Lanes, Edmond’s only bowling alley, at 3501 South Boulevard.
Haven’t been to a drive-in in years? Check out the Beacon Drive-in Guthrie, 10 mins. north of Edmond! It’s the oldest drive-in movie theater in Oklahoma that’s still operating.
4
Saturday morning date? Try the Farmers Market on First Street, then a short walk over to Java Dave’s, on Broadway, for brunch.
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Looking for some Jazz? Try hitting up the UCO Jazz Lab, on 5th Street, which offers Hideaway Pizza & drinks inhouse.
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Picnic date? Stop by Epicureans Pantry, on Danforth, for all of your picnic needs, whether it is cheese, meats, etc to fill your picnic basket, and then head to the Edmond Wine Shop on 15th & Boulevard to pick up a great bottle of wine, and head out to Lake Hefner to watch the sun set.
“MILLIONAIRE FOR A DAY” CONCERT & PARTY Rock it locally with ARANDA, the band with Oklahoma roots, at the “Millionaire For A Day” party on Saturday night, October 9th at the Iguana Mexican Grill . Cheer on “Amazing Local Race” winners as they are presented with luxury prizes to reward their work for bringing awareness to “Keep It Local OKC” businesses. Tickets are only $5 with your Keep it Local OKC card. If you don’t have a Keep it Local OKC card, you may purchase one at the site for $10 which includes the ticket price to the party. Food and drink will be available for purchase. The featured charity is “The Spero Project”, a local non-profit agency, which provides relief to international refuges, marginalized women, and foster home children and adoption processes. http://www.thesperoproject.com
JUST MARRIED!
7
Football date? Millie at Super Suppers, on Danforth, can steer you in the right direction with appetizers and full on game day meals.
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Dinner & a show? Check the schedule at UCO’s Mitchell Hall Theater as they have resumed their productions for the fall. Dinner before hand? Try out Café 501 for a light dinner or just around the corner, Boulevard Steakhouse.
9
Family Date Night? Try out Kickingbird Golf Course, located on Danforth & Bryant, on their Family Fun Night. Play 9-holes with the family, special junior tees and set up, a Free putting course, $2 range tokens and food and beverage discounts.
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Miniature Golf! Putt A Round is Edmond’s only miniature golf course and is outstanding. Located on the west side of Bryant, at 601 South Bryant, offers a full miniature golf course, indoor games and snack bar. Lunch or Dinner before hand? Stop by Which Wich Sandwiches on Bryant Ave. to grab a quick bite before your game!
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Congratulations are in order to Stephen & Olya Grimes on their recent wedding. Olya has been a big help to us here at Edmond Active as a consultant and model on our fashion shoots. We would like to wish her and Stephen all the happieness in the world.
Renaissance Day Spa Body Exfoliation / Body Treatments / Body Wraps And Masks / Experience Aqua Detox / Face Treatments / Hair / Makeup / Massage / Nails / Solar Bronzing / Specialty Treatments / Waxing
IMPORTANT CITY PHONE NUMBERS Police, Fire & Medical Emergencies,........................911 Police Non-Emergencies..........................................(405) 359-4338 To file a police report...............................................(405) 359-4494 Edmond Emergency Management...........................(405) 359-4371 City of Edmond......................edmondok.com........(405) 348-8830 City Utilities............................ecityexpress.com.......(405) 359-4541 CoE Human Resources............................................(405) 359-4685 CoE Job Line...........................................................(405) 359-4648 County Election Board............................................(405) 713-1515 County Courthouse Information.............................(405) 270-0082 Edmond Historical Society Museum........................(405) 340-0078 Edmond Public Library............................................(405) 341-9282 Passport Information................................................(405) 359-4515 Building Services Department..................................(405) 359-4780 Inspection Requests..................................................(405) 216-7400 Planning Department...............................................(405) 359-4790 City Clerk................................................................(405) 359-4555 Code Enforcement...................................................(405) 359-4793 Engineering Department..........................................(405) 359-4770 New Address Assignments........................................(405) 359-4766 Commercial Development.......................................(405) 359-4757 Drainage Concerns, Floodplain Information............(405) 359-4772 Animal Welfare.........................................................(405) 216-7615 Burn Permit.............................................................(405) 216-7303 City’s Public Works dept..........................................(405) 216-7770 Water or Wastewater.................................................(405) 216-7770 Storm Shelter Registration........................................(405) 359-4564 KickingBird Golf Club.............................................(405) 341-5350 Arcadia Lake Park Office..........................................(405) 216-7470 Time & Temperature................................................(405) 599-1234
Renaissance Salon & Spa |10440 North Broadway Extension | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73114
t (405)751-8888 | f (405)751-8787
CITY GOVERNMENT MAYOR Patrice Douglas.................................patrice.douglas@edmondok.com COUNCIL MEMBER - WARD 1 Wayne Page................................................................wpage8@cox.net COUNCIL MEMBER - WARD 2 Elizabeth Waner...............................................ebwaner@hotmail.com COUNCIL MEMBER - WARD 3 MAYOR PRO TEM Charles Lamb.....................................................chukolamb@aol.com COUNCIL MEMBER - WARD 4 David Miller....................................................dcmiller@sbcglobal.net CITY TREASURER Stephen Schaus...............................................sschaus@schauscpa.com edmondactive.com 11
My Yard
It’s All About The Water! By Bruce Maxwell of Maxwell Landscape Co.
Hello to everyone. Hope you all have had a great summer. Thanks to Sherri for writing the My Yard article last month. It has been a really busy time for me. We did get The Paper Lion moved to Spring Creek Village last month. After 25 years at the same location, you can only imagine what we found as we were packing and preparing to move to our new location! We’re moved and enjoying it so much. I invite you to visit us soon. Now let’s get to the business of our yards. The most important thing we can do is water, water, and water. It has been very dry this summer. It takes a little more work to keep plants and flowers turgid and vibrant but it is possible. Water, if possible, everyday and do so in early mornings. On to our chore for September now: 1. Last nitrogen fertilizer application of the year on warm season grasses should be applied no later that September 15. 2. Do not fertilize Fescue grass now. Wait until fall to do this. 3. Brown patch disease of tall Fescue can be a problem at this time. 4. White grubs damage can become visible this month. Apply appropriate soil insecticide if white grubs are a problem. 5. Watch out for the second generation of webworms later this month. 6. Continue to treat evergreen trees and shrubbery for bagworms. 7. Start planning to overseed Fescue grass in late September. This goes for overseeding of Ryegrass in Bermuda grass, as well. 8. Remember that the hotter drier it gets, the larger the spider mite population becomes. Spraying plant foliage will provide partial relief of this pest. These are just a few things we can do to better prepare our yards for a continued hot summer. Hopefully relief is on the way. Good luck! Until next time. Bruce Maxwell has owned and operated Maxwell Landscape Company since 1986. If you have any questions for Bruce, give him a call at 405-478-8883.
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edmondactive.com 13
My Home
Decorating for Back To School By Jennifer Hicks CID / Designing Diva Interiors, LLC / www.DecorateOKC.net/blog
Its that time of year again; time to clear off the front of the
fridge and get ready for new artwork. Time to pick out a new
backpack and most definitely time to prepare your home for the
added work load up ahead. People love to decorate for special seasons or occasions but rarely direct their efforts towards making
their home’s decor fit the school year. For tips and tough products that get the job done all while looking fabulous, read on!
Wire baskets are a classic decorating staple and serve busy
families well. Use on desktops to corral the multitude of paperwork
your cherubs will be bringing home daily. Keep separate baskets for papers that need your review/signature, homework, upcoming events, etc. Label each one so the kids can help you stay organized by placing their paperwork in the same place each day.
Make your own bulletin boards and frames for school year
artwork! Search garage sales for frames and spray paint with a
fun, bold color like lime green or magenta. To create a bulletin
board or chalk board simply buy cork squares or chalk board at a craft store and have a framer attach to your frame. Or display little Picasso’s handy work by hanging your frame over the drawing that’s taped to the wall for quick and easy rotation.
Hooks are not only functional, they’re more decorative than
ever. Next to the doorway used most frequently by kids, hang
a collage of hooks at various levels (but all low enough so that little arms can reach) for a chic solution to hallway clutter. I love to use old door knobs found at antique stores to display purses,
coats, umbrellas and backpacks. Hobby Lobby and Restoration Hardware have some of my favorite hooks. Don’t be afraid to mix and match!
Make your decor work harder! Furniture that also offers
storage can be your sanity saver this school year. Look for
ottomans with storage inside, accent tables with built-in cubbies on the bottom and anything with drawers. At the end of the day
or week, assign each family member one storage piece and have them scour the house for the items that belong in that piece. In the end your home looks put together, everything has a proper place & the kids are learning about organization along the way!
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Edmond People Edmond Womens Club: Empowering Edmond’s Small Businesses
EWC President Katie Taylor By Sherri Hultner Photo by Chris Hultner
In keeping with our All About Local issue, we didn’t want to leave out this very important organization, the Edmond Womens Club. Many that I have talked to about this organization around town have stated that they didn’t feel it was important and they felt that it was only for “rich socialites”. With this stigma attached to this important civic group, we decided to let the 2010 President, Katie Taylor, tell you what the EWC is all about in her own words. Hi Katie, tell us about some of the new things that are going on with the Edmond Womens. EWC: Well, we are doing a few things. One thing that is new this year is that we are moving our general meetings away from Oak Tree Country Club to the Nigh Center at UCO. Why? EWC: Well, I think that having meetings in North Edmond at a country club provided a certain stigma, and I really wanted to bring the meetings to a more central location in Edmond. What exactly does the Edmond Womens Club do? EWC: We provide grants and scholarships to local businesses, charities and students. We also provide volunteers to local charities. To enrich the local community, we really limit our grants/scholarships to Edmond only. How many grants were you able to give out last year? EWC: About 10. The majority of the money that we give out is in grants, but we gave out about $12,000 in scholarships last year, as well. How is the EWC funded? EWC: We’re funded mainly from events we hold throughout the year, our membership pays dues, and we get sponsorships 16 edmondactive.com
from our fund raisers. What are your goals for 2010? EWC: I want to raise $100,000 for grants & scholarships, and I would like to increase membership. Every year we recruit a new membership class and this year it’s around 20. Back when the EWC had more money to give out, it was because they had more members to be able to do it and that’s been kind of a big void the last several years. Is membership down? EWC: Yes, over the last few years it has been. Either people are not aware of the Edmond Womens Club or they’re too busy, and it’s probably just a little of everything. For those that are interested in joining the EWC, what are the criteria to join? EWC: You have to be at least 24 years old, you must be an Edmond resident. To join, contact one of our provisional members to express your interest. We accept new members from April through August. What are the fundraisers you will be holding this year? EWC: We have 3 big fundraisers we’re doing this year. Last year, we held the Mardi Gras Ball and it was like have 2 fundraisers in one event. Without this event this year, it will be a challenge to raise the same amount of money for the organization. The 3 for this year will include the Rhinestone Rodeo October 15, at Harn Homestead, the Holiday Home Tour which is held November 20th and 21st in Lakeside of Oakdale which include 8 beautiful homes which will be decorated for the holidays by local decorators & designers, and the Hunt Like a Girl Thrift Sale February 25 & 26. For more information on the Edmond Womens Club, go to http://www.ewc.org/
edmondactive.com 17
Interview
Mayor Douglas and the State of Edmond By Chris & Sherri Hultner
With the theme of this issue being All Things Local, it only seemed natural to interview Mayor Patrice Douglas and ask her about our economic state as our fair town heads through the nation’s worst economic situation in decades. We think you will appreciate what the Mayor has to say, with her background being in banking as the Vice President of First Fidelity Bank. For the newest residents here in Edmond, what does Edmond have to offer and what can residents do to make sure Edmond stays fiscally secure? Well, Edmond has everything from appliance stores to lumberyards. If you want to go to a mom & pop store and support those who have grown up in your community or you can stop in to some of the bigger chains, either way as long as you do it in the city limits, you’re supporting Edmond. My kids and I, when we eat out we will make sure we wait till we’re in Edmond before we stop. It’s only a savings of .20 cents, but when we do this we know it’s going to benefit Edmond and not another city, and everything bit counts. How many tax free weekends does Edmond have? 18 edmondactive.com
Mayor Douglas: Statewide there is only one and it usually occurs on back to school weekend. The state sales tax equals .04 cents while the Edmond sales tax equals just over .03 cents. So on this weekend, the state nor Edmond collect sales tax on anything that is clothing or meant to wear. What part of the sales tax goes toward city improvements? In 1999, we passed a 3.25 cent tax that started in 2000. This tax was for capital improvement and 1/3 of those taxes have gone to parks, it built Mitch Park, the Senior Center at the Mac, a lot of our roads, fire stations, animal welfare, and all of the city offices out in that area. 1/3 of that tax is designated to fire, police, and other services. The last 1/3 of this tax goes directly to the City of Edmond. We have been able to hire 9 new police officers, funded new vehicles for the Police Department. As well, we were able to purchase new equipment for the firefighters, build a new firestation, and new trucks. All of this is required when your town grows from 40,000+ to 83,000+ and we’ve been able to do this without much revenue. Considering that the Quail Springs Corridor is a pretty large sales tax generator, we would think that Edmond does a pretty
good job of collecting sales tax revenue. Is that true? We do a pretty good job. The Edmond sales tax revenue declined almost 6% last year. A 6% decrease in anyone’s budget, whether it’s your household budget or your business budget, that’s a lot. So when it came to budgeting this year, it was tight. What we did in the City Budget to make up for the 6% loss was we did not cut people and we did not cut services. What we did do, however, was delay a few capital improvement projects, we were able to cut our operating expenses considerably over the last two or three years. In addition to that 6% cut, as a banker I always try to explain to people, the City has always had a very good audit. The one category it was not good was operating reserves. Our reserves had declined to what the auditors had determined was a dangerous level. As a banker and a mayor, and of course as the manager of the Douglas household finances, I said we have got to cut back and not just the 6% but more like 9% to bring Edmond back into what I considered a safe auditing level. When all is done, we will have an 11% operating reserve, and the safe level for auditing is really about 30%. This hit especially hard for our budget this year. Do you know how that compares statewide to other cities? I think we fared better than a lot of other cities. I know there was another city that was doing better than Edmond, and it was because they had passed a sales tax increase and that created an artificially inflated number for a while, and now that city has had to lay off police officers and city employees. I do believe it created an artificial bump for them. We saw cities who were down anywhere from 4% to 15% so we were sitting at a 6% sales tax revenue decline from what we had actually collected last year. What will the City of Edmond do to increase it’s collection of sales tax revenue this year? We’ve been working really hard with the Oklahoma Sales Tax Commission to find a way that we can level the playing field for small business owners. It’s really not fair for a business owner that is paying his sales tax to be competing with a business owner that is not. And it’s fair to your City as this what funds the City when it comes to your roads and services. We are just trying to figure out a way to enforce the laws that are already in place. Cities across the state have banded together to form a Tax Force with the Tax Commission to see how we can do this. We hope we can get this accomplished and really level the playing field for small businesses in the next couple of years. Does Edmond receive any subsidies from the State for Roads? Yes, we do but we do everything we can to maximize our dollars. A lot of the road funding will come through ACOG, the Association of Central Oklahoma Government, and then what we try to do is match the ACOG funds. As well, we’ve worked really hard with the County to work on the outlying roads, as our constituents still drive these roads. The bridge at Broadway Extension and Memorial was a state project and we just had to fund the ancillary portions of that project. When you are growing at the pace that Edmond is growing, usually infrastructure is what suffers. You have to remember the core function of government: take care of your infrastructure. We’ve really been focusing on
this, but also trying to plan it so that it doesn’t interfere with school time traffic. We noticed the City is pretty quick to get potholes fixed; we just wanted to bring that up to our readers. (Laughs) The best advice I ever received was from Mayor Riley of South Carolina told me that there are no such things as Republican potholes or Democrat potholes. (Laughing) Thanks very much for talking with us, is there anything you’d like to finish with? Mayor Douglas: I’d just like to let everyone know that on the sales tax issue, infrastructure and overall spending that we really are trying our best to maximize our dollars, and spend less in the budget to ensure that Edmond stays sound as far as fiscal responsibility. And also I’d like to bring up the Shop Edmond campaign to just remind people that what you spend here stays here. A lot of our local businesses are owned by people that live here, so it’s not just that you spend your sales tax dollars here, and that goes to run your city. It’s also how your neighbor makes their living and that’s how your neighbor is able to cloth their children, buy school supplies, keep their lights on, etc. Edmond has locally owned restaurants, appliance stores, nurseries for your garden, clothing stores, shoe stores, you name it. We also have larger retailers that offer just as good of deals as any retailer outside of Edmond. I think it just takes the extra thought from consumers to stop and be aware of where their money is going.
edmondactive.com 19
Local Sports
Edmond High School Football
Bulldogs, Huskies And Wolves Who let the dogs out?
Things haven’t really changed much in Edmond High School football since last year. The Memorial Bulldogs, by all accounts, are still the number one team in the city. Once again they seem to have the whole package—they play as a team, they have a potent offense and one of the top defensive lineups in the state. Just like they did last year. The real standout for the Bulldogs is their Quarterback Kameron Doolittle (Sr.). Kameron has a decent passing game and an amazing running game—he’s blazing fast and he’s got moves. His longest run of the season so far was an 88 yard rush for a touchdown against Stillwater. In all, Doolittle rushed for 236 yard and passed for 120 in that game. However, Memorial’s real prowess lies within their defense. They have one of the best defensive squads in the state. In their
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first two game the Bulldogs were defense were able to hold their opponents to just 15 points. In fact they shut out the Santa Fe Wolves in the first game of the season. GO NORTH Edmond North is a team on the brink of making big things happen. As the season progresses, so will the team. Travis Townsend at Quarterback is the glue that holds his team together—if Travis isn’t on his game, the whole team goes down with him. But when he’s on, his teammates rise with him. In the Huskies opening game they got crushed by Southmoore. Yes it was ugly, but the boy’s in blue did a great job of learning, regrouping and kicking butt as they took out their aggression in Choctaw, the next weekend. The Huskies can do anything...they just have to make it happen as a team
THE WOLFPACK The Santa Fe Wolves are another team capable of doing great things on the field. Their offense and defense have all the pieces there, they just need to find a way to make it all work together. So far Santa Fe is 0-2, but that is no reflection of the talent they have as a team. Look for Santa Fe’s record to improve as the season moves forward. STATE DEBATE I know it’s way too early to make any kind of championship predictions, but i honestly think the west side might have a shot at a top 6A finish this year. However, beating Jenks will be a long shot for any team, east or west. But I do think Lawton, Southmoore, Putnam City and even Memorial have a real chance at going deep into the playoffs...but that is still a couple months and a lot of games from now.
edmondactive.com 21
Parks & Rec 2nd Annual City Of Edmond Cardboard Boat Regatta
Bigger, Faster & Stronger By Chris Hultner
The City was really on to something last year when they promoted the inaugural Cardboard Boat Regatta. For a first time event they had a strong show of support from would-be pirates, vikings and mythical creatures. Some 20 teams dared to tread new waters and construct seaworthy vessels made only of cardboard, duct tape, paint and glue. Some were crude in their design, yet oddly seaworthy. While others were beautifully crafted, but sank once they touched water. However, the one thing everyone came away with from that first event was the fun they had. The Cardboard Boat Regatta turned out to be one of the best ideas the folks at the City have ever come up with. WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES There were a lot of lessons learned from that first event and a lot more interest was gained from the community. This year the entries doubled and the spectator draw tripled—close to 1000 people lined 22 edmondactive.com
the Lake Arcadia shore to witness the shenanigans. But the big change was in the construction of the boats themselves. So much was learned the previous year that the boats this year took on a whole new look. They were sleeker, bigger, faster and better sealed off from water. There were far less sinkings when the boats were first introduced to the water. One team in particular that took what they learned last year and expanded on it (literally) was Team Crocness. Last year their boat was canoe-style and held up fairly well during the racing, but was sunk pretty quick in the demolition derby. This year Team Crocness came loaded for bear. They constructed a monstrous pontoonstyle house boat that, from all appearances, was unsinkable. The “house” portion of the boat was detachable and was only used during the demolition derby. During the races their boat was more like a catamaran and it was definitely fast with its four-man crew. The only flaw the big had was that it
was very slow to turn. During the demolition derby Crocness II was an ominous figure. The “house” was strong enough for a crew member to stand on and fire a water cannon at the other boats. And since Crocness II was so well waterproofed, the other teams water cannons had little effect on her. It finally took a collective effort of all the surviving vessels to gang up on Crocness II to cripple her—maybe even a little cheating transpired to take her out, but there was no other way to defeat Nessie. By all accounts, the second running of the Cardboard Boat Regatta was a huge success and it will definitely continue to grow in the future. The city is already receiving calls and e-mails about next years event—scheduled again for August. So if you’re planning to throw your hat in the water, better do your homework, because the competition can only get better from here.
edmondactive.com 23
Parks & Rec
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edmondactive.com 25
Local Sports UCO Broncho Football
Youth Brigade
The Rise Of The
By Chris Hultner Photos By Trevor Hultner With a healthy chunk of last years
yards a game in the Bronchos first two
program the team is rebuilding and
has already amassed 109 yards in the air.
Senior starters graduating out of the relying on their younger players to step up. In fact, there are only 8 Seniors on
the team this year and Freshmen and
games. Josh can also catch the ball and
season as starting Quarterback and he
He’s the teams number one all purpose
far he’s hit his man on 70% percent of
player.
Tucker
Holland
has
established
Red shirt Freshman make up about half
himself as the teams number one receiver
enthusiasm that propels the Bronchos to a
per reception. Tucker also happens to be
the roster. It very well could be youthful winning season this year.
The stars on the offense this season
This is Sophomore Ethan Sharp’s first
with 132 yards, averaging 18.9 yards the son of the teams head coach, Tracy
looks to be the right man for the job. So his passes and has a total of 326 yards in the air. He’s also found his man in the
end zone on four occasions. It’s a good
start and he can only get better with time on the field.
This could be a great year for the
Holland.
Bronchos and we could be witness to the
Josh Birmingham at Running back,
has been Dolphin Davis. While his
in this young lineup. The cool thing is
Holland and Sophomore Wide Receiver
games—72 yards total—he has pulled it
should prove to be, red shirt Freshman, Sophomore
Wide
Receiver
Tucker
Dolphin Davis. Birmingham has amazing athletic ability and is able to find the holes
and can cut and run. He’s averaged 104
26 edmondactive.com
The other go-to receiver on the team
yardage hasn’t been huge in the first 2
in for 3 touchdowns and is tied with Josh
Birmingham for leading in points scored for the team.
start of some brilliant football careers that there are 4 more home games on
the schedule—plenty of opportunities to catch them live.
edmondactive.com 27
Events Calendar EVENTS CALENDAR SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2010 18 Michael Summers Band Contemporary Jazz & Variety. Doors open one hour prior to showtime. Enjoy food and beverages available for purchase from Hideaway Pizza. Time: 8:00pm. Price: $7. Location: UCO Jazz Lab 18 Farmers Market Shop for fresh produce, plants, trees, fresh baked breads, pies & pastries, eggs, honey, Made in Oklahoma (MIO) products, cut flowers, Black Angus beef and more. Time: 8am-1p / Rain or Shine. Location: Festival Market Place 18 Amanda Westermier Memorial Youth Rodeo & Auction. Location: Lazy E Arena, Guthrie 18 Mother-Son Field Day. Price: Free. Location: Mitch Park Extra Info: 405/359-4630 18 Family Fun Night Play 9-holes with the family, special junior tees and set up, a Free putting course, $2 range tokens and food and beverage discounts. Time: 5pm. Price: $6 Green Fees, $6 Carts. Location: KickingBird Golf Club 18 Route 66 Car Show & Craft Fair Featuring over 200 classic autos with numerous categories. Along with great cars, enjoy a craft fair, good food and family fun. Time: 9am-2pm. Price: Free. Location: Hafer Park - 9th & Bryant 19 Fall Concert Elizabeth Speegle Band - Original Pop/ R&B/Jazz Fusion. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets. Time: 6:30pm. Price: Free. Location: Mitch Park Amphitheater 20 College Music Society: New Music Concert UCO faculty and students perform original music to be showcased at the Annual National College Music Society Convention. Time: 7:30pm. Location: Mitchell Hall Theater 28 edmondactive.com
22 Farmers Market Shop for fresh produce, plants, trees, fresh baked breads, pies & pastries, eggs, honey, Made in Oklahoma (MIO) products, cut flowers, Black Angus beef and more. Time: 8am-1pm / Rain or Shine. Location: Festival Market Place 22 ENHS Homecoming Parade. Location: City Streets 23 Matt Stansberry Accoustic. Doors open one hour prior to showtime. Enjoy food and beverages available for purchase from Hideaway Pizza. Time: 8:00pm. Price: $5. Location: UCO Jazz Lab 24 Brian Gorrell & The Jazz Company Contemporary & Traditional Jazz. Doors open one hour prior to showtime. Enjoy food and beverages available for purchase from Hideaway Pizza. Time: 8:00pm. Price: $7. Location: UCO Jazz Lab 24-26 Oklahoma Dept. of Wildlife Expo This event is a free hands-on interactive expo of exhibits, seminars, clinics, workshops and demonstrations centering on wildlife and outdoor life activities. Time: 8am-6pm. Price: Free. Location: Lazy E Arena, Guthrie 25 RESCHEDULED - Broadway Tonight presents “Love Letters” “Love Letters” has been postponed due to illness on the part of actress Betsy Palmer. The show has been rescheduled for September 25. Replacing Palmer in the production will be actress Shirley Jones. Tickets for the rescheduled performance will be $35. Anyone who already purchased tickets for the August 21 performance will have their tickets honored for the September performance. Time: 7:30pm. Price: $35. Location: Mitchell Hall Theater 25 Garrett “Big G” Jacobson Blues & Soul. Doors open one hour prior to showtime. Enjoy food and beverages available for purchase from Hideaway
Pizza. Time: 8:00pm. Price: $7. Location: UCO Jazz Lab 25 Krazy Kids Dog Show For ages 4-12. Each child may show one dog and take home only one trophy. You are able to enter 2 of the 6 categories Best Trick, Best Coat, Best Behaved, Best Look-A-Like, Best Overall Large Dog, Best Overall Small Dog, Best of Show. Registration starts at noon and the show starts at 12:30pm. Time: 12:00pm. Price: Free. Location: Shannon Miller Park, First & Johnson 25 Farmers Market Shop for fresh produce, plants, trees, fresh baked breads, pies & pastries, eggs, honey, Made in Oklahoma (MIO) products, cut flowers, Black Angus beef and more. Time: 8am-1p / Rain or Shine. Location: Festival Market Place 25 Boys Ranch Town Rodeo & Cookout From the youngest to the oldest, these young cowboys will entertain your entire family as they compete in different categories. There will be additional outdoor games and fun on campus throughout the day. Time: 10am 26 Fall Concert Mike Black & The Stingrays - 50’s, 60’s & 70’s Rock & Roll. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets. Time: 6:30pm. Price: Free. Location: Mitch Park Amphitheater 27 Edgar Cruz & Pauly Zarb Accoustic Guitar - Variety. Doors open one hour prior to showtime. Enjoy food and beverages available for purchase from Hideaway Pizza. Time: 8:00pm. Price: $20 Cash or Check. Location: UCO Jazz Lab 28 Dr. Ted Honea, French Horn and Friends Faculty Artist Concert Series. The concert includes vocal and instrumental chamber music from baroque through modern times, with each selection played on the historically approriate horn. Features a rare performance of the Brahms Trio Op. 40 for violin, horn and piano, utilizing the
Events Calendar natural horn for which Brahms composed the work. Time: 7:30pm. Location: UCO Jazz Lab 29 Farmers Market Shop for fresh produce, plants, trees, fresh baked breads, pies & pastries, eggs, honey, Made in Oklahoma (MIO) products, cut flowers, Black Angus beef and more. Time: 8am-1pm / Rain or Shine. Location: Festival Market Place 30 SFHS Homecoming Location: City Streets
Parade.
OCTOBER 2010 EVENTS 1 Shortt Dogg Blues & Soul. Doors open one hour prior to showtime. Enjoy food and beverages available for purchase from Hideaway Pizza. Time: 8:00pm Price: $7 Location: UCO Jazz Lab 3 Fall Concert G3 - Gospel/Country/Rock & Roll. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets. Time: 6:30pm Price: Free Location: Mitch Park Amphitheater 4 UCO Student Jazz Ensemble Time: 7pm Location: UCO Jazz Lab
own their own horses and ponies started out at Camp Cadence! Our camps are an excellent introduction into the world of horses & ponies and are also wonderful supplements to riding instruction. Your child will love the camaraderie of spending time at the ranch learning all sorts of fun & exciting things about horses! Time: 9am-12pm Price: $75 Per Child Location: Cadence Equestrian Center, 14150 S. Air Depot Blvd. 9 Tres Suenos 12th Annual Nouveau Festival Presenting Edgar Cruz - Classical Guitarist Performing from 11am to 3pm & Lennie Baker - Jazz, Blues, and Rock n Roll Musician Performing from 3pm to 7pm. Free Tours of Winery, Arts and Crafts, Live Entertainment and Gourmet food provided by Primo s Italian Restaurant. No charge for anyone under 21. Time: 11am-8pm Price: $10 includes Souvenir Wine Glass Location: Tres Suenos Winery, Luther 10 Grand Concert Music dept. concert featuring the Symphonic Band, Jazz Band, Chamber Orchestra, Chorale and Chamber Singers. Time: 2:30pm Location: Hardeman Auditorium at OC
5 UCO Chamber Orchestra Concert Time: 7:30pm Location: UCO’s Center for Transformative Learning Rectial Hall
10 2010 KickingBird Couples Championship 18 Holes - Scramble Tee Shot, Alternate Shot Approach, Scramble Putt. Time: Shotgun Start at 1pm Price: $80 per couple Location: KickingBird Golf Club
7-9 Wait Until Dark A Broadway hit and major motion picture, this masterfully constructed thriller moves from one moment of suspense to another as it builds toward an electrifying, breathstopping final scene. Time: 7:30pm Location: Mitchell Hall Theater
10 Wait Until Dark A Broadway hit and major motion picture, this masterfully constructed thriller moves from one moment of suspense to another as it builds toward an electrifying, breathstopping final scene. Time: 2pm Location: Mitchell Hall Theater
9 Marching Band Festival Time: All Day Location: Wantland Stadium
10 Fall Concert Stud Duck Band - Classic Rock/Country. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets. Time: 6:30pm Price: Free Location: Mitch Park Amphitheater
9 Camp Cadence Summer Horse Camp - Mini Session At Cadence Equestrian Center we host horse day camps throughout the year as well as extended summer camps. These camps are geared for both beginner and intermediate riders. Many of our youth riders who now
11 UCO Student Vocal Ensemble Concert Time: 7pm Location: UCO Jazz Lab
Jazz
11 Bayanihan Philippine National Dance Company For over 40 years the Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company has entertained audiences the world over and continues as one of the most exciting cultural troupes touring today. Their family-friendly program of dances, acrobatics and song promise to delight young and old alike. Time: 7:30pm Price: $20$45 Location: Armstrong Auditorium 12 UCO Symphony Orchestra Time: 7:30pm Location: Mitchell Hall Theater 12 UCO 5K Run Location: City Streets 15 Sporting Clays Tournamnet This Edmond Area Chamber Event is $75 per person for Chamber Members; Chamber Member Team of Four is $275; Non-member per person is $85; Non-member Team of Four is $325. Entry fee includes shooting fee, ammo, safety glasses, earplugs, lunch & goodie bag. Time: 12pm Lunch 1pm Shotgun Start Location: Silverleaf Shotgun Sports, 8513 S. Douglas Blvd, Guthrie edmondactive.com 29
Interview
Bruce Maxwell
on Small Business Ownership and the Importance of Spending Locally
By Sherri Hultner
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With the theme of All About Local, we decided to sit down with Bruce Maxwell, who owns several small businesses here in Edmond, such as The Paper Lion, The Nail Lounge and Maxwell Landscape Company, in business going on 25 years, to talk about the challenges of running a successful small business but also the challenges that one faces getting to a successful point in their venture. With our discussion throughout this issue, it’s about choices that we as individuals make but also it’s about choices that big business makes with regards to whom they choose to bring into projects. For example, according to Bruce, a chain restaurant locally, Red Lobster, signed a contractor from out of Dallas to do all of their work instead of choosing a local contractor and they are in turn bringing in out of state sub contractors, which in turn takes revenue out of the local economy. Here is our discussion with Bruce: Since you’ve been in business for yourself for so long, do you have any advice for small businesses locally? Bruce: My advice would be different with starting a business vs. staying in business, as my decisions are different now than what they were on day one. Even at the 5 year mark everything changes. I mean, change is constant. There are a lot of factors that will affect it: The economy, merchandising, and knowing your demographic and competitors. There are a lot of variables that feed into owning your own business. But if you can’t adapt to change, not your whole perspective, per say, you’re not going to be in business very long. You’ve got to be willing to accept change in your business. What are the top 3 pieces of advice you can give to a new business that can help you stay in business for a lengthy period of time? Bruce: Remain constant in your business, be true to yourself, do what you say you’re going to do and keep your word. And showing up everyday, have a great work ethic. Honestly, there are business owners out there that are a lot
more intelligent than myself, have a lot more money & resources to work with than I do, but I’m still here and a lot of them are gone now. I guess you would call it determination. Also, I have never missed a day of work in 24 years. (Laughs) I don’t know what that says about me, but when I am supposed to be at work, I’m there. Even when I was young, from K-12 I only missed a ½ a day of school, and that was only because it was Senior Day and I didn’t even take the whole day! Is it work to you or do you just really enjoy what you do? Bruce: It’s not work for me. I really enjoy what I do. When I get up in the morning, I meditate every day through prayer, reading and thinking. As well, I practice positive affirmation; I always say to myself, “Good things are going to happen to me today because I’m going to do good things.” Now don’t get me wrong, some days are better than others, because being self employed can be very frustrating. With today’s work ethic this has really deteriorated so much. What should new business owners do when it gets frustrating? Bruce: Being self employed can be very frustrating, and it is a constant when owning your own business whether it’s the first year of business or the 21st year. When you are dealing with people in a broad group, there will always be frustrations. Everyone has an opinion of the way things should be. That’s where being willing and open to change come in. 10 years ago, I was a lot more stubborn than I am now. My final words to anyone starting or running a small business would just be pay attention to your work ethics, be committed to your word, and be open to change because no one cares more about your business than you do. You can stop by The Paper Lion on 15th & Bryant, The Nail Lounge on Danforth just west of Santa Fe. You can also inquire about landscaping services, whether commercial or residential while you’re in, as well!
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