Hartselle Enquirer 2023 Best of the Best

Thank you Har tselle, and Har tselle surrounding areas…

For taking the time to vote and select me as your ver y own best of the best! It is my pleasure to ser ve you and help you reach your personal goals in our ever changing real estate market. My heart is humbled and grateful to the many of you who have given me the chance to be a part of your journeys. Not only do I pride myself and my business on positive relationship building and referrals, but also in giving back a portion of my earnings and time to our local communities to help promote an excellent quality of life for our generation and generations to come. Thank you again for your support and recognition!

Cell: 256-309-7337

Office: 256-250-6009

Fax: 256-308-0828

Email: maegan@marmac.us

Thank You for Voting Us Best Housing Developments g p

The Housing Authority consist of 186 units, 60 elderly and 126 family located in seven different developments.

Hartselle Housing Authority is a Federal Government Low Income Housing Agency charged with providing decent and safe rental housing for eligible low-income families, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.

All funding is provided through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

Hartselle Area Chamber of Commerce is Transforming the Community

By: Vallean Jackson

“One of the greatest roles of the chamber is to make an impact throughout our community, and that is not just tangible to businesses. Our goal is to also influence people and bring the community together.”

President and CEO Missy Evans understands that in order to create change, it is imperative that one must be a part of the process to create the change. Evans joined the chamber at the beginning of 2020 during one of the worst times in the world, but her desire to make a difference fueled her passion and it has paid off greatly.

On May 11th, the chamber celebrated their 47th birthday and there is much to celebrate even early in the year. Other key staff members are the Director of Programs and Events, Jaime Hatcher and the Member Experiences Specialist, Beth Foote. Their commitment to assisting chamber members, tourists, and the community earned the chamber Best of the Best Guest Services Award in the Reader’s Choice Poll of the Hartselle Enquirer. They serve as an information center for visitors that want to shop and dine in the Hartselle Historic District. Secondly, the Downtown Hartselle Business League that was created last year has been working overtime to bring events to the city to increase social activities, and to create a more welcoming ambiance to the historic Downtown Hartselle. Some other great events and programs include the Cinderella Ball, Depot Days, Hartselle’s Have a Hart resource campaign, and the IMPACT student leadership program.

IMPACT is open to all 10th and 11th grade students in Hartselle City and Morgan County Schools. IMPACT was created to grow life-long community

leaders in the Hartselle area through mentorship, experiential and peer learning, community networking, service projects, and problem-solving opportunities. IMPACT aspires to contribute to the development of citizens that are aware of the building blocks to a strong community, can identify opportunities, understand their individual impact, and have the tools to produce change.

“The mission of the chamber is to build a healthy economy and improve

the quality of life in Hartselle and the surrounding area. We build community by helping businesses grow and prosper, increasing job opportunities, encouraging orderly expansion and development of all segments of the community, and contribute to the overall economic stability of the community” explains Evans. “That is where we make our dent with the community and people. By evolving the workforce, the schools, and community leaders we attract new residents and tourists which grow our

city, changing the aesthetics of downtown by designing colorful murals and banners to create a feeling of home for residents and visitors.”

“Lastly, we are the voice for businesses in legislative matters. In being able to address problems that might arise, being in partnership with the chamber can help provide the proper tools needed to reach the desired resolution. Overall, we want to help improve the quality of life for all that live, work and play in our area.”

2023 Hartselle Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors

Evans refers to the chamber as the heart of the city and the hub that keeps the community’s wheels turning. Without the chamber in place to bridge the gaps, it is believed that the fullest potential of Hartselle would not be reached. Businesses grow and prosper when the community is vibrant. So, working together is an essential partnership that benefits not just one person but the community and future generations.

“When I think about Hatcher and Foote, they are incredible servants of the community, their motive is love, they make sure people’s needs are met, and do it all with a smile. They work hard to advance the mission of the chamber, and they are great examples of how to pour back into the community we call home.

That is all we try to do. Make a difference in the place we all call home, and we believe strongly in working together to make that happen. There’s a quote that comes to mind when I think about those that help to make Hartselle what it is today… you can’t out work a lover because a lover will always out work a worker.”

“There is no other organization that partners with businesses and members of the community to produce avenues beneficial for everyone, “ stated Evans when asked why someone should join the chamber.

“From my own personal testimony, being a part of the chamber has opened doors for me and created opportunities that I would have never dreamed possible. I

have worked with some extraordinary leaders from this community, and it has been a delight to learn the things that I have. I truly believe that if I had never joined the chamber there are a plethora of things that I would not have experienced. So, I strongly recommend to anyone that wants to grow their business and desires to make an impact within the community to join the chamber. We have access to connections and people that can help produce outstanding results.”

When asked what the Chamber is presently working on, Evans mentioned that one of their greatest projects is the formation of the Hartselle for Tomorrow foundation. This foundation is currently focused on purchasing the old Hartselle post office. It is a historic building that

means a lot to the community, and the goal is to turn it into a community center that will be available for everyone in Hartselle. They are working on funding for that and believe that when the project is complete, it will have value for our whole community.

Since moving to Hartselle from North Carolina, Evans can strongly attest that it is a real gift to serve the place she too calls home. She added that being a part of the change and working to evolve an already thriving community is something valuable to be a part of and suggests others join to be a part of the change.

For those interested in joining the chamber, for more information go to their website hartsellechamber.com.

Ribbon Cuttings for our local businesses are a Hartselle Area Chamber of Commerce tradition.

Adults and Childrens Events

Depot Days

Antique Store

El Marie’s Antiques

Apartment Complex

Hartselle Houing Authority

Appliance Store

Lowe’s

Auto Body Repair

Colors Body Shop

Automotive Car Salesperson

Trent Preuit

Automotive Service Department

Eddie Pruitt Ford

Bank

Regions

Bar

Moe’s BBQ

Barbershop

Van’s Barber Shop

Best All Around Restaurant

Oh! Bryan’s

Best Menu

The Freight House

Biscuits and Gravy

Jacks

Book Store

Branch Books

Boss

Keith Jackson

Bridal Registry

Zoey’s Downtown

Business Curb Appeal

Urban Altered

Candy Shop

Morgan Price

Car Wash

Tidal Wave

Carpet Cleaner

American Steamer

Caterer

The Freight House

Cellular Phone Store

T Mobile

Childrens Clothing Store

Robin’s Nest

Chiropractor

Hulse Chiropractic

Church

Life Church

Cleaning Service

HR Pressure Washing

Best of the Best Categories

Computer Repair/Sales

Computer Center

Consignment Store

Better Than Before

Contractor

Ashley Thompson

Convenience Store

Johnnys Marathon Hartselle

Credit Union

Redstone Federal Credit Union

Customer Service

Jackson Plumbing

Dance/Cheer

Shining Star Dance Studio

Day Care

Hartselle First Baptist PALS

Day Spa

Kindred Spirits Massage

Dentist

Chris Widner, DMD

Dermatologist

Dr. Joe Backe

Barbeque

Pig Skin All Sport

Breakfast

Cracker Barrell

Brunch

Eating in the Attic

Brunswick Stew

Pig Skins All Sports BBQ

Buffet

Lucky Buffet

Catfish

Libby’s Catfish

Chicken

Dairy Delights

Chicken Wings

Holy Smoke

Chinese

Lucky Buffet

Coffee Shop

Warehouse Coffee Shop

Cupcakes

Sweet Sensations

Delivery Service

Door Dash

Dessert

Freight House

Eye Care

Drake Eye Center

Fast Food

Sonic

Farms Local

Reeve’s Peach Farm

Fine Dining/Romantic

The Freight House

Food Truck

Brix and Embers

Hamburger

Town & Country Restaurant

Hot Dog

Sonic

Italian

Pizza Ed

Lunch Special

Town & Country Restaurant

Mexican Restaurant

Don Alejos

Milkshake

Sonic

Pizza

Pizza Eds

Ribs

Holy Smoke BBQ

Salad Bar

Oh! Bryan’s

Seafood

Captain D’s

Soul Food

Town and Country Restaurant

Steak

Oh! Bryan’s

Subs

Subway

Sweet Tea

Southern Hickory BBq

Milkshake/Shaved Ice

Oliwia’s Shave Ice

Discount Store

Dollar General

Drug Store

Gilchrist Pharmacy

Dry Cleaner

Copeland Classic Cleaners

Elected Official

Ron Puckett

Electronics Store

Computer Center

Entertainment Venue

Moe’s BBQ

Equipment Rental

Americ Equipment Rental

Event Planner

Luxe Party Company

Event Venue

The Venue at Warehouse Coffee

Family Physician

Dr. Alan Walker

Florist

It’s Your Day

Foot Wear Store

Blue Ribbon

Funeral Home

Peck Funeral Home

Furniture Store

Cullman Furniture Market

Furniture/Appliance Rental

Choice Rentals

Garage Door

Valley Overhead

Garden / Nursery

Hannah’s Lawn & Landscape Service, Inc.

Grocery Store

Kroger

Guest Service Agent

Hartselle Area Chamber of Commerce

Hair Salon

Posh

Hardwood Flooring Store

Elite Flooring

Health Fitness Club

Hartselle Fitness

Health Food Store

Glorias Good Health

Heating/Air Conditioning Service

Jackson Heating and Cooling

Home Dcor

Chalk It Up

Home Healthcare Provider

Angel Keepers

Home Improvement/Hardware

Corum’s

Hotel

Hampton Inn

Insurance Agent

Peck Glasgow

Investment Firm

Edward Jones Investments

Jewelry Store

Gold Mine Jewelry

Ladies Clothing

Forever Kate

Landscape/Lawn Care

Hannah’s Lawn and Landcape

Laundromat

The Laundry Room

Best of the Best Categories

Law Firm

Patrick Caver, LLC

Local Music Group/Band

Cain

Mattress Store

Standard Furniture

Meat Department

Hometown Grocery

Mechanic

Alton Armistead

Mens Clothing

Absoroka

Mortgage Company

Main Street Mortgage

Nail Salon

Lavish Nail Bar

New/Used Car Dealer

Eddie Preuitt Ford

OBGYN

Dr. Reyes

Oil Change

Tankersley

Opthalmologist/Optometrist

Dr. Susan Persall

Orthodontist

Dr. Lew Sample

Outdoor Equipment

Garnetts

Pastor/Preacher

Justin Smith Hartselle Church of Christ

Personal Stylist

Lillie Smith Maynard at Queen B Studio

Personal Trainer

Jane Cross

Pest Control

Better Way Pest Control

Pet Store

Pet Depot

Photographer

Raw Images - Rachel Howard

Physical Therapy

LifeWork

Places to work over 20 employees

Jackson Plumbing

Places to work under 20 employee

Cedar Street Primary Care

Plumber

Jackson Plumbing

Preschool

PALS at First Baptist Church

Real Estate Agent

Maegan Jones

Real Estate Company

MarMac

Rental Place

Something Vintage

Restaurant Manager

Tina Sampson, Town and Country Restaurant

Senior Living Center

Columbia Cottage

Septic Tank Company

Jackson Drain Pro

Southern Cooking

Town & Country Restaurant

Sporting Goods Store

Pro Sports

Tanning Salon

Tiki Hut

Tattoo/Ink

Art N Soul

Therapeutic Massage

Kindred Spirits Massage

Thrift Store

Three Bee’s

Tire Dealer

B&G OK Tires

Towing Service

Dirty South Towing

Transmission Repair

Hunts Transmission

Travel Agency

Journeys by Design

Tutoring Professional

Long Learning Center

Unique Gift Shop

Sherry’s Sparkle

Used Car Dealer

Eddie Preuitt

Waiter/Waitress

Brittany Eckstein, Town & Country Restaurant

Walk In Medical Clinic

Cullman Urgent Care Hartselle

Wedding Reception/Location

Witt House

Weight Loss Center

Cedar Street Primary Care

Window Company

Kinney’s Auto Glass

Youth Pastor

Curtis Wall

Customer retention strategies

how the service is performing in comparison to customer expectations. Treat compliments and complaints equally, valuing the role each can play in bettering your business.

• Recognize that one hand washes the other. Solidify customer retention by using the products and services of your own customers. For example, if a customer has a printing business, you can use that business for your stationery needs.

left unchecked and unresolved. Reducing response time to address customer issues will result in higher customer engagement.

• Build trust through community relationships. Customers may be more inclined to return to companies they see having positive effects in their communities. Sponsor community sports teams, get involved in school functions, engage in community clean-up initiatives, and make your business seen and heard around town.

Thriving businesses rely on their custosmers to sustain their success. Business owners spend ample time drawing up ways to attract customers. But in addition to attracting new customers, savvy business owners recognize how vital repeat business is to their success.

Repeat customers are the lifeblood of successful businesses.

According to Simple CRM, a customer relationship management and intelligent automation company, a new customer is almost 16 times more expensive than retaining an existing one to whom a business can cross sell and upsell. In addition, a survey from SAS and Loyalty360, two companies geared toward supporting customer intelligence research, found that 68 percent of business comes from existing clients.

Business owners who want to emphasize customer retention can try various strategies to

keep consumers coming back for more.

• Identify highly valued customers. Certain customers are not only repeat buyers, but also advocates for a company. These are the most valuable to retain since they do marketing work for you. Consider these customers VIPs when offering customer perks.

• Offer customer perks and surprises. In regard to perks, customer loyalty can be fostered by offering deals or surprises to your client base. Showing customers they are appreciated may come down to sending a hand-written note or offering insider-only discounts or specialized shopping hours.

• Implement feedback initiatives. Set up survey mailings, text check-ins or have customer feedback cards at checkout to provide insight into how customers view the business. Feedback provides insight into

• Develop a system to receive and address complaints. Complaints should be addressed promptly and properly. Negative online reviews can do damage if

Customer retention comes down to getting to know your customers and building trust in the community.

How to make shopping more comfortable for customers

key shopping hours or days for those who can benefit from smaller crowds.

The holiday shopping season begins around Thanksgiving and continues at a frenzied pace for about a month. Across the country, billions of dollars will be spent on gifts, entertaining and decor. Various businesses can increase their profits if they make an effort to make shopping more consumer-friendly.

According to a survey from LivePerson, a global leader in conversational AI, two out of three consumers were planning to do most of their 2020 holiday shopping online due to the pandemic. Welcoming those shoppers back to stores may mean making some

changes designed to make shopping more comfortable and convenient.

• Offer special shopping hours. The pandemic opened retailers’ eyes to the needs of certain shopping demographics, including the elderly. Navigating packed stores can be stressful for people with mobility issues or special needs. Over the last several years, select Target stores have opened their doors a little earlier on certain days for individuals with autism, and also dimmed the lights and music to create a sensory-friendly environment. Other stores may want to follow suit, offering

• Offer in-store and online capabilities. Though many consumers now feel better about shopping safely in stores, there are some who still may prefer the perks of curbside pickup or delivery capabilities. LivePerson’s survey shed light on some common consumer concerns when shopping online, which included asking questions about products, finding products and services, and finding revelant promotions. Businesses can utilize conversational commerce experiences, including chat options, to enable customers to interact online with greater efficiency and convenience.

• Run a holiday giveaway. Attract customers and make the shopping experience more fun by using a social media platform to advertise a holiday giveaway. Customers who are spending a lot of money will appreciate getting something for free.

• Create a welcoming atmosphere. Here is where small businesses can really shine over larger corporations. The

sights and the smells of the holidays are often magnified in cozy environments. Offer coffee or hot chocolate and gingerbread cookies to customers when they enter the store. Set up a soft sofa where shoppers can rest during shopping sprees.

• Offer generous return policies. Some gifts simply will not be the right fit. Ensure that shoppers, whether they purchased online or in person, can return or exchange gifts with ease.

• Offer free gift-wrapping. Time-strapped shoppers will appreciate the efficiency of having gifts wrapped right on the spot. This is an ideal job for a teenager or an older worker looking to make some seasonal cash.

Small businesses can help solidify repeat customers by making the holiday shopping experience convenient, comfortable and friendly.

3 customer service practices that can make consumers happy

In 2009, a handful of protest songs posted to YouTube created quite a stir. After their guitars were mishandled and damaged while traveling on United Airlines, the Canadian folk duo Sons of Maxwell attempted to negotiate with the airline in an effort to be reimbursed for the damage. Those negotiations ultimately proved fruitless, so the rockers took to YouTube, posting a series of comical songs and videos.

While the songs became viral and drew many a laugh, the people at United Airlines, and their shareholders, were not laughing. The bad publicity sparked by the videos caused United stock to plummet, costing shareholders as much as $180 million.

Incidents like that highlight the importance of exceptional customer service, especially in regard to small businesses. Industry giants like United Airlines can no doubt afford some bad publicity, but small, locally owned businesses operate on much thinner margins.

In recognition of the effects bad customer experiences can have on their businesses, business owners can emphasize the following three strategies to keep customers happy.

1. Encourage customer input. Business owners may not have their boots on the ground every day, so encouraging customer input may be the only way for business owners to get a handle on what it’s like to be their customer. That input can be used as a springboard to making positive changes that make customers happy, and it also can be used to help business owners recognize which staff members are going above and beyond to make sure customers have positive experiences.

2. Respond to reviews.

A 2018 survey from Review Trackers found that 63 percent of reviewers never received a response to their reviews. Engaging with customers is vital for small businesses. Consumers appreciate it when business owners respond to their reviews. Customers who leave negative reviews are more likely to put such experiences behind them if business owners reach out and seek their input while assuring that they’ll work to provide better experiences in the future. Responding to customers who share positive experiences takes little or no time at all and it’s a thoughtful gesture to thank customers

who take the time to leave positive reviews.

3. Get personal with customers.

A personal experience drives many consumers to support local businesses. Taking time to be cordial with customers also is a great way to learn about their needs and wants so you can better serve them, potentially turning them into highly valuable repeat customers. Repeat business is vital to the survival of small businesses. In fact, a 2018 survey from

InMoment found that 77 percent of consumers acknowledge having had relationships with specific brands for 10 years or more. Getting personal can lay the foundation for customer-business relationships that can last for years to come.

Customer service is vital for small businesses, which can employ various practices to keep customers happy and coming back.