Professional /dāym/

7

Kto succesful EYS

online marketing

THE SEO RABBIT HOLE

the business of beauty

CRYSTAL MORRIS FIRST WOMAN. FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN. SHE’S BREAKIN ALL KINDS OF CEILINGS.

Q & A : MO B ERLY ’S JU LIE SNOWG REN

Exceptional, High-End Interior Design Service

Congratulations Kiersten O’Dell Business #2 Market Street Floral in Glasgow MO

“I called Corey Mehaffy with MAEDC because after working with him for three years on the Grow Mid-Missouri team I hold his advice and business knowledge in the highest regard. He was more than generous with his time and advice helping throughout the process from the first talks to the final paperwork. So as of the end of September I will be the very excited and proud owner of Market Street Floral!”

– Kiersten O’Dell team@growmidmo.com :: (660)263- 5865.

When it comes to starting or growing your business, Grow Mid Missouri is the community that connects you to the people and resources.

Grow mid-Missouri is our proven program for starting new business. We assist with business plan development, financing, processes and publicity. Get your business started now.

Capital Region Medical Center is excited to introduce a new way for you to be better every day.

Radiance Vein Care & Spa is now open and our warm and calming environment is the perfect place for you to get-a-way.

• Treatment Options for Varicose and Spider Veins • Natural and Medical Skin Care Solutions • Spa Services Designed Especially for You

Relax • Renew • Restore

573-632-5219 We are conveniently located at the Capital Region Southwest Campus. Enter the Sam B. Cook Healthplex entrance and find us on the right.

radiance.crmc.org

ADVERTISING MAKES YOU MONEY. IT’S TRUE. TRY IT. 660-998-9813

/daym/ PROFESSIONAL

NMLS# 1142067

Services, Inc. COMMERCIAL LOANS Mid America Mortgage Services has an interest in seeing your business and the community grow! Our loans for commercial properties are as unique as your business.

Call or come see us today to discuss what Mid-Missouri’s full service lender can do for you!

(573) 875 - 1100

200 E. Walnut St., Columbia

FOUNDER Betsy Bell

EDITORIAL TEAM NICHOLE L. BALLARD ANGEL BLANKENSHIP NICOLE FLOOD MARY FURNESS SARA JEFFREY JIM MUENCH LORIANA (TISHER) SEKARSKI SUSANNAH SODERGREN LILI VIANELLO DEBORAH WOLFE MOLLY WRIGHT

DESIGN TEAM Kim Watson Rudi Petry

MARKETING TEAM Tracy W. Davis Brett Wisman Angel Blankenship Paula Heath

PHOTOGRAPHY David Owens - Cover Sara Ng Kim Watson

CONTACT US Editorial Inquiries editorial@professionaldaym.com Advertising Inquiries advertising@professionaldaym.com Publisher betsy@professionaldaym.com

PROFESSIONAL DAYM MAGAZINE Mid-Missouri Women’s Business and Leadership Do business like a Daym.

P.O. Box 15, Auxvasse, MO 65231 Phone: 573-310-1357 Fax: 573-386-2268

Known in your community for kindness.

Known in the medical community for the most experienced surgeons in the region.

You know Boone for our compassionate staff. But medically, our reputation is for patient safety and satisfaction. Our surgeons have been with Boone for 15 years on average. They’re backed by seasoned nurses and top-notch technology. With this roster, we deliver some of the highest rated surgical results in the nation. Our perfect balance of expertise and humanity gives you

another reason to choose Boone.

Visit us at boone.org

Crystal Morris FIRST WOMAN. FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN She’s breakin all kinds of ceilings

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The business of beauty MOBERLY AND JEFFERSON CITY’S MERRELL UNIVERSITY A Cidesco school, preparing estheticians with an elite certification

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

39

Regional News SPORTING TIME

Lake of the Ozarks bids for 2020 Can-Am Games

50 7 Key Components of Every Online Marketing Plan ONLINE MARKETING IS SORT OF LIKE DATING…ONLINE

Flower Power

It’s easiest to find someone to date when you have lots of options to choose from, which means you need lots of traffic or visitors on your website

CARLA MALONE-STECK

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A visual gift for walkers along the Edgewood Greenway in Jefferson City

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BETSY BELL FOUNDER

Which means I’m normal. No one is perfect, even though some of us put up a

LETTER

I’m not professional all the time. pretty convincing facade. But it’s not the truth. That’s what I like to call a mask.

As I revealed before, sometimes I don’t brush my hair ... yes, still. Old habits die hard. And I prefer to wear jeans and boots. I’ve worn yoga pants to business meetings. I’m dyslexic, so the rules society lays down as acceptable behavior sometimes don’t come easy for me. I scored a 15 on my ACT. And guess what -- it’s okay.

It’s completely and totally fine being flawed. Sit me down in front of a multiplechoice question, and I will pick the wrong answer every day of the week. Being dyslexic doesn’t mean you’re dumb. It means you think differently. I’ve grown to be okay with my differences. Numbers, dates, times, even names, and me just don’t always get along. Dyslexica has helped me shake off pretention. When you grow up failing or coming in last in a school system that doesn’t work for you, you learn to accept failure.

And that is a secret to success -- accepting failure that is.

I’ve seen fear of failure paralyze people from doing anything at all. Maybe we celebrate first place and winning too much. Maybe we should start to celebrate last place. For instance, Girl Scout Troop 325 has a contest selling cookies. Okay, wait, bad example. Everyone buys those cookies. Let’s say they have a contest selling advertising on a Girl Scout cookie calendar. (I can tell you advertising is not so easy to sell.) Normally the Girl Scout who gets the most sales would receive the most accolades. She won, right? What if we instead celebrated the Girl Scout who received the most “no” answers? It’s like falling off your horse, standing back up, dusting yourself off and getting back in the saddle. So maybe she wasn’t the most charismatic Girl Scout, or connected, but she never gave up. She has perseverance, determination, grit, moxie, tenacity, resolve, guts. She’ll win in life.

I think the Girl Scout who came in last deserves accolades too. The one who got the most rejections, but never gave up, is the real winner.

Betsy Bell Professional /daym/

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BUSINESS REPORT A regional perspective on business news.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT M ACO N The Macon Chamber of Commerce welcomes MC Power Companies, Inc. as a new member. The company will bring solar energy to Macon with construction in the Heartland Industrial Park. MC Power, based in Lee’s Summit, specializes in construction, electrical and solar energy systems for commercial, industrial and municipal clients.

Another new Chamber member is Shoes From the Heart.

This group serves children in need — not only in Macon County, and in an additional 27 counties — with new tennis shoes. The organization was founded in 2012, and continues its work through the dedication of Donnie Bonuchi, and the hard work and leadership of the board. More information is available at shoesfromtheheart.org; shoesfromtheheart@gmail.com; or 660-353-9915.

JEFF ER SO N C I T Y Over a year ago, Morris Converting, a subsidiary of Morris Packaging, selected Jefferson City as the location to build a new facility. The company,

headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois, specializes in creating packaging for the food industry. When they first announced the project, company officials said they would create 27 jobs and invest $3 Million in capital investment. While their new building is under construction they set up temporary manufacturing space off Missouri Boulevard Court. The new 32,000 square-foot building is on 9.16 acres located in the Partnership Business Park between Alpla and Scholastic off Algoa Road. The site was previously owned by the Chamber, and in September 2013 the company completed a joint Development Agreement with the Jefferson City and Cole County to provide infrastructure to the site. Morris Converting has hired 16 people to date with the majority of them former R. R. Donnelley employees, who were displaced after that company closed its plant. Morris Converting plans to move into the new facility by the end of the year.

It’s a good news/bad news scenario; a company decides to close its doors, but the city makes sure the outgoing employees have a place to go.

DST Systems, Inc., a global provider of technology-based solutions, recently announced its decision to close their Jefferson City office located in

the Monroe Bluffs Executive Center December 31. The closure will impact 70 individuals; all possessing high-demand skill sets in the field of information technology. With this information, the Jefferson City Chamber of Commerce organized a career fair for those employees impacted by the closure. Two factors drove the Chamber’s quick response — the need to assist dislocated employees in finding new employment and retaining DST’s talent pool before they are lured away from the business community. The career fair was held in late October, with great success — many of those attending were offered immediate interviews.

Jefferson City residents soon could have a new option to buy tools. Harbor Freight Tools has building plans on file with the city’s Planning and Protective Services Department to locate at the existing building at 2009 Missouri Blvd., across from Furniture Factory Outlet.

Harbor Freight is a privately held discount tool/equipment retailer based in Calabasas, California. It operates more than 500 stores in 46 states and sells some 7,000 tools and related products. The nearest Harbor Freight store is in Columbia. The city has approved the building plans, but not a building permit, site plan or sign plan.

* Information listed in the business report is sourced from local newspapers, press releases, public records, social media, area experts and reader tips.

CO L UMBIA The Columbia Chamber of Commerce welcomed a dozen new members: A Catered Affair — Catering company owned by Carla Bryson Budget Blinds of Columbia — Window treatments and installation, owned by Courtney Stoddard Charles W. Digges, Sr. — Associate Donut D-Light — Bakery, owned by Kevin Hicks Girard Homes — Builders, Developers, and Management, owned by Zachary Girard Lo and Behold — General Retail, owned by Lauren Swartz Shelley Ann Lyle, DDS and Molly Tegerdine, DDS — Dentists Merchants & Farmers Banks — owned by Ron Schepker Nanova Biomaterials, Inc. — Bio-Tech Manufacturing, owned by Katie Giddens SwingStow, LLC — Home Improvements, owned by Mike McCuistion ViaMedia — Ashland, — Advertising Specialties, owned

by Mason Neff Youth Empowerment Zone

The Jefferson City Chamber of Commerce has an Professional /daym/

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News from around the region

Phelps County Regional Medical Center (PCRMC) le BRIEFS CO L UMBIA Columbia’s Landmark Bank has named a new president.

Matt Williams comes to his new position from seven years as the first president of Hawthorn Bank’s Columbia location. He will serve both as the Columbia president and manager of the local commercial loan department.

Commerce Bank, Central Missouri Region, has added two new members to their Advisory Board of Directors.

Philip Burger, vice president of Burger’s Smokehouse, is continuing the family tradition of serving on the Commerce Bank board; his father, Morris Burger has retired after 20 years. David Townsend, president and CEO of Agents National Title Insurance, has also joined the board.

— Karita Moss — Non-ProfitOrganization

M O B E R LY MFA OIL COMPANY, a farmerowned cooperative based in Columbia, has started

construction on a 33-acre commercial site to house its Business Support Campus in Moberly. The first phase includes construction of the main office, maintenance department, parts and packaged goods warehouses, training

center, and the product development and quality control department. The second phase will include the truck maintenance department and bulk lubricant storage — the company expects to complete the project by the end of 2015.

The Callaway Bank received the 2014 BKD Award for Excellence & Innovation. The award, co-sponsored by the MIBA and BKD, honors Missouri financial institutions with innovative ideas showing commitment to their customers and community. The Callaway Bank was recognized for a debit card reward program; a partnership with a local association offering promotional loan terms for businesses that expand or relocate in the area; and for being a core partner of the

Duane and Mara Burghard have decided to close their C 22

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earned in September that it had received over $1.4 mill Show Me Innovation Center, which provides support for new and existing business and encourages entrepreneurship.

PILOT G R OV E The University of Missouri Hospital Staff for Life Helicopter has a new place to land in Pilot Grove; a brand-new 40-by-40 helipad. It is located off Highway 135, at the north entrance to the city, making access easier for ambulance personnel. The old helipad was on the southwest side of the city. Since its completion, it has been used twice.

NEW F R A N KL I N New Franklin city council members have accepted a $1.62 million bid for an upgrade to the city’s sewer system. Prior to the meeting, they also saluted former City Administrator Pat Cunningham who has retired after 25 years with the city.

GLAS G O W Kiersten O’Dell, head of Silverlight Marketing, has purchased Main Street Floral and Gifts in Glasgow. The store, at 11 Market Street in historic downtown Glasgow, is the second of two that Ms. O’Dell owns and operates.

MO B ER LY Notionfront opened new offices in Downtown Moberly, at 503 West Reed Street. The

communication and video production firm, led by Randal Weidenaar, moved into a completely renovated space adding to the growing number of companies locating new operations in downtown Moberly.

GRANTS C OLU MB I A In October, the Columbia Farmers Market was awarded a grant of $12,993 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program to implement a youth education program promoting and teaching the benefits of specialty crops.

The grant will specifically go toward improving the healthy habits of children, raising consumer awareness, and improving knowledge of specialty crops through offering a series of education programs and promote the market as a routine and reliable source of specialty crops effectively increasing sales.

using descriptive sensory analysis are included in the grant.

The second is for $53,128, to examine innovative strategies used in other developing wine regions, including wine trail and appellation development in three areas with developing wine industries, to advance the collective marketing options used by Missouri wines. The project will define successful strategies for regional and local industry development, identity-based reputations of successful wine trails, and specifications used

to define the wine styles and production practices adopted in new appellations.

FAY E T T E Central Methodist University is the beneficiary of a gift from Jay and Kelly Jacobs in support of the new Allied Health facility being constructed on the Fayette Campus. The $3.6 million gift from the Fayette natives honors James and Helen Thogmorton, for whom the center will be named. The

The University of Missouri received two grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Block Grant program. The first is $18,192 to provide new information to elderberry producers, Extension personnel, and researchers on quantifiable juice characteristics. Monies for research into identifying and comparing the flavor descriptors of the juice of six different elderberry cultivars

Columbia MacXprts storecompletion of the six-month pro Professional /daym/

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KNOW

GOING GLOBAL, Part 3

THE LEGAL SIDE

BY DAVID GAINES

PROTECTING A COMPANY’S INTELLECTUAL P R O P E R T Y , brand and

trade market is of the utmost importance.

David Gaines, a Moberly resident has held management positions in the economic development, finacial services and broadcast media industries.

Gaines also started and successfully managed three small businesses.

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Within your reach? Well not approximately but yes.

Moving into the global market place from a small business based in Mid-Missouri is not as difficult as it may seem. There is a myriad amount of support the local business owner can access to make that transition a bit easier.

Using the support of those that have gone before and specialize in the international marketplace can save thousands of dollars in mistakes and lost time. The marketing research and introductions that can be obtained from the Jefferson City, Missouri based, Missouri Department of Economic Development’s International Trade and Investment Office can identify the target market, potential customers and background checks.

The legal side of going global needs as much attention as finding customers and markets.

“It is a whole different world when you go across the border,” says Thomas Keable an attorney with the international law firm of Gross Shuman Brizdle & Glifilan based in Buffalo, New York. Mr. Keable works of behalf of both American companies wanting to do business in Canada and Canadian companies wanting to work in America.

Canada is Missouri’s largest and most accessible trading partner.

The law that most Missouri companies may be accustom to changes when you cross a border into a different country. “In Canada, the landscape is different in terms of employment law”, said Mr. Kaeble. Employment law in Canada is not the same as it is in the United States of America. Canadian companies are required to have employment agreements with employees that only allow for

termination of an employee for cause and include some form of severance pay.

Besides learning about how employment of local staff in a foreign market works, business decision-makers wanting to make the leap to a global market place will want to have certain security measures in place as well.

Protecting a company’s intellectual property, brand and trade market is of the utmost importance. Each country has a database of names and trademarks that need to be researched to insure someone else does not already use that name. Mr. Kaeble even suggests spelling the company name differently to insure that the Missouri brand can be used in other markets.

Immigration law also needs to be taken into consideration. Will Missouribased employees be granted access to the foreign market? Can foreign market employees travel to the United States of America to conduct needed business face to face in Missouri? Knowing the answers to these questions ahead of time can save countless hours of headache and legal trouble which in turn can mean increased expenses.

Going global can be a challenge if the partnerships are not in place before making the jump into the international business arena. Seeking out good advice from advisors with real life international business experience can be the difference in having success globally or not.

Starting with resources in Missouri then expanding the search nationally for trusted counselors and mentors will increase the odds that a small business in Missouri can be a player in the global marketplace.

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A new name, and a

better way Together, St. Mary’s Health Center and Audrain Medical Center have cared for Mid-Missouri patients and families for more than two centuries. That’s a lot of expertise gained and even more compassionate care given.

SSM Health is taking our exceptional care to new heights in Mid-Missouri, with both hospitals uniting under the name SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital to provide better care and better relationships – all for better health.

to health.

As part of SSM Health, which has 7,000 physicians, 30,000 employees and is nationally recognized for providing outstanding health services across the Midwest, we’re also connected to a wealth of resources, expertise and advanced technology to help provide the latest in personalized care and an improved way to health for each and every patient.

We’re SSM Health, and our new name is just the beginning.

And we’re making it easier than ever to find quality care, as our medical group, urgent care, home care and outpatient services expand in locations across Mid-Missouri.

To learn more or to connect with an exceptional SSM Health physician, call toll-free 844-SSM-WELL (776-9355) or visit ssmhealthmidmo.com.

©2014 SSM Health. All rights reserved. SYS-14-11881 10/14

Why Does Labor Force Participation Matter?

The economic column for the distinguished financial magazine, Barron’s, has been the domain of seasoned writer and economic scholar Gene Epstein for over 20 years. While he tries not to predict the future, which economists in general have historically a poor track record in doing so, readers should find his column a reality check about how to interpret government economic data regarding the job market.

The Barron’s cover story in the September 1, 2014 issue examines labor participation trends. Epstein challenges the “Good News” spin placed on the resurging job market in the current economic expansion. Barron’s provides a compelling, if not disturbing case that there are powerful structural trends the current and a continued economic expansion can’t seem to overcome.

The article looks particularly at the participation rate in the male prime age group of 25 to 54. Bureau of Labor and National Bureau of Economic Research Statistics are cited indicating participation by this age group is the worst in 36 years at 88 percent. A more ominous trend: Broader overall adult labor force participation over the age of 16 is the lowest since 1978 at 62.8 percent. Yes, that is less than two-thirds of the population, and higher education participation has not increased enough to make up the falling levels.

Researching recent Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census Data on my own revealed not only had this trend been in place since 1980, it also showed the 25 to 54 prime male and female age group labor participation had plateaued in 2000 and is not projected to meaningfully improve through 2020.

INCREASING DIVERGENCE Non-institutional population continues and is projected to grow faster than participating prime age adults 25 to 54 causing the level of adults not in the labor force to increase well past the current economic expansion.

Gene Epstein points out in a subsequent column that there are a number of structural things at work impeding improved labor participation levels in the near future. Two notable reasons he points out are a surge in social security disability filings and the Congressional Budget Office’s findings the Affordable care Act could possibly cause 2 million workers to leave the labor force. Continued

KNOW

A PERFECT STORM

BY Whit McCoskrie

improvement in automation by industry, a sustained period of aging baby boomers retiring and more fathers choosing to stay at home have to be factors as well.

As it appears now, proper administration of the federal government’s fiscal responsibilities regarding taxation and spending will continue to be neglected.

A “perfect storm” may be in the making should American leaders be unable to resolve critical issues of long standing imperfections in tax structure, reign in an already overstretched federal deficit, and solve a never-ending immigration crisis. Hopefully the vaunted American work ethic has not suffered an irreparable crack in its armor.

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KNOW

Listen and Learn Media recommendations for insights and inspirations on: SMALL BUSINESS

BY SUSANNAH SODERGREN

Listen:

Watch:

Read:

Read:

Five Years of Small Business Saturday: How American Express and Local Retailers Are Changing Small Business Culture

Is Your Small Business Ready for the Holiday Shopping Season?

Urban Greengrocers Are Back, To Serve BigSpending Locavores

“An approach that worked in 2013 may not be right for 2014.”

“They’re closer to the places your grandparents might have shopped – but updated for the modern foodie.”

A Tiny Balloon Factory, Small-Batch Whiskey, and 3D Printing: A Dispatch from the Future of Manufacturing

“It could’ve been just another ad campaign; but clearly American Express had something bigger and broader in mind from the very beginning.”

–– Mike O’Toole, host

As Small Business Saturday approaches for the fifth year on Nov. 29, radio show “The Unconventionals” asked American Express Senior Vice President, Mary Ann Fizmaurice Reilley to explain how a credit card company successfully launched a massive movement of goodwill. A couple small business owners also share the benefits they’ve seen by kicking off the holiday season with a local celebration of small — after years of just hanging in against the big guys on Black Friday.

Available ONLINE at radio. agencypja.com/2014. Search “Small Business Saturday.”

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–– Julie Gordon, Inc.com

The 2014 holiday season is expected to be a big one, with a 4.1 percent rise in sales.

However Thanksgiving comes later this year; so every day of shopping counts more than ever — especially for smaller retailers. That’s why you’ve got to be ready to jump right in, according to Inc.com.

Inc.’s top tactics include making sure you’ve got your marketing straight and all staff on board, prioritizing customers new and old, and learning for next year.

Available ONLINE at www.inc.com. Search “Is your small business ready.”

–– Maanvi Singh, NPR

As communities large and small are cultivating a preference for small, local retailers, a new subset of independent grocery stores is emerging. It’s still a largely urban trend; but quaint, specialized food selections are popping up everywhere, including mid-Missouri. Like many kinds of small shops, retailers say small grocers find their customers drawn to the strong sense of neighborhood that develops shopping among familiar faces.

Available ONLINE at www.npr.org. Search “greengrocers.”

“There are certain things you can do in low-volume that you can’t do at high-volume.”

–– Lisa Smith, ODLCO

Small-scale production, like small shops, has been on the rise of late — namely in food production. Microbreweries, for one, are everywhere.

And now 3D printing has advanced the concept of small production to the point that homemade no longer necessarily means handmade. A couple of years ago, two Chicago women created a company that facilitates what they call “small-batch manufacturing,” to demystify and even entertain with the how-to’s behind typically mass-produced products.

Available ONLINE at www. theatlantic.com. Search “tiny balloon factory.”

Congratulations Kiersten O’Dell Business #2 Market Street Floral in Glasgow MO

“I called Corey Mehaffy with MAEDC because after working with him for three years on the Grow Mid-Missouri team I hold his advice and business knowledge in the highest regard. He was more than generous with his time and advice helping throughout the process from the first talks to the final paperwork. So as of the end of September I will be the very excited and proud owner of Market Street Floral!”

– Kiersten O’Dell team@growmidmo.com :: (660)263- 5865.

When it comes to starting or growing your business, Grow Mid Missouri is the community that connects you to the people and resources.

Grow mid-Missouri is our proven program for starting new business. We assist with business plan development, financing, processes and publicity. Get your business started now.

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WINTER HOURS: M-F 9-5, SATURDAY BY APPOINTMENT | w w w . p o o l s u n l i m i t e d l l c . c o m

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BY SUSANNAH SODERGREN

INNOVATE

Where we break business ideas down to the basics.

THE BUSINESS OF NEW BEGINNINGS Think about turning your passion into a profession.

Idea:

Idea:

Idea:

An independent grocery store

A microbrewery

An independent pharmacy

You’d need:

You’d need:

You’d need:

> $15,000

> $400,000

> $800,000

Expense to consider:

Expense to consider:

Expense to consider:

Learning curve on inventory turnover

Maintenance

Delayed cash flow

The best part would be:

The best part would be:

The best part would be:

Getting to know your daily customers

Well … drinking beer

The worst part would be:

The worst part would be:

Pleasing customers with personal service

The wait for daily customers to show

Thinking about work when you take a sip

The worst part would be:

Beer brewing is a business that takes patience. For one thing, it takes a while to build. It’s often a side job long before brewers get their footing. Then, the daily processes of even a busy brewery can be slow going. And be ready to roll up your sleeves, as breweries of any size involve lots of pieces and moving parts; and it all has to be constantly cleaned and maintained.

Finally, while it may sound like a solitary job, a brewery is easier to run for a people-person. There’s a lot of heavy regulation to maneuver though, and of course, a ton of sales.

Opening an independent pharmacy is most often better suited for a pharmacist who has a good deal of experience at a retail pharmacy, or at least some strong mentorship, if you’re newly out of pharmacy school. Go in with a strong marketing plan. Small pharmacies stand a great chance of earning customer loyalty with personal service, but the trick is getting those customers in the door in the first place. Consider specialty products and services, and even classes – like nursing for new moms. And like the grocery, convenient location is everything.

Small, independent grocery stores are popping up with increasing frequency as more shoppers step outside the bigbox stores to seek out specialty items in a neighborhood atmosphere. (See this issue’s Listen & Learn feature for more on this trend.) The key to success with a small food shop is to nestle yourself firmly in a niche. Listen to what your community is looking for and be the best around at providing it. And make sure it’s easy to pick up. People don’t typically plan a food-shopping trip like they’re buying clothing or gifts. An easy stop-in on the way home? That’s more like it.

Competing with major retailers on price

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KNOW

The SEO Rabbit Hole

A World You Can’t Control, But Must Control

BY DAK DILLON

Search engine optimization, or SEO for short, is not an exact science. Far from it.

It’s really a complex process that requires testing, monitoring and collection of various data points to create goals and decisions.

The problem with SEO is that it all depends on the will of one company: Google.

They make the rules, they enforce the rules and they decide when and how to change the rules. Oh, and the rules are private and a very tightly controlled secret.

So, no one really knows the “magic formula” for making a website rank No. 1 on Google, leaving you at its mercy.

There’s no rule book to follow and there’s no formula for success. Sure, there are best practices, but those best practices have evolved over time, and continue to evolve daily.

If you don’t know the latest changes, your site will suffer. Its ranking will be like an elevator that can’t decide if it’s going up or going down.

Search is important

Dak Dillon is the principal and creative director at Hub & Spoke, a Columbia-based creative agency that helps businesses find focus for their brands through web design, marketing and strategy.

A whopping 93 percent of online experiences start with a search engine, according to industry digest Search Engine Journal, so ranking in the top spot is big business.

SEO is more important than printing business cards, buying a billboard or running ads on the radio. It’s the most important piece of your marketing

puzzle. Yes, that’s right. It’s the most important piece.

Your customers have moved to the internet, and your marketing dollars must follow.

Having a professional website that can actually be found is very important.

Search Engine Watch reports that 33 percent of the traffic on Google only clicks on the top search results. Being first or second is important.

The right direction You must realize, SEO is like the Wild West. Some companies focus on data and accountability, while others use buzzwords to take advantage of an unknown field.

Search Marketing is now about creating positive buzz for your brand. It’s about creating meaningful content that a user actually wants to read and use.

To put it simply, make sure your website is something you would actually want to use.

Make sure the resources you post actually provide help to a potential customer.

Ask questions of the experts you call on. Research for yourself online, understand the terms and exactly what the expert is going to do. And make sure they’re not just focusing on outdated concepts like “keyword stuffing” and “updating meta keywords”.

True SEO is about creating excellent content, building solid links and adding credibility to your website. Do this, and customers are bound to follow.

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KNOW

J

Q & A: Julie Snowgren

Name:

Julie Snowgren

Age: 57

City:

Moberly, MO

Hometown: Dayton, Iowa

Occupation (s):

Sales and Marketing, (Direct and Indirect), Network Marketing. Currently working for AR/Net LLC, Director of Business Development

Years on job:

More then I want to say!

Awards or Accolades or accomplishment are you most proud of? I have won awards for top sales person, won trips and cruises, diamonds and other awards in two companies numerous times working as an independent consultant. I have been given accolades in the actual business that I have worked for. I have accomplished

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Professional /daym/

Bold. Sassy. Tenacious. Independent. Compassionate.

Persuasive. Perceptive. She is WOMAN.

almost everything that I have ever set out to do. With that being said still to this day the one accomplishment I am the most proud of is my daughter and the women that she has become and am so proud to have been not only her mother but her mentor and friend as well. Nothing in the world can top that! You can climb the mountains of success and reach the top but it shall fade and pass the love of my daughter will never do that.

How would you describe yourself in three words?

Bold, Sassy, tenacious, independent, compassionate, persuasive, perceptive and I could go on. I guess in 3 words you could say: I AM WOMAN!

What are your thoughts on how women are portrayed in the media?

I still think women are

portrayed on a different level than men. We have come a long way baby but we still have a ways to go.

Do you believe generally speaking women help other women? Yes most of the time. Why or why not? The book women are from Venus and Men from Mars is true.

Women just understand each other better so we really are equipped to help each other better. However, with that being said I have seen women in power positions that will go out of their way to see another women fail so not to take their positions. To me that is the worst, share and bless others and you o shall be blessed.

Tell us about your careers work.

I have been a Director of Business Development for CitiCapital, MEI, MD Resources and now AR/Net, LLC and love what I do. Creating and maintaining new and

old business. I have been called the stealth of all three companies. I work from my home which is another GREAT advantage. When CitiCapital closed it was my piers that found the jobs for me that have followed and I can’t say enough how important networking is. I have been with Jordan Essentials for almost 10 years now and love my in home business.

I love mentoring my team members and sharing our products with people and seeing how it helps their skin problems and now even more issues since we have added the magnesium lotions and essential oils. I have been one of those women that has been blessed to have a full life, career, wife and mom and it has balanced well for me. Now I am at the chapter in my book of life, it is not about me, but about how I can mentor and help others to reach their goals in life.

What would you like

people to better understand about one of the industries you are in now?

Network marketing or also called in home sales. Sales is not sales it is simply sharing something that you truly believe in. You need to find a product that will help others and you believe in and you have to work at it as you do anything else. In this type of marketing I have been able to truly help and bless people and would not have been able to do so in any other type of business.

I believe in support made in the USA, small business owners. I don’t think people really understand when you are an independent consultant that you need to make a living and not just doing it for the fun of it.

What’s something that’s made you laugh at work?

Listening to the tales of cold calling on prospective clients!

You cannot believe what some people can say to get out of talking to you!!!

What do you do when you’re not working? Enjoying the outside, reading, cooking, playing computer games, mentoring my team

members, my husband love camping. Ummm it is hard for me just to sit and do nothing. Come on life is short!

that one more time …….go ahead make my day!!! Oh so many fond memories in this book of life!

Where did you grow up and what was it like?

Tell us something few people know about you. I write poetry

I grew up in the northwest part of Iowa on a farm. I think that is what has given me my imagination, work ethic and love of animals. I can remember playing lost in the blizzard, swimming in the cow tank, walking the gravel roads and looking for wild asparagus. I was walking beans, detasseling corn at a young age to make money and loving it. It was cold in the winter and beautiful in the spring and summer. I still enjoy the smell of the fresh tasseled corn in July when I go home to visit.

Simple things that make life full of grander.

What’s your fondest memory?

Of my childhood growing up?

Sitting in the grove of evergreens on the branch made just for me. Watching our newly wed neighbors saying good bye at lunch time…Oh my they kissed!!! Of my adult life…watching my daughter tell a little boy that was bulling her while camping….do

What’s the hardest card you’ve been dealt? Being told I had Crohn’s disease three months after my daughter was born and having to be in the hospital for two months straight and not with her.

Name a person you admire.

Tony Robbins Why? He is self-made and is truly caring about people and returns to the world what he has been given. He has been my mentor since I was 21!!!

Madeleine Albright has said, “There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.” How and why do you think women shoed help each other?

I think there is a special place in hell for people that don’t help people. Once we learn that we are all people then things will change.

So with that being said we need to help each other

man, women, children and animals to make this a better world to live in.

Only 4% of SBA loans went to women according to the United States Senate study conducted this past August called “21st Century Barriers into Entrepreneurship”.

The study found women have unfair access to money. It didn’t find that women aren’t asking for it found that we have unfair access to it. What are your thoughts on this?

I personally have never tried for a SBA loan but this doesn’t surprise me. As I stated before we are not on the same level as men …we have come a long way but still have a long way to go.

Heels or flats?

If my ankles can do it HEELS. However as we grow older gracefully we need to go to flats due to the body telling you so. With that being said enjoy the heels while you can.

Life is short and so full of… well just life!!!!

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MOBERLY JEFFERSON CITY

“… I basically started the school

AT MY DINING ROOM TABLE.” —Marilyn Sharp

The Business of Beauty

Fostering entrepreneurship and maintaining the standard of beauty

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By Molly Wright

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For three decades, Merrell University has provided an exceptional educational experience for students pursuing careers in the field of cosmetology and esthetics.

Today, with three locations, a robust and diversified curriculum, and small class sizes, Merrell continues to provide an environment conducive to developing and honing the practical skills necessary to obtain state licensing. With a strong emphasis on business know-how, Merrell prepares students to work in and succeed in this competitive industry.

Founded in 1984, the university is named after former Missouri Senator Norm Merrell and his wife Carlene.

Carlene, executive director of the State Board of Cosmetology at the time, wanted Missouri to have a cosmetology school with a strong educational focus. Their first step was to hire Marilyn Sharp as the school’s Director of Education.

“They asked me to write the curriculum. I basically started the school at my dining room table,” says Sharp, who served 13 years as Director of Education at the Kirksville School of Cosmetology. In 2000, Sharp and her husband Larry purchased the school. The couple expanded the program over the years, adding an additional location in the Capital City for esthetics in 2002 and a cosmetology school in Moberly in 2005.

Whereas cosmetology focuses mostly

on the hair and nails, with esthetics the main focus is the skin.

As an accredited Pivot-Point member school, Merrell uses the Pivot Point System of teaching that is internationally known and highly regarded.

Merrell’s program is divided into three levels. Level 1 is classroom work and covers the basic fundamentals, such as hair cutting techniques, color and perms, manicures and pedicures. Level 2 is part classroom and part clinic time, allowing the students to work on actual customers.

“Classroom time in Level 2 includes, anatomy, chemistry, nail diseases and disorders, and skin diseases and disorders,” says Samantha Kellogg, Education Director at the Moberly location, adding learning about muscles is key in this industry since cosmetologists massage the face, arms and legs.

By Level 3, students spend all their time in the clinic, which is open to the public and offers most salon services.

Kristi Lehmen, Merrell University Director of Esthetics, says the school’s esthetics program also follows strict guidelines. “We are a Cidesco school, which is the highest, most elite certification you can receive as an esthetician,” she says, requiring students to receive training over and beyond the normal hours required by the state of Missouri.

“So our students, once they have all their hours and take their test, they are internationally certified.”

Practical skills are essential, but equally important is business savvy. For this reason, Merrell provides a variety of opportunities for students to experience the realities of working in this industry.

For instance, all students are required to take the “Salon Success,” part of the Pivot Point System to help them develop business skills. For Lehmen, who is a Merrell graduate, the emphasis on the business side of the industry makes the school stand apart from similar institutions. “I would say that at least 60 percent of students want to own their own business at some point,” says Lehmen. “But they need to know the benefits, the downfalls and even the stress that goes along with owning your own business.”

Sharp agrees that being aware of additional responsibilities, such as taxes, hiring and firing, allows students to decide whether to pursue being an

owner or just work in the field. “Some of these girls are right out of high school and they have no idea about the business end of this industry,” Sharp says. “We need to teach them about how to survive in the salon, such as, how to market themselves, how to treat their clients, the differences between the types of ownership, how to write a business plan and how to build their resume.” In addition to what is taught at the University, teachers take students on tours of local salons, where they can get a sense of how different salons operate and can ask questions of the owners.

Completing the Merrell one-year program requires 1,500 hours for students in cosmetology and 1,200 hours for esthetics. They must also demonstrate through testing a mastery of practical skills and pass a written exam. “It’s like nursing,” says Lehmen. “You are not going to send someone out into the field to take blood if they’ve never practiced.”

Upon graduation, the school also offers job placement. “We know so many of the

local salon owners,” says Sharp. “We try to help our students find a good fit.”

Sharp is very pleased that Merrell University in Moberly won the 2014 Business of the Year award. “We do tons of community service. I feel like it’s important as a business to give back,” she says. In fact, for Sharp, teaching students how to act within the community that they work in is another important part of the education process.

Overall, Sharp says, in this industry success comes down to 80-20 rule, where 20 percent of an individual’s success comes from practical skills, but 80 percent comes from their business and people skills. “They have to make a connection with people to be successful,” she stresses. “You could do the best haircut in the world, but if you don’t concentrate on what your client is really asking for and you don’t really try to please them, there’s no connection made and chances are they won’t come back to you.”

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Help support a mission of hope

HONDURAS SERVE 2015 January 10–17, 2015

About

Compass EFC and Alive in Christ churches of Columbia, MO are partnering with WGO of Honduras in a mission trip to send workers and health care professionals to provide medical services, dental services, optical services, concrete floors in homes, evangelism, and bring eye glasses, pharmaceuticals and supplies to the desperately poor in Tegucigalpa, Honduras on January 10–17, 2015.

For More Information

To find out more about this hope-filled mission trip, WGO of Honduras or to join us in this mission please visit: www.christshine.com.

Donations

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Your donations will help send workers and purchase supplies. To give donations for this important cause, please make checks out to Compass EFC, with “Honduras” in the memo line, and send to Compass EFC, 600 Silvey St., Columbia, MO 65203.

I’m going to Columbia College to build my...

Knowledge.

Network.

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DREAM

Transform your idea from concept to reality with an Entrepreneurship Major.

admissions@ccis.edu • (573) 875-7352 GoForGreater.org/Entrepreneurship

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39

LEAD

FLIP YOUR “TO-DO” LIST

BY LORIANA (TISHER) SEKARSKI

Loriana (Tisher) Sekarski, founder of BONSAI, has been coaching leaders and students and advising businesses for over twenty years.

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Writing Up Your Accomplishments for Jobs Well Done Let me start by saying I love lists. And I even have lists of my “to-do” lists. And doesn’t it just feel great to cross things off? It is almost like you get a little rush.

Check — another thing done. Forget the ballpoint pen — try an extra-wide, bright colored marker. Then it can almost be euphoric!

Until you look at all the things you haven’t crossed off. Then it can seem daunting when it is still 6 p.m. and those other four items are staring back at you.

And if you aren’t careful, that might be all you focus on.

My clients often struggle with this situation, and it leads to lower productivity as a result of reduced energy, poor office morale and high stress due to overwhelm. But when they try this technique, they get excited and feel proud and stretch to contribute even more.

would be to have a long list of items to complete. That depressed me, as it was my first non-travel vacation. So instead, I used Post-It notes to capture what I completed (e.g., washed windows, cleaned closet, attend concert). By Friday, my entire kitchen door was filled with sticky notes and I was psyched about all I did that would not have happened if I left town.

Clients find this technique particularly helpful if they are:

Accomplishments Lists Create Momentum & Build Energy

• Having a difficult time motivating a group of employees

Instead of, or in addition to, writing what you need to do, try writing what you accomplished. As you see the list of what you achieved, your sense of pride will build and you will want to add to this list.

Make it a group board (“accomplishments board” as one client has named their white board) and it becomes a celebration point as people walk up to add their achievements.

I discovered this strategy one week when I used vacation time to get things done around the house. My typical style

• Overwhelmed by a project and need to get “unstuck” • Struggling with finding the energy to get work done they don’t enjoy (even in a job that is a perfect fit, this happens) • Likely to focus on the negative (or there is a “glass half empty” office culture)

• Desiring to focus the group on particular objectives This last one can be achieved by placing boundaries on what is written on the board. For example, it might need to be a task that involves collaboration.

Or the items might need to support an organizational priority, thus keeping everyone focused on the highest valueadded activities. everyone focused on the highest value added activities.

Instead of or in addition to writing what you need to do,

TRY WRITING WHAT YOU ACCOMPLISHED.

Accomplishments Lists Build Confidence and Resiliency Simply put, accomplishment lists create a history of your triumphs. Sometimes remembering all we have achieved can be particularly difficult if: • You are in a line of work where successes can sometimes feel few and far between or quickly move to the shadows as another challenge arises. The son of a client is learning to be a special needs teacher in a crowded classroom, and on rough days when nothing seems to go right the lists now help him remember he is making progress.

• Your work is at such a fast pace you can’t recall what you did last week. This is often true for entrepreneurs, and all they see in front of them is everything they should have done yesterday. When I ask the clients to try this new approach, they are astonished at all they have done so far in building the foundation for their business. What a great feeling!

In both cases, pulling out the list when you are exhausted and ready to throw in the towel provides the resiliency you need to carry on. And as you become more resilient to life’s challenges, your confidence increases. Both of these traits are essential for leaders.

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41

KNOW Lake of the Ozarks bids for 2020 Can-Am Games

By Brian McNeill

I T ’ S L I K E L Y T H A T 2020 will be an even busier year than usual at the Lake of the Ozarks.

If a bid to hold the Can-Am PoliceFire games is accepted, the Lake will welcome more than 1,200 police officers, firefighters and EMT and rescue personnel for a week in the summer of that year.

“When we count friends and families who will accompany these participants, we’re looking attracting close to 8,000 people,” said Lagina Fitzpatrick,

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director of sales for Tri-County Lodging Association and the Lake of the Ozark Convention and Visitor Bureau.

Two years ago, Fitzpatrick attended Connect Marketplace, a yearly conference for event planners, and met with a member of the Can-Am Board Federation. “I thought the games would be a good fit for the Lake of the Ozarks because of our lodging availability, access to a large body of water and our location in the middle of the U.S.,” she said. “Plus, we have venues for all of the

activities that are part of the games and the use Sunrise Beach Fire Protection District’s great training facility.”

The Can-Am Police-Fire Games take place every other year on even numbered years and rotate between Canada and the United States. Members of law enforcement, fire service, EMS, protective services and other related agencies will participate in the event.

Created in 1977 as the Northwest Police-Fire Games, state police and fire games in Washington and Oregon and

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CAN-AM GAMES STORY CONTINUED

DOUGLAS K. HILL photographer

commercial / architectural / advertising

a police-fire sports group from western Canada joined together and held multisport events annually until 1996. By then participation had grown so large that it was reorganized and renamed to include police, fire and EMS departments from throughout both countries.

The six-day event will feature 46 different games; most are required each time the event is held and some are created by the host city. The games will include archery, bowling, cycling, golf, pistol competition, skeet, toughest firefighter alive, toughest competitor alive, triathlon, fishing, sand volleyball and several other events. The director of games during the weeklong event will be Osage Beach Fire Chief Jeff Dorhauer.

All of the games will take place in Lake Ozark, Osage Beach, Camdenton, Eldon, Laurie and Sunrise Beach.

Fitzpatrick said she is not sure what it will cost to host the event, but revenues to area economy will exceed $6 million. “We don’t have a budget yet because we’re still working on our bid for the games, which is due April 5 next year,” she said.

If the Lake’s bid is accepted, there will be site visits from Can-Am Games board members. “If we’re selected to be one of four or five cities to make a 40-minute presentation to the board in the fall, we’re in the final round,” Fitzpatrick said. “Right after the presentations, the board will announce its choice.”

Tri-County Lodging Association and Lake of the Ozark Convention and Visitor Bureau staff are familiar with the application process. They put in a bid for the 2018 games and lost to Hampton Roads, Virginia. “Board members told us we were a very close second and urged us to bid for the 2020 Games,” Fitzpatrick said. “I don’t want to say that we’re a shoe-in, but I’m confident that we have a really, really good chance a being selected. We’re definitely considered a frontrunner, and we’ll be the farthest city south where the games have been held.”

“I don’t want to say that we’re a shoe-in, but I’m confident that we have a really, really good chance a being selected.

WE’RE DEFINITELY CONSIDERED A FRONTRUNNER...”

www.doughillphoto.com

— Lagina Fitzpatrick

Fitzpatrick said she hopes that area businesses participate in the CanAm Games through sponsorships and volunteers. Once the Lake is chosen as host, she said, work will begin to rally merchants and residents together to help make a lasting impression on participants and their guests. “We want people who come here for the games to leave with plans to return to the Lake for vacations or maybe other events,” she said.

Because the Can-Am Games is nonprofit, it must have a charity partner to receive proceeds. “We’re thrilled to partner with Special Olympics of Missouri for the Can-Am Games,” Fitzpatrick said. The Lake is proposing two unified events with Special Olympics athletes and Can-Am athletes during the games. In addition, Special Olympics athletes are assisting during the games by presenting medals to wining athletes, helping with opening and closing ceremonies, volunteering at events and cheering on participants.

“Hosting the 2020 Can-Am Games would be a huge win for the Lake of the Ozarks and Central Missouri,” said Rebecca Green, public relations manager of the Tri-County Lodging Association.

“Lagina has really spearheaded our efforts to host the games. She is a fantastic ambassador for the Lake and had proven it many times over.”

HillAd-DaymMagMay2014.indd 2

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5/7/14 8:13 AM

45

“ A friendly

smile, a hug – I’m always there. ”

Crystal Morris

“Be yourself. People like it when you’re yourself. L O V E L I F E

AND LOVE YOURSELF –

that’s what I do,” — Crystal Morris

T H E R E H A V E B E E N lots of firsts for Crystal Morris and at the center of it all is opening her heart and caring for people, both in life and in death.

Morris is the first African-American woman to be director for nursing at Callaway Community Hospital. She is over the department of medical surgery, the emergency room, and is the utilization review nurse for the hospital as well.

“They’ve had a black nurse over units before, but I’m over all three departments,” said Morris of her work.

Morris grew up as an only child in Fulton and has lived there her whole life. Helping others runs in the family – her mother is a retired school teacher and her father worked at the Missouri School for the deaf. “When I was a child, I lived beside Green Funeral Home and wanted to be a funeral home director,” said Morris. “I used to watch my father and grandmother help the funeral director Mr. Green and it just fascinated me and he was just a wonderful man.” This experience lead to Morris’ lifelong dream of being a funeral home director. “When they [the families] see their loved one for the last time, they want to see that they are at rest and peaceful.” said Morris.

First woman.

First African American.

This girl’s breakin all kinds of ceilings.

By Nicole Flood

She added that there is such satisfaction in the family saying thank you at their time of need.

Though Morris always knew she wanted to be a funeral home director, schooling for the position was far away and she wanted to stay in Fulton. Nursing proved a great path for her and over the past 20 years she has loved caring for patients and their families.

Morris graduated with her LPN in 1995 and went on to graduate with her bachelor’s in science in nursing degree in 2007 from Lincoln University in Jefferson City. “I worked at the Fulton State Hospital for many years and decided to go on and better myself and my career,” said Morris. She and her husband Robby have been married for 20 years and they have 3 children and two granddaughters. “Robby was there beside me through the thick and thin and so were my boys and my parents.

You can accomplish anything in life with a loving and supportive family.”

Her favorite part of nursing is working with patients – it’s the satisfaction of just being there for patients, said Morris. “A friendly smile – a hug – I’m always there,” she added. “Today I helped a lady and she said ‘you are just so sweet’ I’m just a happy person.

It’s important to know that your patient’s know you care about them.”

Morris likes her patients to know that no problem is too big and that she is there whether it be finding placement for patients or helping them get oxygen or arranging for home health care. “I tell the family to call me if they have questions, even if it’s after hours,” said Morris. After discharging patients, Morris always gives them a discharge packet with her card and number as well. “I want them to know I’m here for them as a resource,” said Morris.

In 2011, Morris started working at the Maupin Funeral Home. She is the first African-American to be a Licensed Preneed Agent and also the first Apprentice Funeral Director at Maupin. Working at both the funeral home and as the director of nursing keeps her busy but Morris enjoys both

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careers. Sometimes she has to take vacation time from her nursing position to prepare a body or goes straight to the funeral home after her shift.

“Both careers I do are so rewarding,” said Morris. “I love the compassion and helping people – I’m a people person.” People ask how she can work with the dead and with living people; Morris’ answer is, “You’re there for the family and that means so much to people at a time of need.”

For Morris, her favorite part of working in the funeral business is working with the family and just seeing their faces of appreciation and peace after helping celebrate the life of their loved one. “My next favorite part is working with the staff members at Maupin because we’re like a family and we spend so much time together,” said Morris.

Morris likes to help others advance themselves as well through mentorship and encouragement. “I always tell people when they are deciding – education is number 1,” said Morris. “You cannot get anywhere in this world without a good education.”

She added that people can do anything

they put your mind to. “Have faith and trust in the Lord. He is the one who got me where I want to go,” said Morris.

“Look at me, I’m 42 and I’ve accomplished all of this! Don’t let negativity bring you down –just keep going.”

In addition to being the first African-American female nursing director at Callaway Hospital and the first African-American woman to be an apprentice funeral home director at Maupin Funeral Home, Morris is a member of 100 Black Women in Funeral Service and attends conventions for networking and to share ideas. Morris is also the second African-American female to be a board commissioner for the Fulton Housing Authority, is a member of the Fulton Branch of the NAACP, and is president of the health unit at Calvary Baptist Church. “Every time I look at myself, I’m just so proud of what I’ve accomplished,” said Morris. “My loving family and caring friends that were there and backing me 150 percent helped me get here.”

In her spare time, Morris enjoys spending time with her family and two granddaughters, reading, and listening to gospel music.

Morris lives by the motto: “Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he had overcome while trying to succeed.” - Booker T. Washington

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7

KEY COMPONENTS OF EVERY ONLINE MARKETING PLAN By monica pitts Online marketing is sort of like dating‌ online. It’s easiest to find someone to date when you have lots of options to choose from, which means you need lots of traffic or visitors on your website. To start you digitally network with potential prospects, though search engines, advertising and sometimes social media then ask them to coffee (a.k.a. visit your site). While drinking your latte you turn on your monster charm to whoo them into a mutually beneficial relationship (like buying something from you that makes their life better). Think of the 7 key components of online marketing like your online dating tools to generate website traffic and start developing relationships with visitors: website, blog, email marketing, offerings, social media, integration software and advertisements.

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1.

WEBSITE Consider your website your online marketing home. You own this home and have complete control over your guests website visiting experience. You want readers to enjoy their visit and feel good about your business when they leave. A positive user experience adheres to the following guidelines: PROFESSIONAL, CLEAN, EASY TO NAVIGATE - Make it easy for your viewers to access and move around your website.

CONTAINS CALLS-TO-ACTIONS – Give your readers direction about what to look at next, other information that may interest them and options to download, purchase or receive more information.

WORKS ON ALL BROWSERS AND PHONES – If your website only functions in Internet Explorer you’ve neglected all of your potential customers trying to access your site using Firefox. With evolving technology, be willing to accommodate the experience all users who want to access your website.

INCORPORATES KEYWORDS – This will make your information show up easier in search engines. Use appropriate keywords to better your chances of your blog or website showing up during a viewer’s search for information.

HAS A RELIABLE TRACKING SYSTEM – This will help your business understand how well your website is performing.

Without a tracking system, how does your business know if they need to make changes to their website? Try Google Analytics or Hubspot to meet all of your tracking goals.

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2.

Adding a blog to your website allows you to expand your sphere of influence. If your website only has 5 pages optimized for 5 key phrases you only have 5 opportunities to generate traffic (and remember traffic = relationships). If you have 100 pages optimized for 100 key phrases you have 100 opportunities to generate traffic. From a sales perspective you’re much more likely to close the deal with a list of 100 prospects than a list of 5. So blogging gives you the opportunity to gain a larger audience.

Include your blog as part of your website. Blogging is like vitamins for your website, you want all those good nutrients boosting your main sales website not a separate blog site.

Don’t be afraid to publicize what your blog has to offer. Tell people about your content by sending out emails or sharing links on social media sites.

Share timely, relevant information with your blog visitors. This give them a reason to visit your blog often.

Make your blog articles easy to share. Place Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. buttons on the blog pages to encourage readers to link their friends and followers to your site.

Include a CTA (Call to Action) on each article page. CTA’s are like pretty public service announcements telling visitors about other areas of the site they may be interested in, inviting them to follow you on social media, join your email list or download a related offering. People don’t generally show up for dinner uninvited,

BLOG

they probably won’t join your email list unless you ask them to either.

Allow readers to subscribe to your blog via email or rss feed. Give your audience full access to your blog and send them notifications of new posts if they are interested. But don’t just sign up every person you meet. Invite them to join your email list, you want good interactive, engaged email recipients, not just a list of deadbeats who delete your emails as soon as they arrive in their inbox.

If maintaining a blog of your own seems like too much of a time commitment for you consider borrowing another blogs audience and engaging in guest blogging. Although the viewers of your posts won’t be seeing them within the controlled shell of your website they will be seeing your name and pros in an environment they already trust.

Publishing new posts not only adds more content to your website, it also increases the ability to attract traffic to your site as well.

3.

EMAIL MARKETING

Email marketing acts like an alarm clock, reminding people to wake up and pay attention to your business. It can keep in touch with existing clients, notify recipients about sales, industry news or even just say, “Happy Holidays”.

Consider promoting offerings and events via email marketing as well driving invitees to your website to sign up. The style of your emails should be consistent with your branding. You can build rapport by being consistent and timely with your delivery, to show your audience how dependable your company truly is.

Email marketing doesn’t have to be just to your list. Consider piggybacking on the list of another company or organization (with permission) by placing advertisements or adding value to their email newsletter through content. This can open doors by associating you with another company the audience already trusts generating an unobtrusive soft referral.

4.

OFFERINGS

Downloading an offering often marks the beginning of a relationship with a website visitor. Offerings should be original and downloadable or generated online. A quailty offering provides answer to the questions your audience needs most. They can be in many forms but one thing they are not is a SALES BROCHURE. Leave the sales out of the body of the offering, conversing as an industry expert, at the end of the offering add a CTA to get in touch for a sales conversation if appropriate. Be sure to promote your offerings using CTA’s that direct visitors to an offering landing page. A successful landing page will include: a photo of the offering, a clear description of the offer, a lead form that allows you to track submissions and links to a thank you page, and no navigation (you want to keep visitors on the page and downloading, no distractions allowed).

An offering could include e-books, webinars, how-to guides and templates.

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We Didn’t Meet By Accident.

Certified by Major Insurance Companies State of the Art Equipment Computerized Estimating Quality Collision Repair Computerized Paint Domestic and Foreign Loaner Vehicles Available Two Down Draft Bake Booths Ability to Duplicate Original Finishes Free Estimates

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5.

SOCIAL MEDIA

6.

According to the Pew Internet Research Network, 74% of online adults use some form of social media. Your business needs to be where your clients and prospects are engaging most. You don’t need to do them all, pick one or two social media platforms that make sense for your business and excel!

Once you have figured out which social media platforms to post to, it’s important to consistently and regularly update your platform. Create a social media calendar and/or utilize integrated software such as HubSpot or Hootsuite to manage your social media postings.

Regardless of your chosen social media platform focus on speaking to and with your audience. Respond to their questions or concerns within a timely fashion and in an appropriate manner.

INTEGRATION SOFTWARE

Integrated software, such as HubSpot or Hootsuite, can allow your business to: SCHEDULE AND CREATE EMAILS SCHEDULE AND CREATE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS CREATE CALLS-TO-ACTION CREATE LANDING PAGES CREATE NEW BLOG POSTS TRACK LEADS MONITOR SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT AND BLOG VIEWS BY PROVIDING YOU WITH TRACKED DATA This type of service can be free or subscription based and saves your business time and money by allowing you to post to mulitple platforms at once, schedule posts, emails and more for the future so you can free up more time for day to day activities. They often include advanced tracking features as well to gauge your effectiveness and tweak for better results.

s a m t s i r h Ci n t h e B a r n

ADVERTISEMENTS

7.

Advertising is a great component to talk to new and existing customers in their web environment of choice. Two types of advertisements commonly found on search engines are search ads and display ads. Search ads are placed next to or above relevant search engine results. Display ads are placed on the search engine’s sidebars or at the bottom of the page. This type of ad can also be seen as a pop-up or pop-under advertisement as well.

Social media advertisements are an ever growing way to connect with your audience as well. Using social media you can target your ads to display based on demographics, interests, location or an existing email list. Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn all offer advertising solutions and can be a great way to get your name in front of those you want to see you most.

S a t u r d ay December 13, 2014 10:00am-6:00pm

Experience a vintage Christmas in the Barn! Beautiful Christmas displays, seasonal items, snacks and hot chocolate. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be with us from 10:00am-2:00pm. Bring your own camera and have your picture taken with Santa or outside in the one horse sleigh!

Rock Garden Antique Barn | rockgardenantiquebarn.com 4382 State Road F • Fulton, MO 65251 • 573-826-2999

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You’ll see it in the finish that is sanded and stained by hand. Our

S O L I D D R AW E R S W I T H D O V E T A I L J O I N T S in both the front and back designed to keep their shape

F O R G E N E R A T I O N S . This isn’t the furniture you’re going to find at a big-box store, nor in Amish Furniture Gallery 1101 Market Drive Mexico, MO 65265 Phone: 573.581.0076 www.amishfurngallery.com Wed – Fri 10 AM – 5 PM Saturday 10 AM – 3 PM

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the trendy expensive kind of on-line retailers.

It’s just G O O D O L D F A S H I O N E D , W E L L B U I L T F U R N I T U R E that is meant to last, enduring both durability and style.

FLOWER POWER This winter Santa Claus isn’t the only one bearing gifts. Local artist and entrepeneur Carla Malone-Steck has created a visual gift for walkers along the Edgewood Greenway in Jefferson City.

By Alex Hawkey

C A R L A M A L O N E - S T E C K along with artists and interns have been installing large flowers along the Greenway for the past months. This is done in accordance with the Art Inside the Park program.

Carla Malone-Steck is a selfdescribed entrepreneur “who luckily has been denied full-time employment anywhere.” This has allowed her to pursue her true passion of facilitating and involving the community at large with art. “I usually engage large groups for collaboration, bringing new ideas about what art can be”. Her newest creation is currently displayed on the Edgewood Greenway in Jefferson City.

It includes 16 large flowers that Steck designed and assembled with the help of students and colleagues. The flowers are made from mainly recycled and reproposed materials.

After volunteering for many years with the Cole County Historical Society, a 501(c)(3) which is an IRS tax code that allows the institution to raise taxdeductible dollars from individuals, corporations, foundations and government entities; Steck started Atelier CMS Incorporated, a nonprofit visual art program. It’s mission statement is to serve the rural communities of Missouri not having access to art history, art collections and especially professional

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contemporary artists. ACMSI began by hosting 10 teens for an 8 week session 3 times a year.

The program then expanded to apprenticing past students to work with visiting artists from around the country and later, the world. ACMSI partnered with the JC Parks and Recreation Department to provide a free community art exhibition called Art Inside the Park. The site specific/site responsive outdoor exhibition started in Memorial Park and has expanded to many different locations, including the old Jefferson City Penitentiary and the Cole County Park Lake.

Fundraising is what fuels the “Flower Power” machine.

Building a network is very important and Carla believes her “work as a marketing designer provided many potential benefactors to support this new community service.” She also emphasized that “perseverance is a must, whether it is courting a new client or fundraising, you must be thankful even when they say no and be there when they might say yes. Fundraising is my biggest challenge.

I’ve always tried to delegate this chore but it appears no one else believes in the project enough to do it.”

Steck reflected on one of her biggest fundraising challenges. “I’d have to say the year our Art Inside the Park production relied on an agency to organize volunteers and also retained a person to fundraise, on commission pay, to help match our Missouri Arts Council Grant. The money was not raised by the hired hand the volunteers were never organized.

That gave me three weeks to raise $25,000 while I was building 15 giant wild flowers and hosting 20 visiting artists. I was so tired yet it made for great appeal as I broke down in tears at every fundraising stop I made!” Steck persevered and the festival was successful.

Steck’s motivation as an art activist “is to change the way our schools and educators consider the arts” while providing opportunities for adults and children to experience and appreciate art.

“Perseverance is a must, whether it is courting a new client or fundraising, Y O U M U S T B E T H A N K F U L even when they say no and be there when they might say yes.”

—Carla Malone-Steck

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DAYM-APPROVED MEN All in the Family

By Molly Wright

Four generations serving the community and fighting for autism services in mid-Missouri

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“We put in a lot of hours to keep the business going in T H E R I G H T D I R E C T I O N .”

– Jake Baumgartner

For almost seven decades, familyowned, Baumgartner’s Furniture has provided mid-Missouri customers with quality furniture, exceptional customer service and a philosophy of giving back to the community. Today, owner Alan Baumgartner and his son Jake continue the family legacy in the furniture business and support a cause dear to their hearts.

The Baumgartner story begins in mid-1940s, when Emmett Baumgartner quit his job with the Stride Rite shoe factory in Fulton to open a gas station in Kingdom City with his son George.

Although George was only 18 at the time, he possessed a strong entrepreneurial spirit. Before long, the father-son team expanded their business operation to include towing and taxi services, and eventually opened a restaurant adjacent to the station. During this time, they also started to dabble in furniture sales and even sold the first television sets in the area. However, when an 18-wheeler plowed through the front of the restaurant they decided to take the business in a new direction. George left the gas station to open up a furniture store in Auxvasse. Once the store became profitable, Emmett closed the gas station and joined his son.

As the youngest of George’s three

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children, Alan remembers working in the family business at an early age. “I couldn’t even drive when I first started working at the store. My dad would send me up there to keep the store open until 9 o’clock at night,” he said. Along with learning the business, Alan was encouraged by his father, who served as the mayor of Auxvasse in the 1960s, to volunteer his time. “He said it was important for me to be involved in the community in some way to help others,” he said.

Alan married Elaine in 1974 and over the next several years they had three children: daughter Alana, son Jake, and daughter Abby. But when Abby was diagnosed with severe autism the family struggled to provide Abby with the care she needed with the closest autism services located in Kansas City and St. Louis.

Determined to help his daughter and also make sure other families wouldn’t have to face the same difficulties, Alan began dividing his time between running the furniture store, and campaigning to expand autism services into rural areas of the state. Initially, he got involved with the Callaway County Special Services Board, where he eventually served as chairman. Alan’s son Jake, who is two years older than Abby, speaks of his

father’s efforts with pride, “He called Roger Wilson, who was working for the county at the time, and they worked together through different commissions and boards to bring autism services to the Mid-Missouri area.”

When Governor Carnahan recognized Alan’s commitment and determination to helping other families, he appointed Alan chairman for the Missouri State Mental Health Commission. During the next several years, Alan served in this position under governors, Carnahan, Wilson, Holden and Blunt.

“He worked tirelessly,” Jake said. “As a result, everything he did for the area, expanded into the county and beyond.”

In 2005, when George died, Alan took over the store. Today, he works alongside Jake, who will be the fourth generation of Baumgartner’s in the furniture business. Both men enjoy working together, but they also value the unique relationship that they have developed over time. Alan appreciates the fact that they can switch gears when necessary from father-son to business partners.

“We have such a relationship that we can sit down and talk just as business partners when the number one goal is what’s on the table at the time,” he says.

Jake, who has a degree in Finance from St. Louis University, agrees, adding he

is privileged to be a part of such a long legacy. “I was never pushed to go into this business. I asked to be part of this business and he allowed me to be,” he says. But he’s glad he chose to follow in the family footsteps. “In a lot of ways, I never dreamed of doing what I do, but once I became a part of it, I knew it was right. There’s something special about keeping going the legacy of what your father, grandfather, and great grandfather have worked so hard for.”

For now, Alan says he’s content with running the two stores in Auxvasse and Columbia. The Auxvasse store offers living room, bedroom and dining room furniture, La-Z-Boy Comfort Studio, Mattress World Gallery and high quality flooring. The Columbia store, which originally opened in 1999 in the J. Ousley Plaza selling mattresses but is now located in the Crossroads Shopping Center, offers the La-Z-Boy Comfort Studio and Mattress World Gallery. Alan believes keeping prices down and offering good service has been the key to their success over the years.

Both men continue to follow the family tradition of helping others in the community. Like his father, Jake currently serves on the board of the Callaway County Special Services. Jake’s wife, Sarah, who was one of Abby’s caregivers

when the couple met, is also serviceminded. With her masters in Autism from MU, she is a special Ed teacher at Auxvasse Elementary. The couple is raising two boys, 3-year-old Noah, and Laine who will turn 1 this fall.

As a whole, the family is still very involved with Abby’s care. “Families raising a child with severe autism face many challenges,” says Jake. “Now at age 31, Abby still has to have 1-2 caretakers with her at all times.” It’s still hard to think about when his mother and sister had to live in St. Louis one summer just to receive the help they needed, he said In fact, Elaine, who has been Abby’s main caretaker since the day she was born, continues in this role. “I can honestly say 99 percent of people with my sister’s severity would be in a home, but my mother chooses to take care of her, because as she would put it, ‘because she is my daughter.’” Jake’s older sister Alana, who is equally close to her sister and also a nurse, provides medical expertise when needed.

Although Jake and Alan say the retail business isn’t getting any easier, especially in a small town, they feel they are holding their own. “We put in a lot of hours to keep the business going in the right direction,” Jake says. Alan accredits much of their success to providing a

friendly, more personal atmosphere, not possible in the large department stores.

“The bottom line is, in a box store if you have an issue you talk to a manager, but here you can talk to me. If something goes wrong, we will get it figured out and make it right,” he says. They also give credit their full time staff of whom several have been with the business for so many years that customers ask for them by name.

Overall, Alan and Jake agree that they stand on tall shoulders. Perhaps Jake says it best. “We wouldn’t have had the longevity that we’ve had without the work ethic that was instilled in us both and also the philosophy of taking care of the customer.”

“He worked tirelessly.

As a result, everything he did for the area,

EXPANDED INTO THE COUNTY AND BEYOND.” –Jake Baumgartner

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The Dryer’s family is excited about all the great brands and styles of shoes they carry. Over 10 popular names! Bring your family to Dryer’s to share in the celebration. Columbia’s most unique shoe shopping experience, since 1956!

www.dryersshoestore.com

7 North 9th Street, Columbia MO 65201

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573-442-7984

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BE YOURSELF BE UNIQUE BE A SQWEAR PEG Classic Style & Unmatched Service for Women and Men

W W W . O U R S O L I D A R I T Y. C O M

105 North Washington Street, Mexico, Missouri

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Opportunity looks a lot like hard work.

No. 1

Stacey Eichhorst GOING STRONG Stacey recently added Administrative Manager of Oakheart Graphics to her “to do” list.

Stacey handles marketing and administration at Oakheart Graphics, while maintaining her insurance career of 12 years, at Luebbering Insurance Agency, LLC. Stacey enjoys volunteering at the Pregnancy Help Center, the Special Learning Center and being a part of her church where she is a youth leader and Sunday school teacher.

No. 2

No. 3

No. 4

Jennifer Smith

Mary Kever

NEW CHALLENGES

CELEBRATING 22 YEARS

Tara Gall & Toni Klick

A natural at public relations, Jennifer Smith recently accepted the position of assistant general manager of Kingdom City Super 8. Jennifer moved from the position of executive housekeeper, where upon her taking on the hotel immediately starting running much smoother. Jennifer enjoys spending time with her family and being a part of various organizations in her community.

Mary recently celebrated 22 years with Missouri Soybean Association, where she holds the position of Project coordinator. Mary enjoys spending time with family and friends and antiquing with her husband.

EXCITING NEW BUSINESS

GIRLS WITH GRIT

Girls with Grit Native Callaweigans Toni Klick & Tara Gall have bought Fulton Graphics and have turned it in to something new. Toni has been a Fulton resident her whole life with a long family linage in Callaway County. She has always been involved with the community to make our home a better place for all. Tara Gall (Toni’s daughter) graduated from Fulton High School then went on to pursue her Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design from The Art Institute of Phoenix.

After Schooling she followed her husband around the country during his Military career.. Tara honed her design skills and gained many connections from Phoenix, AZ - Little Rock, AR - Albuquerque, NM - San Antonio, TX and now she has come back home to run 305 Design Studio LLC & Fulton 6 Graphics.

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Family Farm

By Mary Furness Photos by kim watson

I T ’ S A G R A Y , windy day, and the wind tosses the branches of the trees around Phyllis Ward’s property just south of Columbia’s city limits. It whines around the eaves of her barn as we talk, and as we walk out over her property and down to the pasture to see her horses. Phyllis heads up a farming family with property in both Boone and Cooper counties, and says that while there are some similarities in family farming today, there are a lot of differences. She took over more direct work of the farm after the death of her parents.

“I knew more about livestock—my dad dairy farmed for quite a few years—I had a 4-H dairy calf when I was young. I didn’t pay that much attention to crops until later, when we had horses and we were buying hay. I had to know about the quality and different types of hay.”

Her son had been helping before the death of her parents, and when they bought the property in Cooper County, they quickly moved the crops and cattle operation over, due to heavier vehicle traffic in the area of Ward’s property. She says cars would—and still do--regularly take the curves too fast and end up in the fields, and cattle could stray out through those openings.

Ward says it is getting harder and harder to farm around Boone County. Very few farmers are raising livestock—most farmers still in the area are raising crops.

The building of residential subdivisions, the increased traffic on roads--especially in the southern part of the county--take up the land, and make it difficult to move farm machinery on the roads between fields. Ward’s own farm, where she now raises hay and horses, is surrounded by property that has been annexed by the city of Columbia; most of that property is being turned into residential subdivisions.

As she discusses the changes in the last ten years and more, Ward’s usually chipper voice and face become somber; “I grieve what’s happening. I think it’s inevitable. At this point, there’s certainly no turning back, but….as I drive into Columbia thinking this farm used to be here, that farm used to be there, all the old farms have been torn down; I’m glad Dad can’t see it.”

Ward’s mother’s side of the family came to Columbia from Kansas in 1902, and the family history details many changes in the city. One she remembers is that her child-

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hood home was one of only a few houses within a mile or two of Rockbridge Elementary; another is that the property where Christian Chapel is, was at one time part of the farm where she was born.

The commercial development on the south side of Columbia is especially something that Ward had not foreseen, and still finds amazing. On the one hand, she finds it helpful to be able to get to a store or a restaurant fairly quickly, but still finds it startling.

We stroll around the pasture, petting and talking to her elderly horses as they graze in the setting sun, and I ask her, in her perfect world, what would she wish for?

“I would have liked [Boone County] to remain a county with an agricultural base—that is pretty much gone; it is becoming quite suburban, I would have preferred not to see that happen so quickly.”

With a wistful tone in her voice, Ward says, “it’s not farming anymore.”

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by Deborah Wolfe A C C O R D I N G T O T H E most recent statistics released by the American Bar Association, as of July 2014 women comprise only 30 percent of the legal profession, even though they account for nearly 50 percent of law school graduates. The divide widens at the partnership level with only 20.2 percent of partners being women and a dismal 17 percent of female attorneys sharing the rewards of equity partnership with their male counterparts.

A guide published by the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession, states that “the personality traits ascribed to a good lawyer (competent, confident and assertive) are culturally associated with masculinity.” According to the guide, these perceptions can affect female associates when being evaluated by their superiors and ultimately hinder and even derail their career. Many legal experts attribute this inequity as one of the reasons a growing number of female attorneys are choosing to follow another path.

Still, there will always be those among us who refuse to surrender to the status quo. Instead of throwing in the towel, they move on and move up of their own accord. Dana Martin and Staci Birdsong McNally are two such individuals. After honing their skills in the Missouri State Public Defenders Office, followed by time spent pulling their weight as associates at various law firms, the two decided to set out on their own. In 2009, they founded Martin and McNally Attorneys-At-Law located in Osage Beach, Missouri and they haven’t looked back.

With a depth of experience that includes criminal trial law, family law, and fighting for clients in front of a felony jury, Martin and McNally readily display

the competence, confidence and assertiveness so often attributed to their male peers. More importantly, they both share a passion for pursuing the best interest of their clients and a sincere belief that everyone deserves a fighting chance.

“Everyone deserves the opportunity to have their version of the story told without having judgment made too early,” Dana Martin says. “That translates into whether an attorney has the courage to take a case to a jury trial. The opposition has to know that you’re willing to stand in front of a jury and plead your case, if necessary.”

Though both women have witnessed the lopsided presence of male attorneys and judges in the courtroom, they don’t feel as though it has impacted the course of their careers. In part, that is due to their own strong-willed determination.

“People don’t usually use the term ‘softer side’ when referring to me or Dana,” McNally says. “Maybe when we are conversing with our clients, but as far as the prosecuting attorneys

and other lawyers we face off against, I think they all view Dana and me as being aggressive when it comes to representing our clients.”

It’s easy to see how the two savvy attorneys came to become close friends and partners. Not only do they both hail from small towns, Martin grew up in Seneca, Missouri and McNally in Rolla, they both thrive on the drama of the courtroom.

Fascinated by the intrigue of crime dramas the likes of Law and Order, Dana Martin made an about face after receiving a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Missouri, and moved to Arkansas to study law.

As for McNally, she practically grew up in a courtroom. The daughter of an attorney, she spent many a childhood day absorbing courtroom theatrics while her father took center stage. With more than one hundred jury trials under his belt, and a background that includes stints as an Assistant Public Defender, Phelps County Prosecuting Attorney, and

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tenure as President of the Phelps County Bar Association. Dan Birdsong, is one of the area’s most respected attorneys. As a young girl, it thrilled McNally to watch as her father “owned the courtroom”.

Caught up in the sizzle and suspense of trial law, she looked forward to one day taking her place in the courtroom spotlight, as though it were a Broadway play.

It took a poignant gift from her father to awaken her to the gravity of being a trial lawyer and the pivotal role attorneys play in the lives of those they represent.

“It wasn’t until my dad gave me the book ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ that I really got it,” McNally says. “It sat in my drawer for probably two years before I read it, but once I did, I realized what it meant and what it could mean in people’s lives.

That’s when I decided I really wanted to be an attorney.”

Choosing not to ride on her father’s significant coat tails, McNally began her career working in the Missouri State Public Defenders Office, protecting the rights of those without the financial means to afford an attorney.

“I wanted to get the experience myself, and get the training myself,” McNally recalls. “I wanted to make a name for myself in a different part of the state. Instead of letting the reputation follow me, I wanted to make my own reputation.”

Working as a public defender, not only proved to be a fertile training ground for McNally, it is also where she first met her current law partner. After earning her Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas, Dana Martin set her

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sights on the Missouri Public Defenders Office as a fast track to cultivating valuable courtroom instruction. Both women credit this experience for giving them a tremendous leg up in their legal careers.

“One of the reasons I decided to begin my career with the Missouri State Public Defenders Office, is their training program,” Martin says. “It’s definitely one of the best in the country.”

Early in her career, Martin recalls being shocked at the number of veteran attorneys she met who had never been in a courtroom, let alone try a case in front of a jury.

“They didn’t know what the inside of a courtroom looked like and that was the opposite of what I wanted to do and the reason I went to law school,” Martin says. “I thought it was really interesting to be in a courtroom.”

Many years later, the two seasoned attorneys, sit side-by-side in the practice they now own, discussing their ever-

“If an attorney promises you a certain outcome,

then that probably isn’t the attorney for you,

because there are no guarantees in life and there are no guarante es when it comes to the law.”

-Dana Martin

expanding legal horizons. By utilizing the expertise garnered in well over a decade of success in criminal and family law, Martin and McNally feel they can bring significant relief to individuals suffering from personal injury.

“We’ve had clients along the way approach us about representing their personal injury claims and we’ve gotten them good results,” McNally says. “We realized that it’s something we excel at and we should let others know that it’s something we can offer them.”

Regardless of the type of law they are practicing, one thing is clear, both attorneys remain committed to providing the best representation possible for each and every client, insisting that clients should walk the other way if they believe an attorney is not looking out for their best interest.

“I think you have to look for honesty out of an attorney,’ Staci McNally says stressing that there are no sure-fire legal strategies for winning every case. “If an attorney promises you a certain outcome, then that probably isn’t the attorney for you, because there are no guarantees in life and there are no guarantees when it comes to the law.”

Dana Martin agrees, stressing the importance of empowering clients to stand tall while enduring litigation.

“You have to take some control and not be intimidated by the courtroom or the judges or the process because you constitutionally have the right to have assistance of counsel,” Martin says. “It is absolutely the attorney’s obligation to research and utilize any type of defense or legal maneuver to get the best results for their clients.”

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BREAK TIME

CROSSWORD: THE SMALL THINGS

BY SUSANNAH SODERGREN

DOWN

ACROSS

1 Home for the first holiday in 1621 (2 wds.)

2 The smallest country in the world and biggest destination for Catholics (2 wds) 3 Ruth Siems first created this Thanksgiving staple in 1972 (3 wds) 4 A petite producer of beer 6 “Shake It Off” chanteuse 9 The subcompact Cooper 10 Charlotte’s” runt 14 The ironic label on a miniature candy bar (2 wds.)

15 Aka, sweet potato 16 One result of too much tryptophan 19 Smallest state in the USA 21 _____ Willie Winkie 22 The smallest continent 23 The smallest shops in the mall 24 The natl. org. for small business owners 25 Can politely take a comment 26 “Big Sky Country,” a state that relies more on small business than big ones 28 At the core of a “turducken” 30 Credit card co. that launched Small Business Saturday 35 Population of Goss, the smallest town in Missouri

1 The little note for sticky ideas (2 wds) 5 Col.Sanders started this small business with his first retirement check (3 wds) 7 Dickens’ “tiny” guy 8 A day late and a dollar _____ 10 Breaking this little bit of the turkey could have big consequences 11 Former first daughter with a new daughter of her own 12 The smallest planet –– now that it’s not Pluto 13 Bog-born berries 17 The smallest ocean 18 The kind of produce sold by many small grocers 20 Thanks to the November election, there will be 100+ women in this legislative body 25 Big holiday parade host 26 ‘80s and ‘90s babies 27 The second-smallest country in the world and a spot for the big spenders 29 The Friday after Thanksgiving 31 Greek yogurt brand that’s about to start a food startup incubator 32 What Mary’s lamb was like 33 The minimum number of days it takes to start a business in America 34 The company that launched TV dinners after Thanksgiving 1953 36 A little seed money from the government

Hint: Some of the answers come straight from this issue!

October Solution

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