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‘The Walking Dead’ spreads new life Vertical integration and word of mouth net big results
Josh Nickell Owner of Nickell Rental & Saturn Security Systems
By Clay Neely clay@newnan.com
Doug Bates President CMIT Solutions
Scott & Teresa Young Owners of Cutie Pies and Cakery
Rhonda Sue Pattishall Business Development Director Integrated Waste Systems
When AMC TV show “The Walking Dead” began filming its pilot episode in late spring of 2010, no one really knew what kind of impact the show would have. Fast-forward three years. In the world of popular culture, the verdict is clear — it’s a smash hit phenomenon with no signs of waning interest. In the world of local business the results are overwhelmingly promising as well. Especially because much of the filming has been or will be done in Senoia and other parts of Coweta County. “Walking Dead” tours have certainly had a positive financial impact in terms of downtown Senoia’s local retailers. Business in town are benefiting from the tour groups that come to visit the various landmarks from the show. The show and filming are certainly a hit with local businesses. Many are grateful recipients of the “vertical integration” business model that Senoia’s Raleigh Studios employs. Several local business owners can attest to the positive financial impacts the show has on their enterprises. As owner of both Nickell Rental equipment firm and Saturn Security Systems,
Josh Nickell is quick to point out the impact the show has for not only his business, but for the community as well. “If you include the direct and indirect revenue from the production, the impact has been huge,” Nickell said. “Senoia is one of our largest markets. The production’s support of the downtown market and improvement in home values (because of the name recognition of the town) has had a dramatic impact on our revenue. These changes have also allowed us to bring on additional employees in order to keep up with the demand of commercial and residential systems,” he said. While the single production of “The Walking Dead” has not resulted in an influx of direct revenue for Nickell, there is no denying the impact of the vitality it has had on the region. Nickell and his father were alerted to the potential for a tax incentive for movie productions before it was passed by Georgia’s legislature. His father had worked at other rental companies in states where productions had come to town and had witnessed firsthand the positive impact it had on the local economy. Father and son knew it would be a huge benefit for local businesses and pushed hard for the incentives package. “We called representatives and spread the word to other local small business
photo by Gene Page, AMC
Costume designer Eulyn Womble works on a zombie “walker” for “The Walking Dead’ for Season 3, Episode 16.
owners to push for the incentives passage. In addition, the husband of a friend from high school actually helped draft the legislation,” Nickell elaborated. “Even though they have not spent a lot of money with us directly, they have spent money locally, which has grown tourism in Senoia, increased property values, and supported restaurants and shopping.” Many of these businesses and homeowners are Saturn’s customers. The improved local economy allows them the opportu-
nity to complete renovations and expansions, which directly impact their business. When Saturn Security Systems ran into a cabling issue at Raleigh Studios that required the assistance of an IT company, Nickell called on Doug Bates, president of CMIT Solutions. CMIT Solutions is a local IT support and services company which provides direct IT support for Raleigh
WALKING, page 4
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Make-Yo ur- Own Snack M ix Recipe ➤
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A+LUNCHES How much sodium is in your child’s lunchbox? Family Features
Contrell Middlebrooks with a group of Malawian primary students.
Teacher visits ‘Warm Heart of Africa’ By Celia Shortt celia@newnan.com
Contrell Middlebrooks has been a teacher at Eastside Elementary School for 17 years, but this summer she traveled to Africa to participate in something completely new. Middlebrooks was one of 10 teachers and two administrators who were awarded the FulbrightHays Grant, through Mercer University, to support research in Malawi.
“It wa s a m a zi ng,” she sa id . “Malawi is called the warm heart of A frica . I felt so welcomed there.” While in Malawi, Middlebrooks and the other participants studied the impact of ecology and environment on the culture and history of Malawi and worked with Malawian teachers to develop a relationship with which to help the educational system there as well as back home. “ I wa s i mpre s sed w it h t he school system,” she said. “I was
amazed at some of the similarities. It is similar to the system here in the way of standards and classroom practices.” Middlebrooks was impressed by the teacher-to-student ratios, however. She reported that it could be anywhere from one teacher to 100 students to one teacher to 400 students. In addition to those large class sizes, Malawi’s schools a re a l so po or a nd somewh at
africa, page 4
They need to be able to eat it in 20 minutes or less. They need to be able to open and close all of the containers themselves. And it can’t go bad before they eat it. What are we talking about? The lunch your kids take to school each day. What you put in your child’s lunchbox might matter more than you realize. A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found a significant amount of sodium in the foods toddlers commonly eat. It’s feared that similar levels of sodium are also found in a number of the foods older kids eat at school every day. As concerns rise about the early onset of high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart disease, parents may want to re-examine those lunchbox choices. Why does sodium matter? A 2012 study of children and adolescents found that higher sodium consumption was associated with increased blood pressure. This effect was even greater in over weight and obese participants compared to normal weight participants. In addition, research suggests that children’s taste for salt develops as they are exposed to it. The less sodium children consume, the less they want it. Children’s taste for salt may be reduced if they are exposed to lower
sodium diets at a young age. Eating less sodium can help lower blood pressure during childhood, which can help lower the risk of high blood pressure as an adult.
What’s a parent to do? Here are some tips to help tackle high sodium in your child’s lunchbox: n Read food labels and compare the sodium amount in different products, then choose the options with the lowest amounts of sodium. Some varieties of bread can vary from 80 to 230 mg of sodium per slice. That can make a big difference in lunchtime sandwiches. n Pack fresh fruits and vegetables with lunch every day, like a small bag of baby carrots, snow peas, or grape tomatoes. n For a healthy snack, make trail mix using unsalted nuts, dried fruits and whole grain cereal. n When buying prepared meals, look for those with less than 600mg of sodium per serving. By packing a lower sodium school lunch for your children, you are not only setting them up for success in the classroom, but also in life. With your help, your children can develop healthy, low sodium eating habits that will last throughout their lives and help improve their heart health.