My Wilson: Grow

March 2014

The last of a three-part guide to the lives and people of Wilson and surrounding areas for 2014 Local Businesses Expand and Grow

Speciality Food and Agriculture

“I am Wilson�

Profiles

2001 Downing Street, Wilson, NC 27893 www.wilsontimes.com

Publisher

Morgan Paul Dickerman, III

____________________ Advertising Director Shana Hoover (252) 265-7858 Fax (252) 243-2999 shana@wilsontimes.com

Account Executives Cynthia Collins (252) 265-7826 ccollins@wilsontimes.com

Lindsey Southerland and Anna Whitehead in their new business, JoLiAn Shoes and Accessories, in Shoppes at Brentwood.

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Land of Learning earns top marks.

Jeong, owner and operator of $2.70 Cleaners, moved to the U.S. to help her son continue his education.

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Elegant home decor at affordable prices.

Bridgestone at 40

My Wilson is Food & Agriculture

My Wilson is BUSINESS I am Wilson: Jinny

Jeong

Bridgestone, Wilson County’s second largest private employer, celebrates it’s 40th year in Wilson.

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Wilson Business Builders

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I am Wilson: Dewey

Shoppes at Brentwood merchants plan 29 special offers to celebrate shopping

locally.

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Information on area business groups and shopping.

An advertising supplement to The Wilson Times

Lovely Interiors

Craft Beer Merchants

Shop Local Saturday

Five Star Rating

24

Local business leaders make connections while having a good time.

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Photograph by Brad Coville

Two new beer stores have quickly become popular.

Scott

Local farmer grows sweet potatoes for a worldwide appetite.

I am Wilson: Keith

Purveyor of spice.

Hickson

Custom Boat Builder

Tideline Boats calls Wilson home.

Wilson in pictures: snapshots of the people and places that make up Wilson.

Lisa Pearson (252) 265-7827 lpearson@wilsontimes.com Beth Robbins (252) 265-7849 brobbins@wilsontimes.com

___________________

Contributors Writers Janelle Clevinger, Corey Friedman, Amanda Jenkins, Tiffany Johnson, Rochelle Moore Photography Brad Coville Tiffany Johnson Gérard Lange Gray Whitley Graphic Design Gérard Lange On the cover Bridgestone’s Wilson employees make 33,800 tires each day.

Photographs by gRay whitley

March 2014

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March 2014

Business Photograph by GĂŠrard Lange

Jinny Jeong, $2.70 Cleaners In January of 2006, Jin Yi Jeong’s son left his homeland of South Korea to participate in an American high school student foreign exchange program.

Little did either one of them know that within seven months, both of them would seek new, permanent lives in the United States.

Jinny Jeong Jeong, known to her customers as Jinny, owns and operates $2.70 Cleaners on Airport Blvd. in Wilson, across from the YMCA. All of her hard work and all of her sacrifices are motivated by one thing: to make sure her son, Danny Park, gets the best education possible.

After six months in America, Park changed his student visa from “exchange student” to “foreign student” and moved to New York, where Jeong soon joined him.

Park continued his high school education while Jeong searched for business opportunities. A business broker found a dry cleaning business for sale in Winston-Salem, NC and she immediately moved to North Carolina, Park coming along on the initial trip to help his mother move.

“As soon as I saw the business, I knew she couldn’t do it by herself,” Park said, “so I told her I would continue high school in North Carolina.”

Park said that before he even stepped foot in the local high school, he knew that helping his mother run a new business and going to school was going to be too much An advertising supplement to The Wilson Times

by Janelle Clevinger

for him.

“She would cry every day because I wasn’t in school,” Park said. “But Mom saw that I was learning a lot and eventually stopped crying, but we knew the goal was for me to go to school.”

Park did his research and discovered that he could obtain his GED from the local community college, but he knew that he would not be able to attend the college of his choice at that point. So he attended Forsyth Community College for two years and then transferred to Wingate University in Charlotte where he is in his second year of a four year pharmacy program.

Jeong encouraged Park to move to Charlotte because, as she put it, “who wants to live with your parents when you’re living the college life.”

Two years after moving to WinstonSalem, Jeong bought a dry cleaning business in Wilson, sold the Winston-Salem business and moved east.

“I am very, very happy,” Jeong said in broken English.

“I get to run my own business and my son gets to go to school.”

In the five years that Jeong has lived in Wilson, she has seen her share of struggles but does not let them get her down.

“In America, you have to be a strong woman,” Jeong said. “Even when things are hard, you are brave for your customers.

They ask, ‘Why do you smile so much?’ It

is for my customers.”

Joe Shakour, pastor of Wilson’s Tabernacle Baptist Church, has been a loyal customer of Jeong’s for over three years.

“She is always friendly and happy and has quite a fan base,” Shakour said. “The second time I was at her store, she knew my name and phone number. She has an incredible work ethic and her work is done on time, done right, and is affordable.”

Shakour said that he wanted to find a way to share the Gospel with her and found that opportunity when she went through some tough times in 2013.

Jeong has now been attending Shakour’s church regularly for four months.

“I don’t understand a lot of what Pastor says, but they gave me a Korean-English Bible and I try to keep up that way,” Jeong said, smiling.

Park, who is now 25 years old, became a Christian two years ago and says it has given him a sense of calmness regarding his

future.

“The prayer request I have is that I find out what I am supposed to do with my education, my life,” Park said. “But I have peace about it because of my faith.”

Both Jeong and Park realize they have sacrificed for each other, but it is not something on which they dwell.

“She knows how grateful I am for what she’s done for me,” Park said. “She was very brave to come to America and support our goal by working. All of this has always been about me getting an education.”

March 2014

5

Gary Williamson, Bridgestone plant manager.

Bridgestone at 40

Photograph by gray whitley

Tire manufacturer celebrates its 40th anniversary in Wilson

By Rochelle Moore Many Wilsonians continue to call Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations the Firestone plant likely because of its deep roots in Wilson County.

The announcement of a new Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. plant in 1973 brought with it a $40 million investment and the promise of 1,000 jobs within a year. The company’s start was much smaller than today, with a few hundred employees and a smaller manufacturing plant.

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March 2014

The company, which opened and made its first tire on March 1, 1974, is celebrating its 40th anniversary in Wilson. The company has never laid off an employee, millions of dollars have been invested in facility upgrades and the plant has increased its workforce.

“We’ve had no layoffs in our 40-year history,” said Gary Williamson, Bridgestone plant manager. “I’d venture to say no other company can say that.”

Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, located on 500 acres along

Firestone Parkway near U.S. 301, has emerged as the county’s second largest private employer with 2,125 employees, including contract employees, and has invested $786 million in facility upgrades, including $23 million in 2013, during its 40 years in Wilson.

Expansions and upgrades have led to the plant taking up 2.5 million square feet, or 60 acres. The economic impact has been far-reaching with 1974 payroll estimates near $10 million. Today, the plant’s annual payroll is $160 million.

Williamson, the plant’s ninth manager, said the company has been successful because of hardworking employees and also because of its long-standing relationship with the Wilson community.

“We have outstanding employees that are very dedicated,” Williamson said. “We had 900-plus employees in the second half of 2013 with perfect attendance.

“The partnership we have had with the Wilson community for 40 years has been fantastic. Not only have we supported the community, but the community has supported us. Even though there were really tough financial times that all companies went through, this facility kept its employees busy and kept their paychecks coming, which is outstanding.”

The company is celebrating its 40th year with several events, including facility tours for employees, retirees and their fami-

lies, on-site thank you dinners for all employees and a special dinner for state and local dignitaries on April 24.

The plant will also have a weeklong audit on April 7 by the N.C. Department of Labor in an effort to become a certified Carolina Star, the department’s top safety award.

Williamson said the company has excelled in its operations with proven safety records and environmental awards. Bridgestone employees have also contributed significantly to the Wilson community through volunteer work and charitable contributions and the company has hosted the Wilson County Envirothon and many other events at its 350-acre Freedom Wildlife Habitat and Refuge.

The habitat, which opened in 2006, is certified by the U.S. Wildlife Habitat Council as a Corporate Lands for Learning and as a Wildlife at Work site.

The company reached a new milestone in 2012, its safest year in history and then broke that record in 2013. In 2012, the Wilson plant was the first for Bridgestone to achieve an ISO 50001, an energy management industry standard. The same year, the plant received a Superior Energy Performance certification, which builds on ISO standards toward energy performance.

“We were the only location ever, any-

An advertising supple-

where, to simultaneously attempt to be certified by those two standards and we achieved it in 2012,” Williamson said.

The plant has also been able to achieve an Underwriter Laboratories benchmark of having zero waste sent to the landfill.

“In February of 2013, for the first time in our history we achieved zero waste to landfill and we’ve now done that every month since then,” Williamson said. “We’re the first in the world, it was a global first, to be certified by UL as zero waste to landfill.”

Bridgestone employees in Wilson have also increased their charitable giving during the past two years, an accomplishment that led to the company receiving in 2012 and 2013 the Spirit of North Carolina Award from the United Way in North Carolina. Other awards have also been presented by the United Way of Wilson County.

The company broke contribution records both years by donating $333,263 in 2012 and $405,589 in 2013 to the United Way campaign in Wilson.

Every one of the almost 383 mil-

lion tires made at the Wilson plant in 40 years have been inspected by hand, officials said. Each day, employees make 33,800 tires, which are sold to 11 car manufacturers, including Toyota, General Motors, Chrysler and Honda, and to the general public.

The Bridgestone plant primarily employs Wilson County residents but also workers from 36 other counties. The company is also the highest producing facility with the largest employee base out of any plant in the United States.

During the company’s 40th anniversary, 21 employees will also celebrate their 40th year with the company in Wilson. Even more employees will reach their 40th year anniversary with the company in future years.

“Not only do we have 21 employees that have been here since the first year, but next year we’ll have more people hit their 40th anniversary because they’ve been here 39 years,” Williamson said. “We’ve hired every year we’ve been in existence.”

March 2014

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Wilson Business Builders

Local business leaders make connections while having a good time

By Tiffany Lievense Johnson

Shooting a loaded Nerf Gun, giving elevator speeches, and eating a delicious Turkey Reuben don’t sound like typical items on a business meeting’s docket. As unique as their agenda, the Wilson Business Builders is an exclusive and innovative circle of great personalities making connections and giving references.

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March 2014

Wilson Business Builders purpose is to be “Industry exclusive, a businessto-business networking and referrals group,” says co-founder Heather Driver of CopyPro. Based off a concept seen in Rocky Mount, Driver teamed with Anita Jones of Anita’s Marketing Concepts to form a Wilson-based group in September 2013. The number of business professionals involved has grown significantly to 25 members. The exclusiveness is that no two colleagues from a specific industry can join; therefore, members

can promote and refer one another without deciding between professionals.

Wilson Business Builders was founded on the motto, “I know someone you don’t know, and you know someone I don’t know – for business referrals and contacts.” Members use each other as resources and promote one another’s businesses daily.

Every Tuesday at 11:45 a.m., the Wilson Business Builders meeting is held at Daniel’s Casual Fine Dining in the Shoppes at Brentwood. Members trickle into the private back room, place their

Front row, from left: Shana Hoover, The Wilson Times; LaTanya Simpson, Eastern Carolina Chiropractic Center; Hope Anthony, Anthony Web Design; Shari King, Quality Inn; Heather Driver, CopyPro. Back row, from left: Wes Brown, Edward Jones; Anita Jones, Anita’s Marketing Concepts; Marshall Jeffries, Professional Drug Screening Services; Johnny Bass, Bass Business Solutions; Horton Redhage, Smith and Smith Insurance; Will Williams, MRL Network Solutions.

Photograph by Tiffany Johnson

orders, and tell stories of business successes, referrals given, and suggest contacts to their fellow professionals. It’s hard for these dozen to quiet down from laughing and joking with one another when the meeting begins, especially as they launch into “elevator speeches.”

Each professional states their best business description in 30 seconds – and for those who are long-winded – WHAM! They’re playfully shot with a Nerf Gun if 30 seconds have been exceeded.

The meeting also includes a short 10-minute presentation by a different member each week on the topic of their industry or personal business.

If you’re interested in making connections with local business professionals, eating great food, spreading the word about your company, or just meeting fun resourceful people, Wilson Business Builders is for you. Visitors are allowed a complimentary “spot at the table” four times to attend. After that, membership is only $25 per year – earning you priceless opportunities for networking. If you’re interested in visiting or membership, join the Wilson Business Builders next Tuesday for their weekly lunch meeting, or contact Heather Driver (hdriver@copypro.net) or Anita Jones (anita@ anitasmc.com).

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Shop Local Saturday Shoppes at Brentwood merchants plan to showcase their stores

By Tiffany Lievense Johnson Want an opportunity to improve Wilson’s economy, meet local business owners, and support their stores? It’s simple – go shopping!

On March 29 Shoppes at Brentwood merchants and restaurants are holding a “Shop Local Saturday” event starting at 10 a.m. This is a perfect opportunity to check out all the new stores and restaurants with friends while benefiting local entrepreneurs.

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March 2014

To many ladies’ excitement, JoLiAn recently re-opened on March 4th.

New owners Lindsey Southerland and Anna Whitehead are Wilsonians who grew up shopping at Brentwood as young girls. Now with their own Brentwood store, JoLiAn, they proudly offer ladies shoes, jewelry, and accessories. The store carries popular name brands such as Ugg, Dansko, Sam Edelman, Vaneli, Nicole, Madeline, and Sacha. Lindsey and Anna add, “We are very excited

to have re-opened a business that is so dear to many women in Wilson!”

They both look forward to seeing you at JoLiAn during “Shop Local Saturday.”

Well known sports authority in Wilson, E.B. Sports has now branched out to include embroidery services.

BB&P Embroidery is in its fourth month of business and welcomes new customers. Almost any item can be monogrammed, and hundreds of different fonts and styles are of-

Belle & Co., Wilson’s Trendsetting Boutique, celebrates it’s 10th anniversary in 2014. Owner Steadman Lanier, right, and Mollie Dorsey fill the store with the latest in women’s fashion including designer denim and trendy accessories.

Wilson Times file photograph

Several Brentwood merchants are planning special offers and treats for Shop Local Saturday!

Belle & Co.

The 10th anniversary celebration of this popular women’s clothing boutique kicks off with 20% off your purchase.

Cotton Tails Children’s Boutique

Celebrate their 1st anniversary with a complimentary sweet treat and enjoy 20% off your purchase. fered. BB&P Embroidery doesn’t require a minimum number of items being monogrammed; however, the price is cheaper for a larger quantity. Another benefit is the fast turnaround time of only 2-3 days, and orders can be completed quicker if needed.

Michael Brock of E.B. Sports encourages customers to come out March 29th and says of Shoppes at Brentwood, “It is a very convenient and good environment to be around.”

Davis TV, a family-owned business for 54 years, announces it’s new line of surveillance systems, the Lorex and QSee. Owner Kenny Davis says, “When we bring in a new line at Davis TV, we are looking for a quality product at affordable prices and we want it to be customer friendly.” Davis TV also carries top name brands on LED TVs, projectors, audio products, Universal Remotes, furniture, and even outdoor TVs, which are perfect for summertime!

“Customer care is something you will not find at a majority of the big box or chain stores.

An advertising supplement to The Wilson Times

At Davis TV, our customer comes first and we look after them even after the sale,” emphasizes owner Christie Davis.

This Brentwood store works with customers to find the right product to fit their needs, complete installations as desired, all while staying within each budget.

With plenty of new stores and items to see and purchase during “Shop Local Saturday,” make sure to receive your complimentary “Brentwood Shopping Bag” if you spend $50 with a single merchant. Megan Lively, Marketing and Advertising Professional for Shoppes at Brentwood says, “We are hoping this event will bring awareness to the incentive of shopping local. Many of your friends and neighbors own shops at Brentwood and pay local taxes that support our community, parks, and schools. If you have not visited Shoppes at Brentwood in a while, please come check out all we have to offer from jewelry, gifts and clothes to great local dining, all right here at Brentwood!”

Davis TV

Snack on complimentary freshly-popped popcorn while catching a movie on the big screen TV’s.

Earl Boykin Sports

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March 2014

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5 Star Rating

Christy Fyle, center holding certificate, stands in the lobby of Land of Learning with staff members Janelah Bounedjar, left, Katie Fyle, Monique Patton, Carol Varnell, Danielle Barnes, Tammy Horne, Erika Wooten and Pamela Mattern, who is expecting a son, Mason.

Photograph by Gérard Lange

Land of Learning earns top marks

By Amanda Jenkins Wilson has a five star rated child care center on Airport Boulevard. Land of Learning Child Care received this high status from the North Carolina Division of Child Development from a culmination of standards in staff education, classroom assessment, and environment rating skills. Facilities can receive one to five stars.

Owner of Land of Learning, Christy Fyle, said she is proud of her staff. “The staff does deserve every bit of the credit.”

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March 2014

Land of Learning stands out with its bright blue and yellow awning and welcoming sign out front. Now, blue and yellow signs announce the achieved 5 star rating that makes the child care center stand out in other ways too.

With 17 classrooms and a capacity for 272 children, they range in care from infants up to school age children.

The teachers at Land of Learning are mostly senior staff, some having worked there for 8 years and some for 15 years. The staff’s additional train-

ing teaches them more about the child development process, age appropriate activities, curriculum, sanitation laws, and North Carolina rules and regulations. Most of the training is received from Wilson Community College with a few learning from Nash or Johnston Community Colleges. Most of their child care workers have earned a two year degree in child care. Three of the staff are enrolled at Barton for a four year degree.

Opening its doors in 1998, Land of

Learning was one of the first child care centers to offer educational skills in addition to child care. Fyle and her husband, Tom, decided to build the center because of what they wanted for their children, a one year old and a two year old, at the time. They wanted more than playtime all day for their kids; they wanted educational skills to be taught also.

Fyle said that circle time didn’t happen at child care centers then on a widespread level. Things are different now in child care, but back then, offering educational skills was much more unheard of.

The Fyles picked out the location on Airport Boulevard to build Land of Learning in anticipation of housing development on that road. They drew up the blueprint for the building, and started out with seven classrooms for 110 children. Fyle said that she still

has the piece of notebook paper where they originally drew up the blueprint.

They reached their capacity within three months of opening.

After their first two years in business, they added on to offer 17 classrooms with a capacity for 272 children. Then in 2004, they opened another Land of Learning Child Care in Winterville.

Last year, Wilson’s Land of Learning graduated 81 children into the school system from their four preschool classrooms. Their enrollment decreased from 272 children to around 235 children when these kids left and other children joined. Enrollment increased again up to 260 children, and 68 children will graduate from Wilson’s Land of Learning this year.

The people are Christy’s favorite

Lisa Wilkerson-Thompson, who has been with Land of Learning for 16 years, leads her threeyear-old students in songs before breakfast.

Photograph by Gérard Lange

Continued on Page 33

We’ve got a good thing growing !

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2801 Ward Blvd. • Wilson • shoppingbrentwood.com

Shop Local Saturday • March 29th

Lovely Interiors

Elegant Home Décor at Affordable Prices.

Downtown Wilson is the home of a new business called Lovely Interiors, which opened its doors on March 20. Next door neighbor to Wilson Hardware on Nash Street, the business will offer high-end furniture, lamps, antiques, and other décor for the home. Cornelia and Arthur Ashby own the store with the slogan, “Elegant Home Décor at Affordable Prices.”

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March 2014

“Part of the excitement now is being part of downtown Wilson,” said Cornelia. The Ashbys moved to Wilson two years ago from Washington, D.C. Some of their family had moved to Wilson, and they occasionally came to visit.

They liked it and decided to move to Wilson, too. Cornelia said they love Wilson; they love the people; and with a smile, traffic is somewhat better than in Washington.

Before moving, she worked with the Government Accountability Office for 37 years.

Her experience was in federal studies of Congress of the education programs that get federal funding. With a Masters degree in business administration, she hopes that her experience and education will be useful in the

In their newly renovated storefront, Lovely Interiors offers a variety of new and resale furniture as well as decorative items.

Photographs by Gérard Lange

By Amanda Jenkins business side of owning a store.

The Ashbys will both be managers at the store, but Cornelia will be the one keeping things on track and doing the budget. She said that her favorite thing about opening the store is, “It’s new. I like to learn. I like challenges…the challenge of developing and watching something grow.”

Arthur had a consignment shop in Washington and had a dream of providing a non-profit living facility for men that have a hard time making ends meet. He wanted to help those recovering from substance abuse and other hardships by allowing independent living with transitional low rent housing. Cornelia said this dream is off in the horizon, but is the

Continued on Page 16

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Lovely Interiors Continued from Page 14 spark that initiated Lovely Interiors.

She said that she came on board her husband’s dream and is excited. Her enthusiasm is contagious, as she talks about their merchandise and feeling into what people want when they re-stock. From her husband’s initial vision of helping others, they want to help people in other ways. Some may have more income than others, but the goal is still to help others.

Arthur sought to rent space and happened into Wilson Hardware one day. In talking with the assistant there, he found out that he had the option to rent or buy the former Recollections store location beside the hardware store.

The Ashbys ended up buying

the building location and have been working towards opening.

Cornelia said that it was fun even before the store opened.

They have attended several workshops to help their new business.

Wilson Community College offers free workshops for small business owners. The Ashbys have taken advantage of the opportunity and have taken courses on writing business plans, financial planning, bookkeeping, federal taxation, and marketing and advertising. Cornelia said there is so much support for new small businesses in Wilson. She said that the city and state government have been helpful.

Wilson is a place they call home. They own a house, attend

Celebrating 25 years as a vital link between education and businesses in our community!

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a church, and Cornelia is also the leader of a soup kitchen. She’s also an adjunct faculty member of Wilson Community College, where she taught Sociology last fall. Her love of learning has led her in the past to earn her Masters degree in sociology as well

as business.

They want to help others, and they love to learn. With this combination, one never knows when retirement will find them in a new business, in a new place, with new neighbors, and great opportunities.

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Food & Agriculture

An advertising supplement to The Wilson Times

March 2014

23

Wilson’s Craft Beer Merchants Two new craft beer stores have quickly become popular in Wilson

By Rochelle Moore for their products, service and laid-back atmosphere.

The businesses, located in different areas of the city, BrewMasters have their own focus and each continue to draw new customers every day. BrewMasters, at 2115 Forest Hills Road, opened in October and offers hundreds of craft beers for sale, tap beer options and a variety of food, including Boar’s Head sandwiches. The Beer Store, downtown at 113 Goldsboro St., opened New Year’s Eve and provides a variety of craft beers for sale, tap beer and a tasting lounge.

24

March 2014

“Business is fantastic,” said Joshua Davis, BrewMasters coowner. “We’re giving them the best beer in the world and allnatural, high-end meats, Boar’s Head sandwiches, so they’re getting the best of the best and it’s in a relaxed atmosphere and that’s really clicking with people.

I think we’re filling the niche that

nobody in Wilson had.”

BrewMasters opened with 200 craft beers but has since increased its stock to 400 craft beers for sale. German and Belgian beers as well as others from North Carolina breweries can be purchased onsite. Some of the beers available include DuckRabbit, Mother Earth, Foothills, Natty Greene and Carolina Brewing. The restaurant also provides the capacity to seat 26 people

inside, at tables and the bar, and another 10 outside.

Davis said he started the business in an effort to provide the community with quality beer, a hangout atmosphere and allnatural meats and cheeses.

“People are ready to try new things,” Davis said. “They’ve heard about the beer explosion in other parts of the country and Wilson seems to be the type of town that wants to be on the brink of new things but they just haven’t had the opportunity here.”

Davis said the business has been popular and most days the restaurant is full. Being able to serve food quickly during the week has also led to strong sales An advertising supplement to The Wilson Times

during lunchtime.

“Friday and Saturday nights, we’re slammed,” he said.

“Lunch is pretty good every day.

Because of the style of food we offer, it’s a quick option even when we’re busy.”

The locally owned cafe-style restaurant, at 991-6035, is open Monday through Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. until business slows in the evening and on Sunday starting at noon until 6 p.m.

In addition to sandwiches, pizza, soup and chili as well as soft drinks and sweet tea are available.

Customers can drink beer in the restaurant or purchase

bottled beer from store shelves.

Customers can also mix and match a six pack with their own selection of beer and they can purchase a growler, a halfgallon bottle, that will allow the purchase of any BrewMasters draft beers.

The Beer Store The Beer Store in downtown Wilson is appealing to a similar and, yet, different customer base. The store opened in one of downtown’s older buildings, which gives the business a different look and atmosphere. The bar, where tap beer is sold, is an old wood desk that was found in

a downtown warehouse.

The pub has a tasting area, with tables and chairs, as well as a small lounge. The walls are also stocked with a variety of craft beers, cold beer is available from an onsite cooler and seasonal ales are available.

“We have up to 200 different beers now,” said Kevin Gross, owner.

Close to 10 percent of the craft beers sold are from North Carolina companies, including Mother Earth and Duck-Rabbit.

The Beer Store doesn’t offer any food for sale. Two kinds of tap beer are sold and frequently rotated to give customers variety

Continued on Page 33 March 2014

25

Dewey Scott, Scott Farms, Inc. Local farmer, 1989 graduate of Hunt High school and a graduate of Barton College, has long had a dream of bringing the family business’ sweet potato crop to a world-wide audience.

by Janelle Clevinger

Dewey Scott North Carolina produces more sweet potatoes than any state in the country.

Johnson, Nash and Wilson counties are consistently the top three sweet potatoproducing counties in the state, with over half the North Carolina’s sweet potatoes being grown there.

When you do the math … let’s just say that Wilson County is a sweet potato mecca.

And in the forefront of North Carolina sweet potato farming, education and world-wide exporting is Scott Farms, Inc., located in Lucama, where Dewey Scott heads the company’s sweet potato division.

Scott, a 1989 graduate of Hunt High school and a graduate of Barton College, has long had a dream of bringing the family business’ sweet potato crop to a worldwide audience.

That dream has come true, with Scott Farms becoming the largest exporter of sweet potatoes in the country. And 90 percent of all the potatoes shipped overseas are grown in Wilson County.

“We began exporting sweet potatoes to England in 2002 and the business grew so much that we opened an office in the United Kingdom in 2006 with the sole purpose of that office being to sell Scott Farms products in Europe,” Scott said. “We’ve grown so much since the opening of that office that ‘Scott Farms U.K.’ has now become ‘Scott Farms International.’”

Scott Farms International also ships sweet potatoes into Western Europe and is now starting to move into Eastern Europe.

“Now the growth is on the continent where there are 700 million people,” Scott said.

26

March 2014

At one time, Scott was spending a lot of time in England, working with food safety standards, accreditations and setting up the overseas office.

“I don’t spend nearly as much time over there as I used to,” Scott said. “I go over once or twice a year and the office staff in England comes over here once or twice a year. With modern technology, it doesn’t require us being there as much.”

The sweet potato market in Europe is a fastgrowing one, with sweet potatoes being considered “exotic” in the U.K. before the year 2000.

“We have now gone from being exotic to being a staple in U.K. grocery stores and everyone having at least tried a sweet potato,” Scott said. “It’s been a massive undertaking, but I don’t look at it like that. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for years and years, but it was a matter of timing.”

Educating consumers about sweet potatoes is a big part of Scott Farm’s work in the U.K. It is very important that the public be made aware of ways to eat sweet potatoes and how to cook them, Scott said.

So Scott Farms launched the “Love Sweet Potatoes” campaign in 2006 to help raise awareness of the sweet potato.

Scott says that Europeans have a different attitude than Americans when it comes to food and trying new things.

“There are so many people in that part of the world that they depend on other parts of the world

Dewey Scott

Scott Farms, Inc.

Specializing in Sweet Traditions!

for their food,” Scott said. “They seem to be willing to try new things, new foods, and have no preconceived ideas about what a sweet potato should be, so they are more willing to try it.”

Right now, Canada and Europe are the biggest sweet potato export markets, but demand is growing all around the world.

Even the fact that military forces are stationed in various parts of the world makes a demand for sweet potatoes where there is currently no market for them.

As part of their overseas marketing campaign, Scott Farms launched a Scott Farms Sweet Potato Chip produced in January of 2013.

“We got the idea over here but launched the product overseas because of the consumer recognition campaign,” Scott said.

“The chip market is huge in England and on the continent and, honestly, our chips are pretty doggone good.”

Scott Farm’s venture into international sales has been very exciting for Scott and his family, who have been in the farming business since before the Civil War. Scott’s father, Sonny Scott, started farming at a young age, working beside his own father. His brother Linwood, who is two years older than Scott, runs the tobacco side of the family business.

“Being in the farming business is not always easy,” continued Scott, “but it’s a good time to be in agriculture. There is a lot of opportunity because the world is getting smaller in a lot of ways, but a lot more people need food. And there are fewer people in this business but still lots An advertising supplement to The Wilson Times

of competition. You have to grow your business or die.”

Scott Farms grows close to 2000 acres of sweet potatoes in Wilson, Edgecombe, Wayne and Johnson counties. The business has its own sweet potato seed program, selling to both individuals and other growers. Scott Farms guarantees planting material that stays inside three generations of the original plant and creates first generation plants every year.

“We pride ourselves in doing everything related to the sweet potato growing business,” Scott said. “We grow sweet potatoes, package them, ship them, and market our product and brand.”

Scott recently spent some time in Washington, D.C. meeting with agricultural experts from a local university who warned of trying times in the future related to food demand.

“They said that our food production is going to have to double in the next 20 to 30 years in order to feed us and the world because of the increase in the world’s population,” Scott said. “It’s a sobering thought and a challenging endeavor because, as you know, they don’t make any more land.”

But if anyone is up for the challenge, it’s Scott Farms.

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March 2014

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Keith Hickson, purveyor of spice

Keith Hickson Well, two summers ago, Keith Hickson of Wilson decided to leave his day job, and he and his wife, Pamela, started a joint endeavor to sell relishes made from their garden and local ingredients.

Keith grew up in Mississippi and Pamela lived in Florida.

They moved to Wilson in 2002. Having a big garden, they have sold some of their harvest at the Wilson Farmers Market. They started making relishes and realized that people enjoyed the taste and narrowed down the four favorites.

These favorites are the ones that they are now marketing at retail stores across the state. They also visit fairs, other farmers markets and trade shows. Keith said when they offer samples, he likes when customers enjoy his creation.

“I like it when customers come in and try the product. You hear that,’Mmmm’, and they start nodding their head. You know that’s a good sign.”

The Hicksons keep their products all natural with no preservatives and no artificial sweeteners.

Certain Harris Teeter stores, Krogers and others are offering Southern Spice. The distributor just finished delivering around the third week in March to one grocery store, and the grocers are stocking the products. Local retailers are Julia Newton Jewelry, Truely Unique at Sweet Maria’s, and SoCo. Pamela is the artist for product marketing. She is an art director with a degree from Barton, and she is in charge of the packaging and design of the containers. Bobbee’s Bottling in Louisburg actually cans or bottles the commercial product, since commercial foods must be manufactured in a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspected facility. However, Keith and Pamela still sell some home-made products at the Farmers Market.

Pamela is also the creator of a new sauce coming out this year. The sauce is of Asian persuasion, and according to Keith, is good on wings, roasted vegetables, chicken, and pork.

Their refrigerator’s top shelf is their experiment area. This year, they are growing as many as twelve different kinds of peppers. Keith said that as soon as it’s warm enough, he wants to get his 300 pepper plants in the ground. He dries some of his peppers to sell at the market with his tomatoes and cucumbers. He said that these dried peppers sell quickly.

He also uses the peppers to experiment with his relishes.

An advertising supplement to The Wilson Times

What North Carolinian would not like the name “Southern Spice”? It just sounds like it would make fried chicken the bellE of the ball with a little kick. Or maybe it would make a deviled egg, a heavenly deviled egg.

Then add the slogan “Ride the Lightning”, and you start to see that maybe a little heat is added with Southern Spice.

by Amanda Jenkins Some relishes have a little bite to them from the heat.

This year, he’s going for some relishes with a lot of bite. Whether at a display table in the grocery store or at the market, he provides samples of his relish.

“It’s a good product, and it sells,” he said. The variety is good too. The relishes can be used as appetizers or flavor enhancers of main courses. There’s even a spicy pineapple relish that can be enjoyed with vanilla ice cream.

The relish comes in a 9 ounce jar and the sauce in a 12 ounce pourable container, sort of like a salad dressing bottle.

The price is about the same for every retailer, and shipping is free for internet customers in the continental U.S. Keith and Pamela are open to expanding to other states. “Whatever doors open…” Keith said. When they attend state shows, international guests are sometimes present. Keith said he’s willing to ship their product and have an export business too.

For more information about Southern Spice, their events, recipes, and ordering information, visit ridethelightningnc.com.

Southern Spice is also on Facebook.

Keith Hickson

Owner and Originator, Southern Spice

March 2014

29

Grayson Lamm Owner/Operator

“Doing Business Since 1989”

Linwood Lamm & Brian Lamm

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Custom Boat Builder

Photographs by Brad Coville

Boat brand Tideline calls Wilson home and creates custom catamarans that offer a smooth ride with sleek lines Tideline Boats, the brainchild of Wilson natives George Stronach and Michael Collins, plans to expand its product line and ramp up production after starting about four years ago as a labor of love. “We both had catamarans of some sort, but people thought of them as ugly,” Collins said. “We wanted to build one that looked more like a traditional Carolina boat but had the smooth ride of a catamaran.”

32

March 2014

A Wilson custom boat company says it’s bred the perfect “catfish” — a smooth-riding catamaran with a sport-fishing boat’s sleek styling.

With two hulls joined at the frame, a catamaran offers a smoother ride than a skiff or Boston whaler. Boaters aren’t jostled violently or sprayed with seawater when a cat glides through another watercraft’s wake.

“The first thing you have to do is take a ride on one,” Collins said. “We get out there and do stuff that would ordinarily bang them around. You get to ride through the boat wake without it slapping down and making everyone uncomfortable. You’ll see their eyes just light up when they don’t bang

By Corey Friedman

around going through a boat’s wake. That’s the No. 1 thing that sells our boat.”

Based in Wilson, Tideline has customers throughout the United States and a pending order across the pond in England.

“Very few of our sales are local at all,” Collins said. “We have a lot of sales on the Gulf Coast and in Florida.”

While the dual-hulled boats are more suited to open ocean, Tideline’s creations are sometimes seen zipping along Buckhorn Lake. Stronach and Collins use the city of Wilson reservoir to test out some of their new boats.

Tideline has base designs and molds for the hull and other components, but the

Continued on Page 34

Land of Learning

Craft Beer

Continued from Page 13

Continued from Page 25

part of owning and operating Land of Learning. “I love my staff,” she said. She also said that she likes “watching the parents grow and learn about their children”. And the hugs are a plus too. Children offer lots of rewards.

She said that some of the center’s goals are to offer comfort, security, and cleanliness in a child friendly atmosphere. One difference in Land of Learning is their management team. There are the Fyles who manage the whole operation; there is an office manager; and there is an office assistant. Between the three managers in a facility, a teacher doesn’t miss valuable time by taking a child to the restroom while the rest of the class waits. The managers help with bathroom breaks and other tasks to make sure the kids are taken care of. This management team has been in place ever since the business opened.

There are no criteria for children to attend Land of Learning. There are five or six nationalities that attend now. The language barrier is decreased by two teach-

ers that speak Spanish and English and one teacher that speaks six different languages. Land of Learning works with the Department of Social Services and foster care in several counties. And they accept the grant program with community colleges.

A parent can use the North Carolina Star Rated License system when searching for child care. “A rating of one star means that a child care program meets North Carolina’s minimum licensing standards for child care. Programs that choose to voluntarily meet higher standards can apply for a two to five star license,” according to the website for the North Carolina Division of Child Care.

All programs earn their star rating based on two components, staff education and program standards, that give parents or guardians the best indication of quality. Christy said that the staff wanted to get that highest rating and have always been so close. Now, their rating reflects their efforts.

each week.

“We probably go through four or five different types of beer a week,” Gross said.

The Beer Store opened in an effort to provide something new to the downtown business area. More similar to a pub, the beer tastings and atmosphere are designed more for socialization than a lot of drinking, Gross said.

Beer tasting events will be held each month and education on craft beer, including beer and food pairings, is planned. The locally owned business will have extended hours during special events that are held in the downtown area.

The Beer Store, at 991-6044, is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from noon to 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from noon to 9 p.m.

The business has struck a cord with Wilson residents as well as others who have visited from Goldsboro, Zebulon and Nashville.

“Sales have been good and we’ve had a lot of people come in who weren’t beer people,” Gross said. “Every week we’ve got new people coming in. I’m very pleased with the way things are going.”

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Continued from Page 32

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company often works with buyers to customize each boat. Some have asked for different console configurations or special engines.

“Each boat is custom-built for each owner,” Collins said. “We have people working with us throughout the design process. We work with owners directly as we build them.

We’re kind of semi-custom that way, where most of the other ones are kind of cookie-cutter.”

Lifelong friends and classmates at the Greenfield School, Stronach and Collins decided several years ago to bring their idea for a better sport-fishing boat to life. Tiideline offers built-to-order 19-foot and 23-foot catamarans that are becoming a hit among recreational boaters.

“It’s trying to take something we both really like and turn it into a job,” Collins said. “We feel like we have a great product. If we weren’t such terrible salesmen, it probably would be doing better than it is.”

Building a boat brand isn’t the business partners’ only job. Stronach is a real estate appraiser and Collins a financial adviser. Tideline Boats shares its Nash Street sales office with Stronach Commercial Appraisal.

Tideline is based in Wilson, but the boats are assembled at a factory in Bladenboro. The company contracts with MHM Marine to build each boat to custom specs. When an order is placed, the 19-foot catamarans take about 10 to 12 weeks to build.

“The builds are almost always changing,” Collins said. “It’s kind of a back-and-forth process.”

Tideline’s founders acknowledge that their boats are a luxury, not a necessity, and their customer base reflects that fact. The average Tideline buyer is a longtime boater 50 or older, and though a few boats have been financed, most owners pay cash.

34 March 2014

“You get more for your money,” Stronach said. “It’s more of a premium product than the other boats in the market.”

Prices fluctuate based on custom options, but the 19-foot catamarans start around $40,000 and the 23-foot models average $65,000.

“As far as it being a boat that holds up over time, they’re definitely very well-built for what they are,” Stronach said. “We like to consider it as a premium product.”

With 150 to 175 horsepower, Tideline’s 19-foot catamarans cruise at 30 mph and top out around 40. The 23-foot model is powered by twin 150-horsepower motors and has a top speed of more than 50 mph.

As fishing boats, Tideline’s custom cats are more suited to the weekend angler than the commercial fisherman.

“It would kind of be like hauling farm animals with a Range Rover or something like that,” Collins said.

To market the brand and meet prospective buyers, Stromach and Collins attend local and national boat shows including expos in Atlantic Beach and Oriental and larger conventions in Gulfport, Miss., Tampa, Fla., and Annapolis, Md. “We don’t have a demo boat that we keep in stock,” Stronach said. “We have one that is half my personal boat and half the company demo boat.” Tideline plans to continue building each boat from scratch to buyers’ specifications.

“We don’t build any boats speculatively, thinking we’re going to sell them,” Collins said. “ Everything we build is custom for a particular buyer.”

Stronach and Collins said they’re working to expand Tideline’s output. In several years, they hope to be building and selling 50 or more boats per year.

“Some of it will hinge on whether we go to having a few distributors or not,” Collins said. “That would probably ramp up volume.”

Boat specs, photos and videos and show schedules are available online at www.tidelineboats.com.

Announcing our new partner – UNC Health Care.

Another vital sign of our healthy community

WILSON

Our community has its own heartbeat. You can feel

Along with the new partnership, Nash Health Care

it in the businesses, neighborhoods, schools, and most

has just opened a brand new Emergency Department,

of all in the people. And behind it all, Nash Health

Pediatric Emergency Department and Heart Center.

Care has always been there, growing and evolving

These modern facilities are designed to handle an

to meet our community’s increasingly complex

expanding population, while keeping the compassionate,

healthcare needs.

individualized care we’ve become known for.

Now, that heartbeat has grown even stronger.

Nash Health Care is partnering with UNC Health Care – an affi liation that will greatly benefit the people of Wilson, Rocky Mount and the surrounding towns and rural areas that make up our community.

At the heart of it all NHCS.ORG

NHCS 17811 Wilson UNC print.indd 1

3/13/14 4:44 PM