BUSINESS EXPO 2008
by
Maryann Miller

 

Every year people have a great time at the Business Expo sponsored by the Winnsboro Chamber of Commerce. It's an opportunity for people to learn about new businesses in the area, as well as connect with businesses that have been serving the community for many years. After being bumped because of Hurricane Ike, the Expo was held this past weekend at the City Auditorium.

One of the new exhibitors this year was Falster Farms, owned by Karl and Nancy Falster, and their exhibit won first place for presentation. They had one of their miniature Hereford cows, as well as their farm dog as part of the exhibit.

There were a number of outside exhibitors with animals. Representatives from APET SPCA, Animal Preservation of East Texas had a booth and were passing out information about local spay and neuter clinics. They have a local - Winnsboro - veterinarian who is participating in the program that offers the spay and neuter services for $20.00 for dogs and $10.00 for cats. This includes a rabies shot. There were some darling kittens and dogs there ready for adoption, and it was all I could do to walk away with just my notebook in my hand. (Two years ago I brought a puppy home from one of the Autumn Trails events and my husband made me swear this year to only bring pictures home. )

Judie Casey, pictured here on the left with Gayle Gernear from Poultry Plus and Winnsboro Hardware, had small animals outside to help promote her pet shop, Casey's Pet Palace. A few lucky kids won fish as part of Judie's gifts to visitors.

All the exhibitors had giveaways and drawings, and part of the fun of the day is signing up for as many prizes as possible. I kept signing up for this awesome knife Poultry Plus was giving away, but I didn't win it. Guess that means I'm going to have to ask Santa to make a visit to the store.

At the "Jersey Girls" table, visitors could get a taste of yogurt and raw milk. I am not fond of either one, but I decided to try them. I'm glad I did. The yogurt is almost like an unsweetened custard and the milk was sweet. Both items, because they are natural, have great health benefits. Toey Courtney, who owns the dairy with his wife, Linda, and their son, Brady, told visitors to check out this Web site to learn more about the benefits of drinking raw milk. "It is so much better than pasteurized milk," he said. "But I don't want people to just take my word for it. They can read the facts and then decide if they want to use it."

The Courtney's have been in the dairy business about 16 years. About half of the business is commercial, and the other half is the raw milk and other natural products. Toey is a pilot for Southwest Airlines, so he commutes to Dallas when he is scheduled to fly - about three days a week. His wife and son work at the dairy full time. "It's a real Mom and Pop and Kid business," Toey said.

(see their ad on the special Autumn Trails page for contact information.)

Ray Plant owns the Papa John's mobile kitchen that can be found in Winnsboro on select days and other days in Mt. Vernon. He was having a lot of fun this first time at the Expo and gave away a lot of coupons for his pizza. He had the Papa John's mascot with him that day, and folks could get their pictures taken with the mascot if they wanted to.

Ray said he likes working with the mobile kitchen better than being at one site. His is 44 feet long and has ovens for baking the pizza, as well as refrigeration for those items requiring it. "It's pretty neat," he said. "I do everything there."

(see his ad on the special Autumn Trails page for contact information.)

Neal Duncan, with Duncan Multi-Media, a company that offers Web design and hosting, as well as other services, said he wants to be the Sam Walton of Web design. "My wife laughs when I say that," he said, "But there's no reason a Web page should cost $2,500."

Neal and his wife, Margo, moved to the area in April of this year from Phoenix. He was a school principal in Phoenix and did the Web design as a second job. "When our daughter, Laurin, turned two, we decided we didn't want her to grow up in Phoenix," he said. "We wanted her to be in an area with better values."

They chose this area because his father is from Mineola, and Margo's mother is from Hawkins. Neal said they are not sorry at all that they made the move. "It took four months for me to get my first client," he said. "But I've been told that is actually pretty fast for East Texas. Since then I've had a steady stream of referrals."

(see his ad on the special Autumn Trails page for contact information.)

"Footsteps to Learning," a preschool and daycare located on Wheeler Dr. in Winnsboro, had a cute display with pictures of some of the kids and various activities. The owner, Dana Raper, posed here (L) with some of the teachers, Debbie Morrison, Dianne Clelland, and Amy Padget., and they all looked like they enjoy the work they do.

This is a new business in a location where a day care had been run by previous tenants. "We bought the building from the previous owners," Dana said. "We've actually only been in business since June 16th of this year."

They offer preschool for 3 and 4-year-olds, as well as day care for children from as young as 6 weeks to older ones up to age 13. For more information about the school and day-care, folks can E-Mail Dana

Another new business and newcomer to the area is "Photography Studio by Mr. Jim". Jim Dyson He does weddings, portraits and events, as well as some artistic photography. He started a photography club in Winnsboro and said there are already 14 members. Jim also volunteers at the hospital, and said he probably gives away more pictures than he sells.

He said he wanted to move to Colorado when he retired, but saw an ad for property near Winnsboro, so he came here with his wife to check it out. "We love it," he said. "It doesn't have hills like Colorado, but it has a wonderful community."

Jim displayed an antique 35mm camera, one that he used "many years ago. You don't see cameras like this being used very often now," he said.

(For contact information, see his ad on the special Autumn Trails page)

Lauren Miller, the manager of Contours Express said that the Business Expo is a great way to be introduced to customers. "We got a lot of new visitors after the Expo last year," she said.

Contours Express was fairly new last year, and business has grown steadily. Lauren said that other businesses in the area have been very supportive. "Bigger companies like Team Air are sending ladies to us," she said. "And we really appreciate that."

Lauren moved here from Oregon, and her mother, Joy Glasgow followed. "We decided to open a women's gym because there wasn't one in the area," Lauren said. "Some women don't feel comfortable working out in a co-ed gym, so we cater to them. We also cater a program to each individual without extra fees. Clients don't have to pay for a personal trainer.

"Plus, I think it smells prettier in here than in a gym," she joked.

Another business geared toward women is the "Art Spa" by Kathy Rachal. Women can spend a day out at Kathy's lovely studio in Winnsboro and explore their creativity in a restful setting.

"It's very relaxing, as well as being a lot of fun," Kathy said. "We spend part of the day just playing. When do we ever allow ourselves time to just play like a child?"

Included in the Art Spa is massage and meditation and plenty of time to just be quiet. "That's just as important as the play," Kathy said. "They all can benefit us in so many ways."

Kathy is an accomplished artist who exhibits her work at the Winnsboro Gallery. She provides some instruction as well as the art supplies for the day, and the ladies can take home a special creation.

Kathy is pictured here on the right with her assistant, Betty Morrison. (For contact information, see her ad for the Art Spa and Gloryhaven on the special Autumn Trails page)

In addition to businesses, community organizations exhibit at the Expo, and the Pilot Club of Winnsboro had a booth. Wanda Renshaw, who is also the bookkeeper for the City of Winnsboro, was eager to talk about the club and the various projects it supports. "One of our major service projects is Project Lifesaver," she said. "That helps track people with Alzheimer's or other neurological problems."

In 2003, Wood Country became the second county in the state of Texas to receive Project Lifesaver. People at risk of getting disoriented and lost are fitted with a personalized radio transmitter that police and firefighters are trained to track.

The Pilot Club International sponsors BrainMinders, a program to encourage people to protect themselves from brain injuries. They also sponsor three camps every year for people with brain injuries, as well as children with autism.

The local organization has a number of service projects, including providing scholarships to high school students, Halloween parties at nursing homes, and a city-wide Easter egg hunt. They also sponsor the Tour De'Trails annual bike race during Autumn Trails and have an annual spaghetti dinner as a major fundraiser.

Wanda has been a member of the club for about six years, and said she really enjoys working with the group. "They do a lot of things to benefit the community," she said. "It is always a pleasure to give something back."

One of the many perks of the day is always the free lunch. Despite the old adage, there really is a free lunch every year at the Expo. Unless you want to be very literal and say it wasn't free since AEP SWEPCO donated funds to buy the food and Ozarka donated bottles of water. But visitors did not have to pay. Nor did they have to pay for the lunchtime entertainment provided by the talented Ramsey Family of Winnsboro.

(L-R: Samuel, Emma, Johanna, James and Sarah Anne)