Thursday's Internet Edition, September 09, 2010.
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| Going after #12! Bo Buchhorn, U.I.L. sponsor at Van Horn High School, proudly stands with trophies and plaques which his Calculator and Math & Science teams have won this year. In addition, there are district championship plaques for 11 years in a row for his Calculator teams, and some regional and state competition plaques as well. Next week, the Van Horn U.I.L. Calculator team will be competing for #12. We wish the Calculator team as well as all others well in the upcoming competition. And, congratulatinos to Bo Buchhorn for having 11 district champion teams in a row. Quite an accomplishment! |
- Nineteen people attended the first Van Horn Economic Development Corporation Entrepreneurial Lunch meeting on March 4 and heard an excellent presentation by Gale Carr, owner and general manager of Chipotle Texas Chile Factory and Outlet Store in Fort Hancock, Texas.
Carr spoke to lunch attendees on the process of developing their home grown business, gave great advice on what can be expected in the way of challenges during the growth of a business, and delivered a strong warning on being ready to work hard and long on the path to success in a private business. Carr added, however, that it is worth the effort and very rewarding to see something you’ve built become a success.
Mike Murphy, a representative from the Small Business Development Center in Alpine, Texas, was on hand to deliver a word of support and informed the group that they were ready and willing to assist anyone who is hoping to begin a new business, or expand their existing business. Murphy will deliver a full presentation of the SBDC services at the next lunch meeting on April 7.
Jack Stallings, Rural Economic Development Specialist for the Texas Department of Agriculture, who is helping to arrange the series of lunch meetings, introduced Gale Carr, and spoke briefly of the services provided through the TDA for new and expanding businesses.
The next lunch meeting in the series will be held on April 7, 2009. The meeting will feature presentations from the Small Business Development Center, the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Go Texan Program, and Creative Enterprises, a consulting firm.
Presenting for the Small Business Development Center will be Mike Murphy. Mike Murphy is a Certified Business Advisor with the Big Bend Region Minority and Small Business Development Center in Alpine, Texas. Prior to joining the SBDC he spent 25 years in technology and management consulting for Fortune 500 companies. During the past six years he has helped small businesses in the Big Bend region develop their business and marketing plans and financing proposals. He assists small businesses to implement personnel management systems and many aspects of their operations from inventory management to accounting and automation. Mr. Murphy owned a restaurant in Fort Davis for almost five years, and currently owns a small ranch, hunting and lodging businesses in Fort Davis. He is also a licensed realtor. Mike is active with the Fort Davis Lions Club, Fort Davis United Methodist Church, and instructor and recruiter for Leadership Big Bend. He is Vice President of the Big Bend & Texas Mountain Travel Association, and organizes a major annual bicycle race called Hammerfest.
Yolanda M. Clay will present on behalf of the Go Texan program. Yolanda has long been an outspoken advocate for all things Texan. In her position as Marketing Specialist with the Texas Department of Agriculture’s GO TEXAN program, she is able to provide services that help members achieve their goals. She travels to 22 counties from El Paso to Midland/Odessa to Big Bend and Presidio assisting members with marketing programs and touring business operations. Yolanda has tripled GO TEXAN membership in the 5 years she has been assigned to the El Paso region. Since joining TDA in 1980 Yolanda has held various jobs including Certified Weights/Measures Inspector, Egg Quality Specialist, and Quarantines Inspector among others. She currently serves on the Texas AgriLife Extension Board, and on the Mission Trail Association Board, affecting tourism and maintenance of three of Texas’ oldest active missions. Before beginning her career with TDA, Yolanda was promoting real estate as a sales agent in El Paso, her hometown.
Creative Enterprises is a consulting firm specializing in marketing and communications solutions for rural or agricultural related businesses. Services include grant writing, advertising, marketing, web and multi-media development. The company is owned and operated by Phyllis and Melanie Gentry of Dell City, Texas. The two have built a solid customer base through word of mouth advertising from satisfied clients. Creative Enterprises has been successful in securing matching funds through TDA’s Go Texan marketing program, USDA’s Value Added Producer Grant Program and the Southwest Trade Adjustment Center. We work with clients across Texas and New Mexico and have secured over $1.5 million dollars in grant funding for rural and agricultural based companies over the last 3 years and approximately $3.1 million in the last 5 years.
Lunch will be provided by the Van Horn Economic Development Corporation and the meeting is guaranteed to be finished in time for everyone to get back to work. Jeff McCoy, Executive Director for the VHEDC, said that the EDC welcomes anyone who would like to attend this second meeting whether or not they participated in the first meeting. “We were very pleased with the turnout at our first meeting and are excited to continue the lunch meeting series as we look for ways to assist local businesses with their growth plans and encourage new business startups.” McCoy added that anyone interested in attending should call the EDC at 432-283-7494, or 432-284-9469. “No pressure. We just need to get a head count for the food.”
Column One
By Dawn Simpson
I really enjoyed watching our Eagle baseball team Tuesday night. They’ve had a tough season so far but the game against Kermit JV was one of those high scoring baseball games that seemed to move faster than most. Their district play is about to begin and that win this week will be a boost to them. Congratulations to Alex Baca for that beautiful home run out of the park - the first ever for one of our guys at Clark Field!
If you haven’t been out to the baseball field, you’d be surprised how professional looking and how green it is, even as early in the Spring as it is. So go out ‘to the old (new) ball park’ and cheer on the Eagles and appreciate the top notch field that we have.
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I hear the Junior High and High School Track Teams did a great job at Sanderson last week. These young athletes have such determination. The Junior High has a track meet here today, while the High School is in Iraan tomorrow. It’s been a few years since we had a track meet here, due to the condition of the track, so it’ll be good to enjoy that for a change. Hopefully the school district will be able to re-surface the track soon and we can begin to host high school meets again. But that’s a very expensive project.
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There’s a couple of things that you need to put on your calendars that I’m aware of. On April 2nd the One Act Play will be performing their play for the public here. They compete at District next Thursday at McCamey. Good Luck!
On April 15-17 the Twelveth Annual Building Bridges Art Show will be held. There is no registration fee but entry forms need to be filled out and turned in by April 6th.
I know there are some talented people out there and this is a good opportunity to show off that ability. For more information, contact Brenda Hinojos, Event Coordinator, at the Van Horn Convention Center at 432-283-2682.
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There’s a Contemporary Christian song by Ray Boltz called “Thank You”. Following are the lyrics of one verse and chorus of that song. I dedicate them to the memory of a special lady who passed away last week - Margalene Wright..........
“I dreamed I went to heaven
And you were there with me
We walked upon the streets of gold
Beside the crystal sea
We heard the angels singing
Then someone called your name
You turned and saw this young man
And he said, ‘friend you may not know me now’
And then he said, ‘but wait
You used to teach my Sunday School
When I was only eight
And every week you would say a prayer
Before the class would start
And one day when you said that prayer
I asked Jesus in my heart’
Chorus:
Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am a life that was changed
Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am so glad you gave.”
Margalene was a faithful children’s Sunday School teacher for many, many years. The lives that she changed because she pointed them to Jesus at a very young age are too numerous to even guess. Thank You, Margalene, for giving to the Lord. We’re so glad you did!
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We heard ‘by the grapevine’ some positive news about the TAKS scores, particularly 8th grade. Hopefully we’ll have something official from the school district for next week’s paper. Good news is always welcome.
And speaking of good news, nine years in prison for a man who sold drugs to our kids for a lot more years than that is also good news. Wish we could get them all behind bars!
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Thought for the Week: “Life isn’t about waiting for the storms to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain.”
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
March 19th - Van Horn Junior High track teams will host a track meet here today beginning at 3:30 p.m. The Van Horn City Counil will hold a special budget worksession tonight at 7 p.m. at City Hall. Members of the Van Horn Volunteer Fire Department are slated to meet this evening at 7 p.m. at the Firehouse.
March 20th - The Van Horn Eagle baseball team opens district play this evening as it hosts the Marfa Shorthorns here beginning at 5 p.m. The Van Horn Lady Eagle softball team plays McCamey at McCamey this evening beginning at 5 p.m.
March 21st - Van Horn Eagle track teams compete at the Iraan Track Meet today in Iraan.
March 22nd - Attend the church of your choice.
March 23rd - The Van Horn Eagle baseball team plays Ft. Davis today in Ft. Davis beginning at 5 p.m.Members of the Van Horn Lions Club are scheduled to meet this evening at 7 p.m. at the Sands Restaurant.
March 24th - Members of the Van Horn Rotary Club are slated to meet today at noon at Chuy’s Restaurant. The Van Horn Eagle tennis team hosts Balmorhea here this afternoon beginning at 4 p.m.
March 25th - Nothing scheduled at press time.