Small Business Winners Include WIZS

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Small businesses have borne the brunt of the economic impact brought about by the pandemic restrictions during the past year. But on Wednesday, four small businesses were recognized for their staying power in the communities in which they operate.

Thomas Ruhe, CEO of Durham-based NC Idea, spoke to Chamber of Commerce representatives and Chamber members during the Small Business of the Year awards luncheon, held at the Henderson Country Club. He congratulated the winners and commended them for stepping up during the pandemic to continue to serve their communities.

“I want to honor you for what you do,” he told the group gathered for the occasion. “You are, in a sense, first responders…economically you are on the front lines looking for signs of life” during what has been a challenging year dealing with COVID-19 lockdowns and closings.

“You are the ones figuring it out – you didn’t have the luxury of pulling back” when other businesses reverted to self-preservation mode.

Small Business Week is observed during the first week of May, and the awards luncheon was hosted by the Chambers in Franklin, Granville, Person and Vance counties, as well as the VGCC Small Business Center. Duke Energy sponsored the event.

Ruhe said one of the roles of NC Idea, an independent private foundation, is to provide grants to entrepreneurs. The foundation is building an “entrepreneurial ecosystem” in North Carolina. When small businesses thrive and help support a local economy, he said, that success bubbles up to the state level.

“You’re doing what I’m talking about,” Ruhe told the audience. Putting money in the hands of budding entrepreneurs is one way that NC Idea supports young businesses. The seed grant program awards $50,000 twice a year to entrepreneurs. “There’s no better money for an entrepreneur than grant money,” he said. From a pool of 176 applicants, he said between 6 and 8 will be chosen.

NC Idea also gives at least half of its grant funding to underserved communities – people of color, women and those who live in rural areas, he said. “This is where the impact is greater,” he added.

This year’s winners are:

Vance County – WIZS Radio John C. Rose accepted the award from Dr. Levy Brown, chair of the Henderson-Vance Chamber board. The family-owned business has been on the air since May 1, 1955 and Rose said the honor is one that he would like to share with first responders and other workers who had to be at their jobs despite the pandemic. “Using technology to do my job made it easy for me,” Rose said after accepting the award. “Really, the thanks goes to all the small businesses…but it is a particular honor for me to be able to stand here and say thank you.”

Granville County – Oxford Public Ledger

Barbara Critcher accepted the award for her husband Charles and his brother Ronnie, who own the local weekly newspaper.

Person County – Keller Williams Realty

Sherry Clayton, owner of the realty firm, accepted the award from Samantha Bagbey, who heads up the Person Chamber.

Franklin County – Heartwood Animal Hospital

Richie Veverka, Franklin Chamber’s executive director, announced the winner.

The Local Skinny! Home And Garden Show 5-5-21

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WIZS, Your Community Voice.  Thank you for listening! 

The Local Skinny! each Wednesday on WIZS is the Vance County Cooperative Extension Service Home and Garden Show.

 

TownTalk 5-4-21 Donald Seifert, Shriner’s Fish Fry

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Donald Seifert of the Tri-County Shrine Club about the upcoming Shriner’s Fish Fry.

Broadcast audio here.  Written story below.

For decades, the annual Shrine Club fish fry was held at the Henderson Armory. In recent years, although the locations have changed, the mission has never wavered: the local Shrine Club fundraiser supports local and national causes to help children.

Wednesday, May 19, 2021 marks the 57th fish fry, said Donald C. Seifert, who spoke with John C. Rose on Tuesday’s Town Talk.

The event is take-out only, he said, and runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 210 Industry Drive, at the Sherman and Boddie facility. Tickets are available from local Shriners, but also are available at the door.

“It all comes together,” Seifert said of the preparation for the annual fish fry. “But it comes together right at the last day or two,” he said. Club members will get the cookers on site and prepare the fish. There’s a lot of work that goes into the annual event, and he said club members look forward to serving a lot of customers on May 19.

“We do have some good experience on moving folks through and getting them hot plates (of food),” he said.

In the 57 years that the fish fry has been held, there’s no telling how much fish has been battered, fried and placed on plates or in to-go boxes, he said. “It’s very gratifying. The people of Henderson and the surrounding area have been so supportive – it’s just been a good project for us and I think people have enjoyed it also,” Seifert added.

A couple of years ago, the group known as Henderson Shrine Club adopted a new name to reflect its demographic. The Tri-County Shrine Club is the same group, but Seifert said the newer name is more inclusive.

“We’ll do our level best to deliver to our customers a good fish plate – they’ll certainly get their money’s worth,” he said.

The local Shriners support causes in the community – they recently helped with a first-responders fundraiser – as well as Shriners’ hospitals across the nation and around the globe. “Road runners” are Shriners who transport children and family members to Shrine hospitals for treatment. Treatment and transportation are at no cost to the family, and fundraisers like the local fish fry support the medical care the children receive.

The fish fry is something that the community looks forward to, with many years selling completely out of fish – but the timing is uncannily close to when the event is over. Larry Parker and Ray Fields are two mainstays of the fish fry, and Seifert said that the former Highway Patrolmen really know how to move things along when they need to.

Rose asked Seifert how many fish fry events he’d attended over the years. With only a slight pause, Seifert stated “It’s been most of them – I was here and I was a Shriner, so I was at the fish fry.”

The Local Skinny! Jobs In Vance for May 4

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In partnership with the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce…Jobs in Vance on WIZS…The Chamber compiles and provides the information, and it is presented here and on the radio.

Fred’s Towing and Transport – Job Openings for: Rollback driver, Second Shift Dispatcher, Service Mechanic and Service  Tech.–  Apply in person to Karrie Fogg, owner, at Fred’s Towing, 340 Industry Drive in Henderson during the week, M-F, 8 am – 5 pm.

Schewels Home – Open positions for an office manager, office support staff, and a warehouse delivery driver.  Contact store manager Charles Hearn at (252) 492-7066 or look for ad online at Indeed job search site.  Job openings at Schewels Home, located on Beckford Drive in Henderson NC.

Kitchen Tune-Up in Henderson, NC, a remodel and renovation business.  Open position for a sales representative.  Contact owner Tammy Martin by going to her website www.kitchentuneup.com and clicking on the location of Henderson and scroll down to find page for Tammy Martin. Job listing can also be found on Indeed job search site.

Walmart Distribution Center in Henderson, NC.  Open positions for experienced fork lift drivers, order fillers, and also entry level front line managers.  Applicants can apply online at www.careers.walmart.com or call NC Works at (252) 438-6129 or Email: ncworks.4200@nccommerce.com.

KARTS (Kerr Area Rural Transportation Service), located on Ross Mill Road in Henderson, NC.  Open positions for van drivers.  Must be 21 years of age, have a valid driver’s license for at least 3 years, and no felonies on your record.  They will provide necessary training.  Stop by the KARTS office and fill out an application and ask to speak to HR Manager Ashley Norwood.

Eastern Minerals in Henderson NC has job openings.  An entry level Industrial Maintenance Technician and a General Laborer to handle mowing, weed eating and helping out in other departments as needed when not doing yard work.   Applications for these positions can be picked up at the Eastern Minerals plant, located at 170 Eastern Minerals Road in Henderson, NC.

First Methodist Church, located at 114 Church Street in Henderson, NC  has a job opening for a Church Secretary.  Qualifications and Characteristics are good people skills and a positive attitude; have a knowledge of computers and other office equipment; and have a minimum of three year experience in an office environment.  Hours per week are Monday – Thursday from 8 am to 2 pm.  Contact Pastor Bobby Fletcher at email: firstumc@ncol.net.

Badcock Home Furniture in Henderson currently has an opening for a delivery driver and an opening for a sales associate.  Apply online at badcock.com/careers. The delivery position requires the prospective employee to operate and maintain a delivery vehicle, prepare merchandise for delivery, including assembly. Deliver and install merchandise to customers home. Ability to lift 75lbs. 200 lbs. with assistance of dolly or another person. Clean, valid drivers license, ability to be DOT certified. Work shift Mon-Sat, to include late evenings and weekends. Advancement Opportunities Available. High School education or GED required.

Some of these business are present or past advertisers of WIZS.  Being an ad client is not a condition of being listed or broadcast.  This is not a paid ad.  Contact the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce at 438-8414 or email christa@hendersonvance.org to be included.  Listings are provided each Tuesday around 11:45 a.m. on “The Local Skinny!” as well as during local news at 5 p.m. Tuesdays and 8 a.m. Wednesdays as well as weekly posts here and social media.

For the audio version click play.

 

New Process to Get “Work Permit” in NC

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— press release courtesy NCDOL

NCDOL today announces the rollout of a new process for obtaining youth employment certificates that aims to streamline the process and better ensure youths are working in safe jobs. After a soft launch in April, the new process takes effect today, May 3.

The NCDOL Wage and Hour Bureau administers youth employment certificates, which are required under the N.C. Wage and Hour Act. The certificates, commonly referred to as a work permit, are designed to alert parents, teens and employers of certain prohibited jobs and hour limits for workers under the age of 18.

“We changed the process for obtaining youth employment certificates to better ensure that our state’s young employees end up working in safe and acceptable jobs,” Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson said. “We understand this will be a big change for employers, but we are ready to assist any employer, parent or youth who have questions about the new process.”

Any questions about the new process should be directed to the Wage and Hour Bureau Call Center at 1-800-625-2267. To learn more about youth rules and regulation, please visit the NCDOL website.

TownTalk 5-3-21 Dr. Michael Sylvia, Chief Of Pediatrics, Maria Parham Health

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Children can safely return to school said Dr. Michael Sylvia, Chief of Pediatrics at Maria Parham Hospital, earlier today on TownTalk.

TownTalk broadcast audio and written story below.

In the past year or so, experts and laypeople have spoken at length about all the complications brought on by COVID-19 and the effects it has had, both in the community and across the globe. But one local pediatrician said Monday he would offer a simple response to the question about children’s safe return to school: Yes.

“The short answer is yes, it is safe to send your child- and kids – back to school,” said Dr. Michael Sylvia, chief of Pediatrics and vice chair of the department of Medicine at Maria Parham Medical Center.

“We know that school is incredibly important, not just for the learning’s sake, but there’s a lot of social skills that kids develop in school, especially in the 6- to 12-year age group, that pre-adolescent range,” Sylvia told John C. Rose on Monday’s segment of Town Talk.

He said children invariably will come home with the everyday, run-of-the-mill germs that cause colds, stomach bugs and other common ailments when they do return to in-person school full-time. But it is important for parents and other adult family members to be able to discern those routine symptoms and not jump to the conclusion that the child has COVID-19.

“Kids share germs – it’s inevitable,” he said. Symptoms such as a high fever, sore throat, shortness of breath, chills and body aches, and loss of taste or smell could indicate something more than just a standard cold, he said. If a child complains of those symptoms, or has been exposed to COVID-19, a call to the doctor is in order for possible testing.

As children return to group activities like sports, it’s going to be important to be vigilant about hand washing and not grabbing the wrong water bottle.

But not letting young people play sports could have a more negative impact than letting them get back on the fields for practice and games. “Sports is huge for team building and emotional development,” Sylvia said. “I’m all about kids getting out and exercising.”

Parents who notice changes in their children’s behavior – physical or emotional – should talk with their pediatrician. “The one thing that parents can do is just be open,” Sylvia said. “Share your concerns with your child.”

Sylvia commented on the ongoing research around COVID-19 and how it affects different age groups. Teenagers are still far less likely to catch COVID-19 or have symptoms bad enough to put them in hospital, he said. Younger children are even less likely to experience symptoms, he added. But children are still being included in clinical trials, and the research can help health experts target the age ranges that should be vaccinated.

“We’re optimistic that we’ll have some pretty good information about vaccines in kids by summer,” Sylvia said.

The decision to vaccinate young children has yet to be made, but Sylvia said it probably would be a good idea, even if there is a low incidence of infection. Why? “It’s (for) the child or the adult in the community who can’t get the vaccine for health reasons,” he said.

“I’m optimistic that we will be through this in the near future,” Sylvia said. “Parents just have to stick it out just a little longer.”

The Local Skinny! May 3 Vaccines At Your Location

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How about if the vaccine comes to you?

According to Granville Vance Public Health Director Lisa Harrison in her latest email update, the local health department is shifting strategy away from mass vaccination clinics to in-house and outreach clinics.

Meaning, if you haven’t been vaccinated and don’t want to go to the public health department in Henderson or Oxford, there may be a way the shot comes to you.

Harrison wrote, ” In addition to having vaccines at the health department every day, our teams are going to businesses, farms, fire stations, churches and special events across the two counties to make it easier for people to access vaccine without having to come to us. Kelsey Accordino at the health department is coordinating local outreach events so feel free to reach out if you would like to request an outreach event at an organization you’re affiliated with. Kelsey can be reached by phone at 919-277-1485 or by email at kdickman@gvdhd.org.”

Calling the main number at the health department or the vaccine hotline should put you in touch with someone who can make an appointment for vaccine.  In Vance county call 252-492-7915 and in Granville County call 919-693-2141.

The health department continues to receive Moderna as its primary vaccine type.

Harrison wrote, “So… why is demand slowing down so much? We are asking ourselves that as well. It’s natural for us to see a slower uptake of vaccine over time. There are a number of things at play for a number of reasons, but overall, I believe we have made it through the first three stages of an adoption curve. There is a model called the “Diffusion of Innovation” that a professor in communications named Everett Rogers made popular as a theory in his book, Diffusion of Innovations in 1962. This curve can explain how the population takes on any new technology or behavior. It explains well the difference between ‘early adopters’ and those who adopt a new technology or behavior later after they have thought about it more and watched to see how others did with the innovation. This is the case anytime something new comes out. A short video on Youtube provides more about the Diffusion of Innovation theory. I think we are finishing up with the early majority and are going to be working a bit more slowly and deliberately on the late majority in the coming months.”