Tag Archive for: #wizsnews

The Local Skinny! Business Spotlight Shines On Autobrite Car Wash

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AutoBrite Car Washes Inc.’s location on North Cooper Drive features touchless washes, but Manager Patrick “Bubba” Glosson said there are a few extra features that make the business special.

Glosson spoke with John C. Rose on Monday’s Business Spotlight segment of The Local Skinny! and discussed how things are going so far.

They’ve been open for about four months, and patrons who bring their vehicles choose from four different wash packages – $10, $15, $20 and $25 – and then there’s the $40/month “Wash Club,” which allows customers to come every day if they choose.

All the selections include free use of the vacuums, Glosson said. “Anything you left under the seat, it will grab,” he said, adding that the vacuums are self-serve. There also are cloths and window cleaner available at the vacuum stations for patrons to use.

The only hands-on part of the whole process, he said, occurs before the actual wash. “We prep every car,” he said, “to remove mud, bugs – stuff like that. We try to get it off before it enters the wash.”

Glosson said he enjoys working with customers and he and staff are ready to help folks choose the type of wash that best suits their needs. And customers? “They see it’s a simple process and they love it,” he said.

“Prepping the cars is pretty fun,” he said, and admitted that he gets special satisfaction from helping to clean up vehicles that really muddy or that have been left sitting under trees for a while.

Once the pre-wash prep is complete, customers drive into the wash bay area, slip the vehicle into neutral, and the automated process takes care of the rest.

“The brushes are really soft…like a neoprene fabric, (and) hold no water, hold no dirt,” Glosson said, which helps to protect paint finishes on new cars and on older ones, too.

Glosson said he’s seen brand-new Corvettes pull in for a wash, and he’s also seen 60’s model Chevrolet trucks come in, too.

“Older or newer, it doesn’t matter,” he said.

AutoBrite Car Washes, Inc. is owned by Thomas Howell; Melanie Hutson is vice president.

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Chamber In Search Of Cheerleaders For Aug. 23 Event

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Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce President Michele Burgess invites fellow Chamber members to break out the pom-poms and turn out on Aug. 23 to cheer on Vance County Schools’ teachers as they return to begin a new school year.

Teachers will arrive by bus around 8 a.m. and the Convocation Kick-off begins at McGregor Hall.

“We are asking for anyone in our business community interested in celebrating and cheering on our educators, to join us outside of McGregor Hall from 7:50 a.m.- 8:20 a.m,” Burgess said in a statement to WIZS News Friday.

Plan to come out and bring some associates or employees to join in the fun, Burgess said. The group will line up in front of McGregor Hall, and individuals are invited to bring company signs, mascots and any other business-related swag to show some “loud hometown spirit” for teachers as they arrive from their individual schools.

School officials said this year’s convocation is the first time the entire VCS staff has been together since 2019.

Although there’s not enough space inside McGregor Hall for the business and community “cheerleaders,” it should be a lot of fun to show the educators in our community that we value their work and effort as they kick off a new school year.

Aug. 25 SBA Webinar Focuses On Rural Entrepreneurs

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The U.S. Small Business Administration announces another in its series of webinars “Elevating Small Business” designed for rural entrepreneurs. The hourlong program will begin at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 25 and will feature a panel of experts who will speak on topics including the importance of financial wellness, creating generational wealth through business ownership and uplifting and supporting rural-owned small businesses.

Panelists are Allen Thomas, regional administrator for SBA Region IV, Terri Billups, senior advisor to acting director/deputy director of the Office of Affairs and Morgan Beavers, co-owner of Graylee Construction and Demolition in Austin, AR.

The panel will also discuss SBA initiatives and resources that support small business recovery, new rural startups seeking to launch, and existing rural-owned small businesses as they pivot and grow in a post-COVID world.

Register for the webinar here or visit    https://SBArural.eventbrite.com.

SportsTalk: Louisburg Hopes To Beat Them All

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Dante Lassiter, head football coach at Louisburg High School, feels good about his team this season.  Of course every coach feels good before the first game but with a turn out of fifty kids perhaps Lassiter is correct. “It’s the biggest turnout we’ve had in years,” Lassiter said.  Louisburg lost five seniors from last year’s team and boasts 12 seniors this year. That’s experience that could mean a return trip to the playoffs this season for the Warriors.  Lassiter did lose a couple of assistant coaches to Vance County High School. These are issues all coaches face year in year out. The concern for Lassiter is that the offensive line took a hit with senior losses.

Lassiter and the Warriors had a brief scrimmage recently against Warren County before storms rolled through and cut the evening short. Still, Lassiter feels that having seen his team in action helped him learn a few things. “Defense is a strength,” Lassister stated on Thursday’s SportsTalk with George Hoyle and Bill Harris.  Louisburg plays in a modified Big East conference that mixes 2A and 3A teams.  The only 3A team Louisburg faces in the conference is county rival Franklinton. The conference also includes Bunn, Northern and Southern Nash and Roanoke Rapids.  Roanoke Rapids is the favorite to win the conference this year with the two Nash County schools projected to finish two and three.

Lassiter may have something to say about all of that before it’s over. His goal for the season?  “Beat everybody and win the conference,” Lassiter said of his idea of success for Louisburg this season.  They will scrimmage against JF Webb this weekend and open the season on August 26th.

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Cooperative Extension With Jamon Glover Parent Education Part 1

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Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

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Henderson Vance Recreation & Parks

TownTalk: Henderson Rec P.U.L.L. Event To Bring Community Together

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Events like the upcoming P.U.L.L. event are just part of the reason why the local parks and recreation department were honored at a national conference that focuses on ways to curb gang activity and gang violence.

Shantel Hargrove, youth services outreach coordinator for the Henderson Vance Recreation and Parks Department, said she and director Kendrick Vann were in Chicago for the national gang specialist training conference that concluded last week and were surprised to hear their names called as recipients of the Spirit Award, for “significant public service and issues of gang prevention, intervention and counseling.”

Hargrove spoke with John C. Rose on Thursday’s Town Talk. “We didn’t know we were getting the award,” she said, expressing surprise for being honored in front of a national audience.

The P.U.L.L. – an acronym for Peace, Unity, Love, Live – event takes place Aug. 25-28 and is designed to bring the community together with such activities as a two-day basketball tournament, bookbag and school supply giveaway, street festival and free haircuts for youngsters headed back to school.

This is the 7th year for P.U.L.L., Hargrove said, who added that the event seems to get bigger and better each year.

“It all started off with (us) going to local barbers,” she said, to ask them to donate their time to KUTZ 4 KIDS to give basic haircuts and hairstyles for children returning to the classroom. For families with children, the price of getting school supplies, clothes – and haircuts – can get expensive quickly.

“It’s a tremendous gift for the parents,” Hargrove said, referring to the free cuts and styles.

On Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Hair In Motion at 211 Orange St.  will be offering free cuts. Then, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Ice Cold Cuts and Exquisite Cuts 2.0 will be offering their services.

The activities kick off with a two-day basketball tournament, Hargrove said. Michael Bullock is instrumental in organizing the Battle of the Brands tournament, she said, calling Bullock a “great community activist…(who) is all about bringing the community together” to help youth.

“The community loves basketball,” Hargrove said. “And basketball brings out the community.” What used to be a single-elimination tournament has grown over time. “Now it’s a two-day tournament because so many teams wanted to be a part of the event,” she said.

The tournament will be held on Thursday, Aug. 25 and Friday Aug. 26 in the HVRPD gymnasium (former Eaton Johnson gymnasium). Tickets are $5 for adults 18 and older; tickets for youth 17 and younger are $2.

The street festival and community cookout on Saturday will be held in conjunction with the annual Night Out Against Crime, and Hargrove said she appreciates the collaboration of the Henderson Police Department and Lt. Jessica West.

“We’re going to combine and make it one event this year,” Hargrove said. The event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Chestnut Street Park. There will be vendors, a DJ playing music, a dance performance and other activities including cornhole for participants to enjoy. Free hotdogs, drinks and chips will be available as well.

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Aug. 13 Franklin Freedom Fest Features Dave Bray USA

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Franklin Freedom Fest, a fundraiser for Congressional candidate Sandy Smith, is scheduled for Saturday and participants can take part in a full range of activities through the afternoon and into the evening – from a pig pickin’ to cannon shooting and an open gun range.

The event begins at 3 p.m. at 1770 Seven Paths Rd., Louisburg. Music by Dave Bray USA will begin at 7 p.m.

“We’re hoping to pump up the audience in Louisburg,” Bray told John C. Rose on Thursday’s The Local Skinny!

Smith, a Republican, is running for the seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield. She faces Donald Davis in the November election. Tickets for the Aug. 13 Freedom Fest are $25.

Bray is a military veteran, having served in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. He said he’d love to see “some uniforms out there,” referring to the concert audience.

His love for singing and music began early, with church choirs as a child and then garage bands in high school. Even when he was active duty, he said he continued to write music.

He said music can help veterans struggling with emotional scars like post-traumatic stress through creative expression. He said he considers his music career, through which he pays tribute to those who are or were in the military, to be a continuation of his own service to his country.

“Bring your flags, bring your guns…let’s have a good time,” Bray said.

Visit https://www.davebrayusa.com/ to learn more.

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Chamber’s Business After Hours Tomorrow At VCS Center For Innovation

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Check out the Chamber’s Business After Hours event Thursday, Aug. 11 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Vance County Schools’ Center for Innovation.

Chamber members are invited to the site of the former Henderson High School and Henderson Middle School campus to enjoy some networking and refreshments. Parking is available just off N. William Street, behind the main building.

It’s a great time to talk with school leaders about how your business can support education and how schools can help to ensure they’re preparing students for the workforce.

Participants can tour the zSpace lab, SLICE lab, MakerSpace room and video production studio on campus and can learn how their business can utilize the resources available at the Center for Innovation.

There will be giveaways and door prizes.

To learn more, contact Sandra Wilkerson, the Chamber’s director of programs at Sandra@hendersonvance.org or 252.438.8414.