GROW News
August 11, 2010
New Members
Country Taste of Homemade - Sargent, NE
Theresa's products consist of coffee, dip, cookies, and bread mixes. She mixes everything herself in her certified kitchen.
Business Records, Inc. - Wahoo, NE
This book keeper will do as much or as little as you need. They will do payroll and payroll taxes, write checks or do everything, including monthly financial statements and year end reports for your CPA's.
Randy's Garage Studio - Grand Island, NE
Thank you to Sherri Roberts of 67th Street Goodies for referring Randy! Sherri will receive a $25 referral check.
Randy will create custom airbrush painting on canvas, t-shirts, automotive, and mi scellaneous item ... but this isn't your everyday airbrushing Visit
www.randysgaragestudio.com to see these realistic works of art.
Nebraska Food Cooperative - Lincoln, NE
Nebraska Food Cooperative operates as "Nebraska's online, year-round farmers' market and local food distribution service". Learn more at
www.nebraskafood.org.
Help Wanted in Retail Stores
Sales help wanted at the GROW Nebraska stores. If you are interested in working 3-4 shifts a week please e-mail us at
info@grownebraska.org with your information.
Win Free Membership
Starting on Monday, GROW is having their membership drive ... Member Mania! The first place winner will receive free bundle membership or $325 in GROW Bucks to buy Nebraska products (winner's choice) plus a full color ad in the next GROW Book. Prizes will also be given out for 2-5 place winners. How do you win? Refer members to the program, and get points towards Member Mania. More information coming soon, but be sure to start thinking about good members for the program!
Video of the Week
John Marquis has been a member with Ogallala Bay Rum since 2006, but in 2010 he started another company, The Ogallala Cream Can Supper Company. The below video shows how you can easily make a meal for 30-40 friends and family in no time!
Did you sign up for the State Fair Store? There's still time left!
Before we know it the State Fair will be upon us. Do you want your product in the store? If so, please sign up today! Prices are no charge for 2010 bundle members, $30 for members who work at least one 6 our shift, $50 for members who do not work, and $150 if GROW has to take down, haul and pack your product. This year's State Fair store is in Grand Island from August 27 through September 6. The store hours are 9am-9pm.
Below is a list of who is signed up.
If your name is not on this list and you would like to be involved, please click the "sign up now" link below to make sure you are included.
- 67th Street Goodies
- Annette Snyder-Novelist
- Art Horizons Studio
- Back Home Wreaths
- BBQ Specialties
- Blackburn Mfg. Co./Say it Flags
- Bob's Country Sales
- Creations By Valerie
- Creative Hand at the Red Shed
- Creative Scents By Autumn
- Cynfull Sauces
- Epp Productions
- ERH Studio
- Fairbanks Studio
- Flowers By V
- From The Heart Creations
- Garvin Meats
- Grab Bags
- Grandma's Home Brewed Soap
- Heartland Nuts 'N More
- Heavenly Creations
- Hilger Agri/Natural
- Holen One Farms
- HR Poppin Sancks
- Hunzeker Frameables
- IM's Countryside Painting
- Ink Images Custom Apparel
- K & A Creations
- KD Designs
- Kimberly My Daughter/book
- Lovely Street
- Mike Mennard
- Mosaic
- Mychals Prints
- Nebraska Famous Steaks
- Oasis Enterprise
- OPA-O's
- Otoe Steakhouse Seasoning
- Petals & Pastries
- Prairie Barn
- Pur Java Coffee
- Rafter 7S
- Ricky and Lucy's Country Greenhouse
- Rustic Writing
- Shepherd's Dairy 4 Ewe
- Shortcuts to Gourmet cooking
- The History of Prayer in America
- Time in a Treasure
- Two Ewes Bath & Body
- Wine Brights
- You've Been Framed
- Zooreka
Sign Up Now >>
Promoting GROW
Thank you to Randy Miller of Sportsman Hair Care for helping to promote GROW in his recent advertisement. If you ever need a GROW logo to include in your publications or ads, please contact us at
info@grownebraska.org.
Give Us Feedback On Our Web Site
GROW is always looking for ways to improve our web site. We will be featuring a page every week and are asking our members to send us any feedback you may have. We want to ensure that our site is working for you! If you have any suggestions on this page or any other pages please e-mail us at
info@grownebraska.org.
This week's page is the benefits of membership page. GROW Nebraska uses this page to help recruit new members. Are there any benefits you find with GROW that we're not featuring? If so, let us know!
Join the Discussion
GROW is using our discussion page on Facebook. This week's discussion ... are you going to buy local this Holiday season? Let us know
here.
Who Sold Online This Week?
Member News
Ely Farms is being featured in the Ag Adventure Tour 2010. Learn more about this tour
here. Congrats!
Being in GROW stores can mean more than just exposure in the mall for your product. A photo taken last holiday season was re-printed in a recent Lincoln Journal-Star article. Chris Haeffner of Grab Bags received great exposure from this photo. You can view the article
here.
Wendy with It's All About Bees was recently featured in an Omaha World-Herald article. Congrats! You can view the article
here.
WasteCap Nebraska recently received $20,000, for development of the Green Ambassadors Program, in which trained college students deliver pre-approved environmental messages across the state. The grant was a gift of the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality. Congrats!
Garcia Farms recently received $21,000 from the USDA, which they say will triple the size of their company. Congrats!
Tru Cafe was recently featured by KHAS-TV. You can watch the video
here. Congrats!
Garden Fresh Vegetables, O’Neill, Neb., will receive a $3.9 million guaranteed loan to expand its greenhouse business by purchasing a 10-acre greenhouse. Congrats!
Alexa Whipple performed at the first annual Burton's Bend Music Festival in Holbrook on July 30 and 31. Alexa is the the 15-year-old daughter of Rod and Christine Whipple.
Krista Dittman of Branched Oak Farm was recently featured in an article in the Lincoln Journal-Star. You can view the article
here. Congrats!
Do you have news about your business? Please let us know at
info@grownebraska.org.
The Barn Candle Company is for Sale
The Barn Candle Company and the Barn Festival are for sale. The Barn Festival is on the East side of the road and Barn Candles is on the West side of the road. Both sides include home dwellings.
This album includes photos of the Barn Candle manufacturing side. Built in 2004, this lovely piece of property made a perfect set up when they were growing and needed the extra space for expansion of the Barn Candle Company. Below the loft apartment, is a beautiful spacious showroom, 4 offices and full kitchen. Behind that is the inventory room, shipping, candle manufacturing area that opens up to the large open warehouse. They are open to selling the property with or without the Barn Candle business. The facility has potential for housing an endless number of types of businesses because of the layout.
This album includes photos of the Barn Festival. It is a facility that has so much potential. They have had so many people ask if they could rent the facility for weddings, family reunions, etc. The possibilities with the property are endless. In this album you will see pictures of our home which is on level 2 and 3 of the Main Barn. There is also a level one that is used for the Barn Festivals, as well as a full basement and 4 car garage. Buildings include Grandpa's Workshop, Cottage Barn and Stable Barn as well as a 2nd home in the back of the property. There is also a second home on this property. You can view those photos
here.
For more information on these properties and businesses, please call Marla at 402.469.7507.
REAP Program Announces New Staff Hiring
The Rural Enterprise Assistance Project (REAP), a program of the Center for Rural Affairs, is pleased to announce the hiring of Juan Sandoval as our new REAP Hispanic Business Center Director. Juan graduated in Modern Languages from the University of Carabobo at Valencia, Venezuela in 1993 and also graduated with Honors from Antonio Jose De Sucre College majoring in administration with a minor in marketing also at Valencia in 1998.
Juan most recently worked as the Hispanic Banking Director for BankFirst at Norfolk, NE. Juan is also fluent with both English and Spanish languages. Juan will be providing REAP services in northeast Nebraska and is the leader of the REAP Hispanic Business Center work.
Juan moved from Venezuela in 1999. His father Manuel -a Textile Engineer graduated at the University of Leicester in England-, his mother Maria -a Social Worker graduated at Universidad Bolivariana in Medellin, Colombia- and his brother Manuel Andres -a Dental Technician graduated in Valencia, Venezuela- also resides in Norfolk. Juan enjoys spending time with his family. "Family loves you when no one else will. When all has failed you, as a Hispanic Family will never do" Juan quoted. “It is important to remember who we are and where we come from and there is no better place to start than with your family.”
“Juan has done a tremendous job during his training phase and has basically “hit the ground running”. Juan will be a difference maker for many startup and existing Hispanic entrepreneurs and others in Nebraska. We are thrilled to have him on our staff”, noted Jeff Reynolds, REAP Director.
REAP is Nebraska’s largest microenterprise program and operates on a statewide, rural basis through regionally based Business Specialists. REAP provides lending, loan packaging, training, networking, and technical assistance opportunities for startup and existing small microenterprises (businesses with 5 or fewer employees).
REAP offers lending products designed for startup and existing rural entrepreneurs. The REAP lending program can place loans up to $35,000 and provides loan capital for those who are currently falling between the cracks and where no other lending capital is available. REAP has placed 708 loans totaling $5,567,946 and leveraged an additional $12,242.549 from other sources since inception of the program.
Juan operates from a home based office at Norfolk and began his duties on May 17h. Juan can be reached at (402) 371-7786 or
juans@cfra.org.
Further information about REAP services can be found at
www.cfra.org/reap or contact Jeff Reynolds, REAP Program Director at (402) 656-3091 or
jeffr@cfra.org.
Established in 1973, the Center for Rural Affairs is a private, non-profit organization working to strengthen small businesses, family farms and ranches, and rural communities through action oriented programs addressing social, economic, and environmental issues
Weeping Water Fall Festival Show
Crafters are needed for the Weeping Water Fall Festival Craft Show. The cost is $20.00 for an inside table (they have round tables available or you can bring your own) or $15.00 for an outside table. They are setting up in the new auditorium with overflow going into the Methodist Church. Show starts at 10 am and will end around 4 pm when the car show ends. Date is Sept 25th. Anyone interested can contact Tammy at 402-267-5228 or
info@tammyssoapshack.com.
Win $1,500 Cash
Do you have what it takes to become the next Thomas Edison or Benjamin Franklin? Are you sitting on a genius design or invention that is sure to be the next big thing? Then we want to hear from you!
In honor of National Inventors' Month, UncommonGoods is issuing a wide-open design challenge to find our next Uncommon Inventor or Designer. The third of our YouGoods product design challenges, this contest is looking for a product with a spark of inventive genius, a flash of innovation and something that makes us say, Aha! Why didn't we think of that? Oh, and did we mention there's a $1,500 prize and a chance to showcase your design at Makerfaire NYC? (prize details below)
Guidelines for submitting an entry:
- Must have a clear idea of the end product. Entrant may provide photos, design specs or videos to share a full concept of their idea.
- Tell a good story. Judges want to know: How did you choose materials? What design options did you consider before you developed your final submission? What did you learn in the process of designing your product? Who is this product for and why? What need or problem does it address?
- Judges will give more points to products that are unique, eco-friendly, and economical to produce. Judges may give more points to designs that have taken production and manufacturing into account.
The winning design will be picked by a team of judges along with the help and input of our online community. UncommonGoods Facebook fans will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite designs, so make sure you join us on
Facebook!
The Prize:
The winner will receive $1,500 cash prize and a pass to join UncommonGoods in presenting the winning design at Makerfaire NYC on September 25-26. Makerfaire NYC is expected to have 45,000 attendees. UncommonGoods will provide an exhibition space at Makerfaire and promote the winning design along with other YouGoods products.
The winning design will be sold exclusively by UncommonGoods. The winner will receive a 10% commission.*
Download the entry form, and return it to
yougoods@uncommongoods.com by August 19, 2010 at 11:59 PM. By entering the design challenge, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to
all the rules.
