CEO Spring 2015

SPRING 2015

www.ColumbiaCEO.com

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CONTENTS

Inside Columbia’s CEO • www.ColumbiaCEO.com • Volume 6, Issue 3

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Opening Bell: The Buzz On CoMo Biz

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Business Basics: How To Write A Business Plan

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Up & Coming: The Ladder Report

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Regional Roundup

Crafty Entrepreneurs: CoMo Businesses Meld Artistic Passion With Savvy Commercial Sense

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Data Bank: The Home Front

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Shopping: Gone Fishin’

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Entrepreneurial Spirit: NicDanger Hustles To Grow His Entertainment Empire

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CEO At Play: 3 Questions

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Networking

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The Conference Room: John Sebree Talks Missouri Real Estate

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Publisher’s Note

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Closing Quotes

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Coach’s Clipboard: 4 Benefits Of A Caring Culture

on the cover: Julie Lloyd is following her creative passions with her new business enterprise, Embroider More. Read all about Columbia’s new crop of creative entrepreneurs on Page 40. PHOTO BY L.G. PATTERSON

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STAFF

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Publisher Fred Parry fred@insidecolumbia.net Associate Publisher Melody Parry melody@insidecolumbia.net

MEET OUR EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

Associate Publisher & Executive Editor Sandy Selby sandy@insidecolumbia.net Managing Editor Kathy Casteel kathy@insidecolumbia.net Editorial Assistant Peg Gill peg@insidecolumbia.net Contributing Writers Morgan McCarty, Porcshe Moran, Gary Pinkel

RANDY COIL President, Coil Construction

TOM ATKINS President, Tom Atkins Investments

GARY DREWING President, Joe Machens Dealerships

JOAN GABEL Dean, Trulaske College of Business, University of Missouri

Graphic Designers Alyssa Blevins alyssa@insidecolumbia.net Trever Griswold trever@insidecolumbia.net Joe Waner joewaner@insidecolumbia.net Photo Editor L.G. Patterson lg@insidecolumbia.net

BOB GERDING President, Gerding, Korte & Chitwood CPAs

PAUL LAND Principal/Owner, Plaza Commercial Realty

DIANNE LYNCH President, Stephens College

GEORGE PFENENGER CEO, Socket

Social Media/Website Editor Drew Van Dyke drew@insidecolumbia.net Operations Manager Kalie Clennin kalie@insidecolumbia.net Operations Assistant Lilly Smith lilly@insidecolumbia.net

BOB PUGH CEO, MBS Textbook Exchange

GREG STEINHOFF President of Strategic Operations, Veterans United Home Loans

JERRY TAYLOR Former President & CEO, MFA Oil Co.

TIM WOLFE President, University of Missouri System

Marketing Representatives Samantha Cook samantha@insidecolumbia.net Rosemarie Peck rosemarie@insidecolumbia.net Joe Schmitter joe@insidecolumbia.net

Please Recycle This Magazine.

Inside Columbia’s CEO magazine 47 E. Broadway • Columbia, MO 65203 • Office: 573-442-1430 • Web: www.ColumbiaCEO.com Inside Columbia’s CEO is published quarterly by OutFront Communications LLC, 47 E. Broadway, Columbia, Mo. 65203, 573-442-1430. Copyright OutFront Communications, 2015. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of any editorial or graphic content without the express written permission of the publisher is prohibited.

Postage paid at Columbia, Mo. The annual subscription rate is $19.95 for four issues.

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Finance Manager Brenda Brooks brenda@insidecolumbia.net Distribution Manager John Lapsley

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OPENING BELL

The Buzz On CoMo Biz

photo by L.G. PATTERSON

HOUSEWARMING Columbians got a look at the city’s first “net-zero” house in February. The home at 413 W. Ash St. was designed to produce as much energy as it consumes.

Equipped with 32 solar panels on the roof to produce electricity, the 1,248-square-foot house maintains energy efficiency with a solar water heater, R-30 and R-60 insulation in the walls and roof, and 4-inch-thick rigid foam under the slab foundation, plus triple-glazed windows, tightly sealed doors, high-efficiency air-source heat pumps and an energy recovery ventilator. LED lights and EnergyStar appliances add to the home’s efficiencies.

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The project was a joint venture of Show-Me Central Habitat for Humanity, the Columbia Community Development Commission and Peoples’ Visioning, a community advocacy group. Jamestown architect Daniel Karlov and Columbia engineer Lawrence Lile collaborated on the design. Dogwood Solar, Century 21 Real Estate and other volunteers donated labor, supplies and services.

The three-bedroom, two-bath home cost about $125,000 to construct and sold for the same amount; the sale closed in late February.

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OPENING BELL

The Buzz On CoMo Biz

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HUB & SPOKE WINS AWARD FOR PACKAGE DESIGN

•Creative agency Hub & Spoke has won an American Package Design Award from Graphic Design USA for its work with Rock Bridge Brewing Co. on the Saison beer can design. The can design, which hit stores last May, drew inspiration from artwork created by Army veteran Curt Bean, who founded the Art of War Project to help returning soldiers deal with post-traumatic stress disorder through art therapy.

Graphic Design USA, a business-tobusiness magazine for graphic design professionals, sponsors the national design competition that this year saw more than 2,000 entries. Hub & Spoke provides marketing and creative design for its clients, offering mobile-friendly website design, graphic design, video production, search marketing services and photography. u

AMERICAN AIRLINES ALTERS ITS COLUMBIA FLIGHT SCHEDULE

•It just got easier to make that all-day out-of-town business meeting from Columbia and still get home to sleep in your own bed. American Airlines has tweaked its schedules for the last incoming flights of the day from DallasFort Worth and Chicago. Effective March

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29, the 6:55 p.m. flight from Dallas-Fort Worth (Flight 3394) will depart at 8:10 p.m. and arrive in Columbia at 9:50 p.m., about an hour and a half later than its previous schedule. Late-day service from Chicago to Columbia also changes on March 29 when the 7:55 p.m. flight from O’Hare (Flight 3685) adjusts its departure time to 9:50 p.m. for an 11:14 p.m. arrival in Columbia, about two hours later than its previous schedule.

American Airlines is the sole provider of commercial passenger air service at

Columbia Regional Airport, offering two daily round-trip flights each to Chicago and Dallas-Fort Worth. The airport enjoyed a booming business in 2014 with its best passenger traffic since 1987, serving more than 53,000 passengers — an 18 percent increase over 2013. The airline began using larger, 65-passenger Bombadier CRJ-700 jets earlier this year.

The $3 million revenue guarantee fund that brought American to Columbia two years ago remains untapped since March 2013.

OPENING BELL

The Buzz On CoMo Biz

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VENTURE CLUB FORMS • A new organization has launched to

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MFA OIL EXPANDS OPERATIONS INTO UTAH

• MFA Oil Co. has acquired Basin Propane Systems, an independently owned propane retailer based in Vernal, Utah.

The purchase is MFA Oil’s 10th acquisition in the past year as the Columbia-based farmer-owned cooperative continues to purchase propane companies in its existing market area as well as expand its footprint to other states.

The Basin Propane acquisition marks MFA Oil’s first foray into Utah. The cooperative’s aggressive expansion program of the past few years has made MFA Oil the seventh-largest propane retailer in the country.

help entrepreneurs get the word out on their ideas and receive feedback from the business community.

The Mid-Missouri Venture Club will begin hosting informal luncheons this spring where local business leaders can hear startup presentations and then offer their reactions and advice. The KITZI exchanges are purely informative; no funding is offered, although individuals are free to invest in a startup if desired.

Matt Kitzi, partner at Armstrong Teasdale, and Dave Griggs, president of Dave Griggs’ Flooring America, are organizing the get-togethers. The periodic forum offers exposure for GRIGGS entrepreneurs, with preparation help and vetting before presenters appear before the group, Kitzi says. The luncheons are open to anyone. “The only cost is the price of lunch,” Kitzi says.

For more information, email Kitzi at MKitzi@ ArmstrongTeasdale.com or Collin Bunch at bunchco@missouri.edu.

PHOTO BY L.G. PATTERSON

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VETERANS UNITED EARNS HONORS AS A GREAT WORKPLACE

• The Missouri Chamber of Commerce has tabbed

Veterans United Home Loans as one of the best places to work in the Show-Me State. The Columbia-based company is one of six Missouri businesses to receive

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the award in its inaugural year.

The chamber’s magazine, Missouri Business, praised VUHL for its employee-friendly culture that encourages innovation, communication, training, employee bonding and work-life balance.

Other winners, chosen by a statewide panel, include Big Cedar Lodge in Branson, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc. in St. Joseph, Burns & McDonnell in Kansas City, Graybar in Clayton and Onshore Outsourcing in Macon.

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COMMERCE & UMB MAKE BEST BANKS LIST

• Two mid-Missouri market banks are

in good company in Forbes magazine’s annual list of America’s best banks.

Commerce Bancshares ranks No. 9 on the list, joined by UMB Financial at No. 15.

Forbes ranks the 100 largest publicly traded banks and savings

The Buzz On CoMo Biz and loans on nine measures of financial health: return on average equity; net interest margin; nonperforming loans as a percentage of loans; nonperforming assets as a percentage of assets; reserves as a percentage of NPLs; Tier 1 and riskbased capital ratios; leverage ratio; and one-year sales growth. Forbes compiles its list of the best and worst banks based on an average of the individual ranks of each metric. The data — provided by Charlottesville, Va., firm SNL Financial — is based on regulatory filings of banks and thrifts for the period ending Sept. 30, 2014.

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• Moody’s Investors Service has assigned a rating of Aa2 for the special-obligation bonds that will be issued to construct the new Boone County 911 call center and emergency management facility. The rating is consistent with the county’s specialobligation rating received for past bonds, says Boone County Treasurer Nicole Galloway. Moody’s also has affirmed Boone County’s overall longterm issuer rating as Aa1.

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PHOTO BY L.G. PATTERSON

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WHAT ARE THE TIGERS WORTH?

• The University of Missouri fields the 51st most valuable program in college football, according to an Indiana study of 116 schools.

The annual valuation by Ryan Brewer, assistant professor of finance at Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus, lists the intrinsic value of the Mizzou Tigers program as $115,110,000. Brewer calculated each team’s worth by analyzing program revenues and expenses, making cash-flow adjustments, risk assessments and growth projections. The final figures represent the sums college teams could command as a likely purchase price if they were pro franchises.

The study arrived at its intrinsic value figures through fundamental analysis of long-term on-field performance, stadium 16

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size, state-by-state growth rates, cash flow, revenues, invested capital and NFL financial information. Brewer’s estimate of Mizzou football program revenue, based on self-disclosed school-specific financial information, is more than $40.5 million.

The top-valued team for 2014 is the national champion Ohio State Buckeyes, valued at $1.1 billion, followed by Michigan ($999 million) and former three-time No. 1 value Texas ($972 million). Notre Dame checks in at No. 4 ($936 million) and Florida at No. 5 ($815 million). Four Southeastern Conference schools claim spots in the top 10: Florida, Alabama, Georgia and LSU. Missouri’s valuation is No. 12 among SEC schools, besting Mississippi State and Vanderbilt.

Tiger fans will be happy to note the Kansas Jayhawks rank six spots below MU at 57th, with an intrinsic value of $103.9 million.

911 CENTER SCORES HIGH BOND RATING

MADE IN MISSOURI CONTEST OPENS

• The Missouri Alliance for the Development of Entrepreneurship has launched a MADE In Missouri State Entrepreneurship Competition. The competition is open to anyone living in and wanting to start a business in Missouri.

Entries are welcome from aspiring, new or existing businesses less than 3 years old. Winners will receive investment funding for their business.

Find out more by visiting the Missouri Valley Community Action Agency website at www.MVCAA.net. u

STAFFING SERVICE RELOCATES

• Extra Help Inc., an Illinois-based employment, payroll and workforce services company, has moved its Columbia office to a new location at 1301 Vandiver Drive, Suite B. The larger office space allows the company to offer additional services in staffing, recruitment and benefits management, plus a system for outsourced employee management.

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OPENING BELL

Up & Coming

THE LADDER REPORT Look Who’s Moving Up In Columbia

COLUMBIA COLLEGE has hired RAJA BHATTACHARYA as director of the STEVEN AND BARBARA FISHMAN CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP. In this newly created position, Bhattacharya will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the center, and will serve as a liaison between the college’s academic community and the private and entrepreneurial sectors. Bhattacharya comes to Columbia from Western Kentucky University’s entrepreneurship program, where he served as the executive-in-residence in the Gordon Ford College of Business. He also served as a mentor and faculty coach at the Governor’s School for Entrepreneurship at the Kentucky Science & Technology Corp.

SARAH GRIM began her new role as CEO of WELCOME HOME on Jan. 19. Grim will guide the organization’s current capital campaign for a new facility at the Community for Veterans, 2112 Business Loop 70 E., a 4.2-acre site undergoing renovations to provide housing and other services for veterans.

She replaces former Executive Director ANEISA SHERRILL-MATOX, who took a new position as a social worker with the Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital. Grim, who holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public health administration from the University of Missouri, previously worked at the Family Health Center in Columbia. She also has served as chief executive of the Missouri Coalition for Oral Health, the Missouri Patient Care Review Foundation and the Missouri Children’s Trust Fund, and has led hospital trade associations in Ohio and Florida.

BRIAN D. STEINES, CPA, is the new chief financial officer of UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI HEALTH CARE and the MU SCHOOL OF MEDICINE. Steines will lead development, implementation and monitoring of all policies and practices concerning financial administration, budgets, financial planning, general accounting, patient accounting services, and government reimbursement and reporting for MU Health Care and the medical school.

Steines comes to Columbia from Scottsdale Lincoln Health Network, where he served as vice president of financial operations for the network’s Arizona market.

SINCLAIR BROADCAST GROUP INC. has named ELIZABETH WORSHAM general manager of KRCG-TV 13. Worsham comes to mid-Missouri from CBS affiliate WSPATV and CW station WYCW-TV in the Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C./Asheville, N.C./Anderson, S.C., market, where she was director of sales. She has prior sales and management experience at several broadcast stations in Arizona, North Carolina, Alabama and Florida.

UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI Athletic Director MIKE ALDEN is stepping down on Aug. 31 after 17 years in the position.

Alden, who joined the Mizzou athletic department in 1998, will become an instructor in the MU College of Education, where he will work with the Power of Positive Coaching program, and assist in the launch of the new Center for Global Service Learning Leadership. A national search for Alden’s replacement is underway.

Alden’s name recently surfaced on a list of the 10 best fundraising athletic directors in college athletics by CollegeAD.org.

The BOONE COUNTY COMMISSION has hired Columbia native SCOTT SHELTON as director of 911 COMMUNICATIONS. He began working in his new role on Feb. 13. Shelton recently returned to his hometown to begin the next phase of his 36year career in law enforcement stretching from Columbia to Kansas City to Greenville, N.C. He spent 25 years with the University of Missouri Police Department, including 1½ years as interim chief in the late ’90s. He later served as police chief for the University of Missouri-Kansas City and East Carolina University. Shelton has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Columbia College, and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Missouri. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, the FBI Central States LEEDS class, and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College Organizational Leadership for Executives.

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MARATHON BUILDING ENVIRONMENTS has promoted longtime representative MIKE BECKER as its new director of operations and added ANNE FARROW to its commercial furniture sales team. Becker has been with Marathon since 2002.

His new position puts him in charge of all company operations including customer support, delivery, installation and inventory. Farrow previously worked throughout the central Missouri area in the office furniture and supply industry, and in fashion and nonprofit fundraising. Her responsibilities at Marathon will include business, health care and corporate sales; customer support; and business development.

The Missouri Veterinary Medical Association honored NEIL C. OLSON in January with the President’s Award at the group’s annual meeting in St. Charles. Olson, dean of the UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE, received the award for his role in the MVMA’s efforts to advance the veterinary profession for the betterment of animal health in the state. Other Columbians honored at the meeting included retired MU veterinary faculty member WILLIAM A. WOLFF as Veterinarian of the Year and MU librarian TRENTON BOYD, who received the Missouri Veterinary Medical Foundation’s Distinguished Service Award.

Share your business news with Inside Columbia’s CEO. Email the editor at kathy@insidecolumbia.net.

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OPENING BELL

UNCLE RAY'S MOVES TO MONTGOMERY CITY u

•Uncle Ray’s LLC, a potato chip and snack producer, recently selected Montgomery City as the home of its new production facility. The Detroit-based company plans to invest more than $13 million and create 110 new, full-time jobs at the location over the next few years.

The company has purchased a refrigerated warehouse vacated by Tyson Foods in 2011. Uncle Ray’s renovation plans include improvements to the building to accommodate receiving raw food materials and shipping finished products.

Uncle Ray’s began in 1965 with Ray Jenkins selling his homemade chip dips, popcorn and shrimp cocktail sauce out

ST. JAMES JOINS LIST OF WORLD’S TOP 15 WINERIES u

•St. James Winery recently placed in the top 15 of the World Association of Wine & Spirits Writers and Journalists’ annual list of the 100 Top Wineries in the World.

The past year was a rewarding one for the Ozarks Highlands winery, as it won three major international competitions, 13 Best of Class awards and more than 70 gold medals, adding to St. James’ reputation as one of the most awarded wineries in the world.

The winery’s Friendship School White Wine and its Riesling led the way in winning competitions in Los Angeles, Long Beach and New York. St. James Moscato, Vignoles and Friendship School Red Wine also performed well in international competitions.

Regional Roundup of the backseat of his car to local bars and stores in the Detroit area.

Just two years later, Jenkins had moved into a production facility to process corn products, popcorn and pork rinds. Uncle Ray’s has since grown to one of the country’s leading producers of chips and other snack items in a wide variety of styles and flavors. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of The H.T. Hackney Co. in 2006.

The company has not yet announced hiring details or an operations start date.

SPECIAL OLYMPICS TO BUILD COLE COUNTY TRAINING FACILITY u

•Special Olympics Missouri has announced plans to build training facilities on a donated Jefferson City site near U.S. 54 and Missouri 179. Land Investments — a firm run by Kirk Farmer, Mike Dunn and Frank Twehous — donated the 15.5-acre land parcel to the organization for the project.

The state Special Olympics organization is headquartered in Jefferson City, employing 25 people. The new facility will increase employment to 34. Jefferson City economic development officials hope the new campus will anchor further commercial development in the area.

JEFFERSON CITY IT COMPANY ANNOUNCES EXPANSION PLANS u

WESTMINSTER BUSINESS PROGRAMS EARN ACCREDITATION u

•The John E. Simon Department of Accounting, Business Administration, Economics, and Management Information Systems at Westminster College in Fulton has won accreditation as one of the nation’s best business programs according to standards of a national quality program.

The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs — the only global accreditation body that models its review on the criteria of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award — accredited Westminster’s business programs in January. ACBSP accreditation evaluates aspects of institutional leadership, strategic planning processes, community relationships, quality of academic programs, faculty credentials, and services and educational support.

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•Huber & Associates, a Jefferson City-based information technology company, is expanding its mid-Missouri headquarters. The company plans to create 35 new highpaying jobs over the next five years. The expansion includes the renovation of Huber’s facility on Edgewood Drive in Jefferson City.

Huber & Associates, a certified women-owned business, is a full-service computer consulting business offering IT consulting, managed services, backup and disaster recovery, cloud computing and security. The company was founded in Jefferson City in 1986 and has since opened a Springfield branch as well as hubs in Columbia, Kansas City and St. Louis.

According to an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data by Dice.com, Missouri has been a top 10 fastest-growing state for technology employment for three consecutive years.

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OPENING BELL

Data Bank Boone County Real Estate Recording Volume In 2014:

2500

24,490 Transactions

THE HOME FRONT 2000

Boone County Real Estate Market

2014 2014

$196,571

After a torrid year of activity in 2013, the Boone County real estate market continued to do 1500 well in 2014, although total sales fell back a bit, mirroring a slowdown in sales nationally and statewide. Average sale prices in Boone County continued their climb.

Boone County Single-Family Homes Sales 2009–2014

1000

2500

2013 2013

$186,331

500

2000 0

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

1500

2012

$185,244

2011

2011

$183,066

2010 2010

$176,012

2009

$172,381

2012

2014

2500

2000

1500

1000

1000

500

500 0

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2009

0

2009 1,708

2010

1,592

2011

1,514

2012

1,887

2013

2,130

2014

Average Sold Price For Single-Family Homes In Boone County 2009–2014

2,017

2014 Single Family-Homes Sales Per Month In Boone County 300 250 200 150 100

170

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156

122

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SOURCE: COLUMBIA BOARD OF REALTORS, BOONE COUNTY RECORDER’S OFFICE 22

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ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT

THAT’S SHOW BIZ

NicDanger Is All-Business As He Hustles To Grow His Entertainment Empire

by PORCSHE N. MORAN • photos by L.G. PATTERSON

E

ven before he knew how to read and write, Nicholas Rodriguez had a mind for business. The Columbia rapper and entrepreneur, who also goes by the stage name NicDanger, wore suits to school in kindergarten. As a young teen, he booked acts and organized marketing and security for a concert series at the Columbia Mall. By the time Rodriguez entered his junior year of high school, he was getting accolades for founding a break-dancing ensemble that performed at elementary schools, music venues and festivals around town. Now, at age 24, Rodriguez is the CEO of his startup, Disturbed Entertainment LLC. He coordinates events, writes commercial jingles, and produces, distributes and performs his own music.

“He has always had his head on straight,” says his mother, Mary Rodriguez. “He has always been focused, and paying attention to the details of how things get done. I always say he is the next hardest-working person in show business.”

You don’t have to spend much time with Rodriguez to discover that his mother’s claims are more than just parental pride. New acquaintances immediately get a business card and a promotional postcard, both printed on thick, glossy paper. Getting straight to business is a necessity for Rodriguez.

His weekly schedule leaves little time for slowing down. He logs 50 hours per week working at jobs with H&R Block and the University of Missouri. He also dabbles in freelance landscaping and marketing on the side. In his off-hours, Rodriguez dedicates time to growing his business and writing at least four songs or poems each day.

“I’m constantly working on my craft,” he says. “I always want to know how I can make things better. It’s never time to celebrate to me. I’m always wanting to work harder and do more.”

OLD-FASHIONED HUSTLE Rodriguez serves as his own publicist.

It’s not uncommon for him to stay up until the early morning hours, texting and emailing business contacts. He is active on social media using Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to advertise his

music and services. He uploads tracks to a worldwide audience through streaming audio platforms such as SoundCloud and Mixtape Monkey. Yet Rodriguez says he gets the best results when he is out meeting people face to face. He calls his preferred marketing style “hand-to-hand combat.” He illustrated this phrase on a day when he passed out 2,000 flyers to promote an event.

“I believe in doing this the oldfashioned way,” says Rodriguez.

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“The way you get big as an entrepreneur and independent artist is to fill your trunk up with CDs, posters, flyers and merchandise, and just hit the pavement and talk to people.”

At the end of each year, Rodriguez reviews his income and expenses to make sure he is staying on course. In 2014, he achieved several of his business objectives:

He attracted investors who covered some of his travel and recording studio expenses.

He increased revenue by selling more jingles, CDs and NicDanger-branded music, T-shirts and posters.

He registered Disturbed Entertainment as a limited liability company.

He worked with the staff at Regional Economic Development Inc. to develop his first formal business plan.

He hired a booking agent.

“I started putting my earnings from the business back into the business,” says Rodriguez. “If I sell a CD, I put that money back into making another CD, instead of using it for gas money or some other expense. I saw that other entrepreneurs managed their money that way and it makes sense.”

REAL WORLD LESSONS Phil Overeem was Rodriguez’s language arts teacher at Hickman High School. He says he has long admired Rodriguez’s drive and business savvy.

“I have known Nick since he was 12,” says Overeem. “He is absolutely unintimidated by any aspect of the music business, and he doesn’t accept failure. He’s been one of the stars of the Columbia music community since he was a teenager, and there is no reason to believe that he won’t continue to shine even brighter in the future.”

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When Rodriguez outlines his multifaceted business plan, it is easy to forget that he doesn’t have a formal business education.

He graduated from Hickman High School in 2009 and attended Moberly Area Community College for a year before opting to get his training outside of the classroom. He took advantage of a position as an event and party promoter to learn the ins and outs of contract negotiation, budgets, marketing and networking.

Rodriguez was able to transfer those skills into building his personal brand.

“I learned from actually doing it,” he explains. “I feel like that is the best way to gain knowledge. Going to school is, of course, good too, but when you are thrown into a real situation, you learn faster. I like learning that way.”

Rodriguez says that navigating the ups and downs of business has taught him the importance of determination. He has developed a tough skin and doesn’t let rejection or unkind words from naysayers stop him from moving forward.

“People give up too easily,” he says. “You cannot give up. This is a passion for me. It’s not a choice for me to keep going because doing this is as natural as my heart beating.”

Composing music and performing is Rodriguez’s first love, but he doesn’t see the business side of things as a burden or a means to an end. He says he’d like to return to school eventually to get undergraduate and graduate degrees in business management and marketing.

“The entertainment industry is a business, and I don’t dread that aspect of it at all,” he says. “The business side makes you understand more of how the artistic side works. There is marketing, strategic planning and so much else that goes into it.”

Rodriguez doesn’t hesitate to admit he has made mistakes over the years. Trial and error — and learning from the missteps of other entrepreneurs — has taught him to take a careful approach to business. This means analyzing all the possible variables and outcomes before making decisions. He recalls a time when he quickly put together a music showcase and only gave himself a month to promote it. The audience turnout wasn’t as large as he had hoped, and he realized that he would need at least two to three months to publicize future events.

“You have to look at what you are doing before you just jump into something,” he says. “I learned that the hard way. Things need to make sense. You have to sit down and plan things out and look at things from all different angles.”

Yet Rodriguez is still willing to take calculated risks with the understanding that they won’t always turn out in his favor.

“If you don’t lose, you can’t win,” he says. “I’ve lost a lot, and I’ve won some.

But, the most important things are what I’ve learned in each situation.”

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WHAT’S IN A NAME?

COMO CONNECTIONS Another way Rodriguez has increased his business acumen is by tapping into Columbia’s resources and networking. He is a member of Emerging Professionals in Columbia, a division of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce. He presented his business concept to a group of mentors, advisers and fellow entrepreneurs at the local 1 Million Cups meeting in February 2014. The crowd asked questions and gave Rodriguez suggestions for how to gain traction for his company. A few even expressed interest in hiring him to write a jingle. A few years ago, he wrote a song called “Columbia Stand Up”; the accompanying music video featured community leaders and businesspeople and helped Rodriguez expand his professional network.

“You have to be able to admit when you don’t know what you’re doing, and then find someone who is an expert in that area,” he explains. “I believe in teams. Anyone who is great at what they do has a great team surrounding them. When you have a solid team and a solid product, you’re going to have a good run.”

Mary Kroening, director of membership for the Columbia Chamber of Commerce, says

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Rodriguez contacted her more than a year ago to discuss ways he could plug in to Columbia’s business scene.

“Nick is very energetic,” says Kroening. “He has awesome, innovative ideas. For someone his age, he has an impressive understanding of business. Nick believes in what he is doing. He is willing to persevere and give it his all, even if doors are closing in his face.”

Rodriguez counts Mayor Bob McDavid, former Blue Note owner Richard King, Veterans United’s Sarah Hill, Inside Columbia publisher Fred Parry and Columbia Parks & Recreation specialist Bill Thompson as some of his local supporters and mentors.

“I like talking to people. I always take advice,” he says. “I call successful people and ask them what they think. I get their opinions on how to do things. I ask people if they can sit down with me and explain how they have achieved their success.”

Rodriguez has achieved plenty of success in his own right. He has written jingles and starred in local TV and radio commercials for Sami Beauty Supply and the FastCat bus system. He’s coordinated well-attended community events, poetry slams, music showcases and workshops. In 2014, he

Nicholas Rodriguez got his stage name from a favorite T-shirt that he wore as a teenager. The shirt bore the name “Nick Danger,” a fictional film noir detective who appears on several albums by a comedy group called Firesign Theatre.

Whenever Rodriguez wore the shirt, people would call him Nick Danger, he says, and the name eventually stuck. He dropped the “k” at the end of “Nick” and started making music under the moniker NicDanger.

“I liked it because it sounded like a superhero’s name,” Rodriguez says.

His company name, Disturbed Entertainment, also has roots in Rodriguez’s high school life. As a teenager, he was in a Rage Against the Machine-inspired band called disruptedperceptionz. The band dissolved, but Rodriguez wanted to bring its memory into his company. He changed “disrupted” to “Disturbed” and added “Entertainment” to cover the variety of services he provides.

“The name represents the way that I think people see my music when they are on the outside looking in,” he explains.

“It also represents being different from other people and being misunderstood. When people learn more about my music and what I do, they see it in a different light.”

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toured California for three weeks, opening shows for Grammynominated singer/songwriter Jhené Aiko and Academy Awardwinning rapper Juicy J.

NO LIMITS But, true to form, Rodriguez isn’t resting on his laurels. He wants to emulate the careers of celebrity business moguls Russell Simmons, P. Diddy and Pharrell Williams. He says he looks up to them because of their accomplishments in several areas including music, fashion design, advertising, and film/TV production.

“I like to take my creativity in different directions,” Rodriguez says. “Whether it’s writing commercials or helping other people write, I like using my talents in many different ways besides just performing.”

If all goes as planned, 2015 will be a big year for Rodriguez’s entertainment company. He is signed on to pen his third jingle for Sami Beauty Supply, and he is under contract with another Columbia client for a jingle and TV commercial. Rodriguez is also in the process of planning a spring artist showcase that will feature all-female talent. Long term, he envisions producing large-scale festivals, writing jingles for national brands, and directing, shooting and editing music videos.

DISRUPTED ENTERTAINMENT LLC He even wants to open disruptedperceptionz@gmail.com a performing arts www.nicdanger.com academy in Columbia for elementary and high www.facebook.com/official.nicdanger school students.

“I want to give back to Columbia,” says Rodriguez. “This could be a music empire, too. This could be a stomping ground for a lot of different types of business.”

His top priority for this year is to complete his first full-length studio album by July. He’ll follow that up with shows at music festivals throughout the Midwest in the late summer and early fall. To meet his goals, Rodriguez will spend much of the next few months putting in long hours under the guidance of experienced record producers in Missouri, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee.

He wants honest feedback on his writing and rapping, and as always, he is willing to go above and beyond to make it happen.

“When you are putting together an album, you might write 50 songs and maybe use only five or 10 of those,” Rodriguez says.

“You can be in the studio for months working on one track. It can get depressing. People break down. I’m going in thinking I might write 1,000 songs and not use any of them. I’ll probably get four hours of sleep a day while I’m recording, and I’m okay with that.”

Personal gain isn’t what motivates Rodriguez as an entrepreneur. He enjoys motivating young people, and has been invited to speak about his business and music industry experiences to students at Lee Expressive Arts Elementary School, New Haven Elementary School and Hickman High School.

“Money, fame and awards are nice, but that is not as important to me as inspiring people to follow their dreams,” Rodriguez says. “There is a lot of talent in Missouri, and I want to give a voice to that. Everyone should be empowered. I want to show people that anything is possible.”

Nick Rodriguez (left) works with Tyrone Williams (right) in Williams’ studio DJ BeatZ.

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THE CONFERENCE ROOM

Show Me The Sales

John Sebree Takes The Reins Of The Missouri Association Of Realtors

by KATHY CASTEEL

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ohn Sebree hasn’t lived in the Show-Me State for long, but he likes what he sees.

“I am really loving Columbia,” he says.

“Everyone has been so incredibly nice and welcoming, too.”

The 48-year-old native Kentuckian arrived in Columbia last fall as the new CEO of the Missouri Association of Realtors after 11 years in Tallahassee, Fla., where he served as senior vice president of public policy at the Florida Association of Realtors. Although he’s never had a real estate license for himself, Sebree brings a wealth of experience to MAR from his time spent with Florida Realtors and as a lobbyist for the National Association of Realtors.

Sebree began his career in Washington, D.C., working for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Banking, Finance & Urban Affairs. A graduate of Northern Kentucky University, he earned his MBA from George Washington University, attending classes at night and working on Capitol Hill by day. His move to NAR brought him a new appreciation for real estate professionals.

“It is hard to work for Realtors for so many years and not get bitten by the real estate investment bug,” he says. “I have been buying investment properties for many years. Of course, I always use a Realtor.”

Sebree enjoys travel, visiting Europe several times a year, and spending time with family on his Kentucky farm just north of Lexington. But now, “home” is the American heartland, in Collegetown, USA. “I see a lot of similarity between Columbia and Tallahassee because of the energy the college brings to the town,” Sebree says.

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There is one dissimilarity between the two towns, though — he has yet to acclimate to Columbia’s Midwestern weather patterns.

“I will admit,” he says, “I am looking very forward to spring.”

Sebree is also looking forward to a good year in the Missouri real estate market, where he expects springtime to usher in an optimistic sales season in a locally stable market.

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How does Missouri’s real estate market compare with the national market? What advantages does the Midwestern market utilize over other regions for property development and sales?

Missouri did not see the wild swings in prices that other parts of the nation experienced. We, therefore, did not have the enormous spike in foreclosures and short sales that I had to work with in Florida over the past few years. It is the stability we have seen here in Midwest Missouri that serves as an advantage for the long term. I like to say that what is going up should be going up and what is going down should be going down.

For example, median sales prices have been on a steady increase but days on the market have been falling.

What factors are driving real estate sales in mid-Missouri?

We are fortunate to have a low unemployment rate in Columbia. We ended up the year at 3.3 percent unemployment, which is well below the national average. The addition of jobs created by BioPharma and Nanova help provide opportunities for people to move up or move to town, which helps create sales.

However, we are always monitoring the sales that come from companies downsizing such as IBM and sales by those leaving the community.

Who is buying?

The median age of homebuyers in Missouri is 44 years old with a gross household income of $84,500.

The household composition of homebuyers is 65 percent married couples, 16 percent single females, 9 percent single males and 8 percent unmarried couples; 35 percent of Missouri homebuyers have children in the home, and 21 percent own a second home.

In which price sector are homes selling best? What kinds of properties are generating the greatest demand?

In Columbia, the year 2014 saw an increase in sales of 23.7 percent over 2013 in the $300,000 to $399,999 price range and a 12.5 percent sales increase in the $200,000 to $249,999 price range, despite the overall market declining 1.8 percent in overall sold listings.

Of note, 84 percent of buyers have previously owned homes. The average home sale is a three-bedroom/two-bath house that measures about 1,870 square feet.

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What challenges do you see on the horizon for local Realtors?

Realtors have pledged to be the protectors of private property rights and that comes with a responsibility to be involved in their communities and share their knowledge of the real estate transaction to assist consumer needs. As a community grows, they can be a great resource of local knowledge about sales trends, home data, and consumer wants and needs.

The state association is here to help our local associations and our members be real estate advocates as well as community advocates. With the expected growth in Columbia, we hope we can help them help make this the vibrant and affordable community all of our citizens can love and enjoy as the place they call home.

As I have always said, “Realtors connect communities.” They are on the front line meeting with buyers and sellers every day and they are eager to help prospective buyers achieve the American Dream.

THE MISSION

Missouri Realtors unite to advocate for real property rights in Missouri, deliver comprehensive risk management programs and services, connect members through various media and events, and deliver association management services.

Right To Housing Right To Do Business Realtor Value Ethics & Professionalism

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Lower interest rates appear to have steered investors back into the market. The share of investors accounted for a slightly higher share of the market, at 17 percent. The share of first-time homebuyers dipped slightly to 29 percent.

Factors underpinning this increased optimism include an improving jobs market and the decline since October in the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage to slightly less than 4 percent. Recent measures by the Federal Housing Administration to lower the monthly mortgage insurance premium from 1.35 percent to 0.85 percent and the GSEs (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) to buy mortgages with 97 percent loan-to-value ratio may be helping as well.

Optimism also picks up in anticipation of the seasonal uptick of the spring season. Falling oil prices means more money in consumers’ pockets, which along with reasonable interest rates, should be positive for the housing outlook in 2015.

A Closer Look: Missouri Association Of Realtors

EXTERNAL VALUES

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What are the prospects this year for residential and commercial real estate market sales in mid-Missouri?

INTERNAL VALUES • Commitment • World-Class Service • Leadership • Growth, Learning & Competence • Inclusiveness • Camaraderie • Forward Looking

• Innovation, Creativity & Open Minds • Partnership • Honest, Open Communication • Respect • Professionalism • Stewardship

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COACH’S CLIPBOARD

Winning Ways

4 Benefits Of Establishing A Caring Culture

by GARY PINKEL

I

n the high-profile world of SEC football, “care” is typically not among the first words used when discussing the key ingredients of a winning program.

The list is a long one: dedication, sacrifice, hard work, excellence, no excuses, toughness, relentlessness, focus — all qualities that usually come to mind before care does.

These terms have been used to describe football programs for decades and it’s likely they will for years to come.

I wouldn’t argue against any of these traits individually, but I would insist that the list falls short. It’s incomplete. It’s lacking the foundational component of care.

Without building upon a bedrock of care, the message rings hollow.

Every season, our football coaches at Mizzou pour a foundation of care into our incoming class and reaffirm that same care to our returning players.

Quite simply, I define this concept as caring more about the person than the player.

Here are four reasons why establishing a caring culture is critical to the success of Mizzou football and to your business as well.

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I t’s not players vs. coaches.

Incoming players at Mizzou learn that a coach’s instruction isn’t always negative. Even the tough messages, reprimands or suspensions arise because the coach cares deeply for the player.

We want the player’s best on the field and in life. When care is the building block, players respond with respect. Tough love is still coming from a good place. In business, your teams crave your care.

If you build a culture of care, it cuts the politicking, gossip and backstabbing while creating a culture of respect and accountability.

Healthy conflict increases performance.

With a foundation of care in place, Mizzou teammates are free to be their best and compete. The amazing thing about a culture of caring is that this healthy competition and safe place for conflict leads to more wins, more productivity and better results.

There may be seasons you doubt if it will really work, but be patient, keep planting the seeds of care, encourage healthy conflict and then watch it yield a tremendous harvest. It happened with our program at Mizzou and it happens in businesses every day. Frankly, a caring, engaging culture at work wins more than it loses.

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No one individual is bigger than the team.

Listen to an interview after a Mizzou game. After a win, we hold up the team, reinforcing the unity. After a loss, I take responsibility for falling short. This isn’t accidental; rather, it is a public display of the honor that comes from building a care-led team-first culture. If coaches didn’t care, then it would always be about looking out for No. 1, the self. But since we do care, the team is held up and not the individual. At work, you can do the same. Leaders can begin to accept blame and delegate praise.

There is more concern for the person than for the player/performance.

I believe deeply that if the person is cared for, the player will develop and performance will follow. It begins with the person, not the performance.

It’s critical to understand this difference in football as well as in business.

Understanding motivations, diverse backgrounds, life experiences and personal situations lead to an intimate concern for the person’s overall well-being, not simply an increase in performance. And once the person is cared for, performance almost always follows in big ways.

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There are lots of lessons you can apply in business from the game of football, but most of them won’t matter if you don’t start with investing in building a caring culture.

Gary Pinkel is in his 14th year as head coach of the University of Missouri football team. The winningest coach in Mizzou football history, Pinkel was named 2014 SEC Coach of the Year by the Southeastern Conference. A 1973 graduate of Kent State University, Pinkel is a member of the University of Toledo Athletic Hall of Fame.

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BUSINESS BASICS

PLAN FOR SUCCESS

How To Map Your Strategy With A Business Plan

by KATHY CASTEEL

A

business plan is an essential component of starting a business.

The plan serves as a road map for the venture and provides a basis for decision-making, helping the entrepreneur navigate the startup path. Investors and lenders usually require a business plan on file before they will extend financial assistance to your endeavor.

A good business plan details the objectives, financials, markets and risks of the enterprise. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, your plan should incorporate these key elements.

the needs of your customers. Explain the benefits of your product or service, the advantages it has over the competition, and its current stage of development — idea, prototype, testing or production.

MARKETING & SALES Create a plan for marketing your business and define your sales strategy. Describe your customer strategies — how your company will reach customers and sell its products or services. Include growth goals, customer communication plans and your advertising scheme.

FINANCIAL PROJECTIONS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The executive summary is an introduction to your business. Be clear, concise and to the point. Include descriptions of your company, the products or services you sell, your target audience and ideal customer, and projections for the future of your industry.

COMPANY DESCRIPTION Your company description provides a high-level review of your business to help readers and potential investors understand your business model. Include key employees of your business (such as the CEO, operations officer and financial officer), a mission statement, details about the products or services the 38

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business will provide and the markets it will serve. Offer a list of qualities that differentiate your business from others.

MARKET ANALYSIS Research your business industry, market and competitors. Provide detailed information in your business plan as evidence of a solid understanding of your industry. Include a description of your business’s target customer, an analysis of the competition and any legal issues or regulations that could impact your company and the industry.

SERVICE/PRODUCT LINE Provide details of the product or service you intend to sell and how it will meet

The financial section is crucial to illustrate how your business will be able to meet financial obligations while maintaining a positive cash flow balance.

If you lack specific financial information for your company, you can research industry statistics to estimate what the profits and costs will be. Your analysis should include: • PROFIT AND LOSS PROJECTION. Also known as an income statement, your profit and loss projection demonstrates your company’s ability to generate a net profit (your bottom line).

• CASH-FLOW PROJECTION. Cash flow exhibits the operating, investment and financial activities of your company by detailing the money coming into and going out of your business.

• PROJECTED BALANCE SHEET. The balance sheet estimates the resources your business will need, where they will be needed, and how they will be financed.

• BREAK-EVEN ANALYSIS. This projection estimates how long it will take until your business is able to cover all of its expenses and begin making a profit.

APPENDIX An appendix is not mandatory, but it is a useful place to file information such as résumés, permits, leases, contracts and other documents.

GET HELP There are numerous resources available to help you write your business plan. The SBA offers a free business plan tool online at www.sba.gov, complete with a stepby-step guide and worksheets.

Additional counseling is available from these local resources:

Who Says There’s No Such Thing As A Free Lunch?

SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION 573-256-1794 500 E. Walnut St., Suite 103 www.sba.gov MID MISSOURI SCORE 573-874-1132 300 S. Providence Road www. midmissouri.score.org UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY & DEVELOPMENT CENTER 573-884-8087 500 E. Walnut Street, Suite 103 410 S. Sixth St. (MU campus) www.missouribusiness.net

Great Deals Coming Your Way!

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he all new Prime Card gives you access to amazing deals from your favorite local merchants who want to introduce you to their business. With the Prime Card, you’ll be treated to wonderful deals on everything from ice cream to dry cleaning. Who knows? We might even treat you to a free lunch!

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TECH TUTORS Commercial software companies also provide a range of products and services to help you create a business plan. The resource website for Palo Alto Software (www.bplans.com) offers tips and tools, sample plans, a free template and caveats against common business plan mistakes.

The company’s additional products provide more assistance — for a price — with its Business Plan Pro desktop programs ($100 and $160) and an online subscription version called LivePlan for $20 a month.

Enloop is another cloudbased business plan provider (www.enloop.com) with versions ranging from free to a full-service, $24-a-month subscription.

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THE FEATHER PLACE Fashion Takes Flight

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henever the phone rings in Abby Arauz’s downtown office, opportunity appears: It could be Miss Piggy needs a new boa, or maybe fellow Muppet Big Bird needs a feather freshening. One day, Victoria’s Secret needs wings for its lingerie models; another day brings a call from a concert tour or the Broadway stage.

Arauz, the 43-year-old owner of The Feather Place, takes the brushes with celebrity in stride. Her thirdgeneration family business has been supplying ornamental feathers from its Missouri base for decades, cultivating customers among sportsmen, hobbyists and the glitzy world of show business and high fashion.

“We’ve triangulated our market with crafters, fashion and movies,” Arauz says.

Growing up around feathers in California, Mo., Arauz never planned to enter the family business. Her grandparents traveled around the country, selling their Colfax Feathers out of their van to fly fishermen. Young Abby accompanied them during summer vacations. When her parents took over the business, they bought Zucker Feather Products to expand into the wholesale fashion market, and Arauz spent many hours counting feathers for the factory.

But she dreamed of becoming a dancer. Her father didn’t approve of her career choice, so he offered her a deal: she could study dance at Stephens College,

Abby Arauz

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but she had to study business as well. She happily agreed, and moved to Columbia.

Four years later, she was off to New York City where she auditioned to clean toilets at Steps Dance Studio — a prized job because employees could take free classes.

Arauz landed roles in a national touring production of “Singing in the Rain” and performed as a roller-blading penguin for a dinner theater-in-the-round in Wisconsin. Her big break came when she joined the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes. And that’s when the wisdom of Dad’s backup plan kicked in.

“We wore feathers a lot on stage,” Arauz recalls. “I know feathers. When someone mentioned we needed to replace some ostrich feathers, I told them, ‘Those aren’t ostrich; they’re turkey.’ I helped them order feathers from my parents.”

Using her New York connections, Arauz expanded her parents’ market to Broadway and the city’s fashion houses.

In 1998, she opened a Manhattan showroom, aptly named The Feather Place, as a side business while she continued to dance. A Los Angeles showroom followed, to tap into the film and television industry. Her company’s feathers have made appearances on “Sesame Street” and Muppet productions, in the Victoria’s Secret fashion show, the movie “Maleficent” and the fashions of Ralph Lauren and Chanel. Products retail in Hobby Lobby, Jo-Ann’s, costume and party shops. Arauz’s creations have been featured in Martha Stewart Living and the craft magazine Mollie Makes.

“And we still sell feathers to fly fishermen,” Arauz adds, “along with the feathers that go on the shafts of Top Flight arrows. We just keep reinventing ourselves.”

The heady world of celebrity business began to lose its grip on Arauz when she had children. “My priorities changed,” she says. With her husband — home designer Jack Chase — and two children in tow, Arauz moved to southern Boone County in 2013. She opened the Columbia office of The Feather Place overlooking Broadway and settled into running her far-flung business of 90 employees. In her Columbia “feather think tank,” Arauz and an assistant concentrate on marketing, product design, the DIY market, business development and website growth. Her shifting business plan for the Columbia location focuses on a growing presence here to tap into local resources.

International trade issues keep her up at night. A recently enacted bird ban in China threatens to cut into her export market to that country. The challenge of new product designs keeps her hopping as she continually tests the bounds of her creativity.

“You never know what feather emergency you’re going to have next,” she says with a smile. “I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

Feather Place Fans

Beyoncé

Miss Piggy

The Feather Place 800-291-6351 www.featherplace.com

Big Bird

Victoria’s Secret Angel Adriana Lima

Angelina Jolie as Maleficent SPRING 2015

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SCOUT & NIMBLE Democratizing Design

J

esse Bodine has designs on the way we decorate our lives.

She and her husband, Sam, are turning the design world upside-down with their curated website that brings the creative concepts of designers from around the country directly to the consumer.

Through the magic of the World Wide Web, the Bodines plan to turn the design world into a democracy.

“Design is for everyone,” Jesse says. “Your surroundings can affect every aspect of your physical and mental well-being. Design matters, and we want to make it accessible to all.”

The Bodines’ website, Scout & Nimble, is all about accessibility.

“It’s a community,” Jesse says, “where designers and consumers can come together. Designers can live their passion, express their vision, gain exposure and share their designs. People want beautiful, welldesigned homes filled with unique products that reflect their style and personality, yet not everyone has the means to be able to hire an interior designer to do this for them. We bring everything together in one place.”

“It’s a win-win for everyone,” says Sam. Scout & Nimble designers — nearly 120 strong now — maintain portfolios on the website, displaying their choices in furniture, décor, artwork, flooring, window treatments and more. They create entire rooms in cyberspace, offering colors, fabrics, styles and complementary pieces to pull together a look that shoppers can envision in their own homes as they peruse the website pages.

Shoppers don’t have to buy everything in a room; individual items are also for sale. Designers earn a commission by creating room designs in their signature style, which showcases their talent and allows consumers to get the curated look without actually hiring them.

Scout & Nimble’s access to manufacturers and design catalogs makes it easier for designers to build their collections, Jesse says. “It’s a one-stop shop for them.”

The couple, both 35, launched their enterprise last November from a design blog Jesse started in 2011 under the Scout & Nimble name — a tribute to her grandmother, who lived on the Greene County farm next to Jesse’s family farm. “She named all of her vehicles,” Jesse says, “and the two that sat in the garage were a blue International Scout filled with hay and a gray 1968 Buick Rivera with personalized NIMBLE license plates. Depending upon which car was in the garage, we would know where my grandmother was. It was always a pleasant surprise to see both Scout and Nimble in the garage and know that we would be able to go in and hang out.”

The Bodines hope to offer happy surprises to their customers

Sam and Jesse Bodine

as well. Early growth has been encouraging. The site has seen 15 percent growth every month in registered users and a 40 percent increase in traffic since it launched. Scout & Nimble is also popular on Instagram; the company’s social media exposure has grown 40 percent as well.

Sam, who also operates Top Flite Financial, uses analytics to measure success. “We’re ramping up our marketing this year, building a base,” he says. “Analytics tell us what products or rooms attract people. We can use that data to convert attraction to sales.”

Both entrepreneurs gravitated to Columbia in 1997 to attend college. Jesse, from Springfield, earned a nursing degree from the University of Missouri; Sam, a St. Louis native, has a bachelor’s degree in finance from Columbia College. They met in 2001 while working at Harpo’s. Parents of two young sons, the couple finds new joy in this entrepreneurial twist to their lives.

“We’re working together and watching it grow,” Sam says.

“Our goal is to make Scout & Nimble a household name. We’re doing something that’s never been done before, watching an idea come to life.”

Scout & Nimble www.scoutandnimble.com

FURNISHINGS PHOTOS COURTESY OF SCOUT & NIMBLE

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Left to right: 1canoe2 partners Karen Shryock, Beth Snyder and Carrie Shryock

1CANOE2 Capturing The Beauty Of The Heartland

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eth Snyder has always loved the creative process of starting a business. As a fourth-grader, this daughter of a school superintendent landed in the principal’s office when her friendship bracelet pyramid scheme came to light at Auxvasse Elementary School. By the time she was in high school, she had moved on to making jewelry and home accessories out of polymer clay. She sold her creations at Poppy in Columbia and at craft shows, and did well enough to pay her way through college.

A Kelsey 5x8 letterpress — a gift from her husband, Jason — opened up the entrepreneurial world to Snyder and her childhood friend, artist Carrie Shryock, in 2009. The two canoe enthusiasts had spent many a float trip dreaming and scheming of ways to make a living from their artistic talents; they christened the letterpress with a print run for a set of recipe cards and then packaged them in an open wooden box Snyder’s father made in his woodshop. The recipe box was the first product of 1canoe2, an illustration, design and print company that produces handmade artwork on stationery, cards, calendars, fabric and home goods. Nearly

1,400 retail shops carry the company’s products from coast to coast; the wholesale division supplies national chains such as Anthropologie, Papyrus, West Elm and Williams-Sonoma.

The appeal of 1canoe2 products is simple: “We produce hand-illustrated and hand-painted artwork that captures life’s natural beauty as we’ve enjoyed it growing up in the heartland,” says Shryock.

Shryock quit her job teaching art in Columbia Public Schools in 2011 to tend to the business, and Snyder followed in 2012, leaving behind a graphic design career in television and magazines. The pair added a partner when Shryock’s sister-in-law, Karen, a former English teacher and Columbia Independent School director of admissions, came onboard.

Business has grown steadily since 2011 — sales doubled in 2012 and again in 2013; last year, they jumped another 60 percent over 2013. Ensconced in a renovated barn on the Shryock family farm east of Columbia, the three partners now employ seven full-time and four part-time workers; a production crew of eight comes in biweekly for a day of finish work.

Each partner fills a role according to her talents. Carrie Shryock produces the artwork, the initial step in creating a product. “Mine are the first hands on a project,” she says.

Snyder supervises operations, moving Shryock’s drawings and paintings into product design. She also manages the company’s human relations, new product development and sales projections.

Karen Shryock handles administrative tasks and drives the company’s business development. When she joined 1canoe2 in 2010, there were 10 wholesale accounts; now there are 900. Brick-and-mortar sales take place in all 50 states; website traffic reaches customers worldwide.

The partners — all in their mid-30s — have no formal business plan, “but there’s lots of discussion among the three of us,” Karen Shryock says.

“If we’d sat down to write one, we would have thrown it away in the first month,” says Snyder. “We just keep taking the next step.”

Deadlines, competition and worries over sustainability challenge the partners at each next step but they stay focused on the creative joys of their business.

“There’s something in me that needs to create,” Carrie Shryock says. “It’s a good feeling to make a living in art.”

Snyder chimes in with a nod. “I can’t believe we get to do this every day.”

1canoe2 www.1canoe2.com

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Julie Lloyd

EMBROIDER MORE Custom Gifts From The Heart

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ulie Lloyd waged an internal war with herself for years. The battle over her professional life pitched her banker self against her crafty self — after a 15-year fight, crafty won out.

“I am creative,” Lloyd says. “Banking is structure …”

Drawing on the sewing skills she learned as a young girl in Brownies, Lloyd purchased a programmable embroidery/sewing machine four years ago and set out to learn embroidery. Her skills grew rapidly as she discovered a knack for monogramming and creating custom items.

“I never looked at it as a gift,” she says. “I’m realizing now that it is.”

So she bought two more machines and expanded her undertaking.

Her professional priorities shifted to retail, nonprofits and health care. Lloyd got so good at her craft that she quit her job in an oral surgeon’s office last August and went into business for herself. Her first product was a personalized baby blanket for a neighbor.

The 51-year-old owner of Embroider More is a one-woman shop with a varied product line of customized wedding and baby gifts, children’s wear, logoed business and club apparel, and personalized pillows,

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purses, blankets, boots, toys and more. You name it — Lloyd can customize it.

“I can do anything,” she says.

“I love collaborating with a customer. That creative energy runs through the process to solve challenges and give my customers what they want.”

Embroider More is a retailer for TwoAlity boots, totes and liners, and a personalized line of Cubbies plush toys. Lloyd is also licensed to produce products with the logos of the University of Missouri, Columbia Public Schools and other groups. She works out of the Columbia home she shares with her husband, Brian Lloyd, the director of enterprise architecture at Veterans United Home Loans who pinch-hits for his wife on the technology end of the business. E-commerce sales through the website have drawn customers from all over the United States and Canada.

“My customers primarily come from referrals, wordof-mouth, parties, special vendor events and Internet sales through Facebook and my website,” she says. A brief stint during the holiday season at a Columbia Mall kiosk gave Embroider More some local exposure, but the break-even experience convinced Lloyd that her young startup isn’t quite ready for a brick-and-mortar iteration, although she has

discussed placement options for her products with specialty boutiques. Contract work and a focus on business-to-business sales supplement her growing log of Web orders.

In business for just half a year, Embroider More is paying the bills, Lloyd says.

An “evolving” business plan gives the startup flexibility; Lloyd’s business background gives it structure.

“I’m still learning how to run this all-consuming business wearing about eight hats,” she says. “I’ve heard all the clichés: It takes money to make money … You must have the proper tools … Confidence is the key to success … Patience is the key … I’m not just hearing those clichés now; I’m living them.”

Like any startup, Lloyd faces many challenges that keep her up at night. But her favorite part of the business — bringing a project to fruition and seeing the light in the customer’s eyes — reminds her of why she started down this road.

“I love to make people smile,” she says. “Sewing used to be my hobby; now it’s my business. I guess I’ll have to find a new hobby.”

Embroider More 573-445-0676 www.embroidermore.com Follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest

Kelly Gilion

PLUME A Pretty Place To Buy Pretty Things

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hey say life begins at 40. When Kelly Gilion’s 40th birthday came around, she threw a party to mark the occasion and opened a new chapter in her life.

The birthday party on Nov. 1, 2013, served as the grand opening for Gilion’s retail shop, Plume. The boutique carries an eclectic collection of handmade items and vintage treasures from about 100 local vendors.

“Plume is a brick-andmortar version of an Etsy shop,” Gilion says, referencing the e-commerce site for crafters and other producers of handmade goods. On opening day, Gilion rung up sales for handmade and vintage jewelry, vintage napkins and napkin rings, baby gifts, doll clothes,

cards, hair bows and pillows.

“I remember being so thrilled and excited that people actually came and found things they loved,” she says.

A year and a half later, Plume’s inventory has grown from this still-popular core of products to include candles, soaps, creams, home décor items and furniture.

Growth has been steady during the life of the shop, Gilion says. Year-to-date sales for 2015 are up 35 percent over 2014, “and we’re on target for more,” she says. Goods sell on consignment; Gilion charges vendors a commission on each sale.

Tucked away on a side street just off Route K, the shop would be easy to miss if not for the sign on the highway. The cinderblock building, a converted garage once used for storage by her landlord QDC Construction, had been home to Patty’s

Place, a vintage resale shop.

“The day it clicked, I saw a yard sale here,” she says. “I pulled in and looked inside. I went on home, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I came back to look again and thought, ‘Oh, what I could do with this.’

“I took over the lease in September and opened Plume on Nov. 1. It wasn’t necessarily a dream I had; it just happened.”

Plume is open just three days a week — Thursday through Saturday. Gilion’s after-hours life revolves around her husband Jeremy, an underwriting supervisor at State Farm Insurance, and their 6-year-old twins and 3½-year-old toddler. It leads to a lot of multitasking.

“I’m never just a mom,” she says. “I’m never just a business owner. There’s a lot of intermingling.”

A native Kentuckian, Gilion earned a marketing degree from the University of Louisville.

She ran a decorating side business while working as an account manager for Wyeth pharmaceuticals. “I have a design-oriented mind, but I lack the technical expertise to accomplish it,” she says. “My

strongest asset is marketing. I’m a people person. I love being the person who’s here when people come through the door.”

She carries her business plan in her head, she says. Her notions are supplemented by spiral notebooks “full of chicken scratches,” she says.

“There was a two-week period when I couldn’t sleep, so I just kept making notes.”

Her favorite aspect of her business is “what happens when we’re not open,” she says. On days the shop is closed, Gilion opens the back room for a ministry to women with fertility and miscarriage problems.

“Psalms 91:4 says, ‘He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge.’ To me, that is the bigger meaning of ‘plume’ — a place of refuge. So a plume is a decoration — and this is a pretty place to buy pretty things — but it’s also a refuge.

“My business is for profit,” she adds. “I want it to be profitable so I can share it with others, where it can be a refuge.”

Plume 573-823-9654 165 E. Hoe Down Drive www.somethingplume.com SPRING 2015

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Angie Bennett (left) and Stephanie Hall (right)

THE CANVAS ON BROADWAY Art For Everyone

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ngie Bennett and Stephanie Hall are two girls who just want to have a good time.

“This is the most fun, ever,” says Bennett. “It’s fun to come to work.”

Bennett and Hall own The Canvas on Broadway, an entertainment venue with an art twist. Wednesday through Saturday, the pair offers instructed painting classes, beginning to end. The classes become social events; amenities include a beer and wine bar and all the supplies needed to paint the evening’s artistic endeavor.

Customers leave with a complete painting at the end of the evening.

“Our customers range from beginner to quite talented — and everything in-between,”

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Bennett says. “It’s art for everyone.”

The idea for The Canvas on Broadway caught fire with the two friends when Stephanie’s husband brought home three easels for his wife’s 37th birthday celebration three years ago. The Halls, the Bennetts and another couple enjoyed dinner and wine while they painted.

“That was Saturday night,” Bennett says.

“On Monday, we went to the city to file paperwork for the business.”

Through Paul Land at Plaza Commercial Realty, they found the perfect location to lease at 706 E. Broadway, where The Candy Factory had once stood.

The women’s husbands — Brent Bennett of Landmark Builders and cabinetmaker Mark Hall — brought their skills to bear in converting the former confectionery to a paint party palace.

“Our kids even got in on it,” Bennett says. “It took a lot of elbow grease, but here we are.”

The two friends wrote their business

plan in a matter of weeks. “We accounted for everything,” says 44-year-old Bennett. “Right down to the cleaning supplies. We priced everything, and we were right on the money.”

Both took out second mortgages on their homes to finance the enterprise when they couldn’t get a commercial loan. “We were the first of our kind in Missouri,” Bennett says. “The banks didn’t know what we were.”

The financial gambit succeeded. They expected to reach profitability in nine months, but The Canvas on Broadway turned a profit after just three months.

Both families quickly paid off their loans as the business took off. Classes grew steadily, increasing 20 percent each month until they reached capacity, Hall says.

“It’s cyclical,” Hall says. “We plateaued in the third year and now we’re entering our fourth year on the upswing.” The seasons affect business. Summer day classes and winter weeknights are usually good, Hall says; football Saturdays are not.

The business draws customers from all over Missouri — in February, customers came from 60 communities around the Show-Me State. In addition to the evening classes, there are family-friendly day classes on Saturdays, unique and seasonal theme classes, and special events. Plans include increasing the private event and teambuilding offerings, including some off-site sessions and convention events.

“There are always new ideas,” Bennett says. “You have to read your crowd, entertain them and keep them engaged.”

The benefits come back in tangible ways.

“I love it when people recognize me at the store or the drive-thru,” Hall says. “They look at me and ask, ‘Aren’t you the paint lady?’ It’s great!”

The Canvas on Broadway 706 E. Broadway, Suite 100 573-443-2222 www.thecanvasonbroadway.com

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DIVIDENDS

The Sporting Life

Gone Fishin’

The Tilley Hat by Tilley, available at Alpine Shop ($74)

Spruce up your angling gear this spring with the latest offerings from Columbia retailers. Before heading out, don’t forget to brush up on the Missouri Department of Conservation’s latest rules, regulations and tips at www.mdc.mo.gov.

by MORGAN McCARTY

Angler shirt by Worldwide Sportsman, available at Bass Pro Shops ($34.99) Cooler by Yeti, available at Alpine Shop ($299.99)

Live bait cooler by Engel, available at Tombstone Tackle ($79.99)

CarbonLite Baitcast combo by Johnny Morris, available at Bass Pro Shops ($199.98)

Red “Stalker” backpack by XPS, available at Bass Pro Shops ($64.99)

Electric filet knife by American Angler, available at Tombstone Tackle ($89.99)

Core 50Mg7 reel by Shimano, available at Tombstone Tackle ($59.99)

Fly-fishing keychain, available at Woody’s Gentlemen’s Clothiers ($15)

PHOTOS BY MORGAN McCARTY SPRING 2015

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DIVIDENDS

CEO At Play

Three Questions Spring is in the air … and so is the campaign rhetoric. We interrupt your regularly scheduled municipal election campaign to bring you a lighter look at the candidates for Columbia’s 2nd Ward and 6th Ward City Council seats.

LOOK WHO’S TALKING

What’s your favorite treat that makes your Easter basket complete?

EULISS: I would have

RYAN EULISS Chief Financial Officer, Boone Electric Cooperative 6th Ward City Council Candidate

to go classic and say the yellow Peeps.

Nothing says Easter like a sugar-encrusted marshmallow.

LOVE: Reese’s peanut butter eggs

What happens when you get spring fever?

EULISS: I have never been a

cold-weather person so when spring fever hits, my mood dramatically improves. I think my family would agree with that as well.

LOVE: I clean.

PETERS: I start gardening.

TRAPP: I keep hope alive with

the little hints that spring is coming, like the daffodil shoots I noted that are still there under all that snow.

PAUL LOVE Network Administrator, Carfax 2nd Ward City Council Candidate PETERS: Peeps TRAPP: As much as I

like candy, I also most looked forward to the toy.

BETSY PETERS Neonatologist, University of Missouri Women’s and Children’s Hospital 6th Ward City Council Candidate

Make way for warm weather! I’m ready to trade in my snow shovel for …

EULISS: I love the outdoors

and I always look forward to the first day that is warm enough to golf in the morning and then take a bike ride on the trails to Flat Branch in the afternoon with my family.

LOVE: My bike on the trails.

PETERS: Biking.

TRAPP: The garden spade!

MICHAEL TRAPP Administrator, Phoenix Programs Incumbent 2nd Ward City Councilman

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DIVIDENDS 1

Networking

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CAFNR AG UNLIMITED BANQUET

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More than 800 alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources filled the Holiday Inn Expo Center on Valentine’s Day to support what they love most — the students of the college.

In its 20-year existence, the Ag Unlimited banquet has raised more than $650,000. Just last year, $50,000 went out to 25 MU students as $2,000 individual scholarship grants.

(Photos by Wally Pfeffer)

1. Nancy and David Minnick 2. Victoria and Scott Brees 3. Lois and Ed Turner 4. Todd Gibson and Alan Weber 5. Alice and Tom Payne 6. Bryan and Debbie Garton 7. Dolores and Morris Burger 8. David Baker and Brock Legan

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ADVERTISING INDEX A Catered Affair................................................. 39 Accounting Plus................................................. 27 Anytime Fitness................................................... 9 Caledon Virtual.....................................................3 Central Trust and Investments....................... 33 CenturyLink........................................................... 4 Cevet Tree Care..................................................29 City of Columbia Water & Light ................... 33 Columbia Landcare............................................21 Columbia Regional Airport............................... 9 Creative Surroundings......................................29 Data Comm......................................................... 52 Downtown Appliance..........................................5 Executive Rental.................................................56 First Midwest Bank............................................19 Hawthorn Bank .................................................60 ICM Custom Publishing Solutions ............... 35 Image Technologies ..........................................17 Inside Columbia Event Space .......................... 52 Inside Columbia’s Instagram ...........................49 Inside Columbia Subscription .....................11,52 Inside Columbia’s Prime Card .......................... 39 Jerry Kennett, BHC Board of Trustees .........54 Landmark Bank ....................................................2 Leadercast........................................................... 24 Linkside................................................................49 Macadoodles ..................................................... 35 Men as Allies....................................................... 13 Moresource.........................................................50 Piano Distributors ............................................ 27 Postal & Sign Express.......................................29 Regus.................................................................... 59 Riback/DKB..........................................................11 Simon Oswald Associates............................... 31 Starr Properties....................................................11 Stifel Nicolaus ................................................... 37 Straight Line Striping........................................ 37 Tech Electronics................................................. 35 The Broadway Hotel .........................................15 The Callaway Bank............................................ 23 Tiger Court Reporting .......................................17 UMB Bank .............................................................7 United Country Real Estate.............................56 Watkins Roofing.................................................17 Williams-Keepers...............................................15

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PUBLISHER’S NOTE

THE DALE CARNEGIE WAY

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little more than 25 As they say, the rest is history. Over the years ago, I had next 40 years, Carnegie would become the the opportunity world’s most respected authority on huto participate in man relations, selling more than 5 million the Dale Carnegie books and graduating more than 450,000 Course taughthere in from his courses before he died in 1955.

Columbia. I was only 26 years old at the Perhaps Carnegie’s best-known book time but I knew that many of America’s is How To Win Friends and Influence most successful CEOs and captains of People. Before Carnegie’s death, this book industry had taken the had been published in 31 Carnegie course at some different languages. First point in their careers. published in 1936, it is Although I was somewhat credited today as one of reluctant, I committed the most transformational to taking the class. I had and impactful books for no way of knowing that business leaders around the the next 14 weeks of my world. More than 8 million life would expose me to a people in 90 countries whole new way of thinking have completed the Dale about myself and how I Carnegie Course. Today, related to other people. the Dale Carnegie orgaWhile most people nization is considered the older than 40 have heard leading authority on sales, of Dale Carnegie and leadership and employee “I had no way of may be familiar with his engagement. knowing that the famous books and courses, I was a very different next 14 weeks few know that he grew person back when I initially of my life would up on a dairy farm not signed up for the course expose me to a far from here in Belton. in 1989. Truth be told, I As a teenager, Carnegie was extremely insecure whole new way would wake up at 4 a.m. and lacked the confidence of thinking about every morning to milk I needed to engage those myself and how I the family’s dairy cows around me. Although I had related to other before heading off to found early success in a people.” school. He attended the career in sales, I didn’t have State Teacher’s College in a clue as to how inept I was – Fred Parry Warrensburg, now known in the department of huas the University of Central man relations and leadership. My instructor, Dan Adams, quickly Missouri. noticed that I was extremely uncomfortCarnegie began his career in sales workable talking with strangers. Rather than ing for Kansas City-based Armour Co., making small talk with fellow students selling bacon, lard and soap. He quickly during class breaks, I would retreat to my became the company’s top salesman and car in the parking lot to listen to the radio. then set off to pursue a career in public Within a few weeks of starting the speaking. After failed attempts at an acting course, though, I began to take a genucareer and other pursuits, Carnegie found ine interest in those around me. With a himself unemployed, broke and living in a little help, I was starting to learn the finer YMCA in New York City. He convinced the points of winning friends and influencing manager there to let him teach a class on people. It was as if someone had flipped a switch. public speaking to his fellow residents in exchange for his rent.

Here’s a small sampling of Dale Carnegie’s 30 principles. The ideas are timeless.

Don’t criticize, condemn or complain.

Give honest, sincere appreciation.

Become genuinely interested in other people.

Remember that a person’s name is, to that person, the sweetest and most important sound in any language.

Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.

Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.

The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.

Let the other person do a great deal of the talking.

Try honestly to see things from the other person’s point of view.

Appeal to the nobler motives.

Begin with praise and honest appreciation.

While many of these principles may seem like common sense to most people, I’m surprised at how often we fail to put these principles into practice. In an era where the majority of us prefer to communicate through text messages, emails and other forms of nonverbal communication, we shouldn’t be surprised to realize that we’ve inadvertently sacrificed the most basic forms of common courtesy and human relations.

Sixty years after his death, Dale Carnegie’s lessons for life are as relevant as they were so many years ago. Lucky for us, the Dale Carnegie Course is getting ready to experience a resurgence right here in Columbia. After a hiatus, classes are returning to our fair city on April 7.

There’s no doubt this training is a perfect opportunity for companies interested in putting the finishing touches on their best and brightest rising stars. It’s also a great opportunity for guys like me to go back and take a refresher on the principles that must have been covered while I was sitting in my car listening to the radio.

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CLOSING QUOTES

What Columbia’s Business People And Community Leaders Are Saying “Business is easy, until people get involved. Managing people is tough.”

— 1canoe2 partner Beth Snyder on what keeps her up at night

“I love when I sell something and I can call a vendor to tell them, ‘I sold something of yours today.’ ” — Plume owner Kelly Gilion on the joys of running a consignment shop for crafters and artisans

“I like to do business in an artistic way that is entertaining. I want to appeal to people and draw them in with my story, and then tell them about my business.”

— Entrepreneur Nicholas Rodriguez, owner of Disturbed Entertainment

“It’s called ‘eat the frog.’

You do it first thing in the morning and that’s the worst thing you’ll do all day.”

— Embroider More owner Julie Lloyd on tackling the less-appealing daily chores of running her company before she moves on to her creative endeavors

“This is a happy place.

That’s a huge deal, because we don’t have to deal with unhappy customers.”

— Angie Bennett, co-owner of The Canvas on Broadway, on one of the customer-service perks of the business

“It simply makes it harder to do business here.”

— MFA Oil Co. CEO Mark Fenner, testifying in December against the Columbia City Council’s recently passed law raising the minimum age to 21 for tobacco and e-cigarette purchases within the city limits 58

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INSIDE COLUMBIA’S CEO OutFront Communications, LLC 47 E. Broadway Columbia, MO 65203

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