Gwinnett’s oldest locally owned newspaper - established 1988 Covering Snellville, Grayson, Lawrenceville, Lilburn, Loganville
Vol. 29, No. 11
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www.gwinnettcitizen.com
SEPTEMBER 2017
Barron’s Fine Jewelry built on family, strong principles
Store celebrates 40 years in business By Carole Townsend Staff Correspondent
A voice for sepsis survivors page 6
Nanji Singadia could teach a class or two about building a business. A humble man with a gritty work ethic and a clear vision, Singadia has built what many might call a fine jewelry empire, and he has done it the old-fashioned way: with hard work and determination. Barron’s Fine Jewelry today stands sentinel on Scenic Highway, its familiar bluetopped roof anchoring the shopping center near Highway 124 and Shanahan Place in Snellville. East African by birth, Singadia left school at age 14 to learn the art
See BARRON’S on page 26 Mazzawi 50th Anniversary celebration page 28
Nanji and Ajay Singadia are proud of the family legacy that is Barron’s Fine Jewelry.
Special Kneads and Treats Opens Doors at New Location
Photo By Emmett Clower
Gwinnett man reinvents and strengthens career, helps others do the same
Salem Baptist Celebrates page 31
INSIDE Picture Perfect 4 Gwinnett Pulse 6 Roadrunner 31 Health & Wellness 34 Classifieds 38 Spiritual 38
PRESORT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID LILBURN,GA PERMIT NO. 99 ECR-WSS POSTAL CUSTOMER
Special Photo
Special Kneads and Treats, Inc., Co-founders, Michael and Tempa Kohler.
By Katie Hart Smith Special Kneads and Treats opened their doors at the new, larger facility in Lawrenceville on August 1, 2017. The bakery, previously located in a storefront space for three and one-half years on the Historic Lawrenceville Square, moved into an expansive 12,000-square-foot building located at 156 Scenic Highway, Lawrenceville, Georgia 30046. The non-profit organization co- founded by Michael and Tempa
Kohler was started for their son, Bradley, now twenty-seven years old, who has special needs. “We began Special Kneads and Treats so that he had a place where he could be able to work,” said Tempa. “My husband and I decided that we’d open a bakery. The Lord had other plans for it. When things began to take off, we started employing other special-needs adults.” The main part of the non-profit mission is to ensure that any child in Gwinnett County that can’t afford a
See
SPECIAL on page 40
Special Photo
Burkhalter in the early years of his career, as disc jockey “Captain Craig”
By Carole Townsend Staff Correspondent Gregg Burkhalter is a man on fire. That much is evident when he talks about his career and the rich blessing it is to him, as well as to those he helps along the way. A radio disc jockey and music marketer for about three decades, Burkhalter suddenly found himself without a job several years ago – as did many long-time career professionals who were casualties of a rapidly changing
economy and corporate climate. Today, he can see that event turned out to be one of the best things that could have happened to him, dire as the situation may have looked at the time. Starting his music career at age 16, Burkhalter remembers announcing on the radio when Elvis Presley died. As a disc jockey, he worked in the Savannah, Jacksonville, Charleston, and Atlanta
See LINKEDIN GUY on page 42