TEMPLE DAILY TELEGRAM / 1
FRIDAY, June 4, 2021
FOCUS ON
BUSINESS
Internet Speed in Central Texas Survey Temple Chamber of Commerce Staff
JUNE 2021 BUSINESS LINK LUNCH Thursday, June 10, 2021 12:00 pm
Sponsored by Cedar Crest Hospital & Residential Treatment Center Register at templechamber.com/events
The Temple Chamber of Commerce has joined a regional partnership to conduct a survey on the internet speed in Central Texas. These entities believe it is essential all businesses and households in Bell, Coryell, and Lampasas Counties have access to secure, reliable, and affordable, high-speed broadband.
Many retail businesses also shifted their business models during the pandemic to offer online sales, deeming a solid internet connection necessary for conducting business. According to census data, in Texas, year-over-year sales tax revenue from online shopping rose by 41. 6 percent in November 2020 and 40.0 percent in December 2020.
BUSINESS AFTER HOURS
Broadband is defined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as an internet connection with sufficient speed to deliver online experiences including, fullmotion video without significant lag time. The FCC stated, “like electricity a century ago, broadband is a foundation for economic growth, job creation, global competitiveness, and a better way of life”.
The brief one-minute survey aims to identify the current needs and service levels in Central Texas and set the stage for determining outcomes for service offerings.
Thursday, June 17, 2021 5:00 pm
Sponsored by Smile Doctors Braces Learn more at templechamber.com/events
In 2016, before the pandemic, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas found the gap between those with broadband access and those without, commonly called the digital divide, “leads to further economic, social and political disparities for low-income and underserved populations”.
TempleChamber.com
The COVID-19 pandemic increased attention on the critical role that high-speed internet access plays in our daily life. The pandemic demanded social distancing, and broadband connections allowed people to work from home, connect with classrooms, access health care services, and perform ordinary household activities such as ordering groceries or prescriptions.
Personal information will not be public as the survey data will be aggregated and mapped to provide a visual representation of the network. The better the response rate, the more accurate it will be for our region. The mapped results will be used to approach existing and new internet providers to address speed and gaps in service.
Everyone who completes the survey is eligible to be entered into a drawing for a chance to win lunch for up to 10 people (home or office). The details are at the end of the survey. Complete the survey here: https://bit.ly/3rdCwbj.
FRIDAY, June 4, 2021
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May Renewing Chamber Members 4 Legs of Love Boarding & Boutique Alzheimer’s Association American Constructors Animal Medical Care Baird/Williams Construction, Inc Barge Properties Mgmt Company Beard, Kultgen, Brophy, Bostwick & Dickson, PLLC Best-Way Carpet Services, LTD Birdcreek Manufactured Housing and RV Park Boston Properties Centex Storm Soccer Club, Inc Cinderella Films Covington Real Estate/Terri Covington Cure & Francis Law Office Dapper & Dashin’ Salon and Shop Delta Centrifugal Corporation Dennis Turk Edward Jones/Daryl Riegel, Financial Advisor Empire Seed Company Encore Landing Apartments Farm Bureau Insurance/Don Murphy Feed My Sheep
Fire Base Brewing Company First Finance & Furniture Goldman Electric Motor Company Harper-Talasek Funeral Home Heart of Texas Hospice H-E-B Temple #182 Heffner Bros. Building Corporation Hindu Temple of Central Texas Homespec Immanuel Lutheran Ministries Integrity Rehab Jim Turner Chevrolet Johnnie’s Office Systems, Inc. John D. King Financial Group, Inc. Lone Star Ag Credit Ludwick, Montgomery & Stapp, P.C. LVR Management Mark Gillmeister Roofing Moose & Goose Winery National Mounted Warfare Foundation Oscar Store Pizza PieRos PPG Architectural Coatings Premier ER & Urgent Care RE/MAX Temple-Belton Realtors
Resource Benefits Administrators Sara Irvine/Sojourn Real Estate Shine Richardson Investment Group of Wells Fargo Advisors Smith Supply Co., LLC Spare Time Texas St. Mary’s Catholic School State Farm Insurance/Mitchel Davis T3he Gym - Titan Total Training Taylor’s Valley Baptist Church Temple Civic Theatre Temple Technology Services Texas Country Gentlemen Barbershop Chorus The Hub Temple, LLC The UPS Store #5884 Thrifty Texan Two Steppin’ Tours Troy’s Auto Care United Ag and Turf VeraBank Visiting Angels Vista Community Church Wes Albanese Photography
Aries Building System Ashley Harris 1919 Mueller Lane Troy, TX 75679 (346) 774-1070 www.ariesbuildings.com Manufacturers
Easy As Pie Lorra Gongora 1217 S. First St., Ste. A Temple, TX 76504 (254) 295-0060 easyaspieonline.com Bakery
FloorCo. Surplus Mike Pappas 5812 S. General Bruce Drive Temple, TX 76502 (254) 727-4061 www.floorcosurplus.com Floor Coverings
Club Pilates West Temple Holly Duke 6768 W. Adams Ave., Ste. #102 Temple, TX 76504 (254) 424-9110 www.clubpilates.com/westtemple Fitness
Family Promise of East Bell Co. Rucker Preston 1018 E. Avenure A Temple, TX 76501 www.familypromisebellcounty.org Nonprofit Foundations
Lake Belton Barber Shop Michael Cox 830 FM 2271 Belton, TX 76513 (254) 541-6580 www.lakebeltonbarbershop.com Barber Shops
May New Chamber Members
Best-Way Carpets 3206 AIRPORT ROAD (254) 770 - 0932 www.bestwaycarpets.com
•SALES •SERVICE •INSTALLATION
RENTING
The SMART way to get things done!
Choice Rentals, Inc.
254-774-8503 • 2405 S. Gen Bruce Dr, Temple, TX 76504 Lloyd Johle - Celebrating 50 Years in Business!
TEMPLE DAILY TELEGRAM / 3
FRIDAY, June 4, 2021
May New Chamber Members Cont. Modern Texas Living Ashley Munn 429 N. Cedar Ridge Circle Robinson, TX 76706 (254) 749-1670 www.moderntexasliving.com Printers & Publishers
Texas Commercial Tire Carroll Estes 100 Clarence Road Temple, TX 76501 (254) 321-9961 tcttire.com Tire Dealers
Warm Cookie Company Andrew Johnson 7425 W. Adams Ave. Temple, TX 76502 (254) 831-9201 www.warmcookiecompany.com Bakery
T Town Energy & Nutrition Jeremy Mitchell 8 E. Avenue A Temple, TX 76501 (254) 899-8142 Health & Wellness
The Koehn Mortgage Group Kristine Koehn 1600 Lake Air Drive Waco, TX 76710 (254) 405-6690 www.kmortgagegroup.com Mortgage Loans
WC Tractor Erika Martinez 5345 S. General Bruce Drive Temple, TX 76502 (254) 742-1212 www.wctractor.com Agriculture
The Starting Place Birth & Wellness Center Tara Livesay 720 N. Third St. Temple, TX 76501 (254) 563-6255 www.thestartingplace.com Healthcare
West, Webb, Allbritton & Gentry, PC Kayla Landeros 10 N. Second St. Temple, TX 76501 (254) 233-2700 www.westwebblaw.com Legal Services
Temple Executive Suites Sue Hamby 803 S. Fifth St. Temple, TX 76504 (254) 935-2392 Office Space Terp’s Toys and Comics Matthew Terpening 808 S. 31st St., Ste. B Temple, TX 76504 terpstoysandcomics.com Toys & Comics
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THREE LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU 116 S. Main, Downtown Temple 254-778-2408 Now Offering 24 Hour Dropbox at 37th Street & Belton Locations
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See what Extraco can do for your business, contact an Extraco Commercial Banker today at 254.774.5500 or visit extracobanks.com/business
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FRIDAY, June 4, 2021
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RIBBON
CUTTING Love Group Travel Julie Ruiz founded Love Group Travel on her LOVE of TRAVEL, VOLUNTEERISM and the EXPLORATION of NEW CULTURES. Love Group Travel relies on a network of very seasoned traveler advisors who have not only visited fantastic destinations, but most have lived abroad and can provide unique local perspectives. Love Group Travel seeks to curate unique travel designs that will create lasting memories for each and every client!
Julie Ruiz
16 E. Avenue A, Ste. 209 Temple, TX 76501
(254) 239-4000
www.lovegrouptravel.com
Thrifty Wildcat Thrift Store The Thrifty Wildcat, an on-campus thrift store operated by students in the Wildcat Plus program, is open for business to Temple ISD staff and students. This project, which was made possible by a Temple Education Foundation grant, helps students in the program learn extra life skills and gain real-life experience.
Chelsea Vasquez 300 S. 27th St. Temple, TX 76504 www.tisd.org
TEMPLE DAILY TELEGRAM / 5
FRIDAY, June 4, 2021
RIBBON
CUTTING Young’s Daughters Funeral Home & Bereavement Center Young’s Daughters is locally owned by a military veteran, Sabrina Young. Serving families through technology-enhanced services. The only Funeral Home with a Bereavement Center. They give back by supporting numerous charitable and local nonprofit organizations through generous donations and volunteerism.
Sabrina Young
4235 E. U.S. Hwy 190 Temple, TX 76501
(254) 401-1302
www.youngsdaughters.com
Memorial Day Vietnam War Veterans Pinning Programs Temple Chamber of Commerce Staff To many Memorial Day is the official kick-off of summer filled with cookouts and pool parties. However, the holiday serves to honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. With deep ties to Fort Hood and the veteran community of Central Texas, the Temple Chamber of Commerce plays an active role in honoring those who served, and the families of those lost in service through programming and outreach. The Temple Chamber, along with the Association of the United States Army/ Central Texas-Fort Hood, are Commemorative Partners with the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration. As authorized by the United States Congress and on behalf of the nation, we are doing now what should have been done 50 years ago. That is to formally thank and honor our Vietnam Veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice. In two ceremonies during the Memorial Day weekend, the Chamber honored 10 Vietnam Veterans, or their family members, with the official Commemorative Vietnam Veteran Pin.
Those individuals include Margie Burk, Spouse of U.S. Army Specialist Five Richard Brent Burk, U.S. Army Specialist Five Bonifacio Castillo, U.S. Navy Seaman First Class Arthur D. Coley Sr., U.S. Marines Corporal Roy Irvin Evans Jr., Mary Harshfield, Spouse of U.S. Navy Petty Officer Third Class Donald Harshfield, U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Daniel Hunsicker, U.S. Army Sergeant Gene Nicholas, U.S. Army Sergeant Charles Overfield, U.S. Air Force Sergeant Keith Seglem, and U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant David Theisen. Thanking and honoring veterans and their families is the right thing to do. We Americans appreciate Veterans’ service and sacrifice and support of the United States of America.
The Commemoration focuses on specifically thanking and honoring our 7.2 million living Vietnam Veterans and the 9 million families of those who served during the Vietnam War period. The Commemoration recognizes all Vietnam Veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces from November 1, 1955, to May 15, 1975, regardless of duty location or branch of service. No distinction is made between veterans who served in-country or who were stationed elsewhere during that period. All were called to serve, and many of these veterans served honorably.
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Wilsonart Keeps Rolling with Rotary Books for the World Barbara Bozon & Gail Peek, Temple Rotary Club
Wilsonart has a long and rich history in Texas. Since 1956, Wilsonart has been a faithful and vital part of the Temple/Belton community. Its support of the Temple Rotary Club’s Books for the World Project is simply a continuation of the link between Wilsonart and the Temple/Belton area.
For the past seven years, Wilsonart, LLC (“Wilsonart”), the Temple Rotary Club, the Temple Public Library, the Temple Independent School District (“TISD”), and the Belton Independent School District (“BISD”) have literally been taking all of us to school! Sometime in 2000, the number of public and private schools in Southern Africa was increasing, but the national and local governments in those countries were hard-pressed to allocate funds for books to use at these schools. Enter some gritty Texas Rotarians, who were determined to answer this call and address the growing literacy needs in Southern Africa. This is the origin of the Books for the World Project. Many years and many Rotary Clubs later, the Books for the World Project that initially focused on Southern Africa expanded its reach. The Books for the World epitomizes success. According to rotarybooksforworld. org, between 2001 and 2016, over 11 million books had been shipped abroad.
When the Temple Rotary Club approached Wilsonart about providing trucks to transport books from TISD and BISD to a warehouse in the Houston area, it took about a nanosecond for Wilsonart to say yes. Each year the Temple Public Library, TISD, and BISD cull through their books, setting aside books no longer needed. However, the need for these castoffs is very real in other parts of the world. This is where the Books for the World Project steps in. By matching the unwanted books in the Temple Public Library, TISD, and BISD to the continuing need for books in schools and libraries around the world, the Temple Rotary Club hits the trifecta! We have a win for the Temple Public Library, TISD, and BISD by taking excess books off their hands. We have another win by keeping these excess books out of landfills. Then we have the win that places the books in the hands of those who desperately need them. Voila! The trifecta! A win, win and win for all participants.
With Wilsonart’s help, the Temple Rotary Club can fulfill its core principle of Service Above Self. The Rotary Books for the World Project reveals that Wilsonart also has a tradition of Service Above Self. This fact is the ultimate win!
Literacy, especially childhood literacy, is a global challenge, and the Books for the World Project is now a global Rotary project. With the Temple Public Library’s support and both TISD and BISD, the Temple Rotary Club has collected English and Spanish language books, science books, and math books. Schools and libraries overseas have asked for any books to help fight illiteracy. The book collection is manageable. The tricky part is the low-cost transportation of the books to the warehouse in the Houston area. Enter Wilsonart.
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FRIDAY, June 4, 2021
Advanced Scanners: A Clear Vision for the Future of Digital Surgery
Temple Health & Bioscience District
In March 2020, Jeff Levine, CEO of Advanced Scanners, and his colleagues completed their first potentially life-saving trial on a brain cancer patient, launching the next phase of their technology development and leading the way to future clinical trials. That success lasted four days, until COVID-19 hit the U.S. and halted the Advanced Scanners team in their innovative tracks.
But as with everything Advanced Scanners touches, success laid on the horizon. The team was able to successfully raise $1.5 million in investment dollars during the pandemic. Now they can continue their work and are just now able to get back up and running to continue building their state-of-the-art technology. Founded in 2017, Advanced Scanners is a privately held IP and Innovation company creating a machine vision platform based on their uniquely capable 3D optical scanning technology to help neurosurgeons navigate complex procedures.
Jeff Levine showcases Advanced Scanners’ technology in the company’s mock operating room
Humble Beginnings Advanced Scanners is a tenant alumnus that got its start working on technology at Temple Health and Bioscience District (THBD). The company’s optical data platform set out to tackle a serious, but often unaddressed, issue that arises during surgery: the problem of brain shift. Neurosurgeons rely on a surgical navigation system to help them find and treat disease within the brain. The problem is that these systems rely on static preoperative images that do not track the brain patient anatomy as it moves during surgery. Surgeons rely on their own intuition and mental calculations in real-time to adjust the preoperative plan. This can lead to patient injuries and less desirable surgical outcomes. There had to be a better way. Co-founders Aaron Bernstein, PhD and Jeff Levine have been working ever since to tackle the problem of brain shift, which has led them to apply their technology to address other intraoperative problems, including cancer tissue detection.
“As we look at the brain, for example, we can differentiate what we’re looking at with sub-millimeter accuracy,” explains Levine. “Our scanner allows us to differentiate cancer from white matter or grey matter. The data we’re collecting matches published data on what these different types of cancers look like and can show a surgical team whether they in fact did remove all of the cancer in a patient.” Grateful to Temple The process of developing this technology has been underway at THBD since 2018, when Advanced Scanners won first place in the Grow Your Startup From the Ground Up conference pitch competition at THBD’s annual symposium. “THBD was the first place to buy in, help, and support us,” says Levine. “The $25,000 grant we received from THBD allowed us to conduct a cadaver study and present material to the Epilepsy Foundation where we won $150,000 in funding to continue what they referred to as, ‘the most important technical achievement’ in helping epilepsy patients.” The Future is Bright When the pandemic mandated an indefinite pause on clinical trials, the Advanced Scanners team pivoted to focus on technology development and refinement. Eighteen months later and with the green light provided by widespread distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, the team is ready to resume three clinical trials on brain and spinal surgery patients. Successful completion of these trials will lead to the company’s goal of getting to market by 2022.
While Levine can empathize with individuals and professionals who put their dreams on hold as addressing the COVID-19 global health emergency took center stage, he is grateful to his early supporters, those at the Temple Health and Bioscience District who have provided a platform to not only tackle neurosurgery for pediatric epilepsy, but also the detection of cancer tissue. To learn more about Advanced Scanners’ cutting-edge technology, visit advancedscanners.com. Learn more about THBD’s current tenants and the life-saving technology being developed in Temple at templebioscience.org.
Cutting-Edge Innovations Advanced Scanners’ I/Ox Scanner offers a viable solution to alleviate physician and patient distress with high-resolution, real-time 3D data and optical analysis. The tool captures the shape and position of tissue with pinpoint accuracy Jeff Levine (left) and Aaron Bernstein, PhD (right) at the THBD Symposium and Pitch and alerts the surgical team of changes that affect the operation in progress. Competition “Growing Your Startup from the Ground Up” in 2018. (Photo credit: This is not only applicable for those undergoing neurosurgery for epilepsy, but THBD). with this technology, they are now discovering ways to detect cancer tissue.
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Scott & White Health Plan presents Hot Summer Sounds City of Temple
“We can’t wait to kick off the summer with an exciting lineup of talented artists,” City of Temple Senior Special Events Coordinator Holly Leiferman said. “After taking a break last year, we’re ready to hear some live music again in Temple Parks.” The series will kick off with 80s Obsession playing the hits of the 1980s at Miller Park. The rest of the series will feature a wide variety of musical acts:
Temple Parks and Recreation is partnering with Scott and White Health Plan to present the 23rd Annual Hot Summer Sounds Free Concert Series. WHO: Temple Parks and Recreation, Scott and White Health Plan WHAT: 23rd Annual Hot Summer Sounds Free Concert Series WHEN: Fridays beginning June 4 from 7:30-9:30 p.m. WHERE: Temple Parks
• June 4 - Miller Park: 80’s Obsession • June 11 - Miller Park: The Blues Posse • June 18 - West Temple Park: Landon Heights • June 25 - West Temple Park: Tejano Storm Band • July 9 - Santa Fe Plaza: The Selfless Lovers • July 16 - Santa Fe Plaza: Clint Allen Janisch Band • July 23 - Lion Sam Farrow Amphitheater: Hair Metal Giants • July 30 - Lion Sam Farrow Amphitheater: Wayworn Traveler Concerts are free and open to the public. No registration is required. Picnic baskets, blankets and leashed pets are welcome. Glass containers are not allowed. Food vendors will be on site. Concerts are subject to cancelation or rescheduling due to inclement weather. Visit templeparks.com/special_events/ hot_summer_sounds for more information.
First Friday is Tonight - June 4, 2021 City of Temple
Join us in Downtown Temple for First Friday on June 4, 2021. You won’t want to miss our late-night shopping, fantastic food, cold drinks, and live music. Downtown Temple is the place to be! For a full list of downtown specials visit downtowntemple.com/first-friday.
Keep Temple Beautiful Conducts 2021 Litter Survey Tanya Gray, Keep Temple Beautiful Since 2005 Keep Temple Beautiful has conducted a litter survey which is a visual assessment of the litter situation in our community. In April of this year, Keep Temple Beautiful board members and executive director conducted the survey throughout the city. The result of this survey helps to determine the types of litter prevention and community improvement programs that would most benefit the City of Temple. Six quadrants of the City were mapped out. Each geographic area contains an industrial/commercial areas, parks, residential areas, schools, and thoroughfares. This approach focuses on a visual assessment of the community by selecting appropriate sites to be assessed and scoring the sites using a four-point scale: 1 = “No Litter”, 2 =“Slightly Littered”, 3 = “Littered”, 4 = “Extremely Littered”. A calculation of the average of the responses gave Temple a score of 2. The results of the litter index serve as a baseline for determining the impact of litter prevention and abatement activities in the coming years. This project is part of Keep Temple Beautiful’s (KTB) and Keep America Beautiful’s (KAB) litter initiative in developing a strategy to prevent and abate litter. Next year the lit-
ter index will be expanded to include optional indices referred to as the “Community Appearance Index” which is designed to make community improvement more effective. The areas of focus will incorporate illegal signage, abandoned junk/vehicles, graffiti and outside storage. The revised measures will be included on the 2022 survey. Litter has many negative impacts on quality of life. It impacts our environment by destroying the state’s natural beauty, harming or killing wildlife and diminishing water quality which leads to increased costs to treat it for public consumption.Litter also has a negative impact on the economy by hindering efforts to attract visitors and prospective new businesses to communities. Preventing and abating litter will have positive impacts on the city’s economy, environment, and quality of living. For more information about Keep Temple Beautiful or how to get involved with the litter survey, please call (254) 493-4000 or visit our website atwww.keeptemplebeautiful.org.