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Greer farm Back in business
Mount pleasant farmer’s Market downtown
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Mount Pleasant
EVERYTHING tEXAS shootout & golf open SUMMER ISSUE 21 2016
Mount pleasant evolving COMMUNITY UPDATE
Mount Pleasant
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contents:
Partners 4 Greer Farm 6
Mount Pleasant Farmer’s Market 8 Everything Texas Shootout & Golf Open 10 Mount Pleasant Evolving 12
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#JOHNNYSIGHTINGS 14 Eat Local Challenge Results 16 Everything Texas Heartbeat: Beverly Austin 18
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Taking To the next level New Partners Mar 1, 2016 - Apr 30, 2016 ALAS Alma Mart Bodies By Brandon Burkes Outlet Classica Gold Enterprise Company Name Crain's Customs Cypress Home Care Inc David Beards Catfish King Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions
Evento Keyolis Farmers Insurance - Dillon Lee Agency Hefner Roofing & Construction Kountry Korner La Neveria Michoacana Law Office of Ramsey Strube Ministerio Agape Moore Music Entertainment NovaTech Green Space Contracting Pearl's Kitchen
Restaurante El Mana Round Eye Sushi Guy Seth Alexander Sheppard Street Church of Christ Stewart Real Estate Inspections Sur Hair Lounge, Boutique & More Texas Twister Travis Mortgage - Ester Ramirez-Smith United Country: Rocking T Ranch Realty Willow Creek Farming Company
Renewing Partners Mar 1, 2016 - Apr 30, 2016
A&A&D Food Service LLC - Church's Chicken ABC Auto Parts AEP-Southwestern Electric Power Company Alamo Mission Museum Arnold Walker Arnold & Co PC Bates Cooper Sloan Funeral Home Big Tex Trailer Mfg., Inc. BLK Locksmith Brookshire Food Store Camp Langston Castletop Roofing & Construction Chambers Home Health and Physical Therapy Chambers Home Health and Physical Therapy Chuck Barkow Company Name Cross Country Communications Cutting Edge Lawn & Landscape Designin' Women
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Don Juan's Mexican Restaurant East Texas Broadcasting El Chico Restaurant Elliott Ford Lincoln Firmins Office Supply First Baptist Church Gary's Gun & Pawn Shop Gladewater Baptist Church Hansen's Collision Specialist Housing Authority City of Mount Pleasant IHOP Restaurant #3232 John L. Greene DDS Larry Lawrence Construction Let's Roll Lowe's Luigi's Italian Cafe M.O.M Ministering Our Military Massage Therapy by Krislyn Pierce
Mill's Flower Shop Mount Pleasant Pet Resort Mount Pleasant Rodeo Association North East Texas Credit Union Northeast Small Business Development Center Offenhauser & Company Insurance Outlaw's Bar-B-Que Randy's Burgers Rychlik Auto Wrecker Service Servpro of Paris Stansells City Cleaners & Laundry Inc Staples #1152 The Landing The Lodge Assisted Living/Memory Care The Pediatric Clinic PA Todd Jaggers - Texas Farm Bureau
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Greer Farm is back to business as usual. Sid and Eva Greer had decided to ly selling. The reasons we pursued put their farm and ranch up for auc- the auction haven’t changed.” tion in April, then had to delay it, but they made a 360 degree turn The couple had planned to retire because managing the huge operation was getting to be more than they could easily manage by themselves. They were hoping to find a buyer to continue the business, but would have been fine, they originally thought, with it becoming a private retreat. However, during the process leading up to the auction, and decided to pull out altogether. they got a clear sense that The online auction was originally the bidders looking at the scheduled for April 28, but they properties were not intereststarted to get a bad feeling. ed in carrying on the legacy they had built. “We had a significant number of bidders that got in the game late The auction was to have inthat needed to see the farm, so we cluded two properties - the delayed the auction to give them 250-acre farm, the 160-year time to do that, and in that process, old farmhouse, a commercial we re-evaluated what we were do- cooking facility, guest coting and the risk we were taking,” tages, and an 11-acre lake Sid Greer said. “It’s not that we’ve as well as the Greer’s 133changed our minds about eventual- acre Rocky Branch Ranch
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near Naples, which is home to the couple’s Maine-Anjou cattle operation and features a 16-acre lake. When they announced they were selling, Greer said they received 700 emails and notes from people. “They were shocked and sad and encouraging to us. It was a pretty amazing array of responses,” he said. “Just that series of things led us to the decision not to sell. It was right there in front of us. If this farm is
that special to us and that special to other people, we thought it needs to go to somebody that is going to keep that legacy, not somebody who is going to lock the gates.”
Greer said the farm and ranch are not currently on the market and he and Eva are in no hurry to sell.
Once the decision was made to cancel the auction, Greer said he posted a photo on his Facebook page announcing the farm was not for sale and that the blackberry and blueberry crop would be huge this season. “Normally on Facebook, I get about 400 -500 people that click on a post. This one reached over 32,000, and we got another 800 emails and notes,” he said. “All of
They have also recently harvested lamb and beef and pork. The cabins are open for summer bookings, and Eva has scheduled her Farm-to-Table cooking classes for June and July and will be up to her elbows soon in canning jars making jams and jellies. He said the dates for the classes will be posted on their website, and fans can keep up with them on their Facebook page. “It’s not an easy
“We haven’t decided exactly what we’re going to do, but we know we’re going to take a nontraditional approach to this. We want to try to find the right buyer at a price that we feel is fair to us and them,” he said. Greer said he and his wife felt that God was orchestrating the plan all along through the daily devotionals they’d been reading together. “Having God in this and having him taking the stress away from us has really helped,” he said.
They plan to have their thumb-sized sweet blackberries and bumper crop of blueberries available at the Mount decision where we are, but we are Pleasant Farmer’s Market and going to keep on keeping on, and the Longview Farmer’s Market. do what we do,” Greer said. They have an abundance of free-range eggs available right now too, and 165 baby chicks them were ecstatic with joy that we running around three and a half weren’t going anywhere. It was acres of pasture land. very touching and emotional. Neither one of us had any idea that “We lost our major buyer in Dallas, this place meant that much to so so we can offer people a good deal many people.” on eggs,” he said. mtpleasanttx.com
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The Chamber farmer’s market this year has a new name and a new location. The farmer’s market committee changed the branding for the already successful summer event and moved it to the Titus County Courthouse parking lot. The Mount Pleasant Farmer’s Market – Downtown begins June 7.
farms, but also prepared foods from some of the Chamber members and handmade items from local artisans and crafters, such as lotions, soaps, wood crafts and jewelry.
“It will run for six weeks instead of four this year, and it will be downtown on the square on Tuesday nights,” said Chamber CEO Katie Stedman. “We polled the farmers, and having it on Tuesday instead of Thursday gives them time to get ready for the Saturday farmer’s markets they go to in the region.” “We’ll have street tacos, handmade pies from Pearl’s Kitchen, Heading up the farmer’s market and cold fresh beverages,” Stedcommittee this year are John and man said. “We want it to be Aliza Kilburn of Comeback Creek something that families can bring Farm and The Farmer’s Wife Spe- the kids to, eat a meal, and shop cialty Food & Farm Market. for unique items while they are getting their produce for the Stedman said the goal is to make week.” the event bigger and better than it has ever been by expanding Grass-fed beef and dairy prodthe types of items available at the ucts are also among the items market. You’ll not only find fresh people will find at the market. fruits and vegetables from local
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“We’re trying to put together a market that can draw many of the local producers that we have in our area and make it a source for good products for customers,” said John Kilburn. Moving it downtown will also give the market more visibility, highlight the great shops downtown and bring life to the square area on a weeknight, he said. “The heart and soul of any community is the downtown square, and Mount Pleasant is no exception. Having it there just makes sense. It will bring traffic to the area at night, and we’re hoping that it becomes a festive thing for people,” Kilburn said. “We hope that businesses on the square stay open a little later so people can hang out and shop at the market and chill out on the sidewalks or go into the shops downtown. We want it to be more than just people selling produce; we want it to be something that entices the community to come together and be involved.” Kilburn said it’s important to have a vibrant farmer’s market in
the community to encourage people to make eating fresh produce and farm-to-table products. “If it’s produced in your area then you’re eating what is in season, so you are going to increase the diversity of the vegetables you eat,” he said. He said most of the growers in the area are not growing varieties designed to be shipped thousands of miles and last for weeks on a grocery store shelf, so customers are getting produce that is picked at the height of its flavor. “You’re also getting produce that is in season, so you’re getting high quality stuff,” he said. “Everything tastes better in season when it’s picked fresh.” The market will run from 4-7 p.m. on Tuesdays from June 7 through July 12. Stedman said the chamber is currently recruiting vendors and talking to the downtown businesses to encourage them to stay open later on those nights. The presenting sponsor for the market is Priefert and is also supported by PicN-Pay, Conroy Tractor and Texas Farm Bureau Insurance. “We really have high hopes for the market this year,” she said.
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awarded for the putting contest, 1st and 2nd Place for the Everything Texas Shootout, 1st team gross and 1st team net, longest drive, closest to the hole and hole-inone. There are two rounds of golf with tee times at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Lunch will be served at noon. The Registration forms are available at putting contest is set for 6:30 p.m., the Chamber office. The entry fee and the Shootout begins at 6:30 “The Chamber has had another for Chamber member teams is p.m. great response from the communi- $550 per 4-player teams and $650 ty in sponsoring and registering for non-Chamber member teams. early to play. There were 34 teams Lunch is provided. Prizes will be It will soon be time to tee off at the annual Everything Texas Shootout & Golf Open presented by Pilgrim’s. The annual golf event is set for June 25 at the Mount Pleasant Country Club. Golf Tournament Committee Chair Brad Lowry said there are no major changes to the tournament day or night this year.
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pre-registered, and we would love to have around 40 teams to fill out the morning and afternoon flights,” Lowry said. “With this being the 3rd annual event, we still have a lot of momentum from the first two years of success that we’ve had.”
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Improvements to the downtown area, including brand new sidewalks and rose bushes between Second and Third Streets, and quaint tables and chairs along the sidewalks around the square are the beginnings of continued growth of Mount Pleasant’s Main Street vision. Jacob Hatfield, the City of Mount Pleasant’s director of community services and Main Street director, said there has been more than $700,000 in private reinvestment downtown, according to the latest quarterly reinvestment report. That includes repairs and remodels of buildings inside and out.
town.” “These memories help the next and upcoming generations want to keep our historic area because they, too, will take ownership of the area and be part of their history. We want to make sure they have a
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Recent/Upcoming Downtown improvements: Sidewalks have been replaced on both sides of Madison and Jefferson Avenues between 2nd Street and 3rd.
More than 500 double red knockout roses have been planted at the edge of the sidewalks. Roses have been planted in the grates around the square to brighten up the walkways.
reason to save our downtown and keep it thriving for many generations to come,” he said.
Hatfield said downtown events like Hot Night, Cool Music, Cinco de Mayo on the Square and Christmas on the Square, along with the sidewalk improvements and new businesses moving in help attract and welcome everyone to the area. The ChamHatfield said the city is putting out ber is taking advantage of the enerthe welcome mat to “a new genera- gy downtown by moving its annual tion to shop downtown, live down- Farmer’s Market to the Downtown town and make memories downSquare in June. “Changes to our current ordinance to allow downtown living and creation of the historic preservation ordinance has spurred owners to improve their properties and know their investment is secure,” Hatfield said.
“The fresh sidewalks, the beautiful roses and outdoor seating invite people to sit and stay awhile and enjoy the sites and feel of a vibrant historic downtown,” he said.
Tables and chairs have been placed in several locations so visitors can sit and have coffee, dine, or just stop for a rest during their shopping. Prior to a planned road overlay and sidewalk construction, utilities on Madison Avenue between 2nd and 3rd have been enhanced and updated to accommodate future growth and expanding use of downtown buildings.
back in the shop. The candle has a delicate floral bouquet and is as Print Works opened its new lo- delightful as being among a blanket cation on the downtown square in of Bluebonnets on a spring day in Aliza Kilburn and Richard With- February and is quickly becoming a Texas. great new source for t-shirt printing erspoon announced a business Jo’s Coffee Shop, also recently in Mount Pleasant. The facility partnership to open Jimmy opened in the newly remodeled turned one year old and has beNardello’s Pizza Tavern on the showroom on West Madiground floor of the Rogers Building. The restaurant will include an out- son Street next to Laura’s door patio on the space under the Cheesecake. Print Works, whose main headquarters “Mount Pleasant, The Good Life” is in Paris, prides itself on mural. It will feature wood-fired, made-from-scratch pizzas with high quality customer service, swift turnarounds and ofquality, locally-sourced toppings, farm-to-table salads, and desserts fering customers “the best as well as a bar with a view of the pizza oven serving craft beer and wine. It is expected to open in October. The splash pad at Caldwell Park, a project that was completed last November is up and running.
Shaved Ice!
Round Eye Sushi Guy recently held its grand opening at the thriving new restaurant on 3rd Street. The crowds keeps streaming in from all over Northeast Texas, including Tyler, for the top-notch, made-fresh sushi and teriyaki dishes, dumplings, noodles and Japanese vegetables. The restaurant is also getting into the Everything Texas spirit by adding the Texan Sushi Roll, which features cooked steak and green onions. The restaurant, which encourages online orders and take-out in logobranded boxes, also features a quaint space for dining in and a cute, inviting patio in front of the store for relaxing with chopsticks in hand in the open air. And coming to the menu in June, Mount Fuji
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come an anchor business on the corner of First and North Jefferson, catering to coffee connoisseurs, craft soda lovers and the working-through-lunchcrowd who can snag some free Wi-Fi while munching on handcrafted Paninis, Bistro boxes or wraps. And Jo’s original summertime drinks are back. The price for the best special menu features the Summer products.” Fling with pomegranate, the Cast Away with mocha and coconut and The Farmer’s the Beach Bum with green tea and Wife Farm Market coconut milk. on Madison Avenue recently celebrated its 1st anni- Renovations to the Russell versary. The shop Building next to Hamilton’s Jewelis awash in color ers are still underway, but plans for the first floor space have not been with all kinds of fresh veggies and officially revealed. fruits from Comeback Creek Farm Renovations to the Witt Building have begun although plans for and other local its use have not yet been made.
They recently announced the market was “keeping it really local and super high-quality” with two incredible products from The Farm Next Door in nearby Omaha: bone-in pork chops and fresh bacon. They also announced Kuhdoo Soap Co's seasonal Bluebonnet candle is mtpleasanttx.com
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The 2016 Eat Local campaign was more successful than ever. The 42 participating restaurants collected nearly 11,000 receipts during the month-long campaign in April.
owned businesses, it is beneficial for everyone.”
was a lot of buzz,” Austin said. “I thought it went very well. People were a lot more engaged.”
A more concentrated marketing effort was one of the reasons for its The Eat Local Task Force was on a huge success, according to Beverly mission, too. “It is our desire to connect memAustin, chair of the Chamber’s bers of our community with the fab- Shop Local Task Force. “We changed up the strategy and ulous businesses we have in town, made sure every restaurant memand this campaign is just one way “There was more promotion with ber had someone on the task force we do that,” said Chamber CEO flyers, through newspaper, social visit them or eat at their restaurant. Katie Stedman. “When people media and the Eat Local signs in We split up the task force and each spend their money here at locally front of the restaurants, so there of us took two, three or four restau-
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rants,” Austin said.
to have an Eat Local box at each location and they just dropped their That personal engagement from receipts in the box with their name the task force volunteers generated and number and their server’s more excitement among the resname,” Austin said. taurants and their staffs. Doing it that way, the Chamber “We wanted all of our restaurant was able to collect nine boxes the members to know how much we first week and 21 boxes the second appreciate them,” she said. week of the campaign. Some of the restaurants even had their own contests for employees within the overall contest which awarded diners and employees with prizes.
2016 Eat Local Winners: Herschel's Family Restaurant Mount Pleasant was the winning restaurant with over 3,000 receipts submitted. They will be keeping the Eat Local Traveling Trophy that they won last year and received prize money from the Chamber for their amazing participation in the campaign.
“And, it just increased even more during the third and fourth weeks. Kelly Lewis was the lucky diner We could tell it was going well, too, who ate at Jo's Downtown and won because everybody we talked to a 48" Sony Bravia Television. had heard of it,” Austin said. Elizabeth Hansen, a barista at “They were having a lot of fun with Stedman thanked the Eat Local Jo's Downtown, won the $200 gift it, and we tried to make it as fun as sponsors, ‘Pic-N-Pay, Hamilton's card to Hamilton's Jewelers. possible,” Austin said. Jewelers, Brookshire's and H&R Distributors which made the camThe other change from years past paign possible. that made the campaign work better is the fact that diners didn’t “And, we are thankful to all of the have to take their receipts to the restaurants who participated and to Chamber office. all the diners who shopped local in April," she said. “Instead of tasking the diners to bring their receipts in, we decided
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Beverly Austin brings a wealth of expertise to her volunteer roles. A business advisor for the Northeast Small Business Development Center, Austin brings a background in banking, real estate and certification as an economic development finance professional to the boards and committees on which she serves. She got involved with Chambers when she moved to the area from California in 2008. She has been on the Mount Pleasant/Titus County Chamber of Commerce board for three years. Her term ends this year. She also serves as the chair of the Shop Local Committee, which is a perfect fit for someone committed to helping small businesses succeed. She has worked for the
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Northeast SBDC for seven years, an organization that is affiliated with Northeast Texas Community College with offices at the old Mount Pleasant ISD building on Riddle Street. “I help people expand their business, grow their business or start a business through oneon-one counseling,” Austin said. She guides start-ups through the process of securing loans, business analysis, marketing, sales, advertising, business planning and management.
“Our focus is retail, restaurants and manufacturing. We want to be the premiere resource for businesses,” she said.
“Volunteering improves communities, supports children and schools and saves resources that small communities do not have to spend.”
She also assists economic development centers and foundations in a six county area with business planning, loans and research, so she has used that expertise as a member of the board of directors for the Daingerfield Industrial Foundation in the city where she lives with her husband, Joe Austin. She volunteered on the Morris County Fair board for three years and also served on the Main Street board in Winnsboro for three years, chairing the economic restructuring committee.
Shop Local campaigns planned for the remainder of the year. Her commitment to serving her community, she says, is a way to give back for everything she’s been given.
“I believe that a community is only as strong as its citizens,” she said. “I believe that job creation and a desire to visit a community is there because there is a sense that the people care. So, my vision is that the communities I work in become strong and become a destination “Mainly, we helped Main Street that people want to come to, and I with infrastructure, bringing in busi- do my part to help with that vision.” ness and helped with education,” she said. She said she encourages people to use their unique skill set to help Austin earned her Bachelor’s Detheir cities grow and prosper begree in Business Administration cause it is two-fold. from Texas A&M Texarkana. “Volunteering improves communiFor the Mount Pleasant Chamber, ties, supports children and schools she headed up the successful Eat and saves resources that small Local campaign throughout the communities do not have to spend. month of April that included more You meet people, build lasting rethan 40 restaurants generating lationships, bring people together more than 11,000 receipts. The and promote personal growth. You Shop Local Task Force is gearing discover talents you never knew up for the Grow Local campaign in you had, and it's fun,” she said. “It June, featuring the Mount Pleasant helps me in terms of giving back to Farmer’s Market, which runs for six a place that has given me so weeks. She will also oversee the much.” mtpleasanttx.com
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MOUNT PLEASANT BUSINESS REPORT An official publication of the Mount Pleasant/Titus County Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Council 1604 North Jefferson | Mount Pleasant Texas 75455 903.572.8567 | mtpleasanttx.com Mount Pleasant/Titus County Chamber Publisher Katie Stedman Editor in Chief Mandy Stringer Creative Director Mandy Stringer Graphic Design, Layout Lynda Stringer Contributing Writer Echo Publishing Co. Printing
Mount Pleasant/Titus County Chamber of Commerce 1604 North Jefferson Avenue Mount Pleasant, TX 75455 www.mtpleasanttx.com info@mtpleasanttx.com (p) 903.572.8567 (f) 903.572.0613
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