Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/792825
4 UCW MARCH 1-7, 2017 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM PUBLISHER'S PEN STAFF PUBLISHER Bill Bowman Bill@upandcomingweekly.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/EDITOR Stephanie Crider editor@upandcomingweekly.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Leslie Pyo lesliepyo@gmail.com SENIOR REPORTER Jeff Thompson news@upandcomingweekly.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Elizabeth Long art@upandcomingweekly.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS D.G. Martin, Pitt Dickey, Margaret Dickson, John Hood, Erinn Crider, Jim Jones, Shanessa Fenner, Heather Griffiths BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Keri Dickson keri@upandcomingweekly.com SALES ADMINISTRATOR/ DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Laurel Handforth laurel@upandcomingweekly.com ACCOUNTING Paulette Naylor accounting@upandcomingweekly.com MARKETING/SALES Linda McAlister Brown linda@upandcomingweekly.com ––––––––––– Up & Coming Weekly www.upandcomingweekly.com 208 Rowan Street P.O. Box 53461 Fayetteville, NC 28305 PHONE: (910) 484-6200 FAX: (910) 484-9218 Up & Coming Weekly is a "Quality of Life" publication with local features, news and infor- mation on what's happening in and around the Fayetteville/Cumberland County community. Up & Coming Weekly is published weekly on Wednesdays. Up & Coming Weekly welcomes manuscripts, photographs and artwork for pub- lication consideration, but assumes no respon- sibility for them. We cannot accept responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts or material. Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to edit or reject copy submitted for publication. Up & Coming Weekly is free of charge and distrib- uted at indoor and outdoor locations throughout Fayetteville, Fort Bragg, Pope Air Force Base, Hope Mills and Spring Lake. Readers are limited to one copy per person. ©2007 by F&B Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial or advertisements without permission is strictly prohibited. BILL BOWMAN, Publisher, UP & COMING WEEKLY. COMMENTS? BILL@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910.484.6200. 4 UCW DECEMBER 28 - JANUARY 3, 2016 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM 2017. Believe me, I'm ready. Judging from all the calls, emails and countless social media posts, our readers had a very Merry Christmas. And, for the most part, residents throughout Fayetteville and Cumberland County are excited about the future prospects in store for our community. And we should be. The seeds of growth, economic development and a better quality of life have all been planted. Now, city and county leadership need to take aggressive and affirmative action to make sure these local life-changing projects stay on track. Elected officials and city and county staff all need to be at the top of their game. Initiative, hard work and leadership will be vitally important in the months to come. In the words of the late General George S. Patton Jr.: "Lead me, follow me or get the hell out of my way." This should be the battlecry and motto adopted countywide. It will be interesting to see who steps up. One thing is for sure, Fayetteville is a community full of opportunity. The challenge is knowing how to capitalize on it. So, my hope for the New Year is that aggressive leaders will seek out the people, businesses and organizations that can help us realize our dreams, thus contributing to this growing vibrant community. Here are just a few of the organizations poised to take this community to new heights, starting with your favorite weekly community newspaper: Up & Coming Weekly Chamber of Commerce City of Fayetteville County of Cumberland FTCC CEED Reeve's School of Business Fayetteville Economic Development FSU Entrepreneurial Center Better Business Bureau These are just to name a few organizations ready, willing and able to help take our community to new heights. In other words, the Fayetteville/Cumberland County community has the will and all the resources necessary to help individuals and businesses develop, strive and survive, along with the willingness to "help those who help themselves." 2017 is going to be an exciting and awesome year. So, buckle your seat belts folks, because, if executed properly, our progress will be fast and furious. And, you can count on us to be right in the center of it. Happy New Year! And, as always, thanks for reading Up & Coming Weekly. PUBLISHER'S PEN Fayetteville and Cumberland County Heed These Words: "Lead me, follow me, or get the hell out of the way!" by BILL BOWMAN STAFF PUBLISHER Bill Bowman Bill@upandcomingweekly.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/EDITOR Stephanie Crider editor@upandcomingweekly.com SENIOR REPORTER Jeff Thompson news@upandcomingweekly.com ART DIRECTOR & GRAPHIC DESIGNER Sara Smith art@upandcomingweekly.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS D.G. Martin, Pitt Dickey, Margaret Dickson, John Hood, Erinn Crider, Jim Jones, Shanessa Fenner, Heather Griffiths BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Keri Dickson keri@upandcomingweekly.com SALES ADMINISTRATOR/ DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Laurel Handforth laurel@upandcomingweekly.com ACCOUNTING Paulette Naylor accounting@upandcomingweekly.com MARKETING/SALES Linda McAlister Brown linda@upandcomingweekly.com ––––––––––– Up & Coming Weekly www.upandcomingweekly.com 208 Rowan Street P.O. Box 53461 Fayetteville, NC 28305 PHONE: (910) 484-6200 FAX: (910) 484-9218 Up & Coming Weekly is a "Quality of Life" publication with local features, news and infor- mation on what's happening in and around the Fayetteville/Cumberland County community. Up & Coming Weekly is published weekly on Wednesdays. Up & Coming Weekly welcomes manuscripts, photographs and artwork for pub- lication consideration, but assumes no respon- sibility for them. We cannot accept responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts or material. Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to edit or reject copy submitted for publication. Up & Coming Weekly is free of charge and distrib- uted at indoor and outdoor locations throughout Fayetteville, Fort Bragg, Pope Air Force Base, Hope Mills and Spring Lake. Readers are limited to one copy per person. ©2007 by F&B Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial or advertisements without permission is strictly prohibited. Fayetteville's Weather Forecast December 29 AM Showers December 30 Partly Cloudy December 31 Sunny January 1 Mostly Sunny January 2 Partly Cloudy January 3 PM Showers THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY HIGH 64 HIGH 52 HIGH 47 HIGH 53 HIGH 44 HIGH 54 LOW 42 LOW 30 LOW 32 LOW 35 LOW 35 LOW 43 BILL BOWMAN, Publisher, UP & COMING WEEKLY. COMMENTS? BILL@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910.484.6200. – General George S. Patton Jr. General George S. Patton Jr. Fayetteville's Weather Forecast March 2 Partly Cloudy March 3 Sunny March 4 Sunny March 5 Sunny March 6 Mostly Sunny March 7 Mostly Sunny THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY HIGH 67 HIGH 64 HIGH 61 HIGH 74 HIGH 79 HIGH 66 LOW 39 LOW 33 LOW 38 LOW 53 LOW 52 LOW 38 I intercepted a memo dispatched by the National Association of Counties to all their members nationwide announcing a new and exciting contract they just negotiated with online services giant Amazon Business. The memo was received here in Cumberland County, and that is why the topic really hit home with me. Actually, it almost took my breath away. The tone of the memo was almost giddy in declaring that NACo members (including our Cumberland County officials) could now do business online and make purchases at great discounts through the Amazon Business network. Yes. Now local county purchasing agents don't have to worry about those pesky local businesses in their prospective counties. You know, the people who invested their life savings in "brick and mortar" businesses, the ones who contribute to local charities, cultural venues and political campaigns, who pay county taxes and employ local residents. Yes, those businesses. I may be a little hyper-sensitive about the issue since I am a small privately-owned business, and I have always emphatically endorsed and promoted locally-owed businesses. Shopping local is vitally important now more than ever. After all, here in Fayetteville we just approved a $35 million dollar Parks & Rec bond, and funded a $33 million dollar baseball stadium. and we have just launched one of the most significant movements in decades, Vision 2026. Vision 2026 specifically to encourage local participation and leadership to grow our economic base, attract business and industry and enhance our amenities, creating a better community and quality of life. All of this takes money. Where does the money come from? Taxes. So it is ludicrous and somewhat hypocritical for any government or local agency, including the Chamber of Commerce, to be doing business outside our community when similar and comparable goods and services are available here within our county borders. Again, many "talk the talk" about wanting to support local businesses and building the economy in our community. But it is mostly talk. Sure, chain stores like Best Buy, Home Depot, Lowe's and Office Max have a local presence in the community and provide jobs and pay taxes. But are they members of the Chamber of Commerce? Do they use local banks, local attorneys or local accountants? Do they support little league baseball, belong to a Kiwanis Club or ever buy Fayetteville Symphony tickets? The answer is emphatically, no. In the long run, I doubt if the savings in dollars is all that great. But, here is something I do know: the city, county and Chamber of Commerce should be aware of this sensitivity. We ask much of our citizens, and those who own businesses only ask that they be given fair consideration. Most of the angst and frustration does not come from them not getting the business from these agencies. It comes from not even being an option. Local businesses should always have an advantage over out of county agencies. If there are agencies or businesses in Fayetteville and Cumberland County providing goods and services that are needed locally then they should be acquired locally. We live in a very generous community. The value of saving nickels and dimes vanishes quickly when losing quarters and dollars. Not supporting local business has oh- so many unintended consequences, yet, so many advantages and proven benefits. Online shopping is not going away. All a private business can ask is that before each click of the mouse you ask yourself this: What is this company doing for my family, my community and my quality of life? Thanks for listening to my rant and for reading Up & Coming Weekly. Shop Small, Shop Local: Fact or Fiction? by BILL BOWMAN Shop Local Shop Often