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.
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20 UCW FEBRUARY 21-27, 2018 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Hope Mills News & Views Hope Mills to spotlight small businesses by EARL VAUGHAN JR. Karate kids adopt Hope Mills park by EARL VAUGHAN JR. e town of Hope Mills is starting a monthly award to honor local small businesses. At a recent meeting of the town's board of commission- ers, Mayor Jackie Warner ap- pointed commissioners Meg Larson and Pat Edwards to head the committee that will screen the nominations and assist with making selections of which businesses to honor. Larson feels the purpose of the award is to recognize the community's small businesses for exceptional customer service and to showcase how they've gone above and beyond to give back to the community. "I think it's important to recognize their contribu- tions and help promote economic development. ... ey also provide a service that contributes to the quality of life for the citizens of Hope Mills,'' Larson said. She added Hope Mills is a community that works togeth- er, and the small businesses add to the hometown feel. "e small businesses we have here have been around a long time,'' she said. "It's important to recognize them, that they've stuck it out. It's hard to compete against the prices of some of those big box stores.'' From her personal perspective, Larson said, small businesses offer a special opportunity to develop a close relationship between the employees and the consumers. "It's like you have the ability to pick up the phone and say, 'Hey Debbie, hey Robin,'" Larson said. "e customer service is obviously more inti- mate than when you go to a large store.'' e town is soliciting nominations from local citizens for businesses to consider for the award. Forms that contain details on making a nomination are available at the Hope Mills Recreation Center or online at townofhopemills.com. ere are specific requirements for a business to be nominated that are listed on the form. ey include the following: • Must be located with the town limits of Hope Mills. • Must have fewer than 100 employees. • Must have been in business at least one year. • Must have an active role in the community through community service and giving back to the community. Larson said anyone with questions about the award can contact her and fellow commissioner Edwards. eir contact information is available at the town of Hope Mills website. A karate club called Team Tiger might conjure up vi- sions of the late Bruce Lee or Chuck Norris. But owner/ operator Charles Cook Jr. has a different image in mind, one of civic responsibility and community pride. On a recent Saturday, some 65 members of the Team Tiger club – ranging from tiny children to those approaching their 80s – gathered at Ed Herring Park in the Eaglewood subdivision of Hope Mills to do a little civic improvement. Cook, who has operated Team Tiger for about four years, said his group is adopting the park with a stated goal of trying to keep it clean and possibly provide some new equipment on the grounds for the public to enjoy. e focus of his business at Team Tiger is to teach karate, and also to teach the young people who at- tend lessons in character. He wants to ensure they can make good decisions when adults aren't around to guide them. But Cook wanted to take that teaching a step forward. "We adopted Camden Road a few years ago but didn't feel it was as productive as it needed to be,'' he said. While driving through Eaglewood to avoid the traffic on Hope Mills Road, Cook found Ed Herring Park. "One day it came across my mind we should do something (about it),'' he said, "pick it up and make it more attractive. We could have a different impact instead of picking up on the side of the road.'' e plan, for starters, is to send a crew of volun- teers from Team Tiger into the park at least once a month, hopefully reaching a point where they can visit it less frequently just to keep things maintained. Cook went to Hope Mills Commissioner Meg Larson with the idea. She in turn put him in contact with Mayor Jackie Warner and town manager Me- lissa Adams. "Two or three days later, I was sitting with the town council,'' he said. Cook said the organization also wants to help pur- chase some new equipment for the park. "We want to arrange a fundraiser,'' Cook said. "It will depend on the money we raise to see what piece of equip- ment we can obtain.'' If you would like further information on the fun- draiser or how to help with Team Tiger's monthly cleanup plans for the park, contact Cook at 910-366-4381. NEWS EARL VAUGHAN JR., Senior Staff Writer. COMMENTS? EarlUCWS- ports@gmail.com. 910-364-6638. Hope Mills Mayor Jackie Warner appointed Commissioners Meg Larson (left) and Pat Edwards (right) to head up the new small- business awards committee. Above: Members of Team Tiger with Hope Mills officials at the recent ceremony marking the adoption of Ed Herring Park. Right: Cleanup begins. Photos credit: Lisa Waring