jan 2014

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NWGA'S PREMIER FEATURE MAGAZINE / JANUARY 2014

KINGSTONRAISESTHE ROOF—and potentially the bar, as the April 2014 arrival of the COUNTERPOINT MUSIC FESTIVAL at Kingston Downs further opens the door to staking Greater Rome as "Atlanta north" for live music

FROM

birth

conceptionprenatals

ULTRASOUNDS

pickles & ice creamnaming debatessore backs

unexpected mood swings

swollen feet

morning sickness

free pregnancy tests

expanding be llies & families

baby showers

We Care Completely

TO

small bladders cocoa butter application

Women’s Center Rome330 Turner McCall Blvd

Suite 3000Rome, GA 30165

706.291.1754

harbinclinic.com/womenscenter

Women’s Center Cartersville150 Gentilly Blvd

Cartersville, GA 30120

770.382.5611

FROM

birth

conceptionprenatals

ULTRASOUNDS

pickles & ice creamnaming debatessore backs

unexpected mood swings

swollen feet

morning sickness

free pregnancy tests

expanding be llies & families

baby showers

We Care Completely

TO

small bladders cocoa butter application

Women’s Center Rome330 Turner McCall Blvd

Suite 3000Rome, GA 30165

706.291.1754

harbinclinic.com/womenscenter

Women’s Center Cartersville150 Gentilly Blvd

Cartersville, GA 30120

770.382.5611

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1National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Spotlight on Underage Drinking, No.2222010 Georgia Student Health Survey, Georgia Department of Education3Hingson RW, Heeren T, Winter MR. Age at drinking onset and alcohol dependence: age at onset, duration, and severity. Pediatrics 2006;160:739-74642009 Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance Survey http://health.state.ga.us/epi/cdiee/studenthealth.asp

DID YOU KNOW...24% of 6th graders agree “it’s easy to get alcohol”44% of 8th graders agree “it’s easy to get alcohol”2

Youth who consume alcohol are 5 times more likely to become dependent on or abuse alcohol than those who wait until age 21 or older3

Among high school students who consumed alcohol, 82% did so at their home or someone else’s home 4

Underage drinking cost the citizens of Georgia $1.4 billion in 2010

1National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Spotlight on Underage Drinking, No. 2222010 Georgia Student Health Survey, Georgia Department of Education3Hingson RW, Heeren T, Winter MR. Age at drinking onset and alcohol dependence: age at onset, duration, and severity. Pediatrics 2006;160:739–74642009 Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance Survey http://health.state.ga.us/epi/cdiee/studenthealth.asp

ALCOHOL is tHe mOst COmmOnLy used drug AmOng Our nAtiOn’s yOung peOpLe, surpAssing tObACCO And iLLiCit drugs!1

learn more at stopalcoholunder21.org

tHey grOw up FAst... but tHey Aren’t 21 yet

scan the QR code to learn more

24% of 6th graders agree “it’s easy to get alcohol”44% of 8th graders agree “it’s easy to get alcohol”2


Among high school students who consumed alcohol 82% did so at their home or someone else’s home4


DID YOU KNOW...24% of 6th graders agree “it’s easy to get alcohol”44% of 8th graders agree “it’s easy to get alcohol”2


Among high school students who consumed alcohol, 82% did so at their home or someone else’s home 4


1National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Spotlight on Underage Drinking, No. 2222010 Georgia Student Health Survey, Georgia Department of Education3Hingson RW, Heeren T, Winter MR. Age at drinking onset and alcohol dependence: age at onset, duration, and severity. Pediatrics 2006;160:739–74642009 Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance Survey http://health.state.ga.us/epi/cdiee/studenthealth.asp

ALCOHOL is tHe mOst COmmOnLy used drug AmOng Our nAtiOn’s yOung peOpLe, surpAssing tObACCO And iLLiCit drugs!1

learn more at stopalcoholunder21.org

tHey grOw up FAst... but tHey Aren’t 21 yet

scan the QR code to learn more

JAN2014

features

opinions

14 market sharingTHE CITY MARKET gets a hand up from Mattress Direct's main squeeze

26 city city bang bangLIVEFIRE WEAPONS AND RANGE owner Jonathan Griffin ha

long since grown tired of the commute to shoot,

so he decided to—quite literally—live by the gun

16 real boss hogsJ. BRYANT STEELE tells us how to take life tips from the beloved Mandela

33 legit=commitKENT HOWARD counsels on dumping flimsy resolutions for real commitment

20 video killed the radio star Fox Sports South's WES DURHAM fields questions on his sudden TV fl

42 the orchid chiefPro planner HOLLY LYNCH discusses Pantone's implications for a "radiant" 2014

34 point. set. match.Kingston Downs' COUNTERPOINT MUSIC FESTIVAL signals the drop of an economic revolution in NWGA


Ducks Unlimited is the largest wetlands conservation organization in the world. We are also a 501c3 charity group so every donation is tax deductible.

A GREAT FUN NIGHT OUT IN ROME WITH THE SAME GREAT CATERING AS LAST YEAR.Merchandise on hand for fishermen, deer hunters, duck hunters, turkey hunters, people who do not hunt at all.

Shotguns, rifles, handguns, coolers, fishing rod & reel combos, house decor items.

The Only Sportsman’s Spectacular event of the season.

All outdoor enthusiasts welcome.

O ver the Thanksgiving holiday, the Griffin family made our biannual trip to Orlando and the Disney World Resorts—one that we as parents look forward to and dread at the same time, while the kids are nothing but excited. Believe me, squeezing five parks into four days—the Magic

Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot Center, Hollywood Studios, and Blizzard Beach Water Park—is a real workout, but despite wait times exceeding two hours, this year we somehow managed to ride almost every attraction on our wish list. For the most part, things went smoothly, and my wife and I were blown away by the patience our children exhibited.

I mention these wait times because, as we were leaving the Animal Kingdom on our last day, I was approached by one of the park’s “cast members” (a.k.a. staffers) to take an online survey. I agreed, and later filled out the questionnaire, in which one question stood out vividly among the rest. It asked if I had used the “Fast Pass” option while at the park, and, if so, how I would rate my experience with the service. For those of you unfamiliar with Fast Pass, theme parks everywhere have been offering them for years now. The deal is, you fork out a little extra cash and, in so many words, are thereby allowed to

reserve a space in line to avoid waiting. I have used them at various parks and have elected not to spend the extra cash at others, and I can’t say that I didn’t enjoy having Fast Pass during those times that I did choose to fork out the extra cheese.

Anyhow, on this most recent trip, we went without, and it wasn’t until I returned home and began filling out this survey

that my true feelings on the matter rose to the surface. Disney, you see, prides itself on providing a “magical” experience for everyone who enters its parks, and by electing to offer a better experience for those who can afford it, have inadvertently created a

“haves and have-nots” situation among its guests. This incites animosity, and thanks to a couple rotten apples from Snow White’s wicked queen, who taunted the rest of us without Fast Passes as they breezed ahead in line, that animosity grew to a fever pitch several times during our time in Orlando.

As I said before, I have enjoyed this paid luxury myself, so I understand the allure and certainly don’t blame anyone else for buying in. Yet, when asked by Disney pollsters how I felt about Fast Pass, I suddenly flipped the script and wrote that I thought it was terrible. I asked myself: If Walt Disney, a man who once spent an entire day in his park watching how many feet a person would walk with trash before dropping it on the sidewalk—in order to ensure his trash cans were placed throughout the park in that precise increment, every 10 feet— would

want all of his guests, regardless of budget, to wait the same amount of time to enjoy the rides at his park. Based on my understanding of his grand vision for Disney World, I would say the answer to that question would have been yes.

Perhaps the “cast members” and their bosses will indeed read my little note and take it to heart, perhaps not. But according to an excerpt from Disney’s Original Epcot/Florida film from 1966, “The touchstone of Disney Land’s success is its concern for people, a wholehearted dedication to the happiness of the people who visit here.” If this is really the ideal upon which the parks were founded, it might be a good idea to revisit the Fast Pass option.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF + PRODUCTION MANAGER +

MAG ART & DESIGNNeal Howard

WRITERSJ. Bryant Steele, Luke Chaffin, Oliver Robbins, Holly Lynch, Kent Howard, Neal Howard,

Ian Griffin, Matt Davis

PHOTOGRAPHYDerek Bell, MFA706.936.0407

CHIEF OF ADVERTISING + OFFICE MANAGER +

SALES DIRECTORIan Griffin

AD SALES + CLIENT RELATIONS

Shadae Yancey-Warren,Chris Forino

AD DESIGN + MARKETING CONCEPTS

Ellie Borromeo, Laura Briggs

PUBLISHERV3 Publications, LLC

CONTACTOne West Fourth Avenue

Rome, Ga. 30161Office Phone>706.235.0748

Email>[email protected]

v3magazine.com


Ian Griffin, V3 Managing Partner

Neal Howard

CREATIVE PARTNER+HEAD

DESIGNER+EDITOR-IN-

CHIEF

Ian GriffinMANAGING PARTNER+

HEAD OF ADVERTISING

NOTEPUBLISHERS'


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Some businesses thrive on hard work alone, others fail or succeed by chance. A select few are simply meant to be.

The latter of the three best captures Rome’s newest addition to the home décor scene, the City Market, located at 137 East First Street. Owner/operator Denise Miller happened into this new venture somewhat by accident, she says. With a strong background in finance, Miller was no stranger to running a business. She had owned Seven Hills Settlements for years before selling, after all, though she says she had always enjoyed working with furniture, she had next to zero retail experience. Thus her reincarnation into the business arena as a furniture buff was, needless to say, a storyline she hadn’t seen coming.

WILL&AWADE

That’s precisely when Rome entrepreneur Roger Wade entered the picture. Turns out Wade just happened to have quite a bit of inventory to unload from his warehouse, and not long after mentioning this to Miller, the two hatched preliminary plans for the City Market. “The marriage into this business was as natural as it gets in business,” Wade says. “Here I was, sitting on this big building that had already been partially built out for the Foxworthys, and the space that they used provides a high-end dramatic statement when you walk through the door. I had the furniture, the equipment, and the space to meet the needs of a business like this, so all I needed was the right person

T E X T I A N G R I F F I NP H O T O S D E R E K B E L L


How a chance encounter with local businessman Roger Wade left THE CITY MARKET’s Denise Miller (left) not only with a showroom to die for, but also with a chance at matching—if not exceeding—her former small-business-world successto walk through the door—and Denise was that person.”

“Roger was having an estate sale,” Miller explains, “and I came in to buy a few things and chat with him a bit. At that point, the warehouse was just being used for storage and he wasn’t really doing anything with the space, so I asked him what he planned on doing with it. And being as quick-witted as he is, he said he was renting it to me, of course.”

Wade was only making the suggestion in jest; Miller ended up renting the space nonetheless. The pair’s original intent was to use it only for furniture painting and repair work, but the end result has brought us a grand showroom full of new and used, high-end furniture, as well as designated

floor-spaces where, currently, 29 local vendors too can showcase their wares—as long as they meet standards outlined by the store. This helps City Market to earn a commission from the items sold in these booths, while simultaneously allowing vendors to turn a profit without incurring the expense of running their own stores.

Discussions between Miller and Wade began back in March 2012, and by May of that year, a new corporation had been formed. The City Market’s grand opening took place on June 1, 2012, and a quick startup was facilitated by high interest from local vendors. Having a prime location certainly didn’t hurt, either.

During the real estate boom, Wade had been using the space to store bedroom sets

and other various pieces from his flooded inventory, but as liquidation later became a necessity, he realized a new direction for the space as a whole was needed.

Officially, Wade only serves City Market as a consultant and landlord, but he can be found hanging

out there quite regularly. He has even started covering weekend shifts without placing himself on the payroll, meanwhile serving as mentor to Miller as she better learns the minutia of running of retail business. “I’m not sure what I would have done without his guidance,” she says. “My only retail experience was gained from a summer job at a restaurant, and that was certainly not for me. He has done a great job reminding me of what it takes to be successful, but letting the decisions it takes to get there land squarely on my shoulders. This business wouldn’t be here without him, and as much as I enjoy what we are doing here, I can’t thank him enough.”

The sprawling home of City Market (also home to Mattress Direct on its Broad Street


side), is filled with both new and antique items fitting any bill in the world of home décor. Fine artwork is abundant here, too, and prices range from the extremely affordable to the extremely pricey, so there is literally something for every class of spender.

It is a comfortable, no-pressure shopping experience, and those who enter City Market’s doors will receive only a warm greeting before being left to ask questions at their leisure. The climate-controlled building’s temperature is, Miller adds, adjusted specifically to maintain the integrity of all pieces of display—yet another consideration that sets City Market apart from its competitors.

On the repair-work side of what Miller and Wade offer, the restoration department, headed by Emily Farmer, is said to be capable of taking any antique and returning it

to its original glory. And with an extra next-door resource in the Floyd County Homemakers Society, just about any conceivable project can be executed to perfection when this staff puts their heads together.

"WE HAVE OUR WEBSITE AND FACEBOOK PAGE INTEGRATED

AND ARE CONSTANTLY UPDATING WHAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE IN THE STORE, UP

FOR AUCTION, OR AT AN AUCTION."

away in unused rooms. These sales can be facilitated painlessly by City Market regardless of the circumstances, and in the event of a loved one’s passing, their experience in handling the details with these matters is invaluable.

On the everyday, much lighter side of the coin, the message is clear: “We do everything in our power to make our customers happy,” says Miller. “We have our website and Facebook page integrated and are constantly updating what we have available in the store, up for auction, or at an estate sale. We also keep a wish list for our customers, so that we can constantly keep an eye out for the things they are looking to purchase for their home. So, while we may not have what you’re looking for in stock, we know somebody who will eventually track it down for us.”

The words its owners use to describe The City Market, in a nutshell, are few and to the point: “purposefully different.” It is a seemingly accurate characterization, too, given that it is certainly several cuts above your run-of-the-mill antique mall. “As long as the customer leaves with a smile on their face, I don’t mind if they leave with anything else,” Miller says. “While I certainly don’t mind when they make a purchase, our priority is to create a comfortable and unique shopping experience for everyone who walks through our doors.” VVV

THE CITY MARKET, located at 137 East First Street in Rome, is open Mon-Sat 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Sun 1-5:30 p.m.

The term “estate sale” is most often associated with death, but Miller is quick to point out that homeowners often need to downsize, and therefore may find thousands of dollars worth of sellable items tucked


238 Broad St Rome, GA 30161 770.234.9000


employees, and I think they appreciated the way I manage; I’ve had terrible bosses as well, and I know I wasn’t inspired—even if I did still work hard; and I’ve had bosses for whom I would run through a brick wall.

As for my children? They’re grown now. At least they think they are. But I know they appreciate that I was there for them when they were growing up. They tell me so.

t he Atlanta Journal-Constitution just reported an investigation of black representation in Georgia municipalities, which found counties that vote at-large, rather than by district,

are under-represented by black officials. Northwest Georgia votes at-large in every county. In the AJC’s investigation, only Floyd County looks good. It has 14 percent black voters, 20 percent black elected officials.

By contrast, Chattooga, Bartow and Gordon counties have zero elected black officials. I think the lesson is that, whatever its faults may be, Rome is a beacon in these parts.

Far-righters, from politicians to talking heads to cartoonists, have been critical

now that the generous, devotional, optimistic spirit of the holiday season is behind us, we can look at the eternal question: Is

your boss a jerk? Or, as one study asked, do jerks make better bosses?

My answer is no, and I can tell you why.I once had an employee who asked if she

could come into the office at 7 and leave at 4, as she had small children to take care of. I said sure. A colleague, a woman who never had children, threw a hissy fit, and questioned my employee’s devotion to work and to the company.

A few years later, that colleague became my boss, and I had children of my own. I left the office every day at 5 so my nanny could get home to be with her own family. This drove the boss crazy. She made rude comments such as, Can’t you rent those children out? (Which I was sort of doing 9 hours a day, though the nanny was a devoted and loving caregiver.) The boss also liked to point out that she stayed in the office every evening until 7 or later—probably a good thing from her husband’s point of view. My pointing out that I started working from home each day at 6, and that I worked from home after I got back, and that I arrived at the office an

hour earlier than her fell on deaf ears. She thought the hours she and others kept were an indication of dedication, and my level of dedication was lacking.

Nevermind that she was a talentless busybody who never accomplished in a week what I accomplished in a day. She had her own idea of what hard work was, and it involved a lot of meetings. She also frowned on three workers who would take a walk every day during lunch rather than eating at their desks, as she did.

We had a faux “crisis” once, and a colleague canceled a vacation with his family. The boss announced that in a meeting, and you could tell she expected applause. So everyone clapped. I didn’t.

I decided that women who don’t have children are the worst bosses. And that was reinforced later by another woman who never had children. I think they just don’t get it, the notion that work isn’t everything.

I later had another employee who asked if she could work from home a couple of days a week. This was before telecommuting took hold. My reply gained a little notoriety: “I don’t care if you work from a phone booth, as long as the work gets done.”

So, do jerks make better bosses? I can’t find any reason to say yes. I have had good

BizBits


Cents&with J . Bryant SteeleSensibility

long issue. All he could do was shake his head and say, “Sounds stupid.”

Finally, this: I, like most, followed the tributes and news accounts after the passing of Nelson Mandela. Of course, I didn’t think there was anything I could legitimately write about it, but then this occurred to me: I had not heard anyone

One for theFreedom Fighters

of Pope Francis because he advocates for the poor. Rush Limbaugh has said the Pope is promoting Marxism. This doesn’t require much comment, only that the Pope is a learned man with a great care for the downtrodden. Rush Limbaugh is a self-centered blowhard.

What state would you guess consumes the most beer per person? Georgia? Alabama? Florida? None of them even make the top 10, according to the Beer Institute. Number one is North Dakota. Texas, which might have been one of your guesses, did come in at number 9—the only Southern state.

Who would have guessed that Yankees drink more beer? (I thought they were more into alcohol that involves a recipe instead of just twisting off a cap.)

A quick personal note: Recently, ESPN sent a driver to take me to Atlanta. A crew was taping a show that will air in February. The best part, though, was that I didn’t have to drive, and I spent the remaining

trips back and forth in a luxurious Town & Country. It took up most of my day and I didn’t get paid (although I did get lunch), but the driver was a nice, conversant young man. We mostly talked about sports, but at one point, he did wonder aloud why US-411 doesn’t connect directly to I-75. I gave him a condensed version of this decades-

If your boss is an A-1 jerk—as so many of them prove to be—it could serve the working man/woman well to think more like the late Mandela

mention the song “Abraham, Martin and John,” a popular tune in 1968-69. It paid tribute to the lives—and deaths—of

Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Kennedy Brothers, all of whom fought for freedom in different ways, and all of whom were assassinated.

The resonating line in the song is “It seems the good, they die young.” Nelson Mandela, despite a long imprisonment and oppression, lived to the age of 95. For once, for the generation of the ’60s, the good didn’t die young. VVV

J. Bryant Steele is an award-winning business journalist based in Rome, Ga.


MD: How did you get started in broadcasting?WD: My dad, obviously, was in this business—retired a few years ago after doing (University of) North Carolina basketball and football games for 40 years—and so I saw, in kind of an abstract way, my dad go to work. I saw him go to the games, then I actually started going to the ballgames when I was a kid and I would sit with my mom. Then, in my teenage years, is when I started sitting in the radio booth during Carolina football games or standing behind him at old Carmichael Auditorium when they played basketball. That’s one part of it.

The second part of it was I played sports just like any other kid growing up. I played football, played basketball, played baseball, dabbled in golf a little bit, and I guess I realized I wasn’t going to be a college basketball star—wasn’t going to be a college basketball player—and as a way to stay connected to the sports I really enjoyed, [broadcasting] was the way to do it.

I was kind of blessed to make an early decision—I decided when I was basically 14 years old—that this is what I wanted to do, and I had an opportunity to get some great experience as a kid growing up. One thing kind of led to another, and I had the opportunity to get some great college experience at Elon in North Carolina, where I did 150 college football and basketball games in school. It just changed dynamically, then I had two great summer internship experiences in television at Channel 2, a CBS affiliate, WFMY in Greensboro. One thing kind of led to another, then off I went in 1988 to Radford University, and 25 years later—gosh, it doesn’t seem like 25—things have gone really, really well for me. I’ve been really fortunate.

I read on the Internet that you were a disc jockey at a roller rink in your high-school days. Now, let’s put this in perspective: What year would you say it was?(Laughs loudly) I can tell you exactly when it was. It was the winter of 1984, my senior year in high school, and there was a roller rink called Sportsworld—more or less a poor man’s Dave & Buster’s, that’s what you’d know it as today. I’d had kind of a fascination

with playing records and being a disc jockey, and it was a two-fold thought:

It’d be a great place to meet girls—and it was—and, number two, it was an opportunity to ad lib. You know, you could play music but you also had to talk. You had to sell the events, you had to sell a little contest you might run at the rink that night—those kinds of things. I did that in and out of basketball season my senior year, and then on into spring. And then, right when my high-school graduation occurred in June of 1984, I left.

I only worked there for six months, but I got everything I wanted out of it in terms of playing records and ad libbing. Then when I actually did go on the radio stations as a disc jockey in college, it was very beneficial. So I joke around about it.

Marvin Lewis, who played basketball at Georgia Tech a decade ago, had more fun

with that than anybody else. We were on the way to the Final Four in San Antonio one time and he came up to me on the plane and goes, “Man, I just wanna know, is this as much fun as being a disc jockey at the roller rink?”

No kidding. I’m having this vision of you with gold chains in the ’80s, doing the hokey pokey or something like that. Whoa, whoa, let’s don’t go “chains” plural now. I had a gold chain. But my best friend from North Carolina, who I’ve known since I was 13, we had breakfast about a month ago during football season when I went up there to do a ballgame, and he still laughs about it. Just thinks it’s hilarious.

I wish there were some pictures of this happening to go along with the story.They were burned with state’s evidence, sorry.

I kind of had a feeling you might say that. But moving on: You were the radio voice of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets for 18 years. Some of those years you were the voice of the Jackets and the Atlanta Falcons at the same time. But this year you made a decision—a very difficult one, I imagine—to leave Georgia Tech for a television gig at Fox Sports South to broadcast ACC

football and baseball. Has TV always been one of your goals?It became a goal. To tell you that it was a goal a decade ago would not be true. It became a goal in the last few years, and I have been very blessed that every time I’ve made a move like that, I’ve had a seemingly soft landing—for lack of a better term.

A decade ago I would have been happy to continue doing the Yellow Jackets, and I had just started doing the Falcons. I would’ve been very content to continue doing that for the remainder of my career, then about three years ago some things started to develop for me. I knew that television was going to play a bigger role in college athletics and I could sense it coming. I had been a part of some and meetings and I’d had a couple of dinners with some people who were telling me a little bit about what was going to happen,

so I started looking at the landscape of college athletics and I thought, you know what, not only that, but I also need to find out personally [if I can do TV]. I had never really done any television. Since coming to Georgia Tech I had done a few college

baseball games and some basketball games from time to time, but I hadn’t done any football, in measure, at all since college—and that was the only time I ever really did anything.

So, 18 months ago, I was trying to pick up a game here and there. It was difficult, obviously, doing Tech and the Falcons. The Falcons were playing into January the last couple of years for the playoffs, so the open window with basketball—and with Tech usually going to a bowl game and things like that—it just really wasn’t developing. To make a long story real short here, Matt, last winter about this time I got the football schedule a couple of weeks before it was released at Georgia Tech, and they had four Saturdays off this past fall—two Thursday games and two open Saturdays. So I talked to the people who represent me and said maybe this is an opportunity to do some stuff, then we had some meetings in the spring and [Fox Sports South] had some interest in me doing some things for them on a limited basis. So I went ahead and did some production for them in the month of May, and then, all of a sudden, what I thought might be a couple of football games and three or four basketball games became an offer to do a full slate of football and basketball—do 14 football games and 29 basketball games, plus up to eight or 10 baseball games this spring. Then,

"...I realized I wasn't going to be a college basketball star—wasn't going to be a college basketball player—and as a way to stay connected to the sports I really enjoyed, [broadcasting] was the way to do it."


No-BullDurhamAfter 18 years service as the radio voice of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Fox Sports South's Wes Durham tells us why the lure of televised action was

one he simply couldn't shake

Q&A by Matt Davis


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ATLANTAATLANTAATLANTABenefiting the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine


"...Literally in the span of about three or four days, I had to make a career decision ... I have some great business friends who said, hey, you're 47 years old. This opporunity may not come again, and you don't want to have any regrets."

in addition, two or three events that might be used in half-hour specials and things.

All of a sudden, literally in the span of about three or four days, I had to make a career decision. Fortunately, my wife Victoria was a great support; I have two children from my first marriage who live very close, so staying in Atlanta was of premium importance. And my relationship with the Atlanta Falcons was of premium importance. That great support I get from the Falcons and the great support I get from my family, the support I get from my dear friends in Atlanta—some of whom are Georgia Tech people I talk to—[is critical]. I have some great business friends who said, hey, you’re 47 years old, this opportunity may not come again, and you don’t want to have any regrets.

So that’s where I got with it, and I was blessed with a soft landing because I had an opportunity to do games in a league that I knew, and with coaches and conference people that I knew. And also, at the same time, embark on it with television people that I knew. Randy Stevens, who was brand new at Fox Sports, and Greg Ritchie, their coordinating producer, I was very familiar with. The people at Raycom in Charlotte [and] the people I’d already known made it a very easy transition professionally, but it was a very emotional decision to make. It was hard to walk away after 18 years at Georgia Tech, but it was an opportunity I just could not pass up.

It’s interesting that you use the word “transition,” because obviously, from a broadcasting perspective, a TV call is a lot

different from a radio call. Being that you still do the Falcons games on the radio, what is it like transitioning [back and forth between the two mediums]?Well, it’s funny because, obviously, Dave Archer has been doing the ACC package on Raycom for many years. He did the SEC package with Dave Neal before that, and he’s been doing ACC Football the last four or five years. Dave was one of the people that counseled with me on this decision, and he said, Well, the one thing about television is, you don’t have the show anymore. I’m the show. And I laughed and I said, Are you talking about it being an analyst’s game in television, as opposed to being a play-by-play guy? And he said, Exactly.

That really is one of the key elements. You know, in basketball I’m working with Dan Bonner and Mike Gminksi and Cory

Alexander; I’m even going to get a game with Bobby Cremins this year and a couple with Dave Odom, which will be hilarious. But it really is an analyst’s game, and that’s the one thing I’ve kind of kept in mind all along here.

I’ve enjoyed that transition. The radio broadcast is a play-by-play game because you have to be so descriptive, to take people from what the formation is to whether or it’s snow flurries or a wintry mix. So it has been a unique transition for me, but it has been a

great challenge and a great energizer. I was just asked yesterday, in Green Bay by a guy from the Midwest I’ve known for several years, Have you enjoyed it? I said, No, I haven’t enjoyed it, I’ve loved it. And it

really has been fun for me to get involved in it this year.

In terms of your pregame preparation, what would you say are the biggest differences between a television game and a radio game? That’s a really good question, and it’s one that I proposed to a TV producer early in the year. Because I said, hey, look, I’m going to

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HOME ONTHE RANGE

TEXT OLIVER ROBBINSPHOTOS DEREK BELL

ALL SECURITY SPECIALIST AND

LIVEFIRE WEAPONSAND RANGEOWNER JONATHAN GRIFFIN WANTED WAS A PLACE CLOSER TO HOME TO PRACTICE HIS SHOOTING. NOW ALL NORTHWEST GEORGIA'S ONLY INDOOR FIRING RANGE NEEDS IS ENOUGH NEW CLIENTELE TO MAKE IT GO BANG


Roughly a stone’s throw from the Rock Store gas station on Kingston Highway sits a large, aluminum-sided warehouse. Many Floyd County residents may have driven by without a

thought as to what lies behind its walls. A wooden sign reading LiveFire is posted at the driveway to the building, and the lot is almost always occupied by a black Dodge Ram pickup, recognizable by the custom license plate, “SIRJON”.

So, just what is happening inside this place that is so intriguing, you may ask? LiveFire Weapons and Range, located at 3448 Kingston Road just outside Rome, is a full-service, indoor shooting range open to the public, and it is the only facility in town that offers unique opportunities to gun enthusiasts who wish to dig deeper into the sport.

Thirty-one-year-old Jonathan Griffin, owner/operator of LiveFire, wishes to formally

invite everyone out to tour his facility. Griffin is a Roman, born and bred, and his love for the sport of target shooting has inspired him to open an indoor range that he says is constantly evolving to meet the needs of his customers. A wide array of products, classes, services and group outings are readily available for those of us who wish to become more proficient in the field of guns and ammo.

Griffin, however, didn’t start his career with a passion for guns, nor how they operate. “I started

called the Law Enforcement and Security Specialists Private Training Academy (LESSPTA), at the suggestion of friends who were recent graduates. “I really liked guns, and the security training was a way that I could learn to use them safely,” Griffin says. He obtained his basic security officer certificate, as well as his pistol certification, and was able to find employment in the Atlanta area, working doors for nightclubs and providing armed security for special events.

Because he was new to the profession, Griffin worked hard to sharpen his craft. Part of honing his skill set involved frequent visits to the firing range for practice with his weapon. “I was driving all the way to Kennesaw and Lawrenceville just to practice shooting.” He soon realized that he was not alone in making the long trek that linked gun owners in Greater Rome to a place designated for safely discharging a firearm. “When I would go to ranges that were out of town, I would meet people from Rome at those ranges,” Griffin says. The lack of convenience to the nearest range planted the seed to open his business. “Maybe if there

out working on cars at Bob Williams Dodge, and at an oil-change garage,” he explains.

When asked if hunting is what led him to venture into target shooting, he replies, “My dad was into hunting, but I never really got into it.” He tells the story of a frigid winter morning spent deer hunting with his father, a morning that left him somewhat ‘out in the cold’ after they both left the stand with no prize to mount on the wall. Jonathan enjoyed shooting, but the wait for game to enter his sights left him longing for more. He began shooting shotguns and rifles with family members for target practice only, and his love for the sport was born.

Griffin then decided he would switch his career gears and put down the wrench altogether. He applied to a school in Lawrenceville, Ga.

JONATHAN GRIFFINLivefire Weapons and Range

"I WAS DRIVING ALL THE WAY TO KENNESAW AND LAWRENCEVILLEJUST TO PRACTICE SHOOTING. WHEN I WOULD GO TO RANGES THAT WERE OUT OF TOWN, I WOULD MEET PEOPLE FROM ROME AT THOSE RANGES."


was a place closer to home,” Griffin adds, detailing the business model for LiveFire, “other people would come who were looking for a place to shoot.”

After obtaining his Federal Firearms License, working with local officials to secure permits, and finding a building he could modify to conform to EPA standards, LiveFire opened its doors to Northwest Georgia on Aug. 31, 2012. Griffin says he was pleased with the support he received from local government. “Everyone was all for it. Fortunately, some of them have guns and love to shoot them.”

LiveFire is a business Griffin hopes he can continue to expand by building his list of services around the people he hears from in the community. He currently offers a multi-lane, climate-controlled range, in which shooters can sight a target up to 25 yards. Citizens with disabilities who wish to practice shooting will be glad to know his range is handicap accessible. LiveFire also offers gun-safety classes for novices, or formal certification for more seasoned shooters. “We offer basic gun-safety courses to the public, and we can also certify law enforcement or military personnel.”

Griffin has also partnered with an instructor at LESSPTA to offer state-recognized certifications. “Chief (Earl)

Seegers is one of the best in the business,” Griffin says. “A person can take the classes in Cartersville and get their pistol certification on our range.”

John Sarge and John Weeks are the two instructors who contract with Griffin to approve the shooting section of the exam, which can be performed onsite at LiveFire. “We provide all weapons certifications except hunting safety courses, which you can get at wildlife clubs in the area.”

Another unique draw to LiveFire is the ability to offer select gunsmith services. All forms of maintenance for rifles, shotguns and pistols is available, as well as the installation of sights and modifications. “We can teach people to clean their guns. That is part of what we offer here.” He also offers any 1911-style handgun built from the ground up. “You can be very specific in the details of your 1911-style gun. You can have one made in a 9 mm., .45, .40, or pretty much any caliber.” He hopes to grow this aspect of his business, and if the demand is strong enough, he is confident he can meet your needs. “We may add custom rifle services if that’s something people want. We adapt to the customer.”

LiveFire currently sells ammunition, gun accessories, and any legal weapon is available for order. Griffin keeps several

varieties of guns in stock to rent, and many more to sell.” If you come in to see us and you want something dealing with firearms, we try to do it for you.”

Griffin also runs his outfit with a strong focus on safety, and he has a few things he would like folks to know when getting started in the sport of shooting. “Whether the gun is loaded or not, we treat all guns as if they are loaded at LiveFire,” he instructs his customers, as he covers his “basics to know” before allowing shooters into the range.

He teaches them to prevent what he refers to as “muzzling,” and stresses the importance of always paying attention to the direction the barrel is facing, even when not at the range. “If you are in a two-story house, up may not be a safe direction. If you are on the second floor, down is not a safe direction.”

Griffin doesn’t allow people to enter LiveFire with a handgun not secured in its case or a holster. Rifles and shotguns are an exception, but a trigger lock is required before services are rendered. Ear protection and safety glasses are also available to rent, and are mandatory inside the firing range.

In addition, LiveFire’s owner has a few tips for storing your guns in the home, and there is one he stresses in particular. “Get

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a gun safe—they make safes for any size gun—especially if there are children in the home.” He references the new technology being used in constructing modern gun safes, which allow easy access only to the gun owner. “We offer gun safes that read your palm print before opening. The safe will not open for your kids or anyone else who may try to get the gun.” These safes are available for order upon request. “[Palm-print recognition safes] range from $100 to $200, but they are well worth the money.”

Jonathan Griffin’s calm nature and wealth of experience are reassuring, his ability to surgically remove the red center of a target with a weapon is impressive, and his attention to detail when servicing patrons who visit his range is exceptional.

He hopes more folks in Rome and Northwest Georgia will come out to learn about a pastime that has recently come under fire in the headlines. “We are one of the safest ranges,” he reassures prospective LiveFire shooters. “All stalls are steel plated, and the proper ventilation has been installed to prevent hazardous gas and lead exposure.” Griffin certainly

realizes the importance of staying safe for loved ones. He talks about how much his family (Betty-Jean, Tyrone and Lajean) have meant to him and supported the start of his business. Therefore, he wishes to remove the negative stigma associated with guns hurting those close to us, by using education and sound practices when dealing with firearms. VVV

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Touchingw i t h K e n t H o w a r dtheLine

as we welcome a new year, 2014, let us also welcome a new approach to the New Year’s resolution. Instead of ringing in the new year

with resolutions plagued by the likelihood of failure, let’s welcome the concept of committing to commitment.

Confused? Don’t be.Each year, millions of Americans ring in

the new year with resolutions. Resolutions have become a New Year’s Day tradition meant to represent a personal commitment to a new beginning, or a turnaround in one or more phases of a person’s life. The majority of those resolutions, however, fail to reach their mark. According to Statistics Brain, only eight percent of people in 2012 actually succeeded in accomplishing and maintaining their resolutions.

Still, it doesn’t always have to end in an epic fail. This year, instead of making a specific resolution—to lose 20 pounds, let’s say, or perhaps save more money than in years past—for 2013 we are going to try a different approach. You see, the reason so many of our resolutions fail to evolve into real, substantive, long-term change in our lives is because our problems do not actually revolve around the pounds we have packed on or the lack of money we have failed to keep safely stashed in our accounts; it is our lack of commitment to commitment. We are quick to commit to a new goal, but not so committed to personal commitment. Our world has become numb to empty

promises. From the resolutions we make each year in our personal lives to the false promises made by our country’s political leaders, who have made a habit of promising us economic and social change that never materializes, the empty promises people levy at us year after year make way for numbness to real commitment. They leave us with the untruth that quitting is acceptable if we just “can’t” commit—i.e. it has become socially acceptable to not reach our goals.

While I might not be the physical specimen I once was in the weight room, I have recommitted myself to a healthy lifestyle. This includes weights and cardio at least four times per week at 36 years young. I look at it as an investment in my family. After all, teaching and coaching doesn’t provide for much opportunity in the way of stockpiling cash.

My wife always asks me, “Why do you work so hard at staying in shape? You look fine.” I might look fine—glad she still thinks so—but the truth is that I want to accomplish several personal goals through staying fit, the top two of which are 1) living long enough to see my two children marry and start their own families, and 2) to get the preferred rate on life insurance, because I am ultra healthy for my age group. In turn, I have committed to my own commitment and refuse to let the natural process of aging steal my heart’s commitment to the ideal.

No offense to you New Year’s health

resolution folks out there, but the reason many of them are out of shape is because it requires the most difficult sort of commitment, which involves physical pain for gain. The arrival of the new year alone won’t change the proclivity to give up, but a new mindset surely will. This mindset is developed by committing to commitment itself. When your commitment gets bigger than the smaller goals of losing weight or saving money, your life will change in a positive way. Everything you commit to will become change for the better, and all the goals you set will become reachable. Losing and not reaching your goal will no longer be an option because your real commitment is to commitment itself.

Therefore, my personal opinion is that New Years resolutions are crap. We shouldn’t need the dawning of a new year to make promises to better ourselves. Instead, commit to commitment and refrain from cheating on yourself. If we can accomplish this singular, more linear goal alone, never again will the farce that is the New Year’s resolution waste your time or misdirect your energy. VVV

Kent Howard is an 11-year NWGA educator, basketball coach and inspirational speaker. To book him for public engagements, call 706.767.3226 or email [email protected]

Instead of committing oneself to almost certain failure, perhaps we should try to look at the bigger picture belying our defeats

Debunking theResolution Myth

pointreturnofmo'

textoliverrobbins picscourtesyofmcppresents



pointreturnofmo'

(above) steveangeloperforms for an ultra-crunk crowd

at Counterpoint 2012 in Atlanta

How the April 2014 arrival of the counterpointmusicfestival is hitting the metaphorical play button on a

cultural/economic soundtrack that could ripple across Greater Rome for generations


knock at the door from an unexpected visitor can be both startling and exciting. If the party on the other side of the door is a stranger, with no ties to a social circle, then

they are likely turned away after a fleeting conversation. However, if the visitor gains credibility by saying they were sent by trusted friends, the door opens wider and a connection is established.

Jonathan Fordin, owner and CEO of MCP Presents, and Brett Keber, president of MCP Presents, have pressed the doorbell on the porches of our local government and now, with the blessing of Rome-Floyd County’s very meticulous public officials, are bringing Northwest Georgia a

the world. “Jon and Brett started promoting local shows in and around Appalachian State University,” Earle recalls. He says they soon realized a strong following for the band, The Disco Biscuits. “In 2003 we started our first festival called Camp Bisco (headlined by The Disco Biscuits), and we have continued to produce that festival for 9 consecutive years now.” The growth of Camp Bisco let MCP know they were onto something big. “We grew the festival from 4,000 to around

20,000 people... That’s where we really cut our teeth.

“Our first festival in the Atlanta area happened in 2007, and it was called the Echo Project.” Earle remembers this project well, because ultimately this would be the locale for the very first Counterpoint Festival. “[The Echo Project] took place on Bouckaert Farms, Chattahoochee Hills.”

Chattahoochee Hills would prove to be the perfect place to host an event of such

a

world-class event in the form of Counterpoint Music Festival, coming to Kingston Downs April 25-27, 2014.

Welcome, gentlemen. Welcome.Kevin Earle, marketing director for

MCP, also wants to formally introduce his production team to the citizens of Northwest Georgia. Earle explains the humble beginnings of what is now a multi-million dollar machine, cranking out star-studded lineups who attract audiences from all around

bigboi @ Counterpoint 2012

reptar

biggigantic

"We have an A-teamof

folks who come together for

these events."


enormous proportion, due to the sheer size and secluded nature of the site, so other festivals seized the chance to drop anchor. “The TomorrowWorld folks (another event produced by MCP Presents) came in and bought the property, and wanted to use that property. We knew the entire time that this property up [near] Rome, Kingston Downs, was available,” Earle says. Wisely, the leadership at MCP Presents decided to seek out alternatives before the next wave of concerts arrived. “We thought it was a win-win situation to be able to bring TomorrowWorld to Atlanta, and keep Counterpoint in the area by moving to the beautiful site that is Kingston Downs.”

With all the necessary permits in place and the festival plans having

for accommodating large crowds at weekend camp-out festivals. There are currently five different festivals in rotation on MCP’s website, all of which have proven to be in very capable hands. They handle everything from traffic control to and from the venue, to waste and sewage disposal. As for Counterpoint’s first appearance at Kingston

Downs, the MCP staff wants to make this weekend as trouble-free for locals as possible, and both city and county officials are pleased with the company’s efforts to ensure a pleasant experience for all involved.

Thankfully for Greater Rome’s prospects as a future big-time live music destination, the feedback from our leadership has been extremely positive. Sammy Rich, assistant city manager, weighed in on our preparedness for a festival that will likely bring 20,000 people per day (60,000 total) into Kingston Downs. “We have an A-team of folks who come together for these events,” Rich explains. “We are already planning to build the Tennis Center of Georgia, which will be the largest in the nation, so we are already thinking big. I think [Counterpoint] will only help with that mission and vision.”

Rich directly refers to the 2012 SPLOST

already been vetted by officials tasked with keeping the surrounding communities safe, Counterpoint has now found a potentially long-term home. “We hope to keep it there for a very long time,” Earle says.

With 12 years experience in promotions, MCP brings to the table an expertise

biggigantic


votes, both of which passed. He explains what an event of this size can do for a community of this size. “This is the essence of economic impact. We want to create events and facilities for entertainment that attract outsiders who don’t live here and pay property taxes. Those people eat at Harvest Moon or maybe Great Harvest, buy gas, and shop in Rome. Everyone benefits.”

Rich is right. It stands to reason that many festivals-goers—not to mention staffers, et al—will venture out and see some of the things Rome has to offer during their stay, doesn’t it? “For folks who come to Rome,” he says, “if you don’t visit downtown, you don’t get the essence of what Rome is all about.”

And as for our city being prepared to absorb the influx of people, Rich’s response is assured. “We are in tune with all services needed when large events come to town. We are in the business of keeping people safe and

we deal with that every day.”Jamie McCord, county manager for Floyd

County, echoes Rich when expressing his confidence in our local government. “We went through all of the logistics, ins and outs, and pros and cons with what they [MCP Presents] were planning, and it appears to be a good weekend for that festival,” he says. McCord also points out that Bartow County has a stake in ensuring the success of Counterpoint, given that half of Kingston Downs is located in our neighboring county’s jurisdiction. “We have had a conversation with Bartow and, basically, what we allow is what they allow. We are very similar, as far as our licenses and permits are concerned.”

With regard to working with MCP promoters, McCord says, “They are very organized. They have certainly done this before, and this is not a new event for them. We couldn’t be more pleased with the level of expertise they bring to the table, the questions they asked, and what they are

"This is the essence of economic impact.We want to create events and facilities for entertainment that attract outsiders who don't live here and pay property taxes. Those people eat...buy gas, and shop in Rome. Everyone benefits."

beatsantique


doing to organize the event.”Of course, local law enforcement will

play a part in making sure things remain civil. McCord says, “We have had brief discussions with our police department. [MCP Presents] will hire their own security, but we will also have Floyd and Bartow County police at the venue. We have made

it very clear what our laws and rules are.” The county manager also points out that since Kingston Downs is on Highway US-411, DOT and Georgia State Patrol will also be helping to direct traffic at the site.

Much like his fellow local officials, McCord appears incredibly excited about Counterpoint coming to our neck of the woods. He is also well-aware of the huge reward in revenue that will likely come as a byproduct of a festival like this, one that could help our area generate

said revenue for many years to come. “If they continue to pull in some of the acts they have had in the past, this will be a big, big event for us,” says McCord. “Hopefully, this is a successful event for not only us, but for them. And hopefully they will continue to come back.”

MCP Presents has taken the necessary

steps to make Kingston Downs its permanent home, and no one is more thrilled about the possibility of this happening than Lisa Smith, executive director of the Greater Rome Convention & Visitors Bureau. Smith is a 21-year vet in the tourism game, and she is playing for keeps. “We have a class-act production group that has history, financing, a vision, and a good record of organizing massive events. It’s already a piece of property that is used to dealing with 30 to 70,000 people during a well-known event that is Atlanta Steeplechase at Kingston Downs. You take all of these elements and put them in a package, that package is going to work. It’s going to put Rome on the map for this type of quality, multi-day festival.”

Smith has also sat in on the nearly year-long meetings with Counterpoint officials and local government department heads. “They are not only thinking Counterpoint. They are asking what else can we do with the infrastructure and staging area on the farm.” Smith notes that an event of this nature often opens the doors for more big-name live entertainment to come to Floyd County,

upuntilnow(feat.davidmurphyofSTS9)


and, in turn, will inject more capital into the cash drawers of local businesses. “Floyd County is really coming into its own,” she says. “This is an economic impact generator, which every community is chomping at the bit to find.”

Smith provides an angle not yet visited by other officials. “What is really neat is the residuals that are here after the event has gone. We saw that happen after Tour de Georgia.” She refers to the new construction of roads and “entranceways” into the city. She also addresses the possibilities at hand for local entrepreneurs—the potential boost given to our hospitality industry, for one. It’s no secret the construction of hotels that are bigger, more upscale, and offer special amenities equal jobs, jobs, jobs. “When we host an event that is international, it starts to broaden everyone’s bases,” Smith says.

She does want to point out that our hotels already do a wonderful job accommodating out-of-towners, and that our restaurants rise to the occasion as well. But with more demand comes the need for broader options. She hopes that soon Rome will offer much greater diversity in entertainment, creating an overall better quality of life for the home team.

When talking about any potential snags she might foresee, Smith too is confident in

the groundwork MCP has laid ahead of the big April weekend. “I don’t see a problem with public safety out there. They are used to getting traffic in and out of that area. We (all local agencies concerned) work really well together as a team.” She also has an interesting, and quite comical, observation when addressing any noise problems that

may arise from the music at the festival. “They will be able to have their decibel levels as high as they need them to be, and all that will be rocked out there are the rivers and the catfish.”

“No matter where we come,” says Earle of MCP, “we tend to generate millions of dollars in revenue, spread across multiple

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you to bring water to the campsite. Water is the essence of life, so bring enough for the entire weekend.”

Since the farm is over 5,000 acres, Earle advises concertgoers to bring something with wheels

to roll your supplies to camp. He says when buying tickets for the weekend, be sure that you check out the several different ticket options available. Some price points allow easier access to stages, offer shorter waits in line, and other perks not afforded to general-admission ticketholders.

So get ready, Northwest Georgians, to join the ranks of the many small American towns forever burned into music history by way of hosting epic concerts. Will Kingston Downs be mentioned alongside names like Manchester, Tenn., the 12-year home of the Bonnaroo Music Festival, and Woodstock, N.Y.?

Earle thinks so. “With Counterpoint coming to Kingston Downs, it’s going to put Northwest Georgia on the map as a predominant music location that people will know and recognize for years to come.”

Thanks, MCP Presents and Counterpoint. We hope you guys stay as long as you like. VVV

different sources. That includes everything from convenience stores, gas stations, limo services, concessions, and so on and so forth. The larger the festival becomes, the larger the economical impact will be.”

MCP Presents is still hard at work bringing festival attendees the best possible weekend celebration of the arts Northwest Georgia has ever seen, so Earle is only privy to reveal a handful of the attractions Counterpoint will offer its ticketholders. Even the minutia of Counterpoint sounds pretty cool. “We will have a games center and a campground where fans can bond before the music starts,” Earle says. “We will also have different types of workshops…such as yoga, and some activities for the morning crowd.” He adds that carnival rides will also be onsite for people to enjoy. The lineup of acts scheduled to perform at Counterpoint will be released in mid January, so Earle encourages folks to keep an eye on counterpointfestival.com for a complete schedule of events.

“Be sure to bring the proper camping gear,” Earle suggests, “and things to protect you from the elements. That may sound silly, but some people always show up without the proper gear, which is essential in the unpredictable weather of Georgia’s late April. “We will have food and water to purchase onsite, but we always encourage

"This is really an economic impact generator, which every

community is chomping at the bit to find."

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Trends&w i t h H o l l y Ly n c h

Traditions

Last year’s Emerald required no adjective. It spoke for itself. So why add “radiant” to the name this year? And why orchid instead of purple?

When I considered these questions, I also considered why we name anything in

our world. Maybe because a name

gives meaning to things we value. As a

child, I once named a spider living in my bedroom

Charlotte, simply to make her less scary

to me. I know people who name their e-readers—Mr. Book, for instance.

That said, naming a color that is meant to define a year of style and design must be equally important. If we just called the color of the year purple, would we even be having this discussion?

The name orchid connotes many things. An orchid is a

flower—in fact, a family of flowers. There are more than 20,000 species of orchids in the world (vanilla is a type of orchid). Orchids range in color from white to yellow to pink to purple. They are able to grow in all non-glacial areas of the world, but are

When the trendsetters at Pantone decided on "Radiant Orchid" as color of the year for 2014, it levied a simple challenge on us all: blossom with the new year

Shakespeare, via his character Juliet, once asked, “What’s in a name?” knowing full well that a rose called by any other name would still smell as sweet as a rose. The question of what’s in a name still holds, however, and in this world of labels and logos, a name can

mean so much. We spend lots of our time selecting names for things in our world—our children, our pets, our cars. Names matter.

Pantone, the world authority on color, has declared “Radiant Orchid” the color of the year for 2014. I was so enamored with the color of the year for 2013, Emerald, that I have to admit I was a bit disappointed in the orchid selection. Disappointed, that is, until I really started to consider the name Radiant Orchid. Like Shakespeare, I questioned what was behind that name.

The powers that be at Pantone, no doubt, make up the names for these colors while seated around a conference table, which I have always thought would be a fantastic job. So much rides on the name of a color. Remember when Crayola retired some colors a few years ago? “Raw Umber” never had a chance. (How many children would have really claimed Raw Umber as their favorite color, would you say?) The name mattered so much to the crayon’s popularity that it was retired in 1990.

A crayon retired? Seriously?

Shine On You Crazy Stamen

Some colors are simply renamed. Prussian Blue became Midnight Blue in 1958. I’m guessing the Prussians had something to do with the renaming. (Author’s side note: Prussian Blue has its own Wikipedia entry. You should read it.)


to sell the business.Furthermore, the name had to mean

something, at least to me. I also believe a name should mean something to the people who are likely to associate with the business. The Season, as my company is called, has multiple meanings in the event world—Christmas season, wedding season, and a nod to the British debutante season as well. Plus, for me, the verse “to everything there is a season” from Ecclesiastes was a source of inspiration when it was time to start my business—i.e. the season for me to start something new. But the name also means my company must live up to the brand we have created and be important to people in all the seasons of their lives.

I know people with children often agonize

over naming them, or at least I hope they do. When you name someone after someone else, you give them something to live up to. Instead of just naming your child Mary, she is perhaps named for your favorite relative, Great Aunt Mary. Suddenly, you took plain-old purple and made it into Radiant Orchid.

I worry for children whose parents have named them Zeus, Jesus, or Mandela. They sure do have a lot to live up to. I also once knew a woman named Mona Litha—I promise I’m not making this up—who never smiled.

If a name means so much, then let’s give the Pantone people the benefit of the doubt and start off the year with some radiance of our own. Even if you hate the color, let’s try to live up to all the incentive Radiant Orchid has given us: glowing, shiny, radiating energy. Let’s make this the year of Radiant Holly or Radiant Neal or Radiant Mary. Coupled with our amazing new theme song (you did choose a theme song after last month’s column, right?), 2014 is your year to shine. VVV

Holly Lynch is owner of and head planner for The Season Special Events Planning at 250 Broad Street in Rome

I worry for children whose parents have named them Zeus, Jesus, or Mandela. They sure do have a lot to live up to . . . If a name means so much, then let's give the Pantone people the benefit of the doubt and start off the new year with some radiance of our own.

difficult for people to grow in a controlled environment. They are perennials, which means they come back every year with the right care. Orchids are used at weddings, Easter services, and in our take-out food from Thai restaurants. When we think of orchid as a color, we think of a purple-ish tone. Orchid as a crayon color was introduced by Crayola back in 1948, and certainly, orchid as a color has been around for a while.

When you take that purple color and really want to inspire designers and retailers and consumers, you pair orchid with the all-inspiring term “radiant,” meaning to send out light. Radiant was one of many terms used to describe—and save the life of—Wilbur, the pig from Charlotte’s Web. When

Wilbur had to be radiant, he entertained the crowd with back flips and twists. He was flushed and exuberant. Therefore, a radiant purple should be shiny and glowing. The people at Pantone say that Radiant Orchid “inspires confidence and emanates great joy, love and health.” After all of my research and studious pondering, I’m inclined to agree. People that shine with a glowing radiance are healthy and in love with life. The flush of their cheeks would be that pinkish-purple tone we call orchid.

In turn, we are calling the color of the year Radiant Orchid instead of plain-old purple. Having a name like Radiant Orchid means plain-old purple has a lot to live up to this year. It’s the same for us with regard to anything we name—children, cars, businesses. I know that when I named my business, I spent months making sure I was happy with the name before I went public. I knew I wanted a business name that was not tied to my personal name. I have known a few folks in various trades who used their personal names as their business name, only to sell the business at some point. Once the business was sold, the brand that had been built under that man’s good name was ruined by the new, less professional owner. So, naming my events business after myself wasn’t something I wanted to do, assuming that, at some point in the future, I may want


prepare like a would for a radio broadcast, and he said, for you, that’s probably the best thing to do because you’ve done that for so long, even though you’ll probaby use a lot less information than you have in the past...

I still prepare for television games the same way I do for radio, even though I know full well going in that I’m not going to use it all. But it does help me with name and number identification in football, and some of the nuances of basketball the first few ballgames—things of that nature. As for the timing, I’m still a student of the game and I don’t think that’ll ever change.

It’s kind of an unfair question, but youʼve seen a lot of spectacular players, teams, and specific plays in action ... Share with us some of your favorites from your career.The one is, obviously, when you do the Final Four in basketball, that’s pretty good. The run to Final Four in 2000 by Paul Hewitt and his (Georgia Tech) team, that's a highlight.

I’ll give you one that’s a little more abstract: Doing (Falcons tight end and future NFL Hall-of-Famer) Tony Gonzalez’s games for five years has been unbelievable.

Is he really as nice of a guy as he seems like on television?Yep. And the thing that impresses you about Tony is how hard he works at being great. He’s not one of those guys that shows up, rolls the balls out, and says, hey, I’m here. He works at it, and I’ve been blessed to see a guy work that hard and to deserve everthing he gets. VVV

From pg. 23, "No-Bull Durham"

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wishingyou averyHappy

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