JULY/AUGUST

ISSUE 10

2014

BI-MONTHLY

BUSINESS

REPORT

FARM TO FORK TOUR AND DINNER, GREER FARM

Mount Pleasant

BUILDING A STRONGER WORKFORCE

BUSINESS INSIDER how to attract tourists to your business

P.10 NTCC SUMMER SCHOLARSHIP school helps students graduate debt free P.12

10 THINGS TO DO IN MOUNT PLEASANT

Mount Pleasant Business Report | Issue 09

contents: 16

3

12

mtpleasanttx.com

10 7

18

Mount Pleasant

July / August 2014

Partners 4

LinkedIn Tips and Tricks 5

Industrial Training Center 7

Business Insider 10

NTCC Summer Scholarship 12

10 Things To Do 16

Business Spotlight 18

Calendar 19

New Partners

Arci Salon 1&2 Area Wide Movers and Storage Big Tex Trailer Mfg., Inc. Brookshire Food Store Castletop Roofing & Construction Chambers Home Health & Physical Therapy Chili’s Tennison Cowan Inspection East Texas Journal

El Chico Restaurant Goodwill Industries of NE Texas Inc. Greene Title Heart to Heart Hospice Ivan Smith Furniture Jones Insurance Agency Larry Lawrence Construction Longhorn Trailer Sales Mill’s Flower Shop Mount Pleasant Healthcare Center

Offenhauser & Company Peoples Communication, Inc. George O’Neal Republic Services Scott E. Redfearn Inc. Superior Mortgage Texas Farm Bureau Insurance The Design Factory The Space Place Storage Center

May-June Renewals 2014

Renewing

on Social Media

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Motel 6 M.O.M. Ministering Our Military

The Tri-County Press Bella Smiles

Los Pinos Ranch Vinyards, LLC

Taking

To the next level

Guest Blogger, Ronan Keane Business2Community.com If you’re going to do any kind of business develop-ment, prospecting or social selling on LinkedIn, the first thing you need to focus on is optimizing your LinkedIn pro-file. When I say “focus” I mean like a laser beam. Here are some LinkedIn profile tips that will really help you. Every existing and new person you request to con-nect with will judge you based upon how well your profile looks and reads. It could make the difference between lots of new valuable connections or very few. Remem-ber, making good first degree connections is the start to your suc-cess. If you don’t look professional then you must not be professional…perception is reality. Start using the LinkedIn profile tips now to improve your personal brand and getting found. Quick Tip: Use a Word file to write your summary and positions of employment. You can easily see the typos and grammatical errors. 1. Get Found in LinkedIn and Google Searches There were 5.7 billion professionally oriented searches done on LinkedIn in 2012. With LinkedIn’s new Advanced search feature, expect that number to double or triple in 2014. Are you being found for keywords on LinkedIn that could mean new business for you? Have you done your research using Google’s Keyword Tool to see what key-words you should be using on your Profile and in group dis-

cussions? All of these are indexed by LinkedIn and Google. Another reason why you need lots of new first de-gree connections is that first degree connections always appear first in search results. Add the most important keywords to your LinkedIn profile title and your summary. Add those same top key-words to Skills and Expertise and other sections like Inter-ests. Quick Tip: Go to Google.com (make sure you’re

signed out) and start entering your key-words. Google will au-to-populate sugges-tions for searches. These suggestions are top searches per-formed on Google by other people. 2. Keep Your Profile Name Clean

On my profile under my name, my name is ‘Ronan Keane’. I t ’s not ‘Ronan Keane – Email(ronankeane1@gmail.com) or call/text 703-489-7886.’ Don’t confuse LinkedIn search by putting in additional info in your name section. 3. Your Profile Photo There should be absolutely no debate as to wheth-er to include a photo on your profile. LinkedIn relegates people with default grey avatars to the bottom of search results. As humans, since the day we were born we learn to read faces and all their nuances. In fact, we’re experts at reading faces. If there’s no face to look at on your profile you’re at a huge disadvantage. In this heat map, you’ll see that people stare at your photo the most on your LinkedIn profile. This is a top LinkedIn profile tip. There’s a big caveat: make sure your picture looks

Profile tips and tricks

Quick Tip: Use a Word file to write your summary and positions of employment. You can easily see

the typos and grammatical errors.

mtpleasanttx.com 5

Motel 6 M.O.M. Ministering Our Military

The Tri-County Press Bella Smiles

Los Pinos Ranch Vinyards, LLC

good. I mean, not a photo of you at a black tie event or on vacation. Go to a local mall in a shirt or blouse and jacket and get a good photo taken of yourself. I recommend this to all the sales people I train. 4. Your Public Profile URL Nothing says, “I’m a LinkedIn neophyte” with a pro-file url like this: http://linkedin.com/pub/firstname-lastname435564-hjfjrigjhot Clean it up by deleting the extra numbers and letters.

Quick Tip: You should also include this link in your email signature, presentation decks, business cards and any other material that you hand out. 5. Personalize Your Websites Under Contact Info When you edit your website, the drop down menu gives you the option of “other”. Click on it to open a new field that allows you to type in your business name, website name, call-to-action, or description of your website. Quick Tip: Instead of “Company Website” or “Personal Web-site” this section can read “Social Selling for Prospecting” or “Click here: Social Selling Advice”. 6. Recommendations: Powerful Third Party Corroboration LinkedIn tells you your profile is complete with three recommendations. I suggest between 10 – 15 good recom-mendations. And when you’re asking for recommendations, provide a bulleted list of your skills, strengths and services so people will write a more accurate account of how well you performed your job and not: “She’s good at what she

does”. I also recommend that you might write a recommen-dation that the recommender can use or base their recom-mendation from. Quick Tip: Use your written recommendations in all of your promotions, slide decks and collateral. Put them in a PDF and add them as content in your Summary. 7. Join Groups…Strategically There are three types of groups you want to join of the possible 50 you’re allowed to join. A small percentage

should be your competitor’s groups, your in-dustry and your prospects’ indus-tries. The second type are geo-located groups like local cham-bers of com-merce. The third and biggest should be perso-na-type groups for CIOs, CTOs, Entrepreneurs etc. You should be starting dis-cussions in these groups by sharing content and ask-ing people’s opin-ions about the

article or content. 8. Message for Free. Send a message to any LinkedIn group member. Just search for their name in a group and click “message”. Warning: this function should be used very judiciously. I’m not condoning SPAM. 9. Trigger Event – A Prospect Clicked My Link. Wouldn’t it be great to know if a particular person clicked on a link you sent them? It’s possible with bit.ly. Create a free account and send each prospect a custom link. Upload content to Slideshare.net and Google Drive for free to create those links. 10. Collect Leads Directly from Your Profile. Do you have a white paper or ebook to give away? (If not, have one created on a hot topic.) Build a web form with Google Drive. Place the links on your Summary and share them as updates once a day every day.

Your name should ONLY contain your name

Your headline should be catchy and have keywords you want to be found for

Reach at least 501connectionsfor social proof and extending network

Photo should always be professionally taken

mtpleasanttx.com 6

It’s been nearly three years since the Industrial Technology Training Center in Mount Pleasant opened its doors to a class of 20 stu-dents in the fall of 2011. Today, enrollment is more than 200 and graduates are getting good job offers from local manufacturers. The facility, which is a three-way partnership between Northeast Texas Community College, Mount Pleasant Independent School District and the Mount Pleasant Economic Development Corporation, offers an Associate of Applied Science in Industrial Technology degree and certificates in Industrial Technician and Industri-

al Electro-Mechanical Technician. According to the center’s Website, the program of-

fers “industry proven cours-es to provide students with the skills they need to go to work immediately after completion.” T h e s t u d e n t s range from high school students taking dual credit courses to older adults working fulltime jobs and taking online courses to improve their job skills or

train for a better career opportunity. The center, which has offered dual credit courses in the Electrical Program since it opened, just recently added

Building a strong local manufacturing workforce

“One of our missions is to assist local industry and growth and training is a good way to

help them, so that’s important,”

mtpleasanttx.com 7

dual credit courses in its Industrial Maintenance Program. “We just had four students graduate from that pro-gram with a high school diploma as well as their certificate this year,” said Charlie Smith, MPEDC director. Smith says the program is a huge benefit to the MPEDC. “One of our mis-sions is to assist local industry and growth and training is a good way to help them, so that’s im-portant,” Smith said. “It’s also an excellent tool to show visiting industries looking to expand or to relocate how the community can meet their needs for a workforce.” Smith said the most exciting thing for him is to see what he calls the “Push-Pull” concept blossoming. “Parents are now starting to push their students to look at the program as a career path opportunity and local industry is starting to hire – or pull – directly from the pro-gram,” he said.

It’s been a long road to fully capitalize on a vision that began about eight years ago. “In 2006 or 2007 we started working with the Work-force board interviewing industry leaders and the overriding

message was 1) that our workforce is getting older and young people were not coming into manufac-turing,” Smith said. “And 2) in the future we’ll be bringing in more technol-ogy and we needed a workforce trained to use that technology and more importantly, a workforce that can program and

service it.” In 2008, NTCC hired Dr. Brad Johnson as the new president of the college. Johnson had come from Amarillo College, which utilized a lot of skills training, Smith said. “At that time, NTCC didn’t do a lot of hard skills training for manufacturers and Dr. Johnson was excited to get on board with this,” he said. That’s when the idea of an industrial training center

“Any way you can light a fire or turn the light on in a high school

kid is a job well done.”

mtpleasanttx.com 8

and a financial and goals-setting partnership between the three entities was born. Several local businesses made financial contributions to the project as well. “There was a lot of support there from the communi-ty,” Smith said. The center has earned the MPEDC state and inter-national awards as well for its innovation through the training center. “You know you’ve got a good program when indus-try calls and says to the instructor, ‘I need two new people and I’d like to get them from this program. I’d like you to send out several students that you think are good candi-dates,’” Smith said. To continue to grow its enrollment, the MPEDC has invested in 15-second ads that are running at Mount Pleas-ant Cinema 6 before the movies begin. The training center is

also marketing the center by attending high school career programs. “A lot of these kids may not have traditional college in their future and they need to know that this is an option for them. Getting a little bit of added training makes them much more marketable in their community,” Smith said. “Any way you can light a fire or turn the light on in a high school kid is a job well done.” Smith said industry representatives and site location consultants that have toured the facility have been very im-pressed. “They are excited. I was giving a tour to a site loca-tion consultant and I struck up a conversation with one of the students – a young man on a team of four working on a Skills USA project. He shook my hand and then looked at the consultant and shook his hand and introduced himself. He said his goal was to finish the electrical program and apply for a scholarship to the Luminant training facility and work for Luminant. He’s a junior in high school and he knows where he is going and how he is going to get there,” Smith said. “The consultant was very impressed. I could have hugged the kid right there! We got a lot of good feed-back on that.” To learn more about the Industrial Technology Center visit them online at NTCC.edu View the Industrial Training Center’s videos on MPEDC’s YouTube Channel For more information on this opportunity , please call Charlie Smith, Executive Director of MPEDC at 903.572.6602 or charleslsmith@mpcity.org

mtpleasanttx.com 9

Business Insider Texas Tourism is BIG Business BY Marty Prince Tourism makes an important and sizeable contribu-tion to our economy. According to the Office of the Gover-nor, travelers to Texas spent a record-breaking $65 billion in 2012. That’s a 6 percent increase from the previous year. That same year, tourism to Texas supported more than 568,000 jobs and generated $4.4 billion in state and local taxes. Tourism is really part of everybody’s business, which is why it is such an important industry to East Texas. As cities grow denser, rural East Texas has become in-creasingly attractive to tourists. In fact, rural Texas is second only to the Alamo in popularity with travelers to the Lone Star State. To help your business take full advantage of the summer seasonal travel, I’ve put together a few tips: Tip No. 1: Traveler 101 Knowing your audience and their needs is your first step in capturing a corner of the tourism market. If you are not a stand-alone tourist destination, understanding why visitors already come to your community is very important; it can help you determine the audience for your marketing and their needs as consumers. Why do people come to your community - business,

pleasure, shopping, personal, medical or education? What needs are associated with those purposes - food,

lodging, shopping? What is their mood - relaxed, nervous, rushed? Tip No. 2: Be YOU-nique Determine what makes your business unique and how your products/services are different from your local and regional competitors. Are you pet-friendly? Do you stock/grow local products? Do you offer discounts to repeat customers? Tip No. 3: Convenience is BIG Find ways your product/service can enhance the traveler’s experience in your community. In other words,

how can your business make a potential visitor’s trip more pleasant (or more Mount Pleasant-y), entertaining or easier? Are you conveniently located to a hospital, school or

hotel? Do you/can you offer shipping, prepackaging, online

orders, drop-off or delivery options? Do you/can you offer childcare, extended hours or spe-

cial appointments? Tip No. 4: Talk the Talk Now that you know who you are talking to and what they need, it’s time to get the word out about YOU. What should I say? First, don’t tell them everything; tell your customer what they want to know (keep it simple, the fewer words the better). Who you are - Ex. Sammy’s Snow Shack. What you offer – Ex. New Orleans Style Snowballs -

over 50 rich and delicious flavors. How is your product/service unique - Ex. No icicles

here, our snowballs are light, fine and fluffy. How will it make them feel - Ex. Sammy’s – Feel like a

kid again or try our refreshing flavors like sugar-free lime!

1 or 2 BIG pictures (bigger is better, lots of small pic-tures are not as effective).

Location, location, location (if you are advertising to a regional audience, tell how close you are to any major attractions in minutes and hours.

For your summer traveler, tell them about the spe-cial offers you have for the tourism season and any new additions, updates or products you’ve made to your store front or product line. Ex. Sammy’s Snow Shack. Where families of 5 always get a free cone. Try our newest rich cream and sugar free flavors. Now available - “stuffed" snow varieties. Who should I target? Repeat Customers – Make it easy. Did you know it is 50

percent easier to sell to an existing customer than it is to get a new one? Start by communicating with your fans, the customers who already love your products and ser-vices. The best way to stay in touch is keep in contact

mtpleasanttx.com 10

Business Insider

with your customers all year long via email and social media. *Hint, if you don’t have an active email list or it needs cleaning, hop to it. Time (and money) is a wast-ing.

Staycationers – Simple. You may consider out-of-towners your top priority, but don’t overlook your local and regional tourists. Focus some of your marketing efforts close to home. Texas travelers don’t mind driving 1-3 hours for a great experience – particularly if custom-er service is top-notch.

What are the best ways to entice Summer Tourists? Think Local – sell local products/produce. Think Seasonal – sell items that are available during a

limited time. Think FUN – Plan thematic promotions that correspond

with annual events/festivals in your region. Think BIG - If you can handle bus tours, larger groups,

church or school trips, offer packaged deals. Think Economically – Remind regional/local customers

how they will save money on gas, lodging and precious time by shopping/eating/vacationing near home.

Group Think – Get involved in community fairs/festivals and sponsored events that have the ability to reach large numbers of people – locals and tourists.

Think Mobile – Use location-based apps like Groupon, Foursquare, Livingsocial, and Facebook to promote of-fers and limited-time deals to consumers within a certain distance

Think Visually – People process images 60 times faster than text. People are 40 percent more likely to engage with a brand that uses photos. Photos on Facebook re-ceive 84 percent more clicks than text posts.

Think REGIONally – Specifically the Forest Trail Re-gion. Share your tourism specials and area attractions on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/texasforesttrail.

Think Partnership - Contact your local Chamber of Com-merce, tourism associations, hotels, B & B’s, campgrounds or restaurants. Ask what partnership op-portunities are available to attract visitors and how your business can participate. Marketing your business means marketing your community. That’s most easily and effectively executed through cross-promotion and teamwork.

Marty Prince is the Executive Director of the Texas Forest Trail Region. The TFTR is a regional tourism initiative devel-oped by the Texas Historical Commission that helps Texans connect with their roots and for visitors experience the Tex-as story in 35 counties of East Texas. For more information, contact Texas Forest Trail Region 936.560.3699 and info@texasforesttrail.com or visit www.texasforesttrail.com.

mtpleasanttx.com 11

Northeast Texas Community College asked stu-dents if they are willing to work to pay for their education. The answer was, “Yes.” The school launched its 10-week NTCC Work Scholarship Program in June that offers scholarships to students who work on campus to pay for their classes. Out of 30 applicants, the school selected 15 students ranging in age from 16 to 73. Most are 16-19 years old, but the pro-gram is open to all ages who plan to attend NTCC. The students in the pilot program work on the NTCC Eagle Ranch, supervised by Rene McCracken, NTCC’s Agriculture director. The jobs the students are as-signed to are not tied to the students’ planned field of study. The college also plans to expand the program into different work scholarship areas in the future. “We just want them to be in meaningful work and we wanted to make the scholarship high enough so they can get a little spending money and still pay off their tuition and fees,” said Dr. Jonathan McCullough, NTCC Vice Pres-ident for Advancement. “These are good jobs that make a significant payment toward their future.” The students are currently working 16 hours a week on the ranch. They earn $12 an hour, of which $4 goes into a student spending account. The rest goes toward their scholarship account to pay their future tuition, fees and books. The scholarship funds stay in their tuition accounts until they enroll in clas

Helps students graduate without debt

Jazmin Vasquez

mtpleasanttx.com 12

ses and are divided up between the fall and spring semes-ters. Students can also use the funds to enroll in dual credit courses in high school. McCullough says the program is a way for the college to meet one of its goals, to provide a way for students to get out of college debt free. While NTCC is a public university, the work-study scholarships are all from private donations through the NTCC Foun-dation. “Donors sponsor a student with a $1,000 donation. We have 10 sponsors now and we’re still looking for five more,” he said. The students are required to take one class during

the summer, which is paid for by a separate private scholarship. The course, Community Service, Leader-ship, Volunteerism, teaches the students workplace expectations and brings in speakers from different fields to talk to them about their workplace. The class also teaches them about the value of community ser-vice and students are required to work a certain num-ber of volunteer hours in the community. McCullough said student eligibility is not tied to financial need, so the program is open to students from all economic backgrounds. “It really helps many of the students who are caught in the middle. Their family doesn’t qualify for a financial aid grant, but they don’t make enough money to save for college,” McCullough said. He said the majority of the 15 students in the pilot program fall into that middle- income category. “We’re finding that there are a lot of young people who are willing to work to pay for college,” he

said. Joclyn Capers, 16, who comes from a farming family in

Cookville, says she and her fellow students have been working hard on the ranch, so far working with cattle and chickens and plant-ing and harvesting veg-etables. “It’s what I ex-pected. It’s a really good program that helps you get where

you need to go and gives you great opportunities,” said Ca-pers, who wants to learn as much about animals as she can and plans to pursue an agriculture-related field. The program will help students develop an excellent work ethic, best management techniques, interview skills

“Learn how to handle your finances. Set yourself a budget and

live by it.”

Warren Edmonds, Joclyn Capers and Brandon Fuller show off

turnips grown by students.

mtpleasanttx.com 13

and experience college life. “We never do the same thing twice. If we do, we learn more about it,” said Yimmin Ramos, 18, of Pittsburg. Ramos will be attending NTCC as a freshman this fall. Jazmin Vasquez, 17, who will be a senior at Pittsburg High School, says the program is a really good opportunity for people who have a passion for agriculture. “I want to be a vet-erinarian, so I’m trying to learn everything about cows. I have a huge passion for livestock animals,” she said. In the future, the school plans to expand the program into other areas on campus, such as the Carroll Shelby Automotive Program, campus maintenance and grounds keeping and office and administrative areas. As the program grows even further, the job opportunities would expand into the local community. At that point, it would resemble an internship program for local businesses. “Our goal is to get up to 300 of these jobs in the next 4-5 years,” McCullough said. For now, the program is centered at the the Eliza-beth Hoggatt Whatley Agriculture Complex, and is helping Warren Edmonds earn his degree 55 years after graduating from high school.

The 73-year-old was enrolled in classes at NTCC working toward his third degree, an Associates of Applied Science in Sustainable Agriculture. “I was going here last semester and I put in for it. I’m surprised I got it because of my age but I appreciate it,”

said Edmonds. “This is one of the best programs the school has come up with.” The father of three, grand-father of 17 and great-grandfather of 19, has 43 acres of land and wants to make sure he is self-sustainable and can support his family in the event of a disaster or government crisis.

He said the young students he is learning and work-ing side-by-side with “seem to be a bunch of bright young people that will go far if they apply themselves.” His advice to them: “Learn how to handle your fi-nances. Set yourself a budget and live by it.” For more information on this opportunity, please call the Director of the NTCC Agriculture Program, Rene’ McCrack-en at 903.434.8267 or visit the college website at ntcc.edu/workscholarship.

“This is one of the best programs the school has

come up with.”

Elizabeth Hoggatt Whatley Agriculture Complex

mtpleasanttx.com 14

mtpleasanttx.com 15

THURSDAY EVENINGS

JUNE - SEPT. 5 - 8 PM

LOCATED @ THE

CHAMBER 1604 N. JEFFERSON

Mount Pleasant Business Report | Issue 10

things to do in Mount Pleasantthings to do in Mount Pleasant

Be your own Picker!! Be your own Picker!! Be your own Picker!! Blackberries and Blueberries at Blackberries and Blueberries at Blackberries and Blueberries at

Greer Farm and Peaches at Efurd Orchard.Greer Farm and Peaches at Efurd Orchard.Greer Farm and Peaches at Efurd Orchard.

Cool Water Fun! Cool Water Fun! Cool Water Fun! Enjoy various water sports including swim-Enjoy various water sports including swim-Enjoy various water sports including swim-

ming and boating at Lake Bob Sandlin, Town Lake and Dellwood ming and boating at Lake Bob Sandlin, Town Lake and Dellwood ming and boating at Lake Bob Sandlin, Town Lake and Dellwood

Pool.Pool.Pool.

Outdoor AdventuresOutdoor AdventuresOutdoor Adventures… four… four… four---wheelers, horseback riding, hiking and fishing at wheelers, horseback riding, hiking and fishing at wheelers, horseback riding, hiking and fishing at

Camp Langston and Harts Bluff Game RanchCamp Langston and Harts Bluff Game RanchCamp Langston and Harts Bluff Game Ranch

Golfing Gurus! Golfing Gurus! Golfing Gurus! Practice your swing at Mount Pleasant Practice your swing at Mount Pleasant Practice your swing at Mount Pleasant

Country ClubCountry ClubCountry Club

Sweet Tooth? Sweet Tooth? Sweet Tooth? Visit Sweet Shop USA, Laura’s Cheesecake, Golden Gals Candy Visit Sweet Shop USA, Laura’s Cheesecake, Golden Gals Candy Visit Sweet Shop USA, Laura’s Cheesecake, Golden Gals Candy

Company, The Bake Shop and Heavn’ly Foods.Company, The Bake Shop and Heavn’ly Foods.Company, The Bake Shop and Heavn’ly Foods.

mtpleasanttx.com 16

things to do in Mount Pleasantthings to do in Mount Pleasant

Get Back to Nature Get Back to Nature Get Back to Nature at Master Gardensat Master Gardensat Master Gardens

Fisherman’s Paradise! Fisherman’s Paradise! Fisherman’s Paradise! Lake Bob Lake Bob Lake Bob

Sandlin, Lake Welsh and Lake MonticelloSandlin, Lake Welsh and Lake MonticelloSandlin, Lake Welsh and Lake Monticello

Experience East Texas beauty at our state parks… Experience East Texas beauty at our state parks… Experience East Texas beauty at our state parks… Bob Sandlin State Park and Daingerfield State ParkBob Sandlin State Park and Daingerfield State ParkBob Sandlin State Park and Daingerfield State Park

Main Street: Main Street: Main Street: Mount Pleasant ‘s historic Mount Pleasant ‘s historic Mount Pleasant ‘s historic

downtown offers eclectic shopping, antiques downtown offers eclectic shopping, antiques downtown offers eclectic shopping, antiques

and eateriesand eateriesand eateries

Step away from the stress of everyday life…Step away from the stress of everyday life…Step away from the stress of everyday life…Enjoy a night Enjoy a night Enjoy a night

of wine and fun with friends and family at Los Pinos Ranch Vineyardsof wine and fun with friends and family at Los Pinos Ranch Vineyardsof wine and fun with friends and family at Los Pinos Ranch Vineyards.

mtpleasanttx.com 17

Shane Morton wishes he would have partnered with NAPA Auto Parts a long time ago. The independent busi-ness owner has been in business in Mount Pleasant for sev-en years, but prior to March 2014, he owned the CARQUEST store. “There used to be a really good NAPA store here in Mount Pleasant and I’d have people coming in to my CARQUEST store asking if there was a NAPA in town. So, I thought, ‘You know what? Let’s go ahead and fly the NAPA flag,’” Morton said. Morton hasn’t looked back since with business bet-ter than ever since the switch. “I wish I had changed over six years ago. It’s been super. It was a great move,” he said. Morton, a new Chamber partner, said NAPA is the oldest aftermarket auto parts dealer in the country and has a lot more to offer his customers. “They have such a bigger variety. They carry so much more from automotive to agriculture, farming, heavy duty parts for trucks,” he said. “Some of the others don’t car-ry as much.” He said that’s one thing that NAPA is known for.

“If no one else can get it or find it, you go to NAPA and they’ll come up with it,” he said. NAPA offers more than 422,000 quality parts and accessories for automotive and industrial applications, the most extensive inventory in the industry, according to its Website. He says the customer service that his employees offer is another thing that sets his business apart. “I think our guys are more knowledgeable. We hear it all the time when customers come in here. There’s always someone that knows what’s going on, knows what they’re looking for and how to get it for them,” Morton said. Morton lives in Cunnigham, a small community 35 miles northeast of Mount Pleasant. He grew up in Paris, where his mother and stepfather are also in the auto parts business. Shane Morton is the owner of the NAPA Auto & Truck Parts Store in Mount Pleasant. Located at 1300 West Ferguson Road. For more information call Shane at 903.572.4368.

mtpleasanttx.com 18

August

Calendar of Events

03 5 PM - Everything Texas Fresh The Chamber

04 Independence Day Chamber Closed

10 5 PM - Everything Texas Fresh The Chamber

12-13 11 AM - Quake on Town Lake Town Lake | Hwy 271

17 5 PM - Everything Texas Fresh The Chamber

22 8 AM - Governmental Affairs Meeting The Chamber

24 5 PM - Everything Texas Fresh The Chamber

31 5 PM - Everything Texas Fresh The Chamber

01 11 AM - Friday Burger Party The Chamber

05 8 AM - Tourism Meeting The Chamber

06 8 AM - Marketing Meeting The Chamber

07 5 PM - Everything Texas Fresh The Chamber

14 5 PM - Everything Texas Fresh The Chamber

15 7:30 AM - New Teacher Breakfast Mount Pleasant High School Cafeteria

19 8 AM - Governmental Affairs Meeting The Chamber

20 8 AM - Board of Directors Meeting The Chamber

21 5 PM - Everything Texas Fresh The Chamber

July

mtpleasanttx.com 19

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