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Roots ofbusinessesrun deep

2 MILESTONES / SEPTEMBER 2015

Have you always been at this location? Yes, we have , however we have ex-panded this location 4 times withour surrounding properties.

Do you have a mission statement?“We Provide Quality RV Productsand Superior Services which CreateEnjoyable RVing Experiences.”

What prompted you (or your par-ents/grandparents) to start yourbusiness? My grandfather, Bob Horsey, wantedto work closer to home to own hisown business. He saw this greatpiece of property directly across fromthe state’s only Rest Area and thoughit would make a nice location for acar dealership. Soon afterwards, mygrandmother, Lucille Horsey, wouldwork here with their friends duringthe week to help the business. Shewould bring their children to thedealership before school which weremy dad, Rick Horsey, my uncles,Gary and Randy Horsey and AuntBrenda Horsey-Wright, to catch thebus in the morning. Soon my grand-father was able to work at Parkviewfull time. In the early 70’s he

brought on the first line of RV’s andthe rest is history.

How many hours in a week do youtypically work? As many as we need too

What is the best part of owning yourown business? Creating a legacy for future genera-tions

What is the feedback or accomplish-ment you are most proud of? Having customers that would not goanywhere else for their RVing needsbecause we give them the best cus-tomer service and make them feellike family.

What is a good business tip youdon’t mind sharing?Take the time to enjoy your cus-tomers and the stories they have totell. Respect your employees and theknowledge they have to give. Behappy and enjoy the memories youare able to help someone create.

What is the one piece of advice youwould give to someone starting abusiness today?

There will be long days but in theend you will leave a legacy your fami-ly will be proud of.

Where did you go on your last vacation? We took our family to Niagara Falls

Do you have a guilty pleasure?Sure. Doesn’t everyone?

Parkview Auto and Trailer SalesInc. (Parkview RV Center)

Address: 5511 Dupont Pkwy Smyrna, DE 19977Hours of operation: 8-5:30 M-F, 8-4 Sat.Number of employees: 25

Establishd 1968

Business phone: 302-653-6619Website: www.parkviewrv.com

Questions responded to by: Amy Horsey-West

MILESTONES / SEPTEMBER 2015 3

With the financial backing of a groupof local business and professional people,experienced newspaperman Jim FloodSr. returned to Dover in 1975 to start anew community newspaper, the DDoverPost.

Sentiment had been building in theCapital City for a newspaper in additionto its one small daily. The first editionwas printed April 30, 1975, and withinthe space of six months in early 1975three new weekly papers, including theDover Post, began publishing. Oneclosed down in 11 weeks. A second sur-vived for several years.

While acceptance of the Dover Postwas encouraging in terms response fromearly readers, the total circulation wasoriginally based only on sales at news-stands, which amounted to a few thou-sand copies. Advertisers needed morereaders. So in addition to the newsstandsales, circulation was boosted consider-ably by a system of free delivery to areahomes, something that at the time was anew idea in publishing circles.

Many Dover residents still rememberthat their very first paychecks were thefew dollars they earned by delivering thePost on Wednesdays after they got homefrom school. Also within the memories ofmothers at that time is that they fre-quently pitched in and did the deliveriesthemselves, or at least helped do them,to keep their children's little checks com-ing in.

Later on, the home delivery was takenover by adults using their own automo-biles. This made it possible to do the de-liveries on Tuesday nights just after thepapers were printed on the company'sown newspaper press. Getting to thepoint of being able to buy a press insteadof farming out the printing did not comeeasily, however. After the Post began,there soon came a time when money wasreally tight. Finances were strained tothe point that instead of operating from

two rooms in Treadway Towers, the orig-inal staff of 11 had to do its work in justone room.

Over time, with hard work by talentedemployees and members of the Floodfamily, plus the essential support of read-ers, advertisers and the community atlarge, the Dover Post's fortunes im-proved. Expansion included the acquisi-tion of additional newspapers and a busypublication and job printing schedule.

During the growth period the DoverPost itself moved to new and much larg-er quarters in what had been Dover'sfirst airplane hanger, and later a rollerskating rink. That building's big space al-lowed for buying a second-hand newspa-per press, which with outside printingjobs earned additional revenue for thecompany.

Eventually, members of the Flood fam-ily were able to buy out all of the originalcommunity investors, with these remain-ing stockholders receiving twice theiroriginal investment.

In 2008 GateHouse Media purchasedthe Post and other publications in theportfolio, including the MiddletownTranscript, Smyrna/Clayton Sun-Times,Milford Beacon, Sussex Countian andHockessin Community News.

In 2014 the company created KentCounty Sunday, a publication aimed atdelivering in depth and community newsto readers in Kent County.

Middletown Transcript

First published in 1868, theMiddletown Transcript is nowthe second oldest newspaper

of continual publication in Delaware,having persevered from the days of "hotmetal" in the production of type for newsstories and ads to today's wonders ofcomputers which produce all kinds oftype with literally the snap of a finger.

When the Dover Post Co. bought the

Transcript, it wasshortly after the deathof Claude Fouracre,who had been the pa-per's publisher andmanager of the busi-ness since the death ofhis father, who hadacquired the newspa-per in 1911. Fouracrewas one of the lastsmall weekly publish-ers to have his wholeoperation under one roof.

Sussex Countian

Georgetown was created incentral Sussex County to serveas the site for the county's gov-

ernment. What this means today is thatalong with being well read by people inthe greater Georgetown community, theCountian is an important paper for resi-dents of the county as a whole. It can becounted on to follow closely the activityof the county's government offices, in-cluding the courts.

It is natural for legal notices issued bythe county and other municipalities to becarried in the Countian.

Milford Beacon

In 2003 the management ofthe Dover Post Company con-

cluded that the residents and businessesof the town of Milford, one of the largestcommunities in the state, were not beingadequately served by the single newspa-per then being published there. The re-sult was the creation of the Milford Bea-con.

Smyrna Sun Times

In 1854 The Smyrna Times be-gan its long publishing history.

Today, now combined with what was themuch younger Smyrna Sun, started in1985 by the Dover Post Company, it isthe state's oldest newspaper in continualpublication.

Like most weekly newspapers in thepast, job printing was a key part of thepaper's operation.

Until a few years ago, the site for the

paper was in the brick building on Com-merce Street, believed to be the oldest of-fice structure in the community. Thebuilding became too rundown to housethe paper's operation.

In part due to spillover of residentsfrom New Castle County to the north,the Sun Times continues to be the localpaper for a fast growing town.

Hockessin CommunityNews

The Hockessin CommunityNews began in 1966, when local citizensstarted a small paper which was latertaken over by a more experienced news-paper publisher. He later made the paperavailable to the Dover Post Company.Over time, the operation grew to includeseparate editions aimed at a total of fivecommunities. With the purchase of theDover Post Company by Gatehouse Me-dia Delaware, the paper returned to itsoriginal single community name whilecontinuing coverage of the same area innorthern New Castle County which theseveral papers had represented.

The strength of the paper is based onits concentration on local news as it com-petes with the daily newspaper pub-lished in Wilmington.

Dover PostEstablished 1975

1196 S. Little Creek Rd Dover, DE 19901302.678.3616 doverpost.com


(410) 287-6400 abouttownlimo.com

What prompted you (or your parents/grandparents) to startyour business? Our first experience with limou-sines was in the winter of 1988,when a friend arranged a limou-sine to take the two couples to aPhiladelphia trade show and outto dinner afterwards. The experi-ence was so convenient and relax-ing that the Gerharts decided thatthis may be an excellent way tomake a living!

“We began to think it would bea good idea to own our own lim-ousine and just hire a chauffeur,”said Carol. So in 1989 the Ger-harts bought their first LincolnLimousine for their own personaluse and quickly developed it into

the business it is today.

How many hours in a week do you typically work? 80-100 hours per week.

What is the best part of owningyour own business?Keeps me focused and young atheart.

What is the feedback or accom-plishment you are most proud of? Most proud of being able to main-tain a successful limousine servicefor over 26 years and still growing.We have assisted clients with vari-ous needs from vacation to busi-ness trips with very satisfying re-sults.

What is a good business tip youdon’t mind sharing?When you provide a service youmust provide exceptional cus-tomer service.

What is the one piece of adviceyou would give to someone start-ing a business today?For transportation service, yoursuccess will depend on your abilityto provide exceptional customerservice.

Where did you go on your last vacation?Work is very demanding thereforevacation is very limited.

Do you have a guilty pleasure?Dark Chocolate.

About Town Limousine

Address: 1717 Turkey Point Rd, PO Box 276,North East MD 21901Mission Statement: About Town Limou-sine is dedicated to providing quality limou-sine and transportation services in Cecil,Harford, New Castle, & Southern ChesterCounties and other surrounding areas.

Established 1989

ABOUT TOWNLIMOUSINE

Bowers Sign has been making qualitysigns for over 45 years. Owned andOperated by Paulette Bowers and her

son, Travis. It’s their quality work and out-standing customer service that has helpedthem be successful and grow their business

Have you always been at this location? No.

What prompted you (or yourparents/grandparents) to start your busi-ness?

Myself

How many hours in a week do you typical-ly work?

50+ hours a week.

What is the best part of owning your ownbusiness?

Being my own Boss

What is the feedback or accomplishmentyou are most proud of? To have great cus-tomers

What is a good business tip you don’tmind sharing?

Be happy, enjoy your work & manage time& finances

What is the one piece of advice you wouldgive to someone starting a business today?

Get good council for the kind of businessone is starting.

Where did you go on your last vacation?Stayed local.

Do you have a guilty pleasure? Chocolate.

(302) 674-0574 bowersigns.com

Bowers Signs

Address: 1187 Horsepond Rd, DoverHours of operation: 9:00 am – 6:00 pmBusiness phone: 302-674-0574Website: bowersigns.com

Established 1970


(302) 422-3033 www.gwtr.org

Have you always been at this location?Yes; started at the Milford loca-tion then expanded throughoutDelaware.

Are you looking to diversify and ifso, in what area(s)?Looking to expand outside ofDelaware to the southern states.

What prompted you(or yourparents/grandpar-ents) to start yourbusiness?Came from a back-ground of a destruc-tive lifestyle andwanted to help othersand share the goodnews of the gospel;the stores help fundthe ministry of God'sWay to Recovery.

How many hours in aweek do you typically work?50-60 hours/week

What is the best part of owningyour own business?Having the freedom of time man-agement and decision making; it'smy choice if I want to grow and tofollow my own vision.

What is the feedback or accom-plishment you are most proud of?We were able to sustain now forover 20 years when in this com-munity it is a struggle with smallbusinesses against competingchain corporations.

What is a good business tip youdon’t mind sharing?You have to stand firm throughthe hard times; stand up for whatyou believe and never give up.

What is the one piece of adviceyou would give to someone start-ing a business today?A person has to understand thatit will take time to see the fruits ofyour labor; be patient and keepfighting the good fight of faith.

Where did you go on your last va-cation?Florida

God’s Way to Recovery

Address: 1 North Maple Avenue, Milford, DE 19963Hours of operation: Mon - Sat. 9:00 AM - 5:00 PMNumber of employees: 30Number of Locations: 5Mission Statement: God's Way to Recoveryhelps people through the Gospel of Jesus Christthrough transitional housing, various outreach-es available through God's Way Thrift Storesand financial support of other outreach min-istries.

Established 1995


Have you always been at this loca-tion?

Our current location is our third,which we recently expanded over3000 sq. ft., to accommodate all ofNew Castle & Kent Counties.

Do you have a mission statement?No matter the size of the job, large

or small, we always take pride in ourwork.

Are you looking to diversify and ifso, in what area(s)?

We have expanded over the last 3years to cover more of New CastleCounty and Maryland.

What prompted you (or your par-ents/grandparents) to start yourbusiness?

Dad wanted to be his own bossand wanted to make better money.

How many hours in a week do youtypically work?

I work 50 to 60 hours a week, toaccommodate customers needs.

What is the best part of owningyour own business?

Helping people when they are intime of need.

What is the feedback or accom-plishment you are most proud of?

That we receive so many lettersand calls about the quality of workand how much they like our employ-ees.

What is a good business tip youdon’t mind sharing?

Treat people the way you wouldlike to be treated.

What is the one piece of adviceyou would give to someone startinga business today?

Keep high standards and expect towork a lot.

Where did you go on your last va-cation?

I went to Maine with friends to en-joy the scenery.

Do you have a guilty pleasure?Quiet time riding my motorcycle.

Fletcher Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning

Address: 18 Myrtle St, Smyrna and 1401 E. Newport Pike, WilmingtonHours of operation: 7-5Number of employees: 28Number of Locations: 2

Establishd 1970

302-653-0503 Kent County 302-323-0503 New Castle Countywww.fletcherplumbingheatcool.com

Fletcher Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning


Have you always been atthis location? No, started on MainStreet in Smyrna

How many hours in a weekdo you typically work?40 hours

What is the best part ofowning your own busi-ness? Flexibility, sense of fulfill-ment, control of my owndestiny

What is a good businesstip you don’t mind shar-ing? The worst day of workingfor myself is far more ful-filling than the best dayworking for someone else,so never stop trying.

What is the one piece ofadvice you would give tosomeone starting a busi-ness today?Do and develop your passion.

(302) 653-1050

Family Medicine of Smyrna Clayton

Address: 319 N. Carter Rd, Smyrna DEHours of operation: Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri. 9a-5p, Wed. 9a-12pNumber of employees: 7Mission Statement: To provide quality service inan efficient, timely, friendly manner.

Established 1989

Dr. Chervenak Dr. Abrams

Have you always been at this location? No. We started in a room in Jeannetteand Dwayne’s home. About one yearlater we outgrew that space and movedto a larger room on the second level.Again, about a year after that, we out-grew that space and moved into thisbuilding on Rt. 13 in Townsend. We arecurrently looking to expand at this lo-cation.

Are you looking to diversify and if so,in what area(s)? Yes. We would like to include plumbingservices in the future.

What prompted you (or yourparents/grandparents) to start yourbusiness? Dwayne had been in the HVAC busi-

ness for about 25 years and saw a needfor a more customer oriented service,complete satisfaction. We had the skillsbetween us to get started and figuredthere was no better time than the pres-ent. Summit was born!

How many hours in a week do you typically work? 40 hours; sometimes less and some-times more. Whatever it takes!

What is the best part of owning yourown business? Having the ability to do what you thinkis the right thing to do, in all aspects(ethically, morally, financially, etc).

What is the feedback or accomplish-ment you are most proud of? Summitwas started at the back of the recession

and hasmanaged tonot only stayalive for fiveyears but hasgrown yearover year.

What is a good business tip you don’tmind sharing?Always try to see the perspective of thecustomer; how would you want the sit-uation to be handled?

What is the one piece of advice youwould give to someone starting a business today? Surround yourself with a strong, uni-fied team and utilize a business coach.

Where did you go on your last

vacation? Frontier Town and the Francis ScottKey in Ocean City, MD but we areplanning a big trip to Disney World inthe Spring for the entire family. Wehave been saving for this ever since westarted the business and we are all veryexcited!

Do you have a guilty pleasure? “Windows Open” weather…. When theday is so nice that the windows areopen it’s bad for business but we stillenjoy it on a personal level.

Summit Heating and Air Conditioning, LLC

Address:4361 S. Dupont Pkwy., Townsend, DE 19734Hours of operation: M-F, 8am-4:30pm. 24 Hour Emergency Service.Number of employees: 6

Mission Statement: Our mission is to provide quality serviceat affordable prices and to show our customers that we appre-ciate their business by providing excellent customer service.

Established 2010

(302) 378-1203 www.summitcomfort.com


Dover Federal Credit Unionwas first chartered in 1958 bya handful of Air Force and

civilian workers at Dover Air ForceBase. Their goal was to create amember-owned financial coopera-tive, democratically controlled by itsmembers, and operated for the pur-pose of promoting thrift, providingcredit at competitive rates, and pro-viding other financial services to itsmembers. Their vision has grownDover Federal to be the state’s largestcredit union, being well capitalizedwith assets exceeding $400 million.They serve over 40,000 members byproviding financial products andservices for the military, Delawarefamilies, and over 400+ different se-lect groups.

Dover Federal is governed bymember volunteers elected to theBoard of Directors and managed byexperienced financial professionals.They recently celebrated over 57years of service, serving our commu-nity since 1958 by helping membersreach their financial goals. They arecommitted to being a vital part oftheir local community.

From humble beginnings in asmall office on DAFB, they havegrown to offer 6 branch locations,which operate in Dover, Milford,

New Castle and Smyrna, as well as acorporate office.

While they provide branch hours 6days a week, their services are alwaysavailable to members 24 hours a day,7 days a week, through the conven-ience of online and mobile accountaccess. With these added channels,members can check their balances,transfer funds, pay bills, as well asapply for loans and/or additional de-posit accounts any time that worksbest with their schedule.

What is the best part of being amember-owned business?As a financial cooperative, we are

local people, making local decisionswho are in business for the benefit ofour member-owners. Members are atop priority and every decision that’smade is based on the positive impactit can have on a member’s financiallife.

Are you looking to diversify, and ifso, in what area(s)?

As our members’ needs and ex-pectations of service change, we willadapt our business model to meettheir requests. While traditional of-fices still exist and will continue toexpand in locality, we realize that it’simportant to also provide and adaptto improvements in technologywhich provide account access any-time from anywhere. Examples of

how this has changed in the financialindustry include the implementationof online and mobile account access,as well as mobile check capture,which allows a consumer to take aphoto of a check and upload it totheir account to make a deposit.Additionally, we have partnered toprovide surcharge- free ATM accessto more than 80,000 ATMs nation-wide, providing additional channelsof convenience.


We are honored that our membersconsider us part of their family, notjust a credit union. We have servedgenerations of families who have en-trusted us with serving the needs oftheir loved ones, from providing chil-dren’s accounts to purchasing a firstcar. Whether you’re financing a wed-ding, buying a home or saving for re-tirement, we’re here for you. In a re-cent membership survey, we receiveda 98% retention and satisfaction ofservice rating. That speaks volumesabout the satisfaction of our mem-bers regarding the service they re-ceive from Dover Federal.


Operate your business with a pur-pose of benefitting others. Buildgenuine relationships with your

members/clients and make them atop priority. For without them, yourbusiness wouldn’t exist. Providethose you serve with product(s) orservice(s) that enhances someone’squality of life. Give back to the localcommunity. As a not-for-profit fi-nancial cooperative, we not only giveback to members through higheryield deposit accounts, lower loanrates, low or no-fee services, andmembership rewards programs, butwe also support local non-profits andcharities that strengthen the healt-hand well-being of the communitieswe serve.

Some examples include FoodBank of DE, Autism DE, March ofDimes, the American Heart Associa-tion and the Fisher House, just toname a few.


Perform due diligence with regardsto the marketplace and your businessplan. Work with a dedicated finan-cial partner who can help you reviewyour plan, assess your needs, andsupport your goals. Success does notcome easy, but results from hardwork, passion, and dedication.

Dover Federal Credit Union

Address: 1075 Silver Lake Blvd. Dover, DE 19904 (Corporate Office) with 6branch locations in Dover, Milford, New Castle and SmyrnaHours of operation: 9a.m. – 5p.m. (Mon – Thur); 9a.m. – 6p.m. (Friday);9a.m. – Noon (Saturday)Number of employees: 120Number of branches: 6Mission Statement: Dover Federal Credit Union is committed to a culture of excel-lence by providing our members with continuous, efficient, and personalizedservice through our worldwide relationships.

Established 1958

302-678-8000www.doverfcu.com


Have you always been atthis location?Yes

Do you have a mission state-ment? Where in the Well…is yourwater? John’s Well Drilling willknow exactly where it is.

Are you looking to diversifyand if so, in what area(s)?We serve all of Delaware

What prompted you (or yourparents/grandparents) tostart your business? My father John started thebusiness in 1974 as hethought that would havebeen the best way to supporthis family.

What is the best part of own-ing your own business?Being your own boss

What is the feedback oraccomplishment you aremost proud of?Carrying on John’s WellDrilling and seeing the satis-fied smiling faces from all mycustomers.

What is the one piece of ad-vice you would give to some-one starting a business to-day? Customer service means a lotand the best compliment yourbusiness could ever get is a re-ferral.

Where did you go on your lastvacation?We went to the Water WellConvention in Myrtle Beach,SC. I really never get a vaca-tion because whether we arein the office or in the field Ialways have the businessphones transferred to my cellso I can be of assistance to mycustomers at any time.

John’s Well Drilling, Inc.

Address: 2317 Seven Hickories Rd, Dover Hours of operation: 24/7 with emergency serviceNumber of employees: 6Number of locations: 1Mission Statement: Our mission is to provide qualityservice at affordable prices and to show our customersthat we appreciate their business by providing excellentcustomer service.

Established 1974

(302) 734-2211 www.johnswelldrilling.com John’s

Well Drilling, Inc.

After receiving his Bachelor ofScience degree from the Uni-versity of Notre Dame and

his Doctorate of Dental Medicinefrom University of PennsylvaniaSchool of Dental Medicine , DrAnzilotti Sr. opened the first officein 1970 in Wilmington and thenopened the Middletown Office in1983. Dr. Clifford Anzilotti Jr.joined his father’s practice aftercompleting his orthodontic train-

ing at the University ofPennsylvania.

Both father and sonshare the same vision forefficiency and quality carethat Anzilotti Orthodon-tics has become knownfor over the years. Theyare committed to contin-uing the tradition of ex-cellent orthodontic treat-ments, employing themost efficient technologyorthodontics has to offer.

What prompted you (or your par-ents/grandparents) to start yourbusiness?The need for orthodontic carewithin the community.

What is the best part of owningyour own business? The ability to balance the needs ofboth your business and family life.

What is thefeedback or ac-complishmentyou are mostproud of?Providing greatsmiles.

What is a goodbusiness tip youdon’t mindsharing? Treat the patient as an individual.

What is the onepiece of adviceyou would give to someone start-ing a business today?Never give up and be persistent inachieving your goals and dreams.

Do you have a guilty pleasure?Spending time at the beach withmy family.

(302) 378-2778 www.AnzilottiOrtho.com

Anzilotti Orthodontics

Address: 112 St. Anne's Church Road, Middletown, DE 19709Hours of operation: Tuesday and Thursday 8-5:15Number of employees: 18Mission Statement: We visualize offering for our patients the verybest orthodontic service available in a totally ethical matter. We arededicated to making a difference in the lives of our patients, theirfamilies and each other to improve the quality of our lives. We will re-alize daily that we are able to make this difference. We will take meas-ures to protect the environment as best we can. Personally, we willintegrate the principles of total commitment and caring in every areaof our lives. We will accomplish this vision with enthusiasm, energyand having the most fun possible .

Established 1983


Street & Ellis, P.A.

Address: 426 South State Street, Dover, DE 19901Hours of operation: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., M-FNumber of employees: 9Number of Locations: 1Mission Statement Helping you and your family protect what you havesaved in order to: care for each other; minimize costsand delays; and ensure that those you love receiveyour estate. To provide the best possible legal representation toour clients.

Established 1975

(302) 735-8400www.streetellislaw.com

G erald I. Street, Esquire, wentinto solo practice in Septem-ber 1975, and since then, the

firm has evolved to include differentattorneys and different areas of law.The firm originally focused its prac-tice on trial practice and criminal de-fense, then to family law, and nowprimarily elder law, estate planningand real estate. With the movementinto these new practice areas, eachtime the firm had to commit to thetime of additional education in eachof these areas.

John I. Ellis, Esquire joined thefirm in 2002 after serving as VicePresident and in-house counsel forDelaware Farm Credit, ACA for al-most 20 years. Prior to Farm Credit,Mr. Ellis was in private practice for 8years handling a wide variety of casesand transactions.

Mr. Ellis’ practice is focused in resi-dential, commercial, and agriculturalreal estate transactions; representa-tion of banks and government agen-cies; commercial litigation and col-lections; business entity formationand business advice; probate and es-tate planning.

Have you always been at this location? The firm began at 304 S. State Street,Dover, and has been at the current426 S. State Street building since1988.

Are you looking to diversify and if so,in what area(s)?Street & Ellis is looking to expandrather than diversify, particularly inthe arena of guardianship services.

There is clearly an increasing needfor clients to obtain assistance inhandling and administeringguardianships, and this trend is likelyto continue as the baby boomer gen-eration ages.

What prompted you (or your par-ents/grandparents) to start yourbusiness?After working in other large firms,Mr. Street wanted to practice law inhis own way.

How many hours in a week do youtypically work? As many hours as it takes to do thework, typically 40-50 hours, includ-ing service on many local boards andorganizations.

What is the best part of owning yourown business? Business owners are able to controlthe type and quality of work you putout, the staff that is hired, and the im-pact that your business has on thecommunity. In the practice of law,you are able to change your focus atany time and for reasons you believeare appropriate, and reinvent yourselfif desired.

What is the feedback or accomplish-ment you are most proud of? Street & Ellis is always encouraged byand receives great satisfaction fromclient testimonials, which can includehow we helped a client through aconfusing or upsetting time withtheir loved one, or how we helped aclient focus the plan for their family’sfuture. The fact that we have manyrepeat clients who have expressedsatisfaction with our representationand have used our services for manyyears is a source of pride.

What is a good business tip youdon’t mind sharing? Do not be afraid to try somethingnew. For most of his career, Mr.Street ran an active trial practice.About 15 years ago, after helping hiselderly parents through the confu-sions and difficulties associated withaging, he decided to focus his prac-tice on helping families goingthrough similar experiences. It re-quired extensive training and was amajor time commitment, but onethat has proved to be one of the bestdecisions of his career.

The only real mistake you canmake is to not be in the game.

SWAN – The Sleep Well At Nightphilosophy does not only apply to fi-nances and investing, but operating abusiness as well.

Always keep your promises andnever promise more than you can ac-tually deliver.

What is the one piece of advice youwould give to someone starting abusiness today? |Be willing to change constantly andevolve as a business, which includesembracing technology. The way busi-ness was done in years past will notbe the way of the future. If you donot embrace the change, you will beleft behind. Also, surround yourselfwith good people and consider theiradvice.

It is always difficult to make mon-ey, but easy to spend it. You mustcontrol your expenses.

Where did you go on your last vacation? Gerri – Rehoboth Beach, Delaware;and Sedona, Arizona John – Outer Banks, North Carolina

Do you have a guilty pleasure? Gerri – Cookies. Cookies are a com-mon staple in the Street & Elliskitchen. Gerri’s clients know of hispenchant for cookies.

John – Chocolate and a good Manhattan.


Have you always been at this location? Yes

Are you looking to diversify and if so, inwhat area(s)? The school will continue to provide classes

for Massage Therapists and Skin Care Pro-fessionals. We have specialized in thesecourses since our inception.

What prompted you to start your business?I started the school after I became a licensedMassage Therapist, to give students the op-

portunity to begin a rewarding career in thefield that they are passionate about.

How many hours in a week do you typicallywork? As the Owner/Director/Founder, I am dedi-cated to the success of the school. ThereforeI devote many hours of the week in the of-fice. If I am not in the office, I attend work-shops to stay current in the field of massageand skin care.

What is the feedback or accomplishmentyou are most proud of?In 2015 the school has received the "Schoolof Excellence" Award from the AccreditingCommission of Career School and Colleges,ACCSC.

What is a good business tip you don’t mindsharing? We are noted for offering a high standard ineducation, affordable tuition and flexible at-tendance.

(302) 392-6768 www.massage-academy.com

Academy of Massage & Body Work LTD

Address: 1218 Pulaski Highway, Suite 324, Bear DE 19701Hours of operation: Monday - Thursday, 9:00am -2:00pm and 5:30pm - 10:30pmNumber of employees: 9Number of locations: 1Mission Statement: The Academy of Massage andBodywork, Ltd. was created with utmost integrity andintention. Our goal is to educate students in the highestquality of knowledge, in the field of massage therapyand aesthetics with impeccable technical skills. Thetraining will include communication with clients and in-teraction with modern western and traditional easternhealth philosophies and techniques.

Established 2002

Academy of Massage & Body Work LTD

(302) 698-9000 www.knightsfinejewelry.com

What prompted you (or your par-ents/grandparents) to start yourbusiness?

My father was a watchmaker; Iidolized him and loved to watch himwork! Of course, I love the jewelryand the industry is fascinating,there is so much to learn and somany beautiful things! In 1986, Ihad four children ages 12, 10, 8 and4. Being able to set my own locationwas ideal; I was able to be there af-ter school and during the summerfor my children. The flexible hoursgave me the ability to make my ownchoices and arrange MY priorities!

How many hours in a week do youtypically work?Too many! Usually around 40hours, during the holidays around60 hours.

What is the best part of owningyour own business?I do not have to follow the rules of

others; I get to make my own! I amable to establish my own hours andI am not limited to how far I can goto help my customers.

What is the feedback or accom-plishment you are most proud of?Loyal customers and 2nd and 3rdgeneration clientele. I enjoy restor-ing a precious piece of family jewel-ry, creating new jewelry out of oldjewelry, such as our hearts fromwedding bands!

What is a good business tip youdon’t mind sharing?Always be honest! Treat your cus-tomers the way you want to be treat-ed! Persist and Persevere!

What is the one piece of advice youwould give to someone starting abusiness today?Build customer base/clientele before you go into too much debt.

Knights Fine Jewelry, LTD

Address: 240 East Camden-Wyoming Ave, CamdenHours of operation: Tuesday – Friday10:00am – 5:00pm Saturday 10:00am –4:00pm Sunday-Monday ClosedNumber of employees: 3Number of Locations: 1

Established 1986


A s more and more familieshave migrated toward crema-tion and celebration of life

services, we have prided ourselves onbeing on the forefront of adapting toan ever changing funeral servicesculture. In 1999, we opened our cre-matorium in Smyrna, which is theonly crematorium south of the C & DCanal to North Dover. In 2002, weexpanded our funeral home to offerthe most modern, state of the art fa-cility and are proud to have thelargest and most beautifully decorat-ed funeral chapel around.

We firmly believe that as a privatecrematorium owner, we can offer alevel of personalized care that is un-matched. Our cremations are onlyperformed by us, under the directcare of our family for your family.Furthermore, we have the advantageof prioritizing and scheduling thecremation per our families needswithout delay. Other firms often haveto schedule the cremation ultimatelyperformed by someone else behindother scheduled cremations.

Faries Funeral Home also offers afull range of monuments and memo-rials that we personally install for thefamilies that we serve as well as a fullrange of custom personalization op-tions. This can be such things asvideo tributes, portraits, memorial

candles and keepsakes, to otherthings like remembrance bands andbuttons, floral jewelry (from actualflowers used) to finger print keep-sakes and cremation glass and jewel-ry remembrances.

Moreover, we encourage familiesto further personalize the services bybringing a piece of their loved one’sinterests to the funeral home; fami-lies have brought in motorcycles, ca-noes, fishing poles, lawn mowers,crab pots, duck blinds, uniforms,special blankets, sewing machinesand services metals just to name afew. Whatever they may have been into or enjoyed in life, we’d like to helphighlight for you.

What prompted you (or your par-ents/grandparents) to start yourbusiness? The funeral home was es-tablished in 1831 by AlexanderFaries, who was a furniture, cabinetand coffin maker. The coffin makingbusiness migrated into the undertak-ing business. We are now in our 6thgeneration of direct line descendantownership and 7th generation offamily management.

Have you always been at this loca-tion? We have been at this locationfor 182 of the 184 years of our exis-tence. The 1st 2 years we were in the

downtown Smyrna area, just a fewblocks away.

How many hours in a week do youtypically work? I usually work be-tween 40 and 80 hours per week, de-pending on the workload and sched-ule. However, I am always on-call 24hours a day.

What is the best part of owning yourown business? The best part ofowning a business is the tremendouspersonal pride and satisfaction thatwe get from helping the many peoplein our community that we serve.

What is the feedback or accomplish-ment you are most proud of? I amproud of the countless thank you’sand personal gratitude’s that I re-ceive from the good people of thiscommunity. What is a good business tip youdon’t mind sharing? Take the timeto truly listen to your customers anddo your absolute best to help them tothe best of your abilities. I always re-mind myself that, “It’s much harderfor them right now than it is for me.”

What is the one piece of advice youwould give to someone starting abusiness today? Just simply treatpeople right and with respect.

Faries Funeral Directors and Crematorium, Inc.

Address: 29 S. Main Street, Smyrna, DE 19977Hours of operation: Always available for those in need.Number of employees: 10 full time and part timeNote: Faries Funeral Home is Delaware’s oldest funeralhome and the 7th oldest funeral home in the nation.Mission statement: We pride ourselves in offering thebest possible care, service and state of the art facilities andequipment for the great people and families of the greaterSmyrna-Clayton area.

Established 1831

(302) 653-8816www.fariesfuneralhome.com

FariesFUNERAL DIRECTORS INC.


Have you always been at this location?

We’ve built schools, commercialbuildings and residential homes inKent, Sussex and New Castle Coun-ties over the years.

Are you looking to diversify and ifso, in what area(s)?

In order to be successful in busi-ness you have to diversify withinyour industry. We’ve specialized indifferent areas of the constructionindustry - commercial office build-ings, schools, churches, storage facil-ities and residential homes.

Lessard Builders personalizesevery home design we build so natu-rally we’ve seen a variation in resi-dential plans over the years due tomarket trends and client requests. Inour current plan book we havehomes specifically designed for theretiree, first time home buyer andclients that are looking for a com-pletely “out of the box” custom de-sign experience.

How many hours in a week do youtypically work?

About 70 hours a week.

What is the best part of owning

your own business? Being able to share the business

with my children.


Helping people visualize their per-fect dream home and making itcome true. While we do this everyday for Lessard Builders clients,we’ve recently had the opportunityto do the same with a Habitat forHumanity homeowner. This sum-mer Lessard Builders worked side byside with our subcontractors and thehomeowner to build a home for hisfamily – from start to finish – in oneweek. It was a huge community ef-fort and a truly rewarding experi-ence.


Wake up every day with an opti-mistic outlook. Tell yourself that “to-day is going to be a great day”. If youstart the day with a positive attitudeyou’ll set the course for the way therest of the day will go.


In my opinion there are three“must have” mindsets when startinga new business:

1. Be passionate about your busi-ness and love what you do

2. Make a difference3. Money cannot be your #1 goal

Where did you go on your last vacation?

Disney World & Universal Studioswith my children and grandchildren

Do you have a guilty pleasure? Vacations. I really enjoy traveling

and vacationing with my family. Itallows me to unplug and recharge.

Lessard Builders, Inc.

Address: •Main Office: 257 E Camden Wyoming Avenue,Camden, Delaware 19934•Model Home: 33673 East Hunters Run, Lewes,Delaware 19958Hours of operation: Open DailyNumber of employees: 11Number of Locations: 2

Established 1940

(302) 698-1091www.lessardbuilders.com


Are you looking to diversify and if so, in whatarea(s)? We are always looking to diversify but at the sametime it needs to be a good fit in our type of business.This past year we expanded our water gardening toinclude pond kits and supplies.

What prompted you (or your parents/grandparents)to start your business? Our parents started out produce then adding flow-ers and garden as years went on. By the mid to late80’s we changed over to a complete garden center.That is when the banking business came intoDelaware bringing many jobs and more residents tonorth Delaware. This was a great opportunity totarget northern Delaware and with Route 1 it madeour place more of a destination place and not a stopin on your way to the beach place.

How many hours in a week do you typically work? We are typically working anywhere from 55-65hours a week. We are constantly working two tothree seasons ahead. Even though we are gearingup for Fall and Christmas seasons right now, we areattending trade shows and working on our Spring2016 purchases. It can be difficult sometimes whenyou come into work and start working on one sea-son and by the end of the day you are working onsomething for next year.

What is the best part of owning your own business? It is very challenging, rewarding and no two daysare ever the same.

What is the feedback or accomplishment you aremost proud of? We love it when customers bringin photos of their gardens. You can tell when a cus-tomer loves gardening and makes and effort in tak-ing care of their plants. It’s a very rewarding feelingand to be a part of that is pretty cool.

What is a good business tip you don’t mind sharing? Make sure you have good key employees that careabout your business. That is probably the most dif-ficult things to do. We are very proud of our staff

and are pleased that most of our full time employeeshave been with us for a long time.

What is the one piece of advice you would give tosomeone starting a business today? Be prepared for change, whether it be the economy,laws, your staff or anything else, you must be able toadjust or you won’t survive.

800-798-3819 www.ronnys.com

Ronny’s Garden World

Owners: Donna Staley & Brenda MettsAddress: 5580 DuPont Parkway, Smyrna, DE19977Hours of operation: Monday-Saturday 8am-7pm; Sunday 8-5Number of employees: 15-35 (seasonal)

Mission Statement: Our philosophy is to

provide our customers great service, unlimited

knowledge and higher quality products then the

large box stores.

Establishd 1970


No. Steven Schwartz started the lawfirm at 214 South State Street inDover. He moved to 300 South StateStreet in 1977, next to what is now theSchwartz Center, and then to its cur-rent location at the corner of SouthState Street and Route 13 in 1987. In1987, we started in the brick buildingat 1140 South State Street. About fiveyears ago, we expanded into the graybuilding next door at 1126 South StateStreet.

Do you have a mission statement?We do not have a mission statement,but we try to handle each client’s caseas if we were handling our mother’s,brother’s or next door neighbor’s case.We try to keep that focus and doingour best work every day for each clientis our mission.

Are you looking to diversify and if so,in what area(s)?We are not looking to diversify. Wewant to keep doing what we are do-

ing. Our practice areas (mainly per-sonal injury and criminal defense liti-gation) are focused on cases that resultin jury trials. Our attorneys are focusedon developing the skills of jury triallawyers, and the cases we take are thecases where we can best use thoseskills.

What prompted you (or your parents/grandparents) to start yourbusiness? Frankly, Quality vs. Quantity was whatgot us started. Steven Schwartz startedhis career working for a law firm thathandled a lot of real estate settlements.

That firm wanted its at-torneys to do more trans-actions in less time.Steven objected to thequality over quantity for-mula for practicing lawbecause he felt it couldlower the quality of hisservice in order to makemore money. We may bethe only law firm in thenation that was startedbecause we want to makeless money!

How many hours in aweek do you typicallywork? I don’t consider what Ido to be “work” and Idon’t track how much time I spend do-ing things. So it would be very difficultto quantify that. That said, I probablywork about sixty to seventy hours aweek.

What is the best part of owning yourown business? The best part of being part of this lawfirm is watching it grow. The firm does

good work. That leads to satisfiedclients. That leads to more clients.That leads to growth of our law firm.

What is the feedback or accomplish-ment you are most proud of? When my past clients tell their friendsand family members about the goodjob I did for them, and then those peo-ple tell me they know about what I did,I really like it.

(302) 678-8700 www.schwartzandschwartz.comPhiladelphia - Wilmington - Dover

Schwartz & SchwartzAttorneys at Law, P.A.

Address: 1140 South State Street, Dover, DE 19901Hours of operation: M-F, 9 am – 5 pmNumber of employees: Seven attorneys and lots of staffNumber of Locations: 3

Established 1975



Bill Willis Sr. started the businessin partnership with Irwin G. Burton,moving from Burton’s Chevroletdealership in Milford to start a deal-ership in Smyrna, at the site whereWillis Ford is now located on Route13 at West Mount Vernon Street.About 25 years ago Willis Chevroletmoved to its current location, twomiles south, to a much larger build-ing on Route 13 between Big OakRoad and Big Woods Road, and nowthe dealership is Willis ChevroletBuick.

How has your industry changedover the years?

According to Skip Willis, “The au-tomobile has come so far. The tech-nology is just amazing. The cars areso much more comfortable. Theyhave so many more safety features,and they’re so much easier to main-tain.”

The company celebrated 60 yearsin business in October, 2011. At thetime, Skip Willis told theSmyrna/Clayton Sun-Times that heremembered washing cars for a dime

each when he was a boy, helping atthe Chevrolet dealership in Smyrnawhere his father, Bill Willis Sr., wasthe general manager.

“It took a while to make any mon-ey,” Skip said.

“It’s been wonderful to have thefamily tradition,” Skip said in 2011.“We’re on the third generation now --customers, too. I can remember cus-tomers who we’ve sold cars to theirgrandfather, their father, and now tothem.”

“We’ve been fortunate to have sucha good core of people working here,now and then,” he said. “We havepeople who’ve been working here for20, 30, even 40 years.”

Bill Willis Jr. got started at his fa-ther’s business by washing cars, too,then learning routine maintenance,and then trying more difficult re-pairs. Ultimately, however, he foundhis place in sales.

“I just wasn’t mechanically in-clined,” he said in 2011. “I’m a peopleperson. I love people, and I believe intaking care of people with a greatproduct and great service.

“When Skip and I stepped into ourfather’s shoes, they didn’t fit,” he said.

“We didn’t do things exactly how ourfather did them, and now that ourkids are running the show, they don’tdo it exactly like we did. Everyone isdifferent. We all have our strengths.We’ve been very blessed to have ourfamily working together here andour family of employees.”

Bill Jr.’s son, Isaac Willis, has beenthe the GM/VP for the past 15 years.

“I started when we were still intown,” Isaac said. “I loved driving allthe different cars and trucks.”

Now, as GM/VP for the past 15years, he’s been working to continuethe standards set by his father, hisuncle, and his grandfather.

WIllis Chevy Buick

Address: 2707 S Dupont Blvd, SmyrnaHours of operation: 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6p.m. Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday for sales. For partsand service, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to noon on SaturdayMission Statement: Bill Willis Jr. said “I believe in takingcare of people with a great product and great service.”

Establishd 1951

Sales: (302) 653-6000www.willisforthepeople.com

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