Elaine Prater To Retire This Month

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Elaine praterWhen Elaine Prater started at the bank in Richmond Dale, she was a part time teller with no thoughts of making it a career. The bank was close to home and to her kids’ school, providing a convenient opportunity to make some extra money.

More than 38 years have passed since then. She’s now the much beloved manager of that branch and is looking forward to her retirement on January 31. “In the beginning I worked as part time teller on Monday, Friday, Saturday and on the first and third of the month. I covered vacations too,” she laughed.

“I discovered that I really enjoyed the people and I never left,” she said.

The branch changed hands a few times over the years before joining the VCNB family in 2008. Over time she worked her way up to Branch Manager, a position she’s held since 1997. “I’ve been a banker for 38 years and worked for four banks but I’ve done it all right here!” she exclaimed.

During that time she’s witnessed significant changes in the industry and the way customers want to bank. “When I started we didn’t have a single computer in the branch. Then we got a computer for behind the teller line and now we all have computers. It’s really changed the way we work,” she said.

Elaine also remembers when ATMs and online banking were introduced. “Our customers loved the ATM but the thing that impressed them the most was online banking. Customers were quick to adopt to banking with their own computer, being able to do things for themselves,” she said. “Some of our older customers still don’t use online banking and we have people who can’t get internet at home but that’s ok. We can help them in other ways. That’s the beautiful thing about being a community banker,” she said.

She went on to talk about the many ways community bankers can look out for their customers. “Sometimes we balance checkbooks. We know the families including all the kids and grandkids. Sometimes we just visit with them,” she said. “When I ask a customer how they’re doing, it means something to me. It means a lot to know that they’re ok or that I can help when there’s a problem. It means something knowing that I can be happy for them when there’s good news. They’re not just customers. They’re all important to me,” she said.

Elaine looks forward to having the free time that comes with retirement but doesn’t necessarily intend to slow down. For example, she hopes to volunteer at the hospital. “It sounds kind of corny but I want to give back. I want to give comfort” she explained while remembering a time that her grandson was quite ill while in Guatemala, waiting for his adoption to be finalized. “I was so thankful he had compassionate people to care for him. He needed the surgery by the time he was six months old. When they stepped off the plane, he was already scheduled for surgery two weeks later, on the day he turned six months.

Elaine and her husband Gary recently celebrated 51 years of marriage and she’s looking forward to having more time with him. The pair work together running a concessions business that takes them to events across Ohio and Kentucky. They have two grown children and four grandkids. Two of those grandchildren live in California and it is her hope visit them soon. She would also like to continue volunteering with Salvation Army and remain active with her church.

She laughed when she talked about coming back to “visit with the girls” at the branch. I worked with Brenda for 22 years and Lauren for seventeen. That’s a long time to just stop coming around!”

“It’s hard to believe that it’s been so long. It’s been fun. We all have those days that it gets overwhelming or that it isn’t fun but I’m grateful for every single day. I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve had here. I’ll miss the people but I think this is the right time to go,” she said.

Elaine’s last day will be on Friday, January 31. Customers can stop by the branch on January 29 to have cupcakes and visit with her.

Beth Bayless To Retire January 15

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Beth BaylessCanal Banking Center customers know Beth Bayless as the quick witted banker who is always ready with a kind word and smile. Her coworkers see Beth as a smart cookie who knows her business. All of them will be sad to see her go when she retires on January 15.

Beth joined the VCNB family in 2002 just before the completion of the bank’s new Canal Winchester location. She likes to joke that she came with the building as she remembers tracking the construction progress for months leading up to their opening. “They practically built it around me,” she quipped.

The Canal Winchester native has a total of 35 years in banking after a short stint in education. She went to college in Arizona where she taught Physical Education for three years. She later transitioned in to banking and built a name for herself at two banks in Phoenix.

When she was moving back to Canal Winchester in 2002, her mother told her about a billboard she saw on Route 33. It advertised the new Canal Banking Center and her mom thought it sounded like a good opportunity. “Mom saw the billboard on 33 and picked up an application at E. Main. The rest is history, I guess you would say.”

Beth’s philosophies toward her customers have served her and her customers well over the years. “Ask yourself – how do you want to feel when you go in someplace you’re not familiar? How do you want to feel when you have a question that you’re not sure about or a problem you don’t understand? It’s important to put people at ease and laughter is sometimes the way to do that,” she explained. “You have to be available to listen and to help.”

She also spoke of the benefits of working for a community bank as opposed to a big one. “We still have the opportunity to know everyone in the bank, to know who to call for an answer or to take care of a problem quickly at a critical time in a customer’s life.  How cool is it that we can affect a customer’s life in that way? Every one of us has that power within this organization and I really do love that,” she said.

She says she will miss the people but is looking forward to the free time and relaxation that will come with retirement. She has a trip planned and has her eye on some non-profits she would like to help. “Other than that, I’m just going to wait and see what happens,” she said. “It’s been incredible. Working here has been the best over-the-top fun and a good ride but I’m happy for the opportunity to do something else.”

Beth’s last day will be on January 15. Stop by the bank to wish her the best in her retirement!

 

Small Business Spotlight: Stuart Burial Vaults

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Small businesses are important to communities and running a business is tough work. That’s why we feature a small business in one of our communities every month!

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This month’s Small Business Spotlight is with a business that recently celebrated its 100th anniversary. While they provide a service that most people need at some point in their lifetime, it isn’t the kind of business most of us frequent or even know exists.

Does this sound like a riddle?

It’s not really. The company in question is Stuart Burial Vaults, a family owned business that is still in their original building in Bremen.

“The vault is not what the public sees.  They know us for the tent they see when they arrive to the site in the funeral procession” says John Boone who is just the fifth owner of the 100 year old business.  “We take pride in the vaults we make as well as helping to provide a tasteful presentation for family and friends who want to honor their loved ones.”

Stuart Burial Vaults was started by John Stuart, a contractor and businessman who was making a name for himself in the early 1900s through his quality of work and his 9-bag mix of concrete.  As his reputation grew so did the size and importance of his projects.  He worked on bridges and roadways throughout the county that long outlived their expected lifecycle. He was even asked to consult with the construction of the Hoover Dam in Nevada!  Stuart was able to send his son to be on-site during the construction while he stayed home to run the vault business he created in 1919.

80424136_1488441691310400_2659597844519845888_nStuart Burial Vaults was actually one of the first four concrete vault businesses in the country.  In addition to creating and running the business, John Stuart was also a founding member of the National Burial Vault Association, which helped establish industry wide guidelines and standards.

“Just like Mr. Stuart 100 years ago, we work hard and take pride in what we do and we’re proud of it” John Boone beamed.

To say there is more than meets the eye to the business would be an understatement.  It’s not commonly known, but the customer base for a vault company is primarily made up of funeral directors.  Funeral directors order directly from the vault company. Then John and his team arrange for the delivery of the vault, the set-up of the presentation as well as the installment, tear-down, and return afterwards.

John estimates there are five appointments on the schedule of a typical day.  However, there have been more than twenty scheduled for a single day in the past. While this is a challenge, he credits his team’s professionalism and determination for always making it work out.  “If it can be done, we’ll find a way.  It’s amazing – we always work it out!”

Stuart Burial Vaults has nine trucks, a fleet of “buggies” for vault transport, and eleven employees on staff in addition to John.  John is tasked with orders, logistics, billing, and much of the day-to-day business dealings but he credits Foreman Delbert Hammer for making the business operate smoothly. “These guys are my heroes” John says repeatedly when referring to his team. “And Delbert is critical to our business.”

On days with fewer appointments, the crew works on creating and maintaining inventory.  That way, when they do have couple of days or weeks with busy schedules, they have the inventory to fulfill orders.

“The crew of guys we have now has been with me for years.  They can go out and wrestle a 2,000 pound vault in a muddy cemetery – handling it safely – and still have to bring a nice white tent back to me after it’s all said and done.  We have to have our tent look like this (points to pristine white tent in a photo) on a cold, wet, rainy, muddy, snowy day and still bring it back looking like this.”“They’re always on call.  Saturdays, holidays, bad days, good days.  We’re always on call just like police or doctors or firefighters.  These guys are my heroes.”

John first joined the Stuart team when he was sixteen and has spent most of his life in the business.  Now in his fifties, he owns the business after a lifetime of watching the industry and society evolve.  Cultural and societal shifts, insurance costs and coverage, costs associated with materials, and the wants and needs of funeral directors are things that have impacted the business.  “It didn’t change a bit for eighty years!  And now in the last decade things are changing quickly… but at the end of the day, it’s cement, sand, water, and gravel for us.  And it always will be.”

In addition to crediting his staff, John also credits his customers for the sustained success of the century year old business.

“My customers are great people.  I don’t have to worry and deal with some of the not-so-fun stuff that other businesses have to worry about.” John explained.  “Most of our customers have been with us for a long, long time.  Decades.” John explained. “I’m so lucky!”

Stuart Burial Vaults is located at 527 Ford Street, on their original site in Bremen. Visit their website to learn more. Friendly Bremen Banking Center and the VCNB financial family would like to congratulate John and his staff, and all of the previous owners and employees on reaching such a milestone!

 

 

Out With A Bang: Sheila Stickel Will Retire On New Year’s Eve

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Sheila S.JPGWhen Sheila Stickel started with Vinton County National Bank in 1999, the bank had just three locations in McArthur, Wilkesville and Chillicothe. Much bank work was still done manually and online banking hadn’t even been invented.

Since then, the bank has expanded immensely and Sheila has worked in several branches and jobs, helping countless customers in many ways. But no matter her role here, Sheila always has the needs of the customer at heart.

That’s why her customers will be sad to learn that Sheila’s career with the bank will end when she retires on December 31.

A Vinton County native, Sheila worked for Society Bank in Columbus in the seventies and eighties before she went to an ophthalmic distributor where she sold equipment to eye doctors. When her sister, longtime VCNB lender Brenda Fee, called and suggested she apply for the Head Teller position in Chillicothe, Sheila thought it was worth a shot.

Today she is part of the VCNB Products and Services group, a team of five that tests, implements and maintains new products and services. They also assist both personal and business customers as well as bank employees who need help with those products and services.  She is well known to Business Online Banking customers as their go-to person for all answers about that class of products that she just calls “BOB.”

When she’s not helping customers, she’s busy generating several daily reports as well as monthly reports for lenders, New Accounts Offers and Personal Bankers.

Before going to Products and Services in 2012, Sheila worked directly with customers as Teller, Head Teller, New Accounts Officer and Branch Manager in a few different locations including West Fair Lancaster, Canal Winchester, Main Street Chillicothe, Laurelville and Tarlton. Since joining Products and Services, she has also worked in Ashville and Circleville, bringing the total number of branches she has worked in to seven.  She has visited all of the branches except the newest in Jackson. “I’m proud to say that I got to work in so many branches and see so many grow,” she said.

“I’ve seen the construction of some branches and the merging of some. We’ve gone from teller machines to online banking. Probably the most impressed I’ve been was going from the old teller machines to computers,” she smiled, explaining that teller machines were basically just large adding machines.

During the years before computers, everything was done manually. From manually stuffing statement envelopes to bundling up work for the Proof Department to process in another office, everything took longer and was more challenging than we find in the tech friendly bank of today. When the bank introduced online banking they held a contest for naming the product. Her entry “Bank to the Future” didn’t become the name of online banking but was used as the slogan. “I won a day off for the idea and Marketing went to town and used that to promote our Online Banking!”

Much has changed since Sheila won that contest as customers can now do almost all their business and personal banking online. “Today businesses can do almost everything they need with the click of a mouse. It just fascinates me how much control they have over their accounts and activities,” she said.

While she says she will miss the people, Sheila has a lot to look forward to including spending time with her recently retired husband and two grown children. She is especially excited to spend time with her seven year-old grandchild and a new grandbaby expected in June.

She looks forward to traveling some and to simply doing what she wants to do on her own time. “I have enjoyed my job but it’s time to hang up my hat,” she smiled. “Happy trails to me!”

The bank will celebrate Sheila’s retirement with a party on New Year’s Eve. Stop by the Pickaway County Banking Center in Circleville that day to wish Sheila good luck in this exciting new stage of her life!

 

 

 

Small Business Spotlight: Homegrown on Main

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Small businesses are important to communities and running a business is tough work. That’s why we feature a small business in one of our communities every month!

Step inside Homegrown on Main and it feels a little like coming home. First you notice the aroma of candles and homemade soaps. Then you spot the wood floors and character of a remodeled old building before your eyes focus on an array of finely crafted local items.

Once your eyes settle on the shelves of pottery, baskets of photos and artful displays of jewelry and wood items, it’s hard to look away.

This store on Logan’s Main Street is home to 53 artists and craftspeople who create unique works of art from their homes and studios around the Hocking Hills region. Store Manager Rose Arthur smiles as she discusses the merchandise they sell that cannot be found anywhere else. “I love that we have such a variety of high quality work,” she said. “These are things you cannot buy anywhere else.”

The variety of mediums represented here is impressive – woodworking, fused glass, painting, blown glass, drawing, photography, candle making, writing, leather work, jewelry, pottery, knitting, sewing, crochet, alcohol inks and paper goods can be found here, representing a range of tastes and prices.

They also sell items to help local organizations including Empty Bowls, the Washboard Festival, Hemlock Heroes, the Hocking County Historical and Genealogical Society and Logan in Bloom.

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“It’s a lot to look at and take in. I think you see something different every time you walk through, Rose said. “We have some regulars who come in just to see what’s new so the artists are often changing their inventory and trying new things.”

For example, painter Donna Voelkel was inspired by peers creating alcohol inks. With some research and practice, she has mastered innovative techniques for embellishing alcohol inks, creating something entirely fresh and new. At the age of 84, she is proving that it’s always a good time to do something innovative.

This storefront was actually born from the ashes of the region’s beloved Hocking Hills State Park Dining Lodge which was destroyed by fire in 2016. Members of the Hocking Hills Artists and Craftsmen Association sold their creations at the lodge.

In addition to losing their art to the fire, they lost retail space as well.

That’s when the group began devising a new plan with the help of the Hocking Hills Tourism Association, the local organization aimed at bringing tourism to the community. Efforts were already underway to revitalize downtown Logan and it made sense for the partnership to be part of the revival by opening a retail store here.

The rest, as they say, is history. Today the partnership has strengthened and the interest in locally made art and crafts is ever growing. They’ve grown so much, in fact, that they outgrew the original location and have moved to a spacious storefront just down the street.

76993332_1485807894920285_3474159901402464256_nThe store is a popular stop for visitors who are looking to take home a vacation memory. “When people travel they like to take home a piece of the experience. For some that’s a painting or woodworking. Many people are collecting Christmas ornaments from their travels and we have those too,” she said.

But Homegrown on Main has a large appeal among locals too. She said that some customers come in  just to see what the store is about only to find that it’s a great source for gifts, handmade greeting cards or even something special for themselves.  “Locals are really starting to catch on and we’re so glad to have people in our community come in too,” she said.

Rose pointed out that most of the art represented at Homegrown on Main comes from people who have full time careers or other barriers that prevent them from being a full time artist with a storefront of their own. Having everyone work together in this partnership has improved visibility for the local artists, writers and musicians represented here.  They also act as a visitor’s center, answering questions, giving directions and distributing local information and maps.

One unique quality of this store is that shoppers can sometimes meet the artists during demonstrations. “People love to meet the artists at work and maybe even buy something from an artist they met who showed them how they do their work,” she said.  Some of the artists even offer workshops in their respected areas including basket weaving, glass, painting, knitting, water colors and jewelry.

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Rose loves to see lots of new and familiar faces. If you’re out shopping on Black Friday or Small Business Saturday, be sure to stop and find that perfect gift you won’t see in any big box store!

Homegrown on Main welcomes shoppers at 65 West Main Street in Logan.  Follow them on Facebook for news and hours.

What We’re Grateful For: VCNB Employees Give Thanks

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Thanksgiving Greeting Card

Every day is a good opportunity to give thanks but we’re especially mindful of how fortunate we are during November and this season of thanks. As a community bank, we know we are lucky to do business in such wonderful towns and communities across southern and central Ohio.

We are thankful for customers, many of whom have been with us for years if not decades. Some hail from families that have done business with VCNB since the 1860s. We are also incredibly thankful for our employees. Some of these folks have spent their entire careers with VCNB and are eyeing retirement while we have many newcomers who are eager to learn the VCNB way.

We asked our employees to tell us what they’re thankful for this year and here are some of the responses we received. We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we did!

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I’m thankful for the friends I’ve made here at VCNB! I came in and was instantly made welcome by almost everyone! I’ve built a lot of wonderful friendships here and for that, I am forever thankful!

Johnathon Bentley
Personal Banker in McArthur

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I am thankful first and foremost for my family! I am also very thankful for all the military men and women that are or have served to keep us safe!! Finally I’m grateful to be living in Perry County around some wonderful neighbors that look out for each other!

Alyssa Holbrook
Personal Banker in Bremen

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I am thankful for the past seventeen years of employment with VCNB and the privilege of working with a great group of people.

Beth Bayless
Senior Personal Banker in Canal Winchester

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I am thankful for my wonderful family, my great friends and my health and job.

Alice McCloud
Teller in Wilkesville

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I’m thankful my wife and I were each able to transition to working in Columbus this past year. This has allowed us to move back to where we grew up and be close to family. It’s been so great to be back around both of our families, especially our niece and nephews.

Josh Palmer
Branch Manager in Pataskala

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I am most thankful for my boys who push me every day to be a better person and remind me what is most important in life. I’m thankful for the success and growth we continue to have at VCNB and the great people I get to work with across all lines of the bank. I am also really thankful for the holiday season that, despite all the to-do’s and crowds, gives us time to spend with loved ones, reflect on the past year, and look forward to the next.

Justin Pike
Chief Auditor

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Most of all, I am thankful for my four boys – they are the loves of my life. I am also thankful to have an amazing fiancé, beautiful home and a job I love.

Melissa Wietelmann
Assistant Branch Manager in Ashville

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Give thanks not just on Thanksgiving Day, but every day of your life. Appreciate and never take for granted all that you have.

Erin Hart
Teller in Laurelville

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I’m so thankful for the family and friends in my life. They all mean so much to me. So happy to still have Mom here and doing well and that she and I can still travel to see family in Tennessee and Florida.

Paula Goodfellow
Senior Retail Accounts Officer in Chillicothe

 

Small Business Spotlight: The WOLF Radio

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Small businesses are important to communities and running a business is tough work. That’s why we feature a small business in one of our communities every month!

 

In an age of online streaming and cookie cutter corporate owned radio stations, there’s a local radio station that continues to grow and thrive. WLOH, better known now as The WOLF, has carved out a   place in Fairfield, Hocking and Perry counties with a unique sound and commitment to community caring.

Talk to owner Mark Bohach about this business plan and it’s quickly clear that it’s not about business at all. “We really do care about our community. It’s that simple. And that’s why everyone here is involved in boards and organizations,” he said as he began to name all the local organizations that he and the staff support. From the library board to Young Professionals of Lancaster to the YMCA and lots in between, Mark and his staff make it a priority to be involved.

The last few years have represented a period of tremendous growth for the station beginning with the switch from talk radio to a country format in 2015. Since then, they’ve rebranded the station The WOLF and added a tower in Perry County, expanding their services to an important but underserved community.

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Community involvement is integral to the success of The WOLF FM.

Being locally owned and operated, Mark calls the station “the anti-corporate media” with a chuckle. “We are the opposite of those big companies,” he said. “We play country music but we want to know what our listeners think. We support our community and the community supports us. That’s how it should be,” he said.

The casual listener would likely think the station sounds so professional and clear that it must be coming from a large market like Columbus rather than from a small studio on Lancaster’s Columbus Street. The sound quality is superb and local personalities give the station a professional but fun feel. Their bread and butter is classic and contemporary country music spanning sixty years. “We play both Georges,” he boasted. “Jones and Strait!”

They also air local, state and national news plus weather and sports. High school football and basketball are popular as well as Ohio State University, Cincinnati Bengals and Columbus Blue Jacket sports. They have five local DJs to keep things moving with a mix of talk about the music and good natured chatter. They also give priority to talking about events and issues important to the community. The Brownfield Ag Network provides farm news while the Nashville based Big D and Bubba in the Morning provide a popular syndicated radio show with plenty of room for the local news and weather listeners need.

Mark does on-air work, some ad sales and keeps the station’s technology current and running. His wife Arlene is the General Manager, running the front office and keeping the business end of things operating smoothly.

WLOH are the call letters but the brand is the WOLF. “We wanted to keep it simple and memorable. And it’s visual. You see it, you hear it. You know what it is,” Mark said. “The WOLF actually took off a lot faster than I expected. People were listening but they couldn’t remember our name. Now they know who we are.”

 

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He is conscious of what the future will bring. “We have to ask the question. What is our place in the 21st century media environment? We’ll be having a meeting with the key players here to talk about that,” he said. “After years of growth, we’ll be sitting down to take a breath and to discuss where we are going. How do we remain relevant to our listeners?”

“You can get country music anywhere but you don’t get the local community just anywhere. A lot of people think of radio as a technology. And it is a technology that we use to deliver a service. If we forget that we are a service, we are lost.”

The changing role of technology in this century hasn’t missed the radio world. Online streaming allows listeners all over the world to tune into their hometown radio station. He said they can see where listeners are located and they often seen Afghanistan and other countries with a U.S. military presence pop up during high school sporting events. “People can hear the hometown news and listen to the game from wherever they are in this country or across the world,” he said.

The technology here is impressive. The studio was designed and built by Mark and their work is computerized and largely automated. Satellite receivers feed in up to the minute news and weather. News breaks, songs and ads are scheduled to run and everything feeds seamlessly but can be overridden by a DJ. Weather emergencies and Amber Alerts are programmed to break into regular programming.

He said the staff of eight is cross trained so that no one has a specialty but everyone is able to do everything. “I am blessed. We have great people here.

“So many corporations use technology to save money. We spend money on technology to serve our listeners better.”

This service they provide extends into a host of areas. For example, Mark regularly interviews Meals on Wheels Executive Director Anna Tobin about their activities. They do live remotes at events like the fair and incorporate upcoming events into their conversations around the music.

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Sales Representative Rachel Jones

Sales Representative Rachel Jones joined the company a little over a year ago. Mark is teaching her the ropes of owning a radio station as her goal is to eventually own a station of her own. She talked about the station’s approach to advertising. “Every business is unique and we treat them that way. What works for a car lot won’t work for a radio station,” she said while describing how she creates unique commercials for each advertising customer to help them get the most bang for their advertising buck. “I talk to them about their goals and help them see the best way to go.”

“When we add a client, we want to keep them for life,” Mark added. “That means getting to know them and understanding them,” he said. The radio station does rely on the support of advertisers to keep the business successful.

While Mark and others in the company are contemplating the future, they are also deeply rooted in the past. The station began as an a.m. station in 1948 and Mark beautifully tells the story of how the station has evolved since that time. The walls are covered in vintage WLOH advertising, awards and pictures. The 1963 a.m. transmitter that powered the station from 1963 to 1990, no longer operational, remains part of the décor.

Mark is complimentary of his staff and community and is clearly proud of the work they do in Fairfield, Hocking and Perry counties. “It’s a fun business and we love what we do,” Mark said. “I’m just grateful we’re able to do it.

Tune into the Wolf at 104.5 FM Lancaster, 99.3 FM Logan and 102.9 FM New Lexington. You can also listen to live streaming online or using their mobile app on your device. Visit them online for more. 

They also welcome new advertisers. Find advertising and contact information by clicking here.

 

 

Technology You Need, Service You Expect

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What does it mean when we say that VCNB has the technology you need and the service you expect?

It means that we understand customers today often prefer and even need technology when doing their banking and that we are eager make available as many of those tools as possible. On the other hand, we know there is no substitute for the human touch and that our employees are still here to help whenever you need them.

For example, many of our customers enjoy self-service aspects that come with the mobile app and website. With VCNB Mobile, you can check balances, transfer funds, pay bills, send money to a friend, open an account and even deposit a check using the camera on your mobile device!

You can even apply for a mortgage on our website! Use our Mortgage Lending Center to find a lender near you, apply for a loan or try out one of our financial calculators.

VCNB customers are also enjoying the way that technology gives them access to a large ATM network. Use the MoneyPass app or website to locate one of 32,000 nationwide surcharge-free ATMs available near you.

There are even self-serve stations in our newly constructed and remodeled offices to make it easier for customers to access information and to self-serve rather than meet with a banker.

But what happens if you have a question about that checking account you opened online or if you’re not sure how to answer a question on the mortgage application? Maybe your teenager wants to open their Student Checking account online but has questions about how a checking account works.

We have a small army of people at the ready to help. You will find Customer Service Representatives available by phone and online chat. We also have personal bankers, tellers and mortgage lenders in our branches who will be happy to answer questions, give advice and help with whatever you need.

Here at VCNB we love to see customers come into our banks but we know this isn’t always convenient for our customer. That’s why we try to be here when you need us – both in person and through technology!

In fact, it may be unfair to say that we offer the technology you need and the service you expect.  After all, we want you to need and expect both of these things from VCNB!

 

 

 

 

Small Business Spotlight: Buff Lo Dip

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Small businesses are important to communities and running a business is tough work. That’s why we feature a small business in one of our communities every month!

Ask Duane Boring to describe his product Buff Lo Dip and his eyes light up. “It has the taste of dipping buffalo chicken wings in ranch dressing, just minus the chicken,” he says with a smile.

DuaneGood served hot or cold, this locally made dip can be used on or with almost anything. In fact, he names a long list of items his customers use it on as a condiment including hamburgers, hot dogs, tacos, baked potatoes and sloppy joes to name a few. It’s also commonly used on pizza, as a dip for chips, chicken nuggets and vegetables. “People get pretty creative with it sometimes,” he said.

Buff Lo dip – and yes, that’s the spelling – buffalo without the ‘A’, was born out of necessity in Duane’s home kitchen. “Years ago, there was a fast food restaurant that offered a similar sauce for dipping their chicken nuggets. I loved that stuff and had it at least a couple of times a week but they discontinued it,” he explained.

Since no one was selling anything like it, he decided to make his own for dipping those fast food nuggets.  “No one was selling it so I got up one Saturday morning and started pulling things out of the cupboards. I started mixing things up and wrote down the measurements each time so I would remember how to repeat it. And you know something? What I came up with was better than what they had in the first place!”

When his family liked the product, he packaged up samples to take to church. “I went to church with bags of eight ounce sample cups for a couple of weeks and asked people to try it. After a while, people were meeting me at the door wanting more. They wanted it for all kinds of things. They were putting it on sandwiches, pizza, all kinds of things. I just made it for my chicken nuggets!”

jar.jpgWhen requests to purchase the dip started to come in, he knew he had something special. So he began the year and half long journey to start his business and to learn the legalities of producing, selling and distributing food.

When he rolled out his Buff Lo Dip at McArthur Super Valu on July 11, 2011, that first order of 234 jars sold out in two days.

Today he has his own kitchen facility and distributes in thirteen states, thanks to Rural King. But he has a stronghold in gas stations, local groceries and other stores throughout southeast Ohio, Cincinnati, Columbus, Kentucky and West Virginia.

The former insurance agent oversees all aspects of his family business including production, marketing and working with distributors. His company van now has over 300,000 miles on it as he crisscrosses the country introducing new audiences to Buff Lo Dip at expos, trade shows and events. From a chicken wing festival in Memphis to the Holiday Market in Cincinnati and hunting and fishing expos everywhere in between, it seems that Duane has left no rock unturned as he works to grow sales.

He credits the partnership with Rural King for helping the business grow into new markets including Florida, Tennessee, Alabama and Missouri. “It’s great when you’re working a show and you’re able to tell someone who just said they love your dip that they can buy it a Rural King in their own community,” he said.

They can also ship to anywhere in the United States.

However, Buff Lo Dip isn’t just about making money. He is all about giving back and offers a fundraising program for non-profits. One example of fundraising success is the work he does with Future Farmers of America (FFA).  “I like working with FFA and last year was our biggest fundraising year with them,” he said.

As he talks about the business, he shares a good bit of wisdom that can be applied, not just to business but to all aspects of life. “Listen to everyone’s advice and use some of it because everyone in the world will tell you what to do. You have to listen, decipher and take from it what will work for you.”

He has another sound piece of advice regarding getting what you want. “My son has asked how I keep getting into different stores. I tell him that I walk in with a jar of dip, a business card and a smile on my face. What do I have to lose by asking? If I don’t ask, the answer will always be no. Why not give it a shot? The worst that will happen is they’ll keep my sample jar and not order anything,” he said.

The Vinton County native said that his wife Trish and three kids Zac, Levi and Amanda have been supportive of the business and all have played different roles in making it successful. “It’s not a huge company. We’re not millionaires or anything like that but I like what I’m doing and that’s more important than making a lot of money at a job you hate.”

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