[TRANSCRIPT]
0:00:00 - (Doug Jenkins): Coming up next on Chamber Amplified, some.
0:00:02 - (Nathan Tice): Of the advice that we were told when we started thinking about eclipse events and planning and things like that about a year ago, we said the advice that the university was given was basically, you know, do what you do and do it well. Don't try to do something really different or really outside of your wheelhouse.
0:00:20 - (Stanley Miller): You know, it was very special to not only get nominated, but recognized by my peers, you know, for award and the small business award. And I guess it's more of a testament or a reassurance that what you're doing is the right thing in the right way.
0:00:35 - (Doug Jenkins): Welcome to the show. I'm Doug Jenkins from the Findlay Hancock County Chamber of Commerce. On each episode of Chamber Amplified, we're examining issues that impact the local business community. Could be employee recruitment and retention, marketing, it issues. It's really anything that can impact your business. Our goal is to give members tips each week on at least one way they can improve operations and thrive in the current business environment.
0:00:56 - (Doug Jenkins): And each week we're also talking to area businesses to learn more about how they got started and the lessons they learned along the way as well. So the April eigth eclipse is approaching faster than you might think. And while it will certainly bring some logistical challenges to the area, it also brings a once in a lifetime opportunity to showcase Finley and Hancock county to the world. I'm joined by the University of Finley's Nathan Tyce today to talk about a project that he's been working on, the Small Business Eclipse network. Locally, the group has been working to help local businesses prepare for an influx of visitors and help them come up with some creative ideas for all of the people coming to the area.
0:01:29 - (Doug Jenkins): We're also continuing to highlight the 2023 Small Business Award winners. Look, I know it's 2024, but we have so many award winners that it jumps into 2024 a little bit. We still have a few more to profile as well. We're going to be joined by Stanley Miller of Miller's meat, barbecue and catering, who won the small business of the year award. If you like stories about how someone came up in their family business only to take it to new heights when they eventually took over, well, this is an interview that you're really going to enjoy.
0:01:55 - (Doug Jenkins): Thanks again for tuning in. Remember, if you're listening on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify, you can rate and review the show. It really does help spread the word. Now let's get into it. So this eclipse thing appears to still be happening.
0:02:08 - (Nathan Tice): Yeah, people keep asking, can we postpone it to a better day. I said I don't have that kind of pull in the universe. So unfortunately, April eigth is the day. So it's still going to happen. Rain or shine. We're hoping shine, but I guess you know how Ohio weather is.
0:02:25 - (Doug Jenkins): Yes, that's correct. Of course, as we record this, we would take a rainy April day as opposed to the frigid temperatures as we're recording right now. Obviously, this is a huge opportunity for the area, and fortunately, local leaders and people in the business community and everybody have been very proactive in getting ready for April eigth. And that's what we want to talk about today. You are helping lead small business eclipse network. So let's get into that.
0:02:54 - (Doug Jenkins): What exactly is that?
0:02:56 - (Nathan Tice): Yeah, so I think that when we started thinking about programming about a year ago here at the University of Finley, obviously we have a lot of on campus programming. We're partnering with a lot of nonprofits, education folks, for example, the imagination station, 50 north. But I think there was a box that we're kind of missing, and that was sort of the private sector, small businesses, things like that. Right. They have an incredible reach here in Finley in Hancock county. So we're thinking about, well, what are some ways that we can engage with not only those businesses, but their customers.
0:03:29 - (Nathan Tice): Right. The people that they serve. So I think that what we kind of thought about was what if we created sort of what we'd call a small business eclipse network for businesses to sort of interface with the university and also those other groups that I kind of mentioned in the education and nonprofit sector. And again, sort of thinking about how can we sort of be mutually beneficial. So if there are businesses that say, want to do eclipse watch parties on the day of, or they want to have special events or things like that, or marketing items or sort of goods and things like that that they want to sell that are connected to the eclipse or eclipse watching, how can we actually connect with them and help each other out? Right.
0:04:11 - (Nathan Tice): So it can be as simple as, say, we can share your information, share a date when you're actually doing a special event, or it could be a little bit more in depth. And I can give an example or two about that, about how businesses are actually trying to directly partner with us and try to work together on a special event to engage with their customers.
0:04:33 - (Doug Jenkins): Yeah, I'm curious about that. What are some of the ideas that have come about from this network and some things that area businesses are looking to do?
0:04:40 - (Nathan Tice): Yeah. So obviously one example is just to have eclipse watch parties. I know that some businesses are going to be open on April eigth. Others are going to say, maybe we'll go watch it somewhere else. Obviously, everyone knows the impact that it could have. I guess could is the operative word. If the weather is good, the population of Hancock county could double or triple in size. So I know that a lot of businesses are seeing that as a great opportunity to serve visitors coming in from outside the.
0:05:12 - (Nathan Tice): Here's. But here's one very specific example. So if you know Gillig Winery, Nikki Gillig, again, a good friend of the university, her husband is actually a UF alum of our EsOh program. And so we've done events with Nikki and at the winery before for alumni events and things like that, like, for example, the science of winemaking. And that's been really fun and to be engaged with a great segment of the population.
0:05:41 - (Nathan Tice): But I sort of engaged your husband first. I said, hey, we've got these eclipse events. We're looking for small businesses and other partners to say, I'm just going to throw this out here. Do you make eclipse of wine, for example? Right? And they said, we actually do. In fact, if you remember back in 2017, there was a partial solar eclipse over Finley, and they made a wine specifically for that. And I said, well, would you consider doing that again?
0:06:07 - (Nathan Tice): And he's like, absolutely. And I said, well, what could we do actually partnering with the university and with Gillig Winery to be able to do a fun event for people in the community? And they said, well, how about a wine pairing and tasting involving this eclipse wine? I said, that's fantastic. So we're going to plan it. It's actually going to be on a Monday. It's March 4 on a Monday. And again, you'll be able to register for this. This is open to the public, partially sponsored. In fact, one of our good community partners is the Hancock County Community foundation.
0:06:43 - (Nathan Tice): So we're very happy to have them on board. So partially sponsored by them so folks can come and learn about wine, learn about how wine pairs with different foods, but also learn about the eclipse. So we're going to have some really great educational, informational items and also some demos and interactive things to talk about the eclipse and things like that. And we're also going to bring in our partners, the imagination station up in Toledo. They've been fantastic as well.
0:07:11 - (Nathan Tice): So again, that's an example of, know what, some of the advice that we were told when we started thinking about eclipse events and planning and things like that about a year ago, we said the advice that the university was given was basically do what you do and do it well. Don't try to do something really different or really outside of your wheelhouse. So that's what we want to do. And so that's what we're also encouraging these small businesses if they want to get involved. Like, what do you do? What do you do well? What do you sell? What service do you provide?
0:07:42 - (Nathan Tice): And how would there be sort of a natural fit within the eclipse as well. Don't go too far afield of what you're normally doing. Do what you do and do it well. And then I would say, well, how can the university partner with you?
0:07:55 - (Doug Jenkins): I think what's interesting, especially with the Gilligan winery example, is that the event that doesn't necessarily have to take place the same day as the eclipse, obviously it's not. Now, if you're doing a watch party, that's a different story. But there are things you can do in the lead up to, to tie into it that could be just as beneficial without you having to tie up resources the day of when there could be a lot of people here and especially the weekend before.
0:08:18 - (Nathan Tice): Yeah, and that's a great point in that there will be, again, weather permitting, there will be a lot of people coming in the weekend before coming in on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. So you're going to see that influx of additional outside visitors and guests. So it certainly is an opportunity for small businesses, again, to help out their business as well. But you're right in talking with a lot of organizations, not just businesses as well, they're very hesitant about putting maybe all their eggs in one basket. Right. If you decide to say, well, all we're going to do is basically something on the eigth.
0:08:54 - (Nathan Tice): It could be snowing in April. Right? April eigth.
0:08:57 - (Stanley Miller): Right.
0:08:57 - (Doug Jenkins): And has in the past.
0:08:59 - (Nathan Tice): And it certainly has. Right. If you look historical, weather wise, there's approximately 40% to 50% chance that it will rain. There will be precipitation on April eigth. So even from the university's standpoint, a lot of it's also been thinking about, well, what happens if the weather is bad, right. People are probably not going to stick around. If they know or they see that it's raining, they're going to drive somewhere else and go where it's not raining. Right.
0:09:27 - (Nathan Tice): But again, it's still a great opportunity because you've basically got, and I think I put my counter up today, you've got 82 days between then and now. Right. So again, there's a great opportunity to run all sorts of events, activities, outreach, things like that. Like I said, we're partnering with the imagination station on hiring or recruiting what we call eclipse ambassadors. And again, this is also funded by our community foundation grant. So giving folks information, a kit and materials and sending them out and say, okay, we'll host your own viewing party. Right.
0:10:03 - (Nathan Tice): And again, that's something that you can do. Technically you could do before the eclipse. You could still have an eclipse party even before that. But there's lots of opportunities and I'd say take advantage of the time that you have. Right. There's going to be huge amount of interest. And even if again, the day of is a washout, you still had great events heading up to that. You had great brand awareness for your own business.
0:10:28 - (Nathan Tice): It's just a great way of sort of extending what sort of Finley and what Hancock county can offer. And I think a lot of people are going to be paying attention.
0:10:37 - (Doug Jenkins): Aside from the weather, what are some of the concerns that businesses who are part of the network have expressed as we get closer to April eigth?
0:10:45 - (Nathan Tice): Well, information, sort of getting the information out as well. So we're certainly going to be trying to work with again, the chamber with the city of Finley with visit Finley, for example, to get information out. And we'd like to actually start broadcasting it out, getting that out on our website. We do have an eclipse website. It's just ww Finley.edu backslashes and you can just google that as well to find it. So we would certainly like to get the information out there. Some of the things are sort of practical as well as you're leading up and this might be a little bit as you get closer, what's traffic going to be like?
0:11:26 - (Nathan Tice): What about Internet services and things like that? If you have large amounts of people, are you going to be able to run your business? So there's some practical things that I think a lot of businesses have to start thinking about to say if we have a large influx of people and the Internet is spotty, right, how am I going to make sales and things of that nature? Some of that is also just some practical things about what are some good ideas to engage with people as well. And like you said, the Gillig winery example is a great way.
0:11:53 - (Nathan Tice): It doesn't mean that you have to wait till the day of. Doesn't mean you have to know a lot about eclipses, right. You can always find people. We can find scientists or experts to bring in and just kind of talk about and engage with. We certainly have a large network of folks that are willing to talk about eclipse and the science behind it and things like that. So just make it fun and engaging and think outside the box, but also keep it to something where it's in your wheelhouse. You feel comfortable doing it as well. So there's some practical things, right, with the traffic and the Internet and things like that. But it's also just thinking about, well, what are some other things that other businesses are doing that are successful and things like that? And we're more than happy to work with those businesses to kind of brainstorm together.
0:12:36 - (Doug Jenkins): Nate, if businesses want to get involved in the network here, what's the best way for them to get in touch with you and start that process?
0:12:44 - (Nathan Tice): Yeah, I would just say they could reach out to me directly, myself and Ben Sapp. So if you know Ben Sapp, he's the director of the Mazda museum. If you've been on campus before, Mazda does all sorts of fantastic activities and things. So Ben and I are sort of the co chairs of the planning committee, but you can email me directly. My email is tyce tice@finley.edu. And I can kind of get you started on that. Like I said, we'd like to kind of bring together various businesses information and if you have more specifics.
0:13:17 - (Nathan Tice): Right. We'd like to actually post events and things like that. We do have an events page on our eclipse website, so you can kind of go and click on that. For now, it's mostly just sort of speakers that we're hosting on campus or off campus. But we are, for example, promoting the Gillig winery event that will be in the beginning of March, March 4. We'd be more than happy to say, hey, if there's a specific event, if there's a sign up, if there's additional information, we're more than happy to kind of post that. We can push that out on our socials as well. But again, it's kind of up to those specific businesses is what they feel like is best for them. What's the best fit?
0:13:55 - (Nathan Tice): If it's just getting information out, great. But if it's something that they want to be more directly involved, like we're looking for a partner, whether that's the university, whether it's another organization, we can certainly work on that with them as well.
0:14:07 - (Doug Jenkins): Very good. Always good to be able to have conversations with different businesses, find out what everybody's doing and get your own ideas that way. Again, that website one more time.
0:14:16 - (Nathan Tice): Yeah. So if you go, and again, you can google it. I think if I even checked to google it earlier. And I'm like, I think some of our newsroom articles come up first, but.
0:14:24 - (Doug Jenkins): You can find it through that.
0:14:25 - (Nathan Tice): But it's ww dot findley.edu and it's backslashciences. And again, that has information on there. There's other information on there, too. I know we have a planetarium if you've ever been on campus here. So again, you can sort of get information on that and sign up for that if you want to have. In fact, I've actually talked to a few, speaking of small businesses, I've talked to a few small businesses like, well, we'd actually like to come to campus for a team building exercise or something like that. Could we use the planetarium space? We said absolutely right.
0:14:58 - (Nathan Tice): So that space is open and available. So if you'd like to come on campus and see what Mazda has, our steam center or a planetarium, we'd love to host, again, small businesses as well on campus.
0:15:09 - (Doug Jenkins): You know what's interesting about that? Obviously, we're focused on how businesses respond to the things they can do and everything. But it does feel like an event like this is something that drives interest into astronomy and to things like that, where suddenly you have this surge of interest, like, how does this happen? How do we know exactly when that's going to happen? And it's a way to drive interest there, too, and even make ourselves an even more educated community.
0:15:33 - (Nathan Tice): Yep, absolutely. I mean, one of the major missions of the University of Findlay is to be that community partner that is for the public good. So again, through the planetarium and through Mazda, we bring in thousands and thousands of outside community members, students, parents, children, young and old. And we love to do that sorts of things. Like I said, I know Mazda does a fun day Sunday, every first Sunday of the month and things like that. So there's lots of opportunities there. And so we take science education very seriously. That's also why we're extremely happy to have a great partner like the imagination station work with us on lots of these events and things like that. They have great staff, great resources, but they also realize we have a huge advantage over, say, where they're located. In Lucas county is the eclipse will be here and be here much longer, significantly longer in Hancock county. So they're putting a lot of resources and time also to investing in our community and the school districts and things like that. So the university has a really vested interest in sort of doing science outreach, STEm outreach, and we want to continue that, whether that's on campus or off campus. So again, in general, again, if folks are interested, please contact myself or the Mazda Museum Ben Sapp there. We'd love to partner with other community groups and say, how can we further sort of science education and understanding out in the community?
0:17:02 - (Doug Jenkins): Very good, Nathan, thanks for joining us today.
0:17:05 - (Nathan Tice): Yep, pleasure to be here. Thanks a lot.
0:17:09 - (Doug Jenkins): Thanks again to Nate for joining us. As a bit of a space nerd, I am really excited about the upcoming eclipse and I'm really looking forward to see the creative ways that our area businesses welcome visitors to the community for the event. I think it's going to be exciting to watch. One quick note before we get back into the program. Chamber Amplified is a free podcast for the community thanks to the investments of our members in the Finley Hancock County Chamber of Commerce. Because of our robust membership, we're able to focus on providing timely information to the Finley and Hancock county business community, run leadership programs for adults and teenagers, and be an advocate for the area while also providing tools and helping local businesses succeed.
0:17:45 - (Doug Jenkins): If that sounds like something you'd like to be a part of, just let me know. We can talk about how you can be a member of the chamber and invest in tools just like this one. You can reach me anytime at djenkins@finlayhancockchamber.com now let's get back into the show. So a big year for you, Stanley, as not only did you celebrate an anniversary at the meat market and barbecue, but you take on the root beer stand and then cap it all off with a small business award.
0:18:13 - (Doug Jenkins): When you look back at 2023, was it everything that you thought it would be? I have to imagine going into last year, you saw a lot of challenges. What did you see on your way out of the year?
0:18:23 - (Stanley Miller): Yeah, no, I think it was definitely an interesting year per se. Winning the award was something I did not expect or didn't even know it was even being nominated for. So that was awesome to get that. 23 the way I could sum up, like work comes and goes, it is what it is, but the recognition and the support of the community and seeing that emotionally played on me a lot different than anything ever has for a long time in my life.
0:18:53 - (Stanley Miller): It was very special to not only get nominated, but recognized by my peers for the award and the small business award. And I guess it's more of a testament or a reassurance that what you're doing is the right thing in the right way. And when you start getting recognition for that, that's very gratifying.
0:19:12 - (Doug Jenkins): One that's great to hear two. I've never really thought about it from that perspective. You know, there are businesses that are just Finley institutions, and I think that the root beer stand and Miller's meat market are Finley institutions. But when you're there every day, does it register to you what that business means to the community?
0:19:35 - (Stanley Miller): Not all the time, no. And I think the addition of the root beer stand has changed that a little bit for me because now people come in almost daily and ask when it's going to open, when are we reopening, when we're doing this. We've even started serving spanish dogs every Saturday at the meat market right now from eleven to four just to get people their fix, to get them through until we reopen. So I think the customer base reminds me of that sometimes.
0:20:03 - (Stanley Miller): And I try to, it sounds crazy, but I'm a very simple, humble kind of guy and I know how to go to work and that's what I know what to do well. And when you get some of that feedback that you don't always are used to, it hits a little bit differently. So when you hear people say stuff like that, and I think when I first noticed it was when my uncle and when the storm came in, he didn't realize the impact he had on the community with the business.
0:20:28 - (Stanley Miller): So for us, that was a huge step for us. And when the community outpoured to him and showed him how much they wanted him back, that resonated in the back of my head of how important this business is. I mean, we're going into year 36 now, and that's a long time. Some businesses don't even last a year, and here we are 36 years later, still putting our name out there and still moving forward. So, yeah, I think the customers kind of keep me grounded in that way, but the work is just a daily grind.
0:21:00 - (Doug Jenkins): Most definitely. You talk about the storm and being shut down. It was over a year, right, that the meat market was shut down while the renovations had to take place and everything correct?
0:21:09 - (Stanley Miller): Yeah, it was down for a little bit, and then it took a full year to get it renovated because everything that wasn't up to code and anything didn't meet standards obviously had to get put back into that. Plus insurance was involved and then it was completely closed for over a year.
0:21:23 - (Doug Jenkins): Well, certainly worth the efforts. And obviously the community recognizing you for that as well, nominating you for the award and then our selection committee selecting you for the award as well. Let's get into the history of the business. I know we've talked a little bit about it, too, your ribbon cuttings and things like that. But for people who aren't familiar with how the meat market came to be and then how you came to be involved with it, let's give the synopsis on.
0:21:45 - (Stanley Miller): Yeah, so my uncle basically moved down from the Medina Cleveland area and had experience working in meat market stuff. And that was kind of. He was a butcher. That's just what he did by craft. So he decided to come down here, obviously, where his brother lived and where he kind of grew up and opened a business with a dollar and a dream, literally. And you ask him, he'll tell you it was pennies and paperclips and rubber bands and duct tape and anything you could to survive. And he opened it in May of 1988, and even so much that he lived in the back room. And it used to be on a corner, north Main in Trenton, and he lived there because he couldn't afford to live an apartment or a house and pay the mortgage on the business.
0:22:26 - (Stanley Miller): So he did that and did that for many years until I finally moved out. And that's where I started with him when I was ten. And that was before it was even open. I was going with him, picking up equipment, climbing underneath coolers, cleaning stuff out, painting this, go for this, go for that. And it started with mainly the meat market. And then he had deli salad and sandwiches and made his own stuff. And then on Saturdays, he started doing barbecue out front.
0:22:53 - (Stanley Miller): There was a different range of barbecue, whether it's chickens and smoked pork loins and ribs and stuff. And it became a Saturday deal, and then it became a Saturday and Sunday deal, and then more and more people started asking. So then he started getting more hot food inside, and the businesses kept growing as the demand. But, I mean, he'll tell you stories. There was times where he was dry heaping in trash cans, just didn't know if he's going to make it through didn't know if he's going to get through another day, another week.
0:23:17 - (Stanley Miller): So he laid the foundation for what it is today back then, and continued so until, I think it's probably been about two years ago, I think he officially stopped working here.
0:23:29 - (Doug Jenkins): Right.
0:23:32 - (Stanley Miller): I got four years now of owning it, and I'm going into my fifth. I would say it's a bit in my life ever since I can remember, too, because you figure from ten until now, I'm 45.
0:23:45 - (Doug Jenkins): And I think what's been interesting about since you've taken over is that a lot of times people will take over a business and they want to change everything about it. Other times, people will take over a business and they change nothing and don't really even put their own stamp on it. You've been able to thread that needle where everything that you expect from Miller's is still there, but you've put your own stamp on it as well with some different things that you've implemented.
0:24:07 - (Doug Jenkins): How was that process and how do you weigh, like, how much do I want to change, how much do I want to keep and move forward? Because I think that's great advice for any business that's going through that sort of transition.
0:24:18 - (Stanley Miller): Yeah, there's a couple of different philosophies, right. Some people say, if it's not broke, don't break it. And some people say, if it's not broke, break it. And I live on both sides of that because I've seen both sides of it. The stuff that we've done and done very well, you don't mess with. The only thing I did is maybe create some recipes and get stuff a little bit more standardized and make sure that everything we do every day is the exact same way.
0:24:40 - (Stanley Miller): And then over time, you just slowly start. I think a lot of times people tend to change too fast, too quick, and they don't have an understanding and don't have the analytics and data behind it. So for me, it came in quiet and soft and just kind of hang out and then slowly just kind of putting my stamp on my hand on things and tweaking here, adjusting here, trying this, trying that, doing new things.
0:25:02 - (Stanley Miller): But we still do the core basics of what the business has always been. And it's always been the meat market, it's always been the barbecue for at least 20 plus years. And sticking to that and sometimes doing simple things well is all a successful business needs. Sometimes people try to get too fancy or they try to do this or that, and at the end of the day, people just want good food and they want it done well. And you have to execute to it. And to me, that's the biggest thing for me, we have to execute and be perfect every day. And yes, we have mistakes and we have hiccups here and there, but it's all about opportunities to learn and grow, and those are learning mistakes for us, too.
0:25:38 - (Stanley Miller): And being an owner operator is different than an owner. Being an operator and be involved in a business when your name's on the wall is a whole different attitude than someone that manages from 20,000ft above. I live it every day. I mean, I'm here every day. Granted, most of days, but it means different to people. And from staffing standpoint, it's one step management. I'm here, we make the decision together and we move together.
0:26:11 - (Stanley Miller): I tell people I'm more of a commander, less of a demander. I'm going to do it because I'm going to do it with you. I'm not going to do it because I'm the owner and I don't use verbiage and terminology like that. It's like, we're going to do this, we're going to do that. I mean, I could, but that's not who I am. And I don't want to be in a work environment that makes people uncomfortable. Like, we like to have a good time, like to joke around, but we know when it's time to put the foot down and start moving, and we do that very well, too. So if you can't have fun and enjoy life, what's the point?
0:26:38 - (Doug Jenkins): It's more of a lead from the front type of attitude, right?
0:26:41 - (Stanley Miller): Yes, absolutely.
0:26:43 - (Doug Jenkins): So right now, I know you're there just about every day. Hopefully, you're going to get some vacation time because before we know it, hopefully grilling and barbecue season will be here. Before we know it. It doesn't feel like it as we're recording this on another 20 deg day. And of course, the root beer stand will be reopening, too. So I'm glad you're getting people through the winter with the spanish dogs.
0:27:04 - (Doug Jenkins): Any barbecue advice for anybody who's jonesing in the winter to break out the barbecue?
0:27:09 - (Stanley Miller): There's still some are. I'll tell you, three days ago, the beginning of my neighborhood, guy had a smoker out front. It was just huffing and puffing.
0:27:17 - (Doug Jenkins): Three days ago was in the height of the zero deg weather, too.
0:27:23 - (Nathan Tice): Wow. Yeah.
0:27:24 - (Stanley Miller): I mean, same thing. If you're not working and the kids are at school or schools out, like, what are you going to do? And you're like, I just covered my grill up last week. I'm just getting too old, too thin skin, man. I want to be out in the cold anymore. But I mean, we push out and smoke every day. So, I mean, we're putting the smoker out every day. We're cooking out front every day. It doesn't have to stop. I think part of it is people don't feel comfortable going out, getting all dressed up, getting all your car hearts on, your hoodies on and everything else, but you still can cook out, and then that's what we're here for, too.
0:27:58 - (Stanley Miller): You can still get barbecue. You can still come in and get steaks. And now with air fryers and all the different technology you can do in your house, you can basically have almost like grilled things. You just got to operate a little bit differently. But I think cooking is social, too. And I think that's where people can be out and see the neighbor, wave to the neighbor, whatever it may be. It makes them want to be out and see some sunshine and birds singing and all that good stuff. So I told people, you look at it, this is the first week we've put on a winter jacket, right? We've got about ten more weeks, and we're talking about spring.
0:28:34 - (Stanley Miller): So we're not too far away.
0:28:36 - (Doug Jenkins): We're getting there. We're getting there. Well, Stanley, again, thank you for being on the podcast. Thank you for everything you do in the community. Congratulations on the award. If people want to learn more about Miller's meats or if they want to learn more about the root beer stem, what's the best way to do that?
0:28:50 - (Stanley Miller): Yeah, we're moving everything to social media now. So we've got Instagram pages, Facebook pages for both businesses, so they run independently. Then we share between those, but we put up daily posts and specials. We still put up some daily stuff. We're going to start rolling out this new kind of stay home with Stan series and kind of learn how to cook and do some of these techniques and stuff at home this time of year and maybe throughout the year, a couple of different cooking techniques and recipes for people to watch and learn and grow.
0:29:18 - (Doug Jenkins): I like that idea. I'm looking forward to seeing that. Thanks again, Stan. We appreciate you being on the podcast today.
0:29:23 - (Stanley Miller): Appreciate you. Thank you, Doug.
0:29:27 - (Doug Jenkins): Thanks again to Stanley for joining us. And congratulations again on his small business award for 2023. That'll do it for this week's episode. I hope you learned a little something about the local business community and maybe a little something to help you run your business better. If you have any ideas on topics you'd like to hear us cover, send me an email. Djenkins@finleyhankcockchamber.com remember, if you're listening on the chamber's website, you can also make it easier on yourself just by subscribing to the podcast. Go to your favorite podcast player, search for chamber amplified and subscribe that way.
0:29:57 - (Doug Jenkins): Thanks again for listening. We'll see you next time on Chamber were amplified from the Findlay Hancock County Chamber of Commerce.