Barbecue Thursday at Oak Grove United Methodist this week.
Not as big as a crowd as Mallard Creek, but Chief Cook Glennis Stephens &
the crew put out a mighty good plate of pork for just $8. 3 Sandwiches for $8,
or $3 per sandwich.
What I like is that lots of people come for lunch, they sit & visit & talk. There's
no problem with you leaving a few business cards on the table and it's a great
place to meet new people.
11am - Until, Old Statesville Rd. between Gibbon Rd & Hwy 21.
Business Meeting Notes
We had a good turnout at the monthly Derita Business Breakfast last week at
Maria's Grill. It's always at 9am on the 1st Thursday of each month. Great
Breakfast Specials, or simply stop in for a cup of coffee.
Lots of discussion this time about the on-going road construction projects in
downtown Derita, and what's also happening on Mallard Creek Rd and Statesville Rd.
We had a few updates and now we're glad to see that the City is looking to widen
West Sugar Creek Rd again.
Brenda Morgan from Mattany Homes showed off specs and photos of a mid-priced
"Dilworth-style" home they're planning to build in Hubbard Falls. Their first model is
already standing and you won't find any beige vinyl & white trim here. Their designers
feel that "Class Sells." The Canadian builder (one of the country's largest) bought
the entire remaining property and has already started marketing new homes on-line.
As it happened, we had three neighbors present from nearby Kelsey Glen. They
asked a lot of questions and seemed quite impressed with what they heard.
"EAT FREE" Promotion Extended
Happy to report that we have renewed the Free Lunch drawings at Maria's Grill for
another month. Each Weekly Winner receives a $10 Certificate good for breakfast,
lunch, or dinner and we have been average better than 60 entries per week for the
past 6 weeks.
For just $10 each month, our business sponsors receive the info from each entry
blank (Name, address, phone, email address) --- plus. Each Week we send everyone
an email with the embedded business card of each sponsor and the name of that
week's winner. Also, we list "contact info" for each sponsor in an ad we post twice
monthly in the DSRCO Newsletter and in some other emailings.
That's right! For just $10, we send your business card to over 3400 email addresses
TWICE each month . . . and we send you a list (weekly) of addresses from the
EAT FREE drawing.
Someone asked how do pay for the promotion? It's simple, the Free Meals, the drawing
supplies, the emailings to them and to you --- all come out of the $10 fee. You don't
have to pay anything else. It's a great way to begin building your own local email marketing
list.
For details, Contact: Bernie deritarep@aol.com 704 806-3813
Community "Good Will" Projects
Do we "give back" to the Community? You bet we do! Working as a group,
like we do, just a few dollars can make a big difference where it's needed. We
usually just "pass the hat" at our breakfast meeting, and good things happen.
You'll usually see a note in the DSRCO Newsletter announcing the donations
made and the businesses that took part. We're not bragging, we're just letting
folks know that we care.
---- When Loaves & Fishes ran low on Peanut Butter & Jelly this summer, we gave
them two big boxes to help tide their school kids through the summer.
---- When Crisis Assistance found a donor who would match contributions this
summer, we sent them a check for $100.
---- When Derita Athletics Association ran a FREE Football Clinic this summer and
fed the kids lunch, we sent them $100 to help cover the expense (and the Derita-
Statesville Rd. Community Organization matched our donation).
---- When we heard that Oak Grove United Methodist Church was making sandwiches
for Urban Ministries to distribute to Charlotte's homeless, we sent the Church a check
to help purchase bread, ziplock bags, and sandwich makings. It's called Operation
Sandwich, and we'll be doing it again this Fall.
We think "Giving Back" to the Community is an important part of doing business in
the Derita-Statesville Rd. area. Sure, there are a bunch of national name stores and
franchises that come sell their goods and take their profits out here. But most of
our folks live and work here.
Free Business Card Posting
We are re-vamping our on-line Derita Business Directory. It's a FREE Listing of
Derita-area business. Yes, we actually post your business card on-line and there's
a comment space underneath for you to talk about your business or service and
what makes your business special.
We have been on-line for a couple of years, but we've suffered sort of an identity
crisis because the web location didn't show up until Page 3 of the Google Search.
We're changing the name and will be linking it from the 3400+ DSRCO Newsletters
which go out twice monthly.
Business Cards should be scanned at least 300 dpi and emailed to deritarep@aol.com
Or you can mail your business card to: The Derita Reporter, 2600 Allen Rd. S.,
Charlotte, NC 28269.
Again, there is no charge for businesses in the Derita-Statesville Rd. area.
We're Still Growing
Happy to report that the Derita-Statesville Road Community Newsletter continues to
grow. Last count, we had over 3400 email subscribers and we add a couple of hundred
new email addresses each time we do the "EAT FREE" promotion. So far, no one
who has joined via the drawing entry blank has asked to be removed from our mailing
list. The local news & community calendar postings keep them coming back for more.
We have had some feedback since we stopped publishing the "printed edition" of our
Newsletter. Folks miss being able to pick up a paper copy at the bank, laundry, post
office or restaurant. But the on-line email edition is usually three times as long and saves
DSRCO hundreds of dollars in printing & mailing costs. We are discussing doing a
one or two page "highlights" printed sheet (with ads) that would again be available at
many Derita locations for folks who are not on-line.
Thanks,
Bernie Samonds
Derita Reporter Printing Service
2600 Allen Rd South -- Charlotte, NC 28269
704 806-3818 Pls Leave a Msg deritarep@aol.com
