Izzy Carabetta
Beat Q&A
ATHENS RESTAURANT MANAGER EXAMINES THE TRIUMPHS AND TRAILS OF A NEW BUSINESS IN AN EXCLUSIVE Q&A
By: Izzy Carabetta
Bree Cowan is the general manager of Bruxie in Athens, Georgia, which is the first franchise location in the Southeast.
Q: So you said you were coming up on a year of being open in March, what are the biggest accomplishments and biggest challenges that y’all had to face, you personally and that you think the company has faced so far?
A: I think just keeping our doors open and getting word out has been huge for us. You know, I feel like nine out of 10 people I talk to don’t really know what Bruxie is. That's, you know, kind of two faced. That's an accomplishment in and of itself to have kind of reached out to the communities that we have. But in the same, like, same kind of breath, we have so much opportunity to get the word out about Bruxie. And the more we can get the word out, like, the more foot traffic we’ll get, the more money we’ll bring in.
Q: Are there any vices about the CEO being in California?
A: Yes and no. It kind of gives me a peace of mind. He’s a good three hours away. If there’s any issues, we can always either work them out ourselves, you know. You know, if it's a problem we’re having late at night we can still reach out to him directly, he’s three hours behind. It’s nice, and his daughter actually goes to UGA so, you know, she comes in all the time. He comes and visits all the time, so it’s actually nice. You would think for a company that’s a little bit bigger and has 10 plus locations, you know, and a CEO could be so hands-on, but it's really like helpful to hear from him a lot so. Yeah, it's awesome, just from a standpoint of like having worked so many like service industry jobs, having a CEO who cares, recognizes your hard work and is active in the business is, like, instrumental to everybody’s success.
Q: Is there any issue being the only Georgia location, is there any big expectation?
A: We’re actually kind of the test for like a corporate store in the East Coast or on the East Coast. So they’re looking at opening a corporate store in Atlanta. So we’re kind of the test run to see how it’s going to go.
Q: Is there anything you’d like Athens to know about Bruxie?
A: It’s actually good food. We prep everything fresh every day. You know, everything is made to order. We have a big emphasis on hospitality. So like, if you think it’s expensive, you also have to consider the experience that we’re trying to provide you so, you know, overall, I just want people to know that it’s quality. It’s quality for any amount of money you spend.
Q: What is your favorite menu item?
A: I’m gonna go with the Nutella waffle sandwich. That one’s probably my favorite.
Comments trimmed for length and clarity
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Source Information
Bree Cowan
(706)-850-1358
Audio and Transcription
https://otter.ai/u/51rL2pASuVT4yQj7U7ti56Jq5X0?utm_source=copy_url
Why I Wrote the Story
When conducting the interview, I really liked the process and thought I was great at making the person I was interviewing feel at ease. Though I may have made her feel at ease and relaxed, my transcript is a lot harder to navigate because of it. I learned that I phrased some of the questions in an odd way, which felt natural during the interview, but is confusing when looking at the transcript. Overall, I would love to interview more people, and I liked learning so much about the business. I feel like it is my job to do right by Bruxie and make this Q&A the best it can be
Event Preview Story
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA HOLDS ENTREPRENEUR COMPETITION TO GRANT STUDENTS MONEY FOR THEIR BUSINESS VENTURES
By: Izzy Carabetta
Students at the University of Georgia with existing businesses or business ideas will compete against each other for the top prizes of $10,000 for first place, $5,000 for second and $2,500 for third at the Terry College of Business’s third annual UGA Venture Prize Competition sponsored by Floor & Decor on Thursday, Feb. 22 at Studio 225 at 5 p.m.
The competition is open to any UGA student, and the goal is to aid entrepreneur students in their business endeavors.
“The funding helps get these businesses off the ground and get them launched,” said Bob Pinckney, director of the entrepreneurship program at the University of Georgia.
The event is open to all students with food provided. Students can come and observe what their peers are coming up with, or take home some inspiration for themselves. Terry College of Business wants to “inspire and equip,” the entrepreneurs of today, and this competition provides an experience for students to pitch their company to a group of people.
The UGA Venture Prize Competition has already resulted in the startup of several companies. The winner of the 2022 competition, Kristen Dunning with Gently Soap, appeared on Shark Tank. She proceeded to make a deal with Candace Nelson, founder of Sprinkles Cupcake.
The judges at the UGA Venture Prize Competition look for an idea that has “traction,” has a strong and clear path for where their business is going to go in the future and has value to the customers. “No one has a perfect crystal ball on what's going to work or not work,” Pinckney says, but they try to look for the best chance of success in the businesses that students present.
The pitches will begin at 5 p.m. at Studio 225.
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Sources:
UGA Venture Prize Competition Terry College of Business
Terry College of Business Entrepreneurship Program
Georgia MBA strikes a deal on Shark Tank
Bob Pinckney
Transcript:
https://reportinguga.slack.com/files/U05MA3Q4FDL/F06K2UB6VH6/bob_pinckney_-_venture_prize_comp..m4a
Social Media Posts
Why I Wrote the Story
I wrote this story to capture the events that go on in the entrepreneur realm when competition season is gearing up. I learned a lot about how businesses pitch to investors, how to update my audience on what is happening in real time and how to talk to people that I do not know to get important information. I liked the way that I presented my information on my Instagram story and I enjoyed learning about a different college's happenings and events since it is so vastly different than mine. I learned that keeping up with socials is hard to do when you are at an interesting event and want to be in the moment.
Event Coverage Story
DETAIL DAWGS SECURES TOP PRIZE IN UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA ENTREPRENEURSHIP CONTEST
By: Izzy Carabetta
Detail Dawgs founder Jack TerHaar beat OxSox and Sisterhood of the Traveling 20s to take home first place and $10,000 at the 3rd annual UGA Venture Prize Competition on Feb. 22.
TerHaar, current student of the University of Georgia and president of the society of entrepreneurs, created Detail Dawgs, a car detailing service in Athens, Georgia. He wanted an alternative way to make money instead of working odd hours at bars and restaurants downtown.
In his pitch portion of the competition, TerHaar explained how his business is now ranked the #1 website for car detailing within 30 miles of Athens. He has earned more than $46,000 in revenue since he opened with over 300 customers. He has 100% 5-star ratings among his customers.
“Join us as we make sure every car is doggone clean,” said TerHaar, concluding his pitch presentation.
TerHaar was asked what he would do with the money if he won, and he said he would use the money to buy more equipment, which would allow
\his company to clean more cars, leading to even more customers and profit.
The key to success, TerHaar explained, is being prompt when connecting with customers. Answering every call and making sure that things are as easy as possible on the receiving side of his business earns him loyal customers and great reviews.
The judges of the competition were looking for evidence of traction and scalability. Bob Pinckney, director of entrepreneurship programs at the University of Georgia, said the competition had “10 very good candidates.”
Detail Dawgs has a very high profit margin at 70%-78%. TerHaar also explained how his company is conscious of the environment by using certain ways to clean cars that saves gallons of water each wash.
Even though he plans to graduate this May, TerHaar said he fully plans to scale the business to reach other cities and states around the U.S.
The other winners, OxSox and Sisterhood of the Traveling 20s, received $2,500 and $5,000 for their businesses.
The UGA Venture Prize Competition is open to all current University of Georgia students. The goal is to foster student entrepreneurship success and experience with pitching ideas. Terry College of Business also has many more competitions in the upcoming months, with the next being on Wednesday, Feb. 28.
Source Info:
Bob Pinckney
(713) 582-2040
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Audio and Transcription:
https://otter.ai/u/gw3MMssbmIWx3KokNs6ULRHEyL8?utm_source=copy_url
News Conference
MAYOR KELLY GIRTZ DISCUSSES FUTURE LAND USE PLAN, NAVIGATING SHORT-TERM RENTAL TENSIONS BETWEEN FAMILIES AND RENTERS.
By: Izzy Carabetta
The mayor of Athens, Kelly Girtz, addressed students at the University of Georgia about the future land use plan, which he elaborated on the short-term rental adjustments that are being made at University of Georgia’s Instructional Plaza on April 19.
A recent revision in the text amendment surrounding short term rentals (STR’s) could change the coding and allowance of STR’s in Athens. Girtz explains that the commission passed a two-year sunset in which renters must reorganize their investments if they are located in single-family neighborhoods. Decreasing the number of STR’s opens up homes for the market and may aid the county in solving their housing crisis
Girtz says that a two year sunset bill is too demanding on these property owners. He is trying to urge the commission to revisit the amendment and either eliminate the sunset or expand it to 10 years.
“I believe, and almost all local government attorneys in the state believe, that that is not constitutional,” says Girtz.
The tussle between the renters and the government is a harsh one. A group of property owners are suing the Athens-Clarke County government in light of the new amendment. STR’s contribute, on average, $6,600 during the high seasons of September and October to an owner's revenue. Removing these properties can have detrimental effects to the owner's income as well as the Athens economy, which has 3,941 STR listings.
The rental situation around Athens also impacts fans, alumni and parents of current students. Sanford Stadium has the capacity to fill 92,746 seats, with 16,000 of such being student seats, leaving 76,746 seats to the general population. Many fans may make the day trip to Athens, but a large portion need a place to stay, which is where Airbnb and VRBO come into play.
Once hotels fill, families turn to STR’s for accommodations. Sloan Miers, a sophomore at UGA, says that often when her parents come to visit her, there just aren’t enough hotels to accommodate all of the fans, so they end up in an AirBnb.
“It kind of just depends on the availability and like the weekend, but recently more so Airbnb,” says Ari Izenson, senior at UGA.
More updates are to come from the county commission regarding the sunset revisions and other zoning changes around Athens and specifically STO’s.
Comments trimmed for length and clarity
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Sources
Kelly Girtz
Sloan Miers
(713)-566-1858
Ari Izenson
(770)-570-2385
Audio
https://otter.ai/u/cQq96lWgDHnE_hh6EjEaEjRetgg
https://otter.ai/u/KSuSvoKgJfFF8wAT7mSDBem1JBY?utm_source=copy_url
https://otter.ai/u/lbN5cctKLXWJyW__6TgBmfZ5dMU?utm_source=copy_url
Why I Wrote this Story
I wrote this story to inform my readers of the recent changes regarding short-term rentals that were addressed at the news conference. Short-term rentals, more notably known to the student population as AirBnb's and VRBO's are having a regulation change and I thought it was important for my audience, which is mostly fellow students, to be aware of this alteration. I learned how to attentively listen to a person in power and take notes about important things that are said. I also learned the different angles that my classmates took on the same conference and how they decided to report on it.