Friday, September 22, 2017
One Day at a Time
Driving to work this morning, my load got lighter. No tasks were removed from my "to do"list. No angels of mercy came to the rescue. Maybe something better... As I drove down I-77 this morning, Grace blew in the windows and whispered a reminder that today, I only have to do today.
Friday, September 15, 2017
Lancaster gets no-kill pet sanctuary
Davey’s nonprofit shifts strategy, 7-year quest pays off
By Mandy Catoe
Sept. 15, 2017
Lancaster County will soon have its first no-kill pet sanctuary and will begin providing a safe haven to shelter pets by the end of September.
In June, the Indian Land-based nonprofit rescue group Paws in the Panhandle bought Palmetto Kennels, located off U.S. 521 just past Shiloh Unity Road north of Lancaster.
It’s a change in direction for Paws founder Gloria Davey, who had bought land in Fort Mill and planned to build a shelter from scratch there.
Since taking over Palmetto Kennels on July 1, Davey, 65, has worked nonstop learning the pet-boarding business. She took a much-needed break on Labor Day to talk about the transition.
The busy summer boarding season left her little time to sit and reflect on the possibilities and to “enjoy the wow.” Seated in a rocker on the front porch of the main kennel building with Jenna, a rescued lab, at her feet, she looked across the wide expanse of green spreading over 35 acres – three pet kennel facilities, a pond and acreage to grow.
“This is all Paws in the Panhandle,” Davey said as she rocked and nodded. “Look at what we can do…. Paws made a million-dollar investment to save homeless pets.”
Palmetto Kennels, which was full for the holiday weekend, has been boarding pets for four decades. The name will stay the same under the new ownership.
“Next year, our capacity for boarding may decrease slightly but it is our plan to always have grooming and a large amount of boarding to fund our rescue operations,” she said.
Davey promises pet owners that employees will be equally attentive to all animals – boarded and rescued.
New direction
Davey retired in 2007 from Springs Industries after a 35-year IT career and has dedicated her life since then to saving pets. She founded Paws in the Panhandle in 2010.
Last January, the nonprofit rescue group switched gears from rescuing to building a facility that would allow them to save more shelter animals. Through donations and revenue from PAWSitively Thrifty, the group’s second-hand store in Indian Land, Paws purchased nearly 12 acres in Fort Mill and was preparing to build its pet sanctuary. With architectural drawings in hand, the group kicked off a capital campaign.
While Paws was raising money to build its rescue facility in Fort Mill, Palmetto Kennels owner Moe Morris was trying to form a rescue group.
Frustrated by bureaucratic roadblocks, he was almost ready to give up. He then read the story about Paws in the Panhandle and called Davey with an offer to sell his business.
“Why would I do this by myself and drive myself completely insane on something I know nothing about?” Morris said. “She’s got the people. She’s got the system. The only thing she doesn’t have is the kennel.”
Paws in the Panhandle embraced the opportunity.
“We needed a facility, and we wanted to start saving lives,” Davey said.
Buying the established boarding and grooming business gives the rescue group another income stream.
Palmetto Kennels has 80 dog runs and a cattery for 22 cats. Paws will reduce the boarding kennels from 80 to 42, setting aside 38 runs for rescued dogs.
She plans to hire a residential kennel manager to oversee operations.
Rescue partners
Paws plans to partner with other rescue groups to provide a place for the mandatory two-week quarantine that shelter animals must go through before being adopted. Currently rescue groups have been transporting dogs to Chesterfield County’s larger shelter for the quarantine. Davey said she would offer quarantine space to the local shelter if needed.
Lancaster County Animal Shelter Director Alan Williams said he is happy for any help.
“I wish them all the best in what they are doing,” he said. “If they help us any at all, we appreciate it. An animal saved is an animal saved.”
The county shelter took in 1,361 dogs over the past 12 months and enthanized 180 of them. It accepted 1,850 cats and put down 1,177.
Davey’s facility will have much room to grow, but she said she thinks 38 rescue kennels is just right for now.
“We are not to house them (long-term). We are trying to move them out into adopted homes,” Davey said. “We have enough space for that. We need rescues to get involved to help us.”
She plans to use no more than 20 of the runs for Paws in the Panhandle’s rescues and set aside about 18 for other rescue groups to use.
“Pull fees, vaccines, spay/neuter and vetting of 20 dogs will be quite costly and will likely be all we can financially take on, at least in the beginning,” she said.
Paws has spoken to several rescue groups about using the facility, including the Lancaster SPCA.
“I am excited for them and the many animals that will have a chance for a ‘happily ever after’ thanks to Gloria and her team,” said SCPA President Diana Knight.
http://pawsinthepanhandle.com/
mandycatoe@gmail.com
By Mandy CatoeSept. 15, 2017
Lancaster County will soon have its first no-kill pet sanctuary and will begin providing a safe haven to shelter pets by the end of September.
In June, the Indian Land-based nonprofit rescue group Paws in the Panhandle bought Palmetto Kennels, located off U.S. 521 just past Shiloh Unity Road north of Lancaster.
It’s a change in direction for Paws founder Gloria Davey, who had bought land in Fort Mill and planned to build a shelter from scratch there.
Since taking over Palmetto Kennels on July 1, Davey, 65, has worked nonstop learning the pet-boarding business. She took a much-needed break on Labor Day to talk about the transition.
The busy summer boarding season left her little time to sit and reflect on the possibilities and to “enjoy the wow.” Seated in a rocker on the front porch of the main kennel building with Jenna, a rescued lab, at her feet, she looked across the wide expanse of green spreading over 35 acres – three pet kennel facilities, a pond and acreage to grow.
“This is all Paws in the Panhandle,” Davey said as she rocked and nodded. “Look at what we can do…. Paws made a million-dollar investment to save homeless pets.”
Palmetto Kennels, which was full for the holiday weekend, has been boarding pets for four decades. The name will stay the same under the new ownership.
“Next year, our capacity for boarding may decrease slightly but it is our plan to always have grooming and a large amount of boarding to fund our rescue operations,” she said.
Davey promises pet owners that employees will be equally attentive to all animals – boarded and rescued.
New direction
Davey retired in 2007 from Springs Industries after a 35-year IT career and has dedicated her life since then to saving pets. She founded Paws in the Panhandle in 2010.
Last January, the nonprofit rescue group switched gears from rescuing to building a facility that would allow them to save more shelter animals. Through donations and revenue from PAWSitively Thrifty, the group’s second-hand store in Indian Land, Paws purchased nearly 12 acres in Fort Mill and was preparing to build its pet sanctuary. With architectural drawings in hand, the group kicked off a capital campaign.
While Paws was raising money to build its rescue facility in Fort Mill, Palmetto Kennels owner Moe Morris was trying to form a rescue group.
Frustrated by bureaucratic roadblocks, he was almost ready to give up. He then read the story about Paws in the Panhandle and called Davey with an offer to sell his business.
“Why would I do this by myself and drive myself completely insane on something I know nothing about?” Morris said. “She’s got the people. She’s got the system. The only thing she doesn’t have is the kennel.”
Paws in the Panhandle embraced the opportunity.
“We needed a facility, and we wanted to start saving lives,” Davey said.
Buying the established boarding and grooming business gives the rescue group another income stream.
Palmetto Kennels has 80 dog runs and a cattery for 22 cats. Paws will reduce the boarding kennels from 80 to 42, setting aside 38 runs for rescued dogs.
She plans to hire a residential kennel manager to oversee operations.
Rescue partners
Paws plans to partner with other rescue groups to provide a place for the mandatory two-week quarantine that shelter animals must go through before being adopted. Currently rescue groups have been transporting dogs to Chesterfield County’s larger shelter for the quarantine. Davey said she would offer quarantine space to the local shelter if needed.
Lancaster County Animal Shelter Director Alan Williams said he is happy for any help.
“I wish them all the best in what they are doing,” he said. “If they help us any at all, we appreciate it. An animal saved is an animal saved.”
The county shelter took in 1,361 dogs over the past 12 months and enthanized 180 of them. It accepted 1,850 cats and put down 1,177.
Davey’s facility will have much room to grow, but she said she thinks 38 rescue kennels is just right for now.
“We are not to house them (long-term). We are trying to move them out into adopted homes,” Davey said. “We have enough space for that. We need rescues to get involved to help us.”
She plans to use no more than 20 of the runs for Paws in the Panhandle’s rescues and set aside about 18 for other rescue groups to use.
“Pull fees, vaccines, spay/neuter and vetting of 20 dogs will be quite costly and will likely be all we can financially take on, at least in the beginning,” she said.
Paws has spoken to several rescue groups about using the facility, including the Lancaster SPCA.
“I am excited for them and the many animals that will have a chance for a ‘happily ever after’ thanks to Gloria and her team,” said SCPA President Diana Knight.
http://pawsinthepanhandle.com/
How to help
Anyone wishing to volunteer or apply for
employment is encouraged to drop by Palmetto Kennels. The rescue group needs
volunteers for adoption drives and fosters.
Paws in the Panhandle’s board meets at 6
p.m. the first Monday of every month at the Del Webb Library in Indian Land.
The public is invited to attend.
Donations
Donations
of any amount can be made on the website www.pawsinthepanhandle.com, on the
group’s Facebook page or in person at PAWSitively Thrifty or Palmetto Kennels.
For more information, visit www.pawsinthepanhandle.com or the group’s Facebook page, or contact Davey at (803) 371-0897 (cell), (803) 285-1809 (Palmetto Kennels) or pawsintheph@aol.com. The thrift shop number is (803) 892-7297.
Want to help?
• To volunteer or apply for a job, drop by Palmetto Kennels, 222 Palmetto Kennels Lane, Lancaster. The rescue group needs volunteers for adoption drives and foster homes.
• You can donate any amount at the website www.pawsinthepanhandle.com, on the group’s Facebook page or in person at PAWSitively Thrifty, 8715 Whippoorwill Lane, Indian Land, or Palmetto Kennels.
• Paws in the Panhandle’s nonprofit board meets at 6 p.m. the first Monday of every month at the Del Webb Library, 7641 Charlotte Highway, Indian Land. The public is invited.
Want to help?
• To volunteer or apply for a job, drop by Palmetto Kennels, 222 Palmetto Kennels Lane, Lancaster. The rescue group needs volunteers for adoption drives and foster homes.
• You can donate any amount at the website www.pawsinthepanhandle.com, on the group’s Facebook page or in person at PAWSitively Thrifty, 8715 Whippoorwill Lane, Indian Land, or Palmetto Kennels.
• Paws in the Panhandle’s nonprofit board meets at 6 p.m. the first Monday of every month at the Del Webb Library, 7641 Charlotte Highway, Indian Land. The public is invited.
mandycatoe@gmail.com
Wednesday, September 6, 2017
We're on 'Property Brothers'!
Buford cabinet distributor partnering with HGTV show
By Mandy Catoe
Freelancer
September 6, 2017
For Mandy Lyles, it was a marketing no-brainer.
Lyles’ company American Components, a wholesale cabinet distributor based in Buford, got a call from “Property Brothers,” the hottest show on HGTV.
Will you give us two sets of kitchen cabinets, the show’s producer asked, in return for a listing in the show’s credits and a link from our website?
Lyles replied without hesitation: Absolutely!
"I was blown away," Lyles said. "To think such a popular show could find our little family-run cabinet company in the little town of Lancaster. I couldn't believe it."
“Property Brothers” is a home-renovation juggernaut, in its 10th season as HGTV’s top-rated program. Twin brothers Jonathan and Drew Scott host the show, which airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. and then on multiple reruns at seemingly all hours. The brothers help couples buy fixer-upper houses and turn them into dream homes.
As part of the process, the show’s producers line up partners to provide some of the building materials. That’s how American Components entered the picture.
Lyles’ five-month-old company, located at 4341 Pageland Highway, is the exclusive Southeast distributor for Florida-based Jarlin cabinets. Those are the cabinets the TV show wanted.
The Aug. 30 episode featured a kitchen filled with Lyles’ Jarlin cabinets. Another set of cabinets will be on the Sept. 13 show.
In addition to the end-of-show credits, a link to American Components is included in the online resource guide from each episode. And photos of the cabinets appear on the “Property Brothers” website and social media pages.
Lyles discovered the all-wood Jarlin cabinets when her husband, Woody Lyles, began selling them through his 12-year-old Lancaster business Wholesale Cabinetry. Before offering this brand, he had gotten cabinets from eight other vendors.
“It’s the finest cabinet I have seen from all our vendors,” she said. “They are solid wood with no particle board.”
The cabinets are made from maple, birch and oak.
The Jarlin cabinets also won the approval of Lancaster custom-cabinet maker Kenny McAteer, who has been building cabinets for nearly 40 years. He sells and installs the line through his business Kenny’s Custom Cabinets.
“These are the best manufactured cabinets I have ever seen,” McAteer said, and save customers about 30 percent of the cost of custom-built cabinets.
Custom cabinets in a million dollar home can cost upwards of $70,000. McAteer said he can easily save such customers $20,000 by using the premade cabinets.
The Jarlin cabinets “pretty much sell themselves,” he said. “I haven’t switched all the way over, but I’m trying to.”
 |
Genni Tiffany, Betty Honeycutt,
Chrissy Sistare; Seated L-R Taylor Ray and Mandy Lyles. Not pictured Lisa
Smith, Woody Lyles, Mark Santiago.
|
Lyles and her office staff of half a dozen women began selling the cabinets in March. She said their sales have increased about 20 percent each month, hitting $250,000 in August.
The Jarlin cabinets can be purchased at Dave Lyles Wholesale Building Supplies on Landsford Road and through Kenny’s Custom Cabinets. McAteer said he hopes to open a Jarlin showroom by November at his location behind Cooter’s Carpets in Fort Lawn.
Mandy and Woody Lyles are building a home. What brand of cabinets will fill their kitchen?
That’s another no-brainer, she says, smiling. If they’re good enough for “Property Brothers”….
 |
| Jarlin White Dove Shaker Style cabinets from American Components photo supplied |
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