For Michael Fleishman, magic happens. Williams High School teacher by day, Santa by night, Fleishman is well suited for both roles. Approaching life with a twinkle in his eye, he is a student of human nature, looking to create meaningful interaction with each person he meets.

That is a tall order for a Santa, employed by the Grand Canyon Railway in Williams, with a steady stream of passengers. This is Fleishman’s tenth season on the Polar Express, which takes riders on a 17-mile train ride to the North Pole. Many participants show up in pajamas, looking like characters in the Chris Van Allsburg Polar Express book. Each person boards the train with unique expectations.

Several students in Fleishman’s science classes also work on the Polar Express, where they collaborate on spreading cheer. If one of the students learns the name of a young passenger, or an item on a holiday wish list, the intel is shared with their teacher. “I walk up to 16-B and say, ‘Susie, you’re here! My elves tell me you want a Barbie,’” said Fleishman, describing the look of surprise on the faces of Susie and her parents.

The longtime Williams resident clearly loves his jobs. His Santa’s sack is full of heartwarming stories.

Like the older gentleman with a cockney accent who chastised Santa for overlooking his rollerskates all those years ago. Fleishman, realizing the man was likely a child during World War II, had a quick reply. “I’m sorry, but those were really hard times. And not every boy and girl got what they wanted for Christmas.” Fleishman continued, “You know why you didn’t get those skates? Because I knew you were strong enough to go on without them. And there is nothing I can do to change it, but I can do something for you now; I can give you this bell, and the spirit of Christmas, and you can ring that bell whenever you want.” With a tear in his eye, the older man embraced Fleishman in a bear hug, wishing him a happy holiday.

Some of the encounters are bittersweet. Fleishman meets many people who are sick and know it will be their last holiday. Like a mom, clearly in pain, whose body had wasted away. Surrounded by her husband and young children, Fleishman took extra time, giving the mother a bell, and a Christmas wish. While it is sometimes difficult to stay dry-eyed, he says he always has a heartfelt “Merry Christmas” for all.

Bruce Brossman says you can’t underestimate Santa’s importance on the Polar Express. The director of sales and marketing for the Grand Canyon Railway predicts they will surpass last year’s record of nearly 90,000 holiday passengers. Brossman believes Santa’s entrance into the train car is the event’s culmination. “I think it is key to the whole thing, the moment all the kids are looking for. And when the bell gets handed to them, that is what it is all about.”

Fleishman agrees. “My goal is to make those kids know they’ve just seen Santa.” It is serious business for the educator of nearly 35 years. “I have seen bad Santas with fake beards who are clearly just out to make a few bucks. Kids are very perceptive and they see that,” added Fleishman, who works hard to preserve children’s dreams and ideas about Father Christmas.

“We’re celebrating a secular holiday, a birthday of someone who said, ‘among all else, love each other.’ And these external symbols and signs are just a reflection of that message.” Embodying that conviction, Fleishman continues to don his red suit, reminding himself of life’s many gifts, and looking for creative ways to spread the Christmas spirit, not just this month, but year round. FBN

Michael Fleishman had many Santa stories to share.  Here on some additional reflections, exclusive to flagstaffbusinessnews.com

Fleishman earns a smile from even the toughest customers.

“Imagine you’re a 15 year old teenage boy, who has just been yanked away from your girlfriend in Scottsdale to join your seven year old sister to go see Santa, and you don’t want to do it but mom and dad say you’re going.  So I walk into the car and you see that 15 year old and he is sitting there, his body language says ‘I don’t want to be here.’  So I deal with the seven year old, and then I turn to the 15 year old and you give him a bell.  I tell him, ‘remember to keep the spirit of Christmas in your heart every day,’ and you physically see the change in (his) face.  This is the spirit we’re talking about.  Not santa passing on a bell.

“When you walk into a car and you see a family, a mom a dad and grandkids. and you see a grandma who sits there with a wedding ring on her finger, sitting opposite but obviously with no grandpa.  You stop, you put your arm on her shoulder and say, ‘Merry Christmas.’  And something changes.  You know, you have people that are feeling so many emotions, how are you going to react to all those emotions?  What are you going to give that person?  While remembering there is a spirit we’re supposed to be celebrating.”

Fleishman often gets young people who ask “are you the real Santa?”

“Well, why don’t you pull on my beard,” he responds to them.

The often astonished youngsters proceed with telling Santa what they would like for Christmas.

Stephanie from Tennessee was really fun.  I walked into a car and the passenger service attendant said ’1A, blonde ponytail, Stephanie.  Remember the name.’

And I see this little thundercloud.  Arms crossed.  Ponytail bouncing.  Blue eyes, she knows something is wrong.  She is with her father and a little boy, who is just five or six.  He just takes the bell.   Then, I turn to Stephanie and say, Stephanie, before I give you your bell, I want to ask if you’ve been a good girl this year.  When I said her name, her mouth goes wide, (thinking,) how did he know me?  And then she nods her head and says, ‘yes’.  Her dad is smiling.  The dad says ‘Stephanie are you going to ask a question?”

She ask if I’ve ever spent time in Tennessee.

I had been recently researching my great grandfather, a veteran of the civil war in the 9th Tennessee Infantry.  And he lived in Murray County.  His name was John Gresham.

I said, “As a matter of fact, Santa does like to spend a lot of time after Christmas in Murray county.”  Somehow, with the dozens of counties, I hit it.

The dad’s look of astonishment: his mouth drops open and I”m looking at the carbon copy of Stephanie.  Amazement.  And I get close to his face and I wink at him and say, “Merry Chrirstmas.’  I wish I had a camera because it was the same expression of “I don’t believe this.”  I made that man stop and say, ‘how?’  It’s magic.

One of Fleishman’s favorite Santa stories took place inside the depot, where he was sitting on a platform, posing for photographs.  An elderly lady walked by with her cane and Fleishman suggested she came up and talked to Santa.

She told Santa, “I haven’t talked to you since you scared me when I was eight.”

He responded, “We’ll we’re going to deal with that.  And she looked at me like i was insane.  I got up off my chair, walked down the short set of steps and put my arm out to her.”

She looked back with disbelief, not wanting to play along.  He persisted.

“I walked her up the stairs, and I sat down, she sat on my lap.  And i said, Merry Christmas, how are you? And she said, I am 92 years old, I’m dying.  I won’t be here next Christmas.  My son said he wanted to take me to places I’ve never seen so I’m going to the Grand Canyon. ”

For the next 25 minutes, Fleishman and the woman on his knee, talked about life, love, children and loss.  “I  was connecting with a human being that was ready to start a different path. It was incredible.  And I look up, after 25 minutes, there’s a throng of people, you could hear a pin drop, there were tears coming down their faces.  And then she looked up.  We didn’t see them at all.

“I said, it looks like we have guests doesn’t it?  She said, ‘thank you’ for coming down tot get me.  And I said, ‘you had some years to catch up on.’”

She then kissed Fleishman’s cheek and said ‘Merry Christmas.”

Expressing the Holiday Spirit is a post from: Flagstaff Business & Online News | Northern Arizona Local Newspaper

Heath Harris, the owner of Heath’s Auto Service in Flagstaff, calls himself a classic overachiever. He may be right.

He starts his day five days a week weightlifting.

“I do it every morning at 5:00 a.m. to get my whole day in focus. It sets the pace and the intensity,” he said.

Then he goes to his car repair business and works for 12 or 15 hours a day.

“I am a mechanic and manager. It depends on what hat needs to be worn that day,” he said.

Harris said he has the ability to compartmentalize his life and business and get things done by concentrating on certain areas.

“I say, ‘today I’m going to concentrate on this compartment,’” he said.

“I have an incredible amount of drive. I am very determined. I have a vision and I get it done.”

He opened the business 10 years ago. Now, at age 36, he has four employees, including his wife, Tobey, who does the books.

“It’s something I had a dream to do, own my own business,” he said. “I had been managing gas stations in high school. I was able to go to school, play sports and went to trade school while I was in high school.”

Harris grew up near Philadelphia, with one older brother, one younger sister and a younger half brother.

Always athletic, he played football and wrestled, earning his letterman’s jacket.

He graduated from Conestoga High School in 1994.

Working around cars is something that comes naturally to him.

“It was just kind of something I’ve always done. I’ve had relatives who own service stations on the East Coast. It is something I’ve been into my whole life,” he said.

He says growing up in the East gave him an extra something.

“Where I am from is different from the West Coast. You have to have street smarts. I think I am much wiser than my age,” he said. “Street starts are important to me because it kind of takes a lot of the logic out of things. It’s more a gut feeling.”

Following his gut seems to be working for him.

“Business is better than ever. People are fixing old cars.”

He says that he is known for customer service.

“You really have to take care of every one of your customers. We pride ourselves in on that. We keep people in the loop. Sometimes when you are right, you have to be wrong.”

Harris works hard to keep his business growing by hiring quality people and providing quality jobs.

“I have two employees who have been with me eight out of the 10 years,” he said.

He met his wife in 2005, just after opening the business. The couple later married and now has an eight-month-old daughter, Hallie, and a two-year-old son, Hayden.

“Right now, we are just parenting together. We used to run together and work out together. It’s amazing how children change your life. It’s great. I wouldn’t change it for anything, but it is a lot more involved than you would think,” he said.

Before having children, Tobey was an elementary school teacher.

“I still work 12 and 15 hour days, but on the weekends, I hang out with them,” Harris said.

“I have a house in Lake Havasu City. We go there all the time. I am a pretty avid boater. Boating is one of my passions.

“I am just a hard-working guy. I adore my family. It makes me so happy. I’ve been with my wife for 11 years. She is a wonderful lady and I am a lucky guy. It’s nice to be married, and it works.”

Harris is a member of Flagstaff Professionals and the Aspen Valley Golf Club.

“I don’t know that I am that good at [golf], but it is something I have done all my life. My wife is really a good athlete and comes from a family of marathon runners,” he said.

The first time she picked up a golf club, she amazed him.

“She took a seven iron, whacked in onto the green and then two putts for a par. I told her she should take up golf because she was a natural. She said she had no interest.”

Of course, he doesn’t get to play golf as often as he would like because he is busy with his business and family.

“It takes four hours and then your buddies want to have a beer…” he trailed off.

Harris said he loves Flagstaff.

“You don’t know how blessed I feel to live here and make a living here,“ he said. “It’s the best place to live in the world.“

At his age, Harris believes he is in the right place in his life plan.

“I never dreamed I would be where I am today. Well, I dreamed it, so that’s probably why I’m here.” FBN

Heath’s Auto Service is at 1840 W, Kaibab Lane.

Harris can be reached at 928-214-8150.

Driven to Make Customers Happy is a post from: Flagstaff Business & Online News | Northern Arizona Local Newspaper

Stephanie McKinney is one of those people who, after talking to her for five minutes, you feel you’ve known forever. Effervescent and energetic might be two other ways to describe this dynamic community leader.

Her day job is serving as vice president for business development at the National Bank of Arizona, where she helps fit bank products to best aid businesses, individuals and nonprofit organizations.

Her other job – volunteer, of course – is helping promote people and businesses in Flagstaff.

For eight years, she was president and CEO of the Greater Flagstaff Economic Council, earning three Governor’s Excellence in Rural Development awards during that time.

She was Flagstaff’s ATHENA recipient in 2004. She currently serves on the Governor’s Council on Workforce Policy, and is vice chairman of the Flagstaff Forty. She also serves on Nonprofit Resource Center Board of Directors, and the Finance Committee for Coconino County’s Economic Development Initiative.

“I think I have the best job in town because it absolutely fits with who I am and how I like to help others with my knowledge, experience and skill sets,” she said.

Those skills she learned through more than 20 years of banking.

She graduated from San Diego State University with a bachelor’s degree. “An opportunity presented itself to go into a management training program for a bank in Southern California,” she said. “I bought my first suit and pantyhose and showed up for the interview.”

She said the banking industry was going through a transition trying to be more customer service oriented.

“It was attractive to me to do something in transition, being on the ground floor of something. I never intended it to be a career, but look at me now,” she said.

“I worked for Security Pacific, which was absorbed by Bank of America. I managed 11 different locations in 15 years, mostly in San Bernardino, Victorville, Corona, Fontana and Riverside,“ she said.

But as her son got older, she began to look around for a less populated place to live.

“I did a lot of careful research and Flagstaff was high on my radar screen. I wanted to be part of the community and a university town really resonated with me,” she said.

Her son was nine at the time they moved to Flagstaff.

She went from managing 74 employees and 26,000 customers to 14 employees and 3,000 customers.

“I kind of liked the idea of getting to know neighbors in the community because sometimes it really does take a village to raise a child,” she said.

Her son, Aaron Brooks, now 26, is now an internationally known rock musician. His band, The Ghost Inside, tours mostly in Europe and Australia.

Among her current activities with Flagstaff Forty is designing a vision for redistricting efforts.

“I am really proud we are crafting a common vision, working in the trenches day-to-day to bring about the positive results we are looking for.”

She is also involved with St. Mary’s Food Bank as an advisory member. She was a big sister for Big Brothers Big Sisters for eight years.

For fun, she likes to scuba dive with her family and goes “anytime I can get to the Caribbean,” she said.

I love to golf and my husband and I play Dominos about every night,” she said.

Yet, she saves time for her girlfriends.

“I have fun girlfriends. We sit around and drink wine and smoke exotic cigars.”

In addition, she and her dog Sophie, a golden retriever, volunteer at assisted living facilities.

Another hobby is Yoga.

McKinney, 52, says she is looking forward to the upcoming political season.

“Getting involved in campaigns is one of the big things I’m looking forward to,” she said. FBN

Helping Steer Flagstaff’s Future is a post from: Flagstaff Business & Online News | Northern Arizona Local Newspaper

It is not too far of a stretch to say that teacher Daniel Belieff runs his fifth grade classroom like the Marine Corps, because basically, he does.

“It is the Marine attitude. We train hard; we play hard,” he said. “In the center of our room, there are the 14 units of leadership that our whole classroom revolves around.

Some of the traits are integrity, courage, enthusiasm and loyalty. Kids try to demonstrate all these traits in the classroom and outside the classroom.

“I think there are two ways to view the military. You can call yourself a Marine or actually be a Marine with high expectations for yourself and be there to help others, leading from the front, not the rear,” he said.

What works for Marines seems to work for students.

“We are empowered, but inside a set of rules, we can act as individuals to a certain point, then we have to act as a group,“ Belieff said.

After retiring from the Marine Corps more than 15 years ago, Belieff says he turned to teaching because he saw the suffering of children everywhere during his travels.

“You see the atrocities around the world and the condition that these young people live in and see how they are treated, it strikes you home right in the middle of your chest. There are bugs on them, people are trying to kill them. You want to make a difference instead of perpetual destruction. You think, maybe I can build some kids.”

So he did.

He went to work 12 years ago at W.F. Killip Elementary School.

“A lot of my kids use the food bank. There is a big turnover in population. The dad is not there. Money is low. There is violence, but we make a difference,” he said.

That difference can be seen in their improving test scores in both reading and math.

“It was shaky at first, but over the years I developed a system that is pretty good – which I call the Dan Factor – the way I teach them, how we learn, how to empower them, I am not just feeding them, they are chewing the knowledge up,” he said.

One of the perks at Killip is a huge garden tended by Belieff with the help of the students.

“I average between 1,500 and 2,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables for the food bank every year,” he said. “It is in my heart to grow things. Farming. I want to grow hothouse tomatoes and chilies.” Many of his students eat the produce he sends to the food bank.

He said, in a way, teaching is growing too.

“It’s growing for the future. That is how I see every day, and we grow them a little every day,” he said.

During the after school enrichment programs, kids play with Lego robotics, play chess and help Belieff in his garden on campus.

Principal Joe Gutierrez says his school has struggled in the past with test scores, but has started to make strong improvement. Of course, there are challenges.

He says that 96.2 percent of his students qualify for free or reduced lunches. Most of the parents are blue collar, working in motels, restaurants and maintenance. There is a lot of turnover among the students – between 42 and 62 percent during a school year.

“We educate all students one student at a time, but we do not have control over how long a student his here. But we can control their education while they are here,” Gutierrez said. “I think the greatest asset Dan takes to the classroom really focuses on the very beginning relationships with his students. He makes sure his students know he is there to help and support them, but he still has very high expectations of them. It works with the majority of the kids.”

Belieff says the teachers and administration are in the middle of a school-wide improvement project.

“We are on the edge of Maverick. It seems to be working. We are actually meeting all our goals and we are seeing all the other schools following us now. Our kids are growing,” Belieff said.

Belieff was born in Tucson, a New Years baby in 1960. He played football in high school, college and the military. He has coached for the past 15 years.

He joined the Army in 1979 to earn come college money. During his hitch he became a member of the elite Old Guard, the unit that escorts the president, ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery, drills, Congressional balls and the like.

“We were all hand selected. You have to be a certain caliber to every try out,” he said.

The unit was given a special award by the first President George Bush, the highest award from the president during peacetime.

After leaving the Army, he joined the Marines, where he served happily until he was injured during training and was unfit for combat. He left the Corps and began working on his bachelor’s degree. He is currently working on his master’s degree.

Belieff is married to wife Nora. He has a 22-year-old daughter who is pursuing a degree in biotechnology, a 10-year-old stepdaughter, a six-month-old daughter and four grandchildren.

When he retires in about four years, he plans to move, probably to Missouri where there are 180 growing days a year, he says. FBN

Teacher Empowering Young Flagstaff Students is a post from: Flagstaff Business & Online News | Northern Arizona Local Newspaper

It‘s been nearly 10 years, but the emotions of working at Ground Zero just after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks are still close to the surface for Mark Ranges.

“I don’t look at the pictures. I can watch things on TV, but I still can’t look at the pictures,” he said.

Ranges, owner of Sedona Off Road Center, was in the Emergency Medical Service for 30 years in New Jersey when the twin towers came crashing down.

“I was a volunteer in New Jersey. New Jersey has the largest number of volunteer EMS in the nation – 17,000. It’s a big system. When [September 11] happened, the [New York] city resources were all tied up. Some of us were told to stand by with an ambulance in case of an injury during the search and rescue. Crushed vehicles had to be processed and opened up,” he said. “We had the equipment and the experience to do what needed to be done.”

Their job was to open the vehicles, search for bodies or body parts, personal effects, government property and evidence.

His team worked non-stop for 30 hours before being replaced by the next one.

“We worked on all kinds of vehicles. Ambulances and fire trucks make a huge difference emotionally,” he said.

His son Darryl, now 29, worked by his side.

“No one could have lived through that without it having an impact on you. People we knew were killed there. The perspective is a little different,” he said.

After September 11, the 30 years of EMS had reached the tipping point for Ranges.

“Part of the reason I’m in Arizona and not in New Jersey is that it put an end to my wanting to do it anymore. When you see that kind of thing again and again over time, it is cumulative.”

There were incidents before September 11 that he had dealt with that were tough.

“The urge to go to a different place was stronger. A change of venue was needed,” he said. “In 2003, I was kind of looking for a place to relocate. Nothing felt warm and fuzzy. When I came to Arizona for a visit, it just called out. This is where I wanted to be.”

Four months later, he was here.

He came without a job, but was confident he could find employment, because it was time, too, for a change in career.

His background included 30 years in the cleaning industry working with toxic cleaners.

When he developed pre-cancer, he threw in the cleaning towel and began massage therapy school, which he finished and became licensed.

“I was going to massage school when September 11 happened,” he said.

Since arriving in Arizona, he uses his massage skills less, but likes working on someone to relieve a particular complaint.

His first job in Sedona was driving jeep tours.

“I drove for another company. Because it is legal to ride ATVs here, I thought why don’t we rent them and let them go out and do their own thing. We bought a couple of machines as a part-time thing,” he said.

The business grew from there and now offers six Tomcars and five ATVs.

Ranges started Sedona Off Road Center in January of 2006, just before the economy began its downturn.

“We’ve had our ups and downs and things are better this year so far. We had to do our due diligence because of the economy, but we are surviving,“ he said.

The business keeps him busy, but he does get involved with worthwhile causes in the community. But, he has purposely stayed away from the fire district.

“I am single again. It’s neither good nor bad. It’s just the way it is. Coming to Arizona, I found out things about myself and life that did not come across in New Jersey. It’s a totally different lifestyle and it takes some adapting,“ he said.

His son joined him in Arizona, and he has a daughter, Crystal, 34, who lives in Fairfax, Va.

“I enjoy getting out and enjoying the outdoors here. I do hunt deer and elk,” he said. FBN

Sedona Off Road Center is at 211 State Route 179 in Sedona. The phone number is HYPERLINK “tel:%28928%29%20282-5599″928-282-5599.

Discovering Life’s New Paths Among the Red Rocks is a post from: Flagstaff Business & Online News | Northern Arizona Local Newspaper

Pascal Berlioux’s passion is something this region could use right now: a solution for increasing the health of our forests. He has spent most of his time in Flagstaff working closely with people on all sides of forest issues, from scientists to environmentalists. If plans work out, Berlioux’s passion should translate to hundreds of jobs in the region and preservation of the ponderosa forests so many people revere.

In the wake of the state’s largest wildfire, many people are asking what can be done to save the forests that remain. If you ask that question of Berlioux, be prepared to hear his plan born after years of research and planning.

“There are only two options, and this is not a scare tactic. We either change the way we look at forest restoration or we are going to watch them burn. There is simply no alternative. We either do something or lose them,” he said.

Berlioux said his plan is to thin overgrown forests, which are so susceptible to catastrophic wildfires, and turn the wood into high valued engineered wood products such as Oriented Strand Board, widely used in construction.

He plans to locate a $300 million plant locally through his company, Arizona Forest Restoration Products, Inc.

If he is successful, it will represent a shift in the paradigm in how public lands are managed.

“What makes us different is we have come to discuss not from a scientific perspective, not from a environmental perspective, not from a business perspective. We have come to discuss from a execution perspective,” Berlioux said.

“We created AZFRP in 2006 to save the forest from being consumed,” he said.

At first thought, thinning a forest down to its natural 10 to 25 trees per acre shouldn’t be such a big problem. One wonders why traditional loggers are not sent in to let them have at it.

Berlioux says that it is not that simple.

“The problem is when you have to thin a forest, you are not logging trees in traditional logging. What you are logging is an incredible amount of small trees, which are simply too small for traditional loggers,” he said.

Finding something to do with these trees that gives them value is the key, because he says there are very few things that can be done with small diameter trees.

He proposes shredding them, gluing them together to make 4” x 8” boards, which is probably the most used construction material in the United States.

“We are in the investment phase right now,” he said.

Besides investors, he said he needs a long-term commitment from the Forest Service to allow his company on public lands to do their work.

“We have known for several decades that every time we get one of these catastrophic fires, we have more proof that our forests are in need of restoration.”

The Wallow Fire has burned more than 500,000 acres. The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002, which at the time was the largest in Arizona history, burned more than half a million acres.

He said it is seldom that any fire now is less than 100,000 to 200,000 acres.

Berlioux said the problem has arisen because the policy of land management over the last century is that all fire is bad.

“There was a misguided national policy of putting out fires anywhere whenever [they] erupted. This is disregarding a natural cycle of low intensity fire that took place in the landscape for millions of years,” he said. “This was Mother Nature’s way of cleaning house.”

Plus, over-grazing took out the grass, which was a medium to burn at low intensity through the forest and old growth logging took out the last large trees so there is no competition for the sapling to spring up and grow up.

“The lack of fire, over-grazing and logging old growth and if you combine that with the effects of the drying climate, you literally have a fire bomb,” he said. “It is a problem we are facing. The forest is in extremely unhealthy condition, gravely departed from historical conditions.”

“We [Arizona Forest Restoration Products] are not doing it for the money. Money is not a goal. The money is a requirement to make it happen,” Berlioux said.

The company is comprised of Berlioux, Don Walters, a Flagstaff resident and the John F. Long family, well known in Arizona.

Berlioux says the group has committed a lot of personal monies to the project to keep it going. “We have been a lone voice in the wilderness,” he said.

Berlioux, his wife and five children moved to the area in 2002. “We settled in Flagstaff. We love Flagstaff,” he said. FBN

To learn more, “http://www.azfrp.com/

Working to Preserve Northern Arizona Forests is a post from: Flagstaff Business & Online News | Northern Arizona Local Newspaper

She was not one of those children who grew up knowing she was going be a veterinarian.

“It was not something girls grew up to be,” said Dr. Cheryl Howerton, owner of Alpine Animal Hospital in Flagstaff. “I wanted to be a teacher.”

Still, she had an affinity for animals.

“I brought a lot of animals home. I spent a lot of time on my grandmother’s farm near Modesto,” she said. “One of my first experiences was a kitten choking on a chicken bone. She got it out. That really impressed me.”

Antioch, Calif. was home for the family where her father was a steelworker and her mom a homemaker.

Howerton’s mother had wanted to be a pediatrician before World War II broke out and put an end those plans. Unable to follow her own dream, she taught her daughter well.

“She instilled an interest in learning and following your heart. She was a big influence,” Howerton said.

When it came time for college, she chose the University of California, Davis, majoring in physiology.

“I was really into the sciences at that time,” she said.

She spent her summer working for the local vet. One of her professors asked her if she had any interest in applying of veterinary school.

“I enrolled and got in right at the time when they were trying to get more women,” she said. “I remember when I called home; my mom was thrilled, but my dad didn’t know why I wanted to be a vet. Girls just don’t become vets. He was worried I wouldn’t get married and have kids,“ she said.

Not to worry – she is happily married and has a daughter.

That was in the 1970s, when there were few women in the profession.

“At the time, there were less than 20 percent women, now the graduating classes have more than 50 percent,” she said.

She went to Boston for her internship in small animal medicine and surgery for two years. The internship was grueling, but invaluable.

“We went from 8[:00 a.m.] to 8[:00 p.m.], every night. We saw a lot of animals. You get exposed to a lot things, but you’d have input from 32 experienced specialists,” she said.

Then she went to Ventura, Calif., where she worked in a private practice.

She came to Flagstaff because her fiancée took a job at the university. When he decided to leave, she stayed and opened her own private practice. That was 1989.

“We’re right in the same building. We do mostly cats, dogs and birds. My associate does reptiles,” she said.

She has seen many changes over the years, including more advanced diagnostic technology and computers. And her clientele has become more informed.

“I love it as much as the day I started, and that’s saying something. It’s not just the love of animals, it is the love of helping our clients,” she said. “Flagstaff is still a small town to me. You see the people you help on the streets. They go to the same school as your child. I have developed a relationship with families. I love that part about it. I am here when they bring in that new puppy and I’m here 12 years later when it is time to let them go.“

She said some people are closer to their animals than anyone else and with some, their relationship with their dog is the longest relationship they have had in their lives.

In her spare time, she likes to spend time with her family and her 48 alpacas.

She decided after 20 years of practice she needed a hobby, so she bought a couple of alpacas to raise and to learn how to weave things from their ultra-soft hair. She even shows some of them and they have won.

The family also has four dogs, seven cats, a chinchilla, two parakeets and a salamander that a cat had cornered in the garage and now lives in a luxury terrarium and hibernates in the winter.

“I don’t see myself retiring. I love it. It is my passion. It’s one of those careers that challenges. Every animal is a new experience,” she said.

Her two-person practice is very busy. “We see our patients and do surgery from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. We are open on Saturday and are available for emergency calls, most of which are those who need advice. FBN

Alpine Animal Hospital is at 1066 W. Route 66. It can be reached by calling

928-774-9441.

A Career of Caring for Creatures is a post from: Flagstaff Business & Online News | Northern Arizona Local Newspaper

About a year after he left his job as assistant dean at Northern Arizona University to open his own business as a financial advisor, Bill Babb had serious second thoughts.

“I thought maybe this was a bad decision,“ he said.

It was too late to return to the university. They had already replaced him. He had no choice but to move forward.

“So, I made the cut of the life boat and decided to just go for it and not turn back,” he said. And along the way, he learned something valuable.

“The harder you work, the more success you have,” he said.

Now, 30 years later, he is glad he stayed the course with Babb Financial Group in Flagstaff.

The firm’s database has about 2,000 clients that include people from all over the country, but the vast majority is from Northern Arizona, said son Travis, 26, a senior partner in the firm.

“My clients are more like friends. They come in and show me pictures of their grandchildren and vacations,” Bill Babb said.

The elder Babb had worked for the university for seven years before he decided to make a change.

“I wanted to work for myself. I just wanted to control my future. I felt there was more to life than 8-to-5. I wanted more control over my destiny,” he said.

So, in 1981, he founded Babb Financial Group. The first five years, he worked 60 or 70 hours a week.

“My first customer was a friend of mine. I called on him and told him I wanted to show him what I was doing. In fact, we still laugh about it because I was a novice at the time. I was really preparing people for retirement,” Babb said.

After following Babb’s advice, his first customer is enjoying an early retirement while Babb, 59, has no intention of retiring.

“I actually enjoy my job,” he said. “I always tell my clients, if you are happy and love your job and you don‘t have a lot of hobbies, you‘ve got to keep working.”

Bill Babb is originally from Iowa, his father a blue-collar worker and racecar diver. He has two sisters and two brothers who all still live there.

“I came up [to Flagstaff] to go to school and fell in love with it,” he said.

His first wife, Cheri, worked side by side with him establishing the business, but she passed away 15 years ago.

“What is ironic is that the people who helped me the most were my clients. They were my good friends and they rallied around and helped me get through that situation,” he said.

He has since remarried Jill, an interior decorator.

She has her own business and redecorated his office.

“It’s much too nice for me,” he laughed.

Travis came on full-time at the firm more than three years ago after working summers and finishing college.

He learned the business at the dinner table where it was always the topic. Travis said he spent his formative years soaking it all in.

Because of the extra help, Babb is able to relax a little.

“I am able to take time off when I feel like it,” he said.

His office is at the Continental Country Club.

“We have golf in our backyard. I golf about twice a week. I do like to travel with my wife,” he said.

This year, instead of a far-flung vacation, they have decided to stay put and see Northern Arizona, he said.

Babb is also involved in the community.

He is on the board of Big Brothers and Big Sisters, the NAU Alumni board, the hospital foundation board and the Continental Country Club board.

He is also a member of the Flagstaff 40, a group of community leaders who try to have an impact on the community.

About five years ago, Babb and his wife started a chapter of Child Help in Northern Arizona. This group helps neglected and abused children.

To celebrate his 30th anniversary in business, he plans to hold a barbecue at the country club and invite all his clients. FBN

To learn more about the Babb Financial Group, call HYPERLINK “tel:%28928%29%20526-2911″928-526-2911.

Three Decades of Serving His Community is a post from: Flagstaff Business & Online News | Northern Arizona Local Newspaper

When the idea of using xeriscape landscaping in yards became popular, most people resigned themselves that to save water, they had to settle for what Nigel Sparks calls a “gravelscape” – nothing fancy or colorful, just efficient.

“I think that is what people came to see and that was not the intention when xeriscaping started,” he said.

Sparks, the owner of Flagstaff Native Plant and Seed, would like to propose something different for your yard.

You can have a shaded patio and beautiful, colorful native plants and trees for your outdoor living space by simply using native plants propagated locally and still save acres of water because the plants respond to nature’s nurturing.

“We can put in native landscape, and after two years, it will be established,“ he said.

Besides, he said, gravelscapes are not as environmentally friendly as most people think.

“It’s consumptive landscape. Think of the gravel mines, the transporting of it and the diesel machines spreading the gravel,” he said.

Sparks, who has had a landscaping business and retail nursery since 1994, said there are many colorful alternatives to the dull, water-efficient yard.

“We specialize in native plants from locally collected seed, so they are generically adapted to the weather conditions and insect population,” he said.

These reduce water consumption and help preserve them in the local gene pool.

Because Sparks propagates the plants locally, the carbon footprint is reduced because most nursery stock that is not, is shipped in by truck from warmer areas, he explained.

His native plant landscapes are designed with an understanding of local soils, plant populations, wildlife and climate variation. Post-construction restorative landscapes are also available from the company. His landscape designer tries to carry out the customer’s vision, and “they try to discourage gravelscapes,“ he said.

Sparks and his staff also give advice on how to do it yourself, such as now to create a butterfly or bird garden in the separate microclimates in Sedona, Doney Park, Baderville and Flagstaff.

Four years ago, he created a Community Supported Agriculture program where members pay part of the farmers’ expenses and then pick up fresh produce when harvested.

Sparks moved to Flagstaff in 1984 as a registered nurse who came to work on the Navajo Reservation.

“I came out here as a kid, as a nurse. I liked it a lot. I spent 10 years there,” said Sparks, 55.

When he left the Navajos, he moved to the private sector with a big hierarchy where he didn’t feel he fit in.

“I wasn’t happy. I started looking for change. I had always been a gardener,” he said.

He started his business on the landscaping end in 1994 and eventually evolved into a nursery as well.

Sparks and his wife, Nancy, have a 14-year-old son.

“I think the main thing we are trying to do is grow a business and keep it sustainable at the same time,” he said. FBN

To learn more about Flagstaff Native Plant and Seed, call Sparks at  928-773-9406 or visit  ”http://www.nativeplantandseed.com

A Sustainable and Native Livelihood is a post from: Flagstaff Business & Online News | Northern Arizona Local Newspaper

Many would agree that Paul and Laura Moir are a well-matched couple. As owners of Brix and Criollo restaurants in Flagstaff, they are on the same page with values that have made the establishments popular: excellent service, sustainability and organic offerings.

They met in 1996 while working in a Phoenix area restaurant. With college degrees in hand, the couple moved to Denver to try careers in the corporate world. After two years, the experience convinced them that they needed to follow their hearts back into the restaurant world, despite the sometimes challenging nature of the work. “We missed the people and we missed the energy of restaurants,” said Laura.

To complement his Business with Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development degree, Paul enrolled in culinary school. The couple began exploring communities in which to open their own restaurant. Being drawn to mountain towns and having family in Flagstaff made the choice relatively simple.

They envisioned a cozy establishment with a really nice wine bar and cheese plate, ideas they brought together for Brix Restaurant and Wine Bar. They also wanted organic locally grown food because they believe “it just tastes better.”

Brix opened in 2006 in a downtown building that housed Flagstaff’s first automobile. The Moirs’ efforts have earned several accolades, including Conde Naste’s Top 95 New Restaurants in the World, Arizona Highways magazine’s 2008 Best Restaurants list in addition to a recommendation and write up in Sunset Magazine.

About 14 months ago, the Moirs opened Criollo (pronounced cree-OH-yoh) Latin Kitchen. The restaurant at 16 N. San Francisco Street is able to share staff and resources with Brix, reducing overhead.

“I’ve opened, I think, nine restaurants for other people. When you’re making the decisions and writing the checks, it’s an entirely different experience,” said Paul.

“We take it very personally,” added Laura, referring to the employment of 65 people between their two restaurants. “When you go home at night, you question how to do it better.”

The Moirs work to keep staff employed during the slower winter months as they did throughout the recession. “We’ve certainly struggled like everybody else with the economy,” said Paul, who heard that as many as 1,600 valley area restaurants closed doors during the past several years.

Handling many responsibilities may have honed Paul and Laura’s clarity about their life choices. During the approximate four-year economic downturn, they opened two restaurants and brought two daughters into the world. These days, Laura spends fewer hours in the business and more time parenting. And while Paul devotes many evenings and holidays overseeing the dining experiences of their customers, he carves out many opportunities to be with the family. “We both made a big decision that we weren’t going to have children if we didn’t get to be part of raising them,” said Laura, referring to the sometimes non-traditional schedules they keep in order to have quality family time.

Their commitments also extend to the community. Paul describes his philosophy of community investment as having “to support the community you operate in. We support them and they support us.” He believes localization could also buffer regions from economic instability. “It’s the idea of creating this local economy between everybody up here.”

Those ideas and a desire for tasty food are part of what appeal to longtime Flagstaff resident Deborah Fresquez. “I like Brix because they support local farmers who select, grow and harvest crops to ensure qualities of freshness, nutrition and taste,” she said. Fresquez also appreciates how the menu offerings change to reflect the seasons.

While purchasing locally-grown organic food is expensive and can take great effort, especially in a challenging growing environment, the result is delicious fare that has been well received by patrons. And for the Moirs, they say it is well worth the effort, being able to offer something that not only tastes good, but is healthy, and serves the community on several levels. Paul compares their philosophy to the founders of the Life is Good clothing company. “Their big thing is do what you like; like what you do. We didn’t like Corporate America. We like wine and we like restaurants,” Paul said. “And as tough as it is, we like what we do. It’s rewarding.” FBN

Brix Restaurant

413 N. San Francisco Street

www.brixflagstaff.com

Criollo

16 N. San Francisco Street

www.criollolatinkitchen.com

Committed To Serving Up Quality is a post from: Flagstaff Business & Online News | Northern Arizona Local Newspaper