Client Success Stories

Meet Pam Hankins, owner of Barking Lot Treats, a business based in Seguin Texas, providing delicious, nutritious treats for all of our furry friends.

Pam Hankins, Barking Lot Treats owner

Pam and Scott Hankins started Barking Lot Treats after searching pet food industry options for their Frenchie babies Alvin & Coco and found so many chemicals/products in the mass produced food. While better pet food is available now, they found most treats still contain bad stuff like fillers, preservatives & even indigestible products being sold as treats for your pet.

Frenchie babies Alvin & Coco

Barking Lot Treats contain only natural, safe ingredients with no preservatives or byproducts – all digestible, human grade and made in the USA! These treats are handmade in small batches in Seguin Texas & are Alvin & Coco approved.

Barking Lot Treats Store Front

Their pledge is to provide the freshest, most healthy, delicious treats you can get that your pets will love. No animal by-products, no additives, NO BONES ABOUT IT!

You can find Barking Lot Treats at 505 N Austin St, Seguin, TX 78155 and online at https://www.barkinglottreats.com

Client Assistance:

Pam and Scott used the assistance of the New Braunfels Small Business Development Center and met with the Center’s Business Advisor, Larry New to help with their move from a mobile trailer to a brick and mortar location. Together, they worked on demographics and financial projections and cash flow projections.

We are proud to be a part of Barking Lot Treats’ success!

Find the UTSA Small Business Development Center at 940 W. San Antonio Street in New Braunfels and call us at 830-214-6435.

Check out more New Braunfels and Seguin success stories!

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Karen and Marc Solomon were referred to the UTSA SBDC and Senior Business Advisor Patrice McElfresh in February 2018. The Solomons were previously in the dental field, running family-owned Dental Centers of America for over 20 years. Soon after selling the family business in 2012, the Solomons wanted to continue to utilize their entrepreneurship knowledge and they loved the thought of working together again, so they began to research buying franchises. They were immediately drawn to Apple Spice Box Lunch Delivery & Catering Company. They traveled to Salt Lake City to meet with the owners of the 30 year-old company and were impressed by the integrity of the people in management and their sense of family. Patrice and the UTSA SBDC were able to help the Solomons answer all of their questions and connect them with resources for setting up their LLC, obtaining approval to be set up as a vendor in city and county agencies, developing marketing strategies, and attending networking events.

Apple Spice Box Lunch Delivery & Catering serves a variety of sandwiches on three different types of bread, delicious healthy salads, and a hot catering menu for meetings and events. Among the items that set them apart is their preservative-free bread. It is made fresh every morning.

The Solomons continue to work with their advisor, Patrice McElfresh, on growing their business through effective networking and marketing. They have utilized the training workshops provided by the UTSA SBDC and sought assistance on small business certifications, specifically gaining certification as a woman-owned business.  They are also now one of UTSA’s catering vendor options, and they continue to reach out to other institutions to provide ready-made meals for business and recreational needs.

“We are so lucky to have found the SBDC! It is such a phenomenal program for the San Antonio community and we are so grateful for its providing us and all business owners such learning opportunities and at the same time growing our local economy by its extraordinary work.”  – Karen Solomon

Julia Bates had a career in nursing, as a pediatric nurse and as a school nurse. She has used mindfulness in her nursing career to help her patients as well as to relieve her own stress. She has been interested in the topic for years. Due to sciatic pain, she was sitting in a chair with cushions for meditation. When her daughter, Corey, was 16, she suffered from a debilitating illness. Julia knew mindful meditation would help her with her physical and emotional symptoms, but the traditional cushion was too hard, and Corey felt unstable on it.  After trying a couple of other styles, Julia designed one, the mello{be}, that encourages the body to sit in an upright position on the floor with comfort and stability. As Julia began using it for meditation, she noticed her sciatic pain was going away. Now she uses it as an everyday seat, increasing her hip flexibility, balance and leg strength.

The cushion has many uses: meditation, sitting on the floor, picnics, outdoor seating, watching movies, reading in bed. She was recognized at both StartUp Weekend and Venture Challenge for her mats. She also won second place in Macy’s Female Entrepreneur Challenge. Julia established a relationship with West Elm and her cushions have sold at their flagship store in Austin as well as the one in San Antonio in the Pearl area. The Trinity University Meditation Center recently put in an order for the cushions. She realized that people could benefit from a smaller version of the cushion so she has created the worker{be} that takes all of the benefits of the mello{be}, including pain reduction, a healthy s-curve in your spine, and improved posture, and puts it into a cushion that fits anywhere. This smaller cushion is ideal for people who work at computers who tend to have frequent back pain that can cause lost work days and increased medical care.

Julia worked with Senior Business Advisor Crystal Darby who assisted with connections, providing feedback at various points in the life of the business, and searching for manufacturing firms to produce the quantities that Julia now needs to satisfy her customers. Julia’s tagline is happy butt + happy spine = happy life.

Julia explains, “The SBDC is a valuable resource for the entrepreneur community. I regularly recommend Crystal Darby for people who need advisors for business.”

Website: https://www.mellobe.co/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melloBecompany/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jafbates

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mellobeco/

Mark Hauck is the owner of Hill Country Forklift, LLC, a business based in New Braunfels. He provides service for forklift repairs, rentals, maintenance, and repair.

Hill Country Forklift work truck

Mark had worked in the forklift industry for over 25 years as an employee. However, he had a strong desire to own a business of his own. The veteran owned business services all brands of forklifts in the San Antonio, New Braunfels, Austin, Fredericksburg and Seguin areas.

Hill Country Forklift work truck

Consulting with a skilled Forklift Repair Service is a great idea if you’re ready to embark on a repair, maintenance, or purchasing equipment. Mark Hauck, with Hill Country Forklift, can address your questions and concerns in a timely manner. You can rely on him to always perform honest and professional workmanship. Hill Country is proud to be locally owned and run, so the needs of our customers throughout the Greater New Braunfels area will always come first.

You can contact Mark at mark@hillcountryforklift.com or by calling (210) 833-1149 or visiting his website: https://hillcountryforklift.com

Hill Country Forklift work truck lifting heavy equipment

Temperature Pro of San Antonio, Owners Courtney and Tim Meier

Courtney and Tim Meier own and operate a Temperature Pro of San Antonio franchise. They are a Heating, Air Conditioning, Indoor Air Quality service provider focused on the customer experience. This means, they do not just hire commission-based technicians but rather, employees focused on the customer service experience. They are locally-owned, woman-owned and family operated. The company offers services to both residential and commercial businesses and is a nationally recognized service brand.

The Meiers were introduced to the franchise opportunity through FranNet. Through the advice of close friends, they contacted Lisha Garcia, Senior Business Advisor at the UTSA Small Business Development Center. Lisha provided them with guidance on the entire FranNet franchise process. Specifically, they reviewed a start-up budget, requested research and discussed staffing needs. With Lisha’s help, the Meiers felt they had the support and resources to feel confident about their business decisions for the franchise. They continue to work with the UTSA SBDC on their growth strategies

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