Miles Job Fund gives first grants

By LAURA THORNBURG
Staff

MILES JOB FUND—Three individuals benefiting from the Miles JOB Fund pause for a photo at Miles Realty. Pictured (from left) are fund founder D.W. Miles, Blue Ridge Business Development Center Director Clark Hunter and grant recipients Darline "Dee" Meland, Lonnie "Pete" McMeans and Bob Meland.

Three Alleghany residents recently shared their business success stories, made possible through the cooperation of the Miles Job Opportunity Base (JOB) Fund and the Blue Ridge Business Development Center (BDC).
The JOB Fund, created earlier this year by Sparta businessman D.W. and wife Barbara Miles, is a tax-exempt organization that helps provide needed funds for the hopeful entrepreneurs, while the BDC helps provide the needed business planning and resource assistance.

     Bob Meland began working on his Web site development efforts with BDC Director Clark Hunter in April, a short time before the inception of the Job Fund.
     Telling his story, Meland explained that, as the result of health issues, he is currently receiving disability benefits. However, he noted the funds coming in do not cover his bills, so he decided to take the hobby of creating Web sites for his friends and family and parlay it into a paycheck.
     Meland spent 11 years working as a network systems administrator, using the ‘Notebook' program in earlier versions of computers.
     "I enjoyed it, thought it was kind of neat," he stated of the experience. "I pursued it on my own for free for my friends and thought, ‘I could make some money at this.' I like what I do, so that helps."
     Shortly thereafter, he began talking to Hunter about the different opportunities available through the BDC and choosing to learn about the JOB Fund when it came into existence as well. Since his affiliation with the organizations, Meland has developed several sites, including theredchurch.org, a site for Ennice-based New Covenant Church (which is still under construction), mountainmusicmakers.com, and alleghanypcc.org, a web site for Alleghany Pregnancy Care Center in Sparta.
     Meland, a former music store owner, said he found his foray into web site development has been "very exciting. Every day there's something new on the web I get to learn to keep my chops up so they say."
     Speaking of how he has benefited through JOB Fund and BDC, Meland commented, "The BDC has been very helpful, let's us go over business plan stuff and do a lot of our revamps and fixed things. Through the BDC, we learned how to make business plans work and where to go from that. I can't say enough about them; they've been great. It's incredible to have somebody around to do that.
     "I've learned quite a bit from Clark on business plans and how to put a business together and how to make it work," Meland continued. "I had a business years ago, a music store...years and years ago and it wasn't as successful as it should have been. If I had known then what I know now...I've learned from Clark (and) it's been a lot better."
     When asked what he would say to an individual interested in learning more about how the Miles JOB Fund and the BDC could help them, Meland replied, he would advise the person to "get their act together (and) make sure they have an idea of what they want to do, what the projected costs are going to be, and then go see Clark at the BDC."
     Those interested in attaining Meland's services are encouraged to contact him at 372-2480.

     Darline "Dee" Meland learned about opportunities for assistance in her effort to run a virtual call center through the local JobLink, and like her husband, began talking with Hunter.
    While Meland was employed in a previous job, she considered learning about running a virtual call center from her Sparta home after hearing the success stories of relatives who were making a living doing the same.
    Choosing to go with the company Arise, Meland learned a number of companies are working with the company, including AAA, Hallmark, Disney and Time Magazine.
    "My niece was doing AAA California," commented Meland. "She was living in Florida. If someone broke down in their car in California, they call the 1-800 number, it gets routed through a company called Arise to her home where she takes the call and dispatches to them help."
    Meland, a two-time cancer survivor, found the career opportunity as a chance to rebuild the financial life of her and husband, Bob.
    "I want to help get us out of debt. I have a mounting medical bill that I can't pay, so I'm hoping to be able to find a way to make a payment agreement...and just become self-sufficient so we're not always asking others for help," she said. "It gets old real fast."
    Offering an example of a "day at the office," Meland stated, "A simplified example would be if you wanted to call and order flowers for your mother and you call the 800 number on Hallmark. That call could get routed to me. Through me, your mother gets flowers delivered to her, you get billed (and) I get paid. Speaking of how the Miles JOB Fund has helped develop her virtual call center, Dee noted prior to her affiliation with the JOB Fund, she owned a 1999 computer which would not allow her to do the job she wanted to do with the company she would would work for.
    She explained, "Arise, the company I'm working with, requires that your computer be semi-up-to-date because it has to have all the virus protections and be able to handle what you're going to be learning (through the different courses offered by each potential company an individual chooses to work for). You can choose as many as you want (to work for). The minimum hours so far that I've seen is 15 hours for each company. I can work for as many as three or four companies."
    When Meland isn't working online, she can also be found working part-time at the Alleghany Wellness Center and being involved with her church, New Covenant. After serving as a bus driver in New York for 13 years, Meland has also found time to attain certification to drive a bus in North Carolina.
    When asked to offer her take on the Miles JOB Fund, Meland replied, "I think it's wonderful. I am so glad that D.W. and his wife have decided to start this fund to help other people."

   Pete McMeans, owner of Pete's Music Shack, located on Old Highway 21 in Sparta, learned about Miles JOB Fund through an advertisement on television featuring Miles.
    McMeans recalled he considered the advertisement to be a "lucky sign" because the check he saw on the advertisement had his birthday, June 5, on the corner.
    With a chuckle, he said he thought to himself, "I need to go buy a lottery tick." Instead, McMeans came to town to talk with Miles about the JOB Fund.
    Like Mr. Meland, McMeans said he too, has had health issues that prevented him from doing "regular jobs" such as driving a truck, a job in which he was earlier employed.
    Discussing how the JOB Fund has helped him thus far, McMeans stated, "I needed help getting more supplies, getting more inventory, and getting what the people need. This county is rich in music heritage and culture. As D.W. recommended, I started going to the Crouse House and started playing with the older guys and getting into it. What I'd eventually like to do is help some younger people get into music and learn from these old-timers, not just how to play music and sing it, but how to create the instruments and learn from the seniors, learn from the masters who have been here all their life and not just let it pass on. I can channel that through my store. When they come in, I want to have pictures, I want to have stories, and I told these guys they can come down there and talk and play any time."
    McMeans said plans are currently underway to build and outside stage behind his business, where people can come by and listen to performances of bluegrass, old-time and gospel music.
    It won't be just a place for me," he said. "The rest of the county can come out and they can bring their lawn chairs and sit there and cook them a hamburger, listen to good music. It's all free, don't cost them a thing. Maybe give the kids to go, a second opportunity than to run the streets. Personally, I wan to sew the seed of salvation in them, sew the seed of God in them, and they can hear about Christ and hear about getting saved. Music and salvation goes hand-in-hand. It's so easy to turn a child's head to drugs and alcohol and stuff, but it's also easy to turn their head with music. I teach music and if they can't afford the lessons and they're really into it, I'll work with them. They can work at the shop, they can learn how to work on guitars for their lessons, we'll work out a deal."
    McMeans credits the JOB Fund for getting him "back on my feet," noting business had slowed down, but with help through the fund, McMeans can afford to advertise and purchase needed products.
    When I first (started), I didn't have no idea what to do. I just knew about music and stuff. I want to go through Clark's course and I also signed up for the 14 business classes they have at the college...They've got 14 nights of how to run your business. I signed up for every one of them. I want all the education; I want all the knowledge that I can obtain to make it successful. I don't want to sit there and go on luck and think it's going to work on luck. It's going to work on hard work and knowledge and determination. Nothing comes easy. If you want it, you're going to get out there and pursue it and you're going to work at it diligently. If you're going to get into something, be prepared to go for the long run."
    To those who are considering learning about the JOB Fund and how the BDC can help them, McMeans offered, "Think of different opportunities, call Clark and talk to him. Maybe he can give ideas...ask what kind of things are you interested in and pursue that."

    D.W. and Barbara Miles created the JOB Fund by donating $100,000 in seed money to financially help those who are interested in developing a self-employing trade.
    The aforementioned funds are used by entrepreneurs to fund the purchase of basic tools for the individuals' chosen skill or trade. Those requesting funding may do so through loans, matching funds or a percentage of a loan necessary for one to learn a skill or begin a trade.
    According to a pamphlet about the JOB Fund provided by Miles, for an individual to qualify for participation in the fund, "a person must develop a work plan, be of good character and possess quality work habits. The JOB Fund has been reviewed with local banks and they advise it is a needed fund; as most start-up individuals will not qualify for a bank loan without assistance."

The funds' board of directors includes Jackie Billings, Harold Church, Jeff Cox, LeAnn Gambill, Tom Gentry, Karen Leys, D.W. Miles, D. "Wayne" Miles, Susan Miles Reinhardt, David Osborne, Donna Shumate and John Spicer.
To learn more about the Miles JOB Fund, write PO Box 96, Sparta, NC 28675, go online at www.jobfund.org, or e-mail info@jobfund.org. Those interested in making a tax deductible contribution to the fund may do so by making checks payable to Miles JOB Fund and sending them to the aforementioned address.