Creating Connections

by Barb Byerly, BJB Creative Services

Jim Hall and the lovely Peggy Grasso had one of those unforgettable upsy-daisy experiences so familiar to brides and grooms on their wedding day. Before leaving home for the ceremony this meticulous Eagle Bank and Trust Co, exec finished dressing for his walk down the aisle at Concordia Lutheran Church and carefully reviewed his list – altar flowers, check; beautiful wedding rings from James Durbin Jewelry Design, check; wedding party luncheon for their loving, blended family of Peggy’s mother; Peggy’s and Jim’s six siblings; four of their five children and five of the 10 grandchildren at Greenbriar Hills Country Club, check.

So it was with total confidence that he drove to the church and before parking. stopped to put the flowers inside Concordia’s door. Prior to the ceremony the minister did a quick review with Jim, Peggy, Jim’s handsome best man, son Jay and Peggy’s lovely-as-her-mother matron of honor, daughter Becky Grant. The review went smoothly until Jim was asked about the rings and discovered they had vanished! Yikes, the big search began but it had to be halted as guests began arriving. Peggy assured Jim everything would be fine, to not worry about it, but just relax and enjoy their special day. Luckily Peggy had her engagement ring ready to use and Jay lent his own wedding ring to his dad for the “I do’s.” “The wedding party and minister were the only ones who knew,” reports Jim, but it became a big topic at the reception. As you can imagine, Jim’s mind raced as to where the rings may have been lost– he checked his car, his house and garage, reviewing his every step before the ceremony. Ah, but then he remembered one of the flower arrangements had a slight wobble when he dropped it off and he’d bent over to steady it. Hoping the rings may have slipped out of his pocket at that time, he called to ask if he could access the church early the next morning and the minister made the arrangements. When he arrived, Jim was relieved to see the flowers still in place. He carefully started removing the blossoms and quickly found his ring but when he returned to the task to locate Peggy’s, there it was, sitting and sparkling atop a beautiful daisy! This was a good sign because these happy flowers symbolize loyal love – a perfect description of this wonderful couple’s feelings for each other. Congratulations!            

It’s been high fives among future residents and team members at the offices of Aberdeen Heights info center, overjoyed at the fact residents are scheduled to start moving into building “B” at this drop jaw gorgeous senior development in mid-August, 2011. There are two independent living buildings and they are a whopping 90 percent reserved! The “A” building is slated to open in mid-October, 2011. Laura Sample, Aberdeen’s marketing whiz, reports on-site health care will also open in October. If you’ve been exploring outstanding retirement living, you’ll be interested to learn there are some one and two bedroom apartment homes still available – Laura invites you to call her at 822.9911, or visit their website at www.aberdeenseniorliving.com for more info.

David and Margaret Jones, Sr’s blend of strong biz principles with support of their adopted, beloved Kirkwood community established Messenger Printing Co’s tradition of success and commitment in 1928. And the biz continues to thrive thanks to two of their sons, David, Jr and Herb taking the helm and later the third generation, their granddaughter, Dave’s daughter, the talented, effervescent sales manager, Laura joining the team. The Joneses are acutely familiar with the challenges of owning a small business but by keeping their biz plan flexible and strategic planning current, they were able to take in stride the stunning changes accompanying the technological revolution, experienced by all printing professionals. And they did it by recognizing the ops it represented They decided to take full advantage of their computer capabilities which lead them to free space formerly housing layout and design and leasing out a third of their building’s space. Herb, as former Mayor of Kirkwood, as well as Dave and Laura are fully aware of the benefits of retail biz to downtown – local sales taxes are the largest source of general funds for the city’s operations. So by selecting Great Harvest Bread Co to be the leasee of the space, they were able to add another vibrant biz, neighboring theirs, to the Kirkwood Junction Special Biz District. What an amazing family and biz! David and Margaret would be proud.