Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Stephanie and Christian Nielson's Plane Crash

A woman originally from Provo is one of three people involved in a fiery plane crash in Arizona. The victim's parents are well connected to Utah politics. The woman and her husband are now in a burn unit in a Phoenix hospital.
Stephanie Nielson grew up in Provo. Her father is Stephen Clark, a member of the Utah House of Representatives, while her mother Cynthia is on the Provo City Council. And even though she lives in Arizona, Stephanie keeps in touch with a lot of people here locally, through her blog, which has become very popular.
Stephanie's blog, the NieNie Dialogues, is now asking for prayers. Both she and her husband, Christian, were critically injured Saturday night in a plane crash in St. John's, Ariz.
Doug Kinneard, a flight instructor also on board the small plane, died in the crash, while Christian and Stephanie suffered severe burns.
Cynthia said, "It looked a lot worse than what we anticipated, it was shocking actually."
Family members say the Nielsons are no longer considered trauma patients, but they are sedated much of the time because of the pain from their burns. When they are conscious, family members try to give them encouragement and talk about their interests. "We talk to them about BYU Cougars football," Cynthia said.
Aviation has been a longtime interest for Christian Nielson, and he recently earned his pilot's license. The couple have four children, and the family has had many flights together, with many photos posted on Stephanie's blog.
Family members are now caring for the couple's children at their home in Mesa. While both Christian and Stephanie face a long road to recovery, their family is holding onto hope. "Everyone has a lot of faith, and we know the Lord will intervene one way or the other," Clark said.
It is still unclear who was at the controls of the plane when it went down and what may have caused the plane to crash, but an investigation is underway.

To get more information please go to cjanerun.com where the family is posting updates.

There has been a fund set up of Stephanie and Christian, whose recovery will cost in the millions. You may donate at any Bank of America under: "Stephanie and Christian Nielson Rehab Fund" or WellsFargo under: "Stephanie Nielson Fund."

Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Friday, August 1, 2008

August Success Story- Jones Mobile Marine Service, Inc.

Jones Mobile Marine Service, Inc.
Kevin Myers
946 West Utah Avenue, Unit B - Payson, UT 84651
801.427.0668

Boating is a huge past time for families in Utah. There are so many beautiful lakes and reserves in this desert; and what better way to spend a day with the family than relaxing on the water in the sun or skiing behind a speeding boat. Kevin Myers grew up with boats around him. As a kid he worked in his dad’s and uncle’s business named Eagle Marine. His goal was to own his own place someday, and that dream came true in 2001 when Eagle Marine closed its doors. Kevin purchased all the inventory and tools from Eagle Marine when it closed, and started his business working out of a garage. He named his business Jones Mobile Marine Service, Inc. He quickly realized that the purchased inventory contained many boat parts manufactured from 1950-1990 parts that are not manufactured any more parts that a boat owner will pay a good price just to find them. This is one of Kevin’s distinct competitive advantages.
Kevin’s start-up year was difficult- because of Kevin’s youth and lack of credit history, banks were unwilling to loan him money. Also, the garage he worked out of was too small for working space and storage. As a result Kevin transformed into a mobile boat service and would work on the boats at the customer’s home. This was difficult, time consuming, inefficient, and expensive for the boat owner. Kevin needed money for a shop location large enough to service multiple boats and store parts. He had his wife Carly contacted Ken Fakler at the Orem Small Business Development Center. Ken helped him create a business plan that resulted in a loan from a local bank. Also, Ken helped him locate a building and forge an acceptable lease with the landlord. The result was that the new efficient business has resulted in a doubling of sales each of the three years he has been in business; the need to purchase a larger building to keep the business growing; and the hiring of his father (who has years of experience) to keep an acceptable turnaround time on contracted work.
The rising price of gas has not affected Kevin’s business. His sales are still climbing and he is still booked one to two weeks out for work. He has added a new service where he picks up and delivers boats to customers; this helps to lock people into doing business with him. When Kevin purchases that new building, he hopes to start selling a line of small fishing boats and will expand his boat trailer services, boat detailing services, and his parts offerings. Also the expansion will help them maintain their personal, attentive service with his customers. Kevin knows what service really means.
With the help of the Orem SBDC, Kevin and Carly are making their dream come true. In passing, Carly just had their second child; nothing like another good family business to make America the most economically advanced country in the history of the world!