Been thinking about a 30-foot palm to finish off that backyard landscaping job? Just call Growing Crazy‚ and the company will get one right out to you.
The nursery opened five years ago after owners Steve and Amy Lester decided to‚ ahem‚ branch out from their mowing and landscaping business.
Now with 6‚000 square feet of greenhouse space and pretty much every tree‚ shrub and flower you can think of‚ Growing Crazy has become a one-stop shop for area gardening enthusiasts.
“We just had a love for it‚ and it was a goal‚” Steve Lester says of the business. “We have nine acres total‚ with three of them for retail. We carry pretty much everything‚ but it’s the palm trees that really helped us make our name.
“We had a good reputation with our first business‚ and people just followed us‚” Lester adds. “And we get a lot of word-of-mouth business.”
A Cut Above the Rest
In 1938‚ Henry Goethe had a lot of lumber at his new company‚ called Brevard Lumber Co.‚ but not a lot of business. Then World War II began‚ and the rest‚ as they say‚ is history.
Nearly 70 years later‚ Brevard Lumber Co. boasts annual revenues of about $8 million.
Soon after he started his business‚ Goethe added sawmill services because of the wealth of yellow-pine timber in the area‚ and then added a concrete plant. Goethe died in 1972‚ leaving the company to his nephew‚ who‚ in turn‚ passed it on to his son‚ Larry‚ in the late 1970s.
Despite the constant pressure from big-box retailers‚ Goethe says the company has been able to carve out – and keep – a successful niche in the lumber industry.
“We enjoy being small‚ and that’s something the big stores just can’t do‚” he says. “We offer a delivery service‚ which they don’t‚ and we’re pretty much a turnkey service. If someone wants a whole house package tomorrow‚ they can call me‚ get it ordered and delivered and not even have to come into the store.”
A Gem of a Store
Doing business the old-fashioned way has worked for the Boyles family since 1959‚ when they opened Jay Bee Jewelers in Pompano Beach.
Originally operated by Jim and Fern Boyles‚ the jewelry store relocated to Titusville in 1964 and now is run by son Jim and his daughter‚ Jean Black.
Quality service has always been a way of life at Jay Bee‚ and that’s why the store has outlasted many of its competitors.
“We have a ‘no job too small’ attitude‚ and that’s probably the best asset we have‚ ” Jim Boyles says.
Jay Bee offers a full line of services‚ including watch and jewelry repair‚ as well as appraisals.
“We’re in a small shopping center so people can park their car and in 10 steps be at our door‚” he says of the store’s location at 706 Cheney Highway. “You don’t have to park miles away to get into a mall or larger place.”
Flying High
While it’s located on the Space Coast‚ Titusville also plays home to airborne vehicles that stay a little closer to the earth’s surface.
In April 2007‚ Helicopter Adventures was purchased by Bristow Academy Inc.‚ a move that made what was already the nation’s largest helicopter flight school one of the biggest in the world.
The school has around 300 students at any one time‚ says Nick Mayhew‚ general manager of Bristow Academy.
“Bristow was getting concerned about feeding the pilot population long-term‚ and it had gotten out of the training-school business in the 1980s‚” Mayhew says. “When they [Bristow] bought Helicopter Adventures‚ they bought more than 50 helicopters and the instructors and support staff that goes with them.”
The facility trains pilots for their JAA and FAA commercial licenses‚ both of which can be obtained by completing a 150-hour‚ nine-month course. It also offers shorter-term courses.
Patrick Corr‚ who still serves as president of the facility‚ founded Helicopter Adventures 20 years ago.
Cooking Made Simple
Titusville doesn’t seem like the place for a revolution‚ but when it comes to mealtime‚ there’s one under way at Make-It Take-It Meals.
The brainchild of Kristen Jacobs‚ the company specializes in a wide array of ready-to-cook entrees that solve the age-old “What am I going to cook for dinner tonight?” question.
All folks do is go in‚ assemble their ingredients in containers‚ put a cooking label on them and they’re good to go. The food can be used that day or frozen for later‚ adding another level of convenience.
Since opening in November 2006‚ Jacobs says that the community has embraced the venture.
“It’s been very busy and very successful‚ and I’m learning something new every day‚” she says.
Customers soon will be able to take part in various specialty sessions‚ including Cooking with Kids‚ which will introduce younger family members to the world of meal preparation.
