Business Notes -- 04/06/08

Farmers Insurance Group

With high school graduation scheduled for late May, Farmers Insurance Group has announced a donation to Blooming Grove High School to promote “Project Graduation 2008” a drug and alcohol-free alternative to post graduation parties for seniors.

“High school graduation is a huge milestone,” said Larry Pratt, state executive director of Farmers in Texas. “Graduation should be celebrated, but it should be celebrated in a safe and responsible way. That’s why Farmers Insurance supports Project Graduation.”

Farmers Insurance agents are Project Graduation volunteers. Farmers Insurance agents like Kyle Ward of Corsicana are in the business of promoting good judgment. That’s why Ward is committed to helping make graduation an exciting and memorable time for the right reasons.

Over the past 16 years, Farmers Insurance Group has donated over $462,650 dollars to Project Graduation, and Farmers’ agents statewide have volunteered thousands of service hours. Farmers Group Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Zurich Financial Services, an insurance-based financial services provider with a global network of subsidiaries and offices in North America and Europe as well as in Asia Pacific, Latin America and other markets. Farmers is the nation’s third-largest personal lines property and casualty insurance group. Property and casualty products are underwritten and issued by the Farmers Exchanges and their subsidiaries, which Farmers Group Inc. manages but does not own. Headquartered in Los Angeles and doing business in 41 states, the Farmers insurers provide homeowners, auto, business, life insurance and financial services to more than 10 million households. For more information about Farmers, visit the Web site at www.farmers.com.

Curves of Corsicana

Curves of Corsicana, part of the world’s largest fitness franchisor, has announced that it is joining Australian superstar Olivia Newton-John in the fight against cancer. Curves is a worldwide presenting sponsor of The Great Walk to Beijing 2008 — a fund-raiser that will benefit the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Centre Appeal — and has pledged a minimum $1 million donation to the event.

Curves of Corsicana will participate in the fund-raiser through an April in-club promotion that will have members “walking along” as Olivia Newton-John, Curves founder Diane Heavin, and other celebrities, sports heroes, business leaders, corporate partners and cancer survivors trek 142 miles (228 km) over some of the oldest and steepest portions of the Great Wall of China. The Great Walk to Beijing 2008 will begin April 7 and will end with a triumphal entry into Beijing on April 29.

“Curves is a natural choice to be a primary sponsor of the walk,” said Olivia Newton-John, a breast cancer survivor. “Research has shown that obesity increases cancer risk and Curves is a program that effectively fights obesity on a worldwide basis.”

“We’re thrilled to join Olivia in the fight against all types of cancer,” said Linda Vass, owner of Curves of Corsicana. “We help women get strong and healthy and fight deadly diseases on a daily basis — from diabetes and heart disease to hypertension and more. This is a chance for us to fight cancer worldwide, and to have fun and get fit doing it.”

Curves of Corsicana will promote the event throughout April with posters, contests and special events. Curves members can “get on the Wall” with an initial donation and earn “kilometers” that will propel them toward “Beijing” through additional donations, workouts and other fun activities. Curves members who complete all 228 kilometers will be entered in a drawing to win a share in thousands of dollars in prizes from Curves International and Curves Travel.

Curves members who’ve battled cancer will be honored and remembered on the walk. “I’ve seen what cancer can do to individuals and their families,” Heavin said. “So I’m walking in honor of every Curves member who has had to deal with the devastating effects of cancer, and in memory of every Curves member who has lost her life to it. To make that a reality, I’ll be reading the names of those Curves members daily during the walk.” Members can submit their names or the names of other Curves members on the Curves members-only Web site, MyCurves.com.

Anyone can take part in the walk by logging onto www.greatwalktobeijing.com and sponsoring Newton-John, Heavin or any of the other walkers on the journey.

For more information about Curves of Corsicana, contact manager Kim Dry at (903) 874-6999.

Corsicana Graphics

On the regional front, the invitation was put out earlier this year for entries to compete in the prestigious 2008 Graphic Excellence Awards, and for the fifth year in a row local design and printing firm Corsicana Graphics chose to respond by entering some of its very best work. This annual statewide and regional competition, hosted by Printing and Imaging Association of MidAmerica and Printing Industries of the Gulf Coast, gathers the finest printed material produced by the leading printers and designers in this region of America.

To ensure a completely fair and unbiased competition, all entries were judged by industry professionals flown in from outside the region. The judges were instructed to base their decisions first on technical expertise and the quality of printing, then on design features and overall appearance. Those entries with visible technical flaws were eliminated from the competition.

Corsicana Graphics’ staff was overjoyed to learn that after competing against many other companies in their division from Texas and other regional areas, that their firm had received two “Awards of Excellence” for design and printing projects produced in 2007.

The first was the “2008 Kaufman County Junior Livestock Show Program/Rule Book” designed by staff member Heidi Hudson. Hudson is a graduate of the Navarro College Applied Science Multimedia Technology program. She interned with Corsicana Graphics during her formal studies and later accepted full-time employment. She is also currently an adjunct instructor for the college in the same program teaching evening courses. “We could not be prouder of Heidi,” said Sam Yukon, president and owner of Corsicana Graphics. “It has been a privilege to witness her growth and commitment to her trade as she applies her many God-given gifts in this field.”

The second award was given for the “2008 Corsicana Cotton Patch Calendar” that was designed by Sam Yukon. This piece, like the Kaufman project was produced completely with the company’s new state-of-the-art digital press equipment. “Although I did all the design work, the calendar was a cooperative effort with conceptual ideas for venue shoots reaching fruition in the final stages by way of a lot of pooled ideas,” Yukon said. “My beautiful wife Kim, my staff, the staff of the Cotton Patch led by managers Michelle Lacefield and Dwain Taylor, and Kay Cummins of Kay Cummins Photography all lent their skills and enthusiasm to make this project possible. What would normally have been done on a three- to four-month timeline was accomplished in just three weeks!

“As with all the competitions, we feel these events afford a unique opportunity not only to honor our customers for entrusting us with their projects, but also to recognize the superb craftsmanship of our team members. These awards represent the collective efforts of everyone here pulling together to achieve excellence day after day as we seek to honor the blessings which have been bestowed upon us. We wish to thank everyone that had a part in our winning these awards, and we look forward to upholding this level of excellence for many years to come.”

The Graphic Excellence Awards banquet will be held the evening of April 21 at the Belo Mansion in Dallas. This festive occasion will feature live musical entertainment, a display of the winning printed pieces along with a multimedia presentation of the best of category pieces shown during the award ceremony. This will be the 19th year the banquet has been held.

On the international front, in its own competition, the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) announced three winners at its awards dinner during its Wing Staff Conference held March 8-9. The competition was open to all CAF units across the globe.

Attending the conference were local CAF unit members Jim Wells, Richard McLelland and Candis Wells. At the banquet, it was announced that the Coyote Squadron of the CAF, the local Corsicana/Navarro County unit, had won first place in the newsletter competition, and third place in the poster competition, both against a very large field of entries. “Sam Yukon and the staff at Corsicana Graphics are a joy to work with,” said John Ausley, unit leader for the Coyote Squadron. “Quite often we are working under difficult time constraints. Despite this we always get a quality product. Our experience at Corsicana Graphics has always been positive.”

The newsletter was designed by Hudson of Corsicana Graphics and is published monthly for Coyote Squadron members, as well as being distributed to those parties interested in the activities of the squadron and the CAF. The poster was designed by Corsicana Graphics staff member Beth McCrory. McCrory holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton and has been on staff since 2006.

The CAF is an educational, historic preservation nonprofit organization that restores and flies vintage military aircraft. The international headquarters of the CAF is located in Midland; however, they have members in every state and 28 foreign countries. In 26 states and four foreign countries, CAF members have joined together and formed “units” to foster camaraderie and, in many cases, actively support one or more of the classic military aircraft operated by the CAF.

The CAF was founded to acquire, restore and preserve in flying condition a complete collection of combat aircraft which were flown by all military services of the United States, and selected aircraft of other nations, for the education and enjoyment of present and future generations of Americans.

An estimated 1,000,000 people each year view the aircraft of the Commemorative Air Force at air shows across the nation, giving those visitors the rare opportunity to connect in a personal way with these extraordinary pieces of our country’s history. The CAF has approximately 157 airplanes in its fleet, making it the world’s eighth largest air force. At any one time, approximately 100 of these historic planes (some the only examples left in the world) are flying; the others are in restoration or maintenance.

The Coyote Squadron will be holding its 10th annual Airsho on May 10 at the Corsicana Municipal Airport. This event will feature vintage World War II and contemporary airplanes, formation flying, food and vendors.