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SUCCESS! : Family owned Casey business grows with SKED help Chuck Meece carries out father's dream of having his own business. Goose Creek Corporation may be one of Casey County's best kept secrets Photo accompanies this story By Cheryl Meadows SKED, Communications Director Melvin Meece died too young to fulfill his dream of owning his own business. But with his passing, that entrepreneurial spirit came alive in his son, Chuck, and today the 37-year-old is living the life his father only dreamed of and passing that spirit on to his own children. From his bustling facility situated atop one of Casey Countys many flat-topped ridges, Meece and his staff of 100 produce, market and sell thousands of Goose Creek candles, clocks and folk art accessories weekly - shipping to customers around the nation and the world. You might say Goose Creek Corporation is one of Casey Countys best-kept secrets. A gift shop in downtown Liberty showcases some of their products available in the region, but its the sales and marketing team that bring home most of the income revenues on track to reach over $3 million in 2006. Meece is now beginning to enjoy the sweet smell of success in a variety of different scents, shapes and colors. Not bad for one of Casey Countys own Chuck tested his hand at working for himself early in life. He began a vending business right after graduating Casey County High School and spent years looking for a niche to further develop it. He found that during the late 90s, as the candle craze was kicking off. In an effort to add to the vending business, Chuck began producing candles from his home. But he didnt do it alone. Chuck met his wife of 17 years, Tamara, in high school. Tamara knew Chucks desire to work for himself, but she didnt share his lust for the independence of the small business owner. While they worked side by side to pursue their hopes and dreams a home of their own, children, Tamara dreamed of a career in teaching and went to college to earn a degree in elementary education. But as Chucks desire increased, Tamara realized this was a thirst that couldnt be quenched, and the two set out together to make Chucks dream a reality. The young couple would spend all week working Tamara as a kindergarten teacher and Chuck both in the vending business and later for American Greetings Corporation in Danville but they spent their weekends traveling across the region to sell the product Chuck made. Chuck was in charge of creating all the products and supplying the demand. I would make sales calls, work on sales literature and keep up with all the paperwork, remembers Tamara. They share fond memories of visiting small towns throughout the state and taking in some of the local flavor, but they call those years the hard years. The years before the business took off and they were able to hire salespeople to do the traveling for them. Their current successes follow years of hard work and determination. Today, three children, two jobs and one very challenging business add up to nothing but smiles for the young family. They attribute their success to an undying faith that hard work pays off. The next generation of Meece entrepreneurs is already out of the gate. Their 16-year-old son, Micah, proudly drives the streets of Liberty in a truck he purchased with his own money money he earned farming and selling Goose Creek Candles and sharing the profit with his dad. Their other son, 14-year-old Jordan is hard at work with Micah preparing products for their internet orders, as well as marketing the retail gift shop in town. The boys are making their money selling the candles and accessories online and marketing fundraisers. Their collective efforts are currently producing over 10 percent of the companys revenue. Young Micah and Jordan have inherited their fathers entrepreneurial spirit. Its still a bit early to see if Madison, age 7, will share the family trait. Presently, she is talented in managing her brothers with her bossy personality, Tamara said with a laugh. She does like to work in the factory rearranging employee work stations, and cleaning as long as she is compensated. Working side by side in the Goose Creek facility, father and son, Micah, share a smile and a pat on the back one that Chuck might have liked to have shared with his own father. I remember my dad always wanted to own his own business and that was just implanted in my mind to do it myself, Meece said. He is living that dream ]Goose Creek Candles began operations in 1998 as a sole proprietorship. At that time, they focused solely on hand poured scented candles. The company slowly developed a national marketing representative network, which now covers all but 4 states within the continental U.S. The company has also obtained permanent showrooms in several locations throughout the US including Texas, Michigan, Colorado, Washington, Illinois and others Meeces developed a custom clock Line During the past few years, the Meeces developed a custom clock line with great success. But in 2005, the company got its first taste of big business as it acquired a contract with Tractor Supply Company. Goose Creek produces hand poured candles for the nationwide retailer. That contract is helping them expand their business and prepare for future growth. In December 2005, the Meeces incorporated the proprietorship into Goose Creek, Inc. They also began construction of 3,500 square foot addition to their existing 5,000 square foot building to make room for more inventory space and a distribution center. Today, some 70 Goose Creek sales reps travel around the country marketing and selling Goose Creek candles, clocks and a variety of folk art material. The addition will allow the Casey company to grow even more. Recipe for success needed one more ingredient capital The Meeces turned to two regional non-profit lenders for assistance in growing their business. They wanted someone that believed in their vision and financial goals. They found that in the Southeast Economic Development Corporation (SKED), based in Somerset, and the Mountain Association for Community and Economic Development (MACED) based in Berea. The loans from SKED and MACED will allow the Meeces to expand their current business and hire more employees. SKED funded this project using money from its Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), U.S. Department of the Treasury loan fund. MACED is using Intermediary Relending Program funds provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development. For more information about SKED, go to www.southeastkentucky.com. For more information about Goose Creek Corporation, go to www.goosecreekcompany.com. This story was posted on 2006-04-05 04:48:10
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