We have always known, since the inception of Hub Town (which actually started as Strange Brew for those who have been with us THAT long), that meeting people was the best way to promote our company. We love talking to people and generating excitement about craft beer and our community and can quite literally talk for HOURS on end with anyone willing...so long as we have a little sip of beer every so often to wet the whistle. But, when we met Julie and Mike back in February of 2018, when they attended our Valentine's Brewing Event, we knew we had met our match!
These two have more passion for Okotoks and the local business community in their pinky fingers than most of us have in our entire bodies and it radiated with every word they spoke. We could be chatting with them and offer an idea to the couple and literally watch Julie escape into her creative, planning brain to come up with ways of promoting or pushing that idea forward while Mike would offer to research anything in incredible depth, just to help out. These two ARE the definition of supporting local...they live it with everything they say and do!
If you live in Okotoks and don't know Julie and Mike, then you may be living under a rock. This power couple has lived here for 11 years now, are both small business owners and are actively promoting this town and all it has to offer regularly.
Julie built from scratch and has been the lifeline of Awedity Creative, a company dedicated to helping build brands through marketing, website design, graphic design and social media management since moving here in 2007 (https://www.aweditycreative.com/)
Mike is the proud owner of Trident Auto Wash, which you would assume speaks for what it's about but in all honesty, if you know Mike, he has researched the BEST options for cleaning and caring for vehicles (have you seen his cars??) so you will get only the best that he would accept for himself...it's not JUST a car wash (https://www.facebook.com/Tridentautowash/)
When asked what brought the duo to Okotoks originally, Julie told us that she was a "city girl" and that Mike was all about the rural life, so the two sought out a home that had the perfect mix of the "essentials" and "wide open spaces"...Okotoks. And after all these years they say the reason they stay is "the huge sense of community, that its small enough that you know your neighbours and yet has everything you really want (shoppers, grocery, etc) and loads of fantastic events."
Attending events like Hub Town's Valentine's Brew Event, charity fundraisers, networking and entrepreneur events are commonplace for Mike and Julie...they are so connected and respected that they are always where the action is, raising money or awareness to those who need it. At our brewing event, the couple filled the majority of that class with friends they care about and participated in the process without hesitation...they love and support their community and it shows!
As busy entrepreneurs, it's easy to understand why they decided that "Branded at the Brewery" was the perfect crowdfunding reward for them. If you don't know what the "Branded at the Brewery" reward is, it is the opportunity for businesses to add their LOGO to one of Hub Town's taproom tables as a way to market/advertise their business to all our patrons for the life of that table.
When asked why they chose this reward, Julie told us, "anyone that gives me a chance to put my glasses (Awedity's Logo) somewhere I take it… not only is it incredible value for the dollar but you know its going to something more special than pattison outdoor or another corporation, its going to our community entrepreneurs." And in supporting Hub Town's crowdfunder in general, she also said, "I want to support peoples passions, I love new innovative and fun things we can bring to our community that will benefit everyone, I love YOUR spirit and your excitement, its contagious."
What most may not realize is this amazing couple, without any prodding or as much as a simple request, were the reason 9 out of the 10 Branded at the Brewery tables sold in our crowdfunder...most of them on DAY ONE!!! When this reward launched, Julie and Mike not only bought a table EACH...they encouraged all of the other 7 businesses to get on board too. When we asked them why they were so passionate about helping sell the tables, here is what they said, "We know some pretty incredible other businesses in the community, some huge hearts and some that love the community as much as we do, so it was really a matter of telling some of our friends about it. It has nothing to do with Mike and I being special, we are just thankful to have a strong community of like-minded business owners that we happen to know and love."
Julie and Mike may not think they are special but to us they are and always will be. The two helped raise $9000 in our crowdfunder while their connections got the opportunity to advertise their business for the life of a brewery table...there are a lot of wins in this scenario! And when asked if the duo was excited to get their logos on the tables, they said, "It means something more than just putting a logo on a table, aside from being a place to advertise, it says we believed in Hub Town and we wanted their dream to come true."
One last obvious question we had for the two was, "do you plan to have meetings at your tables when we open our doors?" The answer was "of course it would be at my table."
And what about getting their names on the FOUNDERS WALL? They said, "Its a cool way to highlight how our community has come together in a new way to fund and establish something our town needed."
I hope we did justice to these two amazing people in our BLOG...we wanted to showcase them as a thank you for all they have done for us and all they do for our community!
Thanks you guys...