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Show A6 The Emery County Review, Tuesday, June 17, 2008 BUSINESS Celebrating the Entrepreneurial Spirit Wilderness program up and running in Huntington Josie Luke Many residents of Emery County appreciate the surrounding area because of the ability they have to have two very different environments in such close proximity, with the Manti la Sal Mountains to the west and the San Rafael Swell to the east; this also made the area a perfect place for a group of entrepreneurs looking for an area to run a wilderness therapy program. Elements Wilderness Program is one of the newest businesses to select Emery County as the place to base their operations. With an office in Huntington, the program is now up and running, and began accepting clients on May 30. Wilderness therapy is emerging as a viable alternative option for the treatment of youth. It incorpo- rates group and individual therapy with the opportunity for youth to learn how to take care of themselves and cooperate with others while working through challenges in an unfamiliar environment. Program Director Karen Hesselman described the group’s reasons for selecting the area. “Our first thought was that we’d like to be a little bit closer to our home, Salt Lake, but there really was nothing remote that would work. The elevation was a problem because we need two different field areas, one for summer and one for winter,” she said. “So, Huntington and Emery County, this strip along Highway 10, was perfect because you have the Forest on one side and you have the Swell on the other. This is really nice, just being in between the two different field areas. ” She also explained another benefit to the location- safety, saying, “The time it will take for us to get to the group on either side is quick and that is a big deal for us for safety. It seems like the perfect fit.” The partners in the business are Hesselman, Admissions Director John Karren, and Clinical Director Lynn Smith. All have previous experience with similar programs. They joined to organize a program they believe will benefit those adolescents who are involved. “We want to go back to the real wilderness piece, as in using the outdoors as a therapy tool, getting rid of all the distractions,” Hesselman stated. The Field Director Dan Shorb explained their program’s approach. “This program is smaller and we’re trying to specialize by dealing with less, what we would call, clinical kids, meaning, students that aren’t acting out as much as others in other programs,” he said. “I think our specialization is really a kind of a symbol of where this genre of educational programs has gone. From its real roots of being kind of boot camp style, to now where its gone to the other extreme to where its very therapeutic and very clinical.” In this light, in the program the youth are referred to as students and staff are called field mentors. For every group of 10 students, there are four field mentors assigned. The field mentors will work with the students for eight days and then have six days off, with a another group of mentors alternating in each week. Most students will be referred to the program through an educational consultant who is versed in the many different treatment types and treatment providers, and selects a specific program according to the needs of the client. Parents can also find such programs online. Information on the Elements program can be found at www.elementswilderness.com. Hesselman also revealed that it took a great deal of time to get permits and licenses in hand for the group to finally be able to open such a business in the area. A license had to be granted from the state, a business license from the city, and permits from the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. She related, “It would come and go, one day it would be really exciting and I would think ‘everything’s working perfectly,’ and then the next day, you’re just totally depressed and depleted because there would be another glitch. It was up and down a lot, but everything seems to be working out now that we’re up and running.” Hesselman and her partners are pleased to be in the area and plan to look to the community for support. “We still need a lot of local support to make it happen. We will need more employees as we start to go, so I hope everyone is open to what we have to offer and know that we are very interested in bringing the community into what we’re doing. We do want to know the community and use the resources and hopefully they’re accepting,” she said. Quarterly forecast shows optimism over economy at lowest levels yet Now We’re Cookin’ Cindy Avery and her granddaughter Angel Turner greet customers at Cindi’s Cafe in Huntington. The restaurant is now open Tuesday through Saturday from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. Marketing Seminar Refresher Basics, “4P’s”, Goals Pricing, Product, Place and Promotion Date: July 1, 2008 Could your business profit from Increased customers and Repeat sales? Marketing Research Standards, How to Benchmark, Sources of Help Date: July 8, 2008 Networking-Other Resources Total 3 Session Cost Measuring Results, $25 per business Growth, Sources for Help Pre-registration is required Specific Help for YOUR Business Location: Date: July 15, 2008 Business Technical Assistance Center 375 S. Carbon Ave. Sponsored by Price UT, 84501 The Bear Project The Contact Delia Paletta: 435-637-5032 Ext 408 All Sessions start at 6:00 p.m. Instructed By •Small Business Development Center •College of Eastern Utah During the first quarter of 2008, local business leaders reported the lowest level of optimism about their companies’ financial futures, according to Zions Bank’s Utah Quarterly Economic Forecast - a study conducted by independent research firm Dan Jones & Associates. Now in its eighth quarter, the study gauges the health of Utah’s economy from the perspective of high-level executives throughout the state. The first quarter 2008 survey of business leaders was conducted April 1 through 24. Responding panelists based their level of economic optimism on profits and losses over the past three months, rated on a scale of 1 to 10 (very pessimistic to very optimistic). With a mean score of 6.68, the level of optimism they reported in the first quarter 2008 is 1.19 points lower than the high of 7.87 recorded in the second quarter of 2006. This lowered level of optimism appears to be driven by increasing concern over gasoline prices, the impact of inflation, the cost of inventory and supplies, the ability to compete in the marketplace and the cost of utilities. These factors all reached their highest level of concern in the current survey cycle. “Feelings about the economy are increasingly uneasy out there, as the study shows,” said Pat Jones, co-owner of Dan Jones & Associates. “This fascinating shift in comfort among business executives correlates with what I’m hearing in qualitative focus group sessions. Now that we have Pork, lamb & beef Please Vote for Rue Ware for Emery School Board I Have Over 30 Years Experience as a Teacher, Principal and Administrator, Plus Three Years as a Department Head at CEU. Custom Processing How Could You Go Wrong? If You Can’t Deliver, We’ll Pick Up Vote Rue Ware! Meat Shop 790 N. 400 E. Huntington, UT Wane & Orson Justice/Owners 687-9000 2008 Southeastern Utah Jr. Livestock Show From Your Local Stock Show •Home Pick-Up Available• eight Quarterly Economic Forecast cycles from which to compare data, it is interesting to measure current perceptions about the economy against baseline data back from the good ol’ days.” Panelists anticipate their capital expenditures to remain about the same in the upcoming quarter. In addition, the percent of Utah business leaders who anticipate growing their workforce during the upcoming quarter has been steadily declining throughout the eight survey cycles. Following are additional highlights from the first quarter 2008 Zions Bank Utah Quarterly Economic Forecast: * Females are more likely to say they are optimistic about the financial futures of their companies (ratings of 6 through 10). * The number of executives predicting their companies’ economic health will be “somewhat or much better” (44 percent) is currently three times greater than the number saying it will be “somewhat or much worse” (15 percent). * The price of gasoline not only registers its greatest degree of concern in the current quarter but also attains the highest level of concern of all 11 factors ranked over all eight survey cycles. With a mean score of 5.96 on a scale of 1 to 7 (not at all concerned to very concerned), concern over gasoline prices has risen nearly a full point (up .92) since the third quarter of 2007. * Seven out of 10 panelists say they are likely to absorb some costs and pass some on to customers if their budgets were to tighten. Panelists in companies with 25 or more part-time employees are less likely to say they would absorb costs. Panelists in companies with 10 to 25 part-time employees are more likely to say they would absorb costs. In 2006, 1,169 business executives were recruited to form the study panel and to complete quarterly surveys. Business owners and highlevel executives interested in joining the panel may learn more information at https://utaheconomicforecast.com. |