Family Business Was Choice for Ferndale Father and Son
(Crystal A. Proxmire, 3/16/2011)
What do you do when you’ve spent 30 years working as a dye maker only to loose your job to manufacturing job downsizing?
Or if you’re a teacher in your mid-twenties who finds the education system too frustrating to commit to it for the rest of your life?
One option is to team up – father and son- the way that John and Matt Webb, who have started their own family vending machine business.
Just four months ago, with much love and support from the family matriarch, they began Choice Convenience Services. The family places vending machines in businesses at no cost to the business owner, and makes money off the sale of the foods and beverages which they keep stocked. The businesses have no cost, except a slightly increased electric bill, in exchange for the convenience of snacks on demand.
So far the successes they’ve had they credit to their involvement in the community. After a slow first month they jumped in and joined the Ferndale Area of Chamber and found themselves a charity to share their time and resources with, an animal rescue group called Waggs and Wishes.
Waggs and Wishes will be having an “Always Forever” fundraiser dinner to help them finance moving to a new location. Choice Convenience Services, Pet Care AuPair, and Drayton Avenue Presbyterian Church are some of the entities helping with the dinner. Matt spent Tuesday seeking sponsors for an auction for the event.
“It was my mom’s idea to pick out a charity to help,” Matt said. “She loves animals and so we said okay. It’s been really rewarding. They work so hard at Waggs and Wishes and it feels seeing them being able to get the things they need to take care of the animals.” The dinner will be March 19, 2011 from 5-9pm at Drayton Avenue Presbyterian at 2441 Pinecrest, at a cost of $7 per person, $10 per couple or $15 per family. More information on Waggs and Wishes can be found at www.waggsandwishes.org.
The Webbs have also been busy taking advantage of networking opportunities through the Ferndale Area Chamber. “We joined the Chamber in December and in January we started going to the Coffee Connection meetings,” Matt said. “That’s the way we got our first two customers. The first place is part of the Chamber and the second place was an introduction by a Chamber member, Adriane Greer.”
Matt said he looks forward to getting more customers and finding more people who have vending machines but need someone to keep them stocked. He also said he enjoys the flexibility of being his own boss, and being able to work with his father.
“It’s had its frustrating moments but it gets better as we go along. He has a lot of experience working with his hands, and he knows how to work hard.”
“It seems appropriate being in a family business you know,” he said. “I went away to Western to be a teacher, but I like it here in Ferndale, with my family. I grew up here and my dad grew up here. I graduated in ’02 and he graduated in 73.”
To find out more about this father and son vending machine team, contact Choice Convenience Services at (248) 417-0393.