iEntrepreneur

The definition of an entrepreneur is quite simple:  A person willing to launch a new business and takes sole responsibility for its outcome.  Meet Brett Westover, owner of iTech, and a great example of what an entrepreneur is and does.

A couple of years ago Brett was cleaning out his truck and accidentally broke his new iPhone.  He called Apple and was told a replacement would cost $450.00.  That was money he simply did not have at the time.  So he did what self-motivated people do, he fixed the phone himself.  And at that moment, he realized there was a void in the local market for smartphone repairs and iTech SmartPhone Repair was born.

He laid a solid foundation for his new business.  He researched and then trained on how to repair virtually every type of smartphone on the market.  He established relationships with suppliers.  And then he went to work.  At first, he offered a mobile service.  You contact him, he drove to your location and performed the work.  Eventually he realized the mobile service limited the number of customers he could reach in one day.  Instead of driving, he could use that time doing more repairs.  So in October, 2011 he opened his first retail store, brilliantly located within 1/2 mile of the AT&T and Verizon stores.  Repairs usually take less than one hour.

Brett is expanding his services and products.  He offers repairs on iPod Touch products, Android products and can personalize your iPhone will custom color housings.  Not too distant plans also include iPad and laptop repairs.  All of this from a 23 year-old self-motivated businessman.  You gotta love it.

iTech SmartPhone Repair is located one block north of SR312 at 1797 Old Moultrie Road.  Brett can be contacted via email:  itechsmartphone@gmail.com or via phone at 904.806.6722.

So the next time you do something stupid to your android or iPhone, my suggestion is to save yourself a lot of headaches, time, and money, and run over to iTech for a quick and very affordable repair.

Good Times

Just a quick tip....

If you love great country music and having a great time with great people, then make a point to check out The Red River Band!  They have been playing together for nearly 25 years and are known for making sure their audiences have as much fun during their shows as they do.

Over the years Red River has opened for the Who's Who of country music - Charlie Daniels, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddly and Loretta Lynn to name a few.

St. Augustine is blessed with great musicians.  The Red River Band is comprised of four of the most gifted around.  Check them out.  You won't be disappointed.

The Iron Man

Year in and year out, Dirk Bockel travels to the most exotic places on earth - Beijing, Abu Dhabi, Rio de Janeiro - with the simple goal of testing and pushing his body and mind as far as humanly possible.

Dirk is a triathlete.  A world-class athlete.  An Olympian. A take no prisoners, train and compete my ass off, live life to the fullest, everything to the max - athlete.  Oh, and he calls St. Augustine home.

His wife Alicia and her family are from here.  She and Dirk love the vibe of old town, the people, the easy pace, and the ability to hop on their cruiser bikes and grab a beer and burger any time they wish.

Saint Augustine is also Dirk's training base for half the year.  He's easy to spot, especially if he is training on his bike, as his clothes and helmet all carry the national symbol of Luxembourg, a large, red prancing lion.  The bike itself, made by Blue, is the two wheel equivalent of a high-tech Formula 1 car.  A carbon fiber, aerodynamic, custom built rocket ship, designed for maximum performance, and Dirk's office 6 hours every day during his peak training period.

The Super Bowl of triathlons is the IronMan World Championships held each October in Kona, Hawaii.  That's a 2.4 mile ocean swim, 112 mile bike leg, followed by a 26.2 mile run (a marathon).  Dirk finished in 4th place in 2011, with a total time of 8 hours, 12 minutes, 58 seconds.

You can keep track of Dirk on his website www.liveandlettri.com.

A Refreshing Vision

In the hustle of everyday life, it is easy for native Floridians to take for granted the local landscape, or at least not to give it a second thought.  It is not that we don't appreciate our surroundings, we do.  Every now and again we need to be reminded and reawakened to the beauty of northeast Florida.  Claire Jane Kendrick is an artist whose paintings accomplish this.  Originally from Ireland, she moved to Florida in 2006 after stints in France, Belgium, Sweden, and England.

Her paintings reflect Florida with bold, rich, beautiful colors, and subtle textures with an impressionist technique.  "This is a hot climate and colorful coast.  I love the expanse of the marshlands, the big cloudscapes," she says.  "The scenery is dramatic and I try express that in my paintings.  It's a joy to live here."

Collectors respond to the contemporary style and the expressive way in which she paints.  The big open vistas and the marsh views that stretch for miles are among her favorite places to be.  "When you are painting in these isolated places it feels like you have the world to yourself.  The subtle shifts of light can in a moment calm or energize the environment."

Claire is from a family of architects and designers and it seems that artistic impression, a love of design and an eye for detail, were an important part of her upbringing.  She grew up in the Irish countryside and as a child explored painting "en plein air" with local artists.

Her paintings display confidence and purpose.  She reflected upon this recently when she said, "Artists need to have a vision, they have to be fearless and sometimes challenge uncharted territory.  It's having the strength of character to forge ahead with an idea or concept way before the consensus of approval.  It is about taking the time to see the beauty and potential in a fast paced life."  Amen to that.

Claire Jane Kendrick's work is represented by the Worley Faver Studio & Gallery.  It is located at 11A Aviles Street in downtown St. Augustine.