DOUGLAS — Donald and Brenda Bartol’s Dairy Queen franchise, Kool Treats, LLC, in Douglas will be honored among a dozen businesses March 29 at the 2012 Success Awards and Legislative Lunch, presented by the Arizona Small Business Development Center (AZSBDC) network.
Kool Treats Dairy Queen owners Brenda and Donald Bartol.
The Bartols leased their first Diary Queen, the original located in Douglas, in 2007. Since then, they’ve purchased that business, as well as the Bisbee Dairy Queen, located in the Warren district, and, in late 2011, moved their Douglas franchise into a brand new facility.
“We saw how busy the Dairy Queen in Douglas always was and I told Brenda that if the opportunity ever came around, we should buy that place,” Don said.
According to a release from the Cochise College Small Business Development Center, sales at the Douglas Dairy Queen have increased by 100 percent after the move to its new location, in the Walmart shopping center, now that it’s “situated to take advantage of the 5.4 million people who cross the Douglas Port of Entry from Agua Prieta to shop in Douglas every year.”
The Cochise College Small Business Development Center is a free community resource, offering assistance for small businesses at every stage of development. Although located in Sierra Vista, its mission is to help small businesses in all of Cochise County achieve success.
In 2010, when the Bartols began eying a new spot for the Douglas Dairy Queen, Cochise’s SBDC introduced them to their first lender, Stearns Bank, N.A., of St. Cloud, Minn., and gave them ideas and strategies to find additional capital for the project.
Now, with soft serve sale soaring, the Bartols are continuing to seek new ventures. In Elfrida, they are expanding operations at Desert Videoland Oasis with a larger grocery selection and building another facility to include a dollar store.
The SBDC has offered the Bartols guidance on budgeting and direction on business planning, as well as continued support and assistance in financing, marketing, merchandising and obtaining more streams of revenue.
“The SBDC is a great resource for anyone who is looking to own a small business,” said Don, whose past endeavors with his wife include operating a small farm, owning a convenience store, a hardware store and a cafe/bakery. “We had a lot of experience in business, but we still needed some guidance and we are always looking for fresh, new ideas.”
The AZSBDC is Arizona’s largest and most accessible source of assistance for small businesses. It has 28 locations across the state. Last year, the AZSBDC counseled 3,128 clients and helped create or retain 1,647 jobs, and its clients started 268 new businesses. Cochise College is one of 10 community colleges through which the AZSBDC network has a host agreement.
The Success Awards lunch will be held at the House Lawn of the Arizona State Capitol Complex. Arizona Capitol Times publisher Ginger Lamb will serve as emcee of the event, which is expected to attract more than 300 guests, including members of the Arizona Legislature and government, business and community leaders from across the state.
For more information about the awards and to find profiles of each of the 12 winners, visit the AZSBDC online.
For more information about the Cochise College Small Business Development Center, call 515-5478 or stop by the Sierra Vista Campus.
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