Help rebuild tree damaged Speakcheesy food truck
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A note from Hillery: "Happy New Year. Though we closed out 2019 on a rather low note, that tragedy has only set us up to start 2020 on a high note as we look hopefully into the near future and trust fall into the arms of our community. It can only go up from here! Our GoFundMe is now live. I thank each and everyone one you for your comments, hugs, and social media support over the last 48 hours. Your love and kindness has helped Ben and I get through our day-to-day responsibilities without losing our minds and for that I am so incredibly grateful. Thank you to all who choose to contribute to our campaign to save Speakcheesy. Your contributions to the rebuild and success of the Speakcheesy truck will not go unnoticed and never be forgotten. Thank you all. I wish you happiness, abundance, and love in 2020."
On December 30th, 2019 around 12:30 in the morning, a gust of wind fell a massive 100-year-old tree from neighboring property onto local small business owner's Hillery Sawyer and Benjamin Mitchell's gourmet grilled cheese food truck, Speakcheesy and their tow vehicle a Chevy Tahoe. Insurance will cover our Tahoe, however we have been unable to untainted insurance help on the rebuild of our food truck.
We are raising funds to help Speakcheesy rebuild their truck and get reinspected before their spring season begins in March. Ideally, we'd need funding in January to meet our March 1st rebuild deadline and plan a health department reinspection for March 6th, 2020.
These are our rough estimates for starting funds needed and how they are broken down:
$700ish for a new generator
$500 for potential electrical damage - interior rewiring, new build light and wiring, and new exterior running lights
$2000 for labor and a new axel + new trailer foot (both destroyed by the weight of the tree
$1000 for removal of damaged metal, replacement steel caging to replace damaged section and pay welder for their time
For those who are considering contributing funds for our, rebuild Hillery has included some light reading on the humble beginnings of Floyd County's beloved late-night food truck. As we meet our goals she has planned to release multiple writings and journals of the early days and throughout her last 5 years of business. Thank you for taking the time to read Speakcheesy's story as well as make a financial commitment to helping get this unique business back on the road by their March 1st, 2020 deadline.
____________________
Part One:
Speakcheesy was started in the Spring of 2014 by Hillery, along with Co-Founders Lillian Shaw and Caroline Atkins. The trio worked together for the first six months to incubate the Speakcheesy brand through a series of late-night pop-ups on Broad Street. Six months of pop-ups culminated in a local, grassroots, fundraising event called Dreamcheesy - where guests could build their own grilled cheese from over 42 different ingredients while enjoying a live band and a silent auction. Over the next six months, both Caroline and Lillian took major steps towards their careers, while the dream of owning a late-night grilled cheese truck was something Hillery could not set aside. After Hillery and Lillian lovingly parted ways as business partners in summer of 2015, Hillery implemented a 6th-month ramp-up plan to launch the business before the anniversary of the end of prohibition on December 5th, 2015.
She spent those six months driving to visit and inspect over 15 different food trucks and concession trailers before landing on a little 7 x 10 hot dog trailer conversion from a Chef in Adairsville, Georgia. Through a partnership with the Makervillage Hillery was able to get preapproved for a $5,000 quick pay Make-Bank loan. She would have four months from the start of the loan to repay it. The price on this trailer was right and the owner would let her rent the truck for a week to test it out at the first annual Taste&Toast of 2015 as a test run. After some help from friends and locals alike, she was able to purchase the truck, update the gray and black water systems, and meet the criteria for inspection all in 6 days' time (the local Floyd County Health Inspectors office only inspects food trucks on Fridays.) Hillery had one extra Friday to get it right before opening on her weekend goal, Friday, December 4th and 5th of 2015, and with some hard work (And the world of friends) and luck, she made it for her debut on the corner of 3rd Avenue and Broad Street where the new condominiums are now built. Pretty soon the owners of River Dog Outpost reached out to ask Hillery and Speakcheesy to join them at #1 Broad Street.
Hillery didn't own her own tow vehicle or generator at the time of purchase, she borrowed Lillian’s parents small Ford truck for towing around town and a generator from Wayne Evans of Evan's Scrap and Steele Inc, friend Russell Evan's father. Once Hillery started going on the road to Atlanta she was gifted a brand new Predator generator from friend and mentor Ruth Demeter.
In early winter of 2016 Hillery had to get creative, weekend vending wasn't a problem - sandwiches were a huge hit with the late-night crowd and she had her regular spot on Broad Street or River Dog on the weekends, but in order to meet her payments each week for the Make-Bank loan, Hillery was going to have to find some weekday opportunities. Supported by the love of good friend and local Theater Momma Chris Urda, Hillery began scouting locations around Rome and she and Chris would work the lunches together Sawyer often working the nights alone. She was contacted by Evan McElreath, sometime in early 2016, the then youth director at 2nd Avenue Methodist church who offered her free parking in their back lot on 2nd and 2nd right downtown, she was also contacted by Remond Hospital who were renovating their cafeteria at the time and inviting food trucks to come set up for their staff and patients. Hillery and Chris would often trade-off shifts but kept the food truck running and stocked every day of the week at Redmond from 7 am to 7 pm. Some days they would only bring in $30 in sales while others they were able to bring in $200. In the early days, Hillery’s daily goal was simple. If she could bring in at least $120 a day, seven days a week, she could make enough to pay the loan, put a little aside for living expenses, and be able to buy more supplies to make her famous cheese blends each week. Both Hillery and Chris worked for free to see the dream come to fruition and the Make-Bank loan completed on time. Without Chris’ love, support, and dedication Hillery would not have been able to make the initial splash in Floyd county or make the jump to going on the road to festivals and events and locations in and around Atlanta - like working lunches with the Atlanta Food Truck Park and Turner Broad Casting as well as Indie South seasonal festivals and events in Athens.
Part Two in an update below
On December 30th, 2019 around 12:30 in the morning, a gust of wind fell a massive 100-year-old tree from neighboring property onto local small business owner's Hillery Sawyer and Benjamin Mitchell's gourmet grilled cheese food truck, Speakcheesy and their tow vehicle a Chevy Tahoe. Insurance will cover our Tahoe, however we have been unable to untainted insurance help on the rebuild of our food truck.
We are raising funds to help Speakcheesy rebuild their truck and get reinspected before their spring season begins in March. Ideally, we'd need funding in January to meet our March 1st rebuild deadline and plan a health department reinspection for March 6th, 2020.
These are our rough estimates for starting funds needed and how they are broken down:
$700ish for a new generator
$500 for potential electrical damage - interior rewiring, new build light and wiring, and new exterior running lights
$2000 for labor and a new axel + new trailer foot (both destroyed by the weight of the tree
$1000 for removal of damaged metal, replacement steel caging to replace damaged section and pay welder for their time
For those who are considering contributing funds for our, rebuild Hillery has included some light reading on the humble beginnings of Floyd County's beloved late-night food truck. As we meet our goals she has planned to release multiple writings and journals of the early days and throughout her last 5 years of business. Thank you for taking the time to read Speakcheesy's story as well as make a financial commitment to helping get this unique business back on the road by their March 1st, 2020 deadline.
____________________
Part One:
Speakcheesy was started in the Spring of 2014 by Hillery, along with Co-Founders Lillian Shaw and Caroline Atkins. The trio worked together for the first six months to incubate the Speakcheesy brand through a series of late-night pop-ups on Broad Street. Six months of pop-ups culminated in a local, grassroots, fundraising event called Dreamcheesy - where guests could build their own grilled cheese from over 42 different ingredients while enjoying a live band and a silent auction. Over the next six months, both Caroline and Lillian took major steps towards their careers, while the dream of owning a late-night grilled cheese truck was something Hillery could not set aside. After Hillery and Lillian lovingly parted ways as business partners in summer of 2015, Hillery implemented a 6th-month ramp-up plan to launch the business before the anniversary of the end of prohibition on December 5th, 2015.
She spent those six months driving to visit and inspect over 15 different food trucks and concession trailers before landing on a little 7 x 10 hot dog trailer conversion from a Chef in Adairsville, Georgia. Through a partnership with the Makervillage Hillery was able to get preapproved for a $5,000 quick pay Make-Bank loan. She would have four months from the start of the loan to repay it. The price on this trailer was right and the owner would let her rent the truck for a week to test it out at the first annual Taste&Toast of 2015 as a test run. After some help from friends and locals alike, she was able to purchase the truck, update the gray and black water systems, and meet the criteria for inspection all in 6 days' time (the local Floyd County Health Inspectors office only inspects food trucks on Fridays.) Hillery had one extra Friday to get it right before opening on her weekend goal, Friday, December 4th and 5th of 2015, and with some hard work (And the world of friends) and luck, she made it for her debut on the corner of 3rd Avenue and Broad Street where the new condominiums are now built. Pretty soon the owners of River Dog Outpost reached out to ask Hillery and Speakcheesy to join them at #1 Broad Street.
Hillery didn't own her own tow vehicle or generator at the time of purchase, she borrowed Lillian’s parents small Ford truck for towing around town and a generator from Wayne Evans of Evan's Scrap and Steele Inc, friend Russell Evan's father. Once Hillery started going on the road to Atlanta she was gifted a brand new Predator generator from friend and mentor Ruth Demeter.
In early winter of 2016 Hillery had to get creative, weekend vending wasn't a problem - sandwiches were a huge hit with the late-night crowd and she had her regular spot on Broad Street or River Dog on the weekends, but in order to meet her payments each week for the Make-Bank loan, Hillery was going to have to find some weekday opportunities. Supported by the love of good friend and local Theater Momma Chris Urda, Hillery began scouting locations around Rome and she and Chris would work the lunches together Sawyer often working the nights alone. She was contacted by Evan McElreath, sometime in early 2016, the then youth director at 2nd Avenue Methodist church who offered her free parking in their back lot on 2nd and 2nd right downtown, she was also contacted by Remond Hospital who were renovating their cafeteria at the time and inviting food trucks to come set up for their staff and patients. Hillery and Chris would often trade-off shifts but kept the food truck running and stocked every day of the week at Redmond from 7 am to 7 pm. Some days they would only bring in $30 in sales while others they were able to bring in $200. In the early days, Hillery’s daily goal was simple. If she could bring in at least $120 a day, seven days a week, she could make enough to pay the loan, put a little aside for living expenses, and be able to buy more supplies to make her famous cheese blends each week. Both Hillery and Chris worked for free to see the dream come to fruition and the Make-Bank loan completed on time. Without Chris’ love, support, and dedication Hillery would not have been able to make the initial splash in Floyd county or make the jump to going on the road to festivals and events and locations in and around Atlanta - like working lunches with the Atlanta Food Truck Park and Turner Broad Casting as well as Indie South seasonal festivals and events in Athens.
Part Two in an update below
Organizer
Hillery Sawyer
Organizer
Rome, GA
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