Page 5 - TR What Women Want Aug 2017

Sunday, August 13, 2017 • An Advertising Supplement to the Three Rivers Edition • What Women Want • 5SS
MALLORY MORRIS/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER MATT JOHNSON/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
LEFT: Kayla Harris’ father, Shaun Formel, began raising Piedmontese cattle about five years ago. Piedmontese beef, which is rare in Arkansas, is a healthier kind of red meat, he said. RIGHT: Kayla Harris, left, and her family opened their home to Noor Leenders, who visited for a semester as a foreign-exchange student from the Netherlands. Leenders visited the Harris family again this summer.
Although Noor had only expected to attend school and see some local landmarks, there were bigger adventures in store. Kayla learned that her company’s annual leadership retreat for that year would take place in Washington, D.C.
She had only been with the company for a year, but she worked hard to earn the trip so that Noor could visit the nation’s capital. While Kayla was in meetings at the retreat, her family took Noor to see the capital city’s most renowned landmarks.
HOME ON THE RANGE
In addition to hands-on parenting, work- ing from home has allowed Kayla to contin- ue helping her parents on the farm. Kayla has been a customer at the Searcy Certified Farmers’ Market for years, and two years ago, she helped her parents join the market. While other young folks might dream of life away from the farm, Kayla stayed invested in the family venture.
“Probably my brother and I have the most interest in keeping [the farm] going and trying to help Dad with it,” she said. “We’re the two you can find at the farmers market.”
Although Kayla has no formal training in marketing, she has developed the marketing skills
to both promote the Cannon F Ranch booth at the market and advance her career.
“I’ve grown my full-time income business through social media — Facebook and Instagram — and that’s the same way I market the beef,” she said. “You learn as you go along, I feel like. You learn what works; you learn what doesn’t work.”
The beef itself is a product that is hard to find in Arkansas. About five years ago, Kayla’s father, Shaun Formel, added a few Piedmon- tese cows to his herd, which then contained mostly Angus and Beefmaster breeds.
Piedmontese beef contains less fat than oth- er forms of beef and can be a healthier option for people with high cholesterol, he said, add- ing that Kayla was invaluable in helping the family get started at the market.
“She knew a lot of people, and she knew how easy it is to get involved in the market,” he said. “We’re really trying to support the market. We want more people to get involved and to bring product up there.”
Although Kayla has grown into a marketing role, she can still be found around the barn.
“I find it peaceful and relaxing,” she said. “With farming, to do it and be a part of it, you
have to love it. You have to love what you do because it is so much work.”
THE JOURNEY CONTINUES
Kayla’s decision to work at home proved to be even more of a boon about a month ago, when Wesson was diagnosed with severe anxi- ety and sensory processing disorder. She teared up when she remembered how, at one appoint- ment, she was asked if she worked at home be- cause caring for Wesson could take a lot of time.
“I think right then was when it really sunk in for me that, ‘Wow, this is a huge blessing in my life to be able to be so present,’” she said. “I haven’t had to ask off work or be worried that my boss wasn’t going to let me go or anything like that.”
Having long believed in the benefits of maintaining a positive outlook, she said, she now hopes to pass a philosophy of positivity on to Wesson to help him embrace the differences that accompany his diagnosis.
“That passion for being positive, being who we are and not caring what others say or might think has only gone to a higher level now that I’ve seen what he’s going through,” she said.
“Not only am I trying to live that way myself, but now I’m teaching him that.”
In the future, she added, she and Ben hope to open their hearts and home to more children in need, whether through the foreign-exchange program, adoption or fostering. She said she also hopes to climb higher in her company and teach her children the value of entrepreneurship. Nur- turing her passions would be impossible without her decision to work from home, she added.
“That’s given me the freedom and the avenue to be able to do that farmers market, tend to my special-needs son and do the foreign-exchange- student journey,” she said. “Every single thing I’m able to do now ... is a freedom that was given to me by definitely choosing the road less traveled.”
Where does Kayla find the motivation to forge her own path? The answer lies beneath that silver pendant, where her favorite T-shirt is emblazoned with the word “fearless.”
“Nothing good happens in our comfort zone,” she said. “Every single thing that I’m a part of right now — that I’m so passionate about and involved with — came from pushing past fear and came from praying bold prayers to get past that comfort zone.”
DECORATIVE touches Show it off
Bring examples of the American countryside into your home with the Hooker Furniture Dining Room Sattler Display Cabinet. This cabinet boasts a sleek, flat-cut, rustic white-oak veneer that can enhance the look of your dining room and have guests clamoring to get such a cabinet of their own.
TO BUY: Sowell’s Furniture, Searcy
Cozy corner
Sit back and relax in your home’s living space while also bringing style to the area with this Julson Cafe two-piece living-room set. Available in multiple colors, you can match your living room’s decor or choose a color to complement existing art in the room.
TO BUY: Warehouse Furniture, Beebe
Local luxury
Support the state of Arkansas and get a good night’s sleep at the same time by getting this comfortable Dreamline mattress and foundation. The mattress’s cooling gel foam, pocket-coil innerspring and foam-encased side support will have you dreaming in a heartbeat. Dreamline’s mattresses are made in Arkansas, and the company supports its local customers.
Liven up
Accent your living space beautifully with a Craftmaster accent chair. Customers can add a unique, custom pattern such as this Craftsmaster Wonderwall-26 to completely complement other elements of their interior decor.
TO BUY: Sowell’s Furniture, Searcy
FAB&T
TO BUY: Warehouse Furniture, Beebe
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