Page 7 - Women in Business

Advertising Supplement to the Three Rivers Edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Women in Business • Sunday, October 18, 2015 • 7SS
ADVERTISING FEATURES
Lea Ann Neal Cabot Café and Cake Corner By Wendy Miller
Megan Murray Varvil Real Estate By Linda Garner-Bunch
SPECIAL SECTIONS WRITER
Only a few years ago, Lea Ann Neal was catering events and parties out of her own kitchen while also maintaining a
full-time job. That all changed in 2012 when the opportunity arose for her to purchase a storefront space in Cabot.
Neal wanted to do something a little differ- ent with the space, and Cabot Café and Cake Corner was born.
Neal hand-picked the menu that’s offered in the café with a goal of having a fresh take on the then-available dining option in Cabot. With specialty salads, creative sandwiches and vege- tarian options, as well as a variety of cupcakes and other desserts made fresh daily, the café is open Tuesday through Saturday.
The café can also be reserved on Sundays and Mondays for business meetings, events or birthday parties.
Neal still keeps busy with plenty of catering opportunities as well. Having catered groups of more than 300, Neal is confident that she can handle just about any event, no matter how big or small, and no matter how challenging.
SUBMITTED PHOTO Lea Ann Neal, owner of Cabot Cafe and Cake Cor- ner, aimed to bring a new dining option to Cabot
when she opened her business.
“You do have to be 110 percent invested in the business,” Neal said. “Even when obstacles present themselves, you have to keep smiling and taking care of people.”
Fresh lunch options aren’t the only thing Neal can whip up — just about any cake imag- inable can be created for a special event.
“I have a passion for baking and cooking, and now I get to do that every day,” Neal said. “When you find your passion, you never have to work a day in your life.”
SPECIAL SECTIONS WRITER
H onest. Self confident. Authentic. Loyal. These are characteristics that Realtor Megan Murray, associate broker for
Varvil Real Estate in Quitman, seeks to demon- strate, both in business and in everyday life.
After serving the nation as a sergeant in the United States Marine Corps for four years — including a one-year tour of duty in Iraq — then earning a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural business at the University of Ar- kansas, Murray returned home to Quitman.
Before joining her father, Stuart Varvil, in the real estate industry, Murray gained expe- rience in the mortgage-loan industry, working as a loan processor, then officer, at a local bank.
“I felt a calling to real estate because as a loan officer, I felt like I was always saying, ‘No, no, no!’ to my clients. In real estate, I can say, ‘Let’s find a way to make this work!’” she said.
Because of Murray’s hard work and deter- mination to help home buyers and sellers, she is currently ranked No. 2 for home sales for the Cleburne County Board of Realtors and has sold more than $6 million in property so far this year.
SUBMITTED PHOTO Realtor Megan Murray finds joy in helping home
buyers and sellers reach their goals.
“My greatest motivation is telling myself, ‘I can do this,’ no matter how tall the order,” she said. “There are those ... who find ways to accomplish amazing things as businesswom- en. Any challenge I face, I just tell myself that others have done it, others will continue to do it—andsocanI.”
Murray and her husband, Josh, are expect- ing their first child in February. The couple live in Quitman, along with two donkeys, three dogs and a cat.