Choose optimism. Cultivate change. Embrace challenge as an opportunity to innovate and try something new. And never be afraid to ask “What if?”
Here, we showcase business owners and nonprofit leaders who asked that question and pushed forward, recognizing risk yet protecting their dreams. Even in typical circumstances, it takes a brave person to buck the status quo, dream big, and ask “What if?” And doing this in the post-pandemic economy takes a next-level visionary—someone who can look ahead and see a brighter tomorrow.
What’s your dream? It doesn’t have to be an extraordinary effort, just something that moves you forward to create a benefit or a different outcome.
We hope these inspiring local stories of vision, persistency, grit, and positivity encourage you to ask “What if?” And as you take new chances and create new pathways, Deeley Insurance Group will be there to protect and support your dreams.
What If Families Could Escape Critical Illness for a Week?
Forty years ago, Believe In Tomorrow Children’s Foundation started as a fledgling nonprofit with a goal to build and manage pediatric respite and hospital housing for critically ill children. It was the first program of its kind, giving families an opportunity to escape the trauma of diagnoses, hospitals, treatments, and test results.
Ninety percent of the children Believe In Tomorrow serves are pediatric cancer patients.
“They are very much in need of that bit of normalcy as they are thrown into these lives that are anything but normal,” says Brian Morrison, founder and president. “Families can relax and renew their energy as they go through this very stressful time in their lives.”
These respite programs are situated at beach and mountain destinations, including Ocean City’s three locations: House by the Sea, House on the Bay, and House at the Beach. Families can also choose to stay at House on Fenwick Island in Delaware; House at Pinnacle Falls in Zirconia, North Carolina; and two McHenry, Maryland, locations: House on Wisp Mountain and House on Deep Creek Lake.
“They can focus on getting away and being a family, the good times, and have something to look forward to, believing in tomorrow,” Morrison relates.
Morrison started the nonprofit by asking what a week away from medical reality would do for a family that is navigating critical illness. And in that time, the organization’s expansion has answered that question. By fall of 2023, Believe In Tomorrow will have provided more than 1 million overnight accommodations. “These facilities are full—very busy,” he says.
“Any time people can come together to help others in need is incredibly gratifying and something that makes life meaningful in so many ways,” he continues, adding that the nonprofit partners with vendors who share this value. “That’s one of the reasons we redirected our insurance to Deeley— their long-term commitment to charity and volunteering, committing to Believe In Tomorrow and many other nonprofit causes.”
Morrison encourages anyone who wants to get involved in Believe In Tomorrow to visit their website (believeintomorrow.org). The rapidly growing organization plans to develop a property in Florida this year, he adds. “Working with our volunteers is another exciting part of what we do.”
What If I Started a Business?
Brendan Wagner was working in the commercial fishing industry before he happened on an opportunity. “I met a guy who was trying to sell off his small lawn care business in 2017, and it was everything a young person needed to get started,” says Wagner. “I’ve always liked to work hard and work outside, so I went for it.” Now owner of Locals Lawn Care LLC, Wagner has grown his ‘What if’ into more than 200 customers in just five years.
Convinced that customer service and satisfaction would be the key to his success, Wagner made them his mission, which positioned his business for growth.
Within a couple of months, the workload had accelerated to full-time status, and he hit a cadence of servicing lawns and gaining new business at a fast clip. Word got out and Wagner decided to pursue a growth trajectory. In his third year, Locals Lawn Care was voted “Best Of Worcester County” by readers of Coastal Style Magazine.
Wagner was young and knew landscaping well, but he was a newbie at running a business. As an entrepreneur, he was grateful for the support of family and business acquaintances, and he welcomed the advice he received from field experts. After working with his Deeley insurance advisor Theo Hobbs, Wagner gained practical pointers along with some hands-on help with necessities like setting up his Department of Transportation (DOT) registration for vehicles. “[Theo] was willing to come over, check out all the equipment, and run me through the process—he set me up then and there,” Wagner relates.
Wagner’s wife pitched in, too, helping set up social media and digital marketing tools for Locals Lawn Care, which fast-forwarded business even more, Wagner says. His LLC went from 120 to 200 customers in a single season with the effort.
When Wagner initially took over the accounts and started Locals Lawn Care, he was anticipating several months off during winter for surfing and snowboarding trips. Now down to business, the company is a year-round venture. What’s next for Locals? Wagner is rolling with it.
Need help with your lawn or landscaping? Visit his website.
What If a Side Hustle Evolves into a Dream Business?
Leaving a stable career is never an easy decision. What if you can’t pay the bills? What about health insurance? What if your spouse is a business owner, too?
Daniele Haley took the leap—after she ran through these what-if scenarios with her husband and their financial advisor.
“What if I quit my job in five years?” she asked. She had been working for Somerset County Public Schools as the facility planner, overseeing school construction and maintenance.
At the same time, she was operating her business, Haley Architecture, as a side gig. The district job afforded her the opportunity to pursue private clients, which was not possible when she worked for a firm prior to joining the schools because of a noncompete agreement.
By going out on her own full-time, Haley would lose her public service loan forgiveness program benefit, and she was seven years into a 10-year plan of qualifying for forgiveness. “I could have stuck it out for three more years and hopefully gotten my loans forgiven.”
But instead, she decided to aggressively pay them off within a year rather than waiting to make a life-changing career decision. She gave up the benefits and pension plan, and then she and her husband discussed health insurance. Her husband is a realtor, so she was carrying benefits for the family, which consisted of a young one—and now two children.
“With both of us self-employed, we went out into the open market for health insurance for the entire family, and then I started to learn about other insurances I needed for my business,” Haley says.
She had General Liability coverage in place already, and Deeley Insurance Group advised that in her line of work, she needed Professional Liability insurance that covered the services she offers. Then the Haleys purchased an office as an investment building, so they needed additional insurance plus coverage to protect their property as they renovated the building. The firm grew, leading Haley to bring on summer interns, which also required coverage.
“Deeley has helped me put together all of these pieces as my business evolves,” Haley says.
And has it ever. Today, Haley’s business is half renovations and half custom home design in partnership with local builders. Turns out, committing to her own business full-time during the pandemic was ideal timing.
“A lot of people in our area figured out during the pandemic that they maybe didn’t need to live in a major metropolitan area and could live at their beach houses and work,” Haley says, relating how this led to whole-house renovations. Because she was born and raised in Ocean City, she knows many others with growing families who are ready to build their first custom home or renovate their starters.
Haley’s dream was to run her own architectural firm. She went after it and is thriving. “It was a very scary leap, having such a young family, but we have done more than I ever thought we could.”
To learn more about Daniele’s design practice, visit her website.
What if We Could Add Positive Amenities to the Community?
It was a loss—and a major win. Tony Weeg put his hat in the political ring for the first time in 2020, running for town council. He created a Facebook page, We Heart Berlin, to engage townspeople, who took to the concept and conversation.
“I lost that race but still had this group, so I parlayed that into, ‘Let’s do some good for Berlin,’” relates Weeg, who runs an award-winning portrait, wedding, and destination photography business.
Weeg wanted to bring a skate park to Berlin, and he knew this was a longer-term project and a significant undertaking for the community. So he began brainstorming other ideas to implement in the meantime. His vision: to create the framework for a successful nonprofit by surrounding himself with great people.
The first year, We Heart Berlin raised $50,000, dedicating $35,000 toward a vibrant mural at the Henry Park basketball court, along with renovating the rims and backboards.
We Heart Berlin’s mission is simple, Weeg says. The nonprofit promotes healthy and sustainable activities and supports the creation and improvement of recreational opportunities to benefit Berlin and its residents.
Money is raised through donations and We Heart Berlin merch that goes over big with locals, from tees and hoodies to stickers, socks, and onesies. Weeg says he is inspired by local businessman, philanthropist, and owner of Yard Designs, Bryan LeCompte. “His mantra is to live by gratitude, and he helped us in a big way with the basketball project,” Weeg relates.
Other donors included Burn Wood Fired Pizza, Burley Oak Brewing Company, and the Berlin Police Department, along with a slew of other local contributors who wanted to be a part of this positive change. This success snowballed into even more positivity.
“I kept staring at this piece of grass with an old bench on it, and there was always a liquor bottle there and no one in the park,” Weeg says of Burbage Park. “I thought, ‘Why don’t we put a table tennis park there?’”
The ping pong park effort included selling engraveable bricks for the pathway. It includes two outdoor table-tennis courts, a gazebo, and a handicap-accessible pathway that connects to the street.
“The town has a new amenity,” Weeg says. Now, plans for building a skate park are underway. “‘What if’ turned into, ‘We are doing this,’” Weeg says. “Our goal is to make amazing amenities for Berlin. There is only good in that.”
To learn more about supporting the Berlin community, visit their website.
What If We Created a “Real-World” Simulation to Give Young People Life and Work Skills?
Connecting the business community and schools by developing intentional work-and-life curriculum changes the lives of young people. It also builds a stronger, more-prepared workforce for employers. That’s the work of Junior Achievement (JA), a national organization founded in 1919. The Eastern Shore chapter started in 1985 and has evolved into a vibrant, in-demand conduit.
JA Believes in “Possible”
“We teach financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship to students ages 5 to 25; we weave ourselves into the K-12 curriculum and provide programs and resources for post-graduation, as well,” explains JA President Jayme Hayes. “On the flip side, we are out in the business community listening to their needs, so we can pull together the educational component and help deliver that to students.”
Locally, JA teaches 15,000 students a year in the classroom. The Perdue Henson Junior Achievement Center opening in September will impact 10,000 more with its simulated city of immersive activities. The $7.5-million, 27,000-square-foot experiential learning center replicates the real world. “Students get a salary and a life situation,” Hayes says as she shares an example. “You are 45, you make $48,000 a year, and you have two kids with bills to pay. They have to buy a house, a car, get insurance, apply for a loan, go grocery shopping.”
There are 18 budgeted line items students work through as they make financial and life decisions. “If they choose to buy the Lincoln Navigator, they have to buy the gas. If they don’t buy a car, they need to budget for public transportation,” Hayes relates.
The simulation program will begin in the fall with students in the 5th and 7th grades and high school. Through corporate partnerships, employers can offer team-building and educational experiences for their people. Junior Achievement of the Eastern Shore also partners with Lower Shore Enterprises and other nonprofits and will offer the real-life simulation experience to help facilitate their missions.
Workforce development and fulfilling the needs of local businesses creates more connected communities. Preparing young people for the world of work with practical education aligned with the schools’ curriculum allows them to easily access knowledge that they can put into practice.
Hayes says, “If you’ve ever heard, ‘I wish our schools taught…’, we are able to turn curriculum around quickly and we know that education is a vital part of the hiring process.”
JA’s ambitious “What if” could have lasting benefits for generations of local students and businesses. Deeley is committed to JA’s vision, supporting the organization through fundraising, participating in the JA Inspire expo, and with boots-on-the-ground volunteering as members of our staff are teaching JA’s financial literacy courses to kids in Wicomico, Worcester and Sussex counties.
When you dream big and ask “What if,” anything is possible.
To learn more about JA, and to sign up to volunteer, visit their website.
.And check out our new issue of DIG Magazine to explore more “What Ifs” from insurance and business.
