by I. B. Lyon

Ride hailing companies like Uber and Lyft have been popular in large cities across the US for a while now. They aren’t prevalent in small towns and rural areas because the demand just isn’t there, and most people drive their own cars. In the past few years because of the advent of driverless or autonomous vehicle technology, autonomous vehicle ride hailing apps like Waymo have grown in popularity. Elon Musk and Tesla are going to jump into the autonomous ride hailing or robo taxi game as well, so the use of these services is only going to grow in the coming years.

Valley entrepreneur and IT expert, Rob Ballmer, has been fascinated with driverless or autonomous vehicles for years now. Ballmer said, “In the past, I’d always use Uber when I went out to Silicon Valley, but now I use Waymo. It’s so cool to be sitting in the back seat of a driverless car. It’ll take you where you want to go safely, and I don’t have to worry about talking to the driver. Plus, I can be productive on my commutes. I just love it.”

Ballmer has been in talks with Waymo and another company for weeks about a partner or white label program to bring an autonomous ride hailing vehicle to The Valley. He finally worked out the details with Waymo for one of their cars, and the vehicle is going to start serving Valley City next week. The name of Ballmer’s company is Skoot, and he’s very excited about bringing this service to The Valley.

Ballmer said, “I’m starting with one car, but I plan to buy more in the coming months and years. Valleyans will probably be skeptical of Skoot to begin with, but I think they’ll love it in the long run. I think it could be great economically for senior citizens. Many seniors don’t do a lot of driving; many just go to church, the grocery store, the beauty shop, and maybe a couple other places. Cars are expensive, and the maintenance and insurance is expensive too. Plus, many senior citizens don’t need to be driving any way because of poor eyesight and slow reaction times. Skoot will be safer for the community, and it will help many seniors to save money. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

Ballmer is very excited to bring Skoot to Valley City, but the community has mixed feelings about it. One skeptic said, “This isn’t Los Angeles or New York City. I just don’t think people are going to go for it. People are going to freak out the first time they drive past a Skoot car with no one in the vehicle. I don’t think people are going to trust it. It’s a no for me bro.”

Another Valley City resident I talked with was excited about Skoot. She said, “I think this is going to be great for my mom. She drives around town some, but she really doesn’t need to be driving at all. I have to work, and I don’t have the time to drive her where she needs to go. Also, she lives on a fixed income. It would be great for her to sell her car; she’d be able to save a lot of money. There will a couple challenges though. I’ll have to convince her to get into a car with no driver, and I’ll have to teach her to use the Skoot app. But, I think she’ll do it.”

It will be interesting to see how Skoot does in Valley City. I’m sure many will try it out just for the novelty of it, but will it be viable long term. We shall see.

by Emma Embellischer

Strong River Bend Baptist Church (SRBBC) is the largest church in Strong River Bend (SRB). The church has been experiencing a lot of growth recently. The church’s congregation has been predominantly made up of senior citizens, but it has had an infusion of young families recently. That is exciting, but it has brought some challenges.

The younger generation likes praise and contemporary music, while the older generation likes older hymns. Also, many of the younger people don’t attend Sunday night and Wednesday night services, and the older members don’t like that. There are some other small issues that have caused riffs between the older and younger members as well. But, one thing has united the church recently. Both the younger families and older members have been complaining about the morning worship service lasting too long.

SRBBC’s pastor, Benny Dollar, has been preaching a series on Revelation. Dollar said, “Revelation and the End Times really fire me up, and I love to preach on it. I’ve probably been going past noon too much the past month or so. But, I can’t help it, and the congregation needs to hear it. I understand the congregation wants the clock, but I don’t know if it’s a good idea.”

I was able to catch up with the chairman of the deacons, Timothy Paul. Paul said, “I’ve been getting complaints from church members, young and old, the past 3-4 weeks about the service lasting too long. So, I brought it up in our deacon’s meeting this week, and after a discussion, we decided to add a countdown clock in the sanctuary. The pastor wasn’t crazy about it, but he went along with it. We voted to start the clock when Bro. Benny starts his sermon, and it’s supposed to go to all zeros at noon. We’re actually going to add two clocks. One will be by the baptistry so the congregation can see it, and the other one will be hung on the balcony so the pastor and choir can see it.”

Billy Buffet, an older member, said, “I’m glad the deacons voted to do this. I like Bro. Benny, but he keeps preaching past noon. People from every church in town keep beating us to the restaurants after church, so we have to wait to get tables. It’s just aggravating. I’ve thought about just getting up and leaving church early, but I won’t have to now.”

A younger dad said, “Bro. Benny does a great job preaching the word, but he’s been going a little long lately. We have to get little Carter to baseball games or baseball practice on Sunday afternoons, so I’m glad they’re adding the countdown clock. It’ll help us out a lot.”

It’s good to see that SRBBC is united on this issue, because there’s been some division lately. It will be interesting to see if other churches in The Valley will follow SRBBC’s lead.

by “Stretch” DeTrooth

Travel baseball is very popular in The Valley and in Mississippi right now. Most travel ball dads played baseball themselves, and they’ve passed their love of the game to their sons. Many baseball dads love to talk about their glory days on the diamond, but most didn’t get an opportunity to play after high school. Other than the occasional high school alumni game or college alumni game, grown men don’t get to play baseball unless they play pro or semi-pro ball. However, that is about to change.

Greg Holeyball has always loved baseball. He started playing at age 5, and he finished his career playing after two years at Valley Tech as a backup utility infielder and bullpen catcher. His son, Bryce, also loves the game, and he plays travel ball with the Renegades. Holeyball misses playing though, and he’s been itching to play recently. I was able to catch up with him a couple days ago.

Holeyball said, “I’ve been wanting to play some baseball the past couple years, but there’s nowhere for a 35 year old has-been like me to play. I played a little wiffle ball in high school and college, and I really liked it. So, I’ve gotten a few other travel ball dads together recently, and we’ve played some wiffle ball. We’ve had such a good time that I decided I was going to form a wiffle ball league.”

Holeyball has been working hard to get the league going. He’s been able to get enough interest from men in The Valley to form 6 teams. In addition, he’s been able to secure multiple sponsors including Burly Billy’s Beef Jerky, Pinnacle Sports Psychology, Strong River Bend Fitness, and more. The name of the league will be the Strong River Valley Wiffle Ball League (SRVWBL), and they will start playing games the first week of April.

Holeyball added, “I’ve been working on the field which will be on my property in Valley City, and it’s going to be nice. All league games will be played on my field. It’s going to be a mini Wrigley Field, and it’s going to be named The Friendly Confines. It’s going to be an all-turf field and there will even be ivy on the outfield fence like Wrigley, but it might take a while for the ivy to cover the entire fence.”

I was able to catch up with a couple people that are going to be involved in the SRVWBL, and I got their thoughts on the new league. One dad said, “Man, I’m so pumped about this! I haven’t played ball in 15 years, but I know I still got it. I would’ve played JUCO ball, but I got hurt. I already know I’m gonna lead the league in home runs. I’ve been telling my son about my glory days, but he’ll get to see Dad in action now.”

One wife said, “I’m not so sure this is going to be a good idea. I’m worried my husband is going to run his mouth and get into fights. Also, I really hope they don’t allow alcohol into The Friendly Confines. Can you imagine these old fat has-beens getting hammered and playing ball? Not good!”

The SRVO will keep you updated on the SRVWBL, and we’ll provide scores, stats, and more during the season. This is going to be fun!

by Ima Phibber

Strong River Bend (SRB) has done a very good job managing its finances. The mayor, Gus Easyspirit, and the board of alderman have been united in their efforts to buttress the town’s reserves. The police department has done their part to bring in revenue, and the town’s controversial traffic cameras have helped to bring extra income as well. But, the town’s reserves have been sitting in bank accounts earning very little interest, and alderman Johnny Blockchane has proposed a solution for this.

Blockchane mentioned investing some of the town’s money into Bitcoin (BTC) a couple months ago. A couple other board members agreed that some of the money needed to be put into something to earn more interest, but nothing was done about it. Blockchane has been talking to the mayor and board members about Bitcoin. Blockchane said, “I’m a big believer in Bitcoin. I’ve been a HODLer for a long time, and I plan on owning it to the day I die. SRB has around $100K just sitting in the bank earning basically nothing, and it hit me in the middle of the night a few months ago that we needed to buy BTC with some of that money.”

Blockchane added, “It hasn’t been easy educating the mayor and board about Bitcoin. Honestly, I still don’t think they understand it. But, they’ve seen that I’ve been able to buy two vacation homes, a Ferarri, and a Porsche, and they know it’s not because of my $500/month alderman salary. Everyone has jumped on board except my fellow alderman, Billy Pheott, and I don’t think there’s any hope for him.”

The board of alderman voted 4-1 at this month’s meeting to invest half or $50K of the town’s reserves in BTC. Pheott was the lone no vote. Mayor Easyspirit and the board alderman agreed that they needed to have an open forum to educate SRB residents on the matter. That meeting or forum happened this Tuesday, and it was something else. Jerry Springer and Maury Povich would’ve been proud. Pheott rallied his troops to show up and show out in opposition to the proposal. I was there, and I was able to speak to multiple attendees after the meeting.

A Pheott supporter and opponent to the proposal said, “Blockchane has pulled the wool over the mayor and aldermen’s eyes. Bitcoin is so volatile; the $50K could be worth $25K in a month. Everyone knows Bitcoin is just used by criminals to launder money. Plus, there’s nothing backing Bitcoin! It’s really and truly worthless! Also, the government has no control or oversight on it. This is so reckless for our town to be doing this. We just need to put the money in a CD and be done with it. If we lose money on this, the 4 alderman that voted for this should have to make up the loss.”

A town resident in support of the proposal said, “Look, I don’t really understand Bitcoin. Does anybody really understand it? There are a few things that I still don’t know after the forum. Where is the Bitcoin going to be physically stored? Will it be in a safe deposit box at the bank? I’d like to see it after it’s purchased; I’ve never actually seen Bitcoin. I know Blockchane has done really well with it. Have you seen his new house? So, I guess let’s just go with it! Maybe SRB can make a bunch of money like Blockchane.”

I believe SRB is the first town or city in Mississippi to buy BTC. It will be interesting to see if others follow their lead. We’re hearing rumblings of the USA and other countries creating BTC strategic reserves, so government entities are definitely looking at buying BTC. We’ll see if it turns out to be a good investment for SRB, and the SRVO will keep you updated on the matter.

by B. S. Ryter

Egg prices are sky high right now. Inflation seems to be sticky, and the price of eggs will probably remain elevated for a while. The bird flu and the government’s reaction to bird flu are the culprits of this egg inflation. Since 2022, the government has killed over 160 million chickens because of the bird flu, and the majority of these were egg-laying hens. Also, the bird flu has killed millions of chickens. As you were taught in economics, less supply + more demand = higher prices. But, there is always opportunity in crises, and a local company has taken advantage of the current egg price crisis.

Bill Broody has owned a small farm for years, and he’s had chickens since he bought the farm. Broody has been selling his eggs for years, and the residents of Strong River Bend (SRB) love his farm raised eggs. Broody said, “I’ve been making a killing lately since egg prices have gone up. But, I’ve had a problem recently with egg theft, and I’ve heard other people are having the same problem. People have been coming to the farm at night and stealing my eggs. I ended up hiring a guy to watch over the farm at night, and the theft stopped. I’m always looking to make an extra buck, and an idea popped into my head. I can start an egg security company to help other small farmers protect their eggs, and so here we are.”

Broody reached out to multiple farmers in The Valley, and they all said they would use his security firm if he created it. Eggcellent Security was born, and he got to work acquiring security guards. As of now, he has 18 security guards that are working for his firm.

Broody said, “I have 18 guys working for me, and I need a lot more. I’ve got guys from all walks of life working for me. I’ve got firemen that work on their days off, and I’ve got guys that work offshore that work when they’re home. I’ve a got a couple teenagers that are working for me too. It’s not very exciting work, but we pay pretty well.”

Eggcellent Security is unique in that it’s the only security firm devoted specifically to eggs that we’re aware of, and it’s also a vertically integrated security firm. They protect the hens before the eggs are hatched, they collect the eggs, they provide security during transport to market, and they provide protection at retail stores as well. Broody said, “We provide security from beginning to the end- from the coup to the grocery store. Grocery stores have been very appreciative of our service, because many had been having egg theft.”

I was able to speak to a couple of Broody’s security guards. One said, “I ain’t gonna lie, this is pretty boring work. It gets really boring at night; I bring my dog with me to keep watch at night. But, the money is pretty good, so I’ll keep doing it as long it lasts. The other one said, “It’s crazy that this job even exists, but it is what it is. I take my job seriously, and I’m gonna protect these farmer’s most precious assets- their laying hens.”

Broody added, “We’re gonna have to change the old saying “golden goose” to “golden hen.” This gig won’t last forever, because egg prices will eventually come back down. But, I’m gonna ride the wave as long as I can, and I’m gonna keep cashing these checks.”

Broody is looking to expand, and he’ll be able to as long as egg prices stay elevated. He is also thinking about creating another firm to deliver eggs to customers; it would be like Doordash but for eggs only. We’ll see if that gets off the ground.

by Ben BeEssen

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) headed by Elon Musk has been in the headlines quite a bit lately. Musk has been tasked with cutting government waste and fraud, and he and his team have been hard at work since Trump’s inauguration. DOGE has inspired states, cities, and Valley County to implement similar measures to cut fraud and waste. Now, it appears a Valley church has been inspired by DOGE to cut waste and repetitiveness with the church.

First Baptist Valley City (FBVC) is the largest church in Valley City and Valley County. FBVC’s new Chairman of Deacons is Ron Radeucer, and he is an accountant and organizational efficiency specialist (OES). He has felt there is too much waste and too many committees at FBVC for a while, and he’s using his power as chairman to do something about it.

Radeucer said, “I’ve complained about it, and I’ve heard others complain about it for years too. But, I’ve never been in a position to do something about it, but now it’s time. I understand that some members won’t be happy with what I’m planning to do, but that’s ok. My goal is to make so many people mad that I’ll never be appointed as chairman again.”

Radeucer has a plan. He added, “I have formed the Committee on Church Efficiency (COCE). I read the bylaws, and I know it can be done. Plus, our pastor is on board with it. I’ll handpick 7 members, and we’re going to get to work, and we’re going to be transparent like DOGE. We have 30 committees, and I want to get down to 15 or less. I also plan to change the name of the Committee on Committees; I cringe every time I hear someone say it. I have some different names in mind like the Managing Committee, Quarterback Committee, and a few more. Additionally, we’re going to cut some waste.”

Radeucer has identified some ways to save money and cut waste. Radeucer said, “COCE plans to do away with the bulletin. It costs us hundreds of dollars each year to print the bulletin. We’re going to continue to have a bulletin, but it will be electronic. We’ll provide a QR code on the big screen and throughout the church for people to scan with their cell phones. Additionally, COCE will recommend to the Greeting/Coffee Committee to start using off brand coffee, and we’re going to recommend not providing doughnuts or pastries on Sunday mornings. Also, we’re going to recommend cutting the church staff’s “team building” retreat to the Gulf Coast each year. This will save us thousands each year.”

Radeucer said, “People are probably going to be angry with me, and that’s ok. We’re going to be transparent with the church and let them know what’s going on. After seeing the increase in efficiency within the church and the extra savings, I think they’ll be pleased.”

I was able to speak with a couple members about COCE. An older female member said, “I hope Ron doesn’t start messing with the Homecoming Committee. I know we haven’t had homecoming in 6 years, and our committee hasn’t met in 3 years. But, they really don’t need to cut this committee; I’ve been on it for 25 years.”

A younger female member said, “I’m not too keen on the off brand coffee. I love my coffee, and I can tell the difference between premium and mediocre coffee. The cool hip pastor and good coffee are the two main reasons I come to FVBC. I’m not pleased about this.”

It will be interesting to see how FBVC members react to COCE. We’ll keep you up to date on COCE and its impact on FBVC.

by Offe Hisczrocher

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is all the rage now. You hear about it all the time. Many AI software programs and apps are being used daily by people across the globe, and these programs are making our lives easier. One software program that has become part of the lexicon is ChatGPT. Many of you reading this have used ChatGPT for work or something else. If you haven’t used it, your child in high school or college probably uses routinely to write papers and essays. Many tech experts think AI’s impact will be bigger than the Internet itself, but time will tell.

Valley tech entrepreneur, Mark Bezos, has created an AI program called Bliss that he believes will strengthen and save marriages. Bezos said, “I’ve been married four times now, and marriage ain’t easy. I’ve been creating tech companies for 25 plus years, and I’ve created some great companies. But, I feel like Bliss is the most significant project I’ve worked on; I think it’s going to make a huge positive impact on marriages and families.”

Bliss will go live next week. You will be able to access it via your desktop or via an Apple or Android app. Users will have to allow the app to have access to their text messages, instant message apps, emails, and most of the users’ apps. The app will automatically listen to your conversations (it doesn’t ask for permission for that). The app will also track users with GPS, and it will track users’ phone usage and what apps they’re using. Bliss’s algorithm will compile this data for its users, and it will offer timely advice to its users via the dashboard and push notifications. Bliss will never sell users’ information.

Bezos said, “Bliss is not a panacea, but it can provide practical and useful information to its users. For example, Bliss will be able to interpret female “code” language. It will be able to let a husband know what his wife really means with her communication. Many times husbands complain about their wives not being totally forthcoming about what they really want or how they truly feel. Bliss will be able to solve this issue for husbands in most instances. The app will be able to predict a woman’s feelings and emotions, so it will give men the information they need to act preemptively. This will be huge for husbands and allow them to take action to please their wives. The app will also alert men when a full moon coincides with their wife’s “time of the month”, and it will even give men possible excuses to be away from home during that time.”

“Another example is that Bliss will let wives know when they’re nagging or complaining too much to their husbands,” said Bezos. “Bliss will listen to their conversations, and it can detect tone and elevated decibels. The app will also be able to detect when a wife has a legitimate reason to be unhappy with her husband, and it will remind her not to go to far in addressing the issue. It will send push notifications to wives that are nagging or complaining too often. The nagging or complaining notification can be turned off, so husbands should be aware of this. This is just a few examples of how Bliss can work and improve marriages. There are many more!”

I talked to a couple that has been using Bliss through a pilot program. The husband said, “Bliss has definitely helped me to be a better and more thoughtful husband. For example, it sent me a push notification a couple days ago asking me when was the last time I bought flowers for my wife, and it recommended that I surprise her with flowers. Well, I bought flowers for my wife, and she was so happy. She’d had a rough few days at work, and it meant a lot to her.”

The wife said, “I wasn’t crazy about downloading Bliss to begin with, but I’m glad we did now. A week ago, it asked me when was the last time I cooked dinner for my husband, and I couldn’t remember. I really hadn’t thought about that in a while. My husband and I work hard each day, and we’re tired in the evenings. We eat sandwiches or tv dinners most of the time, but my husband doesn’t complain about it. I’m sure he wishes I’d could cook more often. So, I took Bliss’s recommendation, and I cooked a nice pasta dish for us, and my husband was so grateful.”

Bliss shows great promise in helping marriages. It works best when both spouses download the app. If one spouse starts using the app, and the other spouse isn’t aware of it, there could be issues. The spouse that is not using the app could suspect something is up, so make sure you and your spouse are on the same page when using Bliss.

by Ben BeEssen

Subaru vehicles are known for their durability. According to Subaru, 96% of their vehicles sold within the past 10 years are still on the road today. Subaru vehicles are popular in mountainous areas of the country like the Pacific Northwest. All wheel drive is standard on all of their vehicles, and that comes in handy in rugged and mountainous areas that can have snowy and icy conditions. Most of the areas that Subarus are popular tend to also lean left politically, so the stereotypical Subaru owner is a liberal with a coexist bumper sticker.

Bernie Grenola is trying to break that stereotype. Grenola is a conservative Republican that is driving his second Subaru Outback. Grenola said, “I absolutely love my Subaru. People around The Valley think I’m a liberal because I drive a Subaru, but I’m about as conservative as you can get. I voted for Trump, and I watch Fox News nightly. I deer hunt, and I love college football. I also listen to Glenn Beck on the radio every day, and I’m as patriotic as you can get. Despite all that, my family and friends make fun of me because I drive a Subaru. So, I decided to do something about it.”

Grenola has formed the Valley Republican Subaru Club, and he plans to break the stigma attached to Subaru owners in The Valley and the South. Grenola said, “We had our first meeting last week, and we had 4 Subaru owners show up. We had a great meeting, and we did some brainstorming. We’re hoping to double our numbers by our meeting next month, and we really hope to grow this group over time. Based on my research, there are a few hundred of us around, but we just have to get the word out about our organization.”

The club had a few ideas to promote itself. They plan to reach out to the local Subaru dealership, and let the sales team know about their club in hopes they’ll promote it to new buyers. They also plan to create car magnets that say “Republicans Drive Subarus Too”, and they all plan to put them on their Subarus. They’ll give the magnets to all new club members.

Grenola said, “We really appreciate the SRVO doing a story for our club. It will definitely help get the word out in the community. Republicans and conservatives actually do drive Subarus. You don’t have to give us mean looks at traffic lights; you don’t have to put Joe Biden magnets on our vehicles. We’re with you! Hopefully, the Valley Republican Subaru Club can raise awareness in The Valley and the world that all Subaru owners aren’t liberals. It could be worse, we could be driving Teslas. I challenge all the haters to drive a Subaru. As they say, Once you drive a Subaru, you won’t go back.”

We’ll see if the Valley Rebublican Subaru Club will be able to break the stereotype. They’re going to have an uphill battle, but Grenola and his crew seem determined. But, time will tell.

by Emma Embellischer

The inaugural Armadillo Day last year was a big hit in The Valley. You can read about it HERE. This year’s celebration was even bigger. Since Feb. 2nd was on a Sunday this year, the festivities were moved to yesterday, Saturday, Feb. 1st. We are in the Bible Belt, so having the festivities on a Sunday would definitely limit the crowd.

The Valley Armadillo Club had been planning the festivities for months, and they did a great job. I was able to catch up with Graye Hardshelle, the club’s president. He said, “We’ve been working hard to get Buck Bend Resort ready for weeks now, and it turned out great. Everything got kicked off at 6:30 am with everyone watching Valley Vic. Luckily, he came out of his burrow; you never know if we’ll be able to get him to come out. We had a huge crowd gathered watching his every move. Valley Vic did see his shadow, so that means we’ll have 6 more weeks of winter. So, it looks like we’ll have to wait until March to start wearing shorts again.”

Valley Vic will never be picked up like the groundhog Punxsutawney Phil, because no one wants to get leprosy. So, the announcement of whether he sees his shadow or not will never be as exciting as Punxsutawney Phil on Groundhog Day. But, the organizers of Armadillo Day do all they can to make it a fun and exciting atmosphere like a carnival or fair. Hardshelle said, “We had vendors cooking breakfast as early as 6:00 am, so it was smelling good at Buck Bend. We even had the Valley City High School Band doing a drum roll for Valley Vic. We had all kinds of fun stuff for kids to do; it’s similar to the state fair or a county fair. We had a big crowd this year since it was held on a Saturday, and I hope the crowds continue to grow each year.”

Food is a big draw for Armadillo Day. You can buy just about any type of fried food imaginable. There were a ton of food vendors peddling some great food. There were a few food contests that drew a lot of attention. At noon, there was a catfish cookoff, and that was a big hit. There was also a dessert contest at 2:00, and the winner cooked a bread pudding. There was a gumbo cookoff at 5:00 pm, and that drew a large crowd as well.

The mullet contest was a big hit. There were 9 entrants, and there were some really nice mullets. It all came down to Joe Durtt and Kenny Powers- straight vs. curly. The judges went with the straight mullet- Joe Durtt. The crowd went wild when Durtt was announced as the winner, and some of Powers’ friends were not happy with the judges.

Things really started to heat up in the evening as the Valley Vagabonds took the stage at 6:00. They put on a great show as always. Hardshelle said, “They’re one of the best Lynyrd Skynyrd cover bands around, and they always put on a great show. Valleyans came out in droves to see them.”

The Valley Armadillo Club plans to make this event bigger and bigger each year. They hope that it will one day be a regional event that will draw people from across The Valley, Mississippi, and the South. Hardshelle said, “We’re gonna make it bigger and bigger each year. Go big or go home right! So, y’all tell your friends and family about it, and we’ll see everyone next year.”

by I. B. Lyon

Stanley cups or tumblers are all the rage these days. Every young girl either has a Stanley cup or really wants one. This has led to some companies manufacturing Stanley knockoffs or lookalikes, but none of these have really caught on. A Valley company called Rodney is now challenging Stanley.

Stanley cup or tumblers are very durable and functional cups, and that’s why people love them. Plus, they come in many fun colors, and many women on social media promote them. This has caused their sales to go through the roof. But, there are a couple issues with Stanley cups. The price point- they’re pretty expensive. And, the fact that they’re made in China is another issue.

Valley electrician, Stu Cupp, has decided to take on the behemoth Stanley. Cupp has always used a thermos or tumbler cup to hold his coffee and sweet tea. Cupp said, “Back in the day, I used the old school Stanley thermos; these young girls don’t know anything about that. More recently, I used a Yeti cup until they went woke. My wife fell into the Stanley Quencher rage, and she bought three of them. After that, I decided I was going to start my own tumbler company. Why not?”

Cupp had to find ways to differentiate himself from Stanley and other companies in the marketplace. Cupp said, “First off, my cups had to be tough as nails. They had to be indestructible. Stanley’s cups are 18/8 stainless steel, but my cups are going to be 20/10 stainless steel. Chemists and engineers said I wouldn’t be able to do 20/10, but I got it done. Also, every part of my cups were going to be made in America. I worked on my prototype for months, and I finally finished it a few months ago. I’m going to have two sizes, 24 oz. and 40 oz. I’m proud of what I’ve done, and the future looks very bright.”

When thinking of a name for his company, Cupp wanted something that embodied grit and toughness. Cupp’s pet raccoon, Rodney, kept coming to mind. Cupp rescued Rodney as a baby 4 years ago; his mom and siblings had been ran over. Rodney had a broken leg, and he was in really bad shape. Cupp didn’t know if Rodney was going to make it, but he survived. Cupp said, “Rodney is the toughest thing I’ve ever seen. He’s a survivor. He’ll take on any animal; my dogs and cats don’t mess with him. So, after a while, I decided I was going to honor Rodney and name the company after him.”

Cupp realizes he’s facing an uphill battle in challenging Stanley. They generated $750 million in sales in 2023 alone. Cupp said, “You gotta start somewhere right? My wife and I have traveled around to multiple trade shows in the past couple months, and we’ve sold 79 units. She’s been promoting the cups on social media, and it’s been getting some traction. We’ve sold a lot of cups from social media. I did a video of Rodney drinking water out of one, and that was a big hit. I’m really going to have to step up the social media game though. So, I’m looking for good looking women and manly men with a minimum of 1,000 followers on Tiktok and Instagram. We want to market to men too, not just women. I’m going to need some manly hunters and outdoorsmen to market to that demographic. We’ll pay you $25 to do a post for us. That’s how you promote stuff these days, and all it takes is one post to go viral.”

Cupp has gotten into a few local retailers including The Riz Men’s Store, Loco Lulu’s Boutique, and Bougie Bertha’s, and he plans to expand even further into more retailers. Cupp wants to sell online in addition to retailers, and he’s working on his online store to get it where he wants it.

Cupp said, “Y’all give Rodneys a chance! They’re more durable than Stanleys, and they’re made here in The Valley and America. Plus, they’re cheaper than Stanleys. I feel good about what I’ve created, and I hope to become a household brand. I hope to see young girls and boys sipping out of a Rodney in the future!”