First Bank and Kids Making It – “Dream It. Do It.”

First Bank has partnered with Kids Making It for the second quarter of its “Dream It. Do It.” contest.

Kids Making It, based in Wilmington, N.C., is a nonprofit that utilizes woodworking to teach key life and entrepreneurial skills to at-risk youth.

First Bank has donated $10,000 to Kids Making It, which will go towards a new trade school and expanding their space.

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Southern Supreme Fruitcakes & More – Garage Startup to Global Distributer "I don't like Fruitcake" Not a fan of fruitcake? Neither was Berta Lou Scott until she perfected her version in the 1980s. Her Southern Supreme Fruitcakes have been converting fruitcake foes to fans ever since. Visit the Southern Supreme Fruitcake Online Store A Sweet Success Story Berta Lou Scott’s fruitcake started as Christmas gifts for her friends, family, and clients in their hometown of Bear Creek, NC. Mrs. Scott’s baked goods were always sought after throughout the holidays, but her fruitcake especially garnered attention for its ability to change the minds of those who claim to not like fruitcake. As demand for her fruitcakes increased Mrs. Scott’s late husband, Hoyt Scott, took out a small business loan to increase their production capacity. The Scott family tells their First Bank story like this: “It all started around 1989 when our father/father-in-law “Hoyt Scott” wanted to take out a small business loan. At that time Mr. Jimmie Garner was who we went to see. The story that Hoyt liked to tell was, “I didn’t know who the bigger fool was: the man who wanted to borrow the money to start a Fruitcake business or the man who would loan him the money.” That is what started our relationship with First Bank.” As it turns out they weren’t fools after all. Jimmie Garner went on to become the CEO of First Bank and Hoyt Scott (along with his family) grew Southern Supreme Fruitcakes from their garage to a 40,000 square foot manufacturing, distribution and retail operation where they attract thousands of tourists each year and ship their products globally. Play Not your typical Fruitcake Two big differences set Berta Lou Scott’s fruitcake apart from the rest. Her recipe favors nuts over candied fruit, and her method of slow baking and stirring the dough as it bakes keeps the cakes from becoming dry. In fact, Southern Supreme Fruitcakes will stay fresh and moist without refrigeration for 6 months to a year. This unique baking method has posed a unique set of challenges that the Scott Family has overcome with hard work and ingenuity – something that is on display throughout their manufacturing facility. Thousands of guests tour their kitchen yearly to get a first-hand view of the one-of-a-kind operation which involves a rotating oven that allows trays of dough to move from baking to hand-stirring every 15 minutes until complete. Teams of seasonal workers begin fruitcake production in August and at the height of the Christmas ordering season, they will slowly bake and stir over 3,000 pounds of fruitcake per day. Watch this video to see their kitchen in action > 4 min read

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Bowl of hot delicious corn and red chilli chowder garnished with cream and fresh parsley

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First Bank and Kids Making It - "Dream It. Do It."

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