Former NFIB small business champion discusses running his recreational hunting farm.
Dell
Hill, co-owner of Selwood Farms, has been an NFIB member for more than 25
years. The recreational hunting farm, with nine employees in Alpine, Alabama,
was named NFIB/Alabama Small Business Champions in 2012.
small business?
My
job title? Pick a job. Owner, to begin with. My wife and I own it jointly. And
boy, that’s everything from greeting the public to sweeping the floors if need
be. That would be the case with any small business.
I
think that people come to our place of business to get away from their business
and other places. They come here to enjoy being outdoors, being with family,
clients, friends. I think seeing them enjoy it, being a part of it and the
relationships that we’ve made and the friendship that have endured over 30
years because of it.
For
a couple reasons. I felt like they were a voice in the legislature in the state
and federal for small business. We have a different set of criteria, and they
have an understanding of where we are, what the different needs are and the
different problem areas. This gives us [small businesses] some representation
in Alabama.
What would like to achieve that you
haven’t already?
I
don’t know that there’s anything. We have obviously grown our customer base
over the years. We have grown our facilities to accommodate growing numbers. I
think that we have managed our growth and not gotten way ahead with a pile a
debt that we’ll never be able to pay off. I think we are comfortable. We have
some ideas we’d like to implement over the next few years, but there’s nothing
with a sense of urgency that we feel needs to get done. We came out of
agriculture in the early 80s and we nearly lost the whole thing. So after
you’ve had some economic setbacks, you can enjoy the good times and manage your
finances a little better. It’s kept us from getting in a bad shape money-wise.
I don’t want to go out there and franchise. We’re content to do what we’re
doing here and enjoying it.
What do you like to do off the clock?
Shoot
guns and hunt.
