Venango couple turns interests into businesses

    Husband and wife Preston and Marcia Case of Venango have taken their interests to the next level and have created new businesses, PC Fire & Safety and MC Art & Design.
    Both were recently recognized and given a First Dollar by the Perkins County Chamber of Commerce.
PC Fire & Safety
A volunteer firefighter since 2012, Preston knows firsthand the devastating consequences a structure fire can have. Recognizing that he could fulfill a niche in the western Nebraska/eastern Colorado region, he recently become licensed to sell and service fire extinguishers.
    The extinguishers that he purchases directly from the manufacturer, Amerex Corporation, meet guidelines laid out by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) as well as the area’s emergency management association.
    Preston hopes that through the products he offers, fire extinguishers as well as carbon monoxide detectors, customers will feel a sense of safety in their homes and businesses. “I urge everyone to have some sort of equipment at home to protect from small fires,” he said. “I would recommend an ABC fire extinguisher for most homes.” An ABC extinguisher contains dry powder that will smother fires in three classifications—(A): wood, paper, cloth, trash, plastics; (B): flammable liquids: gasoline, oil, grease, acetone; and (C): electrical. He also suggests customers check with their insurance companies, as most offer a discount on homeowner’s insurance with the installation of fire extinguishers.
    In addition to installation, Preston is certified in inspection and service of existing extinguishers. He explained that every six years, an inspection needs to be done to make sure the extinguisher is functioning. The powder is extracted with a vacuum, tubes are inspected and replaced if necessary, and the powder replaced. An inspection, he said, takes about 10-15 minutes. Complete tear-down can take an hour or more.
    To increase efficiency, Preston is working on a mobile recharge system, which will allow him to do a full inspection at any customer location.
    Preston recently outfitted the Perkins County Fairgrounds with safety equipment due to a request from a county insurance representative from the Nebraska Intergovernmental Risk Management Association (NIRMA). Newly installed are two 10 lb. ABC extinguishers in the main hall, and a Class K in the kitchen. Class Ks are recommended for commercial kitchens that use flammable liquids such as vegetable and animal fat-based cooking oils.
MC Art & Design
    Meanwhile, Marcia has been busy developing a business of her own, which she said came about “completely by accident.” Her daughter, who played soccer, was scheduled to bring treats for a game. Just for fun, Marcia decided to provide each player a water bottle with their name on it. She also made one for her son, a junior high football player. Another student noticed it, and requested one. “Pretty soon almost every player had one,” she said, with requests coming in from other  moms. Thus, MC Art & Design came to be.
Marcia has since expanded into other personalized items, including t-shirts, keychains and stainless steel tumblers, which make up the majority of her creations.
    Crafting comes naturally to Marcia, who did arts and crafts with her mom and her dad, who built elaborate dollhouses for her. “I think being a maker is just in my blood,” Marcia said.
    She puts a lot of care into her creations, especially the ones with sentiment attached. She has created several items commemorating pets, with the incorporation of their ashes, collars and other memorabilia.
    Some customers have specific requests, while others allow her artistic freedom. “I try to ask a lot of questions about the person it’s for, the colors they like, that sort of thing. A lot of people also come give me lots of their own, specific ideas, which is incredibly helpful, the more information and ideas they can give me, the better piece I can make for them that I know they’ll love.” She has been asked to recreate items found online, and while she might use them for inspiration, she said she never outright copies another artist’s design.
    Marcia tries to keep the inventory fresh by continually rotating new items in, and having “little somethings” on hand for quick gifts.
    The process of decorating the mementos she crafts is quite labor intensive. The item first needs to be sanded, then spray painted, glittered, epoxied again, decorated, then several more layers of epoxy applied to secure and seal the art work. Turnaround time for a tumbler, one of her most popular items, can be a week or more.
    A mishap in the production process once resulted in a very unusual request. When Marcia was filming a demonstration of the epoxy application for a YouTube video, a fly got stuck in the epoxy, and Marcia had a struggle getting it removed. The video managed to go viral with over a million views. Someone in the United Kingdom apparently liked the idea and requested a tumbler decorated with dead flies. Marcia honored the request and created a one-of-a-kind, fly-covered tumbler. “That was definitely the weirdest request I’ve gotten yet,” said Marcia.
    Marcia said her business has been well supported by the community and businesses who have had logos applied to her products.
    Both PC Fire & Safety and MC Art & Design use social media to market their products and services, occasionally having giveaways of their products. Find them at https://www.facebook.com/pcfiresafety and https://www.facebook.com/mc.artanddesigns/