Good Morning Aurora

The owl purse, testing a new camera, Dunkin’ Donuts & marketing; in a nutshell. Today we decided to give a sneak peek, behind the scenes view of the show as we did some testing. We had the great Michelle Duvalis on for an interview and she & our producer Bob decided to wax about marketing. Both of them have a unique perspective and have separate backgrounds; but the elements are the same. Enjoy a view of the crew, just for you. That rhymed!

#aurorail #podcast #goodmorningaurora

Today it was all fruit, chocolate and gifts! We were joined by Ana Sierra, creator, founder and owner of Ana’s Custom Treats. Ana is a mother and businesswoman and her products are already favorites for many. Ana’s awesome work began with her experience at Edible Arrangements. Since then she has really become a one-woman chocolate covered strawberry making machine! We spoke about her family, hard work and what she has coming in the future. Try the Berries De Flor; it’s a favorite of the show!

CERF application deadline is Wednesday at close of business (5pm)! Get those filled out and in if you’re a small business in the City of Aurora. The Kane County Sheriff’s Office has teamed up with Defy Ventures and are hosting an Entrepreneurship Boot Camp for formerly incarcerated individuals. We’ve posted that information on FB so check it out and share it. Shouts out to Aurora Downtown for SSA grants and upcoming Egg Hunt On The Island! Be blessed and subscribe to the show on YouTube & Spotify! Peace!

In the 2nd largest city, a lot of people are doing very great things. Today we got a chance to meet a few of the Women Of Aurora, an online group of women entrepreneurs & professionals. In our conversation we got to listen to their stories and learn a little about their backgrounds. The group is free to join and its founder Cyndi Morales let us know how it was founded and its purpose. Jen, Stacy and Amy also shared a moment with us about their businesses and goals. This interview was conducted at Society 57 in downtown Aurora. If you would like to know more about the group visit their Facebook and get involved. It was great meeting the ladies and we wish them all continued growth & success in 2021!

Shouts out to the Aurora Public library, District 129 and all teachers and educators. Lots more news is coming your way and tune in to our Facebook live news Monday, Wednesday & Friday mornings. The contest for naming our Friday live FB news portion runs until next Thursday evening. The prize is a Good Morning Aurora t-shirt! Get those ideas to us by email or DM (IG, FB, Twitter), email us at [email protected]. Have a great day and tune in tomorrow! Peace!

Tune in to our Facebook live morning news on Friday mornings w/ our friend & comrade Jenette. If you're not tuning in on FB live, you're missing out!

Helping people and being on the front lines of change; a recipe for the blessed. It’s Wednesday and we were joined today by Pastor Sheila Teague & Apostle Bridget Outlaw of Not Forgotten Ministries. Located at 309 5th Street in Aurora, this is a gem to our community and our city. We spoke today about moving forward through diversity, America as it relates to people of color, and doing what God calls us to do. NFM has held some great events open to the community and aims to do much more. The Clothes Closet is one of their most recognized initiatives. Check out the video and get to know these ladies, they are here to help.

Shouts go out to Presidential Cleaning and our friends of the QCAACC (Quad County African-American Chamber of Commerce). Elections were yesterday and HB3653 was signed into law by governor J.B. Pritzker on Monday, what are your thoughts? We’ve got a blog post coming soon so check it out when it drops. Much love and respect to Strawberries BBQ, Dapper Brews, McCarty Mills, Gremlin Studios & Wesley United Methodist Church. Treat people nice and wash your hands. Peace!

If Fluffy’s hair got out of control during quarantine don’t trip, Hairy Beast Dawg Pawlour is here for you. We had a great conversation with veronica & Josue, owners of Hairy Beast and were quite impressed. There’s definitely a style and an obvious appreciation for hard work when you walk into the business. Hairy Beast are masters at grooming and the customer/pet experience. We spoke about dog psychology, the packages of service and their story. Small business owners take pride in what they do. Good Morning Aurora is proud to showcase, highlight and get to know our professional community.

Shouts out to the YeeTee in downtown Aurora and also to Enjoy Aurora. Cotton Seed, McCarty Mills & AA Electric Contractors get the shouts as well. Aurora Township elections are today, don’t forget to vote! Much love to Durango for lunch the other day and peace to our friends at the G.A.R (Grand Army Of The Republic). Stay tuned or what’s coming up. Be blessed.

What a great way to start the week, by learning. Today we got a chance to speak with Hollis Gorrie, AVP of Program Services for Clearbrook. Hollis and Clearbrook have a great story to tell and if you’ve been tuning in they’ve been in our news for 2 weeks. Clearbrook is a home & family for persons impacted by developmental and intellectual disabilities. In our interview we spoke about Hollis’s background and the early days of her career. We also got to hear first hand about the Craft Beer & Wine Fundraiser (virtual) coming up soon!

Shouts go out to Clearbook for all the work they do and to all nonprofits in Aurora. Cotton Seed Creative Exchange and the Voice newspaper get shouts out as well. We’ve got a lot more great stuff coming your way soon so don’t forget to subscribe to the YouTube channel. Have a safe and powerful day, we’ll see you all back here tomorrow morning for more! Peace!

Good things take time, especially your wedding! Today we were joined on the show by Jessica Pereira, owner and founder of Events By J Design. Originally from Chicago, Jessica and her business have had a great amount of success in the last few years. We spoke about event planning, paying attention to details and making the customer happy. Another cool thing that we just HAD to ask: what’s more important, the wedding dress or the cake? And come to find out, it is definitely the cake! If getting hitched is in your near future, check out Events By J Design. The care comes from experience.

Shouts go out to our friends of Aurora Business United, the African American Men Of Unity (AAMOU) and Corinne’s Kitchen. Have a good and safe weekend & be ready for Monday! We’ve got a ton of great interviews on the horizon and we always stay focused on our people in Aurora. Please subscribe to the show on YouTube and Spotify and tune in to our live news on Facebook. Shop local at Cotton Seed Creative Exchange (8 N. Broadway) for your GMA merch! Be safe and blessed. Peace!

Motivation and positive energy will stand anyone in good stead. It was a pleasure to speak with Mr. Kirdale McMahon about life, residential painting and entrepreneurship. From the Westside of Chicago, Kirdale has experienced his share of life’s ups and downs but has always emerged triumphant. We talked about family, black history and his experience in music and professional painting services. Kirdale also talked to us about Manhattan, a fine bourbon he promotes & his music initiatives. This was a great episode and we’re happy to share the story of a young entrepreneur. Push play and enjoy this one!

Shouts out to Cotton Seed Creative Exchange and McCarty Mills taproom. Aurora Township elections are coming up very soon, with mayoral elections in April! Subscribe to the show on YouTube & iTunes, we’ve got a ton of great stuff coming up. Don’t forget to tune in to the Community Conversations highlighting black history in Aurora and future youth engagement. Have a blessed and safe day! Peace!

Gaming, marketing, leadership and the Gulf War. Today we were honored to be joined by Mr. Franklin D. Rivera II, West Point Graduate & United States Army combat veteran. Mr. Rivera has an incredibly motivating story and he is living, breathing black history. Originally from New York, Franklin shared his life experiences with us and also his thoughts on motivation and leading others. Integrity, courage, dedication and listening: these are the qualities of successful people. As we spoke Mr. Rivera also shared what he learned about hard work from his mother. This was a wonderful discussion and we hope you enjoy it.

Big shouts out to Windy City Game Theater and the Rotary Club. Shouts also go out to Fox Valley United Way, the Kiwanis Club, the Sierra Club and all organizations dedicated to the environment and conservation. Promo code: GMA will save you %40 when you shop online at Spots On Fox.com so save, save, save! Big thanks to our friend Yvonne of Cotton Seed Creative Exchange for letting us hold down this great book, the Dream 100. Be safe and have a wonderful Monday and a powerful week. Peace!