Women in Business KEARNEYHUB.COM Saturday, October 26, 2024 SECTION N
A ‘SALON FOR ALL’
RICK BROWN for the Kearney Hub KEARNEY — Everything that has to do with cake. That’s how owner RaChell Merklin describes what customers will find at Smallcakes A Cupcakery. “We offer cupcakes, of course, cus- tom cakes, cake pops, cookies, brownies and we also make cupcakes for dogs and cats,” she said. “Anyone can eat those, too, but they’re just not as sweet.” Originally from Kearney, Merklin and her husband moved back to Nebraska after he retired from the Coast Guard. “We opened our first store in Papil- lion and then a year later we opened this store here in Kearney,” Merklin said. “We’ve been here in Kearney for about nine years.” The company began in Kansas as a small neighborhood bakery in 2008. It expanded to nearly 200 locations in- cluding Merklin’s store at 2222 Second Ave. For Merklin, affiliating with a chain like Smallcakes gives her business the flexibility to offer a wide range of cakes. “A lot of Smallcakes don’t offer cus- tom cakes or cake pops,” she said. “We do all of those different things. It allows us to come up with our own recipes. We offer almost 200 different recipes. It also allows us to make cakes, and not just cupcakes. We find that about half of our business comes from offering wedding and custom cakes.” That flexibility also allows Merklin and her cake designers the chance to innovate. Her full-time cake decorator, who started about five years ago, knew little about designing cakes when she started. “She’s amazing,” Merklin said. “Al- though she knew nothing about de- signing cakes when she started, she had the desire to learn. When I bought into this business, I taught myself by talking to other cake decorators and learning from videos on YouTube. And I also learned by trial and error.” Merklin shared her experiences with the designer and they learned together. “I also have a part-time cake deco- rator,” she said. “Along with bakers and people who work in the front, we have about nine employees.” When Merklin established Small- cakes A Cupcakery in Kearney, she thought she would only supervise the operations. “To learn about decorating cakes, it takes desire and a little bit of creativ- ity,” she said. “When I first started, I thought I was just going to oversee the Shop has almost 200 flavors of cake Smallcakes makes cakes from scratch, including treats for pets RICK BROWN , FOR THE KEARNEY HUB RaChell Merklin, owner of Smallcakes A Cupcakery, learned to design cakes by talking to other decorators. “To learn about decorating cakes, it takes desire and a little bit of creativity,” she said.
RICK BROWN , FOR THE KEARNEY HUB Jody Smith cuts the hair of 13-month-old Keisyn Wilcox at Beyond the cHair. Keisyn’s mother, Makenna Wilcox, from Kearney, brought her three children to the salon for haircuts.
Beyond the cHair welcomes walk-ins, offers variety of services
Beyond the cHair 5613 Second Ave. West., 308-251-5925; BeyondThecHair.com Hours: Mon. – 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Tues., Wed., Fri., Sat. – 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Thurs. – 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
RICK BROWN for the Kearney Hub
KEARNEY — Walking into the salon of Beyond the cHair, one thing quickly be- comes clear: Lisa Bruchell, Jody Smith and Jordan Ausman want everyone to feel wel- come, including children. “We want to have a family-friendly sa- lon, a salon for all,” said Burchell, one of the owners of Beyond the cHair. “We want to of- fer all types of services. Our goal is to be Ke- arney’s No. 1 walk-in salon for all services.” The staff at Beyond the cHair accepts ap- pointments at the salon at 5613 Second Ave. West, but they try to take as many walk-ins as possible. “A lot of people can’t pre-schedule a hair- cut,” Burchell said. “Many of our clients are used to the walk-in environment, and they enjoy that. And if their regular stylist isn’t here that day, they know any of us can do a good job.” The key to the business, which opened in September 2023 with Burchell, Smith and her daughter Ausman as owners, is offering a variety of services at various times. “We want to be flexible,” Lisa said. “We have our set hours, but we can also meet by appointment after hours.” Beyond the cHair offers hair cutting, wax- ing, lash services, color, facials and perms. The owners hope to offer nails in the future.
While Smith, Ausman and Burchell rec- ognize the importance of offering stylish services, they also understand that Beyond the cHair offers more. “Jordan came up with our name,” Burchell said. “For us, it’s more than just hair cut- ting, it’s building relationships with clients throughout the community, it’s beyond the chair. For some people, we give them their first haircut and then we do their hair before their wedding. Jody has been doing hair for 33 years. She’s seen kids grow up and get married and bring their children here. We have really good relationships with our cli- ents. We consider a lot of our clients as close friends.”
Please see CHAIR, Page N2
Please see SMALLCAKES, Page N3
Smallcakes A Cupcakery 2222 Second Ave. 308-455-335; SmallCakesOfNebraska.com. Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday
SUBMITTED PHOTO Owners Jody Smith, left, Jordan Ausman and Lisa Burchell started their business, Beyond the cHair in September 2023.
WOMEN IN BUSINESS
N2 | Saturday, October 26, 2024
Special broadsheet
Olde Town Alchemy has eclectic collection
cHair From N1
On the salon’s website, Be- yondThecHair.com, the owners stated, “How did we choose Be- yond the cHair? To many people, it is so much more than just a haircut or a color, or any service for that matter. And it is so much more to us as well. The friendships and connections we have made with all of you is truly so astonishing. We have remained friends with clients of ours since we started doing hair. We have clients who come to us from all aspects of life, with com- pletely different backgrounds, and we enjoy getting to know each and every one of you.” Additional styl- ists also work at Beyond the cHair. Burchell noted that they come with strong backgrounds. “We pride ourselves in helping and training those people with the other team members here at Beyond the cHair,” she said. After winning first place in five categories in the Best of Kearney contest including Best Hair Sa- lon, Burchell said they are always seeking additional stylists to join their team. For more information call 308- 251-5925 or visit BeyondThecHair. com.
ity to step out of nursing and go back to my role as a healer, I had a knowledge of medications and illnesses to help in designing dif- ferent wellness, or holistic pack- ages, for people.” Covey uses the term “inten- tional bracelets” when she talks about some of the jewelry. “I tell people that a lot of times there isn’t a word when you’re talking about a person’s energy,” she said. “When you place a word around it, it puts it in a box. And it’s a frequency. It’s much bigger than a physical thing.” As a business owner, Covey feels welcomed in Kearney. “I have really enjoyed building a business here,” she said. “I feel very supported by the commu- nity and the communities around us, something that has allowed us to expand six times in six years. That’s phenomenal and it feels really good.” Olde Town Alchemy Olde Town Alchemy at 2017 Cen- tral Ave., Downtown Kearney: The Bricks, OldeTownAlchemy.net
RICK BROWN for the Kearney Hub
KEARNEY — Customers en- tering Olde Town Alchemy will experience a world of sounds, smells and sights that Erica Covey describes as an eclectic collection of items. She uses feedback from clients when deciding on the items for sale in the shop. Covey also looks for unique things to sell. “We try to carry something for everyone,” said Covey, owner of the store at 2017 Central Ave. “We have teas, jewelry, crystals, gifts, books, clothing and incense. I look for items that come from or- ganizations and other businesses that support a larger global orga- nization.” Covey thinks about bigger ideas than merely selling acces- sories. “Olde Town Alchemy is very much about the experience, not even so much about the prod- ucts,” she said. “We are very aware of the flow of energy that we create when we put our prod- ucts out on the floor. We are very much about the experience when the customer is here. We want
RICK BROWN , FOR THE KEARNEY HUB “I have really enjoyed building a business here,” said owner Erica Covey. Community support has allowed the business to expand six times.
this place to feel like home.” Covey started her store in her basement. Now located in a store- front in Downtown Kearney: The Bricks, she wants customers to feel a certain amount of comfort while visiting Old Town Alchemy. “We really try to get to know our customers when they come in,” she said. “Most of them are repeat customers. We help them with lots of personal things they might be going through. We get
to know them on a deeper level.” Originally from Kearney, Covey left the state but returned and worked in health care as a nurse. She described herself as a healer, something that was not as ac- cepted in traditional circles. She said, “When I moved back to Kearney, that kind of thing wasn’t as open or accepted, so I became a nurse. I felt that I brought that healer component into nursing. When I had the abil-
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WOMEN IN BUSINESS
Saturday, October 26, 2024 | N3
Special broadsheet
Expect employers to react to health cost rise
Smallcakes From N1
ing for the highest quality provid- ers and trying to encourage their workforce to seek services through those providers. Q: Does this mean employees might see fewer choices for care? A: They’ll see more curated, designed networks with perhaps fewer providers in them. But they will be higher quality. Q: Your annual survey also found that better mental health care ac- cess is a big priority for large em- ployers. Why do they care about this? A: It’s foundational. A human being who is struggling with an issue at work or outside of work is not going to be as engaged, as productive or as healthy. Q: How will employers manage expensive and popular weight loss drugs like Wegovy? A: Most view them as a tool in their overall weight management strategy … not the only tool. (They) are going to be really focused on who is the appropriate population to be receiving these medications. Is a provider recommending this? Does the individual have certain
co-morbidities? Does the individ- ual have a (body mass index) that meets a certain threshold? And then also is the individual taking part in a lifestyle and behavioral modification program to ensure long-term success? Q: Eight out of your 10 company leaders are women. How does that shape vision or direction? A: I think we’re highly collab- orative. We focus on inclusion of belonging, constructive discourse, encouraging different perspec- tives. Q: You have studied employee benefits trends for more than 20 years. What has surprised you the most? A: It’s this sobering continued increase in fundamental health care costs. It’s something we have been talking about for decades. There’s certainly a lot of good work happening, but it’s not enough. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
TOM MURPHY AP Health Writer
business and not do any of the decorating. I got into it and I loved it. Now I can decorate cakes and everything else, as well. It really takes a desire to learn. Ev- erybody who has worked for me didn’t have much experience.” Merklin believes that what sets Smallcakes A Cupcakery apart from box cakes, available in any grocery store, is the quality of the ingredients. “Our product is more gour- met,” she said. “And we bake our cakes fresh here. Grocery stores ship their cakes in while frozen. If you taste our cakes you will re- alize that there’s no comparison.” Another aspect that sets Merklin’s business aside is con- necting with customers. “We care,” she said. “We put a lot of work into our cakes and we care about them even as they go out the door.” When a customer came into to the store to pick up a cake, Merklin reminded her to keep the cake on a flat surface as she gently taped close the lid on the cake box. “We want to make it right,” Merklin said. “Customer service
A health care spending surge looms in the new year, and Busi- ness Group on Health is helping employers understand it. The nonprofit found in a recent survey that large employers expect the cost to treat patients will jump nearly 8% next year before they make coverage changes to address it. That’s the highest growth rate in a decade. Business Group on Health CEO Ellen Kelsay expects employers to react by being more selective about the care that people receive. They also will try to manage the use of expensive treatments for obesity and diabetes. Kelsay’s nonprofit advises em- ployers on health care cost and policy issues. The CEO spoke re- cently with The Associated Press. Q: Big employers expect a jump in health care costs next year. How will they address it? A: They’re going to be focused on the quality of services provided to their workforce. You might hear of high-performance networks or centers of excellence. Those are efforts where employers are look-
is as important as our products. Those two go hand-in-hand to- gether. If you don’t have both, your business won’t survive. The fun part of this job is mak- ing people happy. Our motto is ‘Maybe a cupcake will help.’ When we make a birthday cake or a wedding cake, it’s wonderful to hear someone say, ‘I just love your products.’ Our product is not just your average, run-of- the-mill cake. It is definitely above that.” RICK BROWN , FOR THE KEARNEY HUB When Smallcakes needed to expand, Merklin moved her business to this location on Second Avenue, a place that offered easy access and plenty of parking for customers.
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WOMEN IN BUSINESS
N4 | Saturday, October 26, 2024
Special broadsheet
What’s behind the widening gender wage gap in the US?
Surge of Latinas into the workforce had an impact Hispanic women in particu- lar illustrate the complexities of this moment. They were the only demographic group of women overall whose wage gap narrowed marginally between 2022 and 2023 in comparison to white men work- ing full time, according to Census Bureau data analyzed by both the National Women’s Law Center and the National Partnership for Women and Families, research and advocacy groups. For Black women and Asian women, the wage gap widened, and for white women, it stayed the same. Despite their wages rising slightly faster than for other women, however, Latinas remain among the lowest paid workers — with median full-time earnings of $43,880, compared with $50,470 for Black women, $60,450 for white women and $75,950 for white men. Consequently, their rapid entry into the full-time workforce in 2023 helped slow down median wage gains for women overall, likely contribut- ing to the widening of the gender
are overrepresented like hospi- tality, social work and caretaking. The news is not all bad: Wages rose for all workers last year, but faster for men. And while the gender wage gap rose, it’s on par with what it was in 2019 before the pandemic hit. S.J. Glynn, the Labor Depart- ment’s chief economist, said it’s too soon to tell whether 2023 was a blip or the start of a worrisome new trend for the gender wage gap. But she said that even a re- version to the pre-pandemic sta- tus quo is a reminder of how far behind women were in the first place, and shows how the pan- demic slowed the march toward gender equity. And while the wage gap reached a historic low in 2022, that may have been a “false narrowing” be- cause so many low-wage women had been pushed out of full-time jobs by the pandemic that it drove up the average female median earnings, said Noreen Farrell, ex- ecutive director of Equal Rights Advocates and chair of Equal Pay Today, a coalition of groups ad- vocating for workplace gender equity.
wage that year, according to Liana Fox, assistant division chief in the Social, Economic and Housing Statistics Division at the Census Bureau. Latinas have increasingly become a driving force of the U.S. economy as they enter the workforce at a faster pace than non-Hispanic people. Between 2022 and 2023, the number of Latinas working full time surged by 5% while the overall number of full-time female workers stayed the same. Ariane Hegewisch, program director of employment and earn- ings at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, said the slight narrowing of the wage gap for Latinas may be because their pres- ence in top earning occupations grew from 13.5% to 14.2% last year, according to an IWPR analysis of federal labor data. Recovery leaving behind part-time Latina workers Latina workers were among the hardest hit by the pandemic, suffering the highest unemploy- ment rate at 20.1% in April 2020
of any major demographic group, according to a Labor Department report that examined the pan- demic’s disproportionate toll on women. Domestic workers, who are disproportionately immigrant women, especially felt the effects. The Census Bureau calculates the gender wage gap by compar- ing only men and women who work year-round in full-time jobs. But a grimmer picture for women emerges from data that includes part-time workers, said Jocelyn Frye, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families. Latinas, for instance, are only paid 51 cents for every dollar paid to white men by this measure, and their gender wage gap widened from 52 cents on the dollar in 2022 according to the organization’s re- port, which analyzed Census Bu- reau microdata. Matthew Fienup, executive director of California Lutheran University’s Center for Economic Research & Forecasting, said he expects the gains in Latina wages, educational attainment and con- tributions to the U.S. GDP “to con- tinue for the foreseeable future.”
ALEXANDRA OLSON AND CLAIRE SAVAGE Associated Press
NEW YORK — Just how much of a setback was the COVID-19 pan- demic for U.S. working women? Although women who lost or left their jobs at the height of the crisis have largely returned to the workforce, a recent finding points to the price many paid for stepping back: In 2023, the gen- der wage gap between men and women working full-time wid- ened year-over-year for the first time in 20 years, according to an annual report from the U.S. Cen- sus Bureau. Women working full time earned 83 cents on the dollar compared to men in 2023, down from a historic high of 84 cents in 2022. The Census Bureau called it the first statistically significant widening of the ratio since 2003. Economists trying to make sense of the data say it captures a complicated moment during the disjointed post-pandemic la- bor market recovery when many women finally returned to work full-time, especially in hard-hit low-wage industries where they
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N6 | Saturday, October 26, 2024
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