Athens Intermediate School Students

The Athens News Courier recently did their "Design-an-ad" project. They get 5th and 6th graders to design advertisements for local businesses. I have to say the 5th and 6th graders at Athens Intermediate School did an excellent job. They are a very talented group of young people and it was nice to see their good work. I appreciate the News Courier for developing this project to get young people involved in the community.

I believe!

Do you believe in the American Dream? Do you believe that you can achieve your goals? As a small business owner, I believe. Since 2005 I have been doing and living exactly that. Is it difficult?, you better believe it. I believe in overcoming obstacles and not placing blame on someone or something else when things seem to go south. You have to make it happen! You have to believe in yourself! There are so many opportunities out there, it is a matter of reaching out for the opportunities and know how to maximize those opportunities.
When I was in High School I was a successful placekicker on the football team. I worked hard and many hours were dedicated to the goal of being the starting placekicker at the University of Alabama. The work and the dedication did not culminate in the achievement of that particular goal, but it set a standard for myself, a work ethic. Now, as I dedicate myself to the work at hand I consider the dedication and perserverance of that time earlier in my life it is still a driving force today. Dedicate yourself, stay motivated, don't wait for opportunity to come to you, pursue it!, if you have to, create it!

Hospice Chili Challenge

I enjoyed some good chili and friendly people at the 20th Annual Hospice Chili Challenge fundraiser. Athens has much to be proud of, and one of those things is the strong support of the community for events like this. Participation comes from all around from the chili contestants to the sponsors who donate items, to the public attendance. If you can come to Athens, I believe you will find an enjoyable place to visit.

My Grandfather

The person who has played the biggest role in my life is my grandfather Lynn Headrick. He grew up in Texas, working hard in the hot cotton fields in the southern region. He is no longer with us, but his memory and the example he set for those around him is still living. He was a deep believer in education both in the academic sense and in religion. He spent a significant part of his life dedicated to preaching the Gospel. He is greatly missed.

Tortillas Blanco Website

Read our story @ www.tortillasblanco.com

In The News

Tortillas Blanco On FOX 6 News in Birmingham

In August our restaurant and factory were highlighted on FOX 6 News in Birmingham. It was fun for us and the customers that day.

California Dreamin'

It is always nice to have customers from the west come into our little restaurant. At the onset they describe themselves as great judges of good mexican food. Of course, we do our best to provide great products at Tortillas Blanco so I am pretty confident that we'll get their approval. Then the food comes out and the comments begin, "this is great", "I have had some good mexican food in my day but, this...this is good". We had that opportunity yesterday with a couple from California. It is so much fun and rewarding to offer a product like ours in Athens, AL where generally expectations are low for good mexican food. We are proving one customer at a time, "Fresher is Better".

A caring little girl

Yesterday, a little girl about 8 years old and her grandmother came into the restaurant. Of course yesterday was President's Day, a day out of school for most children. The little girl approached the counter and her grandmother said that she had been washing windows all day to be able to purchase her daddy a gift certificate to our restaurant. Wow! I thought, that is terrific!, what a precious child. It is great to see the kindness of people and to see it in a little girl that could have been doing many things that would have been much more fun on that holiday, but she wanted to do something special for her daddy.

Opportunity Knocks

Starting your own business isn't easy. It takes hard work, dedication, and a substantial amount of risk. I am now 28 years old and I got "wrapped up" in the tortilla business at age 25. My search for "what do I want to be when I grow up?" had many challenges. I worked at many different jobs from the time I left college to starting my business. I am not unlike many people my age, searching. I was always looking, looking through the "Help Wanted" ads, looking for ideas, looking for opportunities, anything that looked promising. I really got to a point of being discouraged, feeling that I had the ability but, not finding the right place to put it into motion. I look at my motivation for my business now and see this as fulfilling. I would tell people just like myself who are struggling through the "real world" to keep looking, striving to achieve. My opportunities in fact were created through those past jobs that were so discouraging it only added experience and cleared the trail for the path I am going down now.

Blanco's Famous Chips

My name is Mark White, my wife April and I own and operate Tortillas Blanco. Here we make fresh tortillas and chips every morning and run our restaurant the rest of the day. It is a bit unusual to see to non-Hispanic people operating a typically Hispanic business, but over time we have proven ourselves to be very good at what we do. Our famous Blanco's Original and Cinnamon Sugar chips are now available at 7 different locations across North Alabama. We have great customers and enjoy our business very much. It's not to say we don't have difficult times as with any business, but it is rewarding to see customers enjoy our food and feel what we're doing is worth it. I look forward to sharing some thoughts and ideas with you through this process.