JohnC User Profile

As a relative newcomer to the small town of Clinton, Arkansas, tucked away in the Ozark Mountains, we relocated four years ago from the New York area.

The first time I met Dan Eoff was when we came to this area more than a year prior to deciding to settle in this area.

I met him working on one of his handmade wagon wheel light fixtures.

Not knowing who he was and wanting to possibly get some local info, I struck a conversation with him.

He talked the whole time without missing a lick on his project.

He gave me a few tips on the area and the economy but his primary comments were on hard work and wise investing of your money back into the community.

I said my thanks and never spoke again until 5 years later after we were settled here and one of my clients told me the Dan and his wife Peggy wanted to meet with me since I was a local web developer, and speak about possibly designing a site and maintaining it for them.

We met at their store, which is all western cowboy environment.
They both were straight forward to the point knowing exactly what they wanted but not having the understanding of how to get it done.

They grilled me on my professional background in this design field until they were satisfied.

My previous background consisted of client meetings with high profile corporate meetings with multi level executives. Meeting Dan and Peggy was a new experience for me. I had met many asphalt cowboys but now I realized I was meeting a true one now.

You cannot separate the true cowboy from them. When you meet Dan you meet a true modern day cowboy with a heart as big as his ranch.
They are at work the way they are at home.

I say all this to summarize that in order for me to produce a website that met their criteria, which was keep it simple, I had to understand their business and them, to whatever extent that may be.

Not being a cowboy myself, this was a task. Working phase by phase with them on the site it dawned on me that I simply had to apply my knowledge of what I have observed of each of them and put it into color and format. When you visit the site, what you see is sun up to sundown workers that pour themselves into the cowboy life, whether they exist for the cowboy life or the cowboy life exists for them, it's hard to tell. Keeping the site simple and tactfully straight forward was the answer.

The more I work with them now on various projects the more I am pleased to know that real down to earth people who tell it like it is and do it tactfully, still do exist and it's refreshing to see.

If you ever get the chance to meet them you will remember this posting.

I am grateful for the chance to work with them on their website and other endeavors and regardless of what changes may come in the future, it is and has been an experience knowing them.