The Von Braun Center in Huntsville recently celebrated its 40th anniversary. It started small with one arena and other facilities but has since expanded significantly. Over the years, it has hosted a wide variety of events that have helped small businesses connect with customers, including trade shows, concerts, and graduations. As more community support is provided for small businesses and startups, the number of locally grown companies utilizing the Von Braun Center is expected to continue increasing.

1. Rocket City Perk
A Newsletter Highlighting the Perks For and By Small Businesses
and Startups in The Rocket City and Surrounding Area.

2. Table of Contents
Positive Motion and Art Acknowledgement 1
Small Business News and Events 2
Business Lead Focus...... 7
Classifieds....................... 12
Contact and Be A Part:
Rocket City Perk is a newsletter to Connect Small Businesses,
Startups and those who want to support local Businesses in
the Rocket City and surrounding Areas.
https://www.facebook.com/rocketcityperk
Editor: MT Bryan contact via Mtbryandesigns@gmail.com
Collier Ward
Jennifer Liddell
Writers: MT Bryan
Contributing Artists: Anthony Cavins
http://anthonyarts.com
Advertisers: Mind Gear Labs
Advertisering and Sponsoring
Classifieds $.50/blurp
1/4 Page $30
1/2 Page $55
3/4 Page $80
Full Page and Sponsor $100

3. “Remember criticism is the fertilizer for
your ideas”
Positive MotionA positive thought, phrase or concept to help shape your approach
from day to day
Ashley Bates has always been fascinated with animals and wildlife. Growing up she
always had a love for any animal and a passion for protecting them. She works pre-
dominantly in the medium of acrylic painting and graphite pencil. Ashley Bates is rep-
resented by High Cotton Arts Incubator and Gallery. She lives and works in Madison,
Alabama and in her studio in Athens, Alabama.
I think it is wrong that deforestation and poaching could eliminate pandas and other
amazing animals from our planet. I’m out to prove that art doesn’t have to be a lifeless
image on your wall, but can be inspirational and life changing. My artistic mission is to
raise awareness and money to help protect animals both domestic and wild. Twenty
percent of each original painting and commission pet portrait will be donated to WWF.
org.
Everyone has a favorite TV show, movie, and band. With my pop art I pay tribute to
the people who make that entertainment possible. Whether it is my own rendition,
meant to provoke memories of a loved character or musician, or a mash-up with the
masters, my pop art brings the joy of entertainment to the world of art.
-Taken from her own site http://Ashleybatesart.com

4. Small Business News and Events,
SBN&E
A calendar and update about Special Events that went on and on the Horizon
This Past Month:
3/5-3/7 Alabama Fashion Week (3/5-6:30pm- 3/7-7:30pm) - Lincoln Mills
Design Lab for tickets http://afa.ticketleap.com/
3/7 – Kiwanis Pancake Bkfst. (6:00am-12:00) – HSV High – jhofenloch@
comcast.net
3/8 – Daylight Savings Time Begins
3/9- HACK U-Social Media For Busines 6:30-10:30pm-Biztech
3/10 -Rocket City Launch (5:00pm-8:00pm)-Biztech-
3/11 – AUSA DA Civ. of Yr. Awds. (7:00pm) – VBC – Jerry Hamilton 652-
7437
3/12-Biztech 515@5:15pm Entrepreneur Meetup- Biztech
3/11 – AUSA DA Civ. of Yr. Awards
3/15 – The Ides of March
3/15-HACK U-Graphics 101 (5:00pm-10:30pm)-Biztech
3/17 – St. Patrick’s Day
3/18-19 – AUVSI P’finder Summit – VBC-N – details TBD

5. 3/19 HACK U-Photography for the Web (5:00pm-10:30pm)-Biztech
3/19-3/21 VBC 40th Anniversary Celebration-Celebrating 40 years of
events, community and entreprenuership.
3/20 – SPRING BEGINS!
3/20 - HOT Coffee (7:45am-9:00am)-UAH Wilson Hall 106
3/23 - HACK U-Intro to Game Design (5:00pm-10:30pm)-Biztech
3/27-3/29 HACK U HEROES (12:00am-11:00pm)-Biztech Dedicated to
the nonprofit groups, dedicated teams started out at Straight To Ale and
moved to Biztech
3/27-3/29 Hack-a-thon (12:00am-11:00pm) Sci-Quest
3/29 – Palm Sunday
3/29-31 – Quad-A Miss. Solns. Summit – Nashville – www.quad-a.org
3/30 – Team RSA Sm. Bus. Ind. Outreach – Details TBD – nancy.d.small.
civ@mail.mil
3/30 – Tm. RSA Sm. Bus. Industry Outreach
3/31-4/2 – AUSA Winter Prof. Dev. Forum
3/31-Entreprenuer’s Brain Trust Kickoff-5:30pm- Lincoln Mills Design Lab
Filled with entreprenuers and mentors across disciplines, the inspirational

6. words from Allan Derrick and Antonio Montoya kickstarted a number of
Special Interest Groups for the area that with some luck will bring the en-
trepreneurial spirit together and to the next level.
Coming this Month:
4/1 – AUSA Winter Blast Off Bash – details TBD
4/1 – April Fool’s Day
4/3- HOT Coffee 7:45am-9:00am- UAH Wilson Hall
4/4– VVA Welc. Home Ceremony – Vets. Mem. – details TBD –
wharmon446@charter.net
4/4 Downtown Huntsville Food Tours 11:00am-1:30pm-Downtown Hunts-
ville for more info http://www.huntsvillefoodtours.com/tours/your-food-
tour/
4/4– Easter
4/4-Grand Opening of Evo Fitness
4/9- HACK U Intro to Ruby 5:00pm-10:30pm-Biztech
4/9- Clean Energy Drinks 5:00pm- Rocket Republic
4/11-Downtown Huntsville Food Tours 11:00am-1:30pm-Downtown
Huntsville for more info http://www.huntsvillefoodtours.com/tours/your-
food-tour/

7. 4/12 – Anniversary of Aviation Branch (1983)
4/13 – Thomas Jefferson’s Birthday (1743)
4/14-Rocket City Launch Meetup-6:00pm-Biztech- The Last Meetup before
things get started on the 17th
4/17-4/19-Rocket City Launch 48hr Launch Competion -Mind Gear Labs
Madison Blvd location.
4/18 – Doolittle Raid on Japan (1942)
4/18 - Downtown Huntsville Food Tours 11:00am-1:30pm-Downtown
Huntsville for more info http://www.huntsvillefoodtours.com/tours/your-
food-tour/
4/19 - Springtime in Paris 6:30pm-Model Haven Boutique
4/22 – Admin. Professionals Day
4/23 – Army Reserve Birthday (1908)
4/24-4/26 – Panoply of the Arts – Big Spring Park – www.panoply.org
4/29 - Food Hatch Meeting 6:00pm- Straight to Ale Brewing.
I apologize for misssing any events so, If there are any
events I have left out just send me a message and I’ll be
glad to add you or put in the last month.

9. Business Lead Focus
An Interview on a Company or Event thats helping to Shape the Small Business
Environment
This past March 19-21 Huntsville’s own Wernher Von Braun Center
celebrated its Anniversary. This sprawling facility has been nestled at the
center of downtown Huntsville for the last 40 years. Starting out small, it
has been at the center of not just Huntsville’s arts and trade shows but also
for the surrounding areas as well. Over the years with various community
works programs, the VBC has grown with each passing year drawing in ever
more businesses, events and groups. Centrally located next to Big Spring
Park, for many local people it has been the center of many activities from the
circus, to field trips for the play to even graduations from high school and
college. For others it has become the pinnacle for local and small businesses
in the area to connect and show case what they do so well.
Named for the late Dr. Wernher Von Braun, one of the fathers of mod-
ern rocketry, started out small in March of 1975 with only one arena, play-
house, concert hall, exhibition hall and was the original home for the Hunts-
ville Museum of Art. This center known as the East Hall then gave way eight
years later to the West Hall in 1983 and the North Hall in 1987 and finally
the South Hall was completed in 1997 as part of the city’s bid to host the
American Bowling Congress. With the addition of the hotel in 2006 and the
connecting sky way, the current Von Braun Center took form.
Playing host to and foundation to not just the Broadway Theater League
and Huntsville and Madison Symphony it has drawn in such names as El-
vis Presley. In May of 1975 through June of the same year, Presley put on 5
shows, making Huntsville the first outside of Las Vegas or Stateline, Nevada
to have as many consecutive shows. Until 1998, the VBC was also home to
the Huntsville Museum of Art when its current home was finished.

10. Yet it wasn’t just the arts that helped the VBC to grow and flourish.
With sports teams ranging from the collegiate of Huntsville Chargers to pro-
fessional teams in ice hockey, arena football, NBDL and EISL soccer league
teams. It has been the home to a number of Southern Divisional Hockey
Teams from the Channel Cats to the current residents The Havoc. As well
as events like the Monster Truck Jam. Not to mention it was the site of the
original and first Total Nonstop Wrestling card that drew in cameos from
Toby Keith and Sterling Marlin.
Yet for many, its not just a place to go and be entertained it is the pinna-
cle of their fiscal year and achievements. Playing host to trade shows across
the board, ranging from the industrial shows like the HAM-Fest, that allow
enthusiasts from all over the area to come and compare equipment as well
as getting real hands on experience with merchandise, to the general lawn
and garden, and home and remodeling shows. It also plays host to the craft
shows allowing smaller businesses access to not only a broader audience but
also to facilities to highlight their products. Whether it is the liquid Nitro-
gen ice cream of Sub Zero Ice Cream or the print, copy and paper services
of Madison Media Arts Center from the Small Business Expo in the fall of
2014, many local businesses make the most of the VBC and strive to reach
the level of other businesses who have grown further with their help. There
are even local groups and businesses like HAMACON, that with help from
the community grew so big that after just 3 years had to leave its original
venue and has for two years in a row to fill the South Hall with new visitors
and vendors to the area.

11. With planned expansions on the horizon, a growing number of small busi-
nesses and increasing help from community leaders like Mayor Tommy Bat-
tle and increasing initiatives targeting small businesses and start-ups, it can
only be expected that the trade shows and expos are going to be filled with
even more locally grown businesses and professionals from other areas.

12. Classifieds
At $.50 a blurb Small Businesses and Startups can advertise their
openings and needs to one another.