Every week, business owners and managers alike come to Bon’s Eye Marketing seeking an effective Web site for an affordable price. Usually, they want five things:

•    A great-looking design that conveys their company’s professionalism and credibility.
•    A clean, persuasive message that sounds like it came from them, not some stuffy writer.
•    The capability to add pictures, news, messages, etc. at their own leisure.
•    The ability to show off their products / services.
•    Oh yeah, all this without breaking the bank.

Huh, considering so much goes into developing a quality Web site, this seemed like a pretty tall order. Still, after hours of brain wracking, we think we’ve come up with a solution to deliver these businesses the online presence they deserve.

Bon’s Eye Marketing presents the LIVE 3 deal. This new service gives companies all the benefits of a high-end Web site FOR ONLY $1,300. It also includes the first 12 months of hosting on the house, a three-week turnaround time, and our coveted $3 SUPER SIZE SPECIALS – which lets you pick amazing upgrades for only three bucks a pop! Yes, we’re fast-food junkies.

Bon’s Eye can offer these reasonably-priced Web sites because of a new layout system we’ve created that streamlines certain processes and makes labor time more efficient. With today’s average site usually costing upwards of $3,000 or more, we’re very proud to offer this alternative for those on a tighter budget.

For more details, just click here. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call us. We’ll be more than happy to answer any questions.

Thanks!
Bon’s Eye Marketing

Ever since my son’s birth nearly two years ago, I’ve noticed a gradual shift in the pace of life. Obviously, I expected this with a newborn taking over the reins. But, the changes still surprise me now and then. Actually, they outright slap me in the face.

I guess I’ve just started to appreciate the little things – my boy being one of them. Somewhere along the line, I morphed into a father. Honestly, I never thought I had it in me. But, my inner dad clawed its way through layers of bar-hopping, sports-playing, drum-slamming tissue.

I most feel the paternal takeover on the weekends. Sarah and I used to bounce from house to house, club to club – socializing. Now, we usually spend Friday nights trying to make sense of slurred gibberish. This isn’t too much different from back in the day. However this time around, the verbal slop comes from a toddler sitting buck on a potty chair, not a drunken friend.

A couple of years ago, I loved shooting some pool at Blue Post with a beer in hand. But lately, I just can’t match the thrill of “Bath Time.”  Those two words – which didn’t mean much until Grayson arrived – set off a series of events more entertaining than any evening I’ve experienced downtown.

Talk about chaos. Tell a 21-month-old he gets to sit in water for 20 minutes, and all hell breaks loose. It seems when the diaper comes off, he becomes his alter ego: the Desitin Bullet.

Everything starts with a naked streak around the house. Mumbling like an addled old man, he stumbles into the living room usually freaking out a cat or two. High-pitch shrieks, frantic flailing of arms…it’s all a part of the primitive ritual.

Eventually, we wrangle the little spaz into the tub. I kind of think I would have made a good dog catcher, but that’s another blog. From there on out, it’s all about the squirt toys, splashing, etc.

Elbows deep in bubble froth, I tend to wonder, “Why is this so much fun?” After all, there’s work in cleaning a kid who tries to pick up banana slices with his toes. I can’t explain my appreciation of these moments, other than I’ve swapped wild oats for Nilla Wafers.

During the BG era (Before Grayson), Sarah and I would stay up until 2 a.m. on a slow night. Today, we cherish our matching couch indentions. If I make it past the 11 p.m. news, it’s because of heartburn. I’ll admit, I enjoy sharing a beer with friends at my house. However, not before singing a few rounds of Row, Row, Row Your Boat for little man at bedtime.

So when I got excited the other day because Sarah bought me a tube of Aqua Fresh from Wal-Mart, I didn’t question my lameness, but rather embraced it. Yes, I hum Raffi (hippy gone kiddy megastar), have since renewed my love of raisins, get downright wired for Sunday dinners and speak cartoonese at least three times a day. I know, my life reads like a creepy singles ad on Craigslist. Still, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. (Oh yeah, I now also use clichés a lot.)

There’s something comforting about this new direction. Don’t get me wrong. I haven’t completely abandoned my nightlife ways. I can still see 25-year-old Steve ordering rounds at a local pub – he’s just a bit farther back in the rearview mirror. At the wheel now, a new 2-year-old party animal steers the way: One with an affinity for cookies, games of chase and chillin’ with his old man.

What do you get your parents for Christmas when they have everything? A gourmet meal cooked by a fabulous chef – Kevin DeMarco, owner of DeMarco Studio.

When mom and dad (x2) opened their gift, I’m sure they didn’t know what to expect. We had the fortune of being invited to a dinner party catered by chef Kevin but no words could adequately describe what was to come.

After some drawn-out matching of schedules (on our parents’ end, of course), the big dinner finally arrived two Saturdays ago. Chef Kevin showed up to our house around 2 p.m. with boxes of ingredients as well as plastic bins full of plateware and cutlery. He buttoned up his cooking jacket, heated the stove eyes and started creating culinary masterpieces.

Steve, Grayson and I left the food artist to his work, driving off in search of ways to keep a 20-month-old occupied for six hours. The cold and rainy day meant I could suggest “walking” around the mall without much fussing from Steve. In my old age, though, I had forgotten about the weekend habits of American nine to 14-year-olds – the mall was crawling with packs of them, requiring evasive stroller maneuvers.

I offered an escape plan but was immediately shot down. If our path veered toward a store entrance, the temper tantrum began (Steve, not Grayson). After a couple of laps, we grabbed an Auntie Anne’s cinnamon pretzel and settled on a cozy bench for some prime tween/teen watching.

While Steve entertained Grayson, my sister and I played host of “Is That What Kids Wear/How Kids Act Today?”  At the same time, our parents were indulging in our holiday gift of food Nirvana. Over the next several hours, they lived it up in the Bon family dining room, sipped wine and enjoyed what they later proclaimed to be the “best meal I’ve ever had.”

(1) Appetizer
Citrus grilled tuna sashimi
Sage toasted pecan farro
Blueberry fig mostarda
Vanilla-infused EVO

(2) Salad
Winter’s Harvest
Prosciutto-wrapped greens
Pumpkin rosemary vinaigrette
Manchego roasted garlic panini
Toasted pumpkin seeds
Pomegranate syrup

(3) Entrée
Mahi Mahi ravioli
Smokey sautéed escarole
Marinated shitake mushrooms
Roasted garlic and butternut squash nagé
Spiced squash chips

(4) Dessert
Chocolate tower
Fallen chocolate angel cake
Malted milk chocolate sauce
Fresh cherry gelato
Chocolate shards

By the end of the night, we had learned our lessons. (1) Never go the mall on a Saturday late afternoon. (2) Invite ourselves the next time chef Kevin cooks for our parents.

Area non-profit organizations need volunteers, and local young professionals are willing to help – if asked. Knowing this, three businesses have joined forces to bring these two groups together.

On Feb. 18, Greater Good Productions, Self-Help and Bon’s Eye Marketing will present “HAVE A HEART: What are YOU doing for the Greater Good?” The event, slated from 5:30 to 8 p.m. in the Self-Help Center (272 N. Front St.), will feature interactive booths showcasing the work and needs of more than 20 nonprofits. There also will be cocktails, food and live music.

The plan is to attract a new crop of volunteers for these organizations – people with creativity, energy and passion to help them grow.

“As in many cities, nonprofits in Wilmington suffer from a lack of participation from young people – the next generation of committee chairs, board members and directors,” said Katie Lucas, owner of Greater Good Productions. “Why is this? Maybe current leaders aren’t connected to younger people. Perhaps they’ve never been asked. Maybe they don’t know how badly their skills and talents are wanted.  Sometimes – too often – young people who might otherwise serve simply don’t know what’s out there.”

In fact, more than 600 non-profit organizations call the Cape Fear region home, each with their own individual mission to make southeastern North Carolina a better place to live. They rescue turtles or care for abused children. They feed the hungry, mentor troubled youth, or simply dance. While the whole community benefits from the effort, in many cases, only a handful of volunteers carry most of the workload.

“HAVE A HEART” aims to change this. To bring in potential volunteers, the event organizers have partnered with the Wilmington Young Professionals Network and Port City Young Professionals. Both groups are making “HAVE A HEART” one of their official events for the month of February.

“We try to support local businesses and nonprofits as much as possible,” said Jackie Willse, who started the Wilmington Young Professionals Network. “Since a lot of young professionals are early in their careers or just starting their own businesses, money isn’t always as easy to spare, but we love to give our time.”

Nonprofits scheduled to be in attendance include: American Red Cross, Brigade Boys & Girls Club, Cameron Art Museum, Cape Fear Literacy Council, Cape Fear River Watch, Inc., Cape Fear Volunteer Center/ Big Buddy, Carolina Canines for Service, Communities in Schools, Community Boys & Girls Club of Wilmington, DREAMS Center for Art Education, Girls on the Run of the Coastal Carolinas, Historic Wilmington Foundation, Kids Making It, NC Coastal Land Trust, Rape Crisis Center of Coastal Horizons, Sunburst Foundation, The Dance Cooperative, Inc., WHQR 91.3FM Public Radio, YWCA Lower Cape Fear, Guardian Ad Litem Program and Cape Fear Green Building Alliance.

“It is our hope that, by the end of the evening, young people will find a new and meaningful way to connect to their community, and in doing so, help nonprofits make Wilmington a better place,” Lucas said. “No one is doing it for the money; we’re all doing it for the chance to make a difference.”

Greater Good Productions is a full-service event production company that helps positively impact the community through special events.

Self-Help is a 30-year-old non-profit lender based in Durham, with a mission to make credit available to underserved people – women, minorities, rural residents and nonprofits. Self-Help merged in 2009 with the Cape Fear Credit Union, which has branches in Wilmington and Leland. Self-Help owns 16 commercial office buildings in North Carolina, including 272 N. Front St., where it offers single-office leases up to full suites for affordable prices.

Bon’s Eye Marketing helps clients reach their target audience by making them more credible, professional, likable and trustworthy by creating first-class traditional, online and guerilla marketing strategies and tools.