Lisa Gray has
been around cows her entire childhood so it is fitting that she is the sole
owner of Milky Moos Too, Milky Moos in Enterprise and Ozark.
Gray was born in California but she grew up
on a farm in Tawas City, Michigan which was where her parents settled after her
father retired from the Navy. Surrounded by beef cattle, horses, dogs, cats,
and a never ending list of farm chores Gray developed a strong work ethic from
a very young age. Her father’s motto was “You do what you need to do first and
what you want to do second,” She abides by his wise words and recounts fond
memories of spending time with her father constantly repairing their 1936 John
Deere. Later on she was able to keep a 1975 souped up Pontiac Grand Prix running because of his training. She
inherited the tractor when her father passed.
In order to buy
her beloved Pontiac, price tag $1000, Gray worked evenings at the local ice cream shop
siphoning 90% of her pay check to her car savings. Socking away money for a car was attainable but college was not something
she or her family had money for and she
considered enlisting in the Navy until she received an academic scholarship
from Saginaw Valley State University where she earned an accounting degree.
After college,
she was hired by a Detroit trash company for an accountant position. In 1995, the company transferred her to ISS Services
in Dothan but then sold the company in 1998.
Although Gray was offered a position in their Nashville office, she chose an "out of the box option" and received one year of her salary as severance pay.
Her friend Tim did the same and he asked if she would be interested in
opening a car wash with their unexpected windfall. They decided to
remodel an old bank, located next to Krispy Kreme, into a car wash.
Gentle Touch
Auto Wash was created under the premise of hand washing and drying all the
automobiles. As the cars moved through
the water tunnel, Lisa and Tim donned mitts and employed elbow grease to scrub
off grime, then the cars were dried to shiny perfection. Managing a team of car
wash employees was often difficult and discouraging because Gray dealt with employees who
skipped out, used drugs, or stole from the company. Managing employees while working next to them is a managing tactic Gray employs, “You see something being done wrong you correct it. You have procedures.” The partners and their
employees cleaned in tandem for six years and then sold the business.
When
the sale was complete, Gray was just relaxing with family in Michigan when she toured
her friend’s ice cream shop. That tour sealed her destiny; she knew scooping
ice cream would be her next venture. On
the long drive back to Alabama, Gray came up with tons of concepts including
the cow mascot and the name Smooochies.
Gray was certain Enterprise would embrace an ice cream shop and felt the
business would flourish. Just like Gentle Touch, she brought a unique twist to the ice cream business; quality homemade ice cream.
The ice cream
begins with a pre-made base bought from another source (to keep consistency
right) and Gray adds the fresh ingredients.
This technique increases creativity and saves money because the product
is made in house. The Boll Weevil
Special ice cream won national recognition from Food Network Magazine in the 2013
June/July publication. BWS is my favorite because of the smooth peanut butter,
crunchy peanuts, chocolate sandwich
cookie pieces, and occasional mini marshmallow; Enterprise history
illustrated in sweet cream.
Conquering ice
cream led to adding sandwiches, salads, and soups but Gray didn't pressure herself
to add a whole menu right away. Quality over quantity is what makes the shop’s
one time customers into loyal fans. Check out Milky Moos FB page to see what treats
people rave about! The Milky Moos website is http://milkymooicecream.com/
Candy was incorporated the second year in
business because when the ice cream season slowed and she didn't want to lay
off the summer employees. Gray read
books to learn the craft of candy making and cake decorating, then practiced
and practiced. Raised to be self-sufficient, she believes anything is possible and
instills that can-do attitude into her employees. Some employees have stayed on
for years like Carol Graham who says “I have worked for Lisa for almost 10
years, and it has been a pleasure. She's genuinely a nice person who
truly cares for the community. I hope I
will still be working for her 10 years from now!”
Pursuing
franchise opportunities in 2008, Gray discovered that the moniker Smooochies
was already taken. All of Enterprise was trying to come up with a name when a
young girl suggested Milky Moos and the proprietor agreed. Patti Davis is the
first Franchise owner and admires Gray saying, “When Lisa opened Smooochie's Homemade
Ice Cream, I was instantly intrigued by her business sense and her
determination. When I asked how she knew how to open and run an ice cream
shop, she told me that she had worked at McDonald's once and thought it
couldn't be much different than that. Her spunk and perseverance are certainly
admirable.”
Gray is one of the few restaurants open on Sundays. She explains “My rent is the same whether I am
open or not and this gives me 10 more hours to get people in the shop.” She pays herself last each month and that’s
fine because Gray relishes her company and life saying “It’s easy getting out
of bed in the morning.”
originally Published in Enterprise Ledger 2014
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