(01/13/05 4:45am)
One of Bloomington's favorite pizzerias, Aver's Pizza, has made Pizza Today magazine's "Hot 100 Independents" list for the fifth consecutive year. As number 61 on the list out of 64,000 pizza operations, it remains one of the strongest autonomous pizza establishments in the country. \nThe rankings in the magazine are based strictly on sales, said Jeremy White, editor in chief of Pizza Today. To qualify to receive this award by Pizza Today, pizzerias had to meet three qualifications. \n"The first is to be an 'independent,' which means that the store has nine or fewer stores," White said. "Next, pizza must account for at least 50 percent of the food sales, and they must be in the top 100 in gross sales in the nation." \nThe minimum amount in sales of $1.1 million was needed to make the list, and the average pizzeria in America normally grosses around $450,000 annually.\nWith Aver's average sales being more than $2 million annually, it is "one of the most successful businesses in the state, as well as in the pizza industry," said co-owner Brad Randall. \n"When we started this company in 1995, I had no idea how big it would get," Randall said. "It is an honor to be in this list because we are being recognized by our peers as one of the best."\nThe pizza company has also made the Kelley School of Business's "Growth 100" list three years in a row. The company is also looking forward to growing even more in the coming years, starting with the opening of its store in Columbus, Ind. last summer, adding to their two locations in Bloomington. \nWhat seems to make people continually come to Aver's is its commitment to what they started out to do -- to make "gourmet pizza to go." Favorites among students include the Crazy Eight deal, which offers a 12-inch pizza with one topping, a large order of breadsticks and two drinks for $8.88. \n"It's incredible. You can't get a better deal around town," sophomore Mike Gregory said about the Crazy Eight deal. "I like their pizza because it's greasy and probably bad for you, but it's just so good." \nAnother reason people continue to return to Aver's is because of their wide variety of new pizzas.\n"No one else has Alfredo sauce on their pizza," said sophomore Jennifer Gross. "It makes it so awesome." \nAlthough Aver's specializes in gourmet pizzas, senior Mitzi Templeton tends to like the traditional items.\n"I like their pepperoni pizza and I tend to like them more because they are cheaper than most places," she said. \nThe next few steps Aver's will take in the coming year will help to increase the company's ranking as it plans to begin selling chains.\n"We've had a number of past employees request that we sell rights to them," Randall said.\nEven with the changes to come, Randall said Aver's won't forget its loyal customers.\n"We try to appeal to customers that already like our product and then build upon that," Randall said. "We want people to try this pizza and say, 'this is the best pizza I've ever had.'" \n-- Contact Staff Writer Ryne \nShadday at rshadday@indiana.edu.
(11/09/04 4:47am)
You see them in the halls, in the food courts and in class. You talk to them in your rooms, at floor meetings and when you see them around campus. They are the resident assistants of IU's 11 residence halls.\nMany wonder not only what these people do, but how they can balance an RA's responsibility with school and sometimes even another job. The 197 RAs in the dorms come from all backgrounds and complete a myriad tasks every day.\nBob Weith, director of Residential Operations for the Residence Halls Association, said RAs are a source of support for students.\n"(The RAs are) the people who are the most significant resource for students, especially freshmen, to go to when they are having trouble," Weith said.\nOne of the main jobs of an RA is to build a community on floors, said McNutt RA and junior Jerin Harvey. \nWith similar sentiment coming from other RAs, junior Dennis Perkins from Ashton Center said they oversee what goes on in the residence halls.\n"We supervise residents and make sure they follow residence hall policies," Perkins said.\nWith other duties including coming up with program ideas and making sure people don't have conflicts with their roommates, it takes up a lot of time and energy. Sometimes sleep becomes a factor, said senior Kathy Wolf of Read Center.\n"Some of our biggest problems include the 3 a.m. fire alarms -- especially when I have a test in the morning," Wolf said.\nAlong with fire alarms, sometimes duty calls in other ways during the middle of the night, such as when roommates fight, when someone comes back to the dorm after a long night out or when someone is depressed from earlier events in the day.\n"We are like a counselor or a therapist," Wolf said.\nOther times, it is a matter of respect, said junior Alex Bruce from Wright Quad. \n "We show them that there is still a way to let people study and sleep, but they can still have fun while being a little more respectful," Bruce said.\nRAs might just be ordinary students, but Weith said being an RA comes with the longest job description in the RHA.\n"We are like every other student around campus, we just have a title that goes along with it," Perkins said. They have to go room to room, asking how things are going, hold "office hours" a few times a week and have center desk duty two to three times a week, as well. \nRAs can be extremely busy at times. Some, like Perkins, also have multiple jobs to deal with alongside school work. But, many view the job as very rewarding.\n"You're a part of the IU community and the best part is, you meet so many cool people," Harvey said. \nWith so many demands, the dorms need a great staff to help the RAs with things such as packages, sorting the mail and answering other questions students need help with that RAs might not have enough information to answer. For these types of tasks, students can see people such as the residence manager, the office services assistant and the department secretary. \nAlong with getting free room and board, and a little extra cash per month, many personal benefits come with the job as well. \n""It teaches you a lot more than being an authority figure and you learn just as much about yourself," Wolf said.\nBut for Bruce, it's about the opportunity.\n""I love it. It's a great experience. I'm really glad to get this opportunity," Bruce said.\nThe benefits might not lie solely within the RAs themselves, but also with the people they help. RAs can help their residents by giving advice and information. \n"What these people do is simply unbelievable," Weith said. "They manage their lives, their job and their studies so efficiently that it helps me out, also." \nAnd the RAs enjoy what they do.\n"It's a really good job -- I'm lucky to have it," Bruce said. "It's a great part of my life." \n-- Contact staff writer Ryne \nShadday at rshadday@indiana.edu.