Main Street Moms on the Move ~ November 2016

By Katie Moosbrugger

We’re back with another edition of Moms on the Move! Today we are featuring three ladies who are doing wonderful things in our community. Whether it’s through their own entrepreneurial effort or because of their altruistic spirit, these women are helping to better lives of other moms and families in the Triad and beyond.

We’re thrilled to introduce you to Patricia, Ulanda and Wendy, and we’d love for you to leave a comment to let them know what a great job they are doing!

Patricia Justice

From a very young age, Patricia has always been extremely creative and passionate about creating beautiful spaces. So it’s only natural that she would follow this calling and become a professional home stager and interior designer.

Patricia received her training and certification through Home Staging Resources and, shortly after, launched her own business, Home Staging by Patricia. “I absolutely love working with people and seeing my clients’ faces when their home has been transformed – whether it’s because they are selling their home or because it’s an interior design project they’ve wanted to tackle. The point of interior design and re-design is to create a space that the client loves by making it more functional, efficient, and full of the colors and things they love,” she said.

Not only does Patricia have a background in interior design, but she is also a published author and public speaker. Patricia also has event planning experience, and a long history as a children’s librarian and story teller. In addition to home staging and redesign services, Patricia also offers home styling services, where she helps clients “style” their home or other venues for special events.

Patricia says, in today’s real estate market, home staging is a game-changing investment. “Statistics show that staged homes sell faster and for top dollar. Plus, more times than not, the cost of home staging is a less than the average price reduction on a house for sale.”

Originally from Winston-Salem, Patricia grew up in northern Virginia. She returned to the Triad this year with her husband Don to care for her mother who is battling Alzheimer’s. She and Don have two grown children and three grandchildren. When not working, Patricia loves to spend time with her family and church community, go camping, and to figure skate (she coaches and still competes!). Patricia would love for you to visit her web site, sign up to receive helpful tips from her blog HERE, or call her directly at 336-422-6775.

Ulanda Brooks

If there’s one person who knows how busy parents can be, it’s Ulanda Brooks. After watching her working daughter struggle with transportation to and from PreK for their granddaughter, Ulanda (along with her husband Nathan) started NUB Transport, Inc, a local transportation business to help other busy families.

“Our daughter, like so many mothers who work outside of the home, experienced difficulty arranging safe, reliable transportation. We were inspired to start this business to help others like her, and to improve the lives of families by making transportation safe and simple,” said Ulanda.

Nathan had years of experience as a truck driver, and Ulanda had dreams of becoming an entrepreneur. Together, they created NUB Transport with safety and reliability top of mind. All of their drivers have undergone extensive background checks and drug testing, as well as training in CPR and first-aid. NUB provides child transportation to and from school, as well as to extra-curricular activities and medical appointments. For adults, NUB also helps with safe rides to and from medical appointments and other non-emergency transportation needs. Additionally, NUB provides rides on a weekly scheduled basis or as needed, along with text notifications of drop off and pick up.

“We want parents to feel empowered to outsource some of their transportation responsibilities while knowing they are not sacrificing the first-rate care their child would be given under their own watch,” adds Ulanda.

Currently, NUB Transport services Winston-Salem, Clemmons and Lewisville areas. As they grow, Ulanda hopes to add more drivers and vehicles and expand to other areas of the Triad.

Ulanda has lived in the Triad her entire life, and she and Nathan have two children and five grandchildren. In addition to running NUB Transport, Ulanda works on the weekends in Financial Counseling for Wake Forest Lexington Medical Center and is finishing up her BA in Sociology from Shaw University.

Wendy Prior

Although the Triad was spared from the devastating effects of Hurricane Matthew, many in our community were affected nonetheless, including local artist, Wendy Prior. Her hometown of Kinston, NC, was ravaged by the storm, and Wendy wanted to do something about it. On a day when we were experiencing terrible rain, it occurred to Wendy that painting a hurricane cocktail and pitching it as ‘the only hurricane anyone likes” could be a great way to focus her talents while raising funds for the victims of Kinston.

Her project took off and Wendy immediately created 50 prints for sale and another 25 that she donated to a fund raiser event in Morehead City. Her efforts raised approximately $500 for her hometown!

A self-taught artist, Wendy has drawn and painted most of her life. Painting has always been a hobby for Wendy, but just recently she decided to turn it into a part-time job after receiving interest from prospective buyers. Typically Wendy’s water color and acrylic paintings focus on pets and house renderings. She also has original collections that can be found at Frame It in Winston-Salem, on her Instagram page and on Facebook.

Wendy and her husband, Eric, have two children (Dawson, 14, and George, 10), and a dog named Abbie. In addition to her part-time art business, Wendy also tries to donate at least 10 pieces a year to local and regional charities. Her goal is to one day become more involved with fund raising and awareness for Epilepsy in honor of her children who have both developed this disorder.