As part of our 10 Year Anniversary Celebration, Toney Aid, one of OzSBI’s founders, reminisced with Heather Fisher, OzSBI CEO, about the process of purchasing and renovating the historic downtown building.
Video Transcript
Speakers:
Heather – Executive Director, OzSBI
Toney Aid – Founding Volunteer & Early Visionary of OzSBI
Introduction
Heather:
In celebration of OzSBI’s 10-year anniversary, I’m sitting here with Toney Aid. I like to refer to Toney as the godfather of OzSBI. He was really the force behind the creation of this building — first as a renovation project focused on stabilizing it, securing grant funding, and making the transformation possible. It wasn’t until 2012 that we officially opened and transitioned from a renovation effort into a thriving program.
Many people don’t realize that not only was Toney the driving force and idea person, but he also volunteered more hours than anyone I’ve ever met.
Toney’s Reflections on Volunteering and OzSBI’s Growth
Toney:
Well, I did volunteer a lot of hours. One year, I figured it was somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 hours. When you find something that you love… First of all, I loved renovation. I loved fixing up this building. And I’m so proud of the way it looks now, 10 years after we opened.
With the upstairs, the air hangar loft, the little coffee bar, and all the meeting rooms — we created a building that contributed so much more to the community beyond the incubator. All types of meetings have been held here, but it has always been centered on business. And I’m very proud that today, 10 years later, it has become everything I dreamed of 20 years ago when we first started.
Heather has hosted a group of women entrepreneurs — women in business — right here. That was something West Plains didn’t have before. We’ve had so many new businesses start here. So when you say “happy birthday,” the word happy really stands out, because I am truly happy.
Remembering OzSBI’s Beginnings
Heather:
Yes — happy 10-year anniversary birthday! I also want people to know that you always said you were never going to take a dime from OzSBI. You were never paid as the CFO. You kept all the books. You raised the money.
Toney:
I ate some cookies.
Heather:
You did eat a lot of cookies! But truly, it was remarkable what so many people did — and you really led that charge. By being such a dedicated volunteer, you inspired others to step up. That’s how we were able to raise significant matching funds for grants and attract donors who believed in OzSBI from the very beginning.
One thing that set us apart is something you’ve always said: “Whatever you think it’s going to be, it’s going to be something different.” And you’re right.
We always thought we would attract a lot of high-tech businesses. But when I look around today, we have so many female entrepreneurs. Across the state, there are women’s business centers, but we’ve become a center that naturally cultivates a strong community of female entrepreneurs. To me, that’s incredibly exciting.
What OzSBI Really Does: Investing in People
Heather:
I’ve been thinking about what OzSBI truly does. The wording on our building says “helping businesses grow,” but what we really do is invest in people. People have invested in us all these years, and in return, we invest in entrepreneurs.
So thank you, Toney, for investing in this project throughout the years. You’re not going away, but I know you’re spending more time on your own businesses now. It has been one of the greatest pleasures to work with you through all of this.
Closing
Toney:
Well, happy birthday, OzSBI.
Heather:
Happy birthday.
