Lake City Metro Business Award

The Lake City Metro Business Award will be given every four years, and will be worth $50,000. Voters will decide the winner, and they may vote based on anything they wish, whether that be financial need, favorite Sim, or the merit of the business idea. Voting will begin in March of 2081, and last through August. The winner will be announced in September. The winner may spend the award any way they choose, as long as the money is invested in a qualifying business in Lake City or its surrounding suburbs.

Madison Riley has interviewed the four finalists...

Chad Hathe (The Gamer's Den):

Madison: Good morning, Chad, this is quite the lively place you have here!

Chad: Thanks! I'm so excited to be a finalist! Really, this is so cool! You can't even imagine! Hey, do I have spinach in my teeth?

Madison: Nope, you sure don't.

Madison: So, do you need to be very smart to be able to play some of these games. Do you need to know algebra or anything?

Chad: No, I don't know algebra. I didn't go to college. Not that there's anything wrong with college. But I didn't go. You know there's nothing wrong with people who didn't go to college.

Madison: That isn't what I was insinuating.

Chad: "Insinuating?" You see, that's one of your big college words. Maybe some people don't know what "insinuating" means. Does that make me less of a person?

Madison: Certainly not! Why don't you show me some of your games.

Chad: This one is Mahjong. Just so you know, I don't know where it originates, or who invented it, or anything else except how to play it.

Madison: ...

Madison: What about war games, you know flying planes, dropping bombs and stuff?

Chad: My family are pacifists. We don't believe in war. My wife runs an animal shelter. She's a humanitarian. She's a vegetarian. We don't believe in violence.

Madison: Police games? You know, cops and robbers?

Chad: I don't want to hear it! The violence will eat us all alive! This is a happy place!!!

Madison: God, is it lunch time already? I think I need a siesta.

Chad (under his breath): Those fancy words again...

Madison: Let's not waste any more time. Why don't you tell me, if you were to win the Lake City Metro Business Award, how would you put the money to use.

Chad: I'd install a deli, fresh organic produce. It probably wouldn't be vegetarian though - you know, we don't eat meat, but a lot of people do.

Madison: That's very precise.

Chad: Well, people get hungry.

Madison: Thank you for your time, Chad. It's been, ummm... a pleasure.

Chad: You're welcome. Hey, I don't suppose you might be interested in adopting a dog?

Madison: No, I think we're all set on domesticated animals.


Orion Deppiesse (Modern Robotics):

Madison: Good morning, Orion.

Orion: Good morning, Ms. Governor!

Madison: I have to say I'm very excited about your interest in robotics. We don't have any robotics manufacturing in the area.

Orion: Thanks, my girls are really excited about it too.

Madison: These must be the girls then?

Orion: Yes, Delphie and Dakota.

Madison: You both must be very smart little girls.

Dakota: Yes, we are, thank you.

Delphie: Thank you, Ms. Governor.

Madison: And polite too!

Madison: And this is a really great space! It looks like a robotics factory already!

Orion: Thanks, I thought so too. It cost me a fortune though. I mortgaged the house, and my son's college fund.

Madison: Wow, that was a bold move! Are you sure that was a wise decision? I'm sure your son would like to go to college.

Orion: Oh, don't worry about Dallas - he'll probably get a full scholarship to college. And if not, well... anyway, the girls have a few years left still.

Madison: Are you sure you won't be making any rockets.

Orion: No, probably no rockets. I can't say never. But no, probably not.

Madison: So why don't you tell our voters a little bit about what you plan to do with the award money, if you were to win.

Orion: Well, it would be a good source of jobs for the area. We would need about two or three manufacturing employees, sales and shop staff. Of course, we could probably use some wallpaper as well.

Madison: Definitely wallpaper, maybe a nice peachy color.

Orion: Hmmm... peach?

Madison: Oh, yes, I think it could really brighten up the place.

Madison: Well, thank you, Orion. And girls. And good luck to you and your rockets- I mean, robots.


Summer Phoenix (Summer's Place):

Madison: Good morning, Summer, that's a lovely suit you're wearing.

Summer: Thanks, my grandma picked it out. She said I should probably put my belly button away for the interview.

Madison: She's a wise woman.

Summer: Yeah, she's pretty cool.

Madison: So, our metro area is in great need of a toy store, but what made you decide to make toys?

Summer: Well, I figure I might as well, since I'll probably never be a rock star.

Madison: Why can't you be a rock star? You can probably do anything you set your mind to.

Summer: Because I can't play any instruments, and I'm tone-deaf.

Madison: Oh. Why do you even want to be a rock star then?

Summer: I don't know, doesn't everybody want to be a rock star?

Madison: I suppose a lot of people do.

Madison: Your grandmother then, Sophie Phoenix, she's a business owner herself?

Summer: Yup, Earthland Catering. It's been around since forever. My grandpa's mom, great-grammie Phoenix owned it first.

Madison: So do you think you've learned anything from helping out at your grandmother's store?

Summer: Sure, I've learned a lot. I do sales and stock, Dallas does cash register. He's pretty cute - not as cute as my boyfriend, of course, but my friend Lucy is dating him. Anyway, my grandma said she'd help me with anything I needed, because I'm pretty young still.

Madison: My notes say your sixteen?

Summer: That's right - seventeen in August.

Madison: So one final question, why do you think the residents of Lake County should choose Summer's Place for the Lake City Metro Business Award.

Summer: Am I allowed to play the dead mom card?

Madison: You can say anything you like, Summer.

Summer: Okay, well my mom died, and I kind of got left this business and all. And I don't mind it. It sounds kind of fun. But I don't even really have all the stuff I need to run it, like a crafting bench, since my parents were pretty poor and we had to sell ours a few years ago to pay some debt collectors.

Madison: It sounds like it's been a tough run for you guys.

Summer: Yeah, well, you know, life sucks and then you die, or something.

Madison: Or something... Thank you, Summer, and good luck.


Maxwell Shaw (Lucky's Card Bar):

Madison: Hmmm, what a fine establishment you have here, Maxwell.

Maxwell: Nothing but the best!

Madison: It has a very antiquated look about it-

Madison: Oh my! Are those people having sex in the photo booth???

Maxwell: Sex? No, surely not. What kind of a foul place do you think this is?

Madison: I'm sorry, you're right. They must be wrestling or something.

Maxwell: Sure, why not?

Madison: So, Maxwell, why don't you tell the voters a little bit about what you plan to do with the award money if you were to win.

Maxwell: Hmmm, it's kind of a secret.

Madison: A secret?

Maxwell: Well, private maybe, not really a secret. But private.

Madison: Well, don't you think our taxpayers should know where their tax money is being spent?

Maxwell: Come on, now, Ms. Governor, do taxpayers ever really know where their tax money is being spent?

Madison: Well, we try.

Maxwell: Couches, then.

Madison: New couches?

Maxwell: Sure, new couches.

Madison: But you don't even have any couches in here right now.

Maxwell: All the more reason we need new ones!

Madison. New couches. Okay then, Maxwell, thank you for your time.

Bella: Oh, Hi Aunt Maddy!

Madison: Bella! Were you just... in the... ummm, never mind...

***

You may now begin voting! Polls are in the side bar. Voting ends in September, 2081. Good luck to all of our finalists, and may the best Sim win! :)

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notes: this is my first full post with the camera and lighting mods in, so I'm interested to see if any of you notice a difference. The biggest difference I notice is that where all the highlights and shadows fall are more accurate for where the lighting is positioned (which is the point of the mod, lol!) But the only interview done at night time was Maxwell's though, and I don't personally notice much difference in the daytime shots.

I suppose now would be a good time to let you all know that me and my family are actually in the process of moving from Michigan to Virginia this month (and with a toddler, ack!). So posting frequency is going to get a bit sketchy for a few weeks. I'd like to wrap up voting by September 2081, but if we don't get that far by two or three weeks from now in real time, then I'll end voting a little earlier.