Written by Cheree Federico
Amy Miller and Wayne Hills - 2 of our Founding Partners
Brother and sister duo, Wayne Hills and Amy Hills-Miller, were born and raised in Bowling Green. They graduated from Warren Central High School - Wayne in 1997 and Amy in 1998. Together, they share a combined seven years of marketing and advertising experience.
Wayne and his wife, Miranda, have been married since August 2013 and have two
children, thirteen-year-old Tripp and six-year-old, Cricket. He enjoys spending
time with family and is a HUGE Cincinnati Reds fan. Wayne is a strong supporter of local businesses.
Photo by Ashley McMillin
He believes in them so much that, other than the occasional Reds paraphernalia, the only clothing he wears are items that represent local, small businesses. Since 2009, Amy has lived in Franklin and loves the small-town vibe. She's been married to her husband, Eric, since August 2014 and has two "bonus" children, a twenty-three-year-old, Toria, and a twenty-two-year-old, Logan. She's lived in different areas of the country but always comes home to Kentucky.
Seeing an opportunity to help spread the word about local businesses and spotlight area families and communities, Wayne and Miranda started Neighbors of Bowling Green magazine in May 2018. As the first magazine began to grow, they were followed by South Warren Neighbors in October 2019. After a few nudges from Wayne, Amy started Neighbors of Franklin in May of 2020. The magazines collectively reach over 8700 families and businesses each month more people from each community ask to be added to the mailing list. There are always positive comments on social media as soon as the current issues reach mailboxes, often before the magazines have been read by residents. Wayne assures everyone that Amy and Miranda are the heart and soul of the Neighbors magazines and he's just taller. He and Amy like to say, "we don't own the magazines, we just manage them for our sponsors and advertisers. Without them, there would not be neighbors magazines."
Thankful for the positive feedback from their magazines, and seeing an opportunity to serve small businesses in South Central Kentucky, Wayne and Amy came up with the idea to create a new marketing business, BiG Discount Club (BGDC). Partnering
Amy Hills-Miller and Wayne Hills with Patrick and Laurie McKinney, who own and operate South Cow Food Truck, the club is hyper-focused on helping local, small businesses with advertising and growth. BiG Discount Club offers a virtual shopping experience that is dedicated to helping its partner businesses gain new customers. Local small business owners can show support for one another as they network with like-minded people, allowing the opportunity for all involved to reach more people and gain new customers. The group saw an opportunity to help small businesses grow in a very inexpensive way and, at the same time, allow customers, patients, and clients a chance to save time and money.
Through BGDC, money is kept local, but it's much more than that for the businesses, their owners, and area residents. It's a way to create a supportive community for people to work together and build together. Partner businesses offer discounts to BGDC club members, giving everyone incentive to shop local, sometimes without ever having to leave
home. Through a monthly giveaway, members are eligible to win a gift card that can be used at the BiG Discount Club partner business of choice. To learn more about BiG Discount Club, visit their website at www.bgdiscountclub.com. You can also find them on social media: @bgdiscountclub.
Through both the Neighbors magazines and BiG Discount Club, Wayne and Amy have enjoyed meeting new and interesting people.
"We don't own the magazines,
we just manage them for our
sponsors and advertisers.
Without them, there would not
be neighbors magazines."
Seeing how both businesses play a role in helping other small businesses grow brings them satisfaction in knowing they are doing something good for the communities they live and work in.
Wayne and Amy share an appreciation of the support that sponsors and readers of the three magazines have shown them in the years since the publication began for each. There's no doubt that this support is the reason the magazines exist and continue to grow.
If you, or someone you know, would like to explore the options offered through BiG Discount Club, Wayne and Amy are here to answer your questions and talk with you about what would be best for your business. Their businesses are here to help your business grow and succeed just the same as the communities have done for Neighbors and BGDC.
Photo credit: Ashley McMillin Photography
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