Today, FALL/WINTER 2008 1 - University of the Ozarks

That EntrepreneurialSpirit
Otto J. Mejia ’00
Otto J. Mejia L. Fotografía
Otto Mejia’s love for photography started at Ozarks
when he worked as a student worker in the university’s
Public Relations Office. “The opportunity to
do real assignments, work with good equipment and see my
photographs displayed in print or on the Web site was a very
good feeling,” he said. “That’s when my interest in photography
really took off.” Mejia has turned his photography hobby
into a thriving part-time business, Otto J. Meija L. Fotografía,
in his home country of Nicaragua. While Mejia’s full-time
job is as the Nicaragua manager for the Atlanta-based healthcare
marketing company DrTango, his photography business
is where his passion is. Out of a small home studio, Mejia
photographs everything from weddings to portraits and
products. He has numerous magazine covers, print advertisements
and billboards in his ever-expanding portfolio. One of
the aspects of photography that Mejia enjoys the most is the
planning and setting up of the shoot. “I tend to get very technical
on my shoots, and I try to challenge myself with new
angles, composition and lighting positions,” he said. “There
is a special feeling when you review the shot on the camera’s
LCD and realize that you’ve just nailed it.” Ironically, Mejia
thought he would never get into wedding photography, but
it has become one of his favorite events to shoot. “I experimented
shooting weddings with a photojournalist style, and it
worked,” he said. “It turned out that I really liked the experience,
and people liked my style and the cleanliness of the
details.” Mejia plans to slowly expand the business. “Photography
is a very interesting and dynamic field where the tools,
styles and technologies are constantly evolving,” Mejia said.
“If you are able to stay on top of those changes, there will
always be plenty of opportunities.” His photography can be
seen at www.ottomejia.com.
Matt McCormick ’88
McCormick’s One Stop
The sign that hangs above the deli in McCormick’s One
Stop says everything you need to know about the small
general store: “Cows May Come and Cows May Go
But the Bull in This Place Goes on Forever.” Located in tiny
Harmony, Ark., a few miles north of Clarksville, McCormick’s
store is a jack-of-all-trades of general stores. Customers can
buy anything from gasoline and overalls to light bulbs and
Hamburger Helper. And, there is an impressive collection
of Coca-Cola memorabilia throughout the store. It is also a
place where locals gather and shoot the breeze on everything
from hunting to sports to politics. During deer season it is an
especially popular place as a check station, processing site
and gathering place for hunters. “Some people say it’s more
like a beauty parlor in here,” said McCormick, whose mother,
Diana McCormick is a program coordinator in the U of O
Jones Learning Center. “I call it an information center. It’s
just a good place to come and hang out.” After graduating
from Ozarks, McCormick spent 10 years working as a store
manager for Brookshire Grocery in Texas before a yearning to
return home had him exploring options. Looking for a retailtype
business to purchase near Clarksville, McCormick looked
at the store in Harmony several times before finally deciding
to buy it. “I wasn’t 100 percent sure about it, and I think the
owners were getting a little irritated with me,” McCormick
said. “One day I was going out to look at it one more time and
decided to turn around. I was asking God for a sign on what to
do, and I stopped at this garage sale. There at the garage sale
were these booths and tables for sale from an old McDonald’s
restaurant that were perfect for the store.” Fourteen years later
the booths and tables are still in the store and McCormick,
whose house is next door, has found a perfect place for him
and his wife Jennifer to raise their three children.
12 Today, FALL/WINTER 2008