Thursday, January 16, 2025
Yvonne is the founder of CandY Pet Palace, which has been in business for 18 years. She expressed that the unwavering support of the local community has been instrumental in the success of CandY Pet Palace, providing valuable job opportunities for many residents. “I am incredibly grateful to my dedicated staff, and my office manager, Bre Sherburne. Bre has excelled in her role, diligently upholding the policies and procedures I've established for all CandY Pet Palace,” she said. “All of CPP staff’s hard work and commitment have been invaluable, allowing me to pursue other professional endeavors and expand my horizons.” One of those horizons is being the Liaison for the Gatesville Chamber of Commerce, which she joined in late August of 2024. She mentioned that she quickly discovered a supportive environment among the Chamber Directors and board members, who recognized her potential and enthusiastically embraced many of her ideas for enhancing the Chamber's value to both the business and public communities.
“The chamber encouraged my initiative, allowing me to take ownership and implement my vision. I've also engaged with both younger and older generations of Coryell County residents, gathering insights into past community events in Gatesville – what thrived, what people enjoyed,” she said. “These valuable perspectives are now informing my proposals to the City Council. The chamber is a part-time position, however most times I work past those hours and consider it volunteer hours to the community, basically giving back to the community for supporting me.” She expressed that the best part about her job is getting to put together events, seeing people smile, bringing new and old ideas in for the community, and going on new adventures while learning new things. She has lived in Gatesville for 28 years and said that her favorite thing about our town is watching everyone who is passionate about Gatesville collaborate on making the community a desirable place to live.
“I would love for any and all who own property around the courthouse to get in touch with me. I would like to revitalize the buildings and see revenue come in for the owners as well as the community,” she said. “I also want to add that if anyone has any dreams for Gatesville events or activities for themselves to become an entrepreneur to reach out to me. I will do everything possible to help.” Williams also said that people often ask how she juggles so much. “To be honest, it's not really work for me! When you genuinely love seeing others happy and have a blast doing it yourself, it doesn't feel like a job at all,” she said. “It's more like living a life filled with passion and adventure – I never go to 'work' because I'm always having fun!”
Yvonne reads The Gatesville Messenger and said that she enjoys reading the Folks Around Town each week to see who is showcased within the community.
If you happen to see Yvonne around town, say hello! She is one of us!
