I don't know much about Blake Adams but I like him.

Adams owns the Subway restaurant at the end of Ga. 400, at the intersection with Hwy. 60.

I was on my way north to attend another broadband meeting when I stopped in his place for a quick bite.

As I was sitting at my table the regular lunch crowd was filing in and a couple of young girls entered along with an adult. The man pointed to Adams who was working the cash register. The girls walked up to him and very slyly opened some sales brochures and started telling him about their fundraiser.

I couldn't make out what they were selling but I noticed Adams was bent over the counter listening with a respectful intensity, and he had just a touch of a smile. The lunch crowd continued to come in the door and his counter staff moved quickly preparing more and more orders.

Adams invited the girls to sit at one of the tables and he went to get his checkbook.

The young women sat there with a look on their faces that reflected surprise at making a sale, yet also a sense of pride at what they had accomplished. Adams returned and wrote a check for the girls.

Then as the adult filled out the receipts and other paperwork Adams got up went over to the counter, selected some cookies and brought them back for the girls.

Their faces changed from proud businesswomen to young girls beaming at the thought of enjoying this unexpected treat.

The transaction complete, he shook their hands and quickly returned to his place behind the counter.

I don't know anything about what Adams bought, but I like what he did.

All too often adults seem to be angry or irritated with young people. It was the busiest time of day for his establishment so it would have been easy for Adams to just brush the girls off, say no or even bark at them.

Adams didn't.

He was polite, attentive and respectful.

Young people seldom get respect from adults these days.

How can we expect them to be respectful if we don't show them respect as well?

Adams helped build future businesswomen by what he did.

He showed them that trying produces results even when they might be nervous or shy.

He himself is not more than 30 something yet he planted an entrepreneurial seed in the next generation.

He helped teach those girls how to succeed.

It was a simple act played out on a simple stage, yet it planted a foundation for those young women that will last a life time.

As for Adams, his absence from the register caused no problems.

His team adjusted, moved their stations and the customers probably never even noticed Adams was absent for those few minutes.

It was a reflection of a sales and service team that was trained, poised and coordinated.

That didn't surprise me at all.

My time in Adams' Subway was brief but it made me feel great the rest of the day.

Our young business people are doing the right thing.

Adams was proof that the coming generation does think about more than just making money, they think about their community.

They are already teaching an even younger generation the value of striving, and the rewards of hard work.

It is amazing how such a simple act could touch three different generations in just a few moments at a local Subway store.

I don't know much about Blake Adams, but I do like him very much.

Charlie Auvermann is a longtime Dawson County resident and former editor of the Dawson Community News. He is also the executive director of the local development authority.