Business Pulse: Standard finally makes Leno’s show
The biggest news swirling around the Standard office this week is that one of our stories made “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno. Since we have so many wacky, off-the-wall stories coming from this area, I’ve often wondered if we would ever be mentioned on Leno’s segment called “Headlines.”
My wondering came to an end Wednesday morning when a former Warren County resident, now living in Florida, gave the Standard office a call. I regret to say I have forgotten the guy’s name, but he was pretty excited to see his hometown newspaper on national TV.
Being a headline writer, I’ve always loved the “Headlines” segment. And some headlines have stuck in my head for years. I still remember one that went “Furniture drive launched for homeless.” It sounds like a great idea, but I don’t think we want homeless people putting their dinette sets on Main Street.
There was also one that read, “Bush says rain needed to end drought.” I say it’s that sort of intelligence which got him elected to the White House.
But before I get carried away with all my favorite headlines, let me tell you about the Standard’s 15 seconds of fame. The story which made Leno happened just last month when 77-year-old Lale Lester Harmon held lawmen on a standoff with a .357.
What caught Leno’s attention was the lead paragraph which said, “A 77-year-old Westwood man distraught about a warrant taken against him held lawmen on a four-hour standoff Tuesday evening, breaking off negotiations long enough to watch Jay Leno on television.”
Before reading that paragraph on the air, Leno said, “This is my favorite story. I love this man.” He then read the paragraph and said, “This man is being framed.”
Warren County High School senior Becky Slaughter sent the clipping to Leno about a week ago. She also recorded the show because she said she expected the clipping to make the air.
“I’ve always liked Leno and the headlines are my favorite part,” said Becky.
The Standard’s own Duane Sherrill was the one who wrote the story and he was especially gleeful about making national TV.
“It’s about time my immense talent was finally recognized on national TV,” said Sherrill, known for his arrogance. “Maybe now I can get the office I deserve with my own secretary and my own intern.”
Good luck, Duane.
A.O. Smith spokesman says rumor ridiculous
Last week it was Willmore Ford. This week, A.O. Smith was the hot rumor that had my phone ringing off the hook. It seems most of the county is under the impression A.O. Smith is ready to pack its bags and leave.
According to company spokesman Ed O’Conner, who is stationed at A.O. Smith headquarters in Milwaukee, A.O. Smith is not about to leave.
“There’s no truth to that rumor,” said O’Conner. “That’s not a consideration.”
Ed wanted to know where I had heard such a thing. I told him several A.O. Smith employees had called and were concerned because some lines appear to be moving out.
“The fact you move a certain kind of work from one place to another is a whole different thing than shutting down an entire plant,” said Ed. “To shut down the plant, that sort of talk is a bit of a stretch.”
Ed said any company which plans to stay in business must evaluate where it’s best to perform work based on customer needs, competitive situations, and other factors. He said he understands how silly rumors get started but says A.O. Smith has an outstanding record of letting its employees know what’s going on. He said the company has always told employees what’s happening and not allowed them to find out by reading it in a newspaper.
My response to that is newspapers are a great source of information. And there’s no better place to get your news than the Southern Standard.
News not so good for the Sound Shop
I’m sad to report the news coming from the Sound Shop is not so good. The rumors that the store is going to close are true.
According to Sound Shop manager Brittany Porter, the Sound Shop is closing 35 stores. In addition to McMinnville, stores in Tullahoma, Cookeville and Lebanon are scheduled to close. The Sound Shop in Murfreesboro, however, will stay open.
“We had kind of been worrying about our jobs for some time,” said Porter. “Then one day a fax came in that said they were doing store reviews. A couple days later, I was told I needed to be on a conference call. When I got on the line, managers from all 35 stores they were going to close were on there. We all got the news at the same time.”
Brittany says the store will probably close in eight or nine weeks. They are currently doing a liquidation sale where everything in the store is 20 to 40 percent off. Brittany says the store will discount items more the closer it comes to the closing date.
“People have already called and asked when everything is going to be 80 percent off,” she said.
Sound Shop is the latest of a number of music stores which are struggling. Since music is now readily available on the Internet, people have found it’s easier to download their favorite song then to fork over money for it.
“People don’t buy music anymore,” said Brittany. “They burn it on a CD.”
It was with that thinking in mind the Sound Shop recently began carrying video games and increased its selection of DVDs. But apparently it was too little too late.
“This really stinks because I love my job,” said Brittany.
Radio Shack says it will stay in town
Here’s yet another rumor: Radio Shack is going out of business. And since this is Business Pulse, the place you turn to shift through all the rumors, here is the truth: Radio Shack is not going out of business.
“I wish you would put in the paper that we’re not going out of business,” said Radio Shack manager Vevila Martin. “Because I’m getting tired of people coming in here and asking about it. We’re not closing.”
The rumor probably got started because Radio Shack is thinking about leaving Three Star Mall. Vevila said her previous district manager was really wanting to move to Northgate Shopping Center. In that shopping center, it had been discussed that Radio Shack would build a free-standing store between Fred’s and Factory Connections.
That plan, however, has been put on hold because there’s now a new district manager for this area who is apparently not sold on the idea of building a free-standing store next to Fred’s. He has told Vevila to explore other areas around town and send him pictures.
But before you take Radio Shack and move it across town, that’s not a done deal either. The store may just stay put in Three Star Mall if another major anchor agrees to move into the spot formerly occupied by Kmart.
“We don’t want to leave,” said Vevila. “But we might be forced to if another anchor doesn’t come in. There’s no sense in staying here and not making any money when we can move somewhere else in town and make money.”
So is Three Star Mall getting another anchor?
If you were wondering when Three Star Mall is going to fill the empty space where Kmart used to be, I’m glad you asked. Mall officials say it looks pretty promising a new anchor will be in place soon – with word likely coming in mid-February.
“We’ve had two companies look at it and both of them are really interested,” said mall assistant Susie Griffith. “One of them is better than the other because one of them wants to take the whole building.”
I have no idea about the name of either company and mall officials sure aren’t giving me any hints. For some reason, they think if they give me names I’ll publish them in the paper. To that allegation I say, well, they’re probably correct.
Susie said she believes Radio Shack will end up staying because its lease doesn’t expire until March. And the mall is expected to know something from both companies interested in the old Kmart store in the middle of February.
New farrier is open for business
I’ve talked about all the latest rumors, so now it’s time to talk about the new business Joshua Morrison has started. Joshua, a Viola resident, has recently received his certification from Tennessee State Blacksmith and Farrier School in Cookeville. Now he’s anxious to put shoes on your horse.
“I really wanted to go into a horse-related occupation,” said Joshua, 20. “I like showing horses and like anything to do with horses really. It’s always been an interest.”
Whether you have a walking horse or a quarter horse, Joshua has the expertise to do the job. He says it takes about a hour and a half to put four shoes on a horse in what’s a pretty exact process. Joshua heats the horseshoe until it gets red hot, then pounds it into shape on an anvil. If that’s not enough, he’s then hammers the shoe to the bottom of the horse’s foot.
Now I’m a guy who is pretty sensitive about my feet. And I know I wouldn’t want anybody to nail my shoes to my toes. That’s why I was sure to ask Joshua if most horses are OK with this routine.
“It doesn’t hurt the horse and most of them are pretty easy to get along with,” he said. “I’ve found most horses are pretty good-natured.”
If you don’t want to load up your horse and drive to Joshua’s stable in Viola, don’t worry. He’ll come to you. He can load up his anvil and all his tools and make a trip right to your door. Well actually, I guess he won’t be coming to your door – that is unless you let your horse in the house. But he can load up his tools and come to your pasture. His phone number is 635-3314.
Chad Rowland recognized by Supreme
When it comes to building supplies, Chad Rowland knows his stuff. That’s one of the reasons he was recently honored by Supreme Building Products for earning top sales honors for 2002.
“Chad is very knowledgeable and he’s certainly impressed us,” said Supreme vice president Ryan Moore. “He can take a home package from start to finish and he was a driving force behind landing the Jack in the Box account for Supreme.”
Kind words weren’t the only thing Chad received from Supreme. He also was given a bonus check for his efforts.
“I enjoy what I do and that certainly helps,” said Chad.
On behalf of Business Pulse, I’d like to take this time to say congratulations Chad. Keep up the good work.
That’s all folks
Whew, what a column. The rumors have really been flying and that makes for great column material. Always remember, don’t believe what you hear – just what you read in Business Pulse. To report business news, give me a call at 473-2191 or send me an e-mail at [email protected].