Talking clock not so great an idea
I know I’ve told you about the press releases I occasionally receive telling me about the latest and greatest inventions to hit the market. For the most part, I read these press releases aloud in the newsroom and we all have a big chuckle. It’s a satisfying ritual.
But two of the most recent inventions (which I’m sure will make no one rich) are too good not to tell. You decide for yourself:
Dumb invention No. 1 – The first press release informs me of a wondrous new talking clock, which is suggested to hang at the entrance of your living room. This, however, is not your normal talking clock. It detects motion and will spout out the time whenever somebody walks by.
The truly sad aspect of this story is that there’s a person somewhere who thinks this clock will be a rousing success. But I can think of few things which would be more annoying. Imagine some robot voice telling you “It is 7:54” when you go to the refrigerator to grab a snack. Then you’ll hear that same voice say “It is 7:57” when you return. Personally, I can do without some clock timing how long it takes for me to make a sandwich.
Dumb invention No. 2 – Anyone who has children knows potty training can be a bit of a challenge. But for parents of little boys, it doesn’t have to be that way anymore with the help of a new revolutionary product called the Child Stool.
Based on the information I received, this Child Stool will help boys pee-pee because they are often not tall enough to hit the inside of a commode. And by standing on this one-of-a-kind Child Stool, it will give your child added height, thus making it easier for him to pee-pee in the toilet.
I have two questions: 1) Is it OK to say “pee-pee” in the newspaper? 2) Haven’t these so-called inventors ever heard of a ladder?
People have been standing on stools, chairs, ladders, and even other people’s shoulders for centuries. I’m sure if you went back to the cave man days, you could have heard a conversation like this:
Thag: “Me can’t reach gutters to clean out leaves.”
Thug: “We can roll big rock over to gutters. You stand on rock.”
Thag: “Good thinking.”
Apparently, the concept of standing on something to make you taller is a new one for these folks sending me the press release. I can only hope the local business ventures in this week’s Business Pulse are a little more profitable.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car is coming to town
By now, most of us know all about O’Reilly Auto Parts moving its store from Sparta Street to a brand new building being constructed on N. Chancery Street by the car wash.
But what many of us might not have realized is among the excitement of the new O’Reilly building, the property right next door has also been cleared. An Enterprise Rent-A-Car business is scheduled to go into that spot with an opening date in March 2004.
Jewell Hale and Bobby Kirby recently bought that property from Billy Joe Slatton who operated a body shop there for many years. They then negotiated a lease with Enterprise.
“We offered to build them a brand new building,” said Jewell. “And we figured we might as well make it a three-bay building so there will also be a tobacco outlet place there and that leaves one more bay that’s left to be rented. We’re supposed to have them in there by early spring.”
Since you can count on Business Pulse as your complete source of information, here is the lowdown on Enterprise. It’s the largest rental car company in North America with 5,000 rental offices in the U.S.
For fiscal year 2003, Enterprise rented over a half million vehicles for $6.9 billion in worldwide revenue. Enterprise got its start in 1957 in the basement of a car dealership. It’s headquartered in St. Louis.
What does this mean for U-Save?
When I heard Enterprise was coming to McMinnville, the first thing I thought about was U-Save Auto, where owner John Pelham has been serving the community for over 20 years.
John was understandably concerned, but he also managed to put a positive spin on the situation.
“I have mixed emotions of course. It’s like a double-edged sword,” said John. “I always want to see McMinnville and Warren County grow and bring in new business. At the same time, it’s a hard situation knowing that’s going to affect us.”
It’s very much like the situation surrounding Lowe’s. I know I’m excited about Lowe’s coming to Cumberland Plaza. Yet I don’t want Lowe’s to hurt any of the locally owned businesses which have been here for years.
At U-Save, most of John’s business comes from providing insurance replacement vehicles. That means when you wreck your car and need something to drive while it’s in the shop, you call U-Save. In March, you will be able to call Enterprise too.
“I anticipate a change and I know Enterprise will be very aggressive,” said John. “But I can honestly say that in all our years we’ve never taken anybody for granted. We have always tried to treat people as if we had competition.”
New owners operating
Crisp Springs Market
It seems like only yesterday I was telling you about Billy Medley, the new owner of Crisp Springs Market. It wasn’t yesterday, but three weeks ago to be exact.
The new owners are now Joe and Vickie Scott, and they plan a much longer tenure at the market. They have already scored big hits with some of their new food and store items.
“We have gotten in a lot of groceries and we’re going to be getting in a lot more,” said Vickie. “It’s going to be more general stuff people can pick up to save them a trip to town. I’ve already found out I can’t keep enough dog food.”
Joe says he’s found out the same thing with automotive supplies.
“When we bought the place, they had two quarts of motor oil,” said Joe. “So I’ve been stocking it and we’ve already gone through three cases.”
But markets around these parts are known for their food and Crisp Springs Market has been no different. On Friday, Joe and Vickie experimented with a few new items and were stunned by the response. Three new hot box items – deep fried corn on the cob, chicken kabobs, and chicken tenders – all sold out.
The traditional vegetables, catfish and deli sandwiches have also been popular. For dessert, Vickie and her mom have been cooking pies and cakes. She is the daughter of Dickie and Carol Hillis. Joe’s daddy, Joe Sr., has also been helping in the kitchen.
Vickie says the convenience store business has been pretty much as she expected. She has experience working at Korner Market, Village Amoco and The Store.
Pack Manufacturing plans to expand
More jobs will be coming to Warren County when Pack Manufacturing finishes its expansion plans next year. The addition of 9,000 square feet of manufacturing space will allow Pack Manufacturing to roughly double its current workforce of 14 employees.
“We’re building off the back of the existing building,” said owner Jerry Pack. “We hope to be finished by February.”
Pack Manufacturing designs and produces equipment for the nursery industry. Jerry had worked for Bouldin & Lawson for about 20 years before opening his own business in 1994. He moved to his current location on Belmont Drive in 1999.
I always love talking about new jobs. Those new jobs are especially gratifying when they come from a homegrown company that has done well. I say congratulations to Jerry Pack and the crew at Pack Manufacturing.
An update on Mexican food
I still get frequent questions about when the new Mexican restaurants will be opening so I have come up with this progress report.
The second version of Fiesta Ranchero, located across from Bobby Ray Elementary, will be opening in just over a week. I was told by Fiesta Ranchero management that the magic day has been set for Monday, Dec. 1.
The schedule isn’t so certain for La Cazona, which is opening in Northgate Shopping Center. Owner Manuel Ochoa had previously told me the restaurant would be open in mid-November; however, that opening day has been pushed back.
I called Manuel on his cell phone yesterday (yes, writing Business Pulse does have its privileges) and he told me it will still probably be a month before La Cazona opens.
Manuel says there have been some unexpected delays. If there is one thing I’ve learned from writing this column for the past four years, it’s that unexpected delays should be expected.
That’s all folks
With Thanksgiving coming this Thursday, my cupboard may be filled with food, but it’s not filled with business news. And with a short week coming up, that doesn’t look promising.
That means I need you to call me with your business news at 473-2191.
If not, I’ve decided to fill next week’s column with pictures of my family eating turkey and having Thanksgiving glee.