Be on the lookout for pill-popping cats

Our days of having an Eckerd will be short lived as the new store on the corner of Chancery and Locust streets has been bought by Rite Aid.

And I thought Americans couldn?t take any more prescriptions than we already do. Now there?s a company pushing Prozac for my cat. When will the madness end?

My cat may spend the better part of the day sleeping but that doesn?t mean he suffers from depression. It means he?s a cat. I?m sure not going to give him daily medication.

If this keeps up, nobody is going to know how to act. We medicate kids so they?ll sit still when they?re supposed to be active ? they?re kids. So they grow up to be fat adults and then need to take a pill so they have energy. Hmm, this sounds awfully dumb.

Now we?re medicating our pets. About the only thing left is our trees, which probably aren?t as happy as they should be and could benefit from Xanax.

Since I?m on the topic of pets, I thought I?d give this week?s Business Pulse an animal theme. To show how far some folks will go to pamper their pets, Miami wig maker Ruth Regina is now offering extravagant pet wigs with prices that can reach into the hundreds of dollars. If your pet is struggling with problems with its fur, a glamorous dog wig might be just the thing to help him or her regain some of that lost self-esteem.

But even attractive dogs can benefit from one of the wigs Regina has designed to enhance sex appeal. ?It?s for dogs that feel sexy,? said Regina in describing the high-dollar wig. ?There are some dogs that have the come-hither look.?

I don?t think I care to elaborate on that comment.

And finally, I bring you a groundbreaking report from a group of British farmers who claim cows have accents that reflect the area in which they were raised. In short, the farmers claim that cows around these parts have Southern accents.

Lloyd Green, who is from southwest England, is one of the farmers who spearheaded this study.

?I spend a lot of time with my Friesians and they definitely ?moo? with a Somerset drawl,? he said, referring to the breed of dairy cow he owns. I?ve spoken to other farmers in the West Country group and they have noticed a similar development in their own herds. I think it works the same as with dogs ? the closer a farmer?s bond is with his animals, the easier it is for them to pick up his accent.?

For those of you who want to dispute this finding remember that most of us have only been exposed to Southern cows and therefore we?re probably used to their Southern ?moo.? It?s very possible cows from up North don?t moo anything like our cows.

While this suddenly explains a great many things to me, it still leaves one question unsolved. Why don?t Southern cows wear cowboy hats?

Eckerd to have short stay in McMinnville

It seems like only a few months ago a brand new Eckerd was built in McMinnville. OK, so it really was just a few months ago.

Turns out, Eckerd?s stay will be brief. Our Eckerd was one of 30 Midstate stores to be purchased Thursday by Rite Aid. The $2.55 billion deal will make Rite Aid the nation?s third largest pharmacy behind Walgreen?s and CVS.

I was told by an Eckerd spokesperson Friday the sale is expected to be finalized between early December and late February. Once the deal closes, it will be up to Rite Aid to determine which stores get new signs and new merchandise first.

Said Rite Aid president and CEO Mary Sammons, ?We?ll be in a stronger position to take advantage of the growth expected in our industry with more people taking more prescriptions, a wave of new generics coming to market, the new Medicare prescription plan for seniors and customers becoming more health conscious.?

Now that?s something to look forward to ? more people taking more prescriptions.

There?s a new bank president in town

First National Bank has a storied tradition of hiring quality employees during the course of its 132-year history. Add one more to that list.

Thomas Vance was named president of First National Bank on Aug. 1 and has settled into the community. He makes the short move to McMinnville after nearly 25 years in banking in Murfreesboro.

?I was impressed with the soundness, the longevity and capital of this bank,? said Tom. ?It seemed to be an awfully good fit for me.?

Tom got his start at the old Murfreesboro Bank and Trust Co., which has long since been defunct. It was bought out by Mid-South Bank, which was later bought out by Third National Bank, which was later bought out by Suntrust Bank. And Tom was there through every transition.

?I was sitting at the same desk and getting new business cards on a regular basis,? said Tom. ?There?s a lot of acquisition-mania going on in the banking business nowadays as I?m sure you?re aware. In every situation, the bank got a little bigger and a little bigger.?

Folks around these parts are sure aware of that phenomenon. City Bank and Trust sold out to Union Planters which in turn sold out to Regions Bank. Now Regions Bank has merged with AmSouth in a deal that?s still taking shape and is sure to lead to the closing of at least one of the branches here in town.

Tom grew tired of having his career in a constant state of transition so in 1995 he was among a group that started Rutherford County Bank and Trust. That bank successfully opened and ran a profitable business before ? guess what. It sold out to Greene County Bank, which is a powerful East Tennessee bank.

When the smoke cleared, Tom and his partners turned a nice profit in the deal, but Tom ended up signing a no-compete agreement which has kept him out of banking until now.

?The agreement recently expired and I found out through mutual friends this bank was looking for a president,? said Tom, who is happy to be working for an independent bank. ?What?s amazed me is the number of employees who have been here for 20 years plus, 30 years plus. You don?t see that continuity in staff these days.?

Tom comes to McMinnville with his wife of 32 years, Nancy, and his son Andrew, a junior at Warren County High School. Pioneer sports fans should remember Andrew?s name because I understand he is quite a tennis player, who comes from a state championship team last year at Siegel. The couple has a grown daughter, Ashley, who is a pharmacy manager in Murfreesboro.

CiCi?s closes in on opening date

Over the past month, the most popular Business Pulse question I?ve been asked is when will CiCi?s Pizza open?

After a series of unexpected delays (which should always be expected if you?re dealing with construction issues), CiCi?s appears about one month away from opening. Plan on the all-you-can-eat pizza buffet opening around the end of September in Cumberland Plaza.

Roses hopes appear to be growing dim

I regret to say I may have been overly optimistic about Roses locating at Three Star Mall. Now I don?t believe the chain will open a store in McMinnville.

I began to have my doubts when Roses representatives stopped responding to my questions about a month ago. Then came the events of last Thursday, which all but smothered any hope I had left.

One of my super secret Business Pulse spies made a trip to Murfreesboro and discovered the Roses there is no longer open. There was brown paper over all the windows and no sign of activity surrounding the store. It doesn?t sound good.

Factory Connection now sells shoes

If you?ve been wishing for a new place to buy women?s shoes in McMinnville, you probably should think of better things to wish for. Personally, I?d wish for winning the lottery or winning a new car (which could happen this Thursday at 6 p.m. at Stewart Pharmacy).

But if name-brand shoes are what you crave at discount prices, then you should stop by Factory Connection at Northgate Shopping Center. The store received its first shipment of shoes on Wednesday and employees are expecting about 200 more pairs this week.

?This is really going to help our sales,? said store manager Monika Hopkins. ?The most expensive shoes we have are $49 and those are boots.?

Don?t think because the prices are reasonable that the shoes are cheap. Factory Connection offers name-brand shoes and has everything from sneakers to high heels to casual footwear.

National Guard seeks new recruits

I?m not privy to National Guard numbers, but it?s my guess the 278th?s recent deployment to Iraq hasn?t done wonders for recruiting. That?s why National Guardsmen are wanting to draw attention to a special recruiting drive taking place two Sundays from now, Sept. 10, at Wal-Mart. The recruiting drive is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

In case you?re wondering, anyone up to age 41 is welcome to join the National Guard. To stimulate interest, there will be a climbing wall and a snazzy National Guard truck at Wal-Mart for the recruiting drive.

Two new agents join Home Town Realty

Charlotte McCormick and Josh Hillis have joined the Home Town Realty staff.

Charlotte brings 25 years experience, formally working with Mid-State Realty in Smithville. She can be reached at 473-8337 (office) or 686-3702 (home).

Hillis graduated from Warren County High School in 2000. He received his auctioneer license from Nashville Auction School in the fall of 2000. He?s served as an auctioneer for the past six years and received his affiliate broker license this May. He can be reached at 686-2701 or 212-3420.

That?s all folks

Phone in your business tips at 473-2191.