Avoid the corpse as you exit the plane
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I realize such a move might be greeted with opposition, especially from the National Rifle Association which generally opposes any restrictions on firearms. I?m sure the NRA would argue that asking readers to refrain from using firearms while reading a newspaper column is an infringement of personal freedoms. And they are probably poised to unleash their high-powered lawyers on me for suggesting anything less than one hand on the newspaper, the other hand on the trigger.
My argument is I want Business Pulse to be a happy place, a safe haven so to speak. So I?m asking from the bottom of my heart that you please not shoot anybody while you are reading this column or while they are reading this column.
Now if I could only get more people to read this thing other than my mom we would be making progress.
As for other stories of note, the struggles of the airline industry have been fairly well documented. Unfortunately, the news isn?t getting any better.
Last month, a British Airways economy-class passenger had the misfortune of dying on a flight that departed from Delhi, India. As far as bad flight experiences go, I?d say that would have to be the worst, both for the dead guy and fellow passengers. It?s certainly worse than not getting an extra bag of peanuts.
So what did the brilliant British Airways flight attendants decide to do? They moved the dead guy from the cramped economy class section to the less congested first-class area. Naturally, this was annoying to the passengers who paid top dollar to sit in first class. I must admit it certainly takes some of the glamour away from first-class status when corpses are introduced to the section.
When first-class passengers complained and asked for their ticket prices to be reduced for the inconvenience, British Airways took a hard-line stance. The airline reportedly told one customer to just ?get over it? and that no discount would be offered.
My guess is British Airways isn?t the airline with the slogan, ?Fly the friendly skies.?
With so much controversy, and anxiety in today?s world, people need a way to relax and unwind. However the innovative new technique of snake massage isn?t what I call appealing. The technique calls for six king snakes to slither over the client?s body.
While supporters say this massage is incredibly stress reducing, I think it would only add to my tension to have six snakes on my back. That?s my idea of a worst nightmare, not relaxation.
It?s great news at Morrison Tool & Fab
It was roughly a month ago that I wrote a front-page story about significant layoffs taking place at Morrison Tool & Fab. At that time, company owner Ron Wilson told me the 160 layoffs were extremely unfortunate, but he stressed they were only temporary.
True to his word, Ron called me on Thursday with the glowing news that the layoffs will soon be over and the company is in the process of calling all the employees back. Ron said some people will be back on the job as early as tomorrow morning.
?The orders are here and additional orders are on the way,? said Ron. ?Our schedule is full and we have a lot of activity. It won?t be long before we?re back to being wide open.?
There are few things I like better than positive job news. OK, so there are about seven or eight things I like better than positive job news, including roller coasters and football, but good job news certainly makes the top 10.
Ron said he believes the Morrison Tool & Fab workforce will once again be 300 strong by mid-May. He says he still predicts 2007 will be a 20 to 30 percent increase in business from 2006.
?As soon as we can get the raw material processed we will be getting everyone back,? said Ron.
One thing Ron and his staff are trying to achieve is recruiting even more business to prevent this sort of first-quarter slowdown in the future. Ron said Morrison Tool & Fab has been awarded protype work from Mercedes which could very well lead to production work. He said Mercedes officials were in town Thursday to tour the plant and meet company officials.
?We?ve been working on Mercedes for nine months,? said Ron. ?It might lead to a few new jobs but more than anything it will help keep the jobs we do have.?
In my previous write up, I also mentioned Morrison Tool & Fab was in the bidding for Wal-Mart work orders. Those bids for about nine line items have been submitted and it should take a couple more months before they are awarded.
Additionally, Ron says his sales staff has grown from two to six employees and those folks are constantly seeking to recruit even more work. I?d say the future looks bright. Any employees who were laid off by the company earlier this year are urged to call the plant to find out their call-back date.
Opening The Greenhouse
has taken some work
Cheryl Fults, owner of The Greenhouse, jokes that she should have given her new business a different name.
?We named it The Greenhouse but I say we should have called it The Baby,? said Cheryl, who indicated the greenhouse has to maintain a 50 degree temperature even in the dead of winter. ?We heat it with wood so we?d have to get up every two hours all winter long and add more wood. We?d be up at midnight, 2 a.m., and 4 a.m. and we went through some wood.?
All the work has paid off and Cheryl has a greenhouse overflowing with hanging baskets, ferns, impatiens, petunias, marigolds, all types of vegetable plants, and much more. The grand opening was Tuesday.
When it comes to greenhouse work, Cheryl knows her stuff. She worked for Hobbs Greenhouse for seven years before serving as the live nursery specialist at Lowe?s for the past two years.
?I got tired of everybody else making money on what I do,? said Cheryl. ?So I decided to go into business for myself.?
Cheryl started on her back porch, which is glassed in. Then she stepped up to a very small greenhouse in the backyard. Now she has a king-sized 48×56 greenhouse and already has plans for that to double in size by next year. All the construction work was done by her husband, Jerry.
?I said you build it and I?ll fill it,? said Cheryl. ?After he built this, within a month it was full.?
Cheryl is helped in the business by children Jordan and Libby. She says together the whole family aims to offer top-notch customer service.
?You?d be amazed at the people who want someone to stand there and help them pick out the right things,? said Cheryl. ?That?s what we specialize in. Every one of us can tell you what goes best depending on the amount of sun it will get.?
The Greenhouse is located just a bit off the beaten path on 2000 Myers Cove Road in the Fairview community. Regular business hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday thru Saturday. The phone number is 668-9057. Cheryl also said they plan to have a regular booth on Saturdays at the new Mega Market Flea Market at the old Powermatic building.
Gary Dodson back in convenience store business
After six years as owners of Bridge Side Market, Gary and Gail Dodson are back in the saddle again. They didn?t move far, about a mile down Beersheba Street to open their new store which is appropriately called Gary and Gail?s Pit Stop.
?This is what I like to do,? said Gary. ?And I like it up here on this hill across from the bank. This is a busy road. I can?t believe the amount of traffic that goes through here. It will just take a few days for people to realize we?re open.?
It took a little longer than expected but opening day was Wednesday. Gary did a tremendous amount of renovation work to the building, even adding a 16-seat dining area to one side and a drive-thru window to the other.
Gary is known for his food and he?s got another great menu lined up for his new place. It all starts with breakfast and a mean gravy that Gail makes every day beginning at 4 a.m. The lunch menu features hamburgers made from fresh meat and a philly steak and cheese sandwich. As always, there?s free coffee with every purchase. Snacks, cold drinks and cigarettes are also available.
?I plan on putting a big smoker out front and cooking BBQ,? said Gary. ?That smoker and the smell of BBQ will certainly catch people?s attention.?
Gary and Gail?s Pit Stop is located across from Citizen?s Tri-County Bank near the triangle in Mt. Leo. The store opens at 5 a.m.
?We thought this would make a nice, little store and it does,? said Gary. ?We didn?t want anything too big. We just wanted to get the ball rolling.?
Simmons recognized as Rookie of the Year
McMinnville residents Jay and Arla Simmons have to be proud of their son, Kyle. He was recently honored as 2006 Rookie of the Year by the Middle Tennessee Association of Realtors, which serves eight counties.
Simmons is a realtor with Bob Parks Realty. He resides with his wife, Melissa, in Murfreesboro. He is a member of the Middle Tennessee Association of Realtors? public relations committee. He has worked on the Walking for the Children horse show, the Bill Carey Golf Scramble, Make A Difference Day, and other service projects.
At his office, Simmons was elected to serve on the Circle of Leaders committee.
That?s all folks
Thanks for reading another edition of Business Pulse. You are now free to pick up your firearm and resume shooting.
Business tips can be reported at 473-2191.