April Fools joke explodes in my face
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The simple truth is Business Pulse was never canceled. I made up the whole story as an April Fools joke since last Sunday was April Fools Day. However, it turns out the joke blew up in my face.
A large number of people didn?t realize it was a prank, then didn?t read down to the end of the column where I let the April Fools joke out of the bag. To make matters worse, some folks not only thought home office canceled this column, they thought I was fired too. Ouch! That?s not the message I wanted to convey.
I am, however, pleased to report that no one called to rejoice at the fact Business Pulse had been canceled. While I?m sure there are people who had such thoughts, I want to thank you personally for not verbalizing them.
As for things of a more pleasant nature, spring has arrived which means it?s youth baseball season in Warren County. Hip, hip ? hooray!
I?m excited about the upcoming season because Benjamin is starting his second year of baseball, and I am one of the coaches on his team. Undoubtedly the most promising part about this season is the fact Ryan?s Restaurant is our sponsor. I want to announce if anybody is looking for me this summer, you?ll probably have a good chance of finding me at the buffet.
With Ryan?s as our sponsor, there?s no shortage of team slogans. I thought I might try a few of them out here:
Slogan 1 ? ?When you play Ryan?s, watch out. We?ll eat you for lunch.?
Slogan 2 ? ?We?re always hungry for a victory.?
Slogan 3 ? ?We?ll beat you so bad, you won?t come back for seconds.?
Slogan 4 ? ?When you face Ryan?s, be prepared to get grilled.?
Catchy slogans aside, Ryan?s general manager Dale Nunley told me that as one of the coaches, I?ll be able to eat for free after games. What that means to Cupcake is she?s going to be washing my baseball uniform every day of the week.
I can hear Ryan?s management now. ?Ummm ? Mr. Clark, you?ve eaten here twice a day for the last two weeks. Surely you don?t expect us to believe you?ve played that many games.?
Me: ?Whew, you wouldn?t believe that youth baseball schedule.?
I already know I?m going to like this Ryan?s sponsorship much more than last year?s sponsor of Dr. Himelwright. Now don?t get me wrong, Dr. Himelwright is a good man, and a great sponsor. In fact, I think he deserves a warm round of applause right now.
That said, it?s hard to motivate small children with a dentist.
Me: ?Great win kids! You know what that means??
Kids: ?McDonald?s!?
Me: ?Well no ? actually I was thinking a free six-month checkup. Or maybe I can interest you in some dental floss.?
Perhaps my expectations are a bit high, but I?m expecting a great season. I only hope success doesn?t go to my waist.
Rumors swirl around Plaza Shopping Center
A major development could very well be shaping up at Plaza Shopping Center in the near future. When I talked to shopping center owner Tom Duggin on Wednesday, he confirmed there has been interest from companies looking to buy the entire shopping center.
?I don?t know if I?m ready for that just yet,? said Tom when asked if he would sell the Plaza. ?I?ve worked all my life. If I sold it, I?d have to go out and find another job.?
The super secret rumor I?m hearing is that Kroger is seriously considering the shopping center for a new store. These are rumors Tom did not deny.
?The Kroger people in Nashville sure like it, but they?re not the ones with the money,? said Tom, who doesn?t say much about possible business deals.
Kroger representatives I talked to Friday in Louisville, Ky., and in Nashville declined to elaborate on their level of interest for a new store in McMinnville. And it?s very possible a deal will never materialize.
If you recall, Kroger was the anchor of a proposed development on Old Shelbyville Road near the bypass. However, that deal was stopped cold in its tracks by McMinnville officials who refused to change the zoning from residential to commercial.
If Kroger officials are still exploring ways to open a new store here, Plaza Shopping Center is some of the best real estate available. Will this grand plan ever materialize? That?s yet to be seen. As Tom will tell you, he doesn?t have the money yet.
New store opens for school, church teachers
If you?re a school teacher, or a Sunday school teacher, Jerry and Betty Baker are opening Teachers Station on Sparta Street. Teachers Station is having its grand opening this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with two $25 gift certificates to be given away and 10 percent off everything in the store.
?I know this is not the time of year to be opening a teacher supply store,? admitted Betty, who has operated Evans Studio for around 27 years. ?Teachers are thinking about summer vacation, not school supplies. But this will give them time to get acquainted with our store and get them thinking about next year.?
There?s no summer vacation for Sunday school teachers and Betty has a wide selection of workbooks and bulletin board material that?s perfect for church.
?I?ve been a Sunday school teacher for most of my life and I know how hard it is to find supplies,? said Betty. ?You either have to order from a catalogue or go out of town.?
That?s exactly why Betty decided to open the store. The idea is not to carry pencils and paper to compete with discount retailers. The purpose is to offer supplies that teachers can?t find anywhere else locally. And Betty has used advice from her daughter, Tammy Byars who is a third grade teacher at West Elementary, on how to stock the store.
Teachers Station has a great selection of materials to decorate any classroom. There are items as simple as ABCs for the younger students on up to themes for middle school and high school students.
There are educational posters on: ocean life, dinosaurs, U.S. presidents, the solar system, black history, continents, and the American revolution, just to name a few.
Regular business hours are Wednesday thru Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The phone number is 473-3771. Teachers Station is located across the road from Charley?s BBQ in the same office as Evans Studio.
New chiropractor locates in McMinnville
You could say Dr. Paul Toney has your back. Dr. Toney is opening a new chiropractic clinic in McMinnville this Wednesday with the goal of bringing his patients back to health without drugs or surgery. The business is called The Cumberland Clinic of Chiropractic and it?s located on S. Chancery Street.
Dr. Toney believes the key to good health is not covering up the symptoms by taking medication, but instead finding the root of the problem. For example, instead of constantly taking aspirin to relieve a headache, he focuses on finding the reason for the headache in the first place.
?The entire health of the body is through the spine,? said Dr. Toney. ?If you can correct problems with the spine, the body will heal itself. The side effects of medication are unbelievable. God designed us to have healthy bodies and we can have healthy bodies without medication.?
I really like Dr. Toney?s philosophy. I?ve often said the problem with our health care system is that to ease high blood pressure, we take a pill. The blood pressure pill then causes stomach problems so we take another pill. The stomach pill then causes sleeping problems so we take another pill, and so on, and so on.
Dr. Toney uses an infrared scanner to diagnose problems with the spine, and uses X-rays to evaluate progress before and after his treatments. In addition to being able to relieve neck and back pain, his treatments can also help digestive problems, asthma, attention deficit disorder, headaches and depression.
Dr. Toney seems like a great guy and I?m pleased to welcome him to the area. He will operate his local practice full time and he?s also relocating to McMinnville with his family. He?s been a paramedic since 1991, a registered nurse since 1994 and a chiropractor since 2004. His office can be reached at 474-1474.
Oral and facial surgeon
locates in McMinnville
There are several oral surgeons in Tullahoma and for years local residents have driven there, or to Murfreesboro, to get their wisdom teeth pulled. Now there?s a doctor who can handle that task right here in McMinnville.
Dr. Walter Jung has opened an office on N. Chancery Street next to Lincoln Davis headquarters. If you want to get knocked out while getting a complicated dental procedure done, Dr. Jung can accommodate you.
?People don?t want a lot of pain when they get something done so we have the capability to put them to sleep,? said Dr. Jung, who operates three offices in two states. He is at his McMinnville office every Monday.
Whether it?s something rather simple like giving a patient dental implants or pulling wisdom teeth, or something complex like facial reconstruction surgery, Dr. Jung can handle the job. He says performing facial work for accident victims is a major part of his practice in Baton Rouge, La., where he works four days a week.
?It?s a good venue for helping people,? said Dr. Jung, who has nine years of higher education under his belt.
Dr. Jung is currently trying to sell his Louisiana practice so he can devote more time to his family in Franklin and concentrate on his Tennessee practices. He also has office hours in Antioch every Saturday for people who can?t take time off during the week. Dr. Jung would like to expand his local office hours if he can build his business.
?Most people don?t realize how nice it is to live here in Tennessee until they live somewhere else,? said Dr. Jung. ?It?s as nice a place as there is in the country.?
To make an appointment with Dr. Jung, call 473-6725.
Staphana Gay joins Guaranty Trust
McMinnville?s Staphana Gay has joined the growing team of professionals at home-lending leader Guaranty Trust as a mortgage loan originator.
Gay will serve homebuyers and the real estate community in Warren, Cannon, DeKalb and Coffee counties. Her job is to work with prospective homebuyers and real estate professionals to identify and select the best financing options for new construction or existing homes.
?I?m excited to be bringing Guaranty Trust?s competitive lending products and reputation for exceptional customer service to McMinnville and Warren County,? says Gay who is willing to meet with prospective customers in their hometown as a part of her personalized service.
Prior to joining Guaranty Trust, Gay was employed with the Warren County Board of Education in McMinnville. Her background also includes experience in the insurance industry.
For a home lending consultation, contact Gay at (800) 467-3032 or via e-mail at [email protected].
Guaranty Trust has served Middle Tennessee since 1986 and offers same-day approval on all Tennessee mortgages. Headquartered in Murfreesboro, the company has additional offices in Hendersonville, Springfield and Mt. Juliet.
That?s all folks
You?re not going to get rid of me that easily. So give me a call with all your business news at 473-2191.