Wedding bells sound at 104
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A 33-year-old man has reportedly married a 104-year-old woman with the man saying their years of mutual respect and friendship had turned to love. And by the way, it?s the woman?s 21st marriage but it?s the man?s first.
I?m still trying to shake the image of their wedding night when she goes to slip into something more comfortable.
Despite 21 marriages, the woman is childless. And in case you?re wondering if the man is the Malaysian version of Anna Nicole Smith, he?s not. The 104-year-old is reportedly poor.
Personally, I?m at a loss to understand the man?s motivation. He could be close friends with the woman without marriage. And I strongly doubt they?re going to do some of the things married couples do. I also think I?m pretty safe in saying they?re not going to start a family. Maybe he just wanted to get his picture in Business Pulse.
As for other news, there are stories that are weird and then there are stories about fate. This story about Florida resident Ms. Arnie Fairclaw is definitely one about fate.
It might have seemed Ms. Fairclaw was in for a bad day when she fell and broke her leg. She had to be rushed to the hospital and was in such bad shape doctors urged her to stay overnight. Her day is sounding worse all the time.
But here?s where the news gets better. Later that night, a drunk driver lost control of his pickup, rammed Fairclaw?s house and destroyed the bed where she would have been sound asleep. What a stroke of luck it turned out to be that she fell, broke her leg and was in the hospital.
With Mother?s Day coming next weekend, I wanted to issue my annual Worst Mother of the Year award, which I make a point of presenting about every three or four years. It goes to Huntington, Ind., resident Elizabeth Bragg, 23, who created a disturbing way to punish her 4-year-old stepdaughter.
If you can believe this, Bragg was convicted of unfastening the child?s seatbelt and then slamming on the brakes several times so the girl would smash her head. It makes me wonder about the gene pool in Huntington.
Smithville?s largest employer could expand here
The latest edition of the Cumberland Business Journal which hit the streets Friday reports SW Manufacturing in Smithville is considering an expansion in Warren County.
Citing confidential sources close to recruiting discussions, SW Manufacturing is looking at occupying an existing building in Warren County. It is believed the expansion would lead to 75 to 100 jobs.
SW has already talked to White County officials about the former Emerson Controls building on Churchill Drive, but engineers determined that building did not fit SW?s needs. That?s when attention turned to McMinnville.
I heard rumors over a year ago that SW was interested in locating in the old DeZurik building. But that talk fizzled out long ago and I hadn?t heard anything more about SW in months.
Pikeville and Dalton, Ga., were also listed in Cumberland Business Journal as possible expansion sites. SW already has a plant in Dalton that employs 400.
The SW plant in Smithville has around 700 employees. The company manufactures vehicle seat rails, which are the rails on either side of the seat which enables it to slide forward or backward.
It sounds like SW officials are examining a variety of sites which is never good news for Warren County. I only hope SW isn?t strongly considering the old WastAway building.
Bredesen says education key to recruiting industry
I couldn?t let Gov. Phil Bredesen visit the Standard a couple weeks ago and leave without answering a few industry-related questions. Bredesen said there is hope for Warren County finding a new tenant for the Carrier building but he thinks it?s going to take just the right fit.
?I?ve talked to Commissioner Matt Kisber about Carrier and about what some of the possibilities are for it,? said Bredesen. ?It?s not as good as having a brand new building obviously but there are certainly plenty of assembly operations and manufacturing businesses that could use a 40-year-old plant.
?I think and ideal partner would be one utilizing the work force that was trained at Carrier. A new company could capitalize on that training with a modest amount of retraining and really benefit. We?re certainly looking for those kinds of businesses for Warren County.?
As economist Bill Fruth stressed and incoming County Executive John Pelham emphasized in his campaign, Bredesen said Warren County must improve its high school graduation rate to seriously contend for manufacturing jobs.
?I think we ultimately have to graduate more people from high school, graduate more people from community colleges and more people from four-year colleges,? said Bredesen. ?I think that capital and business opportunities are going to go to the places that have the educated work force it takes to make these companies successful.?
New business helps your playset dreams come true
If a high-quality, wooden playset is what you?d like to have in your backyard, then look no further than Dream Builders. In fact, if you?re in the market for storage barns, outdoor furniture, or a gazebo, it?s worth giving Dream Builders a call.
The new business is located on Smithville Highway across from the John Deere dealership and is owned by Donna Woodlee and Charlie Turner. The neat thing about Dream Builders is you can tell them exactly what kind of playset you want and Charlie will build it.
?We have a playset for anybody?s budget,? said Donna, who said the cheapest model starts at $395. ?We realize not everybody can afford an expensive playset.?
Charlie said sometimes he gets his design ideas from kids.
?I had one family not too long ago who let their little girl pick out all the features herself,? said Charlie. ?She knew exactly what she wanted and that?s the way we built it.?
Charlie says the turnaround time is pretty quick, usually just three or four days before he can start building. Dream Builders is not only popular in Warren County but also in surrounding areas. Because of its location on a heavily traveled highway, Dream Builders has done work for customers in Smithville, Manchester and even Alabama.
One big project in the works is building a playset at the drive-in theater in Woodbury. If storage buildings are more your line, Dream Builders has them as big as 14×40 feet.
The phone number is 934-PLAY (7529).
Citizens Tri-County Bank opens third local branch
The Mt. Leo area has a new business to smile about with the addition of Citizens Tri-County Bank. The bank opened a new branch Monday in the building that was formerly a City Bank location but was more recently a car lot.
?Serving our customers is our business and we think that?s a good location,? said Citizens CEO Glenn Barker. ?We?re committed to McMinnville and this is a way to serve our customers on that side of town.?
Crystal Hillis is in charge of the new branch and she has an interesting story. She was working for Citizens in Dunlap and dating Jon Hillis, a Warren County High School graduate. About the time she and Jon decided to marry, as luck would have it, Citizens decided to locate in McMinnville.
As for Jon?s line of work, he?s now with Homeland Community Bank, otherwise known as the competition. Such an arrangement, it would appear, would lend itself to at-home arguments about who has the best no-hassle checking. But Crystal says the two are able to leave their work at the office and she?s happy to be working at the new branch.
?A lot of the customers here are customers I?ve had from other branches,? said Crystal. ?They?re all excited about the new location.?
John Simmons opens office on Chancery Street
John Simmons came to town about a year and a half ago and joined the staff of Edward Jones Investments. After sharing an office with Dave Wideman, the Jedi knight of financial consultants, for most of that time, John has opened his own place on The Strip in the old Century 21 spot.
?The plan all along was for me to open my own office,? said John. ?Dave has built up such a large customer base it?s gotten to the point where that?s about all he can handle and give his clients the individual attention they need. That?s where Edward Jones determined this town is big enough for two locations.?
John has already established around 380 accounts and says now is an opportune time to invest in the stock market. Depending on your tolerance for risk, he has an investment to suit your every need.
John is joined at his new office by Debby Boyd, who formerly worked at the Chamber. If you?d like to discuss ways to better manage your wealth, give John a call at 473-2766.
Bouldin joins loan staff at Security Federal
McMinnville native Darryl Bouldin has joined the mortgage loan division of Security Federal, announced bank president Joe Pugh.
Bouldin is an MTSU graduate and no stranger to the local business scene. In 1990, he became owner of Hitchcock?s Men?s Store, which later became Darryl?s Men?s Shop. In 1998, he opened the local Shelter Insurance office which he operated for four years. He then moved to Nashville and got his mortgage career started with First State Bank.
?It?s an honor to be back in McMinnville and to be working with the professionals at Security Federal,? said Darryl. ?The knowledge and experience I gained while working in the Nashville market has proven immeasurable. I look forward to assisting both old and new friends with what is likely the largest purchase they will ever make, the purchase of a home.?
That?s all folks
For all the kind people who have phoned in business tips, don?t worry. I currently have a backlog of about five tips to track down and I?ll try to address as many of those as possible next week.
The number to call for more business tips is 473-2191.