Don’t spray paint directions on storefront
Every once and a while you see something that makes you stop and think “What was that guy thinking?”
That’s exactly what ran through my mind the other day when I took a turn by the car wash and began cruising up N. Chancery Street. The store in question was right there on the left, just across from the Citgo station.
There, right on the front of the store, is the spray-painted message, “Moving to 1603 New Smithville Hwy.” The spray paint goes on to give more details – all right there on the front of the building.
I don’t know who spray painted the building, but hasn’t this guy ever heard of a sign? If your store is changing locations, you don’t spray paint directions on the front of your old building. That’s just tacky. It looks trashy.
I’d like to think McMinnville is a nice, attractive place to live. Then I see something like this. I don’t think stunts like this should be tolerated. If it’s not some sort of city codes violation, then it needs to become one.
We don’t need Warren County looking like garbage. Having spray paint on the front of buildings certainly isn’t going to help recruit new business. How would we fit that into the sales pitch? “In McMinnville you don’t have to worry about the pesky costs of signs. Just take a can of spray paint to the front of your store.”
We could forget about all those troubling house numbers that are so small and hard to read at night. We can all just spray paint the front of our homes. “The Clarks lives here.”
Spray painting the front of buildings is ridiculous. And someone needs to paint over that building on N. Chancery Street. If money is the object, I’ll head on down to Sherwin-Williams and buy the paint myself.
It’s something about that spray painting that reminds me of this hillbilly joke I once heard:
Three men, one German, one Japanese, and a hillbilly were sitting naked in a sauna.
Suddenly there was a beeping sound. The German pressed his forearm and the beep stopped. The others looked at him questioningly. “That was my pager,” he said. “I have a micro chip under the skin of my arm.”
A few minutes later a phone rang. The Japanese fellow lifted his palm to his ear. When he finished he explained, “That was my cell phone. I have a micro chip in my hand.”
At this point, the hillbilly felt pretty low. But not to be outdone, he decided he had to do something just as impressive. He stepped out of the sauna and went to the bathroom. He returned with a piece of toilet paper hanging from his behind. The others raised their eyebrows and stared at him. The hillbilly finally said ? “Well, will you look at that, I’m getting a fax.”
That’s our little fun for the day. Now it’s time to get down to business – time to get down to Business Pulse.
When is the best time for a job interview?
I just thought I’d throw this tidbit into the mix. A recent survey I received from Accountemps says the best time of the day to schedule a job interview is from 9 to 11 a.m. More than two-thirds of the 1,400 people surveyed say 9 to 11 a.m. is the best time.
Here’s a breakdown of the best times to interview:
• Before 9 a.m. 11%
• 9 to 11 a.m. 69%
• 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. 4%
• 1 to 3 p.m. 8%
• 3 to 5 p.m. 3%
• After 5 p.m. 2%
• Don’t know 3%
Accountemps also suggests you practice your interview almost like an audition. Tape yourself and see how you sound. It also helps to arrive on time and have ways you can contribute to the company.
New York Life opens office here
Tracey Pickens knows a thing or two about the insurance business. After working for her father, longtime All-State insurance man Jim Newby, Tracey has opened a New York Life office here in McMinnville. Her office is located in the Professional Building right next to the courthouse.
In addition to insurance, Tracey is a pretty mean bowler. She once bowled a 267 after starting the game with nine strikes before getting a split in the 10th frame. But since this article is about insurance and not bowling I should stick to the point.
“When it comes to insurance, there is no one-size-fits-all policy. It all depends on your situation,” said Tracey. “The trick is finding someone you trust who can get you what you need.”
New York Life is the nation’s most long-lived life insurance company. It opened in 1845. Estate planning, business insurance and life insurance are among its specialties.
“A lot of people have home and car insurance, but don’t have life insurance,” said Tracey. “That’s saying you will cover your stuff but you won’t cover your life. I like to give people the piece of mind knowing they have everything in order.”
Tracey said after the Sept. 11 tragedy, with the president saying the attack was an act of war, many insurance companies talked about not paying life insurance benefits because war is a stipulation where they don’t have to pay. But Tracey said New York Life stepped to the front and said it was going to pay benefits no matter what and that encouraged all other companies to do the same.
You can reach Tracey by calling 507-5433.
Get the word outabout your organization on the Internet
Ben Lomand is providing a spot on one of its Web sites for local organizations, churches and news groups to use as a bulletin board. And the best part is it’s all free.
“One of the things we’ve learned is that rural Internet customers yearn for local information,” said Ben Lomand marketing supervisor Carrie Huckeby.
Of course the best place to get all your local information is in the Southern Standard. Delivered to your home three days a week, nothing beats your hometown Southern Standard.
I went to Ben Lomand’s Web site and here’s what I saw. There’s a section for public safety that tells about hunter safety courses, fire safety and stuff like that. There’s a special section just for churches and I’m proud to say Unity Church of Christ is already on the site.
There’s also a link to the Relay for Life kickoff event, which is the all-night cancer walk being scheduled for this area. So, as you can see, there are all kinds of interesting bits of information available.
The Web site address is http://portal.blomand.net. To check out the site, use Username: guest and Password: content.
You can call Huckeby at 668-4131 for more information.
Don Heath joins Hoover & Son
Don Heath has merged his insurance business with Hoover & Son and the two are now operating out of Hoover & Son’s traditional Court Square location under the name Hoover & Son.
Don has been in the insurance business for over 20 years and he says the move won’t change a thing for his customers.
“They will get a letter saying I’m at a new location, but it won’t mean a thing to their policy,” said Don, who is an independent agent who writes auto, home, commercial and life insurance policies.
Getting in touch with Don, who is a big UT fan, is as easy as calling 473-2200.
That’s all folks
If your business is changing locations, and you want people to know, call me and I’ll put it in Business Pulse. Remember folks, don’t spray paint your new location on the outside of your former building.
My phone number is 473-2191. My e-mail is [email protected].