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TOP STORIES FOR
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2003
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New Generations Furniture Expands Again
Local Manufacturer Leases Old Gaines Building |
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By Joel Washburn
washburn@mckenziebanner.com |
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Wanted: More than 100 new employees. New Generations
Furniture Company has lease/purchased the former
Gaines/River Oaks building on U.S. 79 and needs
associates to fill the new job openings.
Ben Gaines, Jr., CEO of New Generations, said the
company plans to add 75 employees over the next 30 days
to their roster of 420 earning an annualized payroll of
$10 million. The remaining 30 new employees could
possibly work at a foam fabricating company, which has
shown great interest in locating in McKenzie in 40,000
square feet of the old Gaines building.
By February 1, 2004, New Generations will have three
upholstery lines, as well as a research and development
department, and the CAD system at their third and newest
location. With a backlog of orders to fill, employees
have been working overtime on Saturdays. The additional
floor space will allow the company to add the necessary
employees to fill the orders in a timely manner.
Gaines credits Rich Favata, president and Brent
Bradberry, VP of Sales with the tremendous sales growth.
While many other manufacturers of upholstered living
room furniture have hit a slump in sales, New
Generations continues to grow.
New Generations Furniture has leased/purchased the
300,000 square-foot facility from the McKenzie
Industrial Development Corporation for five years and
will pay more than $200,000 in delinquent property taxes
left by River Oaks Company. But due to neglect and a
1999 tornado, one-third of the building is unusable and
a large portion of it will be razed.
New Generations started April 1, 1997 in the former Gary
Simmons Chevrolet dealership on Highland Avenue. In
1997, the company relocated to the 60,000 square-foot
Brown Shoe building, a facility New Generations
purchased from the Industrial Board. In 1998, the
company added its second location - a new 106,000 square
foot building on Rochelle Store Road, adjacent to the
airport.
A separate and independent company, Cut Right, located
on Hill Road adjacent to the Rochelle Store location,
produces wooden frames exclusively for New Generations.
Cut Right employs approximately 26 persons.
"This is home," said Gaines, when asked why he has
relocated all operations in McKenzie. "Some employees
have been with me for 25 years."
Ben Gaines, Jr. already has selected his office at the
former Gaines location. It's his old office and his
dad's before that. The original Gaines started in 1958,
when Ben Jr. was just an infant. Over the years, Ben
Gaines Sr. expanded from the original 60,000 square foot
building to the 300,000 square foot facility.
Gaines credits Billy Barksdale, McKenzie Industrial
Board Executive Director, for working with New
Generations on acquiring the former Gaines building.
Barksdale said he had unsuccessfully attempted to
purchase the building for three years. It was held in
bankruptcy when River Oaks filed for Chapter 11
reorganization. Finally, the bankruptcy court agreed to
a purchase price of $100,000 and the assumption of the
delinquent taxes. Barksdale said New Generations would
probably spend another $900,000 on the property.
Barksdale forwarded numerous photos of the building to
the court showing the deterioration of the unoccupied
building. Then the bankruptcy judge permitted the
stripping of air conditioners, air lines, electrical
conduit, and other salvageable items from the building.
Several areas were stripped before Barksdale was able to
get it halted. As Barksdale was working through the
process of a deed transfer, the Tennessee Department of
Environment and Conservation slapped a lien on the
property for an environmental cleanup the Department
conducted. The Department found 12 drums buried inside a
concrete retaining wall. The cost to remove the drums
was more than $100,000, but later negotiated to
$25,000.Upon researching the deed, the Industrial Board
learned that River Oaks had not exercised its rights to
purchase an adjacent road and parking lot that extends
from Kencindot to Highland Drive. That matter required
action by the McKenzie City Council granting the parking
lot to the Industrial Board.
"This will be a nice piece of property when they
finish," said Barksdale. "I'm tickled to death that they
(New Generations) got it. It is going to put a lot of
people back to work."
"I'm extremely pleased that the building is back in
local control," said John Baumgardner, chairman of the
McKenzie Industrial Board. "It's fitting that Gaines and
the extended family will have control of the
property...This is something we can all take pride in."
"I think it's wonderful," said Gena Manner, whose late
husband was a principal in the former Gaines company.
"That thrills me so much."
New Generations' news comes on the heels of two other
positive industrial developments in McKenzie. Republic
Builders was purchased out of bankruptcy by a former
owner, Desco and Profile Metal Forming plans an
expansion in the first quarter of 2004. |
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Valu-Plus Closes After 8 Years, Store Unoccupied for the
First Time in 55 Years |
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By Linda Bolton
linda@mckenziebanner.com |
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"We've had a lot of people in today to tell us
goodbye," said Valu-Plus Grocery owner Brenda Laughlin
through red-rimmed eyes on the store's final day of
business Friday, December 19. The store was the last
grocery store to remain in Trezevant, where at one time
seven groceries operated according to Brenda's
daughter-in-law Beverly.
"We've cried and cried - it's just hard to leave these
nice folks, it's been wonderful," Brenda continued. She
and husband Stanley bought the store eight years ago
from Randy and Pat Hudgins, commuting from their home in
Dyer - some 60 miles round trip - six or seven days a
week.
"I worked in a factory for 26 years," continues Brenda,
whose father operated a grocery store for 50 years.
"When we bought this store it was a dream come true."
In its heyday, Valu Plus delivered 60 lunch plates a day
to H.I.S. workers a block away. "When it went out that
really hurt," she says, adding the store once cooked
fresh donuts every morning as well until demand fell.
"You can't cook them and just throw them away," she says
morosely. Employment at the store had declined from a
high of ten extra workers to just two employees besides
Stanley, Brenda and Beverly Laughlin.
Mr. Laughlin was less maudlin concerning the store's
demise, instead using the occasion as a warning to
citizens of Trezevant and other small towns whose
citizens opt for the lures of Wal-Mart, big-city
shopping and, increasingly, the Internet in satisfying
their needs rather than giving business to old stand-bys
that are easily taken for granted.
A poem distributed by Mr. Laughlin entitled "Decline of
a Town" attributed such negligence to the demise of
businesses, hospital and service facilities that may not
be missed until it is too late.
Unfortunately, many of the citizens in Trezevant already
aware of the hardship caused by the closing of the store
are also those with fewest resources - the elderly.
Mrs. Zonie Yates made her final purchases late Friday
afternoon before bidding farewell to the shop keepers
who, over the years, have become "like family."
"We've had some real dedicated customers here and we've
been through everything with the people here," Brenda
said tearfully. "We were really proud to be a part of
the community. It's like family; it's not like Kroger,
where you go in and go out."
Hazel Hickman, who has been frequenting the store under
one owner or another for 55 years visited the store for
a final time as well. "I love y'all and I sure hate to
see you go," she said with shaking voice. "It's going to
be a hardship on people like me."
The store had made it a matter of service to deliver
groceries to elderly citizens of the town, even putting
away the groceries in some cases.
"Taking them their groceries just brightened their day,"
Brenda said. Unanswered was the question of what some
elderly customers will do now.
Staying true to the end was Brenda's "running buddy"
Dotorhy Burress and her granddaughter Alisha. Dorothy
visited the store daily and, aside from friendship,
volunteered her services when business was brisk.
"This is a very good store and good people and good
entertainment," smiled Alisha, with less than an hour
left of the store's last day. "It's like one big happy
family."
"Bird dog's the ending of it," Brenda sighed, referring
to Reed's Auction Company's James "Bird dog" Reed who
would sell the remaining goods and equipment to the
highest bidder the following day.
Mr. Laughlin has employment lined up as a meat cutter at
Bradford's Bestway Grocery, however, once the dust
settles from the transition, both Brenda and Beverly
will be seeking employment closer to home. |
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Trezevant Ballot Set; Special Election Slated for Newsom's
Seat |
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By Jim Steele
steele@mckenziebanner.com |
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There will be two candidates for mayor, four candidates
for open alderman seats and another special election
when Trezevant citizens vote on March 2.The
qualifying deadline was noon Thursday, December 18.
According to Linda Radford of the Carroll County
Election Commission, Wayne David Bryant Jr. and Michael
Cunningham have qualified and will be on the ballot as
mayoral candidates.
In addition, four candidates will be vying for two
alderman seats. Lloyd Bateman, Eddie W. Granger, Bobby
McAlexander and Larry Searatt will appear on the ballot
as well.
Radford said that the recent death of Trezevant city
board member Frank Newsom has created a vacancy.
"According to the (Trezevant) city charter, the board
will appoint someone until the next election," Radford
said. "This will be an unexpired two-year term. The
other (alderman) seats are four years."
The qualifying date for the special election is Jan.
7. Prospective candidates must petition 25 citizens who
are registered voters and live within the city limits of
Trezevant. This special election also will appear on the
March 2 ballot.
Radford also added that the Tennessee presidential
primary will be held Feb. 10. |
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More Than $10,000 Taken in Dollar General Burglary at
Huntingdon |
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Dollar General Store in Huntingdon was the target of a
December 15 burglary in which a thief or thieves made
off with a large sum of money.
Lt. Johnny Hill stated that at 8:57 a.m., Huntingdon
Police Department received a 911 call that the store had
been burgled. Upon arrival, Lt. Hill found the rear door
was open and the office area and front of the store was
in disarray.
A safe at the store had been opened and more than
$10,000 had been removed. No arrests have been made and
the burglary remains under investigation. |
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These
stories and more exclusively in the
print edition: |
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- Henry Plant Closed This Week; 170 Workers Displaced
- Troopers, Deputies to Deliver 48 Bicycles to
Children
- State Seeks Thousands of Lost Owners
- State Health Commissioner Visits Carroll County
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Phone (731) 352-3323 or Fax (731)
352-3322
washburn@mckenziebanner.com
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