In my years of wading through business news, sometimes up to my throat, I’ve learned two things. The stories which get people excited the most are about new restaurants and more jobs.
Coming in third, by my unofficial count, are stories about vacuum cleaners. That means today’s big story takes either second or third because it’s about more jobs AND it’s about vacuum cleaners.
Local resident Larry York has designed and patented a water vacuum cleaner called the Quantum X. It’s unique because it’s an upright vacuum and it sells for a fraction of the price of most water vacuum cleaners.
Business is going so well, Larry has expanded into the old Rockford Textiles building at 203 Durham Street. His company is called IntelliClean Solutions and it’s occupying all 24,000 square feet in the facility.
“All customer service in the U.S. is handled right here,” said Larry, who outgrew his former location on Red Road. “We have three fulfillment centers, one in Florida, one in California, and now this one right here in McMinnville. With what we’re doing here, it’s going to lead to 15 to 20 more jobs that we’ll be hiring for in the next few weeks.”
Larry has an interesting story as a former door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman. In fact he owned the rights to the Rainbow franchise here in Warren County from 1989 to 2000.
Larry said door-to-door sales were tough but he always had success because there’s genuine interest in water vacuum cleaners, even though the vacuums were high-dollar items.
“In 100 years of there being water vacuums, there had never been an upright vacuum before this one and I always wondered why there wasn’t because people would ask about it all the time,” said Larry.
You could say he took matters into his own hands, designing his own upright water vacuum with his wife, Gina. After years of tinkering and fine tuning, the Quantum X made its way into production. They are manufactured in China and Larry said he made six trips to The Orient last year to ensure a quality vacuum is being produced.
“Things manufactured in China get a bad reputation, but it’s all up to the company to determine how well the products are made,” said Larry. “I get to pick the materials the vacuums are made from. It’s our own engineering team that’s in place. We’re making sure it’s a quality product. Our expectations are the vacuums will last 10 years and they come with a three-year warranty.”
The Quantum X sells for $399 and Larry says TV is his main source of advertisement. He has three different infomercials that are 2 minutes, 5 minutes and 30 minutes. He said the 30-minute segments are reserved for late-night viewing, usually around 2 a.m.
He also does live segments on TV shopping networks that are wildly popular.
“We’ve sold 2,500 before in a one-hour live segment,” said Larry, who said the Quantum X works well on any surface and comes in four different colors to match your décor.
Larry said water vacuum cleaners are so effective because the water serves as a natural way to absorb odors, dust and other debris. The water serves as the filter. When you’re done vacuuming, you simply toss out the dirty water.
All vacuum cleaner repairs are handled at the facility in McMinnville and Larry also has some refurbished models available at a discounted price. Also promising is the fact IntelliClean is in the process of expanding globally to markets in Europe, Australia and China.
Larry said the process has been gratifying because only about 1 percent of inventions worldwide make it to market. He said he’s recently been in discussions with selling the Quantum X in a big box store and that could be a huge next step.
“We’ve surrounded ourselves with the right kind of people and that’s really made the difference,” said Larry.
For more information, visit the website quantumxvac.com or call (844) 787-4275.
The editors of Business Pulse would like to applaud Larry and his crew for their ingenuity and for filling a building that had been vacant for about a year and giving it new life.
The Pinnacle
Of primary care
In his nearly 10 years in McMinnville, Dr. Jeffery Peterson has gained a sterling reputation as a skilled orthopedic surgeon. Seeing a glaring need in the primary care field in this community, Dr. Peterson has decided to branch out from fixing broken bones as he’s opened Pinnacle Primary Care at 1428 Sparta Street.
There was no lull in the action as Jan. 2 was the first day and nurse practitioner Lacey Jones was busy seeing 14 patients.
“I didn’t anticipate being so busy from day one,” said Lacey. “When we get going, I plan to see up to 20 patients a day, but 14 was pretty tough with everyone here trying to learn a new computer system.”
Lacey pointed out five primary care providers in Warren County either retired or left the profession in 2019. The result is a need to call 911 to fill what’s become a gaping hole in our medical community.
“With five providers leaving, it really put a big dent in our community for primary care,” said Lacey. “We’ll handle everything for ages 5 and up. That can be anything from high blood pressure to the flu to cholesterol issues, gastrointestinal, anxiety, insomnia, depression. We handle it all.”
Lacey is joined by medical assistant Melanie Todd, lab technician Deb Randals Wood and receptionist Stephanie Keith. Lacey said much of the lab work can be done in-house, although there are some tests which need to be sent off.
Dr. Peterson said he’s been thinking about opening a primary care facility here for a couple of years and finally decided to put his plans into action.
“There’s a real need for more primary care here,” said Dr. Peterson. “I think the community will really benefit from this and I’m very blessed to be able to get someone as talented as Lacey.”
Pinnacle Primary Care accepts all types of insurance and also has separate prices for people who are looking to pay cash. Dr. Peterson noted most of his patients are insured, but he’s happy to work with people who aren’t.
Dr. Peterson also said since he’s an orthopedic surgeon, he’s not the supervising physician at the office. That distinction belongs to Dr. Bryan Chastain, who is also very reputable.
As someone who has often struggled to get primary care for members of my own family, I can attest to the need for this type of healthcare facility. Warren County needs more doctors, in my opinion, but recruiting these professionals to come to a rural area is certainly a challenge. The allure of big-city lights seems too much to overcome.
Pinnacle Primary Care is accepting new patients and is open Monday thru Friday. The phone number is 507-8151.
Big news heats
Up at gas company
There’s big news on the burner at Middle Tennessee Natural Gas where a new year has brought a change in leadership.
Mike Davidson has been named executive vice president and CEO of the utility after the retirement of Jim Hodges.
Davidson comes to the utility after an extended career with the city of Cookeville. He served as Cookeville city manager from March 2015 through June 2019, and prior to that, he held the positions of Cookeville finance director and director of Cookeville Gas Department.
Said Hodges in welcoming Davidson on board, “We are delighted to have Mike leading our strong team. Mike’s character and his management and financial experience will all serve the district and its customers well over the coming years.”
Said Davidson, “I decided to join the district because of its reputation as being a leader in the world of public natural gas systems. The dedication and commitment of each employee, both past and present, has earned this reputation. Together we will continue to fulfill our district’s mission to our customers and to the communities we serve.”
The news doesn’t stop there. In an additional announcement, Cliff Swoape has been promoted to director of human resources and communications at Middle Tennessee Natural Gas.
Swoape has served the district since 1987 when he began work as a part-time meter painter while he went to college. He has served as property maintenance, a service technician, a customer service representative, and most recently as manager of safety and training for 22 years.
Jackson steps down
From his company
In a bit of surprising news, it was announced on the front page of last week’s Sparta Expositor that Eric Jackson is stepping down as president of Jackson Kayak, the company he founded in 2003.
In reading the Expositor’s account of this decision, Jackson is quoted in the newspaper as saying the business has grown too big and too complex. He said he wants to devote his energy to something more simple and would like to spend more time kayaking and fishing.
He added anyone looking for him could likely find him at Rock Island running the falls.
Since Jackson mentioned fishing, his company is often viewed as the business that got away from Warren County. Jackson started his company in a quaint building overlooking the state park and it was said he wanted to expand to a larger facility in Warren County.
However, such an expansion never materialized here and Jackson ended up just over the county line in White County, where his business has enjoyed explosive growth.
That’s all folks
For all the “Dukes of Hazzard” fans out there, be sure to catch John Schneider on Monday night at the Park Theater. If you have business news to report, email editor@southernstandard.com.
