Renovations R

Roland

Warren County native Jordan Roland has turned a lifelong love of construction into a thriving business, Roland Renovations.

"When I graduated high school, I tried out two or three things and nothing really stuck, but I knew I had a passion for construction," Jordan told me. "My first job at 14 years old was working for my dad doing construction. When I was 19 or 20 I started doing construction for him full time."

As many can attest, sometimes working for family isn't the easiest thing to do, and that led Jordan to make a decision.

"Quite frankly, family has disagreements. We disagreed on a few things - mainly the pay," Jordan said. "That was in 2016 and I decided to do it for myself."

Jordan started as a handyman, doing small tasks such as changing light fixtures and doing odd jobs. His business quickly grew to the point where he now has a storefront.

"Last year we decided to go ahead and open a store," Jordan said. "The reason behind that was the cost of everything has gone up so drastically, we couldn't keep our costs down and keep our customers happy because we were having to pay so much for materials. So my wife and I decided to open a store, thinking if we could cut our costs on materials, we could keep our costs on our remodels down."

That decision has proven to be a good one for Jordan and his wife, Crystal, as the store has flourished and helped not only his own renovation business but several other contractors as well.

"It's really taken off on the store side, even more than the remodeling side," Jordan said. "We have several local contractors who buy flooring and cabinets and whatever else they need from us."

The business is a labor of love for Jordan, who takes great pride in his work.

"It started out as a passion at a young age," Jordan said. "If you've ever worked on any kind of construction project, when you put those finishing touches on and step back and look at it, there's a real satisfaction to it."

Roland Renovations opened approximatley six months ago and is located at 751 N. Chancery St. They can be contacted at (931) 743-5479.

Not that Zechman

I take comfort in knowing that when something is in the Southern Standard, the word really gets around the county. I'm reminded of that on a weekly basis when I hear someone I've written about tell me they are blown away by how many comments they get about it.

On the other hand, I also cringe a little when I realize how many people take a glance at the headlines and don't actually read the stories. That happens more times than you would imagine, often with unintended results.

One such case became evident last week. I wrote a front page story as well as a Business Pulse item about the retirement of our beloved longtime publisher, Patricia Zechman. The banner headline across the top of last Sunday's front page proclaimed "Zechman announces retirement."

One would only need to read 20 words into the story to see the Zechman in question was Patricia. And, the sub-head and picture of Pat provided even more context clues as to whom the story was referring. That's why I was a bit perplexed when my good friend and Pat's husband, Bill Zechman, approached me this week and asked if I could help him clear up some confusion.

It seems Bill and his longtime right-hand lady at State Farm Insurance, Carol Rutledge, have been spending much of the week fielding questions from concerned customers about Bill's impending retirement, and he wanted to put that speculation to rest. Pat is retiring from the Southern Standard. Bill is not retiring from State Farm, at least not in the near future.

“We have had several questions about my plans to retire from the State Farm Insurance agency, and we deeply appreciate everyone’s interest, concern and kind thoughts," Bill told me. “Retirement from State Farm is, of course, something we’re considering for the future.  But I have no immediate plans to leave the work and the people I love.  When the time comes, I will naturally announce that transition in plenty of time for our policyholders and others to plan for what works best for them.

“In the meantime, Carol and I will be in the office every day to serve and support our current customers and to offer insurance to newcomers to State Farm and our agency here at 219 N. Chancery St.  Nothing changes in our commitment to helping our neighbors manage the risks of life and recover from losses."

As for the day when retirement is in the cards for Bill, another Zechman could be stepping into the void.

“In preparation for my eventual retirement, we are working with our granddaughter Bliss Zechman Tolley, now a new mother in Ooltewah Tenn., to join our team in serving our State Farm clients, both present and future, in the very best of the 'Good Neighbor' tradition.”

When that day comes, I guess I'll need to be more specific with the headline.

Big Lots closed

In December, I reported that Big Lots would be closing. The going-out-of-business sale lasted over two months but, sadly, as of last Wednesday, McMinnville is without a Big Lots. 

There was a small sliver of hope for our local Big Lots when word emerged that Gordon Brothers had bought Big Lots' assets and was transferring at least 200 Big Lots stores to Variety Wholesalers, Inc. On Feb. 4, Gordon Brothers released the locations of the stores which would be transferred and continue operation.

In Tennessee, those stores are in Johnson City, Jefferson City, Rogersville, Columbia, Clarksville, Cleveland, Knoxville, Morristown, Dickson, Greeneville, Gallatin, Sevierville, Murfreesboro and Tullahoma.

Unfortunatley, McMinnville's location was on a less desirable list as it was one of 25 Tennessee locations listed as leases available for sale. 

Until next week,

same biz day,

same biz page

Thanks for reading and thanks to Ben Lomand Connect for sponsoring the page. If you have any questions, tips or suggestions, please let me know at editor@southernstandard.com.