Since Dr. Jeff Peterson moved to Warren County a little more than four years ago, his family has grown from six children to eight. While Dr. Peterson may need more room in his house, he’s not going to need more room at the office after he moves into his spacious new building on Sparta Highway.
Dr. Peterson has purchased Dr. Del Valle’s old office and he’s renovating the entire facility. His plans are to move to his new location in early January and open Pinnacle Orthopaedics.
A complete remodeling effort has been taking place inside and out since Dr. Peterson bought the building in September. On Friday, crews were working to repave the parking lot and the building has been completely gutted on the inside.
“It’s a 20-year-old building so it needed a little work,” said Dr. Peterson. “The exam rooms are bigger than my old office and the lobby is about three times as big with a bunch of nice windows. It’s a much nicer, much more inviting feel.”
Dr. Peterson says he enjoyed being located in the hospital, but at times it was a challenge for his patients.
“You have to park so far away and walk a bunch just to get in the door,” said Dr. Peterson. “That doesn’t always work well with my patients, some of whom are in wheelchairs and others who don’t walk very well. One thing I love about my new place is the two handicap spaces right in front. That's important, especially for wheelchair folks.”
Dr. Peterson is dissolving his former practice and this is a completely new venture. He will be joined in August by Dr. Adam Franson, who will share about half of the 5,400-square-foot upstairs. In the 3,000-square-foot downstairs, physical therapist Bud McGiboney will be opening a second location of Star Physical Therapy.
“I know there are some good physical therapists in town, but this will give people the ease of access of going right downstairs if they need to,” said Dr. Peterson.
Pinnacle Orthopaedics will address all sorts of bone and joint problems such as arthritis, and knee, hip and shoulder ailments. When it comes to bones, he says the two most common maladies are hip fractures for senior citizens and broken wrists for kids.
“It’s been a blessing to be here in McMinnville,” said Dr. Peterson. “It’s a great community that really stresses family values. We love it here.”
If you don’t see Dr. Peterson at the office, there’s a good chance you can find him on a soccer field. He coached two of his sons this year at Pistole Park and is regarded far and wide for his knowledge of soccer.
The Pinnacle Orthopaedics number is 815-BONE. Dr. Peterson said the plan is for his five-person staff to begin the transition Dec. 29.

Medley’s Opens in Irving College

Some Irving College residents have been clamoring for a Dollar General to locate in their area. I can’t speak on the likelihood of that happening, but Medley’s Market opened Monday to give residents in that community a place to eat, buy gas, and pick up a few necessities. The store is being operated by Sam and Jay Medley.
The aspect of the market that’s grabbed everyone’s attention so far is the kitchen. It’s open for breakfast and lunch and offers a wide selection of food. When I stopped by Friday, it was the popular catfish day on the hot bar. There was also grilled chicken along with baked beans, fried apples, mashed potatoes, and cole slaw. If that’s not to your liking, there are cold cut sandwiches like bologna and ham, burgers, and other items from the grill.
“We opened on Monday and business has picked up every day,” said Jay. “Everybody tells us they are real happy to have this back open.”
The store has been owned by their father, Junior Medley, for the past two years. Junior had leased it out to various folks, but the store had been vacant before Sam and Jay took over operations.
While the kitchen has been bringing people in, gas pumps are another welcome addition because there is no other place which sells gas in that vicinity. Jay says the gas is affordable, about 7 cents more a gallon than you would pay in town. With gasoline and diesel, it will be a huge convenience for all the nurserymen in the area.
Also of note, Medley’s Market will carry a sampling of necessities such as milk, bread, eggs, paper towels, toilet paper and potato chips. You must have potato chips in the house.
Hours are Monday thru Friday from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jay said Saturday hours could be adjusted based on business and a meal could be served in the future after church on Sunday.
For call-in orders, the number is 815-8866. This has been extremely popular for teachers at Irving College School who can phone in a large order and then zip over to pick it up.

If you find yourself in jail . . .

I know, I know. You think there’s nothing you’re ever going to do that causes you to end up behind bars. Then you get hauled in front of a judge in handcuffs and shackles. Where did it all go wrong?
If that happens, Jailbreak Bail Bonds has opened an office on Sparta Street by the underpass. Warren County resident Charles Coleman is the owner and Len Murray is the agent in charge.
“One thing you have to learn to do in this business is read between the lines,” said Charles when asked about bail bonding. “Ask them a question one way, then wait a few minutes and ask them the same question but in a different way. Sometimes the answers don’t match.”
Charles says it’s important to bail out people who will show up in court. Otherwise, it’s the bail bondsman who is left with the financial obligation. Len says people sometimes opt to run, but they can’t hide.
“Unless you can live in the woods and eat rabbit, you’re going to show up,” said Len.
Charles says he can write bonds for all different amounts, from very small to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“We’re backed by an insurance company for the really high bonds,” said Charles. “If I write a $500,000 bond and you don’t show up for court, the insurance company will handle it. They will even hire a bounty hunter to track you down.”
Umm, no thanks. That doesn’t sound appealing.
Despite dealing with the criminal element, Len says a number of his customers are good people who are willing to stand up and handle their legal troubles. He stresses he’s on call 24 hours a day and even has the convenience of a credit card machine he can use to swipe your card right at the jail.
“People will always tell you they have the money at home, and if you give them a ride home they’ll pay you,” said Len. “But when you get there, something has always happened to their money. It’s gone. Their old lady has taken it. If you don’t get the money before they get out of jail, you’re not going to get it.”
The great thing about this report is it comes with an incentive. If you get arrested, and if you tell Len about reading this story in Business Pulse, he will give you 25 percent off your next bond. I only hope that doesn’t encourage widespread crime.
Jailbreak Bail Bonds can be reached at 473-7724 or 808-9812.

Burger Box has arrived

Just when it seemed you couldn’t find a restaurant in Irving College, now there are two. Burger Box has just finished its third week of operation under owner Donna Hill. It’s located 7968 Beersheba Highway.
“I cook all the time and I’ve always wanted my own little restaurant,” said Donna, who said she got the idea for Burger Box while on a motorcycle ride with her husband, Avery. “We like to ride Harleys and we visited a neat restaurant in Crossville that specializes in burgers, milkshakes and ice cream. We don’t have anything like that in Irving College so I decided that was the type of restaurant I wanted to open.”
Since we’re approaching the dead of winter, Donna says she has the ice cream portion of the business in standby mode right now. Her plans are to break out the ice cream in the spring, with picnic tables and a nice eating area out front.
For now breakfast, burgers and lunch specials are her focus. She opens six days a week at 5:30 a.m. and serves everything from biscuits to breakfast plates. There’s tenderloin, sausage, bacon, eggs, biscuits and gravy.
For lunch, Donna has been concentrating on a daily special. On Friday it was chicken fajitas with beans and rice. Other specials have been fried chicken, tacos and BBQ ribs.
“A lot of times I’ll sell out, but what I don’t sell I’ll take home to my husband for supper,” said Donna.
Avery is a mechanic in Irving College known for his ability to fix just about anything. That includes tractors, four-wheelers, and all types of vehicles.
“Everybody around here does nursery work except for my husband and he works on nursery trucks,” said Donna. “It’s a small community. You know everybody who comes in here.”
A nice Burger Box features is its drive-thru window. If you call in an order, Donna will have it waiting at the window in a few minutes. The number is 235-5151.

Lawson joins D.M. Simpson

Longtime nurseryman Daniel Lawson has decided to change careers and join the staff at D.M. Simpson Realtors and Auctioneers as an affiliate broker.
“The nursery business is rough work,” said Daniel, who has operated Lawson Wholesale Nursery since 1985. “I don’t know if real estate will be any easier but I was looking for something different.”
Daniel says he’s in the process of closing the nursery down and ramping up his real estate offerings. He’s not jumping into the business without training as he’s completed nearly 100 hours of course work to obtain his real estate license.
“I’ve taken several classes and paid a lot of fees,” said Daniel. “I know there are some people who don’t want to use a realtor because they don’t want to pay the commission, but a realtor can really be a big help.”
Daniel and the rest of the staff at D.M. Simpson are always on the lookout for new properties to list. They like to have a wide range of properties all over the county and say Morrison is an especially popular area for homeowners right now. They can work with first-time home buyers to help them navigate all the financing options available.
If you’d like to work with Daniel on your next real estate purchase, he can be reached at 235-0134.

That’s all folks

Let the countdown begin. There are just 18 more days until Christmas. Phone in your business tips at 473-2191.