Sadness fills the start of today’s column with the unexpected death of local business owner Tressie Hitchcock. She operated Tressie’s School of Gymnastics for decades, giving local students a place where they could soar to athletic heights.
Tressie gave what would be her final lesson Monday night before experiencing shortness of breath later that evening. Emergency responders were called to her home and she was hospitalized before succumbing to her health issues on Thursday. She was 62.
Tressie’s death has left her students and friends numb from the sudden turn of events as they remember her influence, her smile, and her unifying leadership.
“She loved the children she worked with and she really felt it was her calling,” said friend Melinda Breedlove. “Her work was her life and she was somebody everybody could love. There are a lot of parents in this community and a lot of students who are grateful for Tressie. She was loved. I can’t tell you the number of people who have called me to ask about her the past few days.”
Tressie’s School of Gymnastics operated at a number of locations around town, but it was difficult to find the right spot because of the high-flying acrobatics involved in the routines. That’s why Melinda built a towering, tent-like facility just for Tressie that’s visible from South Chancery Street. The structure has a ceiling 30 feet tall with no interior beams.
Tressie moved into that building in November 2014, giving her students a first-rate facility where they could run, flip and hoist themselves in the air. She had over 100 active students and was teaching classes five days a week at the time of her death.
“Gymnastics was her passion,” said Phyllis Boren, who worked with Tressie for 15 years. “The kids, they just loved her. We were all together Monday night and then a few hours later all of this happened. It’s hard to believe.”
Tressie was eager to teach children of all ages, starting them as early as age 3 in gymnastics or cheer. Students were welcome to continue taking lessons through high school with a few still participating while in college.
In an interview with the Standard when she moved into her new facility in November 2014, Tressie said, “We strive to produce the best athletes while instilling positive life lessons that will continue to have an influence even after their cheerleading career is over.”
About 40 students from three of Tressie’s cheer squads were scheduled to participate this weekend in a major competition in Atlanta. To honor Tressie’s memory, Phyllis said Friday the students were going to compete in the Atlanta event because organizers agreed to modify their schedule.
“Atlanta is a two-day competition, but they’re going to let us do everything on Saturday so we can get back Sunday for the funeral,” said Phyllis. “After that, we have no way of knowing what’s going to happen. It’s too soon to know.”
Funeral service for Tressie Hitchcock is set for Sunday at 2 p.m. at High Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Mt. View Cemetery.

Let there be asphalt

I get asked from time to time about things like asphalt and places a man can turn to get his driveway paved. This is a tough question.
For years I haven’t known of anyone who wanted to bother with something as trivial as driveway paving. Tex Perry was the last person I knew who embraced that line of work, but that’s been five or six years ago.
Apparently, I wasn’t looking in the right place as I just learned about Grundy County resident Henry Stamper last week. Henry is a third-generation paver who’s been in the business 37 years and he’s more than happy to pave your driveway.
“A lot of people don’t want to do the small jobs,” said Henry. “They wait around for the big payday and don’t want to do anything else. The way I look at it, if you’re not going to do the work, why be in business?”
With asphalt plants set to open this Friday, April 15, Henry is busy lining up his schedule. If you’d like to get some paving done, now is the time to give him a call at 235-3000 to get on his crowded calendar.
“I already have a church parking lot to do in Rock Island, a driveway in Sparta, a driveway in Spencer, and three driveways in McMinnville,” said Henry. “I do a good job at a fair price and I do residential or commercial. I have a big machine for commercial work and a smaller one for residential jobs. I paved the parking lot of a large apartment complex in Murfreesboro. I paved the parking lot of Billy Foutch’s restaurant last year.”
Henry has an interesting story because his son, Dalton, is in the process of becoming a fourth-generation paver. Dalton is only 10 years old.
“He’s been doing it since he was 6 and he can operate any of these machines like a full-grown man,” said Henry. “He’s not interested in video games. This is what he wants to do.”
We certainly need asphalt so I’m glad young Dalton is learning the trade so he can carry on the tradition. For any paving jobs you’d like to have in your future, give Henry a call at 235-3000.

Let there be beer

Don and Dave Sergio were in McMinnville last weekend serving draft beer inside Park Theater. For those who may not know, Don and Dave are the owners and operators of Calfkiller Brewing Company in Sparta.
The brothers have developed a rabid following for their unique brand of beer, which they produce 220 gallons at a time. The beer is a refreshing blast of uncompromised complexity that has received rave reviews for its drinkability.
For anyone who has ever dreamed of quitting their day job and starting a brewery, the Sergios are living that dream. But this life-changing experience wasn’t a trip down Easy Street. It was a four-year process that included much friction with Sparta officials.
“We had to take the beer board to court,” said Don. “Nothing about this highly regulated business is simple.”
Calfkiller started small, serving a three-county area after about one year of operation. But its market area has extended its reach over the past five years to include most of Middle and East Tennessee. There’s currently a waiting list to become a Calfkiller distributor.
“Our beer is available at 120 bars, restaurants and growler-fills,” said Dave.
Don said Collins River BBQ on Main Street is one of their top accounts across the state. Calfkiller is not bottled and is only available as a draft beer. The business has over 800 kegs which are kept in constant rotation with some kegs needing to be refilled every two or three days, depending on location.
I told the Sergios a little-known fact about myself, that being I once worked at Cracker Barrel for nearly a year waiting tables and doing kitchen work. The Cracker Barrel food was delicious when I first started, but after eating it for months at a time, it got sort of repetitive. I reached the point where I didn’t want to eat Cracker Barrel food at all.
With this story in mind, I asked the brothers if they ever got tired of drinking their Calfkiller beer after six years of professional production.
“Umm, no,” said Don.
OK, so much for that theory.
For anyone interested in the technical aspect of the business, brewing takes 14 to 21 days from start to finish. Calfkiller makes four flavors year-round and intersperses 8 to 10 other flavors with those four constants. Calfkiller brews five days a week and offers tours every Saturday at its distillery at 1839 Blue Springs Road in Sparta.
Operating a distillery could be one of the few business ventures where it’s OK to drink on the job. Samples are available for anyone who takes the tour, along with a souvenir Calfkiller glass. The cost of the tour is $5.
If you’d like to support two brothers as they try to brew their way up the mountain of great taste, your mission is clear. Drink Calfkiller beer. For more information, call (931) 739-BEER.
Editor’s Note: Business Cheetah does not endorse the consumption of alcohol or any other mind-altering substance. In the jungle of life, sobriety is often the most refreshing choice. Please drink responsibly.

Roscoe Brown heats up, cools off

It was at the end of January when I told you Bob’s Central Air Conditioning ended its 47-year run in McMinnville after being bought out by Murfreesboro-based Roscoe Brown.
I was eager for a little more information after the initial press release and was able to catch up with Roscoe Brown chief financial officer Brian Byrd on Friday. Brian told me the company started as a sheet metal shop in 1940 and is currently owned by Norman Brown, the grandson of Roscoe Brown.
“We have a very good reputation of coming in, doing the job right and doing whatever it takes to make the customer happy,” said Brian. “Bob’s had a very good reputation in the McMinnville area and that’s why this has been such a great fit.”
As you might expect, the heating and air business is at its peak during extreme weather conditions – the dead of winter and the oppressing heat of summer. Those are times people can’t stand to be without their units.
Brian said a great thing about Roscoe Brown is it has 140 employees in the Nashville, Murfreesboro, Tullahoma and McMinnville areas. If there’s a high demand in one area, technicians can be pulled from one area to service another.
Roscoe Brown handles residential and commercial customers. It’s branching out to offer other areas of service such as plumbing and insulation.
“We have six plumbers on staff and we’re fixing ready to hire one more,” said Brian.
Since there was already an experienced and reputable crew at Bob’s, no changes were made to the staff when Roscoe Brown took over daily operations. Brian says the company stands behind its work, offers warrantees, and also has regular maintenance contracts. For more information, call 473-8234.

Donna Anderson new RSVP director

The Retired Senior Volunteer Program got its start in Warren County in 1972. In a bit of trivia sure to stump even the greatest history buff, McMinnville resident Cecile Harwood was honored as the first person to volunteer with RSVP in McMinnville.
In another tangy trivia morsel, President Richard Nixon was the first president to write the local organization a note of congratulations when he did so in a letter dated Christmas, 1972.
Wrote Nixon in the letter which has been stored away in RSVP files, “To the needy who you serve, your work is a clear assurance that they too can hope for a better life. To millions of concerned Americans, your example is an inspiration and a steady source of encouragement and strength.”
All of this background information serves to set the stage for this monumental announcement. Former Standard reporter Donna Anderson has been hired as our new RSVP director. She replaces Jim Wilson who served in that capacity for three-and-a-half years.
“There are so many people in Warren County who give of their time and volunteer,” said Donna. “RSVP helps put people in touch with organizations that suit their interests. It’s a great resource.”
Local RSVP workers logged 15,000 volunteer hours in 2015 serving such organizations as Meals on Wheels, Caring Hearts United, Red Cross, Warren County Schools, Hope Center, and Morrison Library. Participants need to be 55 and over.
There are 178 active RSVP members in Warren County and over 400,000 members across the United States. Donna said one of her first goals is to create an RSVP Facebook page.
“If people get on Facebook and see their friends volunteering, I think they will be more likely to volunteer themselves,” said Donna.
Our local RSVP office is located across from Warren County Administrative Offices on Locust Street. It serves Warren and Van Buren counties. To volunteer, call 473-5367 or Donna can be called on her cellphone at 808-2384.

That’s all folks

That's all I have to say about that. Email business news to editor@southernstandard.com.