There’s great news, boys and girls, as our local VA Clinic on South Chancery Street is in the process of expanding.
Expansion may be a bad thing for your waist, but it’s a good thing when it concerns a medical facility. There will be more exam rooms, more services, and more reasons for us to celebrate. Even if you’re not a veteran who utilizes the facility, it’s a benefit to Warren County because patients travel from around the region to get care here in McMinnville.
And what do you do when you travel out of town to see a doctor? You go out to eat lunch and drink sweet tea.
The expansion will allow the VA Clinic to add 13 new exam rooms. There will be rooms for a psychologist, a psychiatrist, and for telemedicine. It will be an up-to-date facility as comprehensive as any VA Clinic in the land.
Work began 11 days ago and the project is expected to be complete in 60 days. That likely puts the opening date in mid-May or early June. In addition to expanding the clinic, property owner Leland Northcutt is going to expand his parking lot to accommodate the higher traffic volume. Leland, an animal lover and fitness enthusiast, says he’s getting bids on adding 40 to 50 parking spaces.

Which Wich coming to Morrison

Bhumik Patel is planning on building an 8,000-square-foot convenience store and gas station on Highway 55 in Morrison. This super-duper store will be located across the street from the Shell station at Highway 55’s intersection with Old Well Road.
Bhumik currently operates the Gulf station on S. Chancery Street, a store springing with business like a grasshopper. One interesting aspect of his new store is Bhumik plans to have two franchises there. One of them will be Which Wich, a sandwich shop which is soaring in popularity.
Which Wich will be on one side of the convenience store. The franchise on the other side has yet to be determined. Construction on the facility is expected to begin in early May with the completion date projected in three to four months.
For those unfamiliar with Which Wich, it opened its first store in Dallas, Texas in December 2003. Seven years later, Which Wich celebrated the opening of its 100th store. Last year, Which Wich expanded to the Middle East on its way to reaching the 350-store mark. It’s done extremely well in a short burst of time.
The truly fabulous thing about Which Wich is milkshakes are available there. Subs come in three sizes and any sandwich can be made into a salad. If you want to avoid bread, your sandwich can be served in a bowl or in a lettuce wrap.
Other notables are there are eight different kinds of cheese at Which Wich and tangy spreads like hummus. There’s also online ordering if you want your food waiting when you arrive.
For all these reasons and many more, Business Cheetah is pleased to open its paws and welcome Which Wich into our community. There’s no need to hold the mayo. Let it flow at Which Wich.

More franchises on the way?

I chatted with a local businessman and property owner on Friday who took pleasure in telling me about new franchises on their way to McMinnville which have yet to make the pages of Business Cheetah.
According to this super secret and anonymous person who shall never be named, there’s one local franchise already in business here which will be expanding in the coming months. There are also two franchises not currently in Warren County which are expected to make announcements soon, he says.
He claims this is no April Fools’ Day joke and the announcements will be along the lines of Zaxby’s and Bojangles. I remain skeptical, but will overturn every stone, kick every tire, and shuck every ear of corn in an attempt to find more information.

Golf industry in the rough

Wanna buy a golf course? There are opportunities aplenty in Warren and Van Buren counties, but potential buyers must be hiding off the fairway.
If you’re looking to buy a golf course at absolute auction, go to Grandview Village near Fall Creek Falls on Saturday, April 23. The 9-hole golf course, it’s clubhouse, and adjacent driving range will be going to the highest bidder. The honorable D.M. Simpson is handling the sale.
Here in Warren County, the 9-hole golf course formerly known as The Reserve at Collins River is for sale by property owner Jewell Hale. He bought the 95-acre course at the foot of Harrison Ferry Mountain at auction a couple years ago.
“It’s on the market, but I haven’t had a single person express interest in it,” said Jewell. “I’ve offered the financing and everything and I still can’t get any interest. Two or three people expressed interest when I bought it, but there’s been nothing since then. My plans for it this year are to cut hay off it.”
The problem with golf courses is the constant mowing that’s required to keep them in playing condition. You think mowing your yard is time consuming, try mowing 95 acres once a week.
Grandview Village and The Reserve at Collins River are hurt by their rural locations. It’s essential to be near a big city because the percentage of people who play golf on a regular basis is small. But The Reserve at Collins River does have one redeeming quality.
“It’s the most panoramic piece of real estate in Warren County,” said Jewell.

Superior Walls adding new products

Superior Walls in Rock Island has experienced the rocky economic ride over the past 10 years as much as any business. At the height of the construction frenzy, Superior Walls grew its workforce to 68 employees. Then the evil recession entered the room.
Times were tough. Construction came to a standstill. Building sites were as quiet as a coffin. Superior Walls was forced to adjust and its workforce dwindled to 19 employees.
Fortunately, those dark days have been overtaken by the forces of good and Superior Walls is coming off a record sales year in 2015. The company, now back up to 46 employees, is poised for its best year ever, according to president Stacey Harvey.
“It’s all about to hit right now,” said Stacey. “We’re just waiting on the weather to clear to really get going.”
Superior Walls has added a 12-foot precast concrete wall to its product line, allowing for a ceiling height of 10 feet.
“This wall size would be most beneficial to slab-on-grade type structures such as a strip mall or a suite of professional offices,” said Harvey.
Precast is a process in which high-density concrete is poured in permanent forms inside the Superior Walls facility. When the walls harden to a minimum of 5,000 psi, they are transported to construction sites where they are set as crawlspace or basement foundations. Superior Walls also produces wall systems for above-grade and multi-level concrete structures.
Additionally, Superior Walls has a new piece of technology inside its Rock Island factory, a CNC foam cutter. Extruded polystyrene foam has a dual purpose with Superior Walls.
First, it provides insulation to the structure as an integrated part of the wall system. Second, it acts as a concrete form during concrete pouring while casting the walls.
Designing and manufacturing custom walls at its factory allows for a typical basement foundation to be set in less than one day. “Time savings equal money savings for our customers,” says Harvey. “With new products such as our 12-foot walls and the ability to manufacture our own custom components, we anticipate Superior Walls will continue to grow.”
The Superior Walls facility in Rock Island was built and began operations in 2003. More information can be found at SuperiorWallsTN.com, or by calling Superior Walls at 877-836-9255.

The Haven serving food

The sign on the window says The Haven Day Spa Café. So customers naturally assumed the business was serving food. It wasn't then, but it is now as Friday was the first day for breakfast and lunch at The Haven on Smithville Highway.
"We had a lot of people stop by and want lunch because it says café on the window," said business owner Michelle Hoyle. "So we thought we should give them lunch."
The business is located on a main access road to McMinnville so it is flooded with morning traffic. For anyone wanting a breakfast pastry, or something as filling as bacon and eggs, The Haven opens at 7 a.m. Monday thru Friday.
There are several sandwiches available for lunch such as: ham and cheese, pastrami, roast beef, and BLT. Drinks and chips are also available.
“Friday is our first day for food and it’s not an April Fools’ Day joke,” said Michelle.
If you’d like to eat on site, there’s a three-table dining room complete with relaxing fountain.
As for spa services, The Haven offers hypnotherapy as Michelle is a certified hypnosis practitioner. She says hypnosis is great for weight loss, smoking, stress reduction and pain management. Other services include reflexology, light therapy, massage therapy, tanning, hair, and nails.
The Haven can be reached at 815-5500. It's located near Gateway Tire across from Ben Lomand.

Whitetail expands into Warren County

Whitetail Properties Real Estate, an industry leader in hunting, ranch and farm land, is expanding into Warren County with real estate agent Matt Elrod now serving this area.
Matt is a diehard sportsman who has blended his passion for land and wildlife to a career in land sales. Matt says landowners sometimes don’t understand the outdoor opportunities that add value to property and that’s where he’s willing to help.
“Middle Tennessee has many opportunities for sportsmen,” said Matt. “A lot of landowners don’t realize the true market value of their property when outdoor recreational opportunities are involved.”
Tracts with wooded, tillable or CRP acreage, pasture and water make for prime habitat for wildlife, Matt says. In many cases, properties in the region can help pay for themselves because of the returns from farming and timber. Farmland has long been a solid long-term investment and a recovering housing market has increased the demand for quality timber.
According to Matt, world-class hunting for white-tailed deer, waterfowl, upland birds, wild hogs and fishing attracts outdoor enthusiasts and investors from inside and outside Tennessee.
“The time is right to market land as a hunting and recreational property,” said Matt. “As a national company operating in more than 20 states, we offer exposure to a nationwide network of outdoor enthusiasts and land investors, many of whom are already considering owning property in Middle Tennessee.”
Your best bet to reach Matt is via his cellphone, 808-6422, or visit his agent page at WhitetailProperties.com.

That’s all folks

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