Paris, TN – The Paris-Henry County Chamber of Commerce, in cooperation with the USDA, will offer “Small Business Basics,” six classes designed to serve as a guide to small business development and entrepreneurship. The classes will be open to anyone interested in small business and entrepreneurship, including startups and existing businesses.

Sam Mahan, FirstBank, and Jennifer Hayden, Hamilton-Ryker, will serve as co-chairs and facilitators for the sessions. Mahan said “Last year’s classes were a tremendous success. We had sixteen graduates, equally divided between start-ups and existing businesses.”

Hayden added that “The Chamber is so grateful for USDA’s support as we encourage entrepreneurship.”

Cost is $50.00, which will be refunded with no absences. Classes will meet at the Paris-Henry County Chamber of Commerce, 2508 East Wood Street, Paris, Tennessee 38242, from 6:30pm-8:30pm on Tuesday nights, January 10th – February 14th, 2012. All materials will be provided.  

An application is available at www.paristnchamber.com, or by calling 731.642.3431 or visiting the Chamber office at 2508 East Wood Street, Paris,TN 38242.

Paris, TN

(Left to Right) Norma Steele, with the Heritage Center and Susan Jones, Publisher of Paris magazine, at the 19th Annual Small Business Expo.

The Small Business Expo allows small businesses to display their new business or new product lines. It is a marketing tool that highlights valuable members of the Chamber of Commerce. The businesses were allowed to sell their services or merchandise at their booth. Henry County Medical Center gave free health screenings. The event usually takes place around the 3rd Tuesday in October in hopes that businesses that partake in the event will stick in the minds of those in attendance during the holiday season.

Dola Beaty of Dola’s Monograms.

This year’s event was put together by 10 volunteers of Chamber member businesses including Tory Daughrity, Marketing and Public Relations Director at Henry County Medical Center, who was Chair of the event. Each year, the event is slightly different so that it is fresh and new to the public. This year the theme was “The Big 80′s”, and the people in attendance were able to choose the booth that best used the theme. This year’s winner was Eiffel Gardens with their theme of Alf, trolls and all things spatter painted, and they will receive a free booth at next years expo.

Jennifer Wheatley, Executive Director of Paris-Henry County Chamber Of Commerce, was very excited to have two graduates of the Chamber’s small business class, Kevin Buie of K & B Supplies and Dola Beaty of Dola’s Monograms, showcase their new businesses at the expo. Ms. Beaty enjoyed her day at the expo, especially since her only way to reach the public right now is through business cards and events like this one. She currently runs the business from her home.

Kevin Buie of K & B Supplies.

Other businesses at the Small Business Expo were Rogers Jewelers, First Bank, Volunteer Home Care, Paris Country Club, Abbott’s Print Shop, Freedom Fitness, Tennessee Quality Home Care, Foundation Bank, Carey Counseling, Hamilton-Ryker, Eiffel Gardens, St. John Security, Commercial Bank, My Favorite Things, Morningside of Paris, Tennessee Rehabilitation Center, Paris Civic Center, Pepsi, West Tennessee Printing, Adult Learning Center, Grace Clinic, TSBDC, Tennessee Technology Center, Downtown Paris Association, The Toggery, Arrowhead Home Sales, Robbie to the Rescue, Paris Realty, Paris Natural Gas, Henry County Medical Center, WTPR, Paris! magazine, West Tennessee Chiropractic, Circle A Fundraising, Bethel University, West Tennessee Moto Coach, Extendicare Home Health, ComfortMaxx, Hi-Tech Prosthetics and Orthotics, OrthoWorks, Albert Ross Tharpe Associates, Healthsouth Cane Creek, Sign and Trophy Express, Career Center, Hulmes Sporting Goods, McEvoy Funeral Home, Paris Health Care, and Vern Steedly State Farm.

Nashville, TN – Governor Phil Bredesen and Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development Commissioner James Neeley have awarded $8,929 to Pepsi MidAmerica in Paris. This grant will provide training to 54 employees in Pre-Trip Inspection, Merchandising and Teamware Reporting Management.

“Job training to upgrade the skills of Tennessee’s workers is one of the best things we can do for our economy,” said Governor Bredesen. “Now more than ever, it is important to continue training our workforce to keep employees and companies competitive.”

“The Incumbent Worker Grants help companies invest in the future of their workers,” said Commissioner Neeley. “Over the past six years, Incumbent Worker Training grants have totaled more than $11 million to assist more than 40,000 employees.”

“I commend Governor Bredesen and Commissioner Neeley for awarding this grant in Henry County,” said Senator Roy Herron.

The Southwest Tennessee Human Resource Agency played a key role in awarding the grant to Pepsi MidAmerica.

The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development administers the Incumbent Worker Training program. The program has been structured to be flexible to meet the business’s training objectives. The business may use public, private, or its own in-house training provider based on the nature of the training.

The following criteria must be met to qualify for the Incumbent Worker Training Program.

Employers must be in operation in Tennessee for at least one year prior to application date.

Employers must have at least five full-time employees, demonstrate financial viability and be current on all state tax obligations. Funding priority is given to businesses whose grant proposals.

Visit Pepsi Midamerica at: www.pepsimidamerica.com

Robbie Lonon with his wife Vicky and son Robert

Robbie to the Rescue has expanded, they opened a new location at 10610 Highway 79N on May 6th. A crowd of people turned out to tour the new facility and to learn more about Robbie Lonon’s plumbing services.

The Lonon’s aim is to use their new facility to provide enhanced plumbing services to the Paris, Henry County area.

Robbie to the Rescue is fully licensed and insured. They are the only plumber in the area with a pump setters license which allows them to handle repairs on wells. The firm is a member of the Better Business Bureau and the Paris, TN Chamber of Commerce.

This locally owned and operated company was founded in 2004 by Robbie Lonon who has 37 years experience in the plumbing industry. He started out with one helper and has since expanded to operate three full service repair trucks and employs ten people.

Robbie to the Rescue at 10610 Highway 79 N.

Robbie to the Rescue is available 24 hours a day and provides a wide range of services including repairs on water heaters, toilets, leaky faucets, septic systems, remodels, and  new construction. They can also  hydroflush lines and use television cameras to check for line obstructions. The company is also certified to install and test backflow preventers.

They are an exclusive dealer for Bradford White water heaters. These American made water heaters have a six-year non-prorated warranty.

Give them a call for free estimates on all of your plumbing and repair needs.

The company offers these suggestions on keeping your plumbing system healthy and happy.

• Put Rid-x down your toilet once a month for septic tanks.
• Check under your sinks for leaks.
• Watch for dripping faucets and running toilets.
• Check hot water heaters for moisture and leaking.
• While on vacation turn off the water supply to your home
• If you turn off your water, also be sure to also cut off your hot water heater.
• Check your washing machine hoses for knots and kinks in the hoses.

Robbie to the Rescue Plumbing Services LLC‘s offices are open from 8a.m.-4:30 p.m.  Mondays through Fridays. They can be reached via telephone at (731) 642-4872.

Pat Featherston measures an order for peppermint, one of 150 herbs and spices in stock at Healthy Thyme

“I like helping people,” says Pat Featherston with a congenial and contagious smile. Her compulsion to perpetually help people is “my God-given curse. Her customers, though, view her as a blessing. Pat’s shop, Healthy Thyme, is both a niche market and a rare find in this north-western corner of Tennessee.

Featherston has always been interested in holistic and healthy living, and has turned that lifelong interest into a growing business, first “in a small shop at the lake,” and then, six-and-a-half years ago as a new shop at 803 East Wood Street in downtown Paris.

Walking through the front door, customers are immediately greeted with shelf after shelf of herbs and spices: Licorice root, peppermint, red clover, celery seed, black cohosh, ground anise or star anise, rose hips – approximately 150 items that can be measured out and bought by the ounce or in bulk.

Healthy Thyme carries up to 150 herbs and spices, and that is just the beginning...

In the next aisle, an array of ointments, cosmetic crèmes, organic shampoos, and vitamins. Other shelves have organic soy, rye and other flours, kinnoa, and a selection of gluten-free, wheat-free and dairy-free products.

A side wall, underneath a garland of grapevine and wisteria and ornamental baskets, holds an array of vitamins, vitamin-complex items, essential oils, and herbs to holistically treat or grant relief for a variety of symptoms from indigestion to stress, from arthritis to energy boosting. On a book pedestal is a guide to the complex art of finding the perfect combination to meet your health needs.

Proprietor Pat Featherson outside her shop, Healthy Thyme.

In addition, Healthy Thyme offers ION cleansing, a system that removes the body’s accumulated toxins, some parasites, and inflammation through the feet. In ION cleansing, the feet are immersed in a solution, and over a short and relaxing period of time the client can see the changing color of the solution as the unwanted wastes and toxins are pulled from the body. It is painless, and a stress free procedure. ION cleansing can be beneficial to people with fibromyalgia, arthritis, inflammation and injuries.

Healthy Thyme also offers Quantum Biofeedback, a technique used to help individuals deals with chronic pain, stress and other issues.

Chinese herbalist Shella Caspino is trained in Chinese herbal medicine; she can create formulations of herbal complexes, teas and suggest a diverse array of alternative medicines. She also works with cold laser to treat health issues. Caspino is available by appointment on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Healthy Thyme doesn’t carry “diet” products; their approach to health is rooted in healthy eating, and proper supplements to meet the body’s specific needs. “Most diet products are not good for the body, exhaust the adrenals, and are a quick fix,” Featherston says, noting that herbal processes and Chinese medicines may take longer but are often “more effective in the long run.”

“My purpose is to be here. I want to mother people. (God) sends me the people I am supposed to have.”

Featherston notes that her husband, Tommy, is the store’s “fix-it” man, and does the handiwork for the shop.

Vitamins? Healthy Thyme has an extensive and carefully selected array for your needs.

In the back of the shop she has a monthly magazine she distributes to her customers, and a turnstile in the shop has dozens of handouts and informational brochures on products and services.

The first Wednesday of every month is “Wild Wednesday” when customers can get 20% off all items in the store.

“My purpose is to be here. I want to mother people. (God) sends me the people I am supposed to have.”

Healthy Thyme is located at 803 East Wood St., Business hours are 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. For more information, call pat at 731-642-9528.

From popcorn to Panda licorice, goodies come in holistic versions too.