Special Focus Section : FAMILY & LOCAL BUSINESS
A & A Muffler & Alignment Services, Inc.
Brothers, Todd and Floyd “P’Nut” Arbuckle, Jr. are following in the family footsteps of providing first-rate customer service. The two recently took over the family business of A & A Muffler & Alignment, located on Highway 61 North in Cleveland, and are quickly becoming know for the top notch undercarriage work they perform.
“Dad, and his brother Ike started the business in 1979 and later dad took over Ike’s interest in the business,” explains Todd. Both brothers grew up working in the shop in preparation for the day they would purchase the business. “We both performed various duties from oil-changes to front end work, and later learned the sales and business end of the operation,” adds Floyd, Jr. Today, Todd handles the majority of the business management and customer service phase of the business, while Floyd, Jr. prefers the more hands on approach of managing the shop. “It works very well that way,” says Todd.
Both brothers pride themselves on the business their father built and the honesty for which it stands. “We take pride in our work and never charge our customers with services or parts they don’t need, Dad worked hard to build this business with integrity and we are working just as hard to do the same and keep our customers satisfied and happy,” says Floyd, Jr.
A & A Muffler performs a variety of undercarriage work including steering & suspension, brakes, custom exhaust, and A/C repairs. In addition, A & A features a complete line of tires and wheels.
For more information on the line of services offered at A & A Muffler contact the Arbuckle’s at (662) 843-4221. DBJ
The Gin Mill Gallery in Indianola
The Gin Mill Gallery in Indianola is soon to undergo an expansion and will become the largest privately owned art gallery in the state. However, that is not all that is in the works for The Gin Mill Gallery says founder Tom Bingham. “I do not singly own The Gin Mill Gallery anymore,” explains Bingham. The Gallery, which is the only privately owned property on the site of the new B.B. King Museum, was recently incorporated and will be owned by a group of stockholders who chose to invest in the venture. “We already have a number of stockholders, the majority of which are from out of state,” says Bingham.
Bingham says the renovation will add a number of new features to the establishment including a gallery hall for performances and private social events. “We are also partnering with Magnolia Marketing and Gallo wines to bring in Mississippi chefs and hold wine and food pairings. We will have experts match wine to the food the chefs prepare.” In Addition, the new and improved Gin Mill Gallery will feature a patio area for rental and performances, a restaurant serving cold cuts, soups, sandwiches and salads. “We will also have a full service bar for customers to enjoy a casual drink in the evening,” Bingham adds. Bingham originally opened the Gallery as a business venture to highlight Mississippi artist and provide exposure for the furniture he creates. Bingham says he began woodwork at a very young age, “The furniture I build is high end and the economics of the Delta did not provided the exposure I needed,” he explains. “The Gallery proved to be beneficial to all Mississippi artists and we then began holding book signings for Mississippi artist,” he continues. “I am very pleased with success of the Gin Mill Gallery thus far and with the help of our stockholders, I am very excited about the future.” The Gin Mill Gallery is still looking for and reviewing individuals or organizations to become shareholders says Bingham. DBJ
Oasis Sod Farm in Clarksdale
The husband and wife team of Dan and Esther Crumpton are one the premier suppliers of sod in the region. “We lived in Florida for 12 years, and selling sod and trees for landscaping was a huge industry down there,” says Crumpton. “When we moved back to the Delta, we decided to open a sod farm of our own,” he continues. Today, the Crumptons farm 300 acres of grasses and recently began selling a wide variety of trees.
“We raise primarily Tifway 419, a Bermuda Hybrid and Zoysia,” explains Crumpton. “The most important part of this business is quality,” he continues. “Our customers are looking for outstanding quality, and that is what we do our best to offer.” The Crumpton’s quality record speaks for itself with customers ranging from Ole miss to the Fed Ex national headquarters in Memphis, as well as numerous clients from the Southaven and Horn Lake areas. “We are very excited about our trees as well,” adds Crumpton. “We currently have 7 varieties of Crapemyrtles, 5 varieties of Oak, Pines, and a number of other species.”
Crumpton, who was born and raised in the Delta, comes from a farming background but says there are a few differences in raising row crops and running a sod farm. “Grass is not a seasonal crop,” says Crumpton. “Our grass and trees are harvested year round and everyday,” adds Mrs. Crumpton. Mr. Crumpton also points out that the business is retail and is not subject to the volatility in price of row crops.
While Mr. Crumpton handles the growing portion of the business, his wife oversees the marketing and bookkeeping. “We work very well together,” she says. The two say they greatly enjoy working towards the same goals and that their favorite part of the business is meeting new people. Crumpton says, “I greatly enjoy interacting with new people, and find it very rewarding to provide a product that people need.” DBJ
Patterson Chiropractic in Cleveland
Dr. Michael Patterson has been easing back and neck pain in the Delta for almost 4 decades. “After I graduated, I sent letters to a number of Chamber of Commerce offices throughout the Delta and surrounding areas, Cleveland seemed interested and I loved the atmosphere here,” recalls Patterson. There were a number of people who helped the Patterson Clinic over the years says Patterson. “Coach Horace McCool, Mrs. James M. Ewing and Colonel Abe Sommerville were some of my first clients and made many recommendations, they all helped get me started.”
Today the practice, which is located on at 110 East End Street, is made up of Dr. Patterson, his wife June, a number of aids, and Jody Hewitt, a Chiropractor’s Assistant who is interning at the practice. While Dr. Patterson handles the clinical portion of the business with help from massage therapists and his intern, his wife June handles all the business side including scheduling visits and insurance billing. “June holds everything together, which leaves me to focus on the medical side of the practice.” In addition to his wife, Patterson’s daughter and daughter in law have both worked at the practice throughout the years. “It is always nice to work with your family,” adds Patterson.
“Working on the back and neck can be tricky,” says Hewitt, “There are a lot of nerves involved.” The clinic features many methods of relaxing the muscles of the neck and back in preparation for treatment including massage, hydro table, hot tub, mild electrical stimulation and ultrasound. “It is important to relax the body and it helps aid in the healing process,” Hewitt continues. “There are also many new advancements in decompression therapy which allow us to better isolate the problem area without affecting the surrounding regions,” adds Hewitt. “In some instances Dr. Patterson has healed patients whose only other resort was surgery.” Hewitt adds that he himself has had several back surgeries and enjoys helping Dr. Patterson relieve the pain people experience. DBJ
Agricultural Information Management
Agricultural Information Management and it’s sister company Mid-South Ag Data provide numerous hardware and software packages for collecting and analyzing data on the farm. Owner, Robert Merhle says, “We provide a variety of equipment including Trimble GPS receivers, Raven receivers and spray controllers, Ag Leader yield monitors, Rawson variable rate spray controllers and we are the largest dealer in the state for FarmWorks software.”
The company, which began in 1996, emphasizes the importance of complete data collection and how cost, yield, and growth comparisons can benefit the grower. “Our FarmWorks software package helps put all the data together, and greatly benefits the farmer by allowing a profit and loss comparison of a field by field basis,” says Merhle.
“I feel the biggest limiting factor for precision agriculture is the need for a closer working relationship with the grower,” adds Merhle. “We want to make these advancements less intimidating for the grower and show how beneficial and effective these technologies can be.” Merhle also says that many growers still only consider individual components such as yield monitors. “When you combine all these components into one complete package, it gives a complete overview and allows much more analysis of the data collected,” he says.
Merhle is quick to point out that there are numerous people who make the operation run smoothly. “We could not get by without Karen Tubbs our Office Manager, she it the backbone of the business.” In addition says that the company also relies heavily on Willie Griffen an Installation specialist and their tech expert Bo Jamison, who does computer programming and website design and maintenance. For more information reference the companies website at www.aimgps.com. DBJ
Delta Positions in Cleveland
The husband and wife team of Keith and Paula Luna are in the business of providing farmers with the best in precision ag technology. “I began working with Laser Plane in 1984,” says Luna. “When Trimble took over around 5 years ago, I opened my own business here in Cleveland,” he says. “At that point I convinced my wife to come in and help me with the business.”
“Paula handles most of the monetary side of the business as well as a number of other things, I couldn’t do it without her,” Luna says. “Even though we fire each other a couple of times a week, we greatly enjoy working together,” he laughs.
The Lunas offer a variety of products to aid farmers, specifically GPS systems for tractors and other equipment that utilize both visual guidance and auto-steering systems. “There are two types of systems we sell,” explains Luna. “DGPS is accurate within a foot and the RTK guidance system is accurate down to one inch. It is amazing to think that kind of accuracy is possible using satellites over 20,000 miles above the earth,” he says. Luna says these systems can quickly pay for themselves when you consider they can greatly reduce waste of other costly resources such as chemicals, driver error, and diesel fuel. “I had one customer who was going to buy two units for his farm, but by the time he was going to install the second unit, the first tractor had completed the job,” says Luna.
Formerly located on highway 8 west the, Delta Positions recently relocated to highway 61 south. “There was a great family effort in the new facility,” says Luna. “Paula and I worked very hard to finish the interior and my mother helped decorate. I greatly enjoy working with my wife, and could not think of a better business partner.” DBJ
Mid-South Water & Machine Works in Cleveland
Ed Coleman has dedicated his life to drilling and providing water for agricultural, municipal, industrial and private needs. Coleman served over 43 years with Layne Central one of the premier water providers in the nation, and now owns his own company, Mid-South Water & Machine Works.
The company, which opened only three short months ago, already features 11 employees and currently has over 20 active contracts for agricultural drilling. “We are very fortunate to have employees with experience in this field,” explains Coleman. “Between our employees we bring an average of over 30 years experience to the table, and this fact helped greatly in beginning this new business,” he continues. “By the end of the year we expect to have 25 employees,” he adds. While Coleman says the company is only focusing on agricultural needs at the moment he will add municipal and industrial services beginning the first of November.
“Many people take water for granted because they can just turn on the faucet,” says Coleman. “I expect water to be to this century what oil was to the last century,” he says.
Coleman says in previous times people would settle where the water was located, but now many people must have water trucked in or transported because people are moving to areas with low water supplies. “In the Delta we are fortunate to have an abundance of water,” Coleman adds. “Good potable drinking water can be found anywhere in this area by drilling wells that range from 500-1800 feet deep.”
Coleman says, “My favorite part of the business is still working with people and providing people with a much needed resource. I spent a number of years behind the scenes in executive management, but I truly enjoy putting a group of people together and overseeing the work. It is very rewarding to provide a valuable natural resource to our customers.” DBJ
Bill’s Custom Automatics in Shelby
The father and son team of Bill and Tim Thompson at Bill’s Custom Automatics can tweak, modify, reconstruct, or build just about any firearm to meet the customer’s needs. Bill Thompson a former police officer and sniper for the S.W.A.T team in Anchorage, Alaska, has dedicated his whole life to the art of fine tuning and enhancing the performance of firearms. Today, Tim Thompson works along side his father in Shelby, and together this duo can cover it all, from custom Springfield Colt 1911’s to fine tuning that old deer rifle.
“I greatly enjoy working with my father,” says the younger Thompson. “I learn new things from him everyday, he is truly a wealth knowledge on guns.” In addition Thompson says that working with his father has greatly enhanced not only their relationship, but also the relationship he shares with his own son. “It is always nice to have dad around, not only to help with guns, but for advice as well.”
“Now days I do most of the rifle and shotgun work and Tim is the real pistol smith,” says Bill Thompson. “We have a very good working relationship, it is almost like I work for him in a way and one day he will have the option to stay here.”
Bill’s Custom Automatics offers a complete line of firearms and gun accessories in addition to their custom services and two generations of gun smithing knowledge. From fitting stocks and barrels to smoothing trigger actions and on-site bluing services, Bill’s is the one-stop-shop for anything firearm related. DBJ
