Longview News-Journal from Longview, Texas • Page 51

SECTION SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 17, 2006 Longview News-Journal INSIDE BUSINESS DIGEST 3E STOCKS 4E HOMEWORK 6E )n rf nrnr -i "3 1 1 Ji Li New center expands space for employers r. Facility aims at more services for those seeking jobs and those hiring By J0 LEE FERGUSON The design of the new location for the East Texas Workforce Center in Long-vjew has a central theme improved services for job seekers and employers. Finishing touches are being made on the former grocery store that has been transformed into a job center. Officials have not set an opening date, but they expect to be in the new center near the end of the month or in early October. The center is moving from a state-owned building at 410 S.

High St. "We believe that it's really an opportunity for a new beginning," said Wendell Holcombe, who oversees work force development programs for the East Texas Council of Governments. The council acts as the administrative arm for the East Texas Workforce Development Board, which oversees employment and training programs in a 14-county area, including the Workforce center in Longview. "I think we're going to have something that Longview will be very proud of," Holcombe said. Gregg County Judge Bill Stoudt began to push to find a way to address cramped quarters and other issues at the existing center in 2005.

The solution the Workforce board selected was to lease and renovate the former Winn Dixie in the High Plaza Center at 2430 S. High St. Holcombe and Deborah Butts, who's over contract services for workforce See CENTER, Page 2E Kevin GreenNews-Journal Photo East Texas Workforce Center Operations Manager Randy Fowler says the facility's new location at 2430 S. High St. will provide more space and resources for employers and people seeking jobs.

i 4 -i. 'V A BUSINESS BEAT Changes planned at local hospital By JO LEE FERGUSON Longview Regional Medical Center will move its Skilled Nursing Care Facility back Jito the hospital in November to nake way for the planned expansion Summer Meadows nursing home. The hospital's skilled nursing facility is at 2104 Airline Road, in a building connected to Summer Meadows (it 301 Hollybrook Drive. The building has been leased to the hospital since 1994, according to Creg Sechrist, managing partner of Linderian Co. Linderian leases and operates Sum-liter Meadows from New York City-pased Shefa Co.

Shefa bought Summer Meadows from Marion Healthcare Systems In May, Sechrist laid. Longview Regional Marketing Director Kim Brown said the skilled pursing facility has 15 Medicare-certified beds where patients can Receive treatment of an acute or exacerbation illness, IV therapy, wound healing and physical, occupational findor speech therapy after a hospital stay. I Sechrist said part of the plan in Summer Meadows' ownership change was to take back the beds eased to the hospital and turn them fcnto private, Medicare skilled nurs-Jng rooms. Summer Meadows has 90 licensed beds and will increase to 115 when it fessumes operation of the building Jcased to Longview Regional Medical Center, which was not using all the (rooms in the building. Summer Meadows will increase from 14 Medicare certified beds to 25, Sechrist said.

Sassy Pan under liv li Will II I Jilt Two longtime Longview businesses Barkley Creative and Sassy Pan are coming together under one roof, Jack and Pat Barkley recently purchased the Sassy Pan from Dan and Nancy Daily. Jack Barkley said Barkley Creative has provided planning, flowers and food for weddings and i)ther occasions for 30 years. The business has been on Methvin Street but is moving into the Sassy Pan in The Village shopping center on Jud-son Road at Hollybrook Drive. Sassy Pan will continue as a kitchen store, and Barkley Creative will be upstairs. Also, the Barkleys "will add new services to their businesses, including offering garden accessories, gourmet coffee and teas, flowers, fresh-baked cookies, "shoe-box lunches," a cookbook library and possibly gourmet cheeses.

The store is open from about 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Kargo undergoes transformation Karley Lott and Renee Seeley are giving a new focus to a downtown store. Lott opened her clothing store, Kargo, at 201 N. Fredonia three years ago. On Tuesday, the store will celebrate a new grand opening under its newest incarnation as U)lt Stock Seeley. Lott Stock Seeley touts itself as an affordable specialty boutique that will have a customized perfume bar, with about 50 base scents for customers to create their own perfumes, body lotions, gels, salts and lip gloss.

The store also will continue to offer "reconstructed vintage clothing" old Levis, for instance, that have been given a personalized touch or camouflage clothing transformed into a new style. The store also will offer birthday and other types of parties. The store is hosting a wine reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday to celebrate its grand opening. Regular hours are from 10 a.m.

to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Salon relocates Ricia's Pink Beaut iquo, which had been inside Kargo, has moved to another downtown building.

Ricia's, which has five hair stylists and a nail technician, is at 204-A N. Green where another salon previously was. Owner Ricia 1 lulsey said the salon is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

She said the salon needed a bigger space and relocated when the lease inside Kargo ran out. Luisa MorenillaNews-Journal Photo Office Depot Store Manager Mark Stonebraker assists Linda Henry in choosing the perfect scanner. Stonebraker says his employees want to provide service from the time customers enter the store until they leave. The art of customer service might be as important as ever to businesses By JIM HARDIN jharoWlongv ood customer service at retail stores is not dead, A but it might be in critical condition. That's the assessment of John "Good customer service is so rare that we notice it when we see it," sa id Grubbs, owner of GCI, a Longview-based training and consulting business.

"If business owners and managers knew what was happening at the point of sale, we would have a customer service revolution in our country." Grubbs believes the booming economy is one reason good customer service appeal's to be declining. "They're being lulled into a false sense of security," Grubbs said. There likely will be a customer service upswing it there is an economic downturn. Grubbs said good customer service will he one of the methods business people will stress See SERVICE, Page 2E Grubbs, who provides customer service training for retailers, institutions and other businesses that have direct contact with the public. This year, Customer Service Week will lie celebrated Oct.

2 to 6, according to the Chicago-based International Customer Service Association. The nonprofit association established customer service week in 191)3, and in 1092 Congress sot the national celebration for the first full week in October each year. Kevin GreenNews-Journa! Photo Whataburger cashier Shae Sneed serves a customer at the Spur 63 restaurant. Manager Tammy Pierce said employees are trained to be customer-friendly. "We want to make sure they're doing everything they can to satisfy the customer," she said.

CBS 19 expands reporting with Longview-Kilgore segment Phil Hurley said the hourlong program actually will be two newscasts. The 6 p.m. show will close after 30 minutes, go to a commercial break and then restart. The 30-minute show focusing on this area will includes news, sports and weather. "We serve about 14 counties, but with the growth (in this market) we felt it was time to spend some money and time over there," See CBS 19, Page 5E the surrounding communities.

News Director Bob Leneitz said the station is expanding its weekday 6 p.m. newscast to an hour-long program starting Monday. The 6 p.m. news, which has lasted 30 minutes, will last an hour, with the second half hour focusing on the area. The format of the first half, with news from all of East Texas, will not change.

The half-hour addition will replace the television magazine show Extra. That show will air at 1 a.m. Monday through Friday on CBS 19 and at 10:30 p.m. Monday through Friday on MYTX Channel 10. The addition follows research and conversations with viewers that all pointed to a people in this area feeling as if they didn't have a station to "call their own," Len-ertz said.

President and Genera! Manager Broadcast at 6 p.m. will grow to hour long By JO LEE FERGUSON KYTX-TV CBS 19 will respond to viewers' requests Monday when the two-year-old station launches an expanded news show with a segment focusing specifically on Longview, Kilgore and Tyler Wing CBS 19 Longview Bureau Chief.