This week in BiS:
• Otis Morgan calls himself “a bug man.’ He got into pest control when he was 43 and, over the years, has sprayed for hundreds of peole. The key he says is “good honest work” and “good prices.”
• Southbound Brewing Co. began selling the beer it brews just about a year ago was able to produce and sell about 1,000 gallons during their first eight months as a production microbrewery. Most of it was consumed in the city of Savannah.
• New rooftops in and around Savannah are, literally, increasing by the day even as commercial construction also is gearing up for a strong year in 2014.
Architect Patrick Shay says the last five years were tough, but now enough projects are bubbling up to keep everyone busy.
• Economist Kenneth Zapp suggests suggests flood insurance premiums deserve a level of subsidy to preserve property values, but homeowners should not get to keep the enhanced value when properties are sold.
• Jeff Hewitt, with Visit Savannah, explains tourism as an economic development factor.
Hobby Lobby to open store
Hobby Lobby Stores, an Oklahoma City-based retail chain of crafts and home decor stores, has announced it will open a store in Savannah at 11140 Abercorn St.
A company news release said construction is scheduled to begin soon on the 59,000-square-foot store formerly occupied by Rhodes Furniture.
Hobby Lobby’s 28th store in Georgia is projected to open later in 2014 with 35 to 50 jobs that will pay $14 an hour for full time and $9.50 an hour for part-time work.
“We are very pleased to become an integral part of yet another community by providing new jobs, exceptional selection and value in the craft and home decor market and revitalizing an empty facility, all of which enables us to share in the economic growth of both the state and the community,” said John Schumacher, assistant vice president of advertising.
Store hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. All Hobby Lobby stores are closed on Sunday.
For more information, visit www.hobbylobby.com.
New Coast Guard commander named
United States Coast Guard Cmdr. Amy Beach, chief of prevention for Sector Long Island Sound in New York, has been named Commander of the USCG Marine Safety Unit Savannah.
Beach will relieve Cmdr. Joseph B. Loring in June. Loring has been assigned to Washington, D.C.
Beach, who will also be Captain of the Port of Savannah, will be the first woman to hold the post here.
