Wednesday afternoon, BankFirst President and CEO Moak Griffin saw six out-of-town BankFirst employees eating at Harvey’s.
With BankFirst announcing its recent acquisition of Traders and Farmers, a bank with nine branches in Alabama, Griffin said the Golden Triangle will continue to benefit from his bank’s growth as it hosts meetings and events in Columbus.
“With our headquarters being (in Columbus), it’s a big difference,” Griffin said. “(Those employees) were here to present at a branch managers’ meeting and it’s very beneficial to Columbus.”
He added the acquisition will be finalized by June. Even though the most recent acquisition is in Alabama, Griffin said it will require hiring more employees in the Golden Triangle to help maintain the increase.
“We will definitely be adding more jobs to Columbus, but I would hate to put a number on it,” Griffin said. “We will be hiring people in Starkville, Columbus and Macon to help us with this acquisition. …As we buy banks in other parts of Mississippi and Alabama, it is just going to benefit Columbus because we continue to hire people as we grow.”
Moving from bank news to legal news, Brunini Grantham Grower Hewes Law Firm at 410 Main St. will move across town March 1.
Gordon Flowers, attorney with Brunini Law, confirmed the firm’s move from downtown to Brickerton Plaza. For more than a decade, Brunini law firm has served the Columbus region and with a new location, Flowers said not much will change.
“We just have excess space and have had for quite some time,” Flowers said. “We are just relocating to (Brickerton). …We will continue to operate as a firm and to our Columbus clients, just as we always have.”
Flowers added the office at Brickerton will have two attorneys and will use paralegal and secretarial services remotely through its Jackson office.
Moving on down the highway, the Columbus Palmer Home Thrift Store, 2608 S. Main St., has temporarily closed its doors. Palmer Home for Children posted on its social media page that the Starkville location will remain open while the Columbus store will close for four to six weeks.
The Columbus Palmer Home thrift store closed for management to “review opportunities to improve” on Feb. 6. Those looking to donate items or shop around should check out Starkville’s location at 422 Hwy 12.
Moving on over to West Point, there’s a new shop in town.
Christiann Gibbs opened Secret Hidden Treasures, a consignment shop, at 26046 W. Main St. The store for thrifters offers new and used items at great prices. Gibbs said she carries clothes, pictures, jewelry, hats, purses, furniture and more. The new store to West Point has varied hours since Gibbs has a full-time job, but the store’s schedule is posted on the door. When open, you can shop 10 a.m.-8 p.m., or you can shop by appointment by giving Gibbs a call at 662-524-0804.
“We don’t have very many consignment shops here,” Gibbs said. “I think it’s a very nice place for people to get great deals and it’s a good thing for the community.”
The West Point Main Street Growth Alliance will hold a ribbon cutting Friday at 11 a.m. Check out the new store on the block and see if you can find a treasure.
We’re going to round out the Golden Triangle with Starkville business news.
Late last year, we announced a new sub sandwich chain was moving to Starkville … well it’s finally open.
Jersey Mike’s, 831 Hwy. 12 W. Suite D, opened last week. Feel free to head over to Jersey Mike’s and give one of their signature subs a try. Jersey Mike’s is open every day from 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
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