After “several million dollars” of investments, Apex Ammunition will be fully operational this summer in its new facility.
A little more than a year ago, Apex purchased the former Maxxim Medical building, off of Yorkville Park Square, from the joint ownership of the city and the county. Boomer Brown, Apex assistant director of sales and customer service manager, said it was simply time to expand the rapidly growing shotgun shell manufacturer.
Right now, the waterfowl production is in full operation and all other operations will be in place by June.
“We were busting at the seams at our old facility on Phillips Hill,” Brown said. “A lot of states have lobbied for us to move, but being from Lowndes County we wanted to stay here. … We found this building and the rest is history.”
The new building is about 120,000 square feet, nearly 20 times the size of the former facility. With the new expansion and the company’s growth, Brown anticipates new jobs coming to the area.
Moving to downtown, there’s a new tenant for the former First Baptist Church at 202 Seventh St. N. Tupelo developer Vince Rapisarda, who purchased the property in 2022, said Revive Church of Columbus, located now at 419 Wilkins Wise Road, will rent the sanctuary from Rapisarda starting March 1. The church announced its move on social media. According to Revive Church’s website, it will hold its first service soon, but did not have an official move in date.
“I am happy that we have been able to find a tenant like Revive to move into the sanctuary,” Rapisarda said. “We are looking forward to a long term relationship and excited to help them grow their congregation. It is a beautiful historic building that will still be available for the public for weddings, funerals and other events.”
Moving to the other side of town, there’s an interesting opportunity for business owners and clients alike.
Redwood Business and Wellness Center, 5374 Hwy. 45 N., opened earlier this year across from Boswell Animal Clinic. Owner Anna Pantano opened Redwood to offer local entrepreneurs a space to grow their business. Redwood is separated into three components. It has six office spaces (four are currently rented), a conference room and studio for rent.
Pantano, who teaches yoga in the studio space, created Redwood because of her own experiences growing her business.
“I was interested because of my own struggles with trying to find a space,” she said. “… I wasn’t quite ready to rent my own building or location, but I needed a stepping stone.”
Redwood is now the home to counselors, life coaches, instructors, financial advisors, health expos and more.
“People are still learning about us, but so far it’s been well received,” Pantano said. “We’re excited to be there. I would encourage people who have something they want to show the community, to give it a try and go ahead and take a chance on themselves and teach a class or a workshop.”
You can keep up with expos, classes and services offered at Redwood Business and Wellness Center on their social media and website.
Moving back to downtown, something eggcellent is on the way. The Downtown Spring Open House Eggstravaganza will be March 1 and 2 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can support local businesses and possibly find some hidden Easter eggs with discounts and special offers throughout participating stores.
On March 2, you can head over to Leadership Plaza from 10 a.m. to noon for photos with the Easter Bunny. This is a great way to support your local businesses, so hop to it!
Starkville Stride kicks off March 1. Folks, you have till Sunday to register. From March 1 to April 14, you can compete for team and individual prizes sponsored by Starkville businesses. Starkville Stride is a friendly competition, one I proudly won with my neighborhood last year for the mid-size group, that helps promote health and wellness with local door prizes along the way. You can register online. See y’all next week!
Former Dispatch reporter Mary Pollitz writes weekly about interesting business news. Have a tip, send it to her at [email protected].
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
