J Journal-Sun Cass County Citizens
A Local Guide to
Products & Services
Page 2
2 | Cass County Business Directory
Cass County Business Directory | 3
4 | Cass County Business Directory
Cass County Business Directory | 5
6 | Cass County Business Directory
Cass County Business Directory | 7
8 | Cass County Business Directory
Cass County Business Directory | 9
10 | Cass County Business Directory
Cass County Business Directory | 11
12 | Cass County Business Directory
Cass County Business Directory | 13
Western Drummer Portable Buildings BIG or small we rent them all! Come see us about RENT-TO-OWN carports and buildings! Dealer for Derksen Buildings and C&H Carports • RV • Sheds • Barns • Garages Wood Frame and Metal No Credit Check Free Delivery & Set-up
16821 Hwy 59 • Queen City, TX 75572 • 903-799-7187
14 | Cass County Business Directory
Cass County Business Directory | 15
16 | Cass County Business Directory
Cass County Business Directory | 17
18 | Cass County Business Directory
Cass County Business Directory | 19
20 | Cass County Business Directory
Cass County Business Directory | 21
22 | Cass County Business Directory
GET YOURS TODAY! Pick Up Your Copy of CROSSROADS Magazine
TODAY
at Area Merchants or stop by the Journal-Sun Office
Cass County Business Directory | 23
24 | Cass County Business Directory
Cass County Business Directory | 25
26 | Cass County Business Directory
Travis Ransom Mayor of Atlanta
Shopping local yeilds results
Shopping local yields results. By generating more income from local sales tax, and helping to provide critical services to the community, you are helping the community in two ways. The more income generated from local sales tax, the less reliant the city is on property taxes. A healthy retail economy helps the City of Atlanta keep our property tax rates from increasing. A new law aims to slow that increase by capping the rates cities can increase their property tax. If a city wants to increase over 3.5 percent, it will trigger an election for voter approval. In the case of Atlanta, where our budget and land valuations are relatively small, the election expenses would likely exceed the results of the increased revenue. This means we will rely even more on local sales tax keep our property tax low. Shopping local means your tax dollars stay local to provide critical services to the community. From library services and parks to pavement, fire prevention, and police protection, all are supported in part by our local sales tax. In Texas, sales tax is 8.25 percent and is collected whenever you purchase retail items or eat out in a restaurant. Of this 8.25 percent only two percent stays local. In Atlanta, one percent goes to the general fund to support city services, and the other one percent is dedicated to economic development activities split equally between the Atlanta Economic Development Corporation (AEDC), which is responsible for industrial development, and the Atlanta City Development Corporation (ACDC), which handles retail development and downtown. Compounded over the more than 5,000 residents we have in our community, and those who travel to Atlanta to shop from outside the city limits; those dollars add up! So, the next time you take out your wallet or start making your shopping list, please consider the results yielded by shopping local.Â
Cass County Business Directory | 27
Bob Swisher City of Linden Administrator
Linden: Changing & Growing Something is going on in Linden. If you have not heard about Linden’s change and growth over the past four years, this short article should help bring you up to speed. If you have seen a change in Linden, a community pride, a coming together to improve life in Linden, good! In 2015 Linden took a diverse group and asked them to create a 10 year plan for Linden. The going-in premise was “What would make Linden a hometown you could just never leave”. The group met twice a week and through much hard labor and a diverse perspective came up with a plan we called “Linden 2025”. Some of the fruits of this plan (available at lindentexas.org) were our application and designation as a Texas Main Street Town. With that brought a concerted effort to revitalize Linden, we have a Main Street manager who has worked hard to open a dozen new businesses in the first few years of the program’s existence. Brought about a façade grant program which literally has made our downtown district shine. That along with the 1934 water tower which was saved from demolition, restored, and now has a beautiful LED programmable light program that illuminates it in different patterns on different nights. This was completely done with donations and makes Linden unique. Lindenites showed up and showed they cared. The city has been approved for a new water distribution system that will replace the old lines we have and using a grant/loan combination from USDA for a new system that can more than handle Linden and any expected growth, construction will start this fall on this $4.5M project. We are also getting a General Land Office grant for $2M to replace two bridge/culverts on the south end of the park and fix the drainage and erosion there. We will be adding a retention pond to the park as well. With our newly renovated snack bar at Crow Heath ballpark and the lit basketball court, Linden is moving forward but we See SWISHER page 30
28 | Cass County Business Directory
Miranda Johnson
President, Atlanta Area Chamber of Commerce
Become a member
When I think of Chamber membership, I think of a gym membership. With a gym, you’ve got lots of members of all different kinds. You’ve got new members and lifetime members-some members know exactly where they belong and what gets them the results they seek, and then you have some folks who barely know what their gym has to offer. Members of a gym have different goals and expectations when they join. Some are trying to lift heavy and “bulk up” while others are trying to get long and lean. You’ve got your cardio people, yoga people, spin people and even your group of folks who are just in it for socialization! No matter how diverse the individual members may be, one thing is certain: The more you use your gym, the more benefit you gain from your membership. A membership with the Atlanta Area Chamber of Commerce is much the same, and that’s the fun of it! Our team loves how different our members are. We love introducing newbies to veteran businesses who can provide mentorship and encouragement! We love helping each induvial member determine what they hope to gain from involvement with the Chamber and then getting to work to make and meet goals! We’ve got members wanting training sessions, members hoping to connect with their communities, members looking to grow and expand, members looking for marketing & graphics, businesses trying to get creative or even rebrand, businesses seeking a more solid reputation, members wanting the chance to network and of course members wanting that fabulous Red Ribbon Cutting! No matter the size or industry of each member, one thing rings true for all: The more you use your Chamber Membership, the more benefit you gain. Our team is always looking ahead to new ways to make our businesses and communities stronger. We look forward to working with you! -Miranda Johnson “Creating Connections. Building Community.”
Cass County Business Directory | 29
Linden, Texas
Lighting the Way to Your American Dream The city of Linden is a city flush with unique and diverse opportunity. Whether considering the city for residence, commerce, or simply tourism, Linden is a beacon that channels the true brilliance of its residents and its history to shine as a light on a hilltop. Linden has seen incredible growth over the past few years and is on track to continue to thrive. As a business-friendly city with accommodating regulations and incentive opportunities, your prospective business will be unencumbered to grow along with the city. Linden’s economic ecosystem is also one of unshakable stability even in times of uncertainty, ensuring that an investment in the city of Linden is an investment with a secure return. Located in the heart of northeast Texas at an epicenter between the cityscapes of Texarkana, Longview, Marshall, and Shreveport—Linden offers an unparalleled blend of family & community-oriented lifestyles coupled with the conveniences of a burgeoning economic landscape. Because of its central positioning on the US-59 corridor, Linden’s available labor market extends north and south encompassing some of its more populous neighbors. However, Linden isn’t only a source of labor for the region, but a source of jobs as well—with opportunities for careers in timber, transportation, hospitality, construction, healthcare, and so much more. Going into its fourth year as a Main Street city, Linden is also heavily invested in its tourism industry and the preservation of its historical resources. The city’s status as hometown to a host of musical prodigies and icons has Linden bursting at the seams with culture and art—making it the perfect environment to pursue a passion and see where that passion takes you. With a stable and safe educational environment for its youth, Linden has become the destination community for younger families whose careers start amidst the bright lights and concrete spectacles of larger, urban areas and transition See LINDEN page 30
30 | Cass County Business Directory
Swisher are not slowing down. Our walking trails in the main park are used daily by many and our RV Park has seen much more use this year. We are improving the facilities on the West side of town as well. Volunteers are cleaning and reclaiming the old Legion Field and Pickle Shed area and we will be establishing a recreational spot over there as well. This is the same area as the World Famous Music City Texas. We have a gorgeous small venue (~400 seats) music hall which throughout the year attracts big name artists and local groups as well for musical shows. Come out and see one of your favorites play! We are a small town but we have a lot of the advantages you have in larger cities, we have a great home town grocery with a meat counter people come from all around to get their meat from Crump’s is just a great example of a business catering and responding to the community. We have a large building supply and a separate specialty electric and hardware store as well. Between TRICO and Jerry Berry we get you just about anything the big box stores can! Linden is looking for new businesses and we are a small neat town with tons of possibilities and potential. In our downtown area we have ultra-high-speed fiber optic internet through ETEX and we are right next to Hwy 59 for shipping. We do not have zoning codes and we have plenty of infill lots ready to build your dream home on. With our restaurants, shopping and access to all the bigger cities along with our great home town feel Linden is truly a great place to live. If you are looking for a place to live where you can get involved in a growing and improving community, give Linden a look.
Linden into remotely accessible, “work-from-home” opportunities. Our region’s extensive rural broadband options allow these young business people to continue to work for their metropolitan companies while giving them a much more wholesome environment in which to build their families. Indeed, Linden can be referred to by a multitude of names. Music City Texas, County Seat of Cass County, Home of the L-K Tigers, and The Light on the Hill which Cannot be Hidden—all suitable titles. But to all who have claimed their stake here, Linden can be identified by a much simpler moniker—Home. A safe place to raise a family, a beautiful place to vacation, a prosperous place to start a business. Come to Linden and discover your American Dream.
Cass County Business Directory | 31
About Cass County
Cass County was formed in 1846 from sections of Bowie County. It was named for Lewis Cass, a U.S. senator from Michigan who had favored the annexation of Texas to the United States. Population: 30,313 (2015 census estimate) Cities, towns and unincorporated communities include: Linden (1,979) county seat, oldest courthouse still in use; Atlanta (5,605); Avinger (452); Bivins (215); Bloomburg (414); Domino (104); Douglassville (249); Hughes Springs (1,812); Kildare (104); Marietta (137); McLeod (600); Queen City (1,484). EMERGENCY NUMBER: 911 Non-Emergency numbers: Cass County Sheriff ’s Office - 903-756-7511 Atlanta Fire Dept. - 903-796-2303 Atlanta Police Dept. - 903-796-7973 Avinger VFD - 903-562-1900 Bloomburg ESD #3 - 903-728-5404 Center Hill VFD - 903-650-3558 Douglassville VFD - 903-846-2861 Hughes Springs Police Dept. - 903-639-2621 Hughes Springs VFD - 903-639-3716 Linden Police Dept. - 903-756-5544 Linden VFD - 903-650-0700 Marietta VFD - 903-835-3200 McLeod ESD #1 - 903-796-7675 Queen City ESD #2 - 903-796-9101 Queen City Police Dept. 903-796-7986 Red Hill VFD - (903) 846-4100 Texas A&M Forest Service - 903-756-5571 CHRISTUS St. Michael ER - 903-799-3000 Poison Control Center - 1-800-222-1222 Suicide Hotline - 1-800-273-8255 Family Protective Services - 903-796-2861 National Sexual Assault Hotline - 1-800-656-4673 Domestic Violence Hotline - 1-800-799-7233 National Hunger Hotline - 1-866-348-6479
32 | Cass County Business Directory