Jackson Free Press

Beemon Has Value

The Independent Pharmacy Cooperative recently awarded Beemon Drugs in Maywood Mart (1220 E. Northside Dr., 601-366-9431) with the organization's Most Valuable Pharmacy award at its 2013 convention. The IPC gave owner Lester Hailey the honor due largely to his advocacy of the organization and his dedication to community.

"I'm excited, honored and surprised to have won this award," Hailey told the Jackson Free Press. "It's a great honor for us, and we're proud to share it with all our customers. We're just a friendly, hometown pharmacy. We like to know everybody who comes in, and we treat you like family."

Beemon Drugs has been family owned and operated since it opened in 1956. The store was originally known as Beemon-Brent's Drugs before two of the pharmacy's founders, Fred and Alvin Brent, left to open Brent's Drugs in Fondren.

Hailey, 59, has been at Beemon for 36 years. He started there right after graduating from the University of Mississippi with a bachelor's degree in science and pharmacy. Seven years later Hailey became a partner in the business. Hailey became the full owner of Beemon after buying out his former partner, Ed Show, 10 years ago.

Hailey's wife, Ellen Hailey, is a full time pharmacist at the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery Medical Center in Jackson and helps out at Beemon at night. Hailey and his wife have four children: Josh Hailey, Jordan Bryan, Tyler Steen and Sara Steen.

Stewpot Back On Track

Jackson's Stewpot Community Services is once again fully operational after a budget crunch brought on by the theft of up to $120,000 in November.

The 32-year-old non-profit organization, designed to help lift Jackson's homeless people out of poverty, was able to reopen its Opportunity Center, as well as a shelter for women and children called Sim's House, just one week after announcing that both would be temporarily closed while the organization recovered from the theft.

Program Director Frank Spencer said Friday that anonymous donors stepped up after the story hit the newspapers, and Stewpot received three large donations. The city of Jackson also donated $40,000 May 28 on a unanimous vote from the city council.

"We are in better standing financially than we were at the end of last summer," Spencer said. "We had a gentleman who donated $40,000 and two foundations that each gave us $40,000. It got us back on even keel to finish out the summer, we think."

The Opportunity Center, located at 845 Amite St., is a site that offers showers, a computer lab, a place to do laundry. It also provides services to connect the homeless to rehabilitation centers, mental-health care and employment. Spencer said the Opportunity Center serves around 100 people a day, and Sim's House provides shelter for 25 women and children. Both sites were able to reopen one week after closing. Stewpot serves about 650 people every day.

Spencer also had to furlough some of his 25 full-time and 10 part-time employees. He was happy to report Friday he's been able to bring all of them back.

The non-profit lost an estimated $120,000 in one week from Nov. 22 to Nov. 29, 2012, when a scammer put in a change-of-address form for the non-profit and had some of its mail diverted to another address where the thief stole the donation checks.

"We knew something was up when we didn't get near the number of donations we usually do," Spencer said. "We get 40 percent of our contributions during the months of November and December, and for the week after Thanksgiving, our average number is around $120,000.

Spencer contacted the U.S. Postal Service, and a Federal Postal Inspector investigation produced stills from a video camera inside the post office showing a man submitting the change of address form.

Spencer said, to his knowledge, the search for the man continues.

The organization's next big fundraiser is the Red Beans and Rice Festival scheduled for Nov. 1.

Callan Has Competition

The Mississippi Business Journal reports that Developer Journeyman Construction has submitted a proposal to build a convention center hotel across the street from the Jackson Convention Complex on Pascagoula Street in downtown Jackson.

Developer Robinson Callen received an endorsement from the Jackson Redevelopment Authority on June 25, and that endorsement included a land transfer, which will have to be put on hold until JRA has a chance to review Journeyman Austin's proposal.

Journeyman did not submit a price tag for its proposed 304-room, eight-floor hotel, but major differences between its proposal and the Callen proposal include surface lot parking and making the hotel "entertainment themed."

At a press conference to announce the deal in June, Callen representatives said they wanted to break ground on the project before February 2014. It's unclear how long the new proposal could delay construction, but city communications coordinator Latrice Westbrooks said the new proposal would be considered before the city moves forward with the Callen proposal.

Journeyman Construction is based in Austin, Texas, and has four other Texas offices in Dallas, Corpus Christi, McAllen and San Antonio.

Thompson to Speak at GJCP

U.S. Representative Bennie Thompson will be the special guest speaker at the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership's Aug. 14 luncheon.

The nine-term congressman for Mississippi's Second District, who is in his fourth consecutive term on the Homeland Security Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, is scheduled to speak at noon.

Thompson served as alderman, then as mayor of his home town of Bolton, then Hinds County Supervisor for 13 years before being elected to congress in 1993.

The cost of the luncheon is $35 for members and $40 for non-members. Call 601-948-7575 for information.

Clarion-Ledger Announces Cuts

The Clarion-Ledger eliminated 12 jobs at the media company Friday.

The affected jobs came from the news, advertising and finance departments, president and publisher Leslie Hurst said in the paper.