PERRY, Mo. â Though he is one generation removed, Jordan Bransetter is entering the family business.
The Van Far High School graduate and his wife, Megan Branstetter, have agreed to purchase Hickmanâs IGA, which has been a fixture in Perry for 62 years. They begin learning the Hickman business this month with hopes of closing by June 28.
For Jordan, it is a return to family roots. His grandfather operated an independent grocery store in Vandalia, Hasseinâs, when he was growing up, and he currently works for a wholesale food distributor located near Cape Girardeau, Mo.
âWe are so excited about this opportunity,â Jordan said.
Though he is one generation removed, Jordan Bransetter is entering the family business. The Van Far High School graduate and his wife, Megan Branstetter, have agreed to purchase Hickman’s IGA,
Letter: We need better cable service choices
Bob Hickman
I ve been with Comcast for 18 years because it was the only cable service available in the city. When DVR service was offered that included 150 hours of recording of six simultaneous programs I added that to my package. I continued that service when I upgraded to Comcast X1 service over a year ago.
Now I get a letter from Comcast saying, Oops, they made a mistake and I wasn t supposed to have that much DVR feature (that I ve had for over a year) and that they re going to cut me back to 20 hours recording of only 2 simultaneous programs. I m currently paying $170 a month, but for only an additional $10 per month I can continue my current service. I tried to talk to Comcast about this scam, but they wouldn t budge.
PERRY, Mo. â Steve Hickman still awakens each Thursday in what most folks would consider the middle-of-the night to unload a truck arriving at 4 a.m. to supply Hickmanâs IGA in Perry.
But the routine is a grind for Hickman, 64, who has worked in the family business since his grade school days.
Two years ago, the Hickmans â oldest brother Jim, 72, who owns the majority shares of the family owned company, Kevin and Steve â sold their Paris IGA store to Prengers, a Macon-based family owned grocery.
âWe offered them the Perry store, but this is too far out of their market area, so we placed this store on the market and have continued to operate,â Steve Hickman said.
Tim Hearden
Mary Simmons of Great Basin Seed in Ephraim, Utah, talks with Casey Sever during the trade show at the Red Bluff Bull and Gelding Sale. Social interactions at the Red Bluff Bull and Gelding Sale provided a sense of relief from the isolation of recent months.
The Red Bluff Bull and Gelding Sale has always been a social gathering. The five-day extravaganza of livestock auctions, a trade show and other activities has long been a chance for people who’ve been coming for years to reconnect with friends they’ve made in the industry.
But this year, the mingling brought an extra sense of relief for the hundreds of buyers, consigners and livestock-related businesspeople who’ve been isolating since last March because of the coronavirus.