Chickamauga strip mall starts with Wendy’s

Hopes for the new development include pharmacy, rehab and walk-in clinic

A new Wendy’s restaurant opened Dec. 30 at 12706 N. U.S. 27 in Chickamauga, near the Lee and Gordon Mill Road intersection.

Zack DeBord, president of Wen Choo Choo Inc., the company that owns the Wendy’s and the adjacent strip mall, said the Chickamauga Wendy’s makes the 12th opened by Wen Choo Choo Inc., which is owned by DeBord’s grandparents, Jim and Koy Patton.

Wen Choo Choo, says DeBord, has actually owned the land in Chickamauga since 2005 but didn’t open a Wendy’s due to the close proximity of a Wendy’s in Fort Oglethorpe at Battlefield Parkway and U.S. 27. That Wendy’s is now closed.

Over time, Wen Choo Choo purchased land adjoining the Chickamauga location, more than a Wendy’s requires, says DeBord.

The other Wendy’s restaurants owned by Wen Choo Choo are stand-alone businesses. This is the first time

the company has ventured into building a strip mall with Wendy’s as an endcap.

There are three other retail spaces in the mall.

DeBord says the company’s hope for the currently

vacant buildings is to have them occupied by a pharmacy with a drive-thru, a physical rehabilitation facility and a walk-in medical clinic.

The restaurant has 3,000 square feet, and the remaining

retail space available in the strip totals 8,750 square feet.

Other Wendy’s restaurants owned by Wen Choo Choo, Inc., located in Georgia are Trenton, LaFayette, Ringgold and Fort Oglethorpe (near Dietz Road); those located in Tennessee are Kimball, Lookout Valley, East Ridge, Hixson (on Hixson Pike), downtown Chattanooga (near Holtzclaw Street), Soddy-Daisy and Dunlap.

The Walker County Chamber of Commerce announces the relocation of its headquarters from the Walker County Civic Center to Fieldstone Village in Rock Spring. The new office will serve as a shared workspace for entrepreneurs and small businesses, in addition to being the chamber’s primary location for hosting classes and webinars for the business community.

The chamber, which has been located at the Walker County Civic

Center since 1991, also unveiled a new logo for the organization.

“As both a chamber of commerce and a visitor center, being located next to other small businesses in a retail location like Fieldstone is more in line with our longterm goals to serve the business community,” said Lacey Wilson, president of the Walker chamber.

The shared workspace concept, which has gained popularity in other markets, is geared toward entrepreneurs, freelancers and other small businesses who sublease desk space while sharing common office amenities, such as conference rooms, break rooms and copy machines.

The space is within walking distance to neighboring businesses, such as Pie Slingers Pizzeria and The Key Fitness.

The chamber will continue operating the Regional Visitor Information Center (RVIC) through the state’s Department of Economic Development from its new location, providing travel guides, brochures, relocation packets and additional tourist information.

The chamber will also continue to collaborate with county and city entities to manage “Walker Rocks,” the area’s award-winning outdoor recreation marketing campaign.

The Walker chamber, whose mission is to enhance lives through business and tourism, is a 501c6 non-profit organization governed by a board of directors made up of area business leaders.

For more information about the chamber or to inquire about space at the new office, visit www.walkerrocks. com, call 706-375-7702 or email contact@walkercochamber.com.

As both a chamber of commerce and a visitor center, being located next to other small businesses in a retail location like Fieldstone is more in line with our long-term goals to serve the business community.”

Lacey Wilson, president of the Walker chamber.

As the U.S. economy thaws after COVID-19 forced many businesses to shutter last year, a LaFayette range and oven manufacturer ramped up hiring to keep pace with increased demand for its products.

“Our industry is booming,” said Lois Crandall, plant manager at Roper Corp., a subsidiary of GE Appliances, a Haier company. “We cannot hire enough people right now.”

Crandall spoke Oct. 20, 2020, as she and her staff escorted Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, along with state and local officials, on a tour of the facility. She explained that the plant has more than 2,000 employees and is the largest of GE’s nine U.S. plants.

Crandall touted the brand’s popularity in America, explaining that 50% of U.S. homes have a GE appliance.

Roper has responded to pandemic-related challenges, including disruptions in the supply chain, to keep production rolling. Last year the plant closed for COVID-19 for cleaning and modifications for social distancing, and the plant acquired temperature scanning equipment that is faster than hand-held scan

ners. Where social distancing was not practicable, the plant implemented other measures to provide additional protection, including Plexiglass dividers.

The tour included demonstrating features, such as WiFi and Alexa connectivity to turn appliances on and off and in-oven, live-streaming cameras to check on the food as it cooks without hovering at the appliance.

Fast induction cooking brings water to boil within 60 seconds. Induction cooking requires special cookware

to create an electromagnetic field, making the cookware hot while the surface is cool to the touch.

Georgia is a great place to run a business and to raise a family, Duncan said.

The Partnership for Inclusive Innovation’s website, https://storymaps.arcgis. com/stories/bae99d8e3be14e0b977f2c8b93a5291b, states the initiative’s goal is to make Georgia the technology capital of the East Coast. A publicprivate partnership kicked off in 2020 under Duncan’s leadership, it includes in

dustry clusters from agriculture and manufacturing to technology, from incubators

and entrepreneurial degree programs to venture capitalbacked startups, and includes

more than 100 Georgians to make recommendations to support the innovation.

Walker Transit recently expanded its services to improve access for workers in need of transportation to one of Walker County’s largest employers. The creation of a new route for Roper Corp. provides their workforce with direct pick-up and drop-off locations throughout Walker County.

“Roper Corporation approached us about addressing some of the employment barriers that exist in our community,” said John Logan, Walker Transit director. “One solution we agreed on was helping those without adequate transportation get to and from work. Through a partnership with our local Hardee’s restaurants, we established bus stops at their locations in Rossville, Chickamauga and LaFayette to provide a ride to Roper.”

The new route operates on the following schedule for pick-up Monday through Friday:

5:15 a.m. – Hardees of Rossville, 300 McFarland Ave., Rossville

5:35 a.m. – Hardees of Chickamauga, 12876 North Highway 27, Chickamauga

5:55 a.m. – Hardees of LaFayette – 813 N. Main St., LaFayette

6:15 a.m. – Roper Corp.– 1507 Broomtown Road, LaFayette

Walker Transit then returns to Roper Corp. at 5:30 p.m. and transports riders back to the

Hardee’s bus stop location of their choice.

Roper Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of GE appliances, employs more than 2,100 people in Walker County. Due to increased demand for appliances, the company announced plans

in January to add another 150 workers locally.

“The Roper route is a pilot project that could be expanded to assist other industries in the future,” said Shannon Whitfield, county Board of Commissioners chairman. “There are

several other large employers in our county that may find a service like this beneficial to their employees.”

One-way transportation costs $4 per person, which is the standard rate for all Walker Transit customers.

Don Stilwell A Wendy’s restaurant has opened at 12706 N. Highway 27 in Chickamauga.

Contributed A new Wendy’s in Chickamauga opened for business on Dec. 30.

Contributed Furnishings are set up in the new headquarters of the Walker County Chamber of Commerce at Fieldstone Village in Rock Spring.

Contributed The chamber’s new office will serve as a shared workspace for entrepreneurs and small businesses, in addition to being the chamber’s primary location for hosting classes and webinars for the business community.

Lacey Wilson

Catherine Edgemon, File Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan watch an 1,100-ton press in operation at Roper Corp. in LaFayette on Oct. 20, 2020, with local and staff officials. Roper is a subsidiary of GE Appliances, a Haier company. The plant has 51 stamping presses.

Catherine Edgemon, File Don Gregg, senior director of engineering, discusses induction cooking and other precision, guided cooking technologies with Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan as Lois Crandall, Roper’s plant manager, looks on in the plant’s test kitchen.

Catherine Edgemon, File In observance of social distancing, Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan and Don Gregg, senior director of engineering, simulate shaking hands with a hand created at the plant by a 3-D printer. The printer has been used to create face shields, knobs and other parts used in assembling appliances.

Catherine Edgemon, File Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan (second from left) chats with, from left, operations manager Conner Rowlader, plant manager Lois Crandall and employees Doniela M. Hunter and Jonathan Beam. The plant processes 72 miles of steel daily.

Catherine Edgemon, File Roper makes a variety of ranges and ovens for GE’s Monogram, Cafe, GE and Profile product lines.

Contributed “Through a partnership with our local Hardee’s restaurants, we established bus stops at their locations in Rossville, Chickamauga and LaFayette to provide a ride to Roper,” said John Logan, Walker Transit director.