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- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 12 Dec 2008.
New visitor center and museum announced by Bush Brothers & Company
Five descendants of A. J. and Sally (Ketner) Bush attended Thursday's press conference announcing the proposed A. J. and Sally Bush Visitor Center in Chestnut Hill. Shown with an artist's conception of the building's facade are, from left, Jim Everett, Dandridge; Drew Everett, Knoxville; Carolyn Clevenger Rinehart, Dandridge; Jim Ethier and Kara Ethier, Knoxville.
Author: Duay O'Neil
CHESTNUT HILL-By September of 2009, visitors to Chestnut Hill should have the opportunity to stop at the A. J. and Sally Bush Visitor Center housing a museum, delicatessen, gift shop, and 74-seat theatre if all goes according to current plans revealed yesterday by Bush Brothers & Company.
Formal announcement of the project came yesterday during a press conference at the company's Chestnut Hill offices by Bush Brothers & Company Chairman and CEO Jim Ethier and Max Fultz, Community Relations Manager.
The new visitor center will be located in the old A. J. Bush & Company general store adjacent to its Chestnut Hill production facility.
According to Ethier, grandson of company founder A. J. Bush, "My grandfather built the store in 1897 as a barter store and carried everything from caskets to plow points. At the time, a trip to Knoxville took a full day, so people came his store to barter such things as produce for goods he carried."
"The store quickly became the center of the community," Ethier continued, "and remained so for the next 99 years."
"Even after he founded A. J. Bush & Company in 1908," added Ethier, "his heart always remained in the store."
Bush's love for the community was exemplified by a shoebox kept in the back part of the building, according to Ethier.
"My grandfather kept cash in this shoebox," said Ethier, "and store clerks were always authorized to use the money to buy school shoes for any Chestnut Hill child who did not have any."
After the store's closure in 1996, it has remained empty.
"It is only fitting that we are announcing this project as our company ends the celebration of its centennial year," Ethier said. "We think having a brand visitor center here will help us interact with our consumers and will also help us with market research."
Ethier also referred to the planned new Hwy. 411. "This will undoubtedly bring more tourist traffic this way," Ethier said.
Fultz displayed architectural drawings of the new center.
According to Fultz, plans call for a museum, a gift shop, and a restaurant, plus a 74-seat theatre.
"We plan to show videos telling about the company's history and canning process," said Fultz. "The theatre will also be available to the community for events."
"Our consumers are very loyal," Fultz added, "and have been extremely interested in Duke, the company's Golden Retriever who appears in television commercials, and the Bush Brothers story. We were looking for a way to better serve our customers, as well as the general public, and tell the unique Bush story."
"Reopening the general store is not only a nod to company history," said Ethier, "but is a part of Bush Brothers' ongoing effort to help provide community services and local employment in the communities of which it is a part."
Memorabilia featuring Bush Brothers & Company's logo will be sold in the gift shop.
A special feature of the restaurant will be an ice-cream parlor. Future plans call for music performances on the porch. "We envision people enjoying the music of bluegrass and gospel bands while they eat their ice cream," Fultz said.
Construction on the new project is expected to begin shortly. The new center is slated to open in the fall of 2009.
"This will be Phase I," said Fultz. "There's more to come in the next 8-10 years."
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 29 Jun 2010.
Bush's Visitor Center opens!
(c)2010 NPT PHOTO BY STEVE BLANCHETT
Bush Brothers & Company Board of Directors Chairman Jim Ethier is shown standing in front of one of the displays in the newly opened Bush's Story museum. This large BUSH'S BEST bean can contains a variety of videos on how nourishing beans are processed.
Author: Steve Blanchett
CHESTNUT HILL-Just in time for the July 4th weekend, Bush Brothers & Company opens its new Visitor Center to local residents, tourists, families, and friends.
"We have the best customers and BUSH'S BEST fans out there. After more than 100 years in business, we thought it was about time to open our doors and invite everyone down!" says Bush Brothers & Company Chairman of the Board Jim Ethier, who is the grandson of the company's founder, A.J. Bush. "Visitors will learn more about company and family history in the Bush's Story museum exhibit; get a sneak peek at what goes into making our famous Baked Beans; and see interesting memorabilia we've kept over the years."
The Newport Plain Talk will publish a special section in the newspaper after the Fourth of July featuring Bush Brothers & Company's new Bush's Visitor Center.
At the press conference at the visitor center on June 22, Ethier said he wanted to thank everyone from Jefferson, Sevier, and Cocke counties because he feels Chestnut Hill residents are citizens of all three counties.
"More than that, we have employees from all three of these counties, so we're very much a citizen of that three-county area and appreciate the support that you've given us through the years," said Ethier. "I think if there was a dream that my grandfather had, it was as he stated it to build a company here where he could employee his children so they could stay around him."
Ethier said in East Tennessee back in the late 1800s, early 1900s, there weren't a lot of opportunities.
"So that was really his dream," continued Ethier. "When A.J. and his wife, Sally, passed away in the spring of 1946, they had lived long enough to see their children return and work with them again."
Ethier said prior to the cannery itself, the A.J. Bush and Company General Store was his first economic endeavor.
"A.J. Bush was a school teacher here in the community of Chestnut Hill. This was an effort because by the turn of the century he had four of what would eventually be six children that lived past infancy and he needed to feed them, so he needed an economic enterprise and that is what this store was," said Ethier. "What our new dream is for the store is to bring back a kind of reality where people would want to come and visit it again and be able to understand our roots and why we are still here."
Ethier said sometimes we get caught up in the fact that Bush's is a national brand in fact it's international as the products are sold in some 14 countries.
"We don't want to lose sight of the fact that this is where we began," added Ethier. "This was that dream. First, I would say to employ the family and then my second generation. Those uncles had the ambition to employ as many people in their community as they could."
Ethier said if you look at the history, he remembers when he was in high school, Bush had more than 1,100 workers working at the company in the summer time, but it was a seasonal business, so part of the problem in post World War II for a lot of the people coming back from service was they wanted year-round employment.
"So, we began to pack beans. Not because they were particularly profitable, but because we would have something to do in the winter time, so we could employ people year-round," continued Ethier. "Of course, what happened in the long run is we became a bean company. Arguably we are very well known in the market for producing beans, but the dream remains the same to provide a good source of employment for the people of East Tennessee and particularly this three-county area."
Thus in the family tradition, Bush Brothers & Company is proud to announce the opening of the new Bush's Visitor Center.
Some of the other highlights of the Bush's Visitor Center include:
_The Bush's Theater featuring Jay Bush and his dog Duke on the big screen as they star in a fun-loving "History of Grilling" movied
_A walk through a giant replica can of Bush's(r) Baked Beans, showing the bean's journey from beginning to end
_A view into Duke's Doghouse for a behind-the-scenes look at Duke's antics
_Interactive exhibits such as learning your weight in beans and using a photo kiosk to create a picture with Duke
_Tools from Bush's original canning process in 1908
_A timeline of Bush Brothers & Company; how the company changed with the times and reached customers, as well as the local community, throughout the years
Additionally, patrons of the Visitor Center can enjoy Bush's Family Cafe-a place to sit down, relax and take pleasure in a variety of homemade dishes, Southern specialties and even bean desserts! An old-fashioned General Store is also open for shopping to pick up goodies, gifts, Bush's products and souvenirs.
"It is an honor to tell our story in the very spot where A.J. Bush started his first company-his general store," says Max Fultz, Community Relations and Visitor Center Manager. "We are delighted with the wonderful response we have received so far and can't wait to see more smiling faces on our guests as they enjoy the center and share in a piece of our history."
Fultz said he wanted to thank everyone associated with the opening of the Bush Visitor Center for their support including the media, the local area Chamber of Commerce's offices, contractors Bobby Posey and Ronnie Barnes, and architect Doyle Jones.
Fultz also thanked some of Bush's employees that made a significant contribution to the opening of the new facilities including Chuck Metz, who has provided the history of Bush's; Metz's son, Ben Metz, for rendering the drawing; General Merchandise Manager Susan Merrell; Assistant Manager and Merchandiser Randie Gentry, who arranged and created the displays in the store; George Owenby, who is the facilities manager that keeps everything in working order; Steve Harrison; Bush's Spokesperson Kara Ethier, and Sharon Hatcher and J.P. Miller, who are operating Bush's Family Café.
After welcoming everyone to the press conference, Fultz introduced Bush Brothers & Company Chairman of the Board Jim Ethier.
Bush Brothers & Company has a long historic history, which includes many events that have helped to improve the Chestnut Hill Community.
Bush's Visitor Center buildings are housed in the original A.J. Bush & Company general store started by the company's founder in 1897. It was a general mercantile establishment for the small East Tennessee community of Chestnut Hill, located about 40 miles from Knoxville. It served the community for more than 90 years before closing in the mid 1990s. Reopening the general store is not only a nod to company history, but is a part of Bush Brothers' ongoing efforts to help provide community services and local employment.
The company's steadily increasing number of consumer requests and informally-hosted plant tours provided additional impetus for opening the Visitor Center. Construction started in late 2008.
The Bush's Visitor Center is located at 3901 Hwy. 411, Dandridge, TN, 37725.
The hours of operation for Bush's General Merchandise are Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; and the telephone number is (865) 509-3077.
The hours of operation for Bush's Story (museum) are Monday-Friday from 10:15 a.m.-4 p.m.; Saturday, 10:15 a.m.-2 p.m.
The hours of operation for Bush's Family Café are Monday-Saturday from 11 a.m.-8 p.m., and the telephone number is (865) 509-3485.
Founded in 1908, Bush Brothers & Company is a privately owned food processor headquartered in Knoxville. Best known for their Baked Beans, Bush's also offers more than 30 varieties of canned beans including kidney, pinto and black and other canned vegetables.
Bush Brothers & Company is still family owned and operated, working for the same ideals that were set forth by A.J. Bush more than 100 years ago-ensuring the highest quality and best taste can be found in all their products. Bush's sells one-third of all canned beans in the U.S., making it the top bean brand in the country.
Its signature commercials of Jay Bush and his Golden Retriever, Duke, have made Bush's Baked Beans a familiar household name.
For more information, please visit www.bushbeans.com.
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