Published: June 25, 2009 11:17 pm      

Tim Preston: Composite pools, a place to get strong and Mike’s new shop

Mike Wheeler and the staff at Tri-State Construction and Tri-State Lawn Care at 740 Bellefonte Road in Flatwoods have added Tri-State Composite Pools LLC to their signs and opened their shop to the Ashland Alliance for a Business After Hours event this week, in addition to hosting an open house Friday and Saturday.

Wheeler said the company has also added bulk materials including mulch, gravel, sand and topsoil to their inventory, and you could hear the excitement in his voice when he started talking about the new pool business.

The composite pools are a “green friendly” product, he said, installed as a single unit, require a whopping 80 percent less maintenance than a traditional swimming pool and have a lifetime warranty.

Wheeler was also enthusiastic about the “green built homes” his company is certified to construct, noting each has a five-star energy rating and can be completed within about 100 days.

To learn more, visit tri-stateenterprise.com or call (606) 836-2534.

Get back in the game

Bryan Doberbruk, director of fitness at Elite Rehab & Fitness, 202 Park Ave., Ironton, invites anyone recovering from an accident, injury or surgery to get in touch to see what they can do for them. Doberbruk said the elite staff work with people recovering from everything from sports injuries to balance and sensory issues.

The business is also offering a deal for fitness members through the end of the year, providing free weights, machines and “pretty much anything you can think of,” for $90 a month, as well as a personal trainer for $10 per session for a limited time.

For more information, visit eliterehabandfitness.com or call (740) 532-0770.

New owner

Mike Pritt is settling in as the new owner at Omni Muffler Center, 2716 Greenup Ave., Ashland.

Pritt, of Coal Grove, worked at Sim Fryson/Giant Auto Group for nearly a decade and is factory trained and certified for all models of Honda and Mercedes vehicles, although he welcomes all makes and models at his new shop.

Pritt said former owner Danny Miller offered to sell him the business about a year ago, and “I decided to go into business for myself.” He brought Honda technician Nathan White with him to Omni Muffler Center and retained “The Exhaust Man” Bill Cole, who Pritt said is “The best I’ve ever seen.”

Omni Muffler Center is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturday. For more information call (606) 325-3577.

Money for small business

Small business owners seeking to expand will be able to refinance existing loans used for real estate and other fixed assets because of a recent change adopted by the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 504 Certified Development Company loan program.

For more information, including eligibility requirements, visit sba.gov/recovery or recovery.gov.

TIM PRESTON can be reached at tpreston@dailyindependent.com or at (606) 326-2651.