Coweta Business Woman Celebrates 20 Years

In 1988 long-time Coweta resident Sharon Massengale had a dream. 22 years old and a recent graduate of Carroll Tech as a Master Cosmetologist, she envisioned herself running her own business. Engaged to marry another seasoned Coweta resident, Ricky Ragan, he encouraged Sharon to turn her dream into a reality. With additional support from her mother, Martha Massengale Tinsley and Sharon’s new step-dad, William Tinsley, she took the plunge. In early October of ’88 Sharon opened her own beauty salon. Two weeks later she married Ricky and became Sharon Ragan, owner and operator of The Upper Cut in Sharpsburg.

Sharon and her family had lived in Coweta County, Sharpsburg to be exact, since the age of four. Growing up active in the community, Sharon became captain of the East Coweta Cheerleading Team and ultimately 1984 ECHS Homecoming Queen. After graduation, she attended West Georgia College but was unsure what her future held. One thing she thoroughly enjoyed was doing her dorm mates’ hairdos. After a few years of that, her mom and friends encouraged her to become a Master Cosmetologist; Sharon took their advice and transferred to Carroll Tech.

The Upper Cut was originally located in her hometown of Sharpsburg for almost five years before moving to Turin. Sharon then stayed in Turin for ten years. In 2003 she decided to relocate to Sharpsburg at the newly constructed strip mall, Plaza 154 on Highway 154. Many employees have helped The Upper Cut to be successful: some of her member design team are Master Cosmetologists Kimberly Worley, Deborah Carabetta, Marsha Morris, and Master Barber Doc. Karlee Sargent is an assistant who is currently attending cosmetology school and plans to work at The Upper Cut upon graduation. High school student Kara Somerville serves as receptionist when not in school at Northgate. Sharon’s Administrative and Personal Assistant is hard-working Heather Rainey.


Sharon’s daughters are following in mom’s footsteps, both attending East Coweta High School. Lauren is a senior and ECHS cheerleader, and Lindsey, a sophomore, is captain of her cheerleading squad. The entire family is active at nearby Crossroads Church. Congratulations to Sharon Ragan, one of Coweta County’s successful female entrepreneurs!



by Glo Hahn Tinsley

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Southeastern Ballet Company To Perform at Ashley park, Nov. 29 and 30

Southeastern Ballet Company (SBC), principal dancers and soloists will perform highlights from its upcoming production, Le Petit Nutcracker Sweet, along with guest students from Classical Dance Theatre (CDT), at the Tree Lighting festivities at Ashley Park in Newnan on Saturday, November 29. SBC and CDT dancers will take the outdoor stage between 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. that evening.

On Sunday, November 30, SBC and CDT dancers will perform excerpts from Le Petit Nutcracker Sweet at Barnes and Noble bookstore, also in Ashley Park. Show times are 3:00, 4:00, and 5:00 p.m. In addition, Barnes and Noble will be hosting a bookfair to benefit SBC, a non-profit professional dance company, based in Newnan. Barnes and Noble customers making purchases that weekend can support the work of SBC in the community by printing out and using one of the attached vouchers or by mentioning voucher # 393876 to the cashier upon checkout. Customers can use this voucher number between November 29 and December 5 at any Barnes and Noble in the U.S. to help support SBC’s artistic work.

SBC volunteers and costumed dancers will also be providing complimentary holiday gift-wrapping at the Newnan Barnes and Noble store during the November 29th and 30th weekend from 12:00 noon until 9:00 p.m. on Saturday and from 12:00 noon until 6:00 p.m. on Sunday.

SBC will host performances of its entire production of Le Petit Nutcracker Sweet on Saturday, December 6 and 13. Show times are 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. both days. SBC principal dancers and soloists, along with Classical Dance Theatre student dancers, will enchant and delight audiences in this sweet treat of a performance to be held at the Classical Dance Theatre studio at 1065 Sullivan Road in Newnan. Seating is limited, so $8 tickets should be purchased well in advance at the CDT studio. For more information, call 770-252-5515 or visit www.southeasternballetcompany.org and www.classicaldancetheatre.com.
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Nominate a "Citizen of the Year" for Coweta County

On January 15, 2009, Coweta County will honor its next Citizen of the Year, and the Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce wants your nominations by Friday, December 19. Nomination forms are available through the Chamber.

"The Citizen of the Year Award was established by the Chamber in 1992 to recognize individuals with outstanding leadership and citizenship within the community," said Willie Boyd, community volunteer, Chamber board member and Citizen of the Year in 2006. "These are people who demonstrate exemplary vision, civic pride and a strong commitment to a better Coweta County."

Nominees must be residents of Coweta County and must focus their efforts in the county and surrounding area.

To learn more about the Citizen of the Year Award, contact Willie Boyd, 770-251-7658 or WBoyd10132@aol.com, or contact the Chamber at 770-253-2270 or info@newnancowetachamber.org.

With more than 700 members throughout Coweta County, the Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing economic prosperity for all Coweta's citizens. As the county's largest business organization, the Chamber works to provide business leadership to foster an economic and cultural climate favorable to all
business, in order to create a higher quality of life for all residents.

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Main Street Newnan Releases 2008 Christmas Ornament

Main Street Newnan has released the first Christmas Ornament in their new series just in time for Holiday Open House on November 9th. The three dimensional, pewter ornament will replace the Christmas balls that were produced in series I. The 2008 ornament features the Carnegie Library in observance of the city of Newnan’s ongoing renovation project scheduled to be completed in 2009. The back of the ornament features the history of the Carnegie Library.

“We have had a very positive response from everyone that has seen these ornaments!”, says Linda Kee, Director of Business Development. “After fifteen years it was time to start a new series. We had sold out of many of the old ones so people could no longer get a complete set. This set will feature a different landmark each year and will make an excellent collector’s item as well as great gifts. We will never make more than 1,000 so get them quick!”

The ornament will be available in many of the downtown stores including Scott’s Bookstore, Morgan’s Jewelers and R.S. Mann Jewelers. The ornament will sell for $10.00 and each comes in its own presentation case. The remaining series I ornaments are available at the Main Street Office. Contact Ashley Chalker at achalker@cityofnewnan.org for more information and availability.
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Construction Underway on First Model Home at The Park at Heritage Ridge

PEC Development is pleased to announce that construction has begun on the first model home at The Park at Heritage Ridge. Located in historic Newnan, the 241-home community is the final neighborhood located in the successful Heritage Ridge master-planned community. Upon completion, the community will feature two model homes showcasing the Willow and Juniper floorplans. Drywall is currently going up in the Willow model home and the home is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Homes at The Park at Heritage Ridge are affordably priced from the mid $100,000s.

The two-story Willow model will consist of four bedrooms with two and one-half bathrooms, and will offer approximately 2,217 square feet of living space. The spacious interiors include a gourmet kitchen, master suite with sitting area and large walk-in-closet and a two-story foyer. Additional features include a two-car garage and a large covered front porch.

At The Park at Heritage Ridge residents enjoy the outdoors as much as the indoors with an array of amazing amenities. The extensive amenity package is already complete and includes a 9,500-square-foot clubhouse with large game room and billiards, exercise and fitness room, a large swimming pool, lighted tennis courts, bocce ball court and a large playground. In keeping with its name, The Park at Heritage Ridge also offers several beautifully landscaped parks.

The Park at Heritage Ridge is centrally located to employment centers, shopping and entertainment venues, educational and recreational resources and offers easy access to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

To visit The Park at Heritage Ridge, take I-85 South to Exit 47 (Newnan). Go left (east) on Ga. Hwy. 34 for one mile. Turn right onto Shenandoah Boulevard and go approximately one and a half miles. Turn left onto Lower Fayetteville Road and go approximately one mile, Heritage Ridge is on the left. The sales gallery is located at 6 Bayview Drive in Newnan. The sales office hours are Monday through Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sunday 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
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Four Coweta Dancers in GA Youth Ballet's Performance of Nutcracker

Shows run from December 12-14 at Sandy Creek High School in Tyrone.

According to Mary Caroline Moore of the Georgia Youth Ballet, there will be four Coweta County dancers in this year's four performances of the famed Nutcracker. Her daugher, Emily Moore, who has performed in many of the GYB's productions during the past several years, has graduated and is now dancing in college! But her sister, Ann Moore, is still here and she will be one of the Nutcracker performers, dancing as a sheep in the Court of the Sugar Plum Fairy in all four of the shows. Ann lives in Newnan.

Emily Ward of Senoia will be dancing as the Dream Fairy in two of the shows, and as the lead Russian in the other two shows. Olivia Jenkins from Sharpsburg will be the shepherdess in two shows, and the Arabian in two shows. The fourth Cowetan, Raegan Barnhill of Sharpsburg, who is a former GYB student and now is one of the teachers, will be a dancer in the Snow and Flowers scene. According to Moore, this is the first time a teacher has ever been one of the performers in the Ballet corps.

All four of the shows will be held at Patriot Hall in Sandy Creek High School. The first show will be Family Night on Friday, December 12 at 7:30 PM. Tickets for this show are $8. The other three shows will be on Saturday December 13 at 2:30 PM and 8:00 PM, and on Sunday, December 14 at 2:30 PM. The ticket prices for these shows will be $15 for adults and $12 for students (and also senior citizens).

Information on the Georgia Youth Ballet is available on their website http://www.gyb.us

Sandy Creek High School is located at 360 Jenkins Road in Tyrone in Fayette County.

By Forrest Schultz

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Circuit City Stores, Inc. Provides Update on Liquidity and Announces Store Closing Plan

CC Note: 19 Circuit City Stores are slated for closing due to the economy. Store locations include several around the metro Atlanta area and Newnan.

/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Circuit City Stores, Inc. (NYSE:CC) today provided an update on its liquidity position and its previously announced ongoing comprehensive business review. Due in part to its deteriorating liquidity position and the continued weak macroeconomic environment, the company has decided to take certain restructuring actions immediately, including closing 155 domestic segment stores, reducing future store openings and aggressively renegotiating certain leases. The company also is considering all available options and alternatives to restructure its business.

Business and Liquidity Update

Over the past several weeks, a number of factors have impacted severely the company's liquidity position. These factors include the following:

-- Waning consumer confidence and a significantly weakened retail environment have impacted negatively the company's sales and gross profit margin rate to a greater degree than management had anticipated previously.

-- Following the company's second quarter results announcement, the company's liquidity position and the sharply worsened overall economic environment led some of Circuit City's vendors to take restrictive actions with respect to payment terms and the credit they make available to the company. Additionally, the recent disruption in the financial markets has contributed to certain of the company's vendors experiencing insurmountable challenges with obtaining credit insurance for the company's purchases. As a result of this and other considerations, certain of the company's vendors have set more restrictive payment terms than in previous quarters, including in some cases requiring payment before shipment. Vendors also have limited the credit available to the company for purchases, including in some cases not providing customary increases in credit lines for holiday purchases. While management is working diligently to secure the support of its vendors and believes it has maintained good relationships with these important partners, the current mix of terms and credit availability is becoming unmanageable for the company.

-- To date, the company has been unable to collect an income tax refund of approximately $80 million that the company believes it is owed from the federal government.

-- Due primarily to the weakened economic environment and its potential impact on the timing of sales of the company's inventory and costs and expenses associated with such sales, a recent third-party appraisal conducted for the company's asset-based credit facility resulted in a reduction of the estimated net orderly liquidation value of the company's inventory. This valuation adjustment was made despite the mix of merchandise remaining consistent with the previous appraisal in November 2007. This reduction has led to a lower borrowing base and reduced availability for the current period compared with what the company had expected previously.

James A. Marcum, vice chairman and acting president and chief executive officer of Circuit City Stores, Inc. said, "Since late September, unprecedented events have occurred in the financial and consumer markets causing macroeconomic trends to worsen sharply. The weakened environment has resulted in a slowdown of consumer spending, further impacting our business as well as the business of our vendors. The combination of these trends has strained severely our working capital and liquidity, and so we are making a number of difficult, but necessary, decisions to address the company's financial situation as quickly as possible."

Domestic Segment Real Estate Actions

As a result of the company's ongoing asset productivity assessment and working capital situation, the company has determined to take the following initial actions with respect to its domestic segment real estate portfolio and strategy:

-- Close 155 stores and exit certain markets: Circuit City plans to close 155 stores that are underperforming or are no longer a strategic fit for the company. The stores identified for closure are located in 55 U.S. media markets, of which Circuit City will exit 12 U.S. media markets.

The list of closing stores can be found by visiting the company's investor information home page at http://investor.circuitcity.com/ and clicking the link regarding today's announcements. The company expects that impacted stores will not open on Tuesday, November 4, and the store closing sales will begin on Wednesday, November 5. The company expects the sales to be completed no later than calendar year end.

For fiscal 2008, the stores that are being closed generated in total approximately $1.4 billion in net sales. When results were viewed at the individual comparable store level, the closing stores, as compared to the stores remaining open, on average had lower net sales, a lower close rate and a lower gross profit margin rate. The stores, on average, were also unprofitable when marketing expenses were allocated to the individual store-level results.

Circuit City will continue to honor its customer commitments and serve its guests through 566 stores in 153 U.S. media markets, via its Web site at www.circuitcity.com and via phone at 1-800-THE-CITY (1-800-843-2489). During this transitional period, Circuit City is executing a plan to minimize disruption to the operations of stores that are remaining open. No international segment stores are closing as a result of the real estate plans announced today.

-- Further reduce new store openings: The company has revised its store opening plans for the current fiscal year and will not open at least 10 locations that were previously expected to be opened. The company still expects to open up to two incremental stores during the remainder of fiscal 2009. As previously announced, other than existing commitments, management intends to suspend store openings beginning in fiscal 2010.

-- Renegotiate certain existing leases: Circuit City intends to begin immediately renegotiating certain of its existing leases with the goal of significantly lowering rents. In some cases, the company may choose to negotiate with landlords to exit leases if rents are not reduced. The company also plans to work with landlords to terminate the leases for the stores included in today's closing announcement, as well as leases for a number of inactive locations that were closed previously and for the locations that are no longer being opened.

As a result of the store closures, Circuit City expects to reduce store operating, payroll and marketing expenses. The store closures will result in a reduction of approximately 17 percent of the domestic segment workforce. The company also expects to incur charges in fiscal 2009 associated with the above real estate actions. The company is currently evaluating the benefits and expenses associated with these changes, which are subject to the outcome of negotiations and store closure agreements. Presentation on the financial statements is currently being evaluated for accounting treatment.

"We deeply regret the impact today's announcement will have on our associates, our guests and the communities where these stores are located. We truly are grateful to each of our associates for their many contributions to the company. We are also grateful for the loyalty and support we have received from our guests in the impacted communities. Circuit City will continue to serve guests through 566 stores in 153 U.S. media markets, via its Web site at www.circuitcity.com and via phone at 1-800-THE-CITY (1-800-843-2489)," concluded Marcum.

Evaluating All Options

As a result of unfavorable macroeconomic conditions and the company's deteriorating liquidity position, the company is considering all available options and alternatives for the business. Consistent with this evaluation, the company will continue to take appropriate actions to conserve cash, reduce expenses and improve liquidity. In addition, the company is continuing to evaluate additional near-term cost reduction initiatives that may be necessary to address its financial condition. The company is also in negotiations with its lenders and other third parties regarding various financing alternatives.

The company plans to operate its business without interruption while it engages in discussions with its lenders and works with advisors to determine the most appropriate restructuring alternatives. The company can make no assurance that the discussions will result in any agreements or transactions.

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