| Village Coffee brews up growth
Village Coffee is branching out. Village Coffee founder Tommy Lowery currently owns three stores -- the original in Troy and two in east Montgomery -- and he's sold licenses in Millbrook, Prattville and Enterprise as well as one in California. He says he's negotiating a dozen other license deals. The Alabama-based company is growing through licensing, which allows the buyer a more affordable and more flexible opportunity than franchising, Lowery said. Under a franchise agreement, the store operator follows instructions from corporate on almost every aspect of running the business. In a license agreement, the store owner has permission to use a company's name and sell its products, according to Daniel Slocki, a counselor at the Auburn University Small Business Development Center.
Netball: Northern teams fight for top semis position
Tasman Trophy coach Yvonne Willering would have been pleased to have arrived in Palmerston North yesterday and seen that Auckland Waitakere and North remain unbeaten in the national championships. As coach of the greater Auckland side for next year's Tasman Trophy, North and Auckland Waitakere make up a significant part of Willering's catchment area. With franchises beginning to organise their lineups for the new competition which starts in April, the nationals are a great opportunity for those hoping to secure spots. In yesterday's double header round, Auckland Waitakere knocked over Waikato 49-40 and Otago 57-45 while North beat Western 58-43 and Southland 55-54. The two sides will square off tonight to decide the top side going into tomorrow's semifinals where one plays four and two plays three.
Johnson grateful for shot with Cowboys
Grateful for receiving an opportunity to resurrect a career derailed by repeated brushes with the law, newly signed Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Tank Johnson vowed Wednesday to justify the considerable faith owner Jerry Jones has shown in him. "Most importantly right now is just to understand that you're representing a great franchise, a great group of people, who have faith in you," Johnson said. "To have that type of environment where you know you have people pushing for you to succeed, you don't want to let those people down. "I've been through that, and it's not a feeling I wish upon anyone." Johnson, 25, said he's dealt with a "lot of tragedy and heartache" in the past seven months, a period in which he went from being a prominent piece of the defending NFC champion Chicago Bears' rugged defense to an unemployed, suspended poster boy for what awaits violators of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's strict personal-conduct code.
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