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A Little Taste of History

Wolf’s Restaurant and Tavern, the second-oldest tavern in the state, serves up Kentucky favorites and a little history.

If only the walls could talk, they would tell a story or two about Wolf’s Restaurant and Tavern in downtown Henderson.

Built in 1878 by George Wolf, the second-oldest tavern in the state is still open for business.

“On the side of our building, we have a painted billboard that reads, ‘Where Friends Meet,’” says Tom Davis, owner. “You might be sitting next to a guy who works at a tool and die on one side and a judge on the other. It’s a place for everyone, and we’ve been proud of that.”

The tavern is joined by a full-service, family friendly restaurant, Davis says. The restaurant is actually housed in the Wolf family’s former living quarters. Popular menu items include bean soup and the ham sandwich, which have been on the menu since the tavern’s opening. Customers also enjoy the hand-cut rib eye steaks, Kentucky Hot Brown open-faced sandwich, and the “Wolf Burger,” voted “Best Burger in Henderson” for five years running.

Bridge to Bargains

In a time when nationwide automobile sales have been down, Henderson Chevrolet Buick Pontiac GMC has increased sales volume, according to general sales manager Michael Spurgeon. The boost is due largely to the addition of three new GM product lines – Pontiac, Buick and GMC – to the already successful lines of Chevrolet and pre-owned vehicles.

Now with “five dealerships under one roof,” many customers are continuing to “cross that money-saving bridge” from neighboring Indiana to make a deal, Spurgeon says. The trademark “bridge” tagline has served the 5-year-old dealership well, according to owners Ronald Faupel of Henderson and Terry Cullen, who runs a Chevrolet dealership in Atlanta.

“Over 30 percent of our business comes from Evansville and surrounding cities in Indiana,” Spurgeon says. “Everything’s cheaper here because we’re a smaller city and overhead is not as much.”

A Clean Way of Doing Business

More than 40 years ago, Sitex Corp. opened for business with one truck, one customer and a little bit of equipment.

But what began as a modest family business is now a competitive linen and uniform company that serves some 5,000 customers in four states. Working with their father, company President Wes Sights and his brother and vice president of operations, Jon H. Sights, represent the third generation in the business.

“The whole concept of Sitex is that we take care of our customers,” Wes Sights says. “We provide a good, value service for our customers. And we have a lot of good team members that work for us.”

The 170 employees working for Sitex are part of a team that rents, leases, sells and cleans linens and uniforms for a variety of clients, including restaurants, medical facilities and industry, to name a few. Using state-of-the-art technology, Sitex also provides custom embroidery in-house and is responsible for producing thousands of company logos.

Nine Down, Nine to Go

What was once an occasional hobby became an occupation when Dan and Anne Klaffer opened the Bent Creek Golf Course in Henderson. The Klaffers also own A & D Construction, the company that developed the course and the Bent Creek subdivision that surrounds it.

Together with their daughter, Julie Welden, and son and course manager, Jason Klaffer, the family is expanding the nine-hole course to 18 holes.

“Public demand is making us grow,” Anne Klaffer says. “People like the course because it’s not real difficult, and it appeals to both old and new golfers.”

Aside from the “beautiful greens,” Klaffer says, the course offers golfers a large clubhouse with a members’ room, a pro shop and snack bar, and a cart barn for storage. Klaffer says if the weather agrees, the additional nine holes should be playable by the beginning of November 2006.

Sporting Success

The Columbia Sportswear distribution center employs some 140 workers.

When the Columbia Sportswear distribution center came to town almost two years ago, the community of Henderson did “nothing short of rolling out the red carpet,” says Jim Barrow, human resources manager.

Along with a brand-new facility and new jobs came a high-quality clothing and equipment line recognized by outdoor enthusiasts worldwide, says Tim Maloney, distribution center manager.

Since opening in January 2005, the center has hired more than 140 full-time and variable employees who work to sort, package and ship goods to national chains like Kohl’s and Dick’s Sporting Goods. Using the latest technology, the Henderson facility is able to guarantee more customer satisfaction and include extras like pricing and pre-hanging clothing, Maloney says.

“Customers want to be able to get our product and put it right on the shelf,” Maloney says. “If you want to be a player in the clothing market today, you better add some value-added services.”

Story by Emily Lansdell
Photo by Antony Boshier and Wes Aldridge

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