ATHENS – Dana Henry, owner of two small businesses on the historic Limestone County Courthouse Square, will celebrate the anniversaries of both Hyatt & Sims, Inc. and Cruise Planners on December 17. A ribbon-cutting event will be held by the Athens-Limestone County Chamber of Commerce. The public is invited to the event at 9 a.m. at 211 West Washington Street, Athens.
Hyatt & Sims, Inc. has been in the Athens business community for 78 years. Henry is the current owner. After his military service during World War II, Mr. Melvin Hyatt began the business as a DuPont paint dealership. Mr. David Sims and his wife, Mattie Hargrove Sims, joined the business and ran it until Mr. Sims’ death, when Henry’s mother, Martha Sims, purchased it. She ran the business until her retirement.
During its history, Hyatt & Sims, Inc. transitioned to a partnership with Glidden Paints and sold wallpaper and paint sundries. Custom framing services were added in the early 1970s.
Henry assumed management of the business in 2005. During her tenure, she dropped the paint and wallpaper lines, citing a changing sales landscape, and concentrated solely on the custom framing business.
In 2019, Henry and her husband Scott turned their love of travel into a business and purchased a franchise with the Cruise Planners organization. They have been recognized for their five years with the company and achieved Top Producer status.
Cruise Planners, based in Coral Gables, Florida, recorded sales of more than $1 billion last year and was ranked #3 of 3000 unique brands by the Franchise Business Review.
“We are so proud to be part of the Athens business community and are so grateful to be a part of the Square community,” said Henry. “I grew up on the Square and love what I get to do each day.”
“Scott had been toying with the idea of a travel business for quite some time. We made the decision to invest in the fall of 2019 – just in time for the pandemic,” she explained. “We used that time to educate ourselves about the industry and reorganize our building for the new enterprise while continuing the framing services.”
The south side Square location houses both businesses. Henry can see clients to discuss their travel needs, the workroom runs in the back, and the front has been the site of several recent events focusing on different travel opportunities, which Henry intends to continue, with events such as “Cruising 101,” “All the Info on All-inclusive” and other topics being planned.
Recently, Henry added Olivia Bobo as an associate at the franchise. She would like to add several more to the business in the coming months.
“I always say I am the luckiest woman in the world. I love what I do, am blessed with a great family and friends, and have fun doing work I love every day,” she said.
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