Good for Business With Eric and Colin Krieger

12/13/2025

Fresh, Hot, Tasty Food Up Cale' Way

CALEDONIA, MS

A few months ago, we covered The Caffè and Sweetie's Caffè when they shared a small space right next to Anytime Cakes & Dewie's Bake Shop in Caledonia. Well, thanks to their hard work (and great food), they moved into their own place just a block or two away – and now, they have a proper restaurant of their very own. The new Caffe is located at the intersection of Wolfe Road and Caledonia Steens Road, on the triangular piece of property just South of the school and Ola J Pickett Park. They have plenty of room, tall ceilings...and, oh yeah, even more of their great food!

The Caffe's primary fare is of the Sicilian and Italian variety, but they also offer a variety of American-style food and area favorites, and their menu is ever-evolving. We already told you about their amazing, overstuffed pizzas; this time, we went for something a bit different. We started with some (over-)loaded fries done right – where most places just dump some fries onto a plate and toss a little something on top, these guys spread the fries out on a platter (the way they should be!) before drowning them in a ton of bacon and melted cheese. After that came the Cavalier Burger, which has a thick patty cooked just right, cheese, thick-cut bacon, and shredded steak, all juicy and delicious.

The owner informed us that they are expanding their hours; as of our visit, they were planning to add Saturday breakfast and Sunday brunch, both of which should be available by the time you're reading this – just call or check in on their FB page first to be sure.

They hope to use the smaller part of the "wedge" (to the North) as an event space in the future; the plan for the small patio off to the side is to give kids a neat place to sit and eat ice cream during the hot Summer months. Parking is on the South side of the building.

They're definitely worth making a special trip for, so go check 'em out! With these serving sizes, plan to go home with a doggie bag or two.

Tues~Fri 3-9PM
Sat 11-9PM
Please check their page for info on upcoming adjusted hours. They note that they will close for dine-in at 5PM today (due to a private event), but pickup orders will be available until 9PM, as usual.
(662) 855-0088
[email protected]

The Everlasting Loaf has informed us that they plan to take over the Caffe's old location.

12/06/2025

Helping Our Schools Help Our Kids

We recently had a chat with Haley Ellis Lee, founder and Executive Director of Cicero's Coalition They are new advocacy organization that was created to ensure school-aged children with disabilities have access to appropriate and comprehensive services. Their goal is to empower families to make informed decisions about their child’s education journey throughout their school career.

The board of this coalition is made up of educators and parents of children with disabilities. They are currently operating remotely out of Caledonia and serving Lowndes County as a whole. Upon launch, they will be utilizing a Caledonia location and Columbus office located off of Lehmberg that will be used to meet with families residing in the New Hope area and City of Columbus schools. While Cicero’s Coalition will be focused on serving families in Lowndes County, they hope their mission eventually spreads beyond Lowndes County and even the Golden Triangle Region, as Haley has been contacted by families in surrounding counties.

"As we launch, our work will focus on consultation and advocacy support, spreading community awareness, and hosting educational events," Lee said. "In the future, we also plan to hold fundraisers to help supplement the limited therapy options available. We value collaboration and hope to partner with local schools and organizations whose work complements ours—but we always begin by supporting the family first. It really does take a village to raise a child- and we truly believe we can do more together than alone, and we want to be part of the 'village' our community needs."

Many children in Mississippi need a little extra help with understanding the material presented in classes, and greatly benefit from IEP (Individual Educational Plans) and 504 plans, which help to customize their instruction by and remove barriers through accommodations to address behavioral issues, learning disabilities, etc. Cicero’s group works as a "bridge" between the parents and the school/school system, helping them to cut through the red tape and get more involved in their children's educational process. In the future, it is their intention to work alongside outside organizations as far as fundraising goes, in order to help fund further programs and thus, help more kids.

Lee emphasized that the vast majority of children in these programs do not lack intelligence or have unusually low IQ scores, but that some other factor makes it difficult for them to process the information the teachers are working so hard to convey to them (e.g., dyslexia), ability to focus on the work (e.g., ADHD), etc such that their test scores do not truly align with their own potential. In fact, some kids who have IEPs also participate in Gifted programs in school.

Children go through a thorough testing process to determine their eligibility for these programs. A distinction she made between IEPs and 504 plans is that IEP eligibility is much more narrow and includes individualized instruction, while a 504 has broader eligibility criteria and focuses on accommodations, however both can be tailored to meet the individual needs of a child.

Lee was kind enough to share the story of one young child who benefited greatly from such services (with their parents' consent):

"What I have learned in my work is that early involvement makes an enormous difference. I spend a lot of time helping parents communicate with their child’s school team in a collaborative way, and by the end of our work together most families tell me how much communication has improved. For this particular child, we were able to secure appropriate supports by the end of the year — but he was still marked as “failing.” I helped the parent create a detailed timeline and advocate to the Superintendent and School Board for his promotion, based on his new eligibility ruling and the circumstances surrounding his academic performance. Once he finally received the supports he needed, he tested on grade level and was clearly ready for promotion.

"Thankfully, the school did promote him. This year he is thriving, and I remain in close contact with both his family and his new teachers. They consistently talk about how well he’s doing. Holding him back could have changed his entire trajectory — possibly even labeling him as a 'behavior problem' when, in reality, he simply needed appropriate identification, intervention, and support. What has meant a lot to me personally is that even his previous teacher, the one who struggled most understanding this child and this process, has since shared that his journey inspired her to learn more about these issues over the summer break — and she thanked me. She has even referred families to me.

"This is just one glimpse of the kind of impact this work can make."

12/03/2025

Clay Bowen is this week's guest on the Good for Business Podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-good-for-business-podcast-with-eric-colin-krieger/id1825742270?i=1000739585753

11/26/2025

COLUMBUS, MS

The Commercial Dispatch reports that Oxford mainstay Newk's Eatery will be coming to Columbus! Newk's, a fast-casual restaurant, was founded just over two decades ago, and has grown by leaps and bounds in that time, with over a hundred locations in over a dozen states.

They will be located next to the upcoming Beef O Brady's the Original at 2400 Hwy 45 North (just a bit South of Mi Toro).

11/20/2025

COLUMBUS, MS

Our friends at Lindsay Clemons & Associates, LLC recently celebrated the opening of their new office off of Bluecutt. They held a well-attended ribbon-cutting ceremony, gave office yours to visitors, and had a great spread (complete with some neat fidget toys)! They specialize in real estate closings, so please go see them when the time comes to buy or sell your house; they'll be glad to take care of you.

320 Park Creek Drive, Columbus, MS
+1 662-630-5039

11/20/2025

Do you own or manage a business located in the Golden Triangle area? Would you be interested in having your business featured in the “Good for Business” blog for FREE? We're a local blog that has been highlighting area businesses for nearly a decade now, and we even have a podcast!

To schedule an in-person interview or to learn more, send us a DM through our page right here. We can go pretty much anywhere within an hour of Columbus on a day's notice, or even further if your place is just that awesome! We never charge – We just want to help spread the word about YOUR business!

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11/14/2025

Triangle Trading Post over in Starkville recently held their official ribbon cutting! They have even more wonderful items in the store than before, with everything from antiques to artwork to handicrafts to food mixes and furniture! Items are sold on consignment, having been offered for sale by community members throughout the Golden Triangle.

Honeyboy & Boots provided some wonderful live music, and Starkville mayor Lynn Spruill had some kind words to share. Please see the video below (higher-quality version in the comments).

Go check 'em out and support your local crafters and other business people!

13070 MS HWY 182, Starkville, MS

+1 662-338-0108

[email protected]

instagram.com/triangletradingpost

triangletradingpost.com

11/14/2025

Beauty Captured, As Far as the Eye Can See

COLUMBUS, MS

Local artist Ralph Null held his solo art opening this evening at the Columbus Arts Council's RAC on 5th and Main in Columbus. A big crowd showed up for the show, and Ralph had over two hundred paintings available for viewing and sale.

Half of the sales will go to to the Arts Council, and the other half will go to an endowment in Ralph's name. Ralph told us that, for some time now, he's been spending every morning in the studio, painting until Noon, to get ready.

11/12/2025

Keeping the Planes Flying at Airbus

COLUMBUS, MS - Courtesy of the Dispatch and Colin Damms

Airbus technician Keith White and his family members are among the folks who work hard to make sure that the manufacturers' customer can rest assured that they will be buying the safest ones possible. He is joined there by his own father, Frank; his father-in-law, Thomas; and his sons, Nolan and Chase. All of them served in the US Armed Forces prior to coming to Airbus, bringing their expertise with them.

“I’ve always wanted to serve my country, and being fresh out of high school, I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do in life,” said Nolan, now a quality engineer, reflecting on his decision to enlist. “I saw I could learn a trade and a skillset that I could carry into civilian life, and it paved my way, honestly. I learned, I made great friends and found opportunities I wouldn’t have had otherwise.” He went on to note that he saw his father serving his community as a firefighter, which inspired him to want to push himself to do more.

“I always tried to teach them to help people … inspiring them to serve their country,” Keith said. “I did not serve in the military, but I always taught them to honor their country and serve others. I was proud when they both decided that’s what they wanted to do, and I’m very proud of them now.”

Keith is humble about his influence on his boys: “I’m proud, and the whole family is. A lot of people told us when they went to basic training, when we saw them again, they’d be completely changed,” Keith said. “… But as far as how he acted, both of them were just about as they were. They matured some, but I guess they were already good guys before they went. Nothing I did, I’m sure.”

His sons cheerfully disagree.

Please click here for the original article: https://cdispatch.com/news/white-brothers-carry-lessons-of-service-integrity-through-military-and-civilian-careers/

image: Airbus employees, L-R - Keith White, Nolan White and Chase White are pictured at the Golden Triangle Airbus facility. (courtesy of Airbus)