Grayson County TXGenWeb

The Denison Press
Friday, June 25, 1948

SUCCESS OF SIMMS SHOWS WHAT HOME BOY CAN ACCOMPLISH
The success of B.B. in the field of selling tobacco and candy shows what a home boy with vision and ability to seize it can do. From a small place in a corner of the building at 417 Main to a sprawling building, 50 x 120, chock full of goods in both lower and uper floors with offices in the second floor also, with 3 trucks and 20 branch houses and a total of 72 employees, 25 of them in Denison, is a romance in business possibly unequalled here in Denisonl
Back in 1930 Mr. Simms started selling cigars and cigaretes and conducting a shine parlot. It was not long before he was making the rounds to local stores getting orders on the jobber basis for tobacco. His quarters soon were outgrown and he took in all the building at 417 Main. Later his business grew to where he must have more room and he purchased the present home at 310 Woodard street. Som months back it became evident his quarters were not large enough. One of his investments was the building at 101 W. Chestnut, now occupied by the Burget Seed and Feed store.
Mr. Simms stated that he planned to make this a typically modern plant for handling tobacco and candy, with drive-ins for his trucks, cold storage plants for his brands handled which call for refrigeration. The plant will be thoroughly air-conditioned, with flourescent lighting, with separate offices, sales room and display rooms in addition to several thousand feet of storage and warehouse accomodation.
Work will get started on this improvement some time this year, Mr. Simms stated.