Open for Business: The Wheelhouse

The Wheelhouse
The Wheelhouse, a Mexican-Thai fusion restaurant, changed ownership on Oct. 16. Lijah Sparlin said he and his wife, Madison, and his brother, Logan, purchased the business from founders Zach and Melissa Smallwood for undisclosed terms. According to Sparlin, the transaction did not include the food truck, which Melissa Smallwood said previously was sold to an undisclosed buyer who plans to use it for a new business. The Sparlins continue to lease space on the ground floor of the Vib Hotel, 1845 E. Sunshine St., for undisclosed terms. The Wheelhouse started as a food truck in 2012 before expanding in 2018 to its brick-and-mortar space in the Vib. Sparlin said he discovered his love for cooking after his mom died from pancreatic cancer in 2020. He said he found comfort in creating meals from scratch, and he felt his skills fit those needed to take over The Wheelhouse, which employs 19. Menu options at the restaurant include include tacos, burritos and wok dishes, such as garlic lo mein and kimchi fried rice. Prices range $3-$15.
Phone: 417-430-0400
Web: WheelhouseFood.com

Clear Creek Golf Car and Vehicles
Ozark-based Clear Creek Golf Car and Vehicles LLC acquired local competitor Ozark Golf Cars and Utility Vehicles in a deal that closed Jan. 15. Trey Hathcock, marketing director for Clear Creek, declined to disclose terms of the acquisition, which brings Ozark Golf Cars owner Spencer King and his team on board. King joined Clear Creek in a leadership role, and eight employees from Ozark Golf Cars have combined with the workforce of Clear Creek, which Hathcock said now employs 122. Ozark Golf Cars, which was founded in 2005 and sells E-Z-Go and Yamaha golf cars and the Cushman utility/industrial line, began expanding through acquisitions in 2019 with the purchase of King Karts in Clinton. For Clear Creek, the Ozark Golf Cars deal marked its fourth acquisition since 2021. The company in September purchased Russellville, Arkansas-based Pappy’s Outdoors. That followed recent purchases of Oklahoma City-based Justice Golf Car and a Club Car distributor in Little Rock, Arkansas. This month, the company announced an expansion into Kansas through the acquisition of territory and a retail center from M&M Golf Cars LLC. Hathcock said Clear Creek has 12 stores in four states.
Phone: 417-883-9393
Web: ClearCreekGolfCar.com

High Profile
Local marijuana company The Farmer’s Wife changed hands in January. Since then, it has been rebranded by its new owner to High Profile. Ann Arbor, Michigan-based C3 Industries took over the state dispensary licenses for The Farmer’s Wife after the deal was approved in November by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services’ Division of Cannabis Regulation, according to DHSS spokesperson Lisa Cox. She said C3 Industries now owns the licenses via RR Missouri LLC. The ownership transfer comprised one dispensary location apiece in Springfield, Mountain Grove and West Plains, according to DHSS data. Ellen Mellody, senior vice president of public relations for New York City-based KCSA Strategic Communications, confirmed the acquisition on behalf of C3 Industries. She did not disclose the financial terms of the transaction. The Springfield store announced on Facebook a March 15 grand opening. High Profile has Missouri stores in the cities of Cape Girardeau, Columbia, Mountain Grove, St. Charles, St. Louis, St. Robert and West Plains, according to its website.
Phone: 417-708-3050
Web: HighProfileCannabis.com/shop/springfield-mo