Scott Jorgenson, a longtime salesman, recently made himself a pitch he couldn't refuse.

"I always wanted to be my own boss," Jorgenson said Thursday, from a comfy booth in one of Bismarck's newest hangouts.

The Bismarck man opened Jorgy's Sports Bar two weeks ago, in the former Sandbar location on Memorial Highway.

Two things hit you as you stroll through the front door at Jorgy's. First, unlike the Sandbar, the new sports bar is smoke-free. Second, it's also home to The Grinder, the well-known Bismarck sandwich shop that was in business for years on South Third Street.

At Jorgy's you can order a salami grinder with taco meat and a cold beer, then enjoy a game on one of the many flat-screen TVs located throughout the bar. Jorgenson already subscribes to a satellite-TV package that gives the bar access to every National Football League game. He said Jorgy's will begin opening on Sundays in mid-August.

The pool tables and dart boards are still in the same spots, and many customers are starting to become regular fixtures as well.

"Business has already been really good," Jorgenson said. "The grinders have been going like crazy. People that have come in really like it. I was tired of going to smoky bars, and a lot of other people were, too. We're getting a lot of nonsmokers back in."

Jorgy's Sports Bar (255-0972) is located at 601 Memorial Highway.

Supply guys

When Norandex moved from Mandan back to Bismarck this summer, the opening on the west side of the river proved too great an opportunity for Russ Schneider to pass up.

Schneider, who'd managed the wholesale building supply business for a decade, stayed in Mandan and has just opened CR Home Products Inc. Dennis Buchholz, former vice president of Thermal Line Windows, is general manager of the new company.

CR Home Products is a wholesale-only supplier of new-construction and remodeling materials.

It supplies siding, windows, doors, and soffit, fascia, gutter, insulation and other building materials to contractors, home builders and remodelers in the Bismarck-Mandan area and throughout the region.

The business is located in the former Norandex location, at 2001 Twin City Dr., in Mandan. It's open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, call 663-3836.

Shaken and stirred

A massage therapist and her daughter will open a new juice bar in Bismarck next month.

Dianne Aull and her daughter, Achala, will start Smoothie Operator on Aug. 14. The business will be located at 801 E. Main Ave., in the spot formerly occupied by Dakota Wellness.

They'll offer fresh-fruit and vegetable juices, blends and smoothies, along with light-lunch items.

"I personally think that a lot of packaged fruits don't taste as good as the fresh stuff," Dianne Aull said. "We wanted to have a juice bar around. We loved going to them when we visited other cities and think Bismarck has grown to a point where it could support one."

Aull said that, as a massage therapist, she sees a lot of problems related to poor nutrition.

"You drink one of these (smoothies), and you think you had a 20-minute nap," she said. "They're just packed with power."

New bike shop

Smoothie Operator isn't the only new mother-child business in town.

Dawn and Tyler Herman have been operating The Broken Spoke, a bicycle sales and repair shop, since last winter. Tyler, 14, said they run the business out of their home, at 306 S. 15th St., Bismarck.

The Broken Spoke (258-3745) sells new and used bikes, and Tyler does the repairs. New brands include KHS mountain bikes and Free Agent BMX bikes.

The store is open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

(The Money column is generated weekly by the Tribune staff. Submit business news and column tips to businessbeat@;bismarcktribune.com or 250-8247.)