B Magazine business briefs

Wink’s Convenience Stores sold to Paducah-based company

Wink’s convenience stores in the Cape Girardeau area have been sold to Acee’s Inc., based in Paducah, Kentucky.

The transaction includes the Wink’s locations in Cape Girardeau — at 2017 Perryville Road and 2505 Veterans Memorial Drive — and the Wink’s near the junction of Route K and Highway 25 west of Cape Girardeau near Gordonville.

Acee’s has five other convenience store operations, one in Western Kentucky and four in Southern Illinois. The company also owns and operates two restaurants — a Huddle House and a Quiznos sandwich shop — both in Metropolis, Illinois.

Century Casinos to expand Caruthersville operation

Century Casinos, which has a pair of gaming operations in Cape Girardeau and Caruthersville, Missouri, announced plans in July to expand its Caruthersville gaming operations thanks to a recent change in Missouri law that no longer requires casinos to “float.”

The company has also acquired a 36-bed, two story hotel adjacent to the Caruthersville casino and plans to refurbish it by early 2022.

Cape beer distributor merges, changes name

After more than three decades operating as River Eagle Distributing, the Anheuser-Busch products distributor in Cape Girardeau is changing its name to 3 Eagles Distributing of Southeast Missouri.

The name change became effective in July following the merger of River Eagle Distributing with two other beverage distribution companies in Southeast Missouri — Bob Ralph Distributing in Sikeston and Bradley Distributing in Kennett.

The combined distributorship has about 50 employees and will be headquartered in Cape Girardeau. The company’s distribution region includes Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Dunklin, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot and Scott counties, as well as a portion of Stoddard County.

Ritter Real Estate to add

Jackson office

Ritter Real Estate, headquartered at 139 N. Main St. in Cape Girardeau, has acquired a three-story property at 4012 E. Jackson Blvd. in Jackson, a portion of which will be converted into offices for the real estate firm in the near future.

“We’ll be doing some remodeling on the exterior, and the first floor and will hopefully have an office open there in a couple of months,” said Ritter Real Estate owner/broker Jared Ritter.

Ritter said the new location between Cape Girardeau and Jackson will give the company more of a presence in Jackson and provides an opportunity for growth.

Plaza Tire adds Arkansas location

Plaza Tire Service, headquartered in Cape Girardeau, recently opened a location in Bentonville, Arkansas.

That brings to 69 the number of Plaza Tire locations in Missouri, Southern Illinois, Western Kentucky and Northern Arkansas.

Founded in 1963 by Vernon “Pee Wee” Rhodes, the company is now owned by his sons, Mark and Scott Rhodes. Among the tire lines offered by Plaza Tire are Bridgestone, Michelin, Firestone, BFGoodrich, Yokohama, Falken, Nokian, Dick Cepek, Mickey Thompson and Pirelli.

MRV Banks opens second Cape Girardeau branch

MRV Banks has opened a second Cape Girardeau branch at 101 S. Mount Auburn Road, in a building that was the former location of Cape County Bank, followed by Regions Bank. It has been occupied by MRV Banks for the past year and a half to house various internal bank functions.

The new branch offers full-service lobby and drive-through banking features. The branch’s hours are 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. Fridays. The branch manager is Hayley Morton.

In addition to the South Mount Auburn Road branch, MRV Banks has branches at 1505 N. Mount Auburn Road in Cape Girardeau, as well as branches in Festus, Missouri, and Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, which is the bank’s home office.

First Missouri State Bank to move its Jackson location

First Missouri State Bank (FMSB) is moving its Jackson branch to 2480 E. Main St., Suite D, on the east end of the Main Street Station building.

The branch will be relocated from the bank’s current Jackson location, 1846 E. Jackson Blvd.

An opening date for First Missouri State Bank’s new branch and a closing date for the bank’s current location will be announced this fall.

First Missouri State Bank of Cape County is headquartered in Cape Girardeau, has 45 employees and assets in excess of $185 million. In addition to its Jackson branch, the bank has three Cape Girardeau locations — 2 S. Mount Auburn Road, 800 N. Kingshighway and inside Chateau Girardeau, 3120 Independence St. FMSB provides consumer, commercial, construction and residential loans, as well as traditional depository services.

Morning Star opens corporate office on Broadway in Cape

Morning Star Behavioral Associates, a provider of behavioral health services for clients with developmental disabilities, has opened corporate offices at 338 Broadway, Suite 101, in Cape Girardeau.

The move has allowed Morning Star to allocate additional treatment space to its 4,500-square-foot behavioral services practice two stories above its new corporate offices in the Marquette Tower building.

Morning Star’s services include reduction of problem behavior, communication via verbal language or a communication device and social and life skills.

Patriot Rentals opens Scott City location

Patriot Rentals, an industrial equipment rental business based in St. Louis, has opened a Southeast Missouri location at 2620 E. Outer Road in Scott City, on the east side of Interstate 55, across from Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.

The 11,612-square-foot building Patriot Rentals has occupied, along with 4 acres next to Pavestone, is the former location of Electrical Contractors Inc. ECI had previously moved into a building at 2180 Rust Ave.

Lorimont Commercial Real Estate was involved in both business moves.

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Saint Francis Healthcare System recently named a number of people to various professional positions at Saint Francis Medical Center and/or some of the clinics and outreach services offered by the organizations. Among them are:

* Megan Ashby has been named manager of the invasive cardiovascular lab in the Heart Hospital at Saint Francis Medical Center, which is part of Saint Francis Healthcare System.

* Nurse practitioner Julie Koppeis-McTearne has joined Farmington Physician Associates, a medical practice affiliated with Saint Francis Healthcare System.

* Elliot Sjuts, was recently named manager of Saint Francis cancer services.

* Behavioral health and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner Kristerpher Brimberry has joined Saint Francis Healthcare System’s Kneibert Clinic in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

* Vascular surgeon Scott Gard and thoracic surgeon Bruce Jones are accepting new patients at Saint Francis Clinic Poplar Bluff, which is affiliated with Saint Francis Healthcare System in Cape Girardeau.

* Chad Berkbuegler has accepted the position of biomedical services at Saint Francis Healthcare System.

* Mandy Brantley recently joined Saint Francis Healthcare System as manager of care coordination.

* Jason Snow, was named new vice president of human resources at Saint Francis Healthcare System.

* Vascular surgeon Michael Malone has become affiliated with the Ferguson Medical Group in Sikeston, Missouri, a practice that is part of the Saint Francis Healthcare System.

* Katie Ford Sanders has transitioned from Advanced Orthopedic Specialists in Cape Girardeau to the Saint Francis Pain Management Center.

* Electrophysiologist Dennis Glascock has joined Cape Cardiology Group, located within the Heart Hospital at Saint Francis Medical Center.

* Dr. Adam Cox and Dr. Justin Hornbeck have joined the emergency services department at Saint Francis Medical Center.

* And Dr. Mark Farrenburg has joined Cape Neurology Specialists, a neurosciences practice affiliated with Saint Francis Healthcare System.

Jackson School District has announced several administrative changes for the 2021-2022 school year. Among them:

* Bryan Austin has been named the new principal at R.O. Hawkins Junior High School. He was previously the school’s assistant principal and has been with the district since 2009. Austin has also served as a classroom instructor and head varsity baseball coach.

* Josh Wahlig will serve as the assistant principal at R.O. Hawkins Junior High School, filling the vacancy left by the advancement of Bryan Austin. Wahlig previously served as assistant principal at Jackson Middle School.

* Filling the assistant principal vacancy at Jackson Middle School will be Tyler Abernathy. He has been with the district since 2007. Before being named to his new position, Abernathy was a classroom teacher and coach, most recently the head varsity girls basketball coach.

* Christine Zirges has been named head principal at Orchard Drive Elementary School. A member of the district staff since 2012, Zirges has served as both a classroom teacher and assistant principal. She has also served as principal at Gordonville Elementary for the past two years.

* Shanna Wilson, who has served as an administrator in the school district since 2012, is the new principal at Millersville Elementary School and assistant principal at West Lane Elementary. She has been with the district since 2006.

* Allison Miller will serve as the new elementary assistant principal at Orchard Elementary and South Elementary schools. She was previously a second-grade teacher at North Elementary School for the past six years.

Merideth Pobst, public information officer with the Jackson School District, was recently reappointed to serve as secretary of the Missouri School Public Relations Association (MOSPRA) Board of Directors.

This is the second year Pobst has served as secretary on the board of the association, which provides professional development and networking opportunities for its members throughout Missouri.

Schnuck Markets Inc. announced that Ted Schnuck has been named executive vice president of the multistate grocery chain, which includes a location in Cape Girardeau.

In his new role, which he will fully assume in October, Schnuck will lead the company’s merchandising and store operations teams. He joined the family-owned company in 2015 after spending time with Bain & Company, Beam Suntory and Procter & Gamble. He is the great-grandson of the company’s founder, Anna Donovan Schnuck, and has held several positions with Schnuck Markets, including roles in merchandising, supply chain, marketing, business development and store operations.

Schnuck Markets, which is headquartered in St. Louis, operates 110 stores in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin and has more than 14,000 employees. It ranks 156th in the 2020 rankings of Forbes’ largest privately-owned companies in the United States and is the nation’s 15th largest privately-owed grocer.

Allen Brooks of Poplar Bluff has been appointed by Gov. Mike Parson to serve on the state’s Coordinating Board for Higher Education (CBHE) representing Missouri’s 8th Congressional District.

Brooks is the fleet operations manager for McLane Livestock Transport Inc. and has been with the company since 1997. He has served as chairman of the Three Rivers Endowment Trust and the Three Rivers College Booster Board.

Two new hair stylists, Lori Hafele and Meghan McGregor, have joined the J.C. Penney Styling Salon at West Park Mall in Cape Girardeau.

Hafele, formerly of Belladona Salon, brings 22 years of experience in the hair industry and specializes in hair styling for men and women.

McGregor comes to J.C. Penney from Gunnison, Colorado, and has three years of experience in hair styling, specializing in fantasy colors, women’s color applications and men’s haircuts.

Bethany Byrd of Jessica Slater, Bethany Byrd and Associates, a Dream Vacations specialist and franchise owner in Jackson, has completed a comprehensive certification program to become a “WeddingMoon” specialist and booking expert on destination weddings, “re-tie the knot” ceremonies, honeymoons and anniversary trips with Sandals Resorts.

As part of the certification process, Byrd learned about distinct wedding packages available at the 24 Sandals and Beaches properties as well as special amenities and packages available to guests at those resorts.

Former Missouri state representative and JCS Wireless president Kathy Swan has joined the board of directors of the Southeast Missouri Food Bank.

Swan, who has a nursing background, served four terms in the Missouri House of Representatives and says she plans to use her legislative and health care experience to help address food insecurity in Southeast Missouri.

The Southeast Missouri Food Bank is headquartered in Sikeston and provides food to 143 charitable and disaster relief programs in a 16-county region of Southeast Missouri.

PC Medical Centers, a chiropractic practice at 5 Doctors’ Park in Cape Girardeau, recently added two new employees to its staff.

Johnna Fisher is a new medical assistant in the practice, working with nurse practitioner Carrera Williams.

Also joining the PC Medical Center staff is administrative assistant Elizabeth Goble, who handles front desk and medical records duties.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Elizabeth “Lizbe” Knote, president and owner of Cape-Kil Pest Control, recently celebrated her 40th anniversary with the company.

Knote is a graduate of Purdue University, where she received a degree in chemical engineering. During her 40 years in the family business, she has attended the Purdue Pest Management Conference 40 times and has received instruction at the Global Bed Bug Summit six times.

Knote is also the inventor of the patented Bed Bug Baker, a portable heat solution for the elimination of bed bugs, which can help homeowners and hotel/motel operators avoid the cost of replacing infested furniture. The technology can also be used to treat luggage at Cape-Kil’s office, 33 N. Frederick St. in Cape Girardeau.

Cape-Kil was established 71 years ago and serves a 60-mile market radius surrounding Cape Girardeau.

For the 16th consecutive year, Drury Hotels have been ranked “Highest in Guest Satisfaction Among Upper Midscale Hotel Chains” by the J.D. Power organization. The ranking was part of the J.D. Power 2021 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study. Drury’s 16th consecutive guest satisfaction award sets a record for the most consecutive wins in the J.D. Power travel and hospitality category.

According to a news release from Drury Hotels, the company performed well in all seven J.D. Power hotel factors — reservation, arrival/departure, guest rooms, food and beverage, services and amenities, hotel facilities, and cost and fees.

The J.D. Power 2021 North America Hotel guest Satisfaction Index Study is based on responses gathered between June 2020 and May 2021 from 32,963 hotel guests in Canada and the United States.

First State Community Bank (FSCB), which has branches in Cape Girardeau and Jackson, has been recognized on the Forbes Best-In-State Banks in Missouri and is one of only five banks in the state to make the list.

The recognition was made in coordination with Statista Inc., a statistical portal and industry ranking organization.

Nationwide, 135 banks, or about 2.7% of all banks in America, made the list.

FSCB was founded in 1954 and is owned and operated by First State Bancshares Inc., a financial services holding company based in Farmington, Missouri.

Robinson Construction Co., headquartered in Perryville, Missouri, recently achieved Diamond Level in Associated Builders and Contractor’s STEP Safety Management System. It is the highest safety level in ABC’s STEP program and recognizes construction firms that are at least 655% higher than the construction industry’s average safety level.

STEP is an acronym for Safety Training Evaluation Process. Program participants measure their safety processes and policies on key safety components through a detailed questionnaire with the goal of implementing or enhancing safety programs that reduce job site incidents.

Robinson Construction has participated in the STEP program for nearly 20 years and has earned recognitions each year at the program’s Gold Level or higher.