Talking Shop with Jeff Martin of The Martin Group of Realty Executives of Cape County
Jeff Martin recently was named president of the Cape Girardeau County Board of Realtors for 2010, but before he began his career in real estate in 2003, Martin was a sales manager and a special education teacher. Business reporter Brian Blackwell recently sat down with Martin to learn how a career in teaching turned into seven years of selling homes in the area...

Talking Shop with Steve Bjelich, CEO of Saint Francis Medical Center
Mention health care just about anywhere in the country and you'll likely get some sort of opinion on the subject. And Southeast Missouri is no different. With two major hospitals, health care is a major piece of the area's economic puzzle. Last week business reporter Brian Blackwell visited with Saint Francis Medical Center chief executive officer Steve Bjelich to learn his views about the industry as well as more about his success as a track star in college and life away from the hospital.

Talking Shop with Byron Glenn, M.D., Cape Urgent Care
Monday many Southeast Missourians paused to reflect on the life of Martin Luther King Jr., an African-American remembered by some for his fight and struggle for equality among the discriminated. While Byron Glenn never fought that battle, the Cape Girardeau physician overcame a different battle as a boy in the poor section of San Francisco, Calif. ...

Talking Shop with Jim Riley, founder, Red Letter Communications
He's hit holes-in-one at three golf courses in the area, written children's books and started a marketing company that continues to grow. But despite his success, Jim Riley says he's remained grounded thanks to his father and his Midwestern values. Brian Blackwell recently visited with Riley to learn more about his many hobbies and his inspiration for Red Letter Communications, the company he founded in 1981. A native of St. Louis, Riley spent most of his life in Cape Girardeau. Married to Michaele for 17 years, Riley has several children, including his son, Anthony, who works with his dad.

Talking Shop With Drew Janes, founder of Relentless Media Productions
Drew Janes grew up in the Bootheel community of Qulin, Mo., where he spent many a day working for his father's business. It was there that Janes realized he longed to work in media in a larger city. That realization led to the launch of Relentless Media Productions in 2004. Today the company has offices in Jackson and Poplar Bluff, Mo., and specializes in graphic design, photography, video production and web design. Business reporter Brian Blackwell sat down with Janes to learn more about his life and what inspired him to create the company.

Talking Shop with Glenn Reeves, co-founder of Horizon Screen Printing
Glenn Reeves never planned to enter the screen printing business, but assisting his wife, Rhoda, with her hobby turned into what is now a family business. Horizon Screen Printing has grown from an idea to print a handful of shirts to a company that was named Small Business of the Year by the National Federation of Independent Business. Business reporter Brian Blackwell sat down with Reeves last week to chat about his entrepreneurial story and his life before Horizon Screen Printing.

Talking Shop with Dave Kinder, owner of Kinder Motor Company
Like many teenage boys, Dave Kinder had a love for the automobile. That passion for cars turned into a career that has taken him to owner of Kinder Motor Co. in Jackson. Business reporter Brian Blackwell recently visited with Kinder to learn more of his life's work and a little bit about his personal life. Kinder has lived in Cape Girardeau for most of his life, as he lived in St. Louis until he moved to this area when he was 1 year old. A graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, Kinder and his wife, Cheryl, have one son, Jared.

Talking Shop with Joyce Colley, managing partner of Miracle-Ear
Ear tone wave hear hear Sound philosophy or sound practice / sound advice / sound effect / sounding off Joy is in the ear that hears Joyce Cooley may be a native of South St. Louis County, but one trip to Cape Girardeau...

Talking Shop with Ric Neubert, president and CEO of Delta Companies
For more than a century Delta Companies has crushed rock, paved roads and mixed concrete for customers throughout the region. President and CEO Ric Neubert recently shared with Southeast Missourian business reporter Brian Blackwell the ins and outs of the construction business and his life. A native of London, Ky., Neubert graduated from the University of Kentucky with a civil engineering degree. After college he worked in the Bluegrass State in the construction industry before moving to Cape Girardeau in August 1991.

Talking Shop with Ashley Beggs, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters in Cape Girardeau
Ashley Beggs spent most of her childhood at the family farm and the Thomas W. Kelly softball field in Benton, Mo. The oldest of six children, Beggs has always valued family time. Her "extended" family is much bigger today, as she oversees Big Brothers Big Sisters in Cape Girardeau as its new executive director. Business reporter Brian Blackwell recently learned how she became the head person at the organization that serves children and their families and more about her personal life.

Talking Shop with Debbie Linnes, CEO of Southeast Missouri Hospital
Southeast Missouri Hospital's newest president and CEO assumed her role Sept. 28. The native of LeSeuer, Minn., Debbie Linnes has nearly 30 years of experience in health care, including CEO at St. John's Regional Medical Center in Joplin, Mo., from 2006 to 2008.

Business reporter Brian Blackwell sat down with Linnes last week to learn more of her rise to the hospital's newest head administrator.

Talking Shop with Laurie Everett, owner of Annie Laurie's Antiques
Laurie Everett has worked in just about every job imaginable and traveled around the world, yet the Cape Girardeau native longed to return to her roots. An avid antique collector, Everett combined her hobby with business when she purchased Annie Laurie's Antiques. Business reporter Brian Blackwell recently learned a little more about interest in the world of antiques.

Talking Shop with Jerry Wolsey
ABM Industries Incorporated is celebrating its 100th anniversary as a facility services contractor, with one of its regional offices in Cape Girardeau. Heading up the Southeast Missouri regional office of Security Services of America in Cape Girardeau is Jerry Wolsey II, district manager of Security Services of America. Business reporter Brian Blackwell recently visited with Wolsey to learn more about his life and how the company has grown.

Talking Shop with Danea Johnson, owner of Concepts Styling Salon
New York Fashion Week kicked off Sept. 10, and among the stylists attending the eight-day event was Danea Johnson, owner of Concepts Styling Salon in Cape Girardeau. A native of Cape Girardeau, Johnson and her husband, Mike, have a daughter, Grace. Southeast Missourian business reporter Brian Blackwell visited with Johnson to learn more about her life and how she became the owner of the salon.

Talking Shop with James Stapleton, director, Southeast Missouri State University Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
James Stapleton's path to success began on a Kansas farm and eventually led to a decade-long entrepreneurial career that has resulted in his current role as director of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Southeast Missouri State University. Southeast Missourian business reporter Brian Blackwell last week learned more of what shaped Stapleton and his views on the importance of entrepreneurship...

Talking Shop with Jennifer Hendrickson, Hendrickson Business Advisors
Hendrickson Business Advisors is a Southeast Missouri business success story. Started in 2007 by Jennifer Hendrickson, the business has grown from her home to an office at 1729 William St. in Cape Girardeau. Business reporter Brian Blackwell visited with Hendrickson last week to learn more about her business' growth.

Talking Shop with Marc Schoch, Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble has been a major part of Marc Schoch's life. Schoch been with the company for 30 years, including the last two years in Cape Girardeau as the Brian Blackwell sat down to talk with Schoch and learn more about his life, start in Procter & Gamble and the affect the plant has had on the area in its 40 years here.

Talking Shop with Dan Woods, general manager of radio station KRCU
Southeast Missouri has its fair share of radio stations, one of which is KRCU, a National Public Radio station on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University. General manager Dan Woods, born in Neelyville, Mo., in the Bootheel, grew up with a keen interest in communications and learning. ...

Talking Shop with Chris Edmonds, founder of Element 74
Element 74 is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Leading the way has been its founder, Chris Edmonds. A native of Cape Girardeau, Edmonds has lived in the area most of his life except for a two-year stint in Seattle. Edmonds graduated from Cape Girardeau Central High School and Southeast Missouri State University, where he majored in philosophy and German. Southeast Missourian business reporter Brian Blackwell recently caught up with Edmonds to learn more about how he started Element 74...

Talking Shop with Wendell Miller
Pizza remains a staple food of many Americans, and there's nothing like the convenience of having it delivered to your door. One friendly face greeting customers of Domino's Pizza is Wendell Miller, who was recently named the company's delivery expert of the year. He works at Credit Bureau Services in Cape Girardeau and part time at Domino's.

Talking Shop with Gerry Jones
Gerry Jones may be known for his experience in the real estate business, but he also dabbles in the farm business. Jones, 42, has spent much of his life near Fruitland. He graduated from Jackson High School and holds degrees from University of Missouri and the University of Missouri School of Law...

Talking Shop with Tom Kelsey, broker with Lorimont Place Ltd.
Real estate never interested Tom Kelsey as a young man. But today the Scott City native is broker at Lorimont Place Ltd., a Cape Girardeau firm that handles mostly commercial property throughout the region. Business reporter Brian Blackwell sat down with Kelsey last week to discuss his life and the ins and outs of the commercial real estate business.

Talking shop with Chuck Martin, executive director, Cape CVB
Summer is approaching and many Americans will be traveling to their favorite destinations. Some will choose Southeast Missouri for a getaway, and leading up the efforts to boost the tourism industry is Chuck Martin, executive director of the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau. Southeast Missourian business reporter Brian Blackwell visited with Martin last week to learn more about how he became head of the organization and what he thinks about tourism in Cape Girardeau...

Talking Shop with Richard Proffer, Missouri Extension
Southeast Missouri Business Today reporter Robyn Gautschy recently visited with Richard Proffer, business development specialist with the University of Missouri Extension and Small Business Development Center in Jackson. Proffer graduated from Southeast Missouri State University with a bachelor's degree in advertising, public relations and speech communication and a minor in marketing. He also has a master's degree in business administration with a focus on marketing from Davenport University. Proffer worked in marketing and advertising until joining the extension office in 2006.

Auto Tire and Parts NAPA: Interview with Greg Stroup, Mike Himmelberg and Bob Garner
Auto Tire and Parts NAPA is celebrating its 100th year in business. Its first store opened with a parts counter and machine shop in Cape Girardeau, home of its 54,000-square-foot headquarters. By 1950 Auto Tire and Parts opened its second store in Sikeston, Mo. ...

Beijing Chinese Restaurant: Interview with owner John Cai
Southeast Missourian residents can experience a taste of the Orient close to home at Beijing Chinese restaurant, 1815 E. Jackson Blvd. Owner John Cai has been serving cuisine from his homeland since he moved to Southeast Missouri in 1992. Born in Shoaxing province, Cai worked as an electrician, mechanic and welder before working in a dining room. ...

Creative Edge: Interview with owner Jason Wray
Creative Edge is celebrating its 10th year in business. The full-service marketing and video production agency serves mostly real estate clients, though it has clients in a range of other industries. Business editor Brian Blackwell recently sat down with owner Jason Wray to learn more about the company's rise from a house to a 14,000-square-foot facility in Jackson, where its 14 employees work. ...

Star of the Show Me Center: Interview with David Ross
The Show Me Center employs 13 full-time and 200 to 300 part-time workers. Business editor Brian Blackwell sat down with Show Me Center David Ross just hours before the building celebrated its milestone last week.

Sandy's Place restaurant: Interview with Sandy Ladd
At the age of 15, Jackson native Sandy Ladd began work at an area restaurant. Years later, Ladd still is in the business as the owner of her first restaurant, Sandy's Place. Inside the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport at 860 Rush Limbaugh Memorial Drive, Sandy's Place serves up a heaping helping of down home cooking and a dash of hospitality.

Living United: Interview with Nancy Jernigan of the local United Way chapter
Southeast Missouri is greatly influenced by numerous not-for-profit agencies in the region. Leading the way is the United Way of Southeast Missouri, which distributes funds to these entities and coordinates programs that benefit the community. Nancy Jernigan has been leading the United Way of Southeast Missouri for nearly 14 years.

River Ridge Winery: Interview with Jerry Smith
Jerry Smith and his wife, Joannie, bought the farm that currently houses the winery in October 1980 and began planting grapes in 1981. River Ridge Winery opened for business Sept. 17, 1994.

Signature Packaging: Interview with Dennis Vinson
Southeast Missouri may not be suburban Atlanta, but Dennis Vinson doesn't mind. Since he moved his Signature Packaging business to Jackson in late 2006, Vinson has enjoyed life in a smaller town and expanded his clientele. The packaging company began production April 18, 2007, in its 80,000-square-foot facility at 1302 Lenco Ave., with room to expand for 200,000 more square feet of space.

My Daddy's Cheesecake: Interview with Kevin Stanfield
Kevin Stanfield co-owns a Cape Girardeau landmark - My Daddy's Cheesecake. The eatery that makes more than just cheesecake recently expanded into the St. Louis area.

Cooking out at Ole Hickory Pits: Interview with David Knight
Barbecue is popular in this country, about as American as baseball, rock and roll and apple pie. Particular areas have their own style of barbecue, such as the Carolinas, St. Louis, Kansas City, Memphis or Texas. Business reporter Brian Blackwell recently sat down with David Knight, president and founder of Ole Hickory Pits. Founded in the late 1970s, the Cape Girardeau-based company has grown since it built its first barbecue pit for Port Cape Girardeau restaurant, which he purchased in 1974 and sold in 1988.

Calling on NARS: Interview with Chris Buehrle
Southeast Missouri State University last week celebrated several events in honor of National Entrepreneurship Week, which was Feb. 21 through 28. Among the events scheduled were classroom visits by National Asset Recovery Services founder, president and chief executive officer Chris Buehrle. A Cape Girardeau native, Buehrle created the corporation in 1993 with five employees. Today the company employs nearly 3,000 workers at call centers in Cape Girardeau, Chesterfield, Mo., Montego Bay, Jamaica and Panama City, Panama. NARS offers financial services and business process outsourcing to national financial institutions.

Modern Woodmen of America: Interview with Bob Houchins
Insurance can be a tricky issue but Modern Woodmen of America agent Bob Houchins makes it sound easy. Employed by the company for a little over a year, Houchins journey to his current position is an interesting tale indeed.

Numbers man: Interview with economics professor Bruce Domazlicky
Born in Chicago, Ill., Domazlicky lived in a mostly Czech neighborhood with his father, Rudolph, mother, Beverly, three brothers and one sister. At the age of 18 he enrolled in Western Illinois University, where he earned his undergraduate and master[']s degrees in economics in 1970 and 1971 respectively. Domazlicky then pursued and received his doctorate from the University of Wyoming in 1976. It was here that he fell in love with nearby Yellowstone National Park, which he still visits occasionally.

Making airwaves at KFVS12: Interview with Paul Keener
The proposed switch from analog to digital television has been a hot topic these days. For decades viewers and broadcasters had time to prepare for the Feb. 17 switch. But a bill passed by Congress last week gives stations the option of keeping that same date or switching on June 12. The analog-to-digital switch remains one of the most significant changes since stations transitioned from black and white to color. Southeast Missourian business reporter Brian Blackwell sat down with KFVS12 marketing director Paul Keener to discuss the confusion surrounding the switch and other changes Keener has seen in the industry.

Old Town Cape: Interview with Marla Mills
Redevelopment of downtown Cape Girardeau is a hot topic these days. One organization seeking to foster revitalization in the 130-block historic district is Old Town Cape. Leading the group is its executive director, Marla Mills, who assumed her role on Sept. 18, 2006.

Business reporter Brian Blackwell sat down with Mills before last week's ice storm for her view of Old Town Cape and how she sees the organization contributing to the growth of downtown Cape Girardeau.