B Magazine business briefs

Class-action suit filed in Stoddard County against Tyson Foods

A large class-action suit was filed Wednesday, June 5 against Tyson Foods in the Stoddard County 35th Judicial Circuit Court, and 45 plaintiffs are hoping a jury will eventually give them some relief.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of several plaintiffs who had previously produced chickens for slaughter/processing at the former Tyson Chicken Plant in Dexter. Tyson had announced in August 2023 that the Dexter plant, along with another plant located in Noel, would shut down. The closure of the Dexter plant resulted in a loss of more than 600 jobs.

The motion filed with the court states that — among other issues — Tyson Foods made a business decision that puts them in violation of anti-trust laws, as the corporation didn’t honor its alleged commitment and sold the Dexter factory to a corporation named Cal-Maine, which is a chicken egg production company.

The motion further goes into explanation of just how devastating the decision made by Tyson was for chicken growers. The motion alleges that growers were misled following the announced closure, and were forced to sign contracts with Cal-Maine that would require them to abandon any claims against Tyson if they wanted to do business with Cal-Maine.

The suit was filed by The Oliver Firm in Dexter along with Clayton A. Jones, Attorney At Law, of Raymore; Boulware Law LLC, of Kansas City; and White, Graham, Buckley, and Carr LLC, of Independence.

The suit names Tyson Foods Inc., Tyson Chicken Inc., Cal-Maine Foods Inc., and Mark Avery, the former plant manager of Tyson’s Dexter location, as defendants.

Missing subsidy payments from Missouri education department could close local day care

Stacy Taylor, director of Tiny Hearts Creative Enrichment Center, helped start the daycare center at 316 S. Plaza Way in Cape Girardeau in November 2023. Less than a year after opening, she now says the center is in danger of closing because of a lack of subsidy payments coming in from the State of Missouri.

“The state started a new system back in December, and that was still when we were new. I don’t know if things just got lost in the transition or what exactly has happened because I feel like this entire time we’ve had issues getting paid … other daycare centers, it seems like their subsidy is coming through more like it's supposed to,” Taylor said.

At Tiny Hearts, the parents of all but a handful of the 55 children pay using the state’s Child Care Subsidy Program. This program, operated by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education [DESE], pays for all but a small portion of the cost of child care for eligible parents while they work.

“So in theory, it’s good and helpful. It just isn’t working for us,” Taylor said.

However, while families are paying what they owe, most of the state’s payments are not reaching the day care.

Between early May and Thursday, June 6, the state owed Tiny Hearts more than $46,000. The daycare had received less than $10,000 from parents at that same time.

Taylor and Jessup point to the state’s Child Care Data System, or CCDS, as the problem. It is Missouri’s new online platform for child care payments, implemented late last year, and the transition has been a rough one for them. They have received only a fraction of the subsidy payments the state should have given them since CCDS went live, even though payments should be received within four to eight weeks.

LSU agribusiness program honoring late Gilster-Mary Lee president now accepting applications

Don Welge, the late president of Perry County’s largest employer Gilster-Mary Lee, had a vision. He wanted to start a new kind of agricultural program at his alma mater, Louisiana State University.

“He had this concept of teaching food beyond the farm, meaning not just the growing of the crops and all the sciences that are involved and the economics of all that, but beyond that to the food processors, to food distribution,” said Tom Welge, Don Welge's son and current Gilster-Mary Lee president. “Even through retailing and marketing, so really every part of the cycle in food production.”

Four years after Don Welge’s death, his idea has become a reality with the creation of the LSU Food Beyond the Farm Graduate Certificate in Agribusiness, now taking applications for its inaugural class. The entirely online program directly prepares students for careers in the agribusiness industry.

It costs $10,344 and requires a total of 12 credit hours. Students can choose from four of seven three-credit-hour courses from the university’s College of Agriculture and E.J. Ourso College of Business. These classes focus on supply-chain management, food safety management, food manufacturing, food processing, managerial statistics, financial accounting and marketing management.

The program shifted from a degree to an online graduate certificate. Tom Welge said it will help people gain a better appreciation of how complex and important food security and the food supply chain is, as well as how it needs passionate individuals to maintain it.

Tom Welge said the program is not limited to just current LSU students or alumni. Any interested individual with a bachelor’s degree and a minimum 3.0 GPA from an accredited university can apply.

Cape Girardeau bourbon lounge opens to the public

Insurance agent Michelle Latham wanted to open a lounge for a few decades, thinking it an open niche in the Southeast Missouri area that needed to be filled. She achieved her goal when Bourbon+Bitters opened at 805 Broadway on Saturday, May 18.

Bourbon+Bitters is the first business built in the former Broadway Theatre building, and Latham said it was her first choice for a location as she wanted to be part of something new bringing in more business to downtown Cape Girardeau.

Construction started in September and concluded shortly before the lounge opened. Latham met with Brennon Todt, the building’s owner, in May 2023 and said he was excited by the prospect. Todt’s Todt Roofing Co. worked on the lounge, incorporating many of Latham’s design elements.

The lounge includes multiple seating areas, such as the bar, a dining area and a downstairs lounge with couches and chairs. Its menu is primarily drink-focused with a small plate menu coming out soon. Drinks include the eponymous bourbon, beer, gin, scotch, tequila, whiskey and wine.

New Jackson auto dealership to focus on customer experience, owner says

A new car dealership in Jackson aims to do things differently from franchise dealerships.

Drive Nation, located at the former Ford Groves building at 825 E. Jackson Blvd., has an inventory of around 75 vehicles of various makes and models. Even before it opened on Saturday, June 1, the business had already sold some 40 vehicles.

“There’s no gimmicks or nothing like that,” owner Joshua Overbey said. “You see a vehicle, you pay a price for the vehicle and you get on the road.”

Overbey and co-owner Allen Rhodes both have years of dealership experience. Rhodes founded 74 Auto in Sikeston, focusing entirely on salvaged cars. Overbey started ReCar in Benton, selling exclusively repaired cars. Since its inception, 74 Auto has made more than 20,000 sales in around two decades; ReCar has sold some 7,000 cars in five years.

Drive Nation takes this to the next step and sells only clean-title vehicles, or those that have never needed to be salvaged or rebuilt. According to general manager Mac Robinson, Drive Nation tries to streamline the car-buying process without haggling.

Old Town Cape launches grant to improve, renovate storefronts

Old Town Cape is launching a grant to create more vibrant downtown storefronts.

The 2024 Façade Improvement Grant is designed to reimburse five downtown business owners up to $1,500 apiece for public-facing projects on their storefronts. These projects can include the likes of new awnings, lighting, paint or signage.

“It benefits from a beautification and vibrancy standpoint. I think it’s really important to try to keep your downtown looking appealing and attractive,” Old Town Cape’s assistant director Robert Brooks said. “It brings ... more foot traffic, it causes more people to want to live in your downtown.”

All projects need to be completed by Tuesday, Dec. 31. Each business owner is eligible to receive funding for a single project.

When applying, business owners must describe their project, its total cost, target dates for the start and end of the project and a copy of approved city permits. For reimbursements, they will also need to provide itemized invoices and proof of payment. Old Town Cape’s design committee will review the submissions and determine which businesses receive grants.

The application deadline is Wednesday, July 31. Applications are available on the Old Town Cape website — www.downtowncapegirardeau.com.

Harps completes renovations to Jackson, Marble Hill stores

Harps Food Stores Inc. of Springdale, Arkansas hosted the grand reopening of its Jackson and Marble Hill locations. The grand openings for both remodeled grocery stores took place on Wednesday, June 6.

The Marble Hill location is at 401 E. Main St. while the Jackson store is at 309 E. Jackson Blvd.

Both stores will be open seven days a week, with the Marble Hill location’s hours running from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and the Jackson store opening at 6 a.m. and closing at 10 p.m.

Harps operates 148 locations across Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Oklahoma. It opened in Springdale in 1930 and employs more than 7,200 workers.

Kennett Chamber’s executive director has high hopes for the city

The Kennett Chamber of Commerce has a new executive.

Christian Johnson grew up in Kennett, and after graduating from the University of Mississippi returned to his hometown determined to make an impact on his community.

He served at the Delta Dunklin Democrat newspaper as both sports editor and later, associate editor, in addition to serving as a director on the chamber board before recently being named the chamber’s executive director.

“The purpose of a chamber of commerce differs from place to place,” Johnson said. “And that’s changed relatively recently in Kennett’s history. The chamber used to handle all of the economic development within the town. With the addition of [Dunklin County Economic Development Executive Director] Melissa Combs’ position at the county, the onus is off of us a little bit for bringing in new business.”

Combs said Johnson’s energy is a welcome addition to the chamber.

Morley business hosts second annual flea market

For the past year and a half, Nancy Williams of Jackson, Missouri, said she’s enjoyed filling a niche in the community while running her antique and collectibles business, Judt’s Treasures, at 108 N. Kennett St. in Morley.

“My husband, Bill, and I love going to auctions, and we actually had a storage unit we were selling items out of and then we had to get a second storage unit,” Williams recalled about the beginnings of her business. “We decided we had to either stop going to auctions or find a place to sell this stuff.”

The store features over 50 booths and vendors within 5,000 square feet and includes two levels: the main floor and a basement, Williams said.

While items sold are mostly antiques, Williams said the store booths feature a wide variety of items: local honey; furniture; glassware — pink depression, green depression, moon and star; makeup; purses; wind chimes; and more.

Williams hosted her second annual outdoor flea market on Saturday, May 18 at her store. Kelly High School FFA students sold plants and a food truck was on site.

Poplar Bluff restaurants defy conventional beliefs

In what seems to defy conventional wisdom as it applies to businesses in small towns, Poplar Bluff boasts more than 50 restaurants in a town with a population of less than 20,000 people.

“I would say that it is a good indication of how much of a hub Poplar Bluff is,” Steve Halter , president of the Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce, told the Daily American Republic. “This area serves as a primary/secondary market for approximately 168,000 people.”

In addition to his duties with the chamber of commerce, Halter teaches economics courses online for William Woods University and is well-acquainted with different business models and standard predictors of success.

“That number of 50 is just the ones that are members of the Chamber of Commerce,” Halter remarked. “I’m sure there are several more than that number [of 50] in town.”