Booming business: A look at some of the fastest-growing professions in the Southeast Missouri business community

The economy may be struggling, but certain Southeast Missouri industries and professions -- including health care and specialty businesses -- are seeing rapid growth.

Jan McElwrath, executive director of the Kennett. Mo., Chamber of Commerce, believes the rise in health care jobs has to do with demographics. Baby boomers are aging and need more care; many are retiring and moving home to Southeast Missouri. Twin Rivers Regional Medical Center employs about 2,000 and is the largest employer since Emerson Motors left in 2006, says McElwrath. The Family Counseling Center has added several new physicians, and Kennett participates in an LPN to RN bridge program with Southeast Missouri State University.

"Unfortunately in this area we have a high risk for heart disease and diabetes," says McElwrath. "That may have to do with the Southern diet -- we like anything fried or with gravy on it, and that's not always productive."

John Mehner, president of the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce, Brian Gerau, executive director of the Jackson Chamber of Commerce, and Steve Halter, president of the Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce, have all seen growth at local hospitals and in independent, specialized health care businesses. Halter cites an aging senior population as a reason for the growth and says nursing, home medical care and pharmaceuticals have seen the biggest growth and need. Dexter Chamber of Commerce executive director Janet Coleman says a DaVita Dialysis center opened this year, and Jackson is home to Bell Family Eyecare, which expanded from Poplar Bluff, Mo., in November.

Dr. Troy Bell says both of his optometry practices have done well through the recession, and he believes it's because optometry is a "beautiful blend" of retail and health care. The health side of his practice is constantly growing, as people still have insurance and glasses and need care for glaucoma, diabetes-related problems and macular degeneration. The fact that patients are more strapped for cash has impacted the retail side of the practice somewhat, says Bell, but it's fared better than other areas of the economy.

"We're doing fine. Everyone comes to a point eventually where they need glasses," he says.

But health-related businesses aren't the only specialties thriving in the economy. Mehner and Gerau have seen growth in other individual businesses, like accounting firms and business consultants with only a handful of employees.

"I think being self-employed is probably a factor -- that they can rely on themselves rather than an employer or a supervisor," says Gerau.

Coleman says individuals have opened a "wide scope" of retail stores, restaurants and professional businesses in downtown Dexter and along the Highway 60 strip.

"We're restoring our depot, so I'm hoping that will be a catalyst for business and get everyone excited," she says. Poplar Bluff is also in the midst of a downtown improvement project, including the addition of a brand-new senior housing facility, says Halter. Additionally, he reports growth in educational services, electronics and appliance stores, forestry and logging, manufacturing, and support for transportation and infrastructure improvements. Perryville Area Chamber of Commerce executive director Melissa Hemman says a biomass plant, Liberty Green Renewables, will soon begin turning scrap wood into usable energy.

Missy Marshall, executive director of the Sikeston Area Chamber of Commerce, says the city has seen growth in locally owned and operated restaurants. Most recently, Michigan-based Samuel Mancino's Italian Eatery opened a Sikeston location.

"I think, like the rest of Southeast Missouri, we like to eat," says Marshall. "Food is a trend we won't ever get away from, so we're continuing to experience growth in the food sector."

The biggest business news in Sikeston was the opening of the Orgill Mid-America SuperCenter in August. According to Denny Koonce, vice president of Orgill's Midwest region, the 795,000-square-foot facility employs 300 workers and distributes about 65,000 farm, hardware and home products to independently-run retail stores throughout the nation. The center replaced locations in Memphis, Tenn., and Vandalia, Ill., and Koonce says about a dozen of those workers relocated to Sikeston. He adds that Orgill chose Sikeston for its location halfway between Memphis and Vandalia, in the middle of the country, and with easy access to the interstate system.

Marshall believes Orgill's move is part of a larger economic trend, also noted by Mehner in Cape Girardeau. In Southeast Missouri and the nation itself, people are trying to save money by opting for repairs instead of buying things new.

"Business has been steady, but it's not great. The retailers we serve have to work to meet their sales objectives," says Koonce. Still, he doesn't feel Orgill has been impacted nearly as much as other industries, and he expects growth in the future. "I believe as the economy improves, our retailers will see improvement at the store level, and we'll see more activity here in Sikeston," says Koonce.