Business briefs

POOR MAN'S INK HOLDS RIBBON CUTTING

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Steve Berton and Daniel "Behr" Templin opened their new business, Poor Man's Ink, with a ribbon cutting hosted by the Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce. The business is at 215 S. Broadway.

HOLLIDA AGENCY HONORED

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Hollida Insurance Agency LLC ranked No. 1 in the nation for new business production with Lititz Mutual Insurance Co. in 2009. Seann Howe, president of Hollida, and Johnny Howe, producer, were recently congratulated by Butch Earnhart, marketing representative for Lititz.

GOODY'S NOW OPEN

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Goody's clothing store reopened April 28 at Mansion Mall in Poplar Bluff. A ribbon cutting was held with the Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce.

BOARD OF REALTORS RECEIVES AWARDS

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The Three Rivers Board of Realtors was honored by the Missouri Association of Realtors for members' support of the 2009 Realtors Political Action Campaign. RPAC funds are used to protect private property rights and preserve the "American dream" of homeownership through such efforts as fighting to preserve the mortgage interest deduction. The board also received the Missouri Association of Realtors' Missouri Business Week Silver Challenge Award for members' contributions to the Educational Center for Private Enterprise, which provides educational business programs for Missouri youth.

PHOTO, ART GALLERY OPENS AT MALL

JJAB Studios opened at the former El Durango location in Cape Girardeau's West Park Mall. The photography studio and art gallery, owned by Jonathan Bridges of Cape Girardeau, specializes in senior pictures, weddings, sporting events and pet photos.

GIFT SHOP CLOSES

Patricia Ann's, 103 N. Main St., Cape Girardeau, closed at the end of April. Owners Deb and Jeff Martin operated the gift shop for more than seven years.

JESSUP OPENS MOTORSPORTS STORE

MJR Motorsports opened at 118 Plaza Way, Cape Girardeau. Owner Dr. Michael J. Jessup of Heartland Women's Specialists also owns The Venue.

CAPE LIBRARY RECEIVES GRANT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan announced April 6 that Cape Girardeau Public Library received a Missouri state library grant of $2,999. The grant will fund planning sessions for library staff to evaluate the results of focus groups and community surveys and develop a long-range plan for the next three years. Missouri State Library Excellence in Library Service Grants are funded by the Library Services & Technology Act through the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums.

THREE RIVERS AWARDED GRANT FOR JOB TRAINING

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Among other Missouri community colleges approved under the governor's Training for Tomorrow initiative, Three Rivers Community College will receive about $750,000 to help establish an environment for students to acquire hands-on experience in high-demand fields. The college will use the money toward the purchase of up-to-date curriculum, equipment and learning tools to provide students skills for careers in criminal justice, firefighting, nursing, surgical technology and as emergency medical technicians, according to Three Rivers officials. Sponsored by the Butler County Commission, the Training for Tomorrow grant comes through the community development block grant program administered by the Missouri Department of Economic Development.

STE. GENEVIEVE NAMED TO 'BEST OF MISSOURI'

STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- Ste. Genevieve was named the most beautiful town in Southeast Missouri by Rural Missouri's "Best of Missouri" annual survey of communities in the state. The town also won top honors in the Southeast Region in the beautiful town category in 2008 and ranked third in 2004, when the competition was statewide. Additionally, Sara's Ice Cream made the 2010 Southeast Missouri Best Ice Cream Shop list. The 2010 list, released in early April, includes listings for restaurants, catfish, barbecue, pizza, coffee shops, museums, scenic drives, agritourism, outdoor adventure and a wild card category. Rural Missouri is published by the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives.

SCOTT COUNTY GETS ENTERPRISE ZONE DESIGNATION

BENTON, Mo. -- The Missouri Department of Economic Development recently announced approval of Enhanced Enterprise Zone designation for Scott County, which will allow county officials to move forward with economic development efforts. Enhanced enterprise zones are geographic areas designated by local governments and certified by the Department of Economic Development. Designation is based on demographic criteria, the potential to create sustainable jobs in a targeted industry and a demonstrated impact on local cluster development.

BANK RECEIVES NATIONAL DISTINCTION

FREDERICKTOWN, Mo. -- New Era Bank received national recognition as one of the top 10 financially strongest banks in the United States. TheStreet.com, one of the premier financial reporting and rating companies in the nation, gave New Era an A+ rating. Only 27 of the more than 8,000 banks in the nation received the A+ rating, derived primarily from quarterly financial statements filed with state and federal regulators. Fredericktown-based New Era Bank, established in 1934, has assets of $280 million and operates in Fredericktown, Farmington and Park Hills, Mo.

125 LAID OFF AT CAPE ANTHEM OFFICE

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Missouri notified 125 workers April 8 that their jobs at the Cape Girardeau operations center are being eliminated. This amounts to nearly 40 percent of its 316-person work force employed at the Siemers Drive location, which opened in 1996. Positions eliminated are 92 jobs handling calls from doctors and other health care providers and 33 jobs processing medical claims, said Deborah Wiethrop, public relations director for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Missouri. Claims workers were given 30 days' notice, while the other employees received 60 days' notice. Wiethrop said a 3.9 percent loss of membership nationwide contributed to the need for layoffs. Some of the claims processing jobs will be relocated to Anthem's Indianapolis operations center, while calls from health care providers will be outsourced to APAC Customer Services Inc. of Bannockburn, Ill.

In addition to the employees laid off in Cape Girardeau, 11 employees at Anthem's Springfield, Mo., operation were given notice April 8 their positions are being eliminated, and 139 jobs at Anthem's Worthington, Ohio, facility were eliminated. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield has 40,000 employees nationwide and serves 34 million customers.

MARKETING FIRM OPENS

Vector Marketing opened a sales office at 1409 N. Mount Auburn Road, Cape Girardeau. The business, operated by Vector district manager Michael Rains, will be used for recruitment and training of sales representatives and for team meetings to provide additional training. Sales representatives market Vector's product, Cutco Cutlery, through in-home presentations and use the sales office as home base.

FIRE CREWS CERTIFIED FOR ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT

All three Jackson Fire and Rescue crews are now certified to provide advanced life support. The move gives the department the ability to offer medication or an IV before an ambulance arrives on the scene, said Capt. Todd Newman, Emergency medical services officer. Until firefighter Ryan Davie received certification, the department had only two personnel who could provide advanced life support on two of its three crews.

SENATE RECOGNIZES AMEREN WORKERS

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- AmerenUE workers were honored April 14 in the Missouri Senate by Sen. Jason Crowell and Sen. Robert Mayer for their recovery efforts during the January 2009 ice storm in Southeast Missouri. The response by AmerenUE employees to the natural disaster was recognized through a Senate resolution presented by Crowell and Mayer. Nearly 5,000 workers directly supported the storm recovery effort, including 2,400 line workers, 555 tree trimmers, 161 field checkers and hundreds of logistical staff, supervisors and other personnel. These men and women replaced and repaired nearly 4,000 poles, 7,000 cross arms and 278 miles of wire, restoring power to most customers in less than a week.

STORE HOLDS RIBBON CUTTING

DESLOGE, Mo. -- A ribbon cutting ceremony was held April 9 with the Desloge Chamber of Commerce at Back on the Rack, 601 S. State St. The store opened April 2 and sells name-brand clothes, antiques and more. Co-owners are Carla and Amy Koch.

ART GALLERY OPENS

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held to celebrate the opening of O’Tenem Gallery. They are a cooperative venture of several artists and artisans who jointly market their works and operate their own gallery.

O'Tenem Gallery opened May 7 at 5 N. Main St., Cape Girardeau. The 2,800-square-foot art gallery showcases jewelry, woodworks, paintings, pastels, drawings, photographs and books, and also houses a gift shop. The O'Tenem Creative Group, which operates the gallery, includes nine local artists: Mike and Ronda O'Fara, Sharon and Bill Hopkins, Carol Poole, Aaron Horrell, Marcia Williams, Kaili Kai and Lyndie Kempfer.

MORTGAGE LENDER OPENS

Equity One Mortgage opened at 1301 N. Kingshighway, Cape Girardeau. It is owned by Sharon Burton.

WM. NOBBE & CO. OPEN FOR BUSINESS

On April 10, Wm. Nobbe Equipment Co. celebrated the grand opening of its Scott City John Deere Sales and Service Center, 1400 E. Outer Road North. Wm. Nobbe is a family-owned business that has served the Southern Illinois agriculture community since 1907. Now in its fourth generation, the business has grown to five locations in Southern Illinois and Southeast Missouri. Inventory includes tractors, harvesting and planting equipment, chemical applicators, tillage equipment, rotary mowers, hay equipment, grain carts and utility vehicles. Nobbe broke ground for the Scott City facility on May 27, 2009.

BANK DONATES BUILDING TO MORLEY

MORLEY, Mo. -- After constructing a new branch on U.S. 61 in Morley, First Commercial Bank has donated its original building, 104 N. Kirkwood, to the city of Morley. The facility provides much-needed office space conducive to the daily operations of the city. Record keeping and storage issues have been improved, and the building maintains the original drive-through, allowing residents of Morley to conduct business from their vehicles. A ribbon cutting and open house were held April 22.

LOCAL WINERIES EARN AWARDS

COBDEN, Ill. -- StarView Vineyards was awarded medals for each of the six wines entered at the 2010 Finger Lakes International Wine Competition. The competition, held in New York, featured world-renowned wine judges and 3,010 wines from 666 wineries in 15 countries. StarView's award-winning wines include Red Giant, silver; Silver Star, silver; Red Star, bronze; Chardonel, bronze; Seyval, bronze; and SuperNova, bronze. At the same competition, the Sainte Genevieve Winery received a double gold medal for its Traminette wine, a silver medal for its cranberry wine, and bronze medals for its blackberry, cherry and concord wines.

ONLINE MBA PROGRAM IS 'BEST VALUE'

GetEducated.com, a consumer watchdog group that reviews and ranks online universities for cost, quality and credibility, ranked Southeast Missouri State University No. 1 in overall affordability for its online MBA with a general emphasis. The rankings were made public in GetEducated.com's 2010 online business school rankings, beginning with the "Top Best Values in Online MBAs - AACSB-Accredited." Rankings are based on a comprehensive, independent survey of 69 AACSB-accredited business schools that offer 133 MBA degrees via distance education. In Southeast's online MBA program, Missouri residents pay just over $8,000 for this MBA, while non-residents pay just over $14,000. By comparison, the average cost for an online, AACSB-accredited MBA came in at $32,926. This is the first time Southeast has appeared on the list.

JACKSON POWER RECEIVES RECOGNITION

Jackson Power and Light was recognized as one of only 94 public power utilities to earn Reliable Public Power Provider recognition for providing consumers with a high degree of reliable and safe electrical service. Jackson Power and Light was chosen among 2,000 other public power utilities based on criteria including system management, outage response times and safety.

COMMERCE BANK RECEIVES TOP RANK IN REGION

For the third consecutive year, Commerce Bank has ranked highest among retail banks in the Midwest region in J.D. Power and Associates' 2010 Retail Banking Satisfaction Study. Commerce Bank's score of 809 increased significantly over last year's score of 768. The study was conducted from Jan. 7 through Feb. 1 and measures customer satisfaction within the retail banking industry. It considered six factors: account activities, account information, product offerings, facility, fees and problem resolution. In addition, each year Forbes evaluates America's 100 largest banks, and Commerce ranked third. The rankings are based on criteria that measured asset quality, capital adequacy and profitability.

RIVER HILLS RESTAURANT OPENS COFFEE SHOP

PARK HILLS, Mo. -- The East Missouri Action Agency's River Hills Restaurant has added a bakery and coffee bar, offering homemade scones, muffins, cookies, turnovers, tarts and cinnamon rolls, as well as gourmet coffee drinks, chai teas and fruit smoothies. River Hills, which opened in March 2009 at 239 W. Main St., serves as a training ground and educational center to help economically disadvantaged men and women find fulfilling jobs. The facility also has a commercial kitchen where local entrepreneurs can start their culinary businesses. Keri McCrorey, EMAA's director of community services, said the coffee shop addition has created at least one new job.

SHELTER INSURANCE HOLDS RIBBON CUTTING

BONNE TERRE, Mo. -- The Bonne Terre Chamber of Commerce recently joined J.J. Vickers for a ribbon cutting at his new Shelter Insurance office, 63 E. School St.

HUFFMAN ROOFING HONORED

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- Firestone Building Products Co. LLC presented Huffman Roofing Inc. with the 2010 Firestone Master Contractor Award. Huffman is among 261 commercial roofing contractors to receive the award this year. Firestone also recognized Huffman with the Firestone Inner Circle of Quality Award for its dedication to long-term commercial roofing system installation quality.

DEALERSHIP RECOGNIZED FOR SALES

Morlan Chrysler of Cape Girardeau was named the top volume dealer in the Outstate Missouri District based on 2010 first quarter sales by the Chrysler Corp. The district includes 13 dealerships outside of the St. Louis metro market.

MALDEN CHAMBER RELOCATES

MALDEN, Mo. -- The Malden Chamber of Commerce moved from its downtown location on Main Street to its former office in the Malden Community Center.

LAW FIRM RELOCATES

Lanzotti & Rau LLC moved to a new office at 354 S. Silver Springs Road, Suite A, Cape Girardeau. The firm opened its doors in December 2009. For more than 10 years, Mark J. Lanzotti and Daniel H. Rau have been practicing in Cape Girardeau in the areas of personal injury, auto accidents, workers' compensation, bankruptcy, Social Security disability and family law.

HISTORY MUSEUM REOPENS

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- The New Madrid Historical Museum has reopened for tours. The museum closed for nearly nine months after a storm ripped into the roof of the oldest part of the building, causing major damage. A new roof, ceiling, lighting, carpet and display cases were high priorities when working to reopen.

DISCOVERY PLAYHOUSE OPENS

The Discovery Playhouse opened April 22 at 502 Broadway, Cape Girardeau. The children's museum has been in the works for more than two years. The first version was at West Park Mall, where city planner Martha Brown said the group considering the idea wanted to test the popularity of a museum before pushing ahead. The mall location was popular but too small for school groups. The organizers found the empty Broadway location and, with incentives from state tax credits, leveraged community donations to renovate. The Discovery Playhouse is the first new attraction on Broadway that is consistent with the ideas established in the DREAM Initiative plan for the Broadway corridor.

CANDLEWOOD SUITES TO OPEN

Candlewood Suites, an 85-room hotel under construction at 485 S. Mount Auburn Road, Cape Girardeau, will open June 3. The property is owned by Premier Management Inc. of Farmington, Mo., which operates eight hotels and has two under construction. In addition to its new site in Cape Girardeau, PMI is building a Hampton Inn in Farmington, set to open in July. Candlewood will be the first extended-stay hotel in the Cape Girardeau area, said Nicola Arnold, general manager. Its one- and two-bedroom suites include fully equipped kitchens; some have a separate office, living room and bedroom areas. The hotel will create about 20 jobs.

ROYAL N'ORLEANS BUILDING SOLD

Culinary Arts Specialties LLC purchased the former Royal N' Orleans building, 300 Broadway, downtown Cape Girardeau. The new buyers closed on the sale April 29, according to Cynthia Austin of Realty Executives Commercial Realty. She said the new owners, who are local, will announce their plans for the building in the next few weeks. A selling price was not disclosed on the building previously owned by John and Jerrianne Wyman, who operate Mollie's and Roxy's Big Country Saloon.

BASIC FUEL REOPENS

Randy Crawford of Hayti, Mo., reopened Basic Fuel, 2551 Bloomfield Road, Cape Girardeau. It had been closed since January 2008. Crawford Oil Co. Inc. recently purchased the Basic Fuel chain and will reopen locations in Perryville and Sikeston, Mo. The former Basic Fuel location in Jackson will not reopen, Crawford said, because of accessibility issues. In the past, Basic Fuel stores accepted only cash; they now accept all major credit cards. Pay at the pump equipment will be installed as well, Crawford said.

TRAVEL AGENCY RELOCATES

1st Class Travel moved to 3443B William St., Cape Girardeau, three doors down from its previous location.

CAMPGROUND REOPENS

LESTERVILLE, Mo. -- The campground for Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park reopened April 30, nearly five years after it was virtually destroyed by a sudden flood. An official groundbreaking ceremony is set for May 22. The Park Hills Daily Journal reported that the new campground site is about a mile from the original one destroyed on Dec. 14, 2005, in the breach of AmerenUE's nearby Taum Sauk reservoir. Ameren announced that rebuilding of the reservoir is nearly complete and the power plant should be operational by summer.

THREE RIVERS GETS GRANT FOR CAMPUS UPGRADES

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Three Rivers Community College will see several campus upgrades thanks to a bill approved last fall by the Missouri House of Representatives. Three Rivers president Dr. Devin Stephenson recently announced that projects to be funded by more than $500,000 from House Bill 22 include over $40,000 in improvements for the math and science departments and over $25,000 for upgrades to the physics lab and medical lab technology program. Stephenson said the funds were originally introduced as a bill called "Caring for Missourians," initiated by the governor for community colleges. He added that the bill is intended primarily for improving the campus, including maintenance, repairs and renovations. Various purchases for campus improvements are scheduled, including advanced fire detection technology and powered doors for disabled people. Stephenson said there are more improvements to come, and money has been set aside from House Bill 22 to pay for them.

SCHOOLS, CITIES RECEIVE GRANTS

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Grant money awarded to Poplar Bluff School District will help fund junior high renovations this summer. The $2.3 million project would include asbestos removal and lighting, electrical and air- conditioning upgrades. The nearly $23,000 from the Energize Missouri Communities grant program will help pay for installation of occupancy sensors and replacement of lights. The program is funded through the American Recovery Reinvestment Act and was designed to improve energy efficiency in old buildings, said Clint Johnston, associate superintendent. Work may also include replacement of ceilings, classroom window/wall replacement, gym bleachers, gym air-conditioning and gym ceiling/lighting.

Additional Energize Missouri Communities grants went to Cape Girardeau County, $319,000; Jackson, $466,000; Parma, $10,000; and Perry County, $30,000.

Recipients have until August 2012 to complete their projects. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is administering more than $200 million in stimulus funding to support Energize Missouri.

P.B. RECEIVES HISTORIC PRESERVATION GRANT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri Department of Natural Resources announced April 12 that Poplar Bluff, Mo., will receive a $5,400 grant through the federal Historic Preservation Fund. The city will use the grant to complete a nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for the North Main Street Historic District, a small residential district on one of Poplar Bluff's historic brick streets.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FUNDS AWARDED

STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- The Ste. Genevieve County Community Foundation and Review Committee for the Community Development Fund program announced recipients of 2010 Community Development Fund grants. The program is made possible by an annual donation by Holcim (US) Inc. to the local foundation. A total of $202,791 was awarded to 14 local grant proposals. They include the following: Community Services Forum/Young Mothers Support Group, $3,000; Community Services Forum/Farmers Market of Ste. Genevieve, $2,365; East Missouri Action Agency/Back to School Fair, $3,000; New Bourbon Port Authority, $30,000; Ozark Regional Library, $1,990.50; St. Agnes Schools, $5,000; Ste. Genevieve County Community Center Foundation, $10,000; Ste. Genevieve County Emergency Management, $38,400; Ste. Genevieve County Head Start Program, $2,000; Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff's Department, $29,967; Ste. Genevieve Industries/Sheltered Workshop, $9,015; Ste. Genevieve Public Water Supply District No. 1, $60,554; Ste. Genevieve Parish, $5,000; and Valle Schools Foundation, $2,500.

Applications for the 2011 funding cycle will be accepted between Sept. 30 and Dec. 15. Applicants must be a government entity or a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. For more information or to download a grant application, visit www.cfozarks.org/affiliates/affiliate-list/ste-genevieve-count.

STE. GENEVIEVE GETS PRESERVATION GRANT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri Department of Natural Resources announced April 14 that Ste. Genevieve, Mo., will receive a $8,475 grant through the federal Historic Preservation Fund. The city will use the grant to provide intensive training to historic preservation commissioners and government officials of Ste. Genevieve and other local governments in Missouri. The city will contract with the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions to conduct its Commission Assistance and Mentoring Program in Missouri.

COLLEGE BREAKS GROUND FOR EXPANSION

PARK HILLS, Mo. -- A groundbreaking was held April 15 for the new Allied Health expansion project at Mineral Area College. Funds for construction and the expansion of the health training program are being funded by Gov. Jay Nixon's Training for Tomorrow initiative. The contract for the expansion to the main college building was awarded to Brockmiller Construction, Farmington, Mo.

COMMUNITIES RECEIVE RECOVERY FUNDS

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced April 19 that rural communities in 32 states will benefit from loans and grants provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In Southeast Missouri, the city of Steele received a $250,000 grant to construct a new bridge that serves traffic to and from the school and downtown area. The New Madrid Historical Museum will purchase educational material for earthquake preparedness with $56,100 in grant funds. Funding is provided through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development's Community Facilities program, which helps finance essential community facilities for public use in rural areas.