Business Briefs

__MAIN STREET FLOORING MOVES__ Main Street Flooring and Interiors in Jackson moved to 412 E. Main St.

__STEAKHOUSE HOLDS RIBBON CUTTING__ The Grecian Steakhouse held a ribbon cutting Sept. 21 to celebrate its reopening at 2013 Independence St. in Cape Girardeau.

__SALON HOLDS RIBBON CUTTING__ DEXTER, Mo. -- The Dexter Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting recently for Halo Hair Studio, 13147 State Highway AD. Ashley Mosier owns the business.

__BRIGGS TO LAY OFF 202__ POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Briggs & Stratton Corp. announced Sept. 15 that 202 workers will be laid off at its Poplar Bluff plant, beginning Oct. 14, reported the Daily American Republic. "Due to economic conditions and the seasonal nature of our business, we need to adjust production schedules to manage finished goods inventories to planned levels," said Dave DeBaets, vice president of North American operations for Briggs. The layoffs are expected to affect 92 seasonal employees and 110 full and part-time employees, according to a news release from company headquarters in Milwaukee. Local plant manager Mark Melloy said the plant will have 1,037 workers after the layoffs.

__INSURANCE OFFICE CUTS RIBBON__ KENNETT, Mo. -- Woodmen of the World Insurance Co. in downtown Kennett held a ribbon cutting recently to celebrate the business' joining of the Kennett Chamber of Commerce.

__HOUSING AUTHORITY HONORED__ SIKESTON, Mo. -- The Sikeston Housing Authority received the Business Spirit Award for September from the Sikeston Area Chamber of Commerce.

__CHICK-FIL-A HOLDS RIBBON CUTTING__ Chick-fil-A, 3333 Gordonville Road in Cape Girardeau, held a ribbon cutting Sept. 8.

__MOTORCYCLE SHOP OPENS ON SPRIGG__ Classic Cycle opened at 18 N. Sprigg St. in Cape Girardeau, offering parts and accessories for all makes of motorcycles. Owner Frank Stoffregen of Cape Girardeau previously owned Cape Cycle Kawasaki for 18 years. In the future, he hopes to add used motorcycle and ATV sales.

__BRICK OVEN OPENS IN CAPE__ Brick Oven opened in early September at 2148A William St. in Cape Girardeau, according to owner Nizar E. Shahwan of Cape Girardeau. The restaurant has a carryout menu featuring pizza, gyros, steak sandwiches, falafel and hamburgers. The restaurant is managed by Sam A. Massarweh of Cape Girardeau.

__ICE CREAM SHOP OPENS IN CAPE__ AJ's Deli & Ice Cream Parlor, 47 S. Plaza Way in Cape Girardeau, held a ribbon cutting Aug. 30.

__CAPE ADDS IN-HOME SERVICE BUSINESS__ Community Wide In-Home of Gideon, Mo., expanded its services to Cape Girardeau and the surrounding counties. Melinda McCulley will manage daily operations for Community Wide, which offers assistance to the elderly and disabled people, helping them to stay in their own homes. Assistance is also available for qualifying veterans and surviving spouses.

__BEAUTY SHOP OPENS IN DEXTER__ DEXTER, Mo. -- The Dexter Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting Sept. 6 for Cecily's Beauty Cottage, 1317 W. Business 60. The new shop is owned by Cecily Parker.

__CHAMBERS HOLD RIBBON CUTTINGS__ PARK HILLS, Mo. -- The Farmington Chamber of Commerce and the Park Hills-Leadington Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting recently for Triplett and Propst Performing Arts Studio, which has a new 11,000-square-foot facility at 5006 Flat River Drive in Farmington, Mo. The Farmington Chamber of Commerce also held an Aug. 26 ribbon cutting for Chill Yogurt Cafe, 689 Maple Valley Drive in Farmington.

__GALLERY OPENS IN KENNETT__ KENNETT, Mo. -- Artist Mihail Tomescu opened a gallery in the former Bank of Antiques building in Kennett, reported the Daily Dunklin Democrat. Tomescu, a native of Transylvania, Romania, has taught high school art classes in Romania and at Pennsylvania State University's School of Visual Arts. He moved to Missouri with his wife, Dr. Mona Tomescu, who accepted a position as a physician at McPherson's Family Clinic. In the future, Tomescu would like to offer beginning, intermediate and advanced painting classes.

__DEXTER CHAMBER HOLDS RIBBON CUTTINGS__ DEXTER, Mo. -- The Dexter Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting Aug. 27 for Sprockets Landing, 1115 N. One Mile Road. The station and convenience store are under new ownership. The chamber also welcomed new member Dexter Pizza Co. with a ribbon cutting. The restaurant has reopened under the ownership of James Fowler.

__WORKFORCE TO BE HONORED AT CONFERENCE__ FARMINGTON, Mo. -- Workforce Employment Solutions will be honored by the American Staffing Association at its national conference Oct. 11-14 in New Orleans. Workforce was recognized in ASA's VOICE Competition in three categories. The new Workforce Website, www.visit-work-force.com, received the excellence recognition in the company website competition. The Annual Workforce Wage & Benefit Survey won the company publication category and the Workforce Food Drive won the public service competition. Workforce was established in 1994 and is headquartered in Farmington.

__DRUGSTORE OPENS IN BONNE TERRE__ BONNE TERRE, Mo. -- The Bonne Terre Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting Aug. 22 for the new USA Drug location at 903 Benham St. in Bonne Terre.

__STODDARD COUNTY NEWSPAPERS GET AWARDS__ DEXTER, Mo. -- The Daily Statesman picked up 10 awards at the Missouri Press Association's Annual Convention held recently in Branson, Mo. The MPA annually recognizes daily and weekly newspapers across the state for excellence in writing, photography and video news coverage. For 2010, the Daily Statesman received the following awards: second place to Noreen Hyslop for best story about business and best story about the outdoors; third to Hyslop for best editorial, best story about rural life or agriculture and best story about religion; fourth to Hyslop for best news or feature series, best photo package, best story about education and best feature photo; and fourth to Jerry Jarrell for best sports photo.

The paper's weekly sister paper, The North Stoddard Countian, claimed nine awards of its own at the annual MPA Convention. They include first place to Corey Noles for best news photo and best photo package; second to Noles for best photo package, best feature photo and best feature story; second to staff for best news content; third to staff for best front page; third to Noles for best photo package; and fourth to staff for best overall design.

__THREE RIVERS GETS $2 MILLION GRANT__ POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Three Rivers College will receive nearly $2 million in the next five years to improve student success as one of 34 schools across the nation approved for a federal grant program, reported the Daily American Republic. The Strengthening Institutions Program from the U.S. Department of Education is designed to transform developing colleges, said Dr. Devin Stephenson, president of Three Rivers. The college will receive almost $400,000 on Oct. 1, in the first payment from the program. Funding will be directed at two main avenues -- improved student support and improved curriculum -- with the ultimate goal of boosting graduation and transfer success rates. Planned projects include bringing all learning labs, private tutoring programs and the student support initiate to the library area; a redesign of coursework; addition of staff, including an instructional designer and a curriculum and assessment specialist; and the purchase of a system that allows professors to receive immediate feedback from students during lessons, as well as student assessment software. The grant allots about $1 million to pay for six personnel positions throughout its five years.

__THRIFT SHOP OPENS ON BROADWAY__ Lil Pea Patch opened in the former Annie Kate's building at 709 Broadway in Cape Girardeau. The thrift and consignment shop offers baby and children's clothing, swings, strollers, carseats, toys and more. Owner Misty Spencer of Jackson also works as a paralegal.

__NIGHTCLUB OPENS IN CAPE__ The Spot Night club opened at 433 S. Sprigg St. in Cape Girardeau. Ullanda Jackson owns the business.

__THREE RIVERS GETS DEPT. OF LABOR GRANT__ POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Three Rivers College was awarded a $1.1 million federal grant Sept. 26 to create a program that will help about 300 unemployed area residents open the door to a new career in health care, reported the Daily American Republic. Funding is part of $500 million in grants announced by the U.S. Department of Labor that will enable community colleges around the country to target training and workforce development of economically dislocated workers who are changing careers, according to a news release from the agency. Missouri's 12 community colleges partnered with Linn State Technical College to receive a combined nearly $20 million over three years through the consortium, Missouri Healthcare Workforce Innovation Network. Three Rivers' program will train and help students become certified as patient care aides, certified nursing assistants, level-one medication aides, certified medication technicians and insulin administration technicians. The three-year grant is expected to create four new positions at Three Rivers: a program director, two faculty spots and one career mentor. The funding is part of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training initiative, for which the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act included a total of $2 billion over a four-year period, according to the Department of Labor.

__KASTEN BUYS BONNE TERRE BUSINESS__ BONNE TERRE, Mo. -- Kasten Masonry Sales Inc. purchased B & M Fireplace & Outdoor, 30 N. Wood Drive in Bonne Terre. Kasten will operate at this location with plans to expand the product lines to include fireplaces, stoves, pools, spas, grills and a full line of masonry products. Kasten has two manufacturing facilities in Southeast Missouri and additional retail showrooms in Carbondale, Ill., and Jackson.

__NAIL SALON OPENS IN POPLAR BLUFF__ POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting to open Diva Nails and Spa, 1355 N. Westwood Blvd. Tony Tran owns the business.

__PIONEER HI-BRED CUTS RIBBON__ NEW MADRID, Mo. -- Gov. Jay Nixon and officials from Pioneer Hi-Bred held a ribbon cutting Sept. 30 in New Madrid for the grand opening of the company's largest soybean production plant in the world. The $60 million parent and commercial soybean seed production plant is already employing more than 65 people. The new facility, located on 129 acres near Interstate 55, will begin operations in October as soybean harvest gets underway. The plant may hire more employees during peak operational needs. This is the first Pioneer seed production facility in Missouri, and it will primarily serve soybean growers in the southern United States.

__OPERATION JUMPSTART IN PEMISCOT COUNTY__ Southeast Missouri State University's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship will offer Operation JumpStart training in Pemiscot County this fall. The six-week training program, designed to help aspiring entrepreneurs start or expand a business, will be offered at no charge Oct. 25 through Dec. 6 at Caruthersville High School. A one-night class, "How To Start a New Business," will be offered as a prerequisite at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, at the Pemiscot County Career and Technology Center in Hayti, Mo. Both programs are open to the public at no charge, but registration and an application are required. For more information or to register, visit www.semo.edu/cie/training or or call 573-651-2286. The application deadline is Oct. 20.

__MAC TO RETRAIN UNEMPLOYED WORKERS__ PARK HILLS, Mo. -- During a visit to Mineral Area College on Sept. 30, Gov. Jay Nixon announced that the college will retrain 275 unemployed Missourians through MoHealthWINs, a statewide effort to retrain unemployed workers for employment in growing health care fields. Missouri's 12 community colleges and Linn State Technical College collaborated with the Missouri Department of Economic Development and the state's Workforce Investment Boards to apply for these federal funds. In total, the $20 million grant will provide training for 4,600 unemployed workers in the short term, while also developing training programs that will benefit students for years to come. At MAC, the college will invest $915,275 to train 275 unemployed workers. The college will launch medical lab, pharmacy and maintenance technician training programs.

__AUBURN PLACE HOTEL NOW OPEN__ Midamerica Hotels Corp., based in Cape Girardeau, opened the Auburn Place Hotel & Suites on Sept. 30. The 133-room hotel at 3265 William St. was previously known as Victorian Inn & Suites. The hotel is still owned and operated by Midamerica with Matt McDowell as general manager. The new name, signage and design are the result of a six-month renovation. The hotel has redesigned the breakfast room, installed new carpet in all guest rooms and public space, updated the lobby, created a snack shop, added scrambled eggs and sausage to the complimentary daily breakfast, and eliminated all bed spreads and replaced them with a triple-sheet system that is laundered between every guest stay.

__HAIR STUDIO RELOCATES__ SIKESTON, Mo. -- Joozh Hair Studio moved to 813 Hunter St., Suite C in Sikeston.

__ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY OFFICE CHANGES__ SIKESTON, Mo. -- The Delta Area Economic Opportunity Corporation's office in Dexter has closed, one result of drastic 50 percent cutbacks in the Federal Community Service Block Grant Program. An office at 820 Anderson St. in Sikeston, now serves Stoddard, Mississippi and Scott counties. That office officially opened Sept. 12 under the direction of Jan Wheeler, who formerly headed the Dexter center. Additionally, the New Madrid County office in New Madrid, Mo., has moved to the corporate office in Portageville, Mo., reported the Sikeston Standard Democrat. Dunklin County residents will still be served through the Kennett, Mo., office, and Pemiscot County residents will still be served by the Hayti, Mo., office. The closing and relocations will save some $500,000 annually in rent and utilities, estimated Joel Evans, chief operations officer at the DAEOC.

__LEBOUNCE ADDS ARCADE__ LeBounce Indoor Inflatable Play Centre in Cape Girardeau has added an arcade, featuring IceBall skee-ball machines, Ms. Pac Man, a photo booth, The Fast and the Furious interactive racing games and more.