Business briefs

__ELECTRIC BUSINESS OPENS IN DEXTER__

DEXTER, Mo. -- The Dexter Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting Dec. 9 for All About Electric, a new business owned by Brad Wright at the corner of County Road 412 and Three Mile Road.

__PAJCO TO OFFER FREESTYLE SODA FOUNTAIN__

PAJCO Inc., operator of Rhodes 101 Stops, will be the first convenience store marketer to offer the new Coca-Cola Freestyle soda fountain technology in the Midwest. Freestyle fountains are touch-screen operated, enabling people to select from more than 101 regular and low-calorie brands. The new fountains take up the same amount of space as a traditional eight-valve dispenser. Beverages available include many varieties of waters, sports drinks, lemonades and sparkling beverages that, before the arrival of Coca-Cola Freestyle, were not available in the U.S. PAJCO plans to use Coca-Cola Freestyle in 11 Rhodes 101 Stops and Mercato di Rodi locations. Additional units will debut in other PAJCO locations in 2012.

__MERCATO OPENS IN JACKSON, ANOTHER SITE PLANNED__

Mercato di Rodi, operated by PAJCO Inc., opened on Dec. 5 on East Main Street in Jackson. The company will begin construction in early 2012 on a second Mercato di Rodi in Cape West Crossings at the intersection of Bloomfield Road and Mount Auburn Road in Cape Girardeau. Mercato di Rodi offers an express bistro, upscale corner market and new motor fuel site. Soupe Express will launch as a new division of Cafe Soupe, highlighting the upscale deli.

__ACCION OFFICE OPENS IN CAPE__

ACCION Delta, a partnership between microlender ACCION Texas Inc. and the Douglas C. Greene Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Southeast Missouri State University, is now open. ACCION is a multistate not-for-profit small business lender providing business loans to those unable to receive financing from traditional lenders. The company provides startup businesses with loans ranging from $500 to $50,000.

__HOTSHOTS OPENS IN DOWNTOWN CAPE__

HotShots sports bar and grill opened Dec. 15 at 15 N. Main St. in Cape Girardeau, the former Breakaways building. A grand opening is planned for January, said owner Michael Hess. Breakaways closed in July so Hess and his crew could renovate the interior, double the size of the kitchen, relocate the bar and add more seating. Sixteen flat-screen televisions have been added. Darts, pool tables, foosball and arcade games are also available. This is the first HotShots franchise outside of the St. Louis area, where there are nine HotShots locations. The Cape Girardeau business has a staff of 24.

__FREIGHT BUSINESS COMING TO BISMARCK__

BISMARCK, Mo. -- Carl Bennett, president of Bismarck Metal Inc., will open a 14.5-acre intermodal rail-to-truck/truck-to-rail freight facility in the next few months, reported the Park Hills Daily Journal. The facility will comprise of 2,100 feet of railroad track leased from Union Pacific and will include the construction of approximately 1,000 feet of new track on the company's property, said Bennett. The new business, Bismarck Intermodal Services, will be on West Main Street in Bismarck. It will handle the transfer of freight in the form of crushed rock, cargo containers, boxcar loads, lumber and industrial or agricultural machinery. It is also slated to include warehouse storage capabilities of 22,100 square feet to start, with more space to be constructed as needed. Bennett plants to open for business as early as January 2012. His business partner is Norman Inman, and he will start with a crew of 14 to 28 employees, which he believes will eventually grow to 40. Bennett expects the business to load and unload between 1,500 to 2,000 containers annually. It is the only business of its type between Dupo, Ill., and Poplar Bluff, Mo., he said.

__DOUBLE D BBQ OPENS ON KINGSHIGHWAY__

Double D BBQ opened at 1923 N. Kingshighway, Suite 3 in Cape Girardeau. The business sells Traeger grills, Smokin' Brothers Grills, wood pellets and accessories and teak wood furniture. Owners David and Doris Eftink have been Traeger Grill distributors for seven years and have set up dealers in six states. They also operate a Double D BBQ location in Sikeston, Mo.

__PIZZA RESTAURANT OPENS IN MARBLE HILL__

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Debi's Awesome Pizza opened Oct. 1 at the former Pizza Pro location in Marble Hill. Debi Ivey owns the business, and Carol Rose is restaurant manager.

__CAPE AIR OPENS NEW TICKET OFFICE__

Cape Air opened a ticket office at 420 Broadway in downtown Cape Girardeau. The goal of the new location is to allow passengers to interact personally with a reservations agent, said Trish Lorino, director of marketing for Cape Air. Cape Air offers four flights daily from Cape Girardeau Regional Airport to St. Louis' Lambert International Airport.

__EL TORITO RESTAURANT CLOSES__

El Torito Mexican Restaurant at 1740 Broadway in Cape Girardeau has closed permanently, said building owner Dong Cai. The building is now available for lease.

__FARMINGTON CHAMBER HOLDS RIBBON CUTTINGS__

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- The Farmington Chamber of Commerce held ribbon cuttings in December for the following businesses: Dustin Brune's Farmers Insurance office, 101 E. Columbia St. in Farmington; Crossroads Custom Framing, 122 E. Columbia St., owned by Mary Weiler and Ron Scharer; Advanced Weight Loss Clinic, 937 Valley Creek Drive; Mona's Tax and Accounting, 101 Hickory St. in Pilot Knob, Mo., owned by Mona Hughes Whited; and Jennie Annie's, 14 E. Columbia St. in Farmington.

__PATRICK FURNITURE OPENS NEW STUDIO__

Patrick Furniture of Cape Girardeau opened a 3,000-square-foot Klaussner Solutions Studio. The studio features custom-order upholstery in multiple product lines and price points, along with designer assistance and a computerized Solutions Center that simplifies the selling process for retail sales associates.

__SIKESTON COUNTRY CLUB CLOSES DOORS__

SIKESTON, Mo. -- The Sikeston Country Club closed its doors Dec. 16, reported the Sikeston Standard Democrat. Acting manager Rob Collins said the number of members paying dues has dropped in recent years and there was no longer enough income to operate the club. The club has 220 members but once had more than 600. A representative of the five local banks foreclosing on the property met Dec. 13 with Collins and Howard Gipson of Gipson Construction, a local contractor consulted on how to winterize and secure the facilities.

__USA DRUG OPENS IN MALDEN__

MALDEN, Mo. -- The new USA Drug store opened Dec. 8 at the corner of Douglass and Main streets in Malden. The newly constructed stucco building features two lanes for drive-through service. Pharmacists and employees from Norrid's City Drug and Overturf Drugstore are working at the new pharmacy, reported the Delta News-Citizen.

__MASSAGE CENTER CUTS RIBBON__

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Inner Peace Therapy Massage Center held a ribbon cutting Dec. 12 with the Perryville Area Chamber of Commerce.

__FITNESS CENTER OPENS IN MALL__

Live Laugh Love Fitness held a grand opening Jan. 1 in the former Pasta House location inside West Park Mall. The Zumba fitness center also offers yoga and hula hooping classes. Owner and Zumba instructor Amber Anderson of Cape Girardeau recently traveled across the U.S. studying Zumba, a Latin inspired dance workout, in all 50 states and documenting it on Facebook. She taught Zumba classes in Jackson and Cape Girardeau before deciding to open her own fitness center.

__BONNE TERRE CHAMBER HOLDS RIBBON CUTTINGS__

BONNE TERRE, Mo. -- The Bonne Terre Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for Cerrito's Grill Mexican Restaurant. The restaurant, next to Huddle House, is owned by Enrique Penilla and opened Nov. 29. The chamber also held a ribbon cutting for Little Learners Pre-School and Child Care Center, located behind Chuck and BJs and owned by Heather Simpson.

__FARM BUREAU RECEIVES TOP AWARD__

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- The Bollinger County Farm Bureau was recognized Dec. 5 by the Missouri Farm Bureau for outstanding program achievements. Farm Bureau president Blake Hurst presented the Gold Star award to Jerry Marquis, president of the Bollinger County Farm Bureau. The county achieved recognition as the top county in District 6 by attaining over membership quota for 2011 and the maximum six gold stars for excellence in several program areas, including membership, marketing, leadership development, education and public policy. The local bureau also received an Award of Excellence. Only one Award of Excellence is presented in each category of the gold star program.

__Z WIRELESS CUTS RIBBON__

DEXTER, Mo. -- The Dexter Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for Z Wireless at 1311 W. Business 60. Carla Pixley is manager of the new business.

__PERRYVILLE STARTS LEADERSHIP PROGRAM__

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- The Perryville Area Chamber of Commerce will kick off its first Leadership Perryville program this spring. The eight monthly, one-day sessions will be held in various locations in and around town. Participants will meet with Perryville leaders through field trips, panel discussions, presentations and experiences; explore the city's opportunities, needs and resources; and learn aspects of leadership, problem-solving and networking. Leadership Perryville sessions will be held the second Tuesday of each month from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., beginning March 13. The class is limited to 20 participants. Tuition is $250 for Perryville Area Chamber of Commerce members and $300 for non-members. To enroll, download the application at www.PerryvilleMO.com or call the chamber at 573-547-6062. Applications will be accepted until Feb. 1.

__BIG RIVER EXPANDS INCONNECT SERVICE__

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Big River Telephone Co. expanded its InConnect service to Perryville. InConnect, Big River's new digital voice and high-speed Internet service, is already available to commercial customers in Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Farmington and Sikeston, Mo.

__GRASS ROOTS ADDS HUSQVARNA FRANCHISE__

Grass Roots BMW Motorcycles in Cape Girardeau added the Husqvarna franchise to its business. Owner Herb Anderson has owned the exclusively BMW franchise since 1983. Husqvarna's bikes are well-known in off-road and motocross communities, Anderson said.

__FLOORING BUSINESS CHANGES HANDS__

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Darrin Johnson became owner of Modern Floor Coverings on Nov. 1. Mark Householder is manager of the business, now called Ultimate Flooring. The building at 2014 E. Malone Ave. has a new coat of paint, an updated office area and a reorganized showroom.

__MISSOURI RUNNING CO. RELOCATES__

Missouri Running Co. moved to the LaCroix Shopping Center at 1720 Kingsway Drive in Cape Girardeau. The new building allowed the store to double its size and display more shoes, clothing and accessories. The store is managed by Kim and Byan Kelpe.

__EXPANSION UNDERWAY AT BOOTHEEL COUNSELING__

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Work is underway on a 3,800-square-foot expansion at Bootheel Counseling Services, 760 Plantation Blvd. in Sikeston. The expansion will add 14 offices and a conference room to the facility.

__LIBRARY ANNOUNCES SITE FOR MALDEN BRANCH__

MALDEN, Mo. -- The Dunklin County Library Board voted Nov. 21 to accept a donation of land from the Malden School District to build a new Malden branch of the Dunklin County Library, reported the Delta News-Citizen. The land sits between the baseball complex on Stokelan Drive and the Malden Nursing and Rehab Center. The library has outgrown its current facility on Madison Street, which was built in 1965.