Business Briefs

__FITNESS CENTER OPENS IN POPLAR BLUFF__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting to open Ozark Private Fitness, located next to Ozark Fitness at 2705 N. Westwood Blvd.

__GIFT SHOP OPENS IN ADVANCE__

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Crystal Siler of Wappapello, Mo., and Millie Koeppel of Jackson opened a gift shop, Us 2, on Highway 25 just west of Advance, next to Maddie's Country Cooking. The business sells personalized T-shirts, mugs, signs, purses and more.

__BLOOMFIELD RIBBON CUTTINGS__

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- The Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce held ribbon cuttings in February for Granny's Pickers, Highway 25 near the Stoddard County Health Center, and Titan's Gaming, another new business in Bloomfield.

__RESALE SHOP OPENS IN SIKESTON__

SIKESTON, Mo. -- The Sikeston Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for The Ahteel Shoppe at 408 S. Kingshighway in Sikeston, the Standard Democrat reported. The resale store sells clothing, household items and furniture, with proceeds to fund community programs. The store will also provide directly to families in need through its client room; clients will be referred through local human services organizations. Leetha M. Samelton is president and CEO of Ahteel Corp., which opened the shop. Samelton is also working on a Tailored for Success program for career development and Ahteelcorp Mentoring for at-risk teens.

__REGIONS BANK GETS EIGHT AWARDS__

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Regions Bank was recognized by Greenwich Associates for providing distinguished quality service to small business and middle market clients in 2011. Regions Bank received eight Greenwich Excellence Awards in 2011, doubling its 2010 tally. Less than 6 percent of financial services companies were selected for awards out of more than 750 providers. Awards are based on feedback from nearly 13,500 small businesses and 11,500 middle market businesses that rated their bank in a number of categories. Regions k was recognized in five National Small Businesses Banking categories: Relationship Manager Performance; Credit Policy -- Willingness to Lend/Pricing; International Service; Branch Satisfaction; and Treasury Management -- Overall Satisfaction. The bank also received three National Greenwich Excellence Awards in Middle Market Banking: Credit Policy -- Willing to Lend/Pricing; Personal Banking -- Overall Satisfaction; and Treasury Management -- Overall Satisfaction.

__BBQ RESTAURANT OPENS IN ADVANCE__

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Jay's BBQ opened Feb. 2 at the corner of South Blair Street and Route C in Advance. Jay Santi owns the restaurant.

__LOAN OFFICE OPENS INSIDE CITY CENTRE__

MRV Banks of Ste. Genevieve, Mo., opened a loan office inside City Centre at 2502 Tanner Drive in Cape Girardeau. Mark Rivenburgh of Jackson serves as the loan officer, specializing in commercial lending.

__MINGO JOB CORPS RANKED NO. 1__

PUXICO, Mo. -- Mingo Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center finished the year as No. 1 in overall ratings of the 28 Centers operated by the USDA Forest Service, it was announced Feb. 3. Mingo also ranked 16th of all 125 job corps centers in the nation, which includes 97 operated by private contractors. The rankings are compiled by the U.S. Department of Labor, which funds the program nationwide. The measures include factors such as GED completion rates, career technical training completion and job placement. Mingo Job Corps CCC is a residential vocational and educational training program located near Puxico with a capacity of 224 students. In addition to seven vocational trades, Mingo offers GED or high school attainment, driver's education and basic health care, all at no cost to the student.

__CAPE ADDS MEXICAN RESTAURANT__

El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant opened at 97 N. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau.

__DOWNTOWN BOUTIQUE TO OPEN IN APRIL__

Two Ravens Boutique, a women's store, will open at 407 Broadway in Cape Girardeau at the end of April. The business, owned by Bridgett Kielhofner, will sell women's clothing, accessories and home decor. Two Ravens will donate at least 10 percent of all profits to support local and global not-for-profit organizations.

__MANPOWER CUTS RIBBON__

Manpower, 1739 N. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau, held a ribbon cutting Feb. 8.

__POSTAL SERVICE TO CLOSE CAPE FACILITY__

The U.S. Postal Service confirmed Feb. 23 that it will close Cape Girardeau's Richard G. Wilson Processing and Distribution Facility on Kell Farm Drive. Specific dates for the closure haven't been set but it won't happen before May 15, said Richard Watkins, spokesman for the Postal Service's regional office in Kansas City. About 100 employees work at the facility. Some will be offered the opportunity to transfer to other positions, such as letter carriers, said Watkins. Other processing centers slated for closure include Springfield, Mo., Carbondale, Ill., and Paducah, Ky. According to the Postal Service's Area Mail Processing feasibility study, consolidating the Cape Girardeau center's operations with the St. Louis distribution center will save the agency $3.8 million annually.

__MEXICAN RESTAURANT NOW OPEN__

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Armando and Monica Sanchez opened El Mexicano, a Mexican restaurant, Feb. 15 at the corner of Highway 25 and South Avenue in Advance.

__HEART FOR AFRICA MOVING TO CAPE__

Heart for Africa, a Christian not-for-profit organization trying to improve thousands of lives in Swaziland, Africa, will move its national headquarters from Atlanta to Cape Girardeau this spring, the Southeast Missourian reported. Jimmy Wilferth, a Cape Girardeau native currently serving as the organizations's executive director, will become its U.S. president of operations. Med Assets has donated space for the new national offices in the Lorimont Building at 276 S. Mount Auburn Road.Ian and Janine Maxwell, founders of Heart for Africa, will move permanently to Swaziland at the end of May to oversee the entire operation of the organization. Wilferth will direct national operations, staff, fundraising, recruiting of missionaries, speaking engagements and plans for the ministry.

__CAPE SEARS, KMART, ESCAPE LATEST ROUND OF CUTS__

In February Sears Holding Corp. announced its second round of store closings since December, but so far Cape Girardeau's Sears Grand and Kmart stores seem to have escaped the cuts. The company plans to close more than 100 stores nationwide, citing a combination of lower sales, especially for big-ticket items, and increasing expenses.

__P&G LAYOFFS WON'T AFFECT LOCAL PLANT__

A plan by Procter & Gamble to trim its workforce by 10 percent, or 5,700 employees, won't result in any job losses in Cape Girardeau. Bob McDonald, the company's board president and CEO, spoke about the company's plan to reduce costs by $10 billion Feb. 23 at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York Conference. The workforce reduction is aimed at nonmanufacturing positions and will not affect employees at the company's Cape Girardeau plant, said Linda Greaser, external relations leader. The company will cut $4.5 billion in materials costs and reduce marketing expenses by $1 billion, according to its website.

__BUDROVICH TO OPEN CAPE OFFICE__

St. Louis-based company Budrovich, involved in the construction, excavating, land development and crane rental business, will open an office and equipment rental yard near Cape Girardeau. Tom Kelsey, commercial broker with Lorimont Place Ltd., handled the recent real estate transaction at 1716 E. Outer Road. Budrovich's new location is across Interstate 55 from the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport between Negwer Materials and Macke Farm Equipment. Plans are to have the operation open within the next few weeks, Kelsey said.

__BANK OF ADVANCE GETS A+ RATING__

ADVANCE, Mo. -- The Bank of Advance, with locations in Advance, Dexter and Bell City, Mo., was assigned an A+ rating by Weiss Ratings, an independent financial institution rating service provider. A+ is the highest rating Weiss assigns. The Bank of Advance is one of only 19 banks in the nation that is currently rated A+ by Weiss Ratings and the only bank in Missouri with such a rating, said Harold M. Miles, bank president.

__BOLLINGER CHAMBER ADDS MEMBERS__

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- The Bollinger County Chamber of Commerce added the following new members in February: Angelbeck Lumber of Marble Hill; Beussink Transmission & Repair of Leopold, Mo.; Rep. Ellen Brandom of Sikeston, Mo.; Misty Stevens with the East Missouri Action Agency in Marble Hill; NKS Tax & Accounting of Marquand, Mo.; and Thousand Oaks Winery of Patton, Mo.

__BLACKWELL, BALDWIN SPLIT__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- After a legal battle that started more than a year ago, Harry Blackwell of Naylor, Mo., and Roger Baldwin of Poplar Bluff have reached a settlement outside of court, the Daily American Republic reported. Baldwin now owns the three auto dealerships on South Westwood Boulevard in Poplar Bluff, while Blackwell operates the business in Dexter, Mo. He has also acquired two dealerships in Malden, Mo., upon being bought out of the Poplar Bluff operation.

__BROADWAY PHARMACY ADDS ROBOTIC SYSTEM__

Broadway Prescription Shop in Cape Girardeau added the SP 200 Robotic Prescription Dispensing System from ScriptPro. The SP 200 counts pills, fills vials and labels prescriptions using advanced robotics technology, said Kevin Wood, pharmacist and owner. It counts and fills up to 150 prescriptions an hour, he said, leaving the staff more time for personalized service and counseling.

__POPLAR BLUFF ADDS MEXICAN RESTAURANT__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Poplar Bluff's sixth Mexican restaurant, Tanqueria El Arcoiris, opened in October at 2201 N. Westwood Blvd., Suite 6, next to Hot Shotz Coffee Haus. The Rivera family operates Tanqueria El Arcoiris, which serves authentic Mexican food, according to the Daily American Republic.

__BOLD MARKETING TAKES HOME AWARDS__

BOLD Marketing of Cape Girardeau received two Gold Awards and one merit recognition in the ninth annual Service Industry Advertising Awards competition. A national panel of judges evaluated and rated entries in eight groups and 27 categories; more than 400 advertising agencies and 1,000 institutions participated in the contest. BOLD received Gold awards in the Imprinted Materials category for the BOLD Marketing business card, and in Logo/Letterhead Design for LeBounce Indoor Play Centre's pop-up business card. BOLD also received a merit recognition in Total Advertising Campaign for the Source -- Yoga 'N More 2011 campaign.

__MINERAL AREA PLANNING NEW PROJECT__

PARK HILLS, Mo. -- Mineral Area College accepted a $5 million base bid from Brockmiller Construction of Farmington, Mo., for a major campus construction project, reported the Park Hills Daily Journal. The project will include the addition of a second floor to the school's tech building, as well as making a number of renovations to current structures on campus. Plans for the project were drawn by Kromm, Rikimaru & Johansen Inc. of St. Louis. The project is expected to take 450 days and should be completed by June 1, 2013.

__MCII BUYS DIX STORE__

PARK HILLS, Mo. -- On Jan. 19, Missouri Community Improvement Industries Inc. of Farmington, Mo., purchased the Dix garden store in Park Hills from the King family, reported the Park Hills Daily Journal. The business will open in March as the Dix Garden Center by MCII. Ginger Williams, general manager of MCII Inc., previously worked in the Dix office in 1984. MCII is a not-for-profit organization that provides employment opportunities to disabled adults. The plan is for the store to be open from March through December, said Williams.

__TIE AND TIMBER EXPANDS FACILITY__

North American Tie and Timber in Scott City has expanded its facilty to house new equipment and machinery to further process "green" railroad ties. The company is a major suppliers of ties to Union Pacific Rail Road. Klaus Constrution of Perryville, Mo., is the general contractor.

__THERAPY BUSINESS RELOCATES__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Kitty Sims, a licensed massage therapist, moved her business from 11th Street to 958 S. Westwood Blvd., behind Maya's Restaurant. Sims is also a certified polarity therapist and a reiki master.

__TEXAS CORPORATION NEW OWNER OF FEDERAL BUILDING__

RDRH Holdings Inc., a corporation based in Austin, Texas, is the new owner of Cape Girardeau's former federal building, according to company president Majid Hemmasi. Hemmasi, an architectural engineer, said his three-year-old corporation has bought government surplus property in the past. The company holds real estate notes and owns other property, mostly in Texas. Hemmasi said he would be interested in leasing the building to someone in the private sector but also acknowledged he would not be opposed to reselling the building at the right price. The name of the new owner came about 48 hours after the General Services Administration confirmed the building had been sold for $325,015.