Business briefs

__MRV OPENS FULL-SERVICE BRANCH IN CAPE__

MRV Banks in May opened a full-service branch in Cape Girardeau. The branch, at 1610 N. Kingshighway, Suite 102 in the Regents Park Building, is led by vice president Brian Rivenburgh and assistant vice president Robbie Guard, along with Maureen Schmitz and Pamela Myers. MRV Banks has its headquarters in Ste. Genevieve, Mo., with banking veteran Doug Watson serving as president and CEO. The official grand opening and ribbon cutting for the Cape Girardeau branch were held June 28.

__BRIDAL BOUTIQUE OPENS IN BONNE TERRE__

BONNE TERRE, Mo. -- The Bonne Terre Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for Summer's Prom and Bridal Boutique at 10 W. School St.

__CARPET ONE OPENS IN NEW LOCATION__

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- The Farmington Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting May 16 for Carpet One Floor and Home, which moved to 755 Market St.

__DESLOGE CHAMBER HOLDS RIBBON CUTTINGS__

DESLOGE, Mo. -- The Desloge Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for Vicky Crocker Realty, 1136B N. Desloge Drive. The agency handles listings in Park Hills, Farmington, Bonne Terre, Desloge, Terre Du Lac, Festus, Hillsboro, De Soto and Fredericktown, Mo. The chamber also held a ribbon cutting for Dwayne Ashburn's Farmers Insurance office at1136 N. Desloge Drive, Suite 3.

__CHAMBER ADDS MEMBERS, HOLDS RIBBON CUTTINGS__

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- New members of the Perryville Chamber of Commerce include Joyus Bouncy House Rentals, Roger Hoff Insurance, Mary Jane Burgers & Brew, SMS Investment Group LLC and J's Beverage Bistro. Additionally, the chamber held ribbon cuttings in May for J's Beverage Bistro, a new snack and drink shop on Highway 61 in Perryville, and Kate's Korner, a discount grocer in Crossroads Village in Perryville.

__ACADEMY SPORTS + OUTDOORS NOW OPEN__

Academy Sports + Outdoors opened its new Cape Girardeau store June 28, its third location in Missouri. The store offers a wide selection of sports, outdoors and lifestyle products. According to Eric Herrera, senior communications coordinator, the store also brings 150 new jobs to the area. The ribbon cutting for the new store was June 27. Academy Sports + Outdoors is at 270 Shirley Drive.

__RESTAURANT CHANGES NAME, OWNERSHIP__

PARK HILLS, Mo. -- Rosener's Restaurant changed its name to Charboneau's A&C Restaurant. Art and Carol Charboneau recently purchased the restaurant at 3411 Rosener Road in Park Hills. A ribbon cutting was held May 21 with the Park Hills-Leadington Chamber of Commerce.

__NEW CAFE OPENS IN DEXTER__

DEXTER, Mo. -- The Dexter Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting June 6 for the Holey Cow Cafe. The shop, owned by Aaron and Misti McBride, specializes in coffee, doughnuts, soups, sandwiches and ice cream.

__POPEYES COMING TO POPLAR BLUFF__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A Popeyes restaurant is expected to open in Poplar Bluff by the end of the year, the Daily American Republic reported. City planner Dennis Avery said Popeyes would be built at 1205 N. Westwood Blvd., adjacent to Burger King. Joel Neikirk, vice president of operations for MidAmerica Hotels Corp. and Drury Restaurants Inc. in Cape Girardeau, said they plan to start construction in late August and open by the end of the year. The new restaurant will have 3,003 square feet and seating capacity for 58 people.

__DONUT HOUSE COMPLETES RENOVATIONS__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for the newly remodeled Donut House, 1224 N. Westwood Blvd.

__ALARM SECURITY CUTS RIBBON__

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- The Farmington Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting June 7 for Alarm Security, which opened a new location at 720 West Karsch Blvd., just across the parking lot from Walmart in Farmington. Alarm Security specializes in home and business security with alarm monitoring and video surveillance.

__U.S. TOOL OPENS FARMINGTON LOCATION__

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- U.S. Tool Corp., parent company of U.S. Tool and Grinding, held a ribbon cutting June 12 to mark the firm's arrival in Farmington. The aerospace industry service company has a new home in the Farmington Industrial Park, the Park Hills Daily Journal reported. The company has spent millions to buy the former Little Tikes Commercial Play Systems building, completely renovate it and move hundreds of workers from the company's longtime base in Desloge, Mo.

__CITIZENS ELECTRIC MOVES TO PERRYVILLE OFFICE__

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Citizens Electric's business offices relocated to the utility's new headquarters in Perryville, Mo. As of June 17, all customer service and other administrative functions will be conducted at the new office at 1500 Rand Ave., just off the Highway 51 bypass near the soccer fields. Both the Ste. Genevieve, Mo., office on Merchant Street and the old Perryville office on North Spring Street closed permanently. The changes are part of a building project that upgrades and consolidates Citizens Electric's five facilities into three. In May, the Ste. Genevieve service department relocated to an office on Highway 32, and the Altenburg, Mo., service department moved to an office on U.S. 61 in Fruitland. Both sites are near Interstate 55.

__ROSS FURNITURE REOPENS DOWNTOWN STORE__

Ross Furniture reopened its 116 S. High St. location in Jackson as a clearance store. The store was Ross' original location when it opened in 1979, according to owner Eddie Ross. The clearance store will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Ross said the clearance store will be a discount location, carrying odd pieces and closeout items. Ross Furniture opened its newer store in May 2012 at 2310 Jackson Blvd. in Jackson.

__C.M. BROWN & ASSOCIATES EARNS INSURANCE AWARD__

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- C.M. Brown & Associates Inc. in Perryville earned the Delivering the Difference Award from Great West Casualty Co., recognizing it as the top agency representing Great West in 2012. Great West provides insurance products and services to the trucking industry through more than 220 agencies in 41 states. The award is given for demonstrating professionalism, customer service and partnership with Great West. The agency participates in safety activities with customers, reviews claims issues and addresses concerns.

__MINERAL AREA MANUFACTURING PROGRAM BEGINS IN AUGUST__

PARK HILLS, Mo. -- Mineral Area College recently received $1.2 million to enhance the services of their Advanced Manufacturing Lab, hire a new instructor and additional program support staff. This Department of Labor grant, MoManufacturingWINs, allows the school to offer short-term, flexible training at no tuition cost to eligible students interested in improving their skill level in modern manufacturing. The award is part of a $15 million Department of Labor statewide grant for a training network consisting of nine public two-year Missouri colleges that will collaborate to implement rigorous and flexible certificate training endorsed by the National Association of Manufacturers. The grant includes roles for the manufacturing employers, Missouri Career Centers and community colleges to collaborate on referrals and training development. At Mineral Area College, students can achieve 12 hours of college credit and a nationally-recognized Certified Production Technician certificate in just eight weeks, starting August with instructor Chris Klusmeyer. Klusmeyer comes to MAC from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in Poplar Bluff, Mo., where he trained those seeking State of Missouri certifications in drinking water treatment and drinking water distribution systems. A second short-term certificate program starting this fall is the foundation level Certified Logistics Associate and the midlevel Certified Logistics Technician certificate programs. The CLA and CLT assessments prepare students for higher skilled, frontline material handling work across all supply chain facilities: factories, warehouses, distribution centers and transporters.

__CAPE BUSINESSES HOLD RIBBON CUTTINGS__

The following Cape Girardeau businesses held ribbon cuttings in June: Discovery Playhouse, 502 Broadway, for its new "Air-MAZE-ing Fun!" exhibit; Cup 'n' Cork, 46 N. Main St.; and Ferguson Enterprises, 1329 Southern Expressway.

__VANPOOL'S HOLDS GRAND OPENING__

SIKESTON, Mo. -- VanPool's Paint and Body celebrated a grand opening June 14. The business at 2025 N. Main St. provides full collision repair services for autos, trucks, recreational vehicles and more. Paul VanPool co-owns the business with his wife Melanie.

__ALCO STORE IN CHARLESTON TO CLOSE__

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- ALCO Stores Inc. announced it will close its ALCO store in Charleston. Richard Clemente, senior vice president of store operations, said the local store's performance does not meet the company's financial requirements. Employees of the Charleston store will have the opportunity to be considered for positions at other ALCO stores. The store began marking down prices June 17 in anticipation of its Aug. 26 closing date.

__CONSTRUCTION BEGINS ON NEW MENARDS__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce held a groundbreaking June 25 for Menards, the Daily American Republic reported. The home improvement business, based in Eau Claire, Wis., plans to build a 162,340-square-foot retail store and a wholesale lumber warehouse between the signal at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center and the northbound ramps at the new Bypass 67 interchange. The nearly 19-acre site was purchased from the developers of the Eight Points Commercial Development. The site will also include a parking lot for 442 vehicles. Jeff Abbott, spokesman at Menards' headquarters, said the store will open sometime in 2014, making it the ninth Menards store in Missouri. Eight Points developers are working on attracting additional retailers and are expected to make more announcements later this year.

__EDWARD JONES OF DEXTER EARNS TOP RATING__

DEXTER, Mo. -- Ben Worley and Becky Edmonds of the Edward Jones firm in Dexter received the firm's Client Service Excellence award for being the No. 1 client service provider in their region and in the top 25 percent of client service providers in the country. The honor was bestowed upon the team based on the results of a survey in which random clients were asked to rank the service they received from their local Edward Jones branch offices.

__THE FACTORY TO SEE CHANGES IN TENANT SPACE__

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- The Factory will be adding actual shops, office space and a new restaurant in the coming months, the Farmington Press reported. According to owner and manager Larry Daniel, the current retail spaces have been a constant money loss in the past year. Several of the retail businesses in The Factory have been able to find a new home at other places. The Factory will continue to have a common space and walking track. The rest of the space will still be used as retail, but there will be walled spaces for tenants instead of open booths and kiosks.

__SIKESTON CHAMBER HAS NEW OFFICE__

SIKESTON, Mo. -- The Sikeston Regional Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting and open house for its new office at 215 N. New Madrid St. The building previously housed the Sikeston Department of Public Safety but has been remodeled over the last several months to house the chamber.

__THREE RIVERS TO BEGIN IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Three Rivers College expects to spend more than $16 million on building construction and renovation in the Missouri towns of Sikeston, Poplar Bluff, Willow Springs and Kennett during the next two fiscal years, the Daily American Republic reported. The board of trustees discussed the plans during a June workshop on a proposed fiscal year 2014 budget that would total more than $34 million. An operating budget of about $23.9 million is planned, an increase of about $1 million from the total proposed budget for the current fiscal year. In addition, about $10.5 million will be designated to construction projects in FY14, followed by nearly $5.8 million the next year. The projects include construction of an eastern campus in Sikeston; a new classroom building and softball building, as well as renovations and maintenance at the Poplar Bluff campus; a new safe room and renovations in Kennett; and renovations of a facility in Willow Springs. Other items in the college budget include improving campus security through the addition of an audible alarm system, additional cameras and electronic locks for doors. Further improvements are planned for student housing and Three Rivers' technological infrastructure. Additional scholarships have been budgeted for athletics, including baseball.

__QUILTING SHOP CUTS RIBBON__

DEXTER, Mo. -- The Dexter Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting June 21 for Treasured Threads Quilting on Highway 60. The shop offers fabric, patterns and a variety of quilting supplies, as well as classes for beginning and advanced quilters.

__SOUTHERN MISSOURI BANCORP RANKS HIGH FOR PERFORMANCE__

Three Missouri banks ranked in the top 10 percent nationally in performance among 303 publicly traded community bank companies in 2012, according to research by Raymond James & Associates and reported by the St. Louis Business Journal. They are Enterprise Financial Services Corp. in St. Louis, which operates Enterprise Bank & Trust; Cass Information Systems Inc. in St. Louis, which operates Cass Commercial Bank; and Southern Missouri Bancorp in Poplar Bluff, Mo., which operates Southern Bank. Only California had more banks on the list, with seven. The financial metrics considered were nonperforming assets compared with loans and foreclosed property, five-year average core deposit percentage, net interest margin, efficiency ratio, return on average assets and return on average tangible common equity.

__FIRST MIDWEST BANK TO ADD CAPE GIRARDEAU BRANCH__

First Midwest Bank of Dexter, Mo., one of the oldest locally owned banks in Southeast Missouri, received approval from the Missouri Division of Finance and the FDIC to locate a full-service bank at 1820 N. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau. According to Joey McLane, president of First Midwest Bank of Dexter, Mo., a temporary modular bank with drive-thru will be placed on the lot to provide full-service operations during construction of a new facility. Kathy Bertrand of Cape Girardeau will be president of the new branch. She has almost 30 years of banking experience and is well recognized as a leader in the financial services industry. She will work out of First Midwest's Jackson location until the Cape Girardeau bank is open.

__BOLLINGER CHAMBER ADDS NEW MEMBERS__

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- The Bollinger County Chamber of Commerce added the following new members in June: Bollinger County Recycling, on Highway 51 north of Marble Hill; Redtail Precision LLC, 104 High St. in Marble Hill; and Chester Hayes and Rhonda Elfrink.

__FIRST STATE COMMUNITY BANK COMPLETES ACQUISITIONS__

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- First State Community Bank, a community bank headquartered in Farmington, has successfully purchased nine Bank of America locations effective in June. The purchase includes branches in Boonville, Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Kennett, Mexico, Moberly, Richland, Rolla and Vandalia, Mo. The transaction will increase FSCB's asset size to approximately $1.7 billion and increases its regional footprint to 46 locations throughout Missouri. First State Community Bank, founded in 1954, has been growing steadily in recent years. Including the nine locations just acquired from Bank of America, the company has added 23 new locations since 2008, nearly doubling in size.

__'PERSPECTIVE' WINS AT BROADCASTERS CONVENTION__

Fox 23 KBSI announced that its locally produced segment, "Perspective," took two awards at the Missouri Broadcasters Association's annual convention held May 31 and June 1 at Lake Ozark, Mo. "Perspective" took first place and also the certificate of merit in the editorial category. "Perspective" is a two-minute commentary segment from Fox 23 KBSI general manager Mike Smythe. This is the 11th win in the category for Smythe.

__WESTERN STORE CUTS RIBBON__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for Crazy J Western Store, 2186 N. Westwood Blvd. James Johnson owns the business.

__BANK OF MISSOURI ADDS POPLAR BLUFF OFFICE__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. The Bank of Missouri announced the opening of a loan and deposit production office at 2016 N. Westwood Blvd. in Poplar Bluff. The office opened July 8. David Crader, chief executive officer of The Bank of Missouri, said the bank staff will consist mainly of local people who are involved in the community.

__CHINA PALACE UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP__

China Palace in Cape Girardeau announced that John Chai assumed ownership of the restaurant as of May 1. Chai began working at China Palace in 1995.

__SHOW ME MOTORS CUTS RIBBON__

Show Me Motors, 506 S. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau, held a ribbon cutting June 25.

__RESEARCH CORPORATION HAS NEW NAME__

The Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents changed the name of the Missouri Research Corporation to the Missouri Innovation Corporation during its meeting June 27. Kathy Mangels, vice president for finance and administration, said the name change was warranted because activity of the corporation now includes more entrepreneurial and economic development activity, rather than traditional sponsored program activity that is more easily administered through the processes and systems in place at Southeast. New directors of the Missouri Innovation Corporation appointed by the regents are Steven Kurtz of Park Hills, Mo.; Scott Meyer of Cape Girardeau; Chauncey Buchheit of Perryville, Mo.; Dawn Dauer of Cape Girardeau; David Hitt of Jackson; Gordon Waller of Caruthersville, Mo.; Alan Keenan of Sikeston, Mo.; and Dennis Vinson of Jackson.

__SOUTHEAST RANKS HIGH FOR CAMPUS SECURITY__

Southeast Missouri State University ranks among the best college campuses nationwide for security, according to rankings released by BestColleges.com. Best Colleges is a resource for prospective college students and their parents to help students and families make informed decisions about higher education. The rankings, available at www.bestcolleges.com/features/best-college-campus-security/, are based on annual crime statistics colleges and universities are required to report under the Clery Act of 1998. Doug Richards, director of Southeast's Department of Public Safety, says that while Southeast has been ranked as the safest public four-year institution in Missouri by StateUniversity.com for three consecutive years, the ranking by BestColleges.com now recognizes for safety at the national level. Missouri University of Science and Technology is the only other Missouri institution on the BestColleges.com list. Other universities on the list include Kansas State University, Arkansas State University, University of Mississippi, University of Northern Iowa and Loyola University.

__SOUTHERN ACQUIRES BANK OF THAYER__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Southern Missouri Bancorp Inc., the parent corporation of Southern Bank of Poplar Bluff, and Ozarks Legacy Community Financial Inc., the parent corporation of Bank of Thayer at Thayer, Mo., announced June 21 the signing of a definitive merger agreement whereby Southern Missouri will acquire Ozarks Legacy in an all-cash transaction, the Daily American Republic reported. Additionally, Southern Bank has entered into a definitive merger agreement with the Bank of Thayer whereby Bank of Thayer will be merged into Southern Bank in an all-cash transaction. The Bank of Thayer operates four branches in Oregon and Howell counties in south central Missouri. In West Plains, Mo., the Bank of Thayer conducts business under the name Howell County Bank. After the acquisition, the combined company's total assets will approximate $877 million, with total loans of $656 million and total deposits of $701 million. The combined company will operate 22 branches in southern Missouri and northeast and north central Arkansas.