Business Briefs

SITE PREP UNDERWAY FOR

NEW JACKSON ALDI

A long-awaited retail development is coming to fruition as ALDI began site development work March 27 for a new 21,682-square-foot Jackson grocer at 2502 E. Jackson Blvd., adjacent to Alliance Bank.

"It's a six-month job and we're anticipating completion in mid-to-late September," said Steve Ward, job site superintendent with the project's general contractor, Knoebel Construction of Chesterfield, Missouri. Completion and occupancy are anticipated before the end of September.

HOTEL PLANNED NEAR CAPE

SPORTSPLEX

Midamerica Hotels Corp. has entered into an agreement to bring a 92-room Tru by Hilton hotel to a parcel in front of Cape Girardeau SportsPlex and near Acee’s convenience store, with ready access to Exit 99 of Interstate 55 between Cape Girardeau and Jackson.

“We expect to break ground this spring with a planned opening in 2024,” said John Echimovich, vice president/operations for Midamerica.

Tru by Hilton, according to a March 2016 Forbes magazine article, “[occupies] the mid-scale hotel market [and] is designed to compete with brands such as LaQuinta and Comfort Inn.”

JACKSON HOTEL SWITCHES BRANDS

Formerly known as Best Western, the hotel at 303 S. Old Orchard Road in Jackson is now known as La Quinta Inn by Wyndham.

Located just off East Jackson Boulevard near Kohlfeld Distributing and Delmonico’s Restaurant, the Jackson hotel has switched brands.

An employee told the Southeast Missourian the change in branding was made in March, adding the property maintains the same ownership.

TARGET TO INSTITUTE

DRIVE-UP SERVICE

Target, with a location in Cape Girardeau, has announced that, by the end of this summer, it will accept returned items through a drive-up service at all the retailer’s 2,000 stores.

There will be no charge for the service, and added drive-up returns will be especially helpful for shoppers with children or pets, and those with disabilities.

Customers who wish to use the service are asked to download Target’s app on their phones.

NATURAL GAS RATES DROP FOR LIBERTY CUSTOMERS

Liberty Utilities residential customers in the company’s Southeast District, including Cape Girardeau County, saw rates drop approximately $7.84 for those using 10,000 cubic feet of natural gas a month beginning Saturday, April 1.

The rate change, according to Missouri Public Service Commission, reflects the Weather Normalization Agreement Rider (WNAR), which authorizes adjustments based on weather variations.

Liberty has approximately 52,500 natural gas customers in Missouri.

GROUND-A-BOUT EXPANDS AGAIN

Ground-A-Bout coffee shop announced March 9 via Facebook that it will soon expand to a fourth location at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, effective Monday, May 1.

Company co-founder and owner Bob Schooley previously took over operations in January of Parengo Coffee in Sikeston, Missouri.

Ground-A-Bout’s first location is 107 E. Adams St. in Jackson, which opened in 2016.

Schooley assumed ownership June 1, 2021, of the former Baristas Coffee, 338 Broadway, on the ground level of Cape Girardeau’s Marquette Tower.

LIMBAUGH MANSION SELLS

IN FLORIDA

The waterfront home of Rush H. Limbaugh III sold for $155 million in Palm Beach, Florida, according to Wall Street Journal online, citing property records.

According to WSJ reporting, Limbaugh’s home sat on 2.7 acres.

Limbaugh, a Cape Girardeau native, 1969 Cape Girardeau Central High School graduate and celebrated radio broadcaster, died in February 2021 of cancer at age 70.

RECORD FUNDRAISING

FOR FRIENDS GALA

Saint Francis Foundation reports more than $323,000 was raised as a result of its seventh annual Friends Gala on March 4 at Drury Plaza Conference Center in Cape Girardeau, which the hospital system reports as a new record for the event.

“The money and resources we raise during the Friends Gala will provide hope and healing to thousands of cardiac and cancer patients undergoing treatment at Saint Francis over the coming year, helping them to regain optimal health after a major life event,” said Stacy Huff, Foundation executive director.

Funds raised go to support Saint Francis’ CancerCare and CardiacCare programs.

NEW SHOP FILLS QUILTING VOID IN CAPE GIRARDEAU

Cotton Mill Quilt Co., 231 S. Broadview St. in Cape Girardeau, had its grand opening March 10.

“When the Golden Needle store in Cape closed during COVID, it really left a blank, a void, for all the quilters in the area, and I knew the community needed another quilt store,” said proprietor Rebecca Moore.

The 1,500-square-foot shop is open five days a week, and closed Tuesdays and Sundays.

VENERABLE JACKSON APPLIANCE STORE CLOSES

A fixture in uptown Jackson for more than half a century, family owned Siemer Appliance & Service, 113 S. High St., has announced on Facebook it was closing for business on March 31.

In 1971, John and Irmgard Siemer bought Sander Hardware, and in time, transitioned the business into selling and servicing appliances, carrying most major brands.

CIRCLE FIBER OPENS

JACKSON OFFICE

Circle Fiber, the locally-based fiber-optic internet and communications service, opened an “interactive” retail store at 431 W. Main St. in Jackson on March 2.

Circle Fiber and its Cape Girardeau-headquartered parent firm, Big River Communications, were sold Feb. 7 to i3 Broadband of Peoria, Illinois.

Circle Fiber currently has customers in Jackson, north Cape Girardeau and Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

LILLY TO SLASH INSULIN COSTS

The price of the most prescribed insulin, Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly & Co., was cut by 70% on March 1.

Prices for Humalog and Humulin are being reduced beginning in October. Eli Lilly said it will cap out-of-pocket insulin costs at $35 per month.

The news follows President Joe Biden’s call for that very price target during his State of the Union speech in February.

Insulin is made by the pancreas and used by the body to convert food into energy. People who have diabetes don’t produce enough insulin.

An estimated 7 million Americans suffer from diabetes.

POPULAR FRUITLAND DINER

CLOSES

Family-owned Pie Bird Cafe in Fruitland has closed, announced a Thursday, Feb. 23, post on the breakfast eatery’s Facebook page.

In business since 2005, the tiny restaurant was known for its breakfast selections available from 6 to 11 a.m. Mondays through Fridays, plus its various assortment of pies — available whole or in slices.

The 41-seat cafe had nine tables and four counter seats.

Pie Bird Cafe was at 5512 U.S. 61.

OLD CAPE GIRARDEAU CITY HALL FOR SALE

City of Cape Girardeau put its former municipal office building at 401 Independence St. on the market Feb. 24, for $870,000.

The city moved into the 86-year-old structure in 1978 and used it through 2021 before relocating to its new home at 44 N. Lorimier St., the former Common Pleas Courthouse.

Sitting on 4.93 acres, the building — completed during President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s second term in 1937 — was originally the home of Lorimier School.

According to listing information, the old city hall has 15,843-square-feet above ground with 85,000-square-feet of paved driveway and parking spaces.

MORE WOMEN TRUCK DRIVERS TODAY

According to San Francisco-based job website zippia.com, women comprise 15.7% of the estimated 690,000 truck drivers in the U.S. — and their numbers in the industry are growing.

Female involvement in trucking is steadily increasing, says truckinfo.net, with the number of female drivers and truck technicians — the latter of which help keep big rigs on the road — doubling over the past two decades.

“A major concern of the trucking industry has been the widely reported shortage of professional truck drivers, who play a vital role in the U.S. economy by safely transporting the nation’s freight,” reported the 2022 Women in Trucking Index.

HAMPTON INN COMING TO DEXTER

It was announced at the Dexter Chamber Banquet in March that a Hampton Inn is coming to Dexter. The hotel will be constructed on the South Outer Road of Highway AD and the future Interstate 57 near the new Gill Group building.

The hotel will feature 75 beds, an indoor pool, a fitness center and bring 30 jobs to the Dexter area. The main investors are Keith and Robin Davidson along with the Gill Family. Additional financial support is being provided by First Midwest Bank. The hotel is slated to open in March 2025.

SIKESTON HIRES NEW HUMAN

RESOURCES, RISK MANAGMENT DIRECTOR

Carrie Burgfeld is the new director of Human Resources and Risk Management for the City of Sikeston. Burgfeld, who is from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and attended Notre Dame Regional High School before earning her degree in HR from Southeast Missouri State University, started her new position on Monday, April 3.

She has been in the human resources field for over 16 years and was most recently an HR Specialist with the City of Cape Girardeau.

NEW SIKESTON FIRST MIDWEST BANK PRESIDENT

The Board of Directors of First Midwest Bank announced that John Leible has been named the community bank president for the Sikeston market.

Leible has worked in the financial services industry for nearly 15 years. He will oversee First Midwest’s two Sikeston locations while continuing to serve the residents of Sikeston and the surrounding communities as a lender. Leible steps into his new role under the mentorship of Gordon Waller, who will continue as a senior vice president of the bank.

RIBBON CUTTING FOR J.CO APPAREL AND PROMOTIONS

J.Co Apparel and Promotions, 7501 Highway 67 in Poplar Bluff, recently celebrated a ribbon cutting to mark a new location of the company’s screen printing and embroidery business.

The location offers a larger space, allowing J.Co to expand its operations to include offering trophies and awards, as well as customizable gifts, and team and company wear.

BIDDING OPEN FOR CONTRACTS AT MALDEN AND VAN BUREN OFFICES

Bidding has opened for contracts at the Malden and Van Buren license offices. It will remain open until April 18 through the Missouri Department of Revenue (DOR).

License offices are operated by independent contractors and overseen by the DOR. Contracts are awarded through a competitive bid process.