BUSINESS MEMO

The Small Business Development Center will conduct counseling sessions in three areas this month.

The counselor, Gil Degenhardt, will be available March 24 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce office. The counseling sessions (about one hour) are free. Call 335-3312 for appointments.

He will conduct sessions at the Sikeston Chamber of Commerce March 23 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Appointments are available by calling 471-2498. Degenhardt will hold sessions at the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning office in Perryville March 25 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Appointments are available by calling 547-8357.

The goal of the center is to stimulate diversity and growth in small-business by assisting new and existing businesses in becoming more productive and more profitable.

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The Victorian of Cape Girardeau has received a Commendation of Excellence from Mayflower Tours, a professional tour operation that handles individual and group tour arrangements for people traveling on escorted tour programs.

"More than 1,600 suppliers contribute to the success of Mayflower's program," said John Stachnik, Mayflower president. "Thirty-four suppliers received the Commendation of Excellence award." Suppliers range from hotels to bus companies and restaurants to attractions.

Kirk Williams accepted the Mayflower commendation.

Victorian is owned and operated by MidAmerica Hotels Corp. of Cape Girardeau. "This is a really great honor for our hotel to be selected among the top 34 of 1,600 suppliers for their entire industry," said Dan Drury, president and chief executive officer of MidAmerica Hotels. Ken Drury is general manager of the Victorian Inn.

The Victorian is scheduled to open a 30-room addition within 30 to 60 days.

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Albrecht/Hodges Insurance Agency of Cape Girardeau has been recognized by Cameron Insurance Cos. for outstanding performance in 1992.

Cameron provides a full line of insurance protection, including homeowners, auto, farm, commercial and life. Cameron, founded in 1972, has been a part of the Albrecht/Hodges Insurance Agency for more than 45 years.

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Proceeds from the sales of Schnucks Markets' Santa Dollars during the 1992 Christmas season in the Cape Girardeau area totaled $875.

This was Schnucks' third year of promoting Santa Dollars during the Christmas season as a fund-raiser for the Salvation Army.

Total proceeds from sales of Santa Dollars at all Schnucks stores St. Louis area, Cape Girardeau, Columbia, Kansas City, Evansville, Ind., Bloomington and Champaign, Ill. totaled $23,164.

Santa Dollars are new, $1 bills with a smiling Santa sticker placed over George Washington. They sell for $2 each with the second dollar covering the cost of the card and processing fees. All proceeds are donated to charity.

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Robert N. Etherton, a Cape Girardeau representative for the financial-services firm, Edward D. Jones & Co., will host a seminar titled "Revitalizing Main Street: A Conference for Leaders in Business" Wednesday.

"This is a chance for business owners and city officials to hear from some of the nation's leading authorities on ideas for revitalizing downtown areas," said Etherton.

The program, broadcast live via satellite from Jones' St. Louis headquarters, will feature two experts on revitalizing downtowns across the country. They are Kennedy Smith, director of the National Main Street Center in Washington, D.C., and Beth Spokas, executive director of the Pennsylvania Downtown Center.

The panelists will discuss ways of enhancing and strengthening downtown areas to meet new challenges. The audience will have an opportunity to ask questions.

Additional information is available by calling 335-4495.

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ST. LOUIS Sabreliner Corp. has delivered the last of the 571 Structural Life Extension Program (SLEP) kits for Cessna T-37B aircraft to the Air Force ahead of schedule and under contract cost.

The kits are utilized by the Air Training Command in its undergraduate pilot training program.

Sabreliner, headquartered in St. Louis, was prime contractor to design, develop and test structural kits that extend the useful life of the T-37B aircraft beyond the year 2005, then produce all the kits necessary to upgrade the entire Air Force training fleet. When awarded in 1989, the contract's anticipated total value was approximately $30 million. The kits were installed by the Air Force at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.

Sabreliner is now pursuing contracts to manufacture similar kits for foreign air forces operating the T-37s. There are more than 800 T-37s in use worldwide.

The kits are used to replace vital structures along the fuselage-to-wing attachment, center fuselage, carry-through area, lower wing spars, tail mounting structure and horizontal stabilizers of the aircraft.