BUSINESS MEMO

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

The counselor, Gil Degenhardt, will be available Oct. 27 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 appointment.

He will conduct sessions at the Sikeston Chamber of Commerce Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Appointments are available by calling 471-2498.

He will hold sessions at the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning office in Perryville Oct. 28 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Appointments are available by calling 547-8357.

The Small Business Development Center represents a "Partnership for Economic Development" between Southeast Missouri State University, the U.S. Small Business Administration, local financial institutions, area utility companies and Southeast Missouri municipalities. The goal of the center is to stimulate diversity and growth in small business by assisting new and existing businesses to become more productive and more profitable.

A Farm Tax School will be held at the Drury Lodge in Cape Girardeau Nov. 5.

The school, for tax preparers and farmers who do their own taxes, will be conducted by Mike Hardin, farm tax expert from Oklahoma State University, and Sarah Lossau, tax law specialists with the Internal Revenue Services in St. Louis.

Topics include 1993 income tax litigations, farm tax problems, casualty losses, retirement plans, tax consequences of fringe benefits and other emerging IRS issues.

The day-long course is sponsored by the University of Missouri Extension. Cost of the course is $70. Pre-registration ends Oct. 22.

Kentucky Finance Co., 1430 N. Kingshighway, will observe "Customer Appreciation Days," with a pep rally at the Cape Girardeau branch office Thursday and Friday.

"We want to let our customers know how special they are and that we appreciate their business," said branch manager John Kempster.

Refreshments will be available, and business hours will be extended to 8 p.m. during the two days.

Kentucky Finance is a finance unit of Associates Corporation of North America and operates 164 offices in nine states.

Kentucky Fried Chicken, headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is offering a new item to its menu Rotisserie Gold Roasted Chicken.

"The new product will be available in most of the 5,100 KFC restaurants nationwide," said Kyle Craig KFC-USA president. "Non-fried chicken is one of the fastest-growing segments of the quick service restaurant business."

The Colonel's Rotisserie Gold is expected to nearly double the non-fried business with first full-year retail sales of as much as $700 million.

The chicken will be available in quarters, halves and by the whole bird.

CHICAGO - Amoco Corp. has acquired the stock of BP North America's exploration operations in Egypt.

The deal announced Tuesday by Amoco gives the company a 25 percent working interest in the Nile Delta Concession, which contains the El Qar'a field.

Terms of the transaction, completed Sept. 15 between the Chicago-based Amoco Production Co. and BP North America Exploration Overseas Inc., were not disclosed.

El Qar'a produces 140 million cubic feet of natural gas and about 4,000 barrels of liquids, such as liquid petroleum gas, per day.

The new Amoco subsidiary formed by the deal also will have an interest in the El Qar'a liquid petroleum gas processing plant, and exploration rights to three other areas.

The Nile concession is operated by the International Egyptian Oil Co.