BUSINESS MEMO

Amy Chandler of Woodland High School was "Best of Contest" winner in the Credit Drives America Essay and Poster Contest, sponsored by Ford Credit, a subsidiary of Ford Motor Co., and West Park Mall recently.

The contest was open to high school juniors and seniors in Southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois and Western Kentucky.

Chandler received a $1,500 gift certificate to West Park Mall.

Six semifinalists were also named in the contest. They were: Abbey Myers, Woodland High School; Sarah Myers and Sonney James Warren, Shawnee High School of Wolf Lake, Ill.; Rebecca Newmann and Cliff Verhines, Jackson High School; and David Green, Scott City High School.

Spartech Corp., a St. Louis-based plastics processing company, has announced it has signed a letter of intent to acquire the assets of Products Components Inc., (Pro-Com) a long established manufacturer of rigid plastic sheet based in Richmond, Ind.

Spartech president and chief executive officer Bradley B. Buechler said the "addition of ProCom to the Spartech family of plastic processing companies will be of strategic importance in furthering the company's current six-plant rigid sheet and rollstock segment -- Spartech Plastics."

Spartech has two Cape Girardeau facilities -- Atlas-Alchem, 1 Atlas Drive, a rigid sheet operation, and Resin Exchange, 1 Plastics Ave., Nash Road Industrial Park.

ProCom has two manufacturing plants -- Richmond, and Clare, Mich.

Current plans call for a definitive asset purchase agreement to be executed in the next two weeks, with a final closing of the transaction no later than Jan. 31.

Claude Cason, current owner of ProCom, will become a consultant to the Spartech Co. Other ProCom executives and key personnel are expected to remain with the organization.

A number of local hospitals and agencies are involved with the Missouri ASSIST project, designed to reduce smoking in the state.

The Missouri Department of Health, in partnership wit the Missouri Division of the American Cancer Society, hope to reduce tobacco use from 26 percent to 15 percent by the year 2000.

Local coordination is through a coalition consisting of the American Cancer Society, American Lung Association, Cape County Health Department, Jackson Area Health Office, Perry County Memorial Hospital, St. Francis Medical Center, Southeast Missouri Hospital and the Southeast Missouri Area Agency on Aging.

Additional information is available by calling 651-0540.

Taxpayers can have their 1993 federal income tax returns filed electronically, starting in January.

Nova L. Felton, public affairs officer of the IRS office in St. Louis, said this week that electronic filing can save time, trouble and worry by speeding up refunds and cutting down on errors.

A refund is issued within three weeks after the IRS receives the return.

More than 12 million federal tax returns were filed electronically last year.

The accounting and finance department at Southeast Missouri State University will offer a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Review Program to help candidates prepare for the May 1994 Uniform CPA Examination.

Program coverage will include all four areas of the CPA exam and will be conducted by Southeast faculty members.

Review sessions will be held from 3-6 p.m. each Tuesday and Thursday beginning Jan. 11 through April 28 in Academic Hall Room 306. Examinations of four-and-a-half hours will be given on three Saturday mornings.

The program is open to anyone qualifying to sit for the Uniform CPA Exam. Enrollment for selected parts of the program is permitted at reduced rates. Prompt application is recommended and enrollment is limited.

The cost is $825, and payment may be made in either a lump sum or in installments. Registration and payments must be received by Jan. 4. No refunds will be given after the first session. The registration fee includes the cost of texts, Micro Mash computer disks, supplemental classroom materials and classroom exercises and examinations.

For registration or questions, contact Deborah Beard, chairman of the accounting and finance department, at (314) 651-2119.

The holidays are a hot time for cold cash.

The use of automatic teller machines (ATM) this December is expected to have increased by 40 percent over December of a year ago.

That means that as many as 840 million Americans will drive up to an ATM machine before the month is over.

ATMs are located throughout the world -- 160,000 of them in 65 countries -- including a machine on N. Santa Claus, North Pole, Alaska.

Americans are big users of the cash machines, conducting more than 600 million transactions each month.