BUSINESS MEMO: NAMED TO ELITE LISTS

Edward Jones ranked No. 1 for a fifth consecutive year in a survey of 400 randomly selected brokers representing the leading eight financial-services firms.

Fifty brokers from each firm were asked by Registered Representative Magazine to rank their employers on 19 categories, such as overall ethics and freedom of pressure to sell certain products.

Jones ranked No. 1 in 14 of the 19 categories.

Jones, headquartered in St. Louis, increased its ranking 62 spots in Forbes Magazine's 500 largest private companies, rising to the 208th position.

Jones reported revenues of $952 million with operating profits of $124 million and net profits of $93 million. With nearly 12,000 employees and more than 3,700 branch offices nationwide -- including Cape Girardeau and Jackson -- Jones is a fast-growing investment firm. The firm plans to expand to 10,000 offices within the next decade.

"It's exciting to be recognized by such well-respected publications," agree Joe Domian and Robert N. Etherton, of the two Cape Girardeau Jones offices.