Business Notebook: Area jobless rates jump; website features job postings

Unemployment rates throughout Southeast Missouri — and much of the state — rose significantly at the end of 2020, according to data obtained Friday by the Southeast Missourian.

The new numbers might be an indication the state's economic recovery from layoffs and business closures during the COVID-19 pandemic could be slowing as nearly 51,700 Missourians filed initial unemployment claims in December.

According to a county-by-county spreadsheet provided to the Missourian by the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Cape Girardeau County's jobless rate increased 1.9 percentage points in December, from 3.3%, where it was in both October and November, to 5.2%.

The number of first-time unemployment claims files in Cape County also increased, from 355 filed in November to 527 submitted in December.

The story was the same in adjacent counties.

Perry County's December unemployment rate increased 1.5 percentage points, from 2.7% in November to 4.2% with 99 initial unemployment claims. Meanwhile, in Bollinger County the rate went from 3.8% to 5.8% with 88 first-time claims for jobless benefits, while Scott County saw an even larger unemployment percentage increase, from 3.7% to 5.8%, with 345 initial claims filed.

Elsewhere in Southeast Missouri, unemployment rates rose several percentage points. December jobless percentages in other Southeast Missouri counties included:

• Butler — 6.8%, up from 4.2%.
• Carter — 7.2%, up from 4.3%.
• Dunklin — 7.7%, up from 4.9%.
• Iron — 7.4%, up from 4.6%.
• Madison — 6.0%, up from 3.9%.
• Mississippi — 6.1%, up from 4.1%.
• New Madrid — 6.3%, up from 3.9%.
• Pemiscot — 8.8%, up from 5.9%.
• Ripley — 7.7%, up from 5.2%.
• St. Francois — 6.3%, up from 4.1%.
• Ste. Genevieve — 4.9%, up from 3.1%.
• Stoddard — 6.2%, up from 3.8%.
• Wayne — 6.9%, up from 4.3%.

Carroll County, with a population of about 10,000 in the northwest quadrant of Missouri, had the state's highest unemployment rate in December at 13.2%, making it the only county in the state with double-digit unemployment that month. The state's lowest unemployment rate in December was in Holt County in the state's northwest, corner where the jobless rate was listed at 3.4%.

Missouri's overall unemployment rate in December was 5.8%, up 1.4 percentage points from November's 4.4% jobless rate, but still several percentage points below April's peak jobless rate of 10.2%.

The national unemployment rate in December was 6.7%, unchanged from November's rate.

Free job posting service offered to area employers

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — Area employers seeking to recruit Three Rivers College students and alumni — as well as those from other community colleges in Missouri — are now able to post an unlimited number of job openings at no charge on the Missouri Community Colleges Jobs Consortium website.

The site, www.collegecentral.com/moccjobs, gives employers the opportunity to register once and upload information about job openings, which are then posted throughout the state.

"Preparing our students to be skilled and knowledgeable additions to area businesses is one of our main goals," said Three Rivers College president Wesley Payne. "This new website makes it easier for local employers to connect with our highly-qualified students."

In addition to Three Rivers, other Missouri community colleges affiliated with the Missouri Community Colleges Jobs Consortium are East Central College, Jefferson College, Mineral Area College, Moberly Area Community College, Ozarks Technical Community College, St. Charles Community College and State Fair Community College.

Prospective employers can register and list job openings at www.collegecentral.com/moccjobs.

Free business seminars to be available online

The Small Business Development Center at Southeast Missouri State University will host a pair of free online workshops this month of interest to new businesses and businesses in need of brand development.

SBDC director and business consultant Jakob Pallesen said the two seminars scheduled for this month are "popular demand" topics.

They are:

• Creating Your Brand Experience — 11 a.m. until noon Tuesday. This workshop will look at ways to create and implement a powerful brand. To register for the seminar, go to www.Missouri.ecenterdirect.com/events/22578.
• Ready, Set, Startup — 10 until 11:30 a.m. Feb. 16. The goal of this set up is to cover steps and checklist a startup business needs when laying its foundation. Register for the seminar at www.Missouri.ecenterdirect.com/events/22605.

Links to Zoom meeting connections will be emailed prior to each seminar.

Support for the SBDC online workshops is provided by Regions Bank.

Local nursing programs earn state rankings

Nursing Schools Almanac, which reviews and ranks thousands of nursing education programs throughout the United States, has listed two Cape Girardeau programs among the best in Missouri in its 2020 rankings.

SoutheastHEALTH's College of Nursing & Health Sciences ranked 20th and the nursing education program at Southeast Missouri State University placed 22nd among Missouri's top 40 nursing schools.

Programs were evaluated based on several metrics, including each institutions academic prestige and perceived value, the breadth and depth of educational offerings within each program, and student success, particularly on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX).

Among its national rankings, Nursing Schools Almanac ranked three nursing programs in Missouri among the nation's top 100 for 2020. They were the Goldfarb School of Nursing in St. Louis at No. 47; Saint Louis University, which ranked 77th; and the University of Missouri-Columbia, listed at No. 95.

More information is available at www.nursingschoolsalmanac.com.

People on the Move

Nicholas Steimle

Certified public accountant Nicholas Steimle was recently promoted to member/partner status at the Cape Girardeau CPA firm of Begley, Young, Unterreiner & White LLC. His promotion became effective Jan. 1.

Steimle has more than 14 years of experience serving a variety of small- and medium-sized businesses, individual clients, municipalities and not-for-profit organizations. He specializes in business consulting and tax planning for established and start-up businesses as well as for individual clients. Among his special services are accounting support and QuickBooks assistance. He also provides assurance services, including audits, reviews and compilations.

Steimle graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science in business administration, majoring in accounting and finance. He has been a certified public accountant since 2008.

He is a member of the Missouri Society of Certified Public Accountants and serves as vice president of finance for the Cape Girardeau Jaycees. He is also a member of the Cape Girardeau Lions Club and has served as president of the River City chapter of Business Network International (BNI). In addition, he has won awards as a writer and director at regional film festivals.

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Laurie Fitzgerald

Four new members have recently joined the Saint Francis Foundation Board of Directors — Laurie Fitzgerald, Ken Oberlohr, Dr. Sagar Patel and Requi Salter.

Ken Oberlohr

Fitzgerald is manager of business transformation, an information technology position within Saint Francis Healthcare System.

Dr. Sagar Patel

Oberlohr is president of First Missouri Insurance Group and was president of The Friends of Saint Francis board from 2015 through 2020.

Requi Salter

Patel is a radiation oncologist with Cape Radiation Oncology, an affiliated practice of Saint Francis Healthcare System. He also serves as the medical administrative officer for the oncology service line at Saint Francis.

Salter is a community activist and has been a volunteer for more than two decades for various organizations that help people and animals.

The Saint Francis Foundation board oversees leadership, planning and fiduciary activities of the foundation, which, in turn, is focused on the development, management and distribution of gifts to support Saint Francis Healthcare System.

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Stoddard County farmer Jason Mayer of Dexter, Missouri, is the newest member of the Missouri Soybean Association's Board of Directors.

His appointment to the board, announced last week by the Missouri Soybean Association, was effective immediately and fills the unexpired term of Johnny Hunter III, who was elected to the board in 2016 and reelected to a three-year term in 2019 before resigning in January to focus more time on his family, farm and his agribusiness operations.

Mayer brings more than 16 years of experience in the seed industry, including the past two years with Local Seed Company LLC. He also farms with his father-in-law, raising cotton, corn, wheat and soybeans.

More information about the Missouri Soybean Association is available online at www.mosoy.org.

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Ryan Seelke

St. Louis-based Mississippi Lime Co. (MLC), which has a network of lime production facilities in nine states, including one in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, has announced the appointment of Ryan Seelke to be the company's director of safety.

Before joining MLC, Seelke worked with The Doe Run Co. as a leader in that organization's safety department. He also owned a private legal practice specializing in mine safety law and legal consultation.

Seelke earned a degree in economics from the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, a master's degree in business administration from Saint Louis University, and a law degree from Washington University in St. Louis. In addition, he is pursuing a master's degree in occupational safety management from the University of Central Missouri.

He is a Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) certified trainer and has educated numerous managers, supervisors and safety representatives in various facets of mine safety.

Chamber Notes

After several months of "virtual" gatherings because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce will return to the Century Casino Event Center this week for its February First Friday Coffee.

Attendance at the monthly program, scheduled for Friday with doors opening at 7 a.m. and a program beginning at 7:40 a.m., will be limited to 100. Preregistration is required through the chamber's website, www.capechamber.com.

Attendees will be required to wear masks and seating will be limited to three socially-distanced individuals per table. Food will be served in a "grab-n-go" style and beverages will be dispensed and handed to attendees by chamber ambassadors who will be masked and gloved.

Anyone unable to attend in person will be able to watch sponsor comments and the First Friday Coffee program on the chamber's Facebook site.

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The Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce will host a business after hours gathering Feb. 9 at First State Community Bank, 320 W. Main St. in Jackson.

The event is open to chamber members and guests and will begin at 5 p.m. Attendees are asked to wear masks and abide by social-distancing guidelines.

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