BusinessMay 7, 2018
Business Notebook: Cape Camping & RV Park welcomes those who enjoy the camper living
Business is brisk at Cape Camping & RV Park at 1900 N. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau, manager Betty Henry said, and looks to stay steady throughout the summer season. Owners Stan Thompson and Ronnie Wesbecher opened the RV park on the former driving range site 12 years ago, Thompson said...
Business is brisk at Cape Camping & RV Park at 1900 N. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau, manager Betty Henry said, and looks to stay steady throughout the summer season.
Owners Stan Thompson and Ronnie Wesbecher opened the RV park on the former driving range site 12 years ago, Thompson said.
"It just gets better every year," Thompson said.
The park has 90 pull-through sites and several amenities, including shower houses, restrooms, a miniature-golf course and fishing pond, and is within walking distance of the LaCroix walking trail and several restaurants and attractions, including Cape Splash water park.
Henry said she thinks gasoline prices are at least partly responsible for the steady flow of business, and the increase she's seen in the six and a half years she's worked there.
"It's given people an incentive to travel and camp more," Henry said. "It's a boost for our business, and others too, I'm sure."
Some people live on site long term, Henry said, since each site has access to electricity, sewer, cable TV, wireless internet and several other amenities.
The monthly rate is less than the rent on many apartments, Henry said, and for the price of a camper, it works out nicely for several people.
Families in transition might stay for a few weeks or month, Henry said, while they look for more permanent housing.
And families whose children are on traveling athletic teams often find having a camper and staying at an RV park is more economical than staying in a hotel, Henry said.
"The SportsPlex has definitely been a boost," Henry said, adding on tournament weekends, the park often fills to capacity.
One recent weekend, she had more than 40 campers check out Sunday, she said.
Thompson said he enjoys being in the business.
"Camping people are so cool," he said. "There's no other business we'd want to be in."
Thompson said they see everything from a million-dollar camper down to ones that cost $3,000, and they welcome all of them.
"It's a great way to live," Thompson said. "Sell your house, get a camper, come and stay with us."
Sound Advice hearing doctors moving
The hearing-aid provider formerly known as Brown and Willen Audiology Center is joining a larger network, getting a new name and moving to a new location, according to a recent company announcement.
This month, Sound Advice will move to a new facility at 201 S. Mount Auburn Road, Suite D -- formerly the Pendleton store.
The team of hearing-aid professionals will continue to offer diagnostic hearing evaluations, products from all six major hearing-aid manufacturers, and repair services, according to the release.
Staff audiologist Cathy Willen said in the release some of their patients want high-tech hearing aids that connect to their smartphones, while others prefer to keep things simpler.
"It is not a one-size fits all with hearing aids," Willen said in the release. "We strive to find the best hearing aid for the hearing loss, for their lifestyle and for their budget. We customize each fitting to match the needs of each patient and have a wonderful staff dedicated to making this process as enjoyable as possible."
Tom Kelsey of Lorimont Place handled the long-term lease, as well as the lease for The Orthopedic Center of St. Louis, which will move into the former Coldwater Creek location this summer.
Local company wins safety award
Girardeau Stevedores & Contractors Inc. of Scott City recently received a safety award from Acuity for its excellent safety management.
Advanced Technology and Consulting opens Cape Girardeau office
A telecommunications brokerage is opening a new office in Cape Girardeau's Marquette Tower, with hopes of bringing telecommunications solutions to area businesses.
President and co-founder Matt Gamel said Advanced Technology and Consulting LLC provides hosting for voice-over internet protocol, or VOIP, telephone systems, and offers other services including consulting.
"We're a broker for telecommunications services," Gamel said. "We don't offer the services directly."
Gamel said the company can simplify the telecommunications process for companies that don't have an in-house solution.
"We go out and get bids from the big companies," Gamel said. "We aren't necessarily stuck to the Missouri market, depending on the region, so we can get competitive bids and bring them back."
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Gamel said there are a lot of competitors in the market, but Advanced Technology and Consulting is different.
"Other companies might ship equipment to you in a box and you figure it out, but we bring old-school telephone business to the VOIP world," Gamel said. "We'll install, make sure you have components, train on site -- we still give a presence that we're a local vendor to help when you need it, allowing customers who want to move forward with new technology to use it but rely on someone else when they need help."
The company was formed by Gamel and Ben Alcorn in December 2016 in Sikeston, Missouri. The Cape Girardeau office opened May 1.
Women's Impact Network to hold first luncheon
The Women's Impact Network, or WIN, will hold its first-ever luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday at the Jackson Civic Center.
Eileen Sievers of Saint Francis Medical Center will present on how to find work/life balance.
Tickets are $20 each and must be pre-paid. Call the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce at (573) 243-8131 to reserve a spot.
The Women's Impact Network of the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce is a personal and business development group dedicated to helping women reach their full potential.
Business licenses
Judy Harris applied for a license to operate Blessed Like That Home Health, a home health-care company providing ADL services, light housekeeping and other similar services, at 1301 N. Kingshighway, Suite J, in Cape Girardeau. Opening date was listed as May 22.
People on the Move
The Missouri Bankers Association Board of Directors approved the appointments of two Cape Girardeau bankers to serve as regional directors for the River Heritage Region, region 7, on the board, according to a recent news release.
Jim Childress, market president of Sterling Bank in Cape Girardeau, will fill the unexpired term of Dennis McIntosh, who vacated his position when he retired Dec. 31 from Ozarks Federal Savings & Loan Association in Farmington, Missouri.
Childress began his career with First Community Bank in Malden, Missouri, in 1999 and moved to the bank's Cape Girardeau location in 2003. In 2011, he was promoted to market president. In January 2015, First Community Bank merged with Sterling Bank.
Childress serves on MBA's River Heritage Political Action Committee and has served on the MBA Bankers Service Corporation Board of Directors and MBA's State PAC Committee.
Steve Taylor, president and CEO of First Missouri State Bank of Cape Girardeau County, will fill the region 7 seat vacated by Cord Polen of Alliance Bank in Cape Girardeau. Polen was appointed as MBA treasurer for the coming year.
Taylor was part of the team that opened a branch of First Missouri State Bank in Cape Girardeau in November 2002. In 2006, he was named president and CEO. Taylor's banking career spans more than three decades, and he previously was the Cape Girardeau County market president for Bank of America.
Taylor's term on the board begins in June.
MBA is a statewide trade and professional organization in Jefferson City that represents the interests of nearly 270 banks and savings and loans in Missouri. In addition, MBA provides educational opportunities, products and services that assist bankers with enhancing their banking operations, according to the release.
Sikeston, Missouri, resident Shelley Taylor recently accepted the role of vice president/loan officer at First State Bank & Trust Co. Inc., according to a recent news release. In her position, Taylor will assist customers who are seeking loans for vehicles, homes, land or personal use.
Before joining First State Bank & Trust Co., Taylor taught in the Leopold (Missouri) School District, served as a Missouri state representative and worked for U.S. Rep. Jason Smith. She is a lifelong resident of Southeast Missouri.
Cheryl Mothes, an Edward Jones financial adviser in Jackson since 1999, attended the Edward Jones Managing Partner's Conference from April 17 through 19 in Phoenix where she was honored as one of the top 400 of Edward Jones' more than 16,000 financial advisers.
Edward Jones, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in St. Louis, provides financial services in the U.S. and, through its affiliate, in Canada. The firm's financial advisers serve more than 7 million clients and care for $1 trillion in assets under management.
Tara Landewee of Whitewater, a financial adviser with Modern Woodmen Fraternal Financial, was representative of the month and rookie of the month in the Missouri East Region for April.
Landewee joined Modern Woodmen in November 2017.
Kandra Gregory of Jackson, also a financial adviser with Modern Woodmen Fraternal Financial, was life leader and life application leader in the Missouri East Region for April.
Gregory joined Modern Woodmen in December 2016.
Modern Woodmen of America is a fraternal life insurance society headquartered in Rock Island, Illinois. Modern Woodmen provides life insurance and annuity products to almost 770,000 members nationwide.
mniederkorn@semissourian.com
(573) 388-3630
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