BusinessMarch 25, 2019
Business Notebook: Cape Chamber provides resources, support for young professionals
The Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce's mission includes attracting and retaining talent, and the organization is making a special effort to reach out to young workers, said Taylor Laws, chamber marketing and communications specialist. "We want to retain university students, but also give opportunities to high-school students, people who've moved away and are looking to come back," Laws said...
The Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce's mission includes attracting and retaining talent, and the organization is making a special effort to reach out to young workers, said Taylor Laws, chamber marketing and communications specialist.
"We want to retain university students, but also give opportunities to high-school students, people who've moved away and are looking to come back," Laws said.
One outreach effort is Emerge -- Young Professionals Summit, set for April 26 at Ray's Plaza Banquet Center, Laws said.
"Last year was our first year, and we did a lot of research, read a lot of feedback," Laws said. "This year's event, we molded to what our community wants."
There will be two tracks of sessions, she said: one for a fresh-out-of-college attendee, and one for a more seasoned worker.
"It's a defined group, but broader than we expected," Laws said of the attendees.
And, she said, keynote speaker Kendra Elaine will present on being the leader you need.
"Hopefully, people will leave feeling empowered," Laws said.
That's the most prominent event coming up, but an ongoing joint effort between the chamber and the Small Business Development Center on Southeast Missouri State University's campus attempts to highlight topics of interest to the wider business community: a Facebook Live series whose episodes tie in with the chamber's Business Builders series.
Jakob Pallesen, SBDC director, said that about two years ago, his team wanted to do a Facebook Live session about small-business loans.
"That was a fun, interesting thing to do," Pallesen said, and he looked for ways to make it a more consistent project.
"The real challenge was, I didn't see how to justify fitting it into my scope of work," he said. "I brought it up to the chamber, and at the end of the day, the chamber's mission and SBDC's have a lot of similarity: supporting local businesses."
So they worked together, building a list of topics that seemed interesting, and would be relevant for almost all businesses.
"There's no point in trying to create different brands when something is working already," Pallesen said of the decision to combine the series with Business Builders.
The Facebook Live series' episode topics generally align with the Business Builders' workshop topic for each month, Pallesen said, noting it creates a nice symmetry.
"Really, the purpose of these conversations is, we have some really smart, experienced, talented people. If we can get them to sit for 10, 15 minutes, tell us how they solve particular problems, I hope in the grand scheme, this helps companies improve even a little bit," Pallesen said.
Laws said the chamber is also continuing its Capable program, which pairs high-school students with business leaders in the community for job shadowing.
"That's been very successful," Laws said.
More information is at the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce office at 220 N. Fountain St., by phone at (573) 335-3312 or at www.CapeChamber.com.
Salon honored by trade magazine
Belladona Salon & Spa in Cape Girardeau, owned by Linda Springs and Becky Davidson, was recently named to the Salon Today 200 by Salon Today, a business media for salon and spa owners.
The issue profiled the selected salons in its January/February 2019 edition.
The 200 salons were honored for their best business practices from applications submitted by Salon Today readers, who represent the 20,000 top-producing salons and spas in the country.
The magazine honored applicants in 11 best practice categories: Compensation and Benefits, Customer Service, Employee Education, Inventory Management, Philanthropy, Profit Center, Retail and Merchandising, Retention and Referral Programs, Salon Culture, Technology and Growth. Belladona Salon & Spa was honored in Inventory Management and Technology.
Membership Basics at the Jackson Chamber
The Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce will host The Basics of Membership from 9 to 10 a.m. April 4 in the chamber board room at 125 E. Main St. in Jackson. The event will give members a chance to learn all of the benefits of being a chamber member, and to give feedback to the chamber.
The event is free to attend, but RSVPs are requested. Contact the chamber at (573) 243-8131 with questions.
Business After Hours set in Jackson
The Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce will hold Business After Hours at 5 p.m. April 9 at 2320 E. Jackson Blvd. in Jackson. This month's sponsor is Alliance Bank.
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Innovative Financial owner releases book
Innovative Financial Solutions owner Brock M. Alspaugh recently announced his new book, "The Last Paycheck: How To Create Sustainable Retirement Income and Keep the Paychecks Coming In."
The book launched on Amazon on March 6, and debuted there as the No. 1 new release for the financial services industry, according to a news release.
"'The Last Paycheck' was written as an education tool for those looking to retire in the next 5-10 years or who have entered retirement recently," Alspaugh said in the release. "All proceeds received from the purchase of the book will go to a local charity."
"The Last Paycheck" is available for purchase on Amazon and is Prime eligible.
LifeWay closing stores, including Cape location
LifeWay Christian Resources will close all 170 brick-and-mortar stores in 2019, the company announced last week.
LifeWay is not going out of business, but shifting its focus to digital retail, according to a news release.
According to the company's FAQ, store closing sales are expected to take a couple of months.
Broadway Family Clinic second location open
A new location for Broadway Family Clinic is now open in Bloomfield, Missouri. The clinic, at 612 Highway 25 South in Bloomfield, held a ribbon cutting ceremony Thursday, and can be reached at (573) 568-7377.
Ribbon cuttings
VanGennip insurance and Financial Services will hold a ribbon cutting at noon today at 104 S. Blair St. in Advance, Missouri.
SoutheastHEALTH's College of Nursing and Health Sciences will hold a ribbon cutting and open house to celebrate recent expansion and renovation work at 3 p.m. Wednesday at 2001 William St. in Cape Girardeau. The open house will last until 6 p.m. .
Business licenses
Penelope Laurentius applied for a license to operate Sweetheart Florist of Cape at 110 N. Main St. in Cape Girardeau. Opening date: April 15.
People on the Move
Kandra Gregory of Jackson, a financial representative with Modern Woodmen of America, was named rookie of the year in the Missouri East region for 2018. This honor is given to a full-time representative who has been with Modern Woodmen of American for less than three years and is leading the region in production.
Gregory was also life leader of the year in the Missouri East region for 2018.
She joined Modern Woodmen's Rainwater Region in Farmington, Missouri, in December 2016.
Kelly Darby of Jackson, a financial representative with Modern Woodmen Fraternal Financial, was the app leader of the year in the Missouri East region for 2018.
Darby was also agent of the year and fraternalist of the year in the Missouri East region for 2018.
She joined Modern Woodmen's Rainwater Region in November 2010.
Richard Cuba and Tyler Cuba of Cuba Financial Group recently attended First Allied Securities' Circle of Excellence conference held in Marco Island, Florida. This annual event for firms' top advisers recounts their accomplishments and professional leadership, as well as the quality of service they provide clients.
During the conference, Tyler Cuba was awarded the Next Gen Advisor award, the firm's growth and leadership award given to one individual who shows growth and leadership while giving back to the firm and his peers.
The Jana Jateff Unit with Mary Kay Cosmetics recently honored top performers at an area event in Sikeston, Missouri. Honored were Chanel Tucker, a sapphire star consultant from Cape Girardeau, and Jan Fiedler, also a sapphire star, from Jackson. Jateff was honored as a pearl star.
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