BusinessDecember 17, 2018
Business Notebook: Cycling through � Cape Bicycle celebrates 40 years in business
Forty years ago, in 1978, Cape Bicycle opened its doors in a small shop on Spanish Street in Cape Girardeau. Owner Eric Gooden said his company has seen a lot of changes since -- Cape Bicycle has moved twice, to a shop at 1802 Broadway and again in 1994 to the present location at 2410 William St., to help accommodate the volume of business they were doing...
Forty years ago, in 1978, Cape Bicycle opened its doors in a small shop on Spanish Street in Cape Girardeau.
Owner Eric Gooden said his company has seen a lot of changes since -- Cape Bicycle has moved twice, to a shop at 1802 Broadway and again in 1994 to the present location at 2410 William St., to help accommodate the volume of business they were doing.
But the biggest difference he's seen, both across the industry and in the shop itself, is the available selection.
Back 25 years ago, he said, most of what was available was a ten-speed mountain bike, and his team would do a lot of custom builds when a cyclist had specific equipment needs.
Then, Gooden said, companies got smarter about it and started building more specialized bikes.
Now, each category has several sub-categories, and each of those options has a bike available in eight frame sizes and two colors.
The amount of inventory required and the sheer amount of choice "can be overwhelming," he said.
That's why he and his staff talk with customers to find out where they ride, who they ride with and other considerations, he said.
"Hopefully we can help you find the right bike for your needs," Gooden said.
And people can test-ride the bikes in Cape Bicycle's acre-and-a-half parking lot, he added.
"Probably what we sell the most of now is a hybrid model," he said, which has a medium tire and works well for multiple surfaces.
The company also offers electric-assist bikes, which have a motor to give some help on hills, he said.
And Cape Bicycle has indoor fitness equipment, too -- not just exercise bikes, but treadmills, ellipticals, even some freeweights for training.
But, Gooden said, "I do this because I enjoy getting a new person into cycling."
Youth Coding League winners announced
More than 500 people gathered Tuesday to celebrate the more than 250 student coders who participated in the inaugural Youth Coding League, as well as the winners of the championship round, according to a news release.
Schools voted internally on all of their Youth Coding League players' group projects during the playoff round. One team from each school won a spot in the championship round, where they battled it out for first, second and third places among the 10 schools competing in the Youth Coding League as they rallied votes from throughout their communities. Students could also win for technical proficiency and for showing the most improvement.
Eagle Ridge Christian School took home first and third places in the technical category, where coders were judged by industry professionals on coding proficiency.
First Place went to Caleb Margrabe, Cohen Thompson and Kota Inman's "Gaming.co" project, and third place to Parker Johnson, Brody Stucker and Gracen Thompon's "Coder Kids" project.
Scott County Central captured second place in the technical category with Skylar Wallace, Stevey Klingel, Ellie Britt and Caleb Lofton's project.
Skylar Wallace of Scott County Central took home an individual trophy as the leading scorer in the regular season.
Trinity Lutheran rallied their community to score third place in the Community Favorite category, where one project from each school was voted on by the community as a whole.
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Eagle Ridge's "Gaming.co" brought home another prize, winning second place in the Community Favorite category. Sikeston 5th and 6th Grade Center's Jada Mosely and Brady Childer's "The Underdogs of Coding" project, coached by librarian Toni Howe, was the top finisher across Southeast Missouri and took home first place in the Community Favorite category.
Each school also awarded a Most Improved student. More than $5,000 in cash and prizes, including trophies, Chromebooks and Tinker crates, were awarded to teams.
Represented in the Fall 2018 Youth Coding League include Cape Girardeau Central Middle School, the 32nd Circuit, Jackson Middle School, Sikeston's 5th and 6th Grade Center, Scott County Central, Scott County R-IV (Kelly) School, Eagle Ridge Christian School, Trinity Lutheran School, Prodigy Leadership Academy and St. Henry School in Charleston.
The Youth Coding League is a weekly after-school program that introduces computer programming to middle schoolers offered by the Marquette Tech District Foundation at no additional cost to schools. Google CS First's Music & Sound curriculum will be the focus of the Spring 2019 league, with the following additional schools slated to join the existing roster: Kelso C7, Meadow Heights R2, Nell Holcomb, Oak Ridge, Richland R1, St. Paul in Jackson and St. Vincent de Paul in Cape Girardeau.
View regular season scores, example projects and more at YouthCodingLeague.com.
Business of the Month
GearHeads Auto & Diesel Repair was named the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce Business of the Month for December 2018.
Ribbon cuttings
Riverside Roofing Co. will hold a ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. Tuesday at 813 Progress St. in Cape Girardeau.
Business licenses
Richard Presley applied for a license to operate Success Vision Express of Cape LLC, an optometrist's office, at 3019 William St., Suite 103, in Cape Girardeau.
People on the Move
Raechel Reinitz recently started her position as community relations manager for the Cape Girardeau United Way, according to a news release.
Reinitz is an alumna of Lutheran High School South in Oakville, Missouri, and a May 2018 graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, where she majored in corporate communications and minored in marketing. She will assume management of workplace campaigns, events and marketing.
Edward Jones financial adviser Cheryl Mothes of Jackson attended Barron's Top Women Advisors Summit from Dec. 5 through 7 in Palm Beach, Florida. This is the fifth time Mothes has been invited to attend the invitation-only event.
The conference gathers the nation's top women financial advisers and leading industry decision-makers. Over the course of the three-day event, those in attendance have the opportunity to share ideas, grow professionally and network among their peers.
Sharon Tuschhoff recently joined Corey Baker's Edward Jones financial services team, at 2820 E. Jackson Blvd. in Jackson. Tuschhoff is a senior branch office administrator.
Tuschhoff previously worked at another Edward Jones office in Cape Girardeau, and has seven years of experience with the firm.
mniederkorn@semissourian.com
(573) 388-3630
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