Business notebook: Dunkin' Donuts to open in Cape

A Dunkin' Donuts restaurant will open this fall in Cape Girardeau, said Carl Ritter Jr., a member of an investor group who recently acquired a multicounty franchise territory from the national chain.

The group is closing on a North Kingshighway property that will convert an existing building into a Dunkin' Donuts. The investors received approval from the national chain to develop the location and are working to find property in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, for a another location, Ritter said.

The group hopes to have the restaurant open by November.

The Dunkin' Donuts company is headquartered in Massachusetts and has more than 8,000 locations in the United States and over 3,000 more around the world, according to the company's website.

A Dunkin' Donuts also is in development in Carbondale, Illinois, although it is not owned by the investor group bringing the restaurants to Southeast Missouri.

Ritter said the restaurant, in addition to doughnuts and the chain's popular coffee, will feature a breakfast and lunch menu and a variety of beverages.

"It is a good, different twist on normal fast food," Ritter said. "It's not just all doughnuts."

The restaurant will have a drive-through window and likely will be open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Ritter, of Cape Girardeau, also is part-owner of Papa John's Pizza in Jackson and owns Kacie's Cookies inside West Park Mall with his wife. He said he and the other investors are "very excited" to acquire the franchise and worked over a year to make their plans come together.

The address of the planned site for the restaurant will be released within a few weeks, he said.

Beer distributor adds Urban Chestnut brews

Bluff City Beer Co., a Cape Girardeau beverage distributor, recently added craft brews from St. Louis-based Urban Chestnut Brewing Co.

Bluff City Beer Co. recently added beer from Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. in St. Louis. (Courtesy)

Urban Chestnut, according to a news release from Bluff City Beer, offers a mixed portfolio of European- and American-styled craft brews, known as "Reverence" and "Revolution," that will become available in 19 Southeast Missouri counties.

Urban Chestnut, with two brewing locations in St. Louis, was founded in 2011 by David Wolfe and Florian Kuplent, two former Anheuser-Busch employees. The company also has a location in Germany.

Urban Chestnut's director of wholesale partnerships, Jon Shine, said in the release the company was "thrilled to discover" a growing and thriving craft-beer community in Southeast Missouri and partnered with Bluff City Beer because the distributor is viewed as reputable and can reach local consumers.

Kathy Bess Holloway, general manager of Bluff City Beer, said in the release the partnership "adds a unique and solid core to our scope of craft options."

Urban Chestnut launched distribution last week and brings Bluff City Beer's number of craft suppliers to 12, eight of which are regional suppliers from Missouri and Illinois.

Local medical pros attend HIV conference

Staff of Broadway Prescription Shop, an area doctor and a public health nurse attended the "2015 HIV Update: Contemporary Issues in Management and Viral Hepatitis Symposium" in Boston.

The symposium, according to a news release from the pharmacy, provides education on the latest developments in clinical care for HIV, with special focus on co-infections with hepatitis B and/or C, and is designed to foster integration of aspects for HIV care.

The symposium is offered by Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Attending were Melissa Hoehne, pharmacy technician, and Stephanie Rogers, marketing director and pharmacy technician, both of Broadway Prescription Shop; Dr. Brenna Keller, an infectious disease specialist who treats HIV and viral hepatitis in Southeast Missouri; and Lindsay Craft, communicable disease coordinator for the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center.

The pharmacy has a specialty care program that helps HIV and viral hepatitis patients get medications quickly and at the lowest possible prices, and provides prior authorization and compliance support to medical professionals, the release stated,

Social media, digital marketing seminar set

The Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce is offering business owners, entrepreneurs and other professionals an educational seminar on social-media tools, digital-marketing strategies, boosting search-engine optimization, determining return on investment and legal implications, according to the chamber.

The seminar, to be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 30 at Isle Casino Cape Girardeau's event center, also is accepting exhibitor entries and sponsorships.

Deadline for attendees to register is June 22. More information is available by emailing Tracey Glenn at tglenn@glennpr.com.

Thrivent Financial among FORTUNE 500

Thrivent Financial, a Christian-focused financial services organization, recently was named to Fortune magazine's Fortune 500 list based on annual revenue of $8.5 billion.

The organization also was classified as the sixth-largest mutual life and health insurance organization in the United States, according to a news release.

The organization is represented locally by Jayne Schrader, a financial associate with offices at 2201 Walton Drive in Jackson.

David's Bridal store closes

David's Bridal, a Pennsylvania-based bridal retail chain with about 300 stores nationwide, closed its Cape Girardeau store at 155 Siemers Drive earlier this month.

No one was available at the store to comment on the closing, but a recent report from Moody's Investor Service shows a financial rating outlook for the company was downgraded in May.

The company, the report stated, had its rating outlook changed to negative from stable, reflecting weak operating performance.

Childcare center in Perryville moving

Wee Wonders Learning Center soon will move to a new location at 515 W. St. Joseph St. in Perryville, Missouri. The move, according to a newsletter from the Perryville Chamber of Commerce, will benefit the center's children and staff. The center accepts children ages infant to 12 years.

Ribbon cuttings

• Dexter Bar-B-Que will hold a ribbon-cutting event at 10:45 a.m. Wednesday at 1903 E. Jackson Blvd. in Jackson.
• Innovative Orthodontics will hold a ribbon-cutting event at 3 p.m. June 26 at 404 S. Hope St. in Jackson.

Business licenses

• The Filled Haus LLC, 635 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, offers interior architecture, design and some retail. The business is owned by Kristy Robison, and an anticipated opening date was listed as today.
• La Croix Pet Hospital, 2984 County Road 620, Cape Girardeau, now is owned by Sarah Ann Kinsey, who bought the veterinary service from Gwenn Freitag. The veterinary hospital also offers pet products and pet food and is open under new ownership.

eragan@semissourian.com

388-3632