Business Notebook: Engineering family success — Strickland Engineering celebrates 40 years in business

The familiar green-logo-on-white-truck of Strickland Engineering in Jackson is just one outward sign of a thriving company, one that's celebrating 40 years in business this month.

Tom Strickland founded the company in 1979, and his sons Brian and Mark now run the company. Mark's son Caleb Strickland joined the team this year.

"We're fortunate to have employees with great work ethic who are proud of our accomplishments as a team," said president and founder Tom Strickland. "While we're a family-owned business, we consider everyone here to be family members, and that generates good camaraderie and exceptional projects and services. We're thankful to Jackson for being our home and our clients around the United States for supporting us."

Prior to founding Strickland Engineering, Tom Strickland worked at the Delco Remy Division of General Motors in Anderson, Indiana, for 12 years as a project engineer in design and manufacturing, according to a news release.

Tom launched Strickland Engineering working with school districts and local governments by designing energy conservation projects in 1979.

He grew the company to provide engineering services to commercial and industrial clients.

The company is licensed in engineering and surveying in Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and 14 more states.

Strickland Engineering employs a professional team of engineers, project managers and office personnel to move client projects forward, and many team members have been at the company for more than 10 years.

"Our company has really grown over the years and we credit that to our talented team," said Brian Strickland, owner/principal with the civil/survey team.

Tom Strickland has reduced his work hours at the office and is preparing to retire, according to the release.

"Dad set a standard of design and care for our clients, and we've continued that," said Mark Strickland, owner/principal with the mechanical/electrical team. "We have a strong reputation for high quality accuracy, precision and communication thanks to Dad's example. We uphold that tradition every day."

A ribbon cutting to celebrate the anniversary will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at 113 W. Main St. Suite 1 in Jackson.

Artisan Contracting to relocate in Cape

For 20 years, Artisan Contracting's offices were on the third floor of the Cape Girardeau Commerce Bank building, and will soon relocate to larger facilities at 2097 Corporate Circle in Cape Girardeau.

Tom Kelsey, broker with Lorimont Commercial Real Estate, handled the recent real estate transaction, and said the contracting firm will move into the 14,475 square foot facility in early summer.

Artisan was formed in 1995 as a general contracting company, Kelsey said.

The business also has a satellite office in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri.

The Chateau Girardeau honored

Cape Girardeau-based provider of senior rehabilitation services, The Chateau Girardeau recently announced it is the recipient of Pinnacle Quality Insight's 2019 Customer Experience Award.

The provider qualified for the award in 11 categories, including Overall Satisfaction, Overall Customer Experience, Atmosphere/Therapy Area and Results Achieved.

By qualifying for the Pinnacle Customer Experience Award, The Chateau Girardeau has satisfied the demand of scoring in the top 15 percent nationally across a 12-month average. Clients have the opportunity to achieve this Best in Class distinction on a monthly basis in many categories designed to reflect each resident's experience.

Apex wins paving award

Apex Paving Co., a subsidiary of the Delta Companies Inc., won a 2018 Larry H. Lemon Quality in Construction Award for excellence in construction of an asphalt pavement.

The company received its award in January at a ceremony during the National Asphalt Pavement Association's (NAPA) 64th annual meeting in Marco Island, Florida.

The Larry H. Lemon Quality in Construction Award recognizes the 10 highest-scoring projects submitted for a Quality in Construction Award in the General Paving (less than 50,000 tons) category.

The award is sponsored by Asphalt Contractor magazine.

The Delta Companies Inc. is a site development and highway contractor specializing in asphalt paving and road construction materials, according to a news release. It has operations throughout Southeast Missouri, northeast Arkansas and Southern Illinois. The corporate office is in Cape Girardeau.

Apex Paving Co. earned the award for its work on various roads in Pemiscot County, Missouri. The work was performed under contract with the Missouri Department of Transportation on Route J, F, O and Z. The project consisted of cold milling and resurfacing, with a 1-inch asphalt overlay, approximately 30 miles of roadway. Both of the asphalt mixes used for the project included recycled asphalt shingles, steel slag and a high percentage of reclaimed asphalt pavement. This approach conserved the use of virgin materials while reducing emissions, and cutting project costs. This also demonstrates the eco-consciousness of asphalt pavement and represents the industry's commitment to sustainability.

"I am extremely proud of our employees from the asphalt terminal, limestone quarry and asphalt plant to the laydown crew and quality control technicians," Delta president Zach Green said in the release. "We build quality into all of our products and services on a daily basis."

Business Breakfast set for Friday

The Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce will hold a Business Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Friday at the Jackson Civic Center, 381 E. Deerwood Drive in Jackson. This month's sponsor is the City of Jackson.

Business After Hours set for Tuesday

BOLD Marketing will sponsor this month's Business After Hours with the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce. The event will start at 5 p.m. Tuesday at BOLD Marketing, 1922 Independence St. in Cape Girardeau.

Saint Francis to hold career fair March 18

Saint Francis Healthcare will hold a career fair March 18 at the Saint John of God conference room at Saint Francis Healthcare -- near the main entrance on William Street.

The fair will be from 4 to 7 p.m., and will have on-site interviews and immediate offers to qualified candidates for positions including nurse assistants, medical assistants and various customer-service positions.

Jackson Chamber WIN luncheon set for April 11

The Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce's Women's Impact Network (WIN) Luncheon will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 11 at the Jackson Civic Center.

Deana "Dee" Luetkenhaus of Southeast Missouri State University's Conservatory of Theatre & Dance will share organizing methods in "Organizing 101."

Tickets are on sale now through April 4. For more information, call (573) 243-8131 or visit www.jacksonmochamber.org.

Cape restaurant group makes purchase

The Ryan's Restaurant property in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, recently sold to Cape Girardeau restaurant group Guokai LLC, said Tom Kelsey, broker with Lorimont Commercial Real Estate in Cape Girardeau.

The restaurant had closed recently, Kelsey said, and although no sales price was disclosed, the property had been listed for $1.3 million.

Members of the buying group are involved in Asian-themed restaurants, including China Wok in Cape Girardeau and Marion, Illinois; China Crown in Cape Girardeau; and Chin Restaurant (formerly Ponderosa) in Perryville, Missouri.

An opening date was not announced, but is expected within four to six months, Kelsey said.

Business licenses

Stewart Finertie applied for a license to operate Vape Cape at 67 S. Plaza Way in Cape Girardeau. This is a second Cape Girardeau location, in addition to Vape Cape at 1031 Broadway.

C. Edward Ross applied for a license to operate DBA: Furniture Finds (Ross Furniture) at 1809 N. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau. Open date listed as March 19.

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