Business Notebook: Fitness Plus finishes second in Worldwide Walking Challenge

Saint Francis Medical Center's Fitness Plus recently finished second in the Worldwide Walking Challenge sponsored by the Medical Fitness Association, according to a news release sent from account services coordinator Emily Sikes.

The Worldwide Walking Challenge encouraged participants in their communities to walk 70,000 steps in seven days during the ninth annual Medical Fitness Week from April 22 to 28, the release said. Each participant wore a pedometer to keep track of the number of steps they took each day.

Fitness Plus recruited more than 700 participants who took a total of 38,169,706 steps during the week-long challenge, the release said. The team set an initial goal of 30 million steps.

Fitness Plus will be recognized for its accomplishment in November at the organization's 22nd annual International Conference in San Diego.

Alto Vineyards opens unique tasting room

Alto Vineyards in Alto Pass, Ill., added a 5,000-square-foot tasting room to meet the demands of a higher number of wine tasters and to provide an event space in Southern Illinois, according to a news release sent from marketing director Erin Downs.

The great room provides a large tasting bar made from wood salvaged from a barn that stood on the property, the release said. In addition to several lounge areas throughout the room, a contemporary fireplace lines the south wall, surrounded by seating. A staircase leads to the Vine Deck -- a second story open-air balcony that features a view of Southern Illinois.

"I was looking to do something different than your typical Southern Illinois winery," said Paul Renzaglia, owner and wine maker of Alto Vineyards, in the release. "I want it to be impressive to our guests and at the same time be a place to relax and enjoy life."

The release said Alto Vineyards hopes to open a kitchen to accommodate caterers, provide a small menu for tasting guests and host wedding and events for about 100 guests in a cocktail-style manner.

The new tasting room has extended the vineyard's weekend hours to 7 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Main Street Station convenience store opens in Cape

A ribbon-cutting celebrating the opening of Main Street Station, 130 N. Main St. in Cape Girardeau, will be at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to an email sent from Debbie Hamilton of the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce.

The "downtown go-to store" is a convenient, fast food and general store, selling everything from a slice of pizza to medicine, the email said.

Saint Francis named one of 100 best places to work in health care

Saint Francis Medical Center was named one of the 100 Best Places to Work in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare magazine, according to a news release sent from account services coordinator Emily Sikes. This is the sixth consecutive year the hospital has won the award.

The program is open to companies in the health-care industry with at least 25 employees.

To earn membership in the group, Saint Francis' policies, practices, benefits and demographics were reviewed, the release said. A randomly selected group of 350 employees were asked in-depth questions about eight core areas -- leadership and planning, culture and communications, working environment, relationship with supervisor and pay and benefits.

"Saint Francis' inclusion on the list for the sixth consecutive year is truly an honor, as well as a testament to our commitment to living out our philosophy and values every day," Steven C. Bjelich, FACHE-D, Saint Francis' president and chief executive officer, said in the release.

Modern Healthcare will reveal the ranked order of the Best Places to Work in Healthcare by company size Oct. 24 at a special awards gala in Atlanta.

adowning@semissourian.com

388-3632

Pertinent addresses:

8515 Illinois 127, Alto Pass, IL

211 St. Francis Dr., Cape Girardeau, MO

130 N. Main St., Cape Girardeau, MO