Business Notebook: Missouri receiving millions in block grant funds as part of COVID-19 response

The Missouri Department of Economic Development will receive $13.6 million in community development block grant (CDBG) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to support Missouri's COVID-19 response efforts.

"The rapid response from HUD will greatly aid us in our efforts to provide assistance to Missourians while we fight this pandemic together," said Gov. Mike Parson in announcing the CDBG funding last week.

The funds are part of more than $57.7 million of HUD grants being allocated to the state and individual Missouri communities; that also includes $19 million for the Department of Economic Development's Emergency Solutions Grant program and $720,000 for the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS program. The $13.6 million CDBG allocation will be directed to "nonentitlement" areas across the state, which includes incorporated municipalities with populations of fewer than 50,000 and to counties with fewer than 200,000 residents.

More information on Missouri's economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic may be found at www.ded.mo.gov/coronavirus.

Insurance co. offers premium relief during outbreak

The Shelter Insurance Group has announced it, along with other companies in the insurance industry, is taking steps to provide financial relief to its customers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The company, based in Columbia, Missouri, is continuing coverage for customers who are unable to pay their premiums due to the coronavirus and is also refunding a percentage of auto insurance premiums because people aren't driving as much as they were before the outbreak.

"Many of our customers are under unprecedented stay-at-home orders and social distancing mandates so they're driving fewer miles and experiencing fewer accidents," the company said in a news release last week. "In the interest of providing help to our customers now, when they need it most, Shelter will issue a payment to our policy holders representing approximately 30% of their personal auto monthly premium for the months of April and May, based on our best estimate of the impact of this pandemic on our customers and on Shelter's business."

The company said it will "work diligently to obtain approval from the departments of insurance in each state we serve to get this money into our customers' hands as quickly as possible. If a customer paid their premium automatically through a bank account, we will deposit directly into the account when possible. Otherwise, we will mail a check."

Area designer receives 'Best of Houzz' nod

Cindy Buchheit

Unique Ambiance LLC of Cape Girardeau has received a Best Of Houzz award for customer service from Houzz, an online platform connecting people with architects, interior designers and other home renovation and design professionals.

Unique Ambiance, founded 12 years ago by interior designer Cindy Buchheit, was chosen by the millions of homeowners who comprise the Houzz community from among more than 2.5 million home building remodeling and design industry professionals who are active on the Houzz platform.

Best of Houzz recognitions are awarded annually in three categories -- design, customer service and photography. Customer service recognitions are based on several factors, including a design professional's overall rating on Houzz and client reviews submitted during the prior year.

A "Best of Houzz 2020" badge will appear on Unique Ambiance's online profile as a sign of the firm's commitment to excellence. The badge will help homeowners identify Unique Ambiance as a top-rated design company.

"It is always nice to be recognized for the hard work and dedication I strive to put forward for my business and my clients," Buchheit said.

More information about Houzz can be found at www.houzz.com.

Agency honored for sales, service achievements

Apple Leisure Group Vacations (ALGV) recently recognized 1st Class Travel in Cape Girardeau with induction into ALGV's Gold 500 Club for 2020.

The Gold 500 Club, established more than 30 years ago, recognizes travel agencies for sales and service achievements over the past year involving the ALGV brands -- Funjet Vacations, Southwest Vacations, Blue Sky Tours and United Vacations.

Vietnam War veteran Tom Tocco of St. Louis and his wife, Pam, examine a full-scale replica of the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C., during the grand opening of Missouri's National Veterans Memorial on May 18 in Perryville, Missouri.Jacob Wiegand ~ Southeast Missourian, file

Construction firm recognized for veterans project

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Robinson Construction Co. of Perryville will be recognized later this year with a national Excellence in Construction Eagle Award for the company's work on Missouri's National Veterans Memorial in Perryville.

The award will be presented during the Associated Builders and Contractors 2020 convention scheduled for Aug. 18 in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Excellence in Construction program honors general and specialty contractors in recognition of innovative and high-quality construction projects.

Missouri's National Veterans Memorial, which was dedicated in May, is a full-size replica of the original memorial wall in Washington, D.C., and includes a welcome center, military museum, pavilion and an honor flag memorial.

The Perryville project was judged against other construction projects from across the nation on a variety of criteria, including complexity, attractiveness, unique challenges, completion time, workmanship, innovation, safety and cost.

Southeast names interim dean

Melissa Odegard- Koester

Melissa Odegard-Koester, professor and chairwoman of Southeast Missouri State University's Department of Psychology and Counseling, has been named interim dean of Southeast's College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

She will begin transitioning to her new position following the spring 2020 semester, which is continuing online for Southeast students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Odegard-Koester was chosen for the interim dean role after the university was unable to come to terms with finalists who interviewed for the position during a recent national search.

She will replace Hamner Hill, who has been serving as interim dean during the search process. Hill plans to return to his previous role as chairman of the university's Department of Political Science, Philosophy and Religion.

Odegard-Koester holds a philosophy doctorate in counselor education and counseling with an emphasis in clinical mental health counseling from Idaho State University in Pocatello. She has chaired the Department of Psychology and Counseling the past two years and served as interim chairwoman of the university's former Department of Psychology before her current appointment.

SEMO officer chosen for counterterrorism program

John Reyna

John Reyna, an officer with the Department of Public Safety (DPS) at Southeast Missouri State University, has been chosen to participate in a counterterrorism program offered through the Missouri Department of Public Safety's Office of Homeland Security.

"We identified John because of his work on building assessment review from crime prevention perspectives, work with active shooter training and military background," said Ken Gullet of the university's DPS.

The training is designed to educate first-responders about the critical role they play in the detection and disruption of potential terrorist acts. Through the training, Reyna and other law enforcement officers from throughout the state receive advanced levels of training in counterterrorism preparedness/response, large-scale emergency preparedness and intelligence gathering and sharing.

Chamber notes

The Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce is scheduled to host its monthly Business After Hours gathering from 5 to 6 p.m. April 21. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and state guidelines discouraging gatherings of more than 10 people during the outbreak, however, the chamber is working on plans to hold the event "virtually." More information will be available next week.

Commercial building permits

Columbia Construction Corp. received a commercial building permit last week to construct a drive-through window addition to John's Pharmacy, 2001 Independence St. in Cape Girardeau. The project cost was listed as $20,000.

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A commercial building permit was issued last week to Williams Brothers Contracting LLC for interior remodeling and the addition of four offices in the basement of MRV Bank's administrative offices, 101 S. Mount Auburn Road in Cape Girardeau. The construction cost is estimated at $25,000.

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