Business Notebook: Restaurant updates; touring agriculture; time to renew Jackson business, contractors licenses; and keeping cool

I've been asked a lot lately about the status of various restaurant projects in the Cape Girardeau area, so here's a quick update on several of them:

Although he's not targeting a specific date, Top of the Marq managing partner Keller Ford told me Friday the new restaurant atop the Marquette Tower should open during the first half of July. He said employee orientation took place last week and the restaurant's staff will begin training this week. Fountain Street was closed for a few hours Thursday as a crane hoisted furnishings to the top floor restaurant. "We're down to odds and ends at this point," Ford said.

A few blocks away at 1107 Broadway, Mary Jane bourbon + smokehouse will be open for dinner service at 4 p.m. starting this week, according to owner Carisa Stark. Starting June 24, the restaurant will open from 10:30 a.m. until 1:30 a.m. seven days a week. As a side note, I had the good fortune of dining there on a "preview night" last week with my wife, daughter and son-in-law. Delish!

On the west side of town, Bandana's Bar-B-Q has hired Todd King to be the franchise's general manager. Hiring has begun and the restaurant, in the former Bob Evan's building just south of the Drury Plaza Hotel, is on track for a mid-July opening, according to Bandana's president Rick White.

A second Don Carlos Mexican Restaurant is planned for the former Dexter Bar-B-Que location on East Jackson Boulevard and should be open by Aug. 1, according to owner Victor Cruz, who also owns the Don Carlos location at West Park Mall in Cape Girardeau.

Speaking of restaurants, there's no word about what will replace the now-closed Ruby Tuesday and O'Charley's restaurants on the corner of William Street and Mount Auburn Road. As soon as we hear something from property owner Drury Southwest, we'll let you know.

And although it's not a "restaurant," per se, I met last week with Chocolate Works manager Jennifer Steinberg who told me the confectionery at 411 Broadway started working with carGO a few days ago to deliver chocolate gift baskets, truffles, party trays and other sweet treats to customers. "It's working very well," Steinberg said of the carGO arrangement. She also noted the chocolate store is becoming a popular spot for birthday parties, wine and chocolate gatherings, chocolate-making classes and even as a starting point for bachelorette parties and bridal showers.

Now on to the rest of this week's Business Notebook ...

Jackson chamber agriculture tour

The Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce and the chamber's agriculture committee will sponsor its 40th annual agriculture tour July 17. Darrell Aufdenberg is chairing the tour that will visit several area locations and will emphasize the importance of agriculture to the area.

The tour is free and open to the public. For more information or to sign up, contact the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce at (573) 243-8131.

State certifies Sikeston South Industrial Park

The Missouri Department of Economic Development announced last week the Sikeston South Industrial Park is now a "Missouri Certified Site," meaning it is "shovel-ready" for companies looking to break ground and locate operations there.

The site joins Missouri's other 30 recognized development-ready land sites, according to a news release from the Department of Economic Development.

"The certified sites program shows that Missouri is committed to supporting new investment and helping businesses grow," said department director Rob Dixon who said the program seeks to promote the best development sites in Missouri to businesses looking to expand or relocate.

To qualify for the program, a site must demonstrate it is available to quickly launch a new facility and has addressed the availability of utilities, site access, environmental concern, land-use conformance and potential site development costs.

"Our site sits at the apex of logistics for Missouri and the entire country," said Sikeston Regional Chamber of Commerce CEO Mike Marshall. "We're fortunate to have 265 acres along the Burlington Northern Railroad and the crossing of I-55 and future I-57."

Time to renew business and contractor licenses

The City of Jackson is reminding business owners and contractors the filing deadline for the 2019-2020 license year is June 30. Businesses and contractors conducting business within Jackson city limits are required to have a business or contractor license, unless specifically exempted by state statute.

For more information about business and contractor licenses in Jackson, contact the city clerk's office at (573) 243-3568.

Ameren donates air conditioners and bulbs

Ameren Missouri partnered with Cool Down Missouri earlier this month to donate 25 new energy efficient air conditioners and light bulbs through the East Missouri Action Agency in Cape Girardeau. The cooling units are intended to help vulnerable residents in Southeast Missouri stay comfortable during the summer.

People on the Move

Nick Burger

Nick Burger has been named Commerce Bank president for Cape Girardeau and Jackson. In his new position, Burger will be responsible for overall administration of Commerce Bank's Cape Girardeau and Jackson operations while continuing business development and relationship management related to Commerce's banking, borrowing and treasury solutions for commercial clients.

"Nick has shown he is an outstanding banker and leader," said Steve Sowers, president of Commerce Bank's Central and Eastern Missouri regions. "He has extensive banking experience and in-depth knowledge of the Cape Girardeau community."

Burger is a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration with an emphasis in finance. He is a board member and secretary of the Cape Girardeau West Rotary Club and is active in the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce.

Matthew Baker

Dr. Matthew Baker has joined the medical staff at Southeast Hospital and become affiliated with Southeast Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, specializing in shoulder and elbow surgery.

He earned his medical degree at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where he also completed his residency. In addition, Baker completed a fellowship with the Division of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery at Johns Hopkins Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in Baltimore, and is certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery.

Before joining SoutheastHEALTH, Baker was affiliated with Mercy Health System in St. Louis.

Katherine Jones-Grady

Dr. Katherine Jones-Grady has joined the Southeast Hospital medical staff and has become affiliated with Southeast Obstetrics and Gynecology at Women First. Her expertise is in minimally invasive surgical procedures.

Jones-Grady received a Bachelor of Arts in biology at Washington University in St. Louis and her osteopathic degree at A.T. Still University, Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, Missouri.

She completed a residency at Community Health of South Florida in Miami and the Medical Center, Navicent Health, Macon, Georgia.

Award and recognitions

SoutheastHEALTH Hospice has been named a 2019 Hospice Honors Elite recipient by Deyta Analytics, a division of Healthcare First, a leading provider of web-based home health and hospice software, outsourced billing and coding services and advanced analytics.

The Hospice Honors program recognizes hospice services that provide high-quality care as measured from the caregiver's point of view. Established in 1986, Southeast Hospice was the region's first hospital-based hospice program.

Tara Broshuis

There are reportedly more than 5,300 hospice services in the U.S. that participate in the Medicare program. Of those, 318 of them earned "honors" status and only 11 of them were recognized in Missouri. Southeast Hospice is one of just three in Missouri to receive "Elite" status.

Kelly Darby

Modern Woodmen Fraternal Financial has recognized three of its financial advisers with leadership awards.

Kandra Gregory

Tara Broshuis of Whitewater, who joined Modern Woodmen in November 2017, was named Life Leader in the company's Missouri East Region for the month of May. Kelly Darby and Kandra Gregory, both of Jackson, were named Life Application Leaders in the Missouri East Region for that month. Darby has been with Modern Woodmen since November 2010 while Gregory has been with the company since December 2016. Modern Woodmen Fraternal Financial provides life insurance, annuity and security products to nearly 770,000 members nationwide.

Blues score green for St. Louis

You may have read in our weekend edition, the St. Louis Blues' playoff run and eventual Stanley Cup win last week over the Boston Bruins was good for several Cape Girardeau sports bars, local sporting goods stores and even several tattoo studios. As you might imagine, the economic impact was far greater in the St. Louis area.

According to estimates by Anders CPAs, a St. Louis accounting firm, the Blues' successful playoff run has resulted in a $50 million boost to the St. Louis region based on revenue from ticket sales, merchandise, hotel reservations, restaurant and bar sales and so forth.

Winning Lord Stanley's Cup is icing on the puck.

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