Business Notebook: Robot to roam Schnucks aisles; Ameren reducing carbon footprint

Three years after introducing an autonomous robot called "Tally" at select stores to enhance inventory management, Schnuck Markets Inc. announced last week it is expanding the robotic technology to 46 additional stores, including the Schnucks in Cape Girardeau.

The artificial-intelligence unit will begin roaming the aisles at the Cape Girardeau store either later this year or early 2021, according to a Schnucks spokesperson at the company's St. Louis headquarters.

Tally technology, created by Simbe Robotics of San Francisco, is designed to count items on store shelves and report back to human controllers.

"The amount of critical data and valuable insights that Tally brings us from a select number of stores is immeasurable," said Dave Steck, Schnucks vice president of information technology infrastructure and development. "By expanding our partnership with Simbe and introducing Tally to more than half our stores, we will improve our in-stock position for our customers and free up our teams from tedious inventory-related tasks."

Tally, Steck said, can detect 14 times more out-of-stock items than manual auditing and can do it more accurately, as well.

Schnucks started a pilot program of Tally robots three years ago in a handful of its grocery stores with robots traversing store aisles two-to-three times a day and automatically capturing inventory of approximately 35,000 products per store.

With the upcoming expansion to the Cape Girardeau store and 45 other Schnucks locations, Tally units will scan more than 4.2 million products daily.

Schnuck Markets operates 112 stores in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. According to Forbes' 2019 rankings, Schnucks is the 115th largest privately owned company in the nation and 16th largest privately owned grocer.

Ameren announces drive toward 'renewable' energy

Ameren Corp. has announced a "net-zero" carbon emissions goal over the next 30 years across all its operations in Missouri and Illinois. The announcement came last week, along with word Ameren is planning its largest-ever expansion of solar and wind generation.

The plan calls for an investment of nearly $8 billion in renewable energy over the next two decades and will create thousands of jobs, according to a news release issued last week by the company.

It "accelerates Ameren's transition toward cleaner energy and targets net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 while meeting our customers' expectations for safe, reliable and affordable energy," according to Warner Baxter, Ameren's chairman, president and CEO.

Milestones for the carbon emissions program call for a 50% reduction by 2030 and 85% by 2040, based on 2005 emission levels.

More information about the company's plans to expand renewable energy sources and reduce its carbon emissions may be found on the Ameren website, www.ameren.com.

Marquette Tech District to receive $1.3M grant

The Marquette Tech District Foundation, based in Cape Girardeau, has been designated to receive a $1,364,200 grant to enhance workforce development efforts in the region.

Announcement of the grant was made last week in a news release issued by Delta Regional Authority.

The Marquette Tech District Foundation is one of 13 organizations sharing a total of $14,587,500 through a Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities (WORC) initiative under the auspices of Delta Regional Authority in partnership with the Appalachian Regional Commission and the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration.

Grants awarded through the WORC initiative are focused on areas that have been "hard hit by economic transition," according to the news release. "Selected projects are innovative and sustainable strategies providing needed career, training, and support services to eligible individuals, which will assist in meeting workforce challenges and industry needs currently underserved by other resources."

Delta Regional Authority is a federal-state partnership created by Congress in 2000 to promote and encourage economic development in the lower Mississippi River valley and the Alabama Black Belt region.

DRA invests in projects supporting transportation infrastructure, basic public infrastructure, workforce training and business development throughout 252 counties and parishes in an eight-state region.

SBDC to host free business workshops

The Small Business Development Center at Southeast Missouri State University will host four one-hour virtual workshops Tuesday mornings in October, focusing on several topics of interest to small-business owners, managers and marketers.

The topics and dates and times of the workshops are as follows:

• Strategic Growth — 11 a.m. Oct. 6: Explore how your company can strategically assess and prioritize focus areas for growth. Register at www.missouri.ecenterdirect.com/events/22353.
• Creating Your Brand Experience — 11 a.m. Oct. 13: Find out how to create and implement a powerful brand. Register at www.missouri.ecenterdirect.com/events/22354.
• Developing Your Company Culture — 11 a.m. Oct. 20: Learn how to create and implement a company culture in which your employees will thrive. Register at www.missouri.ecenterdirect.com/events/22361.
• Understanding Small Business Financial Statements — 10 a.m. Oct. 27: Participants will find out why financial statements are important for small-business operations and strategy, will learn about the use of different financial statements and will find out how to analyze information on balance sheets, profit and loss statements and cash-flow documents. Register at www.missouri.ecenterdirect.com/events/22362.

Zoom links will be emailed to registrants before each program.

All of the webinars are being presented with support from Region's Bank.

State workforce office hosting virtual job fairs

The Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development is hosting a series of "Return Strong" virtual job fairs from now until mid-December.

The job fairs are part of the state's efforts to help Missourians "skill up" and return to work following the economic downturn and layoffs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds have been used to provide a new software that enables employers to showcase their companies through "virtual" booths and connect with job seekers throughout the state.

Job seekers will be able to search job listings, meet with hiring companies, receive tips on resume writing and interviewing skills, and learn more about training opportunities and Missouri Job Center services.

Upcoming fairs will take place from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. every Tuesday through Dec. 15. The fair Oct. 20 will be manufacturing specific, while the one Nov. 3 will focus on agriculture and the Dec. 1 fair will be information technology specific.

Job seekers are invited to create profiles, upload their resumes and register online for any fair at www.returnstrongmo.easyvirtualfair.com.

Prospective employers are also invited to register and set up their "virtual" booths by going to www.returnstrongmo.getyourbooth.com.

SEMO chosen for ACE learning lab

Southeast Missouri State University has been selected to participate in the American Council on Education (ACE) Learner Success Laboratory (LSL).

The LSL is part of a suite of "transformation labs" designed by ACE to guide colleges and universities through a structured strategic planning process to advance institutional priorities.

Over a 12- to 18-month period beginning this month, a leadership team from Southeast will work to integrate evidence-based practices for persistence and completion, life design and career exploration and workforce skills development, ultimately producing a comprehensive strategy for learner success.

The work is a continuation of a strategic initiative launched in the spring of 2019 designed to optimize the university's identity, diversity, career readiness, student success and enrollment.

With the ACE Learner Success Lab, we look forward to continuing to strengthen the university's mission to provide student-centered education and experiential learning focused on student success and career readiness," Southeast president Carlos Vargas said.

Nine other universities are also participating in the ACE LSL program. They are Elon University in Elon, North Carolina; Iowa State University in Ames; Richard Bland College of William and Mary in Petersburg, Virginia; Laboure College in Milton, Massachusetts; Massasoit Community College in Brockton, Massachusetts; the University of Hawaii-West Oahu in Kapolei; Western Oregon University in Monmouth; Union Institute and University in Cincinnati; and Windward Community College in Kaneohe, Hawaii.

The participating schools in the program have a combined enrollment of approximately 67,000 undergraduate students and include both two- and four-year public and private institutions.

USDA announces rural development grants

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a total of more than $1 million is being awarded to 20 Missouri organizations through the Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG) program to help create jobs and increase economic opportunities throughout the state.

The grants include several for projects in Southeast Missouri, including:

• $30,000 to the Bootheel Cultural and Performing Arts Center for purchase of equipment for the Garden Shed regional food pantry and farmers market.
• $64,733 to the City of Bernie to upgrade its community park.
• $22,250 to the City of Puxico to purchase materials to build two pavilions for its farmers market.
• $77,359 for the Pemiscot County Special School District to buy equipment to help prepare students to enter the local workforce.

Three Rivers extends application deadline

The application deadline has been extended to Oct. 15 for Three Rivers College's one-year practical nurse (PN) certificate program, which will be offered starting in January in Poplar Bluff and Sikeston, Missouri.

The practical nurse programs prepare students to sit for the NCLEX-PN exam to become licensed practical nurses.

Application forms for TRCC's PN and LPN-RN bridge programs may be found online at www.trcc.edu/admissions/application.

People on the Move

Nick Martin

S.M. Wilson & Co. has named Nick Martin to be senior project development manager for the firm's Southeast Missouri market.

Martin is based in Cape Girardeau and joins S.M. Wilson with 14 years of experience serving as a project engineer, project manager and project director on education, health care, hospitality and facilities/plant operations projects.

Martin holds an undergraduate degree in construction management and design and a graduate degree in organizational management, both from Southeast Missouri State University. He is Occupational Safety and Health Administration 10-Hour Certified and is a member of the American Society for Healthcare Engineering, the Missouri Society for Healthcare Engineering and the Cape Girardeau Noon Lions Club.

S.M. Wilson is a full-service construction management, design/build and general contracting firm headquartered in St. Louis.

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Former Southeast Missourian advertising director Donna Denson has been named president and director of local sales and marketing for The Southern Illinoisan in Carbondale, Illinois.

Her appointment became effective last week and she succeeds Terry Kerkemeyer, who left Lee Enterprises, parent company of The Southern.

Denson joined the Missourian in 1991 as an account executive and progressed through multiple leadership positions before becoming advertising director in 2002. In 2005, she was named advertising manager for Sun Coast Media Group in Venice, Florida, but returned to the Missourian four years later.

Denson has been succeeded at the Missourian by Gera LeGrand.

Chamber Notes

The Scott City Area Chamber of Commerce will host its monthly membership coffee from 7:15 until 8 a.m. Thursday at The Front Porch, 1408 Main St. in Scott City.

Monthly chamber coffees are free for chamber members and their guests.

Business license application

Laurie Anne Davis of Whitewater submitted a business license application with the City of Cape Girardeau last week to operate SEMO Steel & Supply LLC at 2150 Bessie St. in Cape Girardeau. The business buys and sells metal materials and trailer parts and opened last week.

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