Business notebook: Scott City coffee shop keeps it in the family

It's not surprising the Holder family opened a coffee shop in Scott City.

When they were teenagers, before they had met, husband and wife Danny and Teresa Holder worked at doughnut shops -- he in Scott City, and she in Prairie Village, Kansas.

For over nine years, they have run Coffee 'N' More, an office coffee-delivery service, transporting a variety of coffee, janitorial and restaurant supplies to offices within a 125-mile radius of their home base in Scott City.

Their daughter, Courtney Holder, just graduated from Southeast Missouri State University with a business degree.

So with a knowledge of coffee, pastries, customer service and best business practices, the next natural step was to open a coffee shop, it seemed.

A picture of Alma Glaus Welter, Danny Holder's grandmother, hangs in the lobby of Coffee 'N' More in Scott City. Welter lived and baked in the house that now is the business' home.Laura Simon

"Everybody and their brother bugged us and bugged us, saying, 'You guys should do this,'" Courtney Holder said.

"So we started looking at properties," Teresa Holder said.

Ultimately, the Holders purchased a small building on Main Street in Scott City and opened Coffee 'N' More, a new shop serving a variety of coffees, cookies and pastries.

The unassuming building has held different tenants over the years. In the recent past, it was a Marion Eye Center.

But before the ophthalmologists moved in and renovated the building, it was the home of Alma Glaus Welter, Danny Holder's grandmother. There, in her kitchen, she baked any number of confections. A picture of her, baking her own doughnuts, hangs in the lobby of the coffee shop that was once her home.

Courtney Holder bags a cinnamon roll to go for a customer Monday at Coffee N' More in Scott City.Laura Simon

The Holders remodeled the shop by bringing in new flooring and brightening the walls with orange paint, a "family color," Teresa Holder said.

Courtney Holder oversees most of the day-to-day operations at the coffee shop, while Teresa Holder continues the delivery service. When Danny Holder retires from his construction job at the end of the month, he will join his daughter in the shop.

Along with prepared coffees and pastries, the Holders carry prepackaged coffee beans for purchase. While the store offers a moderate selection, "there are more than 120 flavors we can order," Courtney Holder said.

The Coffee 'N' More coffee shop opened in early September, and business has been great, the Holders say. A steady stream of customers make their way in on weekdays. Church groups already have made use of their meeting room.

And on their first Saturday in operation, Courtney Holder said, they had a line out the door and sold out of many products.

"We've been pleased," she said. "It was impressive, our first week."

They look forward to seeing what the future holds. Teresa Holder said she started the Coffee 'N' More delivery service after she was laid off nine years ago.

"And now we own two businesses," she said.

They credit their success to customer service and the willingness to go the extra mile.

"When you're a small business, you have to do whatever it takes to make the customers happy," Courtney Holder said.

And that is what they do, she said.

Edward Jones adviser earns designation

Cheryl A. Mothes, a financial adviser for Edward Jones, now is a Certified Financial Planner professional.

Cheryl Mothes

This designation has been conferred by the CFP board, a not-for-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. She received the designation from the Certified Financial Planner board of standards after Mothes' fulfillment of extensive education requirements, an examination and completion of work experience and ethical requirements.

As a CFP professional, Mothes will be expected to participate in ongoing continuing-education requirements as well.

Old Appleton trucking firm honored for safety

Hull Trucking Inc. of Old Appleton received a Platinum award from Great West Casualty Company and C.M. Brown & Associates Inc. as part of the 2015 National Safety Awards Program.

The program recognizes truckload and less-than-truckload motor carriers with awards based on their year-end preventable crash results.

The 2015 program drew over 675 participants from across the country.

Robinson Construction among Midwest best

For the fourth consecutive year, Robinson Construction Co. of Perryville, Missouri, has been recognized by Engineering News-Record as one of the top contractors in the Midwest.

Robinson Construction completes construction projects throughout the United States. For the first time, the general contractor also earned a ranking as a top contractor in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Based on 2015 revenue for work completed in the Midwest (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin), Robinson ranked 78th overall and 12th in Missouri. In the Mid-Atlantic region (Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia), Robinson was 53rd.

Engineering News-Record is a weekly magazine for the construction industry. Its Top Contractors list ranks publicly and privately held general contractors based on construction contracting-specific revenue.

Business licenses

• Little Kitchen, 1036 N. Sprigg St., is a restaurant owned by CHK International LLC. It is anticipated it will open this month.
• Dexter Queen LLC, 1109 W. Business 60, Dexter, Missouri, is a food truck owned by Lori Hawkins. The business anticipates operating a food truck in Cape Girardeau soon.

bbrown@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630