Business Notebook: SEMO expands public radio reach, local church gets new name

I think Herb Taylor would be impressed.

Herb came to Cape Girardeau in the mid-1970s from Worcester, Massachusetts, to join the faculty at Southeast Missouri State University where he helped create what many today consider to be the “voice” of the university, 90.9 KRCU-FM.

On Friday, the university’s board of regents approved acquisition of the FCC license and equipment of KBIY in Van Buren, Missouri, located at 91.3 on the FM radio dial. Pending FCC approval, the university plans to lease tower space and move KBIY to Ellsinore, Missouri, in order to expand its signal beyond Van Buren and into Butler County.

According to a news release issued after the board’s meeting Friday, the acquisition of KBIY will allow National Public Radio (NPR) coverage to reach southern portions of the university’s service region, an area currently without access to public radio. “The expansion will give Southeast a voice in the area to promote the university and to keep it top of mind for students, parents, alumni and businesses,” said Trudy Lee in the news release. Trudy is Southeast’s interim vice president for university advancement and executive director of the school’s foundation.

In addition to the university’s “flagship” station, KRCU, Southeast also owns and operates KSEF, 88.9 FM, in Farmington, which broadcasts KRCU’s signal as far north as South St. Louis County.

An anonymous donor has reportedly pledged to cover the initial cost of the KBIY acquisition and first two years of operating expenses. Future operating expenses will be covered through corporate underwriting, individual donations and potential funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

KRCU will celebrate 30 years as an NPR member station next year, but it was Herb Taylor who led the effort to secure the station’s broadcast license and put KRCU on the air more than 43 years ago, in the spring of 1976.

I remember it sometime during the fall semester in 1975 when Herb stopped by the offices of The Capaha Arrow (now known simply as The Arrow), which at that time was a converted classroom in Academic Hall that still had a chalkboard on one wall. There, Herb listed a dozen or so potential sets of call letters for the station and asked what I and other members of the newspaper staff thought of them.

One by one, we ruled most of them out until all that was left was “KRCU,” which we rationalized could stand for “River City University.” (We also joked each program could end with the phrase “K R see you later.”)

I was there on that night in March 1976 when Herb and a group of students gathered in KRCU’s first studio on the ground floor of the Grauel Language Arts building and fired up our 10-watt transmitter, radiating the station’s signal to everyone within a couple hundred yards of KRCU’s first tower mounted on the roof of Academic Hall.

KRCU has been a career launching pad for many Southeast students who have gone into radio and television broadcasting as well as advertising, marketing, public relations and other related fields not only in the Southeast Missouri region, but across the nation as well.

Mark Bliss (yes, the Mark Bliss who is now the senior staff reporter at the Missourian) and I served as KRCU’s co-news directors back in ‘76, and produced a half-hour newscast five nights a week with interviews and news “from around the university, across the campus and up your dorm.”

It’s an understatement to say the station’s signal — and its programming — has been upgraded significantly over the years.

Yes, Herb would be impressed.

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The Regions Bank building at 101 S. Mt. Auburn Road has a new owner.

Tom Kelsey of Lorimont Commercial Real Estate says the new owner, who has not been revealed, will make an announcement “in the very near future” about the building’s new use.

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Meanwhile, there’s still no news about the future of the former Ruby Tuesday and O’Charley’s buildings at the intersection of South Mount Auburn Road and William Street.

Also, just south of the O’Charley’s building along Mount Auburn Road, readers may have noticed some dirt work in the vacant lot. I checked with Adrienne Henry with Drury Southwest, owner of the lot, to find out what’s going on there. “It’s actually nothing exciting,” she told me. “Columbia Construction is moving some dirt there from a job they’re doing nearby to store it temporarily.”

Now on to the rest of this week’s Business Notebook …

Association honors Cape County Transit Authority

The Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority was recognized with the Federal Transit Administration’s Region VII Excellence Award earlier this month at the Missouri Public Transit Association’s 2019 State Conference and Expo in Kansas City.

The award was in recognition for having the highest increase of ridership among rural transit providers between 2017 and 2018. During that time, the Cape Girardeau system had an increase of 15,376 riders.

Tom Mogelnicki, executive director of the Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority, accepted the award.

Leadership development simulcast set

Live2Lead 2019, a daylong leadership development simulcast, will be hosted by GlennView from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. Oct. 11 at the Montgomery Bank Conference & Training Center, 526 W. Main St. in Jackson.

The program’s keynote speakers will include New York Times bestselling author, coach and speaker John C. Maxwell; New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, business podcaster and speaker Rachel Hollis; former Apple Retail senior vice president Angela Ahrendts; global researcher and thought leader Marcus Buckingham; and bestselling author and Dave Ramsey Team coach Chris Hogan.

The program has been approved for 3.75 professional development credits through the Society for Human Resource Management and .35 continuing education units through the University of North Georgia.

There is a $149 per person registration fee, which includes lunch. A discounted registration fee is available for members of several area chambers of commerce.

For complete details, including registration information, visit www.glennpr.com.

Church changes name

City Church, a seven-year-old nondenominational church at 817 Broadway in Cape Girardeau, has changed its name to Gospel Life Church.

“We chose the new name ‘Gospel Life Church’ because the core of our vision is to help people learn how to live out the Gospel in normal, everyday life,” said Matt McDonald, who is one of three pastors at the church. The others are Greg Schwab and Elliott Swoboda. “This is not just a Sunday thing; this is a 24/7 thing — following Jesus,” he said.

Earlier this month, the church launched a second location at 502 W. Main St. in Jackson. “As we expand into Jackson, and hopefully more rural places in the future, we are changing our name to better apply to any geographical area, not just the city,” he said.

Schnucks to host food drive Friday, Saturday

Schnucks in Cape Girardeau will host a food drive to benefit the Southeast Missouri Food Bank from 4 until 7 p.m. Friday and from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday.

Coordinated by the Southeast Missouri Food Bank, the drive is in observance of Hunger Action Month, Feeding America’s nationwide awareness campaign to educate and mobilize the public to take action on the issue of hunger.

The Food Bank will have one of its trucks in the Schnucks parking lot both days with employees on hand to collect nonperishable food donations. Customers will be given a list of needed items as they enter the store and can drop off their donations with the Food Bank as they leave.

“Efforts like this are important to Schnucks because we pride ourselves on being involved in our community and supporting our friends and neighbors in need,” according to Schnucks manager Jonathan Townsend.

Awards & recognitions

Edward Jones financial adviser Corey Baker has achieved the professional designation of accredited asset management specialist.

Corey Baker

In order to achieve the designation, Baker successfully completed the accredited asset management specialist professional education program at the Denver-based College for Financial Planning. The training offers investment professionals hands-on information needed to provide comprehensive financial services and includes topics such as understanding the asset management process as well as asset allocation and strategies.

Baker has been a financial adviser with Edward Jones, serving investment needs of client investors in the Jackson and Cape Girardeau areas for three years. His office is at 2685 E. Main St. in Jackson.

People on the Move

Nancy Blattner, formerly of Cape Girardeau and currently president of Caldwell University in Caldwell, New Jersey, has been named to serve as president of Fontbonne University in St. Louis, effective July 2020. She will succeed Michael Pressimone who announced earlier this year he would resign next summer.

Nancy Blattner

Before becoming president of Caldwell University, Blattner was vice president and dean for academic affairs at Fontbonne.

Blattner also served as an academic associate for the office of the provost, associate dean of the School of University Studies and director of writing assessment at Southeast Missouri State University.

She earned an undergraduate degree in secondary education and English and a master’s degree in English, both at Southeast. She also has a doctorate in educational psychology from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.

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Orthopedic surgeon Charity Jacobs has joined the SoutheastHEALTH medical staff and has become affiliated with Southeast Orthopedics and Sports Medicine.

Charity Jacobs

She earned her medical degree at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. She completed an orthopedic surgery residency at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, and a fellowship in adult hip and knee reconstruction at New York University Langone Orthopedic Hospital/Insall Scott Kelly Institute in New York, New York.

She also holds a Master of Science in health care research from the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice.

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Oncology physician Michael J. Naughton has joined Cape Medical Oncology, a practice affiliated with Saint Francis Healthcare System.

Michael Naughton

Naughton has practiced medical oncology and hematology, with an emphasis on breast cancer, for more than 20 years.

He previously practiced at The Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He was also an associate professor of medicine at Washington University’s School of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Oncology.

He earned his medical degree from State University of New York in Buffalo and completed his internship, residency and fellowship at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine.

Naughton is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine with a subspecialty in medical oncology. He is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

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SoutheastHEALTH has announced the appointment of Gina Leath to be chief nursing officer at Southeast Hospital.

Gina Leath

Leath has more than nine years of nurse executive leadership experience and 21 years of progressive management experience in cardiac and critical care services.

Her most recent role was that of chief nursing officer at Tennova Turkey Creek Medical Center in Knoxville, Tennessee, part of the regional Tennova network and the flagship hospital for that system’s cardiovascular program, cardiac research, bariatric surgery and neurosurgery service lines.

Leath holds a Master of Science in nursing with an emphasis in leadership and management from Western Governor’s University in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her professional affiliations include the American Organization of Nurse Leaders, the American Nurses Association and the American Association of Critical Care Nurses.

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Sarah Keys has assumed the position of vice president and commercial lender at First Midwest Bank’s Cape Girardeau branch.

Sarah Keys

Keys has 15 years in the financial services industry, having served in various capacities including lender and analyst.

She graduated with a degree in accounting and finance from Southeast Missouri State University in 2004 and is active in a variety of organizations including the Safe House for Women’s board of directors and the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Cape development committee. She is also a member of the Jackson Noon Optimist Club and St. Paul Lutheran Church.

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Allyson Asmus

Nurse practitioners Allyson Asmus and Elizabeth L’Heureux have joined Saint Francis Healthcare System. Asmus has become affiliated with the Ferguson Medical Group in Sikeston, Missouri, while L’Heureax has joined the Kneibert Clinic in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

Asmus earned her Bachelor of Science in nursing at Southeast Missouri State University in 2011 followed by a Master of Science in nursing, also from Southeast, in 2019. She is board certified through the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Elizabeth L'Heureux

L’Heureux earned an associate degree in sociology in 2005 from Three Rivers College in Poplar Bluff and an associate degree in nursing from Three Rivers in 2013 followed by a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Central Methodist University in Fayette, Missouri, in 2014 and a Master of Science in nursing/family nurse practitioner from Maryville University in St. Louis in 2018.

Elizabeth L'Heureux

She is board certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

The Ferguson Medical Group practice is at 1012 N. Main St. in Sikeston while the Kneibert Clinic is at 686 Lester St. in Poplar Bluff.

Chamber Notes

Sign-ups are underway for the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce’s Movie Trivia Night set for Oct. 18 at the Jackson Civic Center. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with trivia scheduled to start at 7 p.m.

Registration is $20 per person or $100 for teams of six members. Participants must be at least 18 years old and because the event is two weeks before Halloween, costumes are encouraged.

Prizes will be awarded to the first, second and third-place teams as well as the “best dressed” team and individual.

Snacks will be provided and there will be a silent auction.

To register or for more information, contact the chamber office, (573) 243-8131.

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The Jackson chamber will host two ribbon cuttings this week, the first at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at Jimmy John’s, 2066 Walton Drive in Jackson, and the second at Ross Furniture, 2310 E. Jackson Blvd. in Jackson, in observance of the business’s 40th anniversary.

Business license application

Katina Wahlers of Perryville, Missouri, has applied for a business license to operate the Tin & Cotton Trading Co., LLC, at 610 S. Kingshighway, Suite 102, behind StevMark. The business will be a home furnishings and local artisan boutique and has a target opening date of Oct. 29.

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