Business Notebook: Troubles behind them, C&B Diesel ramps up for new business

Starting a business under any circumstances is risky, but for four young entrepreneurial owners of C&B Diesel, challenge and adversity were no match for their dreams of success. Even a devastating natural disaster only put a ripple in their plans to open what is now a full-service diesel engine repair business.

Owners Brennan Scheeter (a 2009 graduate of Notre Dame Regional High School), Cody Schlosser and twin brothers Cody and Blake Mayfield (all 2008 graduates of Jackson High School) set forth on their paths early on. All attending Nashville Auto Diesel College after high school, they each found work at local shops in the diesel repair field. Not feeling satisfied with working for others, however, they formed a plan in March 2015 to start a business of their own.

While keeping their full-time jobs, they worked from home to start servicing their own clients.

By the fall of 2015, they had purchased a 3-acre lot on Highway 72, west of Jackson. One year later, they secured a loan, hired a builder and work commenced. Then, on March 1, 2017, with the building construction about half complete, their dreams were shattered.

C&B Diesel owners, from left, Cody Mayfield, Cody Schlosser, Blake Mayfield and Brennan Scheeter pose for a photo Feb. 15 in their shop at 7060 Highway 72 in Jackson.Fred Lynch

Powerful straight-line winds ripped down their entire structure.

Initially, they thought the builder, who claimed to carry $5 million in insurance, would cover their losses and allow them to start over, but that insurance did not cover "natural disasters." Though their bank loan did come with Builder's Risk Insurance, there was a substantial deductible and they already had paid for the labor costs for the entire job.

"We hadn't even started the business, and now we were hit with this huge setback," Cody Mayfield said.

C&B Diesel owners, from left, Cody Mayfield, Cody Schlosser, Blake Mayfield and Brennan Scheeter pose for a photo Feb. 15 in their shop at 7060 Highway 72 in Jackson.Fred Lynch

With the help of family and friends, the wreckage was cleaned up in one weekend, and a decision was made to hire a new builder to restart and complete the project.

C&B Diesel officially opened at 7060 Highway 72 in July. Talks already are underway to expand and add employees to accommodate their growing customer base, which is mostly from Cape Girardeau County but from as far away as Kentucky and Mississippi.

"Our goal is to keep customers happy, let them know they are getting a fair price and quality work," Brennan said.

As for advice to other businesses on preparing for a disaster, "Make sure you or your builder have insurance, and don't go with the cheapest offer," Brennan said.

Cody Mayfield said its important to find a reputable builder, even if it means working on their schedule.

"Our first builder said he could get right on it while all the other builders were months out on start dates," Mayfield said. "It's like they say, 'If there's a line outside the restaurant, it's worth the wait -- if not, there's probably a reason.'"

C&B Diesel owners, from left, Cody Mayfield, Cody Schlosser, Blake Mayfield and Brennan Scheeter pose for a photo Feb. 15 in their shop at 7060 Highway 72 in Jackson.Fred Lynch

Lanter Delivery opens warehouse

Lanter Delivery Services, based in Madison, Illinois, has opened a new distribution warehouse at 4014 Nash Road in Cape Girardeau, according to a news release.

Tom Kelsey, commercial broker with Lorimont Place Ltd. handled the recent transaction for the cross-dock type warehouse facility.

The building contains multiple dock doors for quickly processing daily incoming and outgoing freight, and an office for their Southeast Missouri operations.

The company specializes in daily distribution, delivering parts for agricultural, OEM automotive, trucking, automotive aftermarket, field technician and industrial industries.

Lanter Delivery Services averages more than 8,000 emergency critical parts and daily stock-order deliveries every day in the areas it serves.

Kelsey said in the release the company maintains 93 similar cross-dock type warehouses throughout the country.

The company is now operational in the dock facility on Nash Road, which formerly housed ABF Freight Lines.

Ribbon cuttings

Captain D's will hold a ribbon cutting at 10:30 a.m. today at 205 S. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau.

Serenity Point FCC Behavioral Health will hold a ribbon cutting at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at 106 S. Frederick St. in Cape Girardeau.

The Cape Girardeau Police Department will hold a ribbon cutting for its new headquarters at 4 p.m. Friday at 2530 Maria Louise Lane in Cape Girardeau.

Business licenses

Marla Teter applied for a license to operate Jo Leigh LLC d/b/a Once Upon a Child, a retail business, at 760 S. Kingshighway, Suite L, in Cape Girardeau. The opening is scheduled for Wednesday.

Reporter Marybeth Niederkorn contributed to this article.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630