Business Notebook: Virus impacts chamber activities; grant to help train, fund people affected by COVID

A rise in COVID-19 cases in Cape Girardeau County has had an affect on office hours and activities at the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce.

On Wednesday, the Cape Girardeau chamber issued an email stating it — along with the Visit Cape and Cape Girardeau Area Magnet offices — would close for the rest of the week "due to growing concerns regarding COVID-19."

Asked on Wednesday whether the office closure was a precautionary measure or whether there was a positive case, or cases, of coronavirus among the staff, chamber president John Mehner said "the email is our statement."

He subsequently told the Missourian the chamber would be "reexamining our activities between now and the end of 2020" to determine whether they can be held safely in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

On Friday, the Cape chamber announced it would not be hosting any "in person" ribbon-cuttings to observe business openings or other milestones for the rest of November.

Friday's announcement affects at least two of the three ribbon-cuttings the Cape Girardeau chamber was scheduled to host this week, including one Tuesday to mark the opening of electric-vehicle charging stations along Kingshighway in front of Schnucks and one that was set for Friday at Liley Family Enterprises, 566 S. Kingshighway.

Ameren Missouri plans to go forward with Tuesday's ribbon-cutting for the electric-vehicle charging kiosks, but without the chamber's participation. The event is scheduled for 10:30 a.m., with demonstrations planned every 30 minutes until 2 p.m.

The Liley Family Enterprises ribbon-cutting has been "postponed until a later date," according to a chamber email.

The Cape Girardeau Public Library has installed a "LitLocker" at the Shawnee Community Center on South West End Boulevard. The unit allows library patrons to access and return library materials without making a trip to the library. A ribbon-cutting for the unit, hosted by the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce, was scheduled for this week, but as of late last week the chamber had canceled its participation in ribbon-cuttings for the rest of November due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and there was a possibility the LitLocker ceremony would be postponed.Submitted

A third ribbon-cutting this week, marking the Cape Girardeau Public Library's opening of a "LitLocker" at the Shawnee Community Center, 835 S. West End Blvd., is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday, but the chamber indicated Friday it, too, might be rescheduled.

Meanwhile, the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce announced Friday the postponement of a ribbon-cutting at Summers Lane in Perryville, Missouri, which had been scheduled for noon Tuesday. A rescheduled date has not been announced.

However, the Jackson chamber as of Friday was still planning to host its November Business Breakfast later this week.

The breakfast is set for 7:30 a.m. Friday at the Jackson Civic Center. Seating will be limited due to social distancing. Masks and preregistration will be required. Chamber members planning to attend are asked to RSVP through the chamber's website, www.jacksonmochamber.org.

Training grants available to those impacted by virus

Grants for technical training and funding for Cape Girardeau County residents and businesses impacted by COVID-19 are being made available through Codefi in Cape Girardeau.

The grants include funding for a three-month program in web development and access to curriculum used in Codefi's long-running Code Labs course, as well as office hours with coding professionals to provide in-person guidance.

Upon completion of coursework, grant awardees are guaranteed entry to Code Labs Full Stack, an in-person course starting in July, designed as an additional course to be taken after the Code Labs course.

Individuals who have lost income and started businesses, or who want to start a business due to COVID-19 and business owners who had a business in Cape Girardeau County before March 1, 2020, and have lost income due to COVID-19 are also invited to apply for startup and business development grants.

Training grant applications are being accepted online until Nov. 29.

More information is available by contacting Codefi, (573) 335-9675.

TalentForce becomes Paramount Staffing

TalentForce, with offices at 2520 William St. in Cape Girardeau, recently became Paramount Staffing. The change became effective Oct. 19, according to Missy McKinney, Paramount Staffing regional vice president.

Paramount Staffing, headquartered in Jackson, Tennessee, was established in 1999.

According to information supplied by the company, there has been no change in the office staff with MaKenya Owens serving as the assistant branch manager.

More information is available by calling (573) 334-9700 or online at www.paramountstaffing.com.

Retailer relocates to Town Plaza

Deal Bins, a local retailer stocking a wide variety of random products, including closeouts, overstocks and online returns, has relocated from 342 S. Kingshighway to 2136 William St. in Cape Girardeau's Town Plaza Shopping Center, next to Rosati's.

The store, a division of Deal Finders, opened at its new location Nov. 6.

Tom Kelsey with Lorimont Commercial Real Estate handled the relocation transaction.

Illinois tourism office recognizes businesses

The Illinois Office of Tourism last week announced 31 small businesses in the state — including three in Southern Illinois — have been recognized by the Illinois Made program.

The program's goal is to promote businesses offering "unique products, stories and experiences" all around the state.

Among the 31 businesses are 17 that are owned by women — the largest percentage of women-owned businesses in a single "Illinois Made" class since the program began in 2016.

All three of the Southern Illinois businesses that were recognized are owned by women. They are C's Bees Honey & More in Anna, Illinois, The Chocolate Factory in Golconda, Illinois, and Pomona Winery in Ponoma, Illinois.

Murphy Business announces new service endorsement

Murphy Business of Cape Girardeau has become an endorsed provider for Dave Ramsey's EntreLeadership Toolkit.

EntreLeadership helps business owners grow themselves, their teams and their profits through online business coaching and live events. The program includes a toolkit page where business owners can find sources to help them solve problems and reach their goals, according to Murphy Business of Cape Girardeau owner Jennifer Smith.

"Business owners have to be careful when selecting a business broker," she said. "There are a lot of sharks out there. Selecting the wrong partner when it is time to value or sell your business could cost you time, money and a lot of frustration. We are proud to be included as a partner that EntreLeadership recommends to their community of business owners nationwide."

More information is available by calling (573) 335-1885. To view businesses in the EntreLeadership Toolkit, visit www.entreleadership.com/toolkit.

Medical practice adding new allergy treatment

Beginning Dec. 1, EBO MD will offer an alternative to traditional allergy treatments when sublingual immunotherapy, or allergy drops, become available through the practice.

Like allergy injections, allergy drops help patients build long-term tolerance to substances that cause reactions by delivering small amounts of the allergen, or antigen, to the body. Instead of delivering antigen through injections, liquid drops are placed under the tongue, affecting cells that "teach" the body to tolerate certain substances.

Allergy drops can be a beneficial alternative for young children, asthmatics, patients who cannot tolerate injections, highly sensitive patients and those with other chronic conditions.

More information about EBO MD's allergy treatment options is available by calling (573) 803-2941 or online at www.doyouebo.com.

Pharmacy offering rapid COVID testing

John's Pharmacy in Cape Girardeau has begun offering rapid COVID-19 testing to the general public, providing positive and negative test results within 15 minutes that can be immediately reported to the patient.

The pharmacy is using the BD Veritor Plus System currently in use at more than 25,000 hospitals, physician offices, urgent care centers and pharmacies in all 50 states.

Rapid test results allow for prompt quarantine for those who test positive while those who test negative can quickly return to work and resume normal activities.

Tests are available upon requests or by appointment between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Appointments may be made by calling the pharmacy, (573) 803-5052. Tests are $125 and are provided on a cash-only basis.

The pharmacy is at 2001 Independence St. in Cape Girardeau.

Awards & Recognitions

SIKESTON, Mo. — The Sikeston law firm of Blanton, Nickell, Collins, Douglas and Hanschen LLC has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms in 2021" as a Tier 1 law firm for Medical Malpractice Law — Defendants and Commercial Litigation in the St. Louis region and as a Tier 2 law firm for Products Liability Litigation — Defendants, also in the St. Louis region.

This is the 11th consecutive year U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers have collaboratively announced law firm ranking and the third consecutive year the Blanton law firm has been recognized.

Attorneys in the firm include Joseph C. Blanton Jr., Bryan E. Nickell , Thomas W. Collins III, Patrick R. Douglas, Shaun D. Hanschen, Deidre A Peters and Trey Watkins.

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More than a dozen area teachers have been selected as 2020 McDonald's Teach it Forward Outstanding Educators.

The award honors educators who exhibit dedication to their students and contribute to the improvement in education. Each recipient receives a $100 Visa gift card to help pay for classroom needs. They also receive T-shirts, certificates and McDonald's coupons they can distribute to parents of outstanding students throughout the year.

The area's 2020 McDonald's Teach it Forward Outstanding Educators are:

• Kori Demyan, Advance Elementary, Advance, Missouri
• Marcia Eggimann, Advance Junior High, Advance, Missouri
• Saundra Hasenkamp, Kelley Elementary, Benton, Missouri
• Brooke Baugher, Cape Girardeau Central High School, Cape Girardeau
• Bernadette Gorman, Cape Girardeau Central Middle School, Cape Girardeau
• Rilee Jones, Dexter High School, Dexter, Missouri
• Felicia Powers, Southwest Elementary, Dexter, Missouri
• Kelli Hastings, Doniphan, Doniphan, Missouri
• Erica Cooper, West Lane Elementary, Jackson
• Dana Hogard, Perryville High School, Perryville, Missouri
• Amy Ethridge, O'Neal Elementary, Poplar Bluff, Missouri
• Brent Trankler, Sikeston High School, Sikeston, Missouri
• Amber Dawn Beecher, Van Buren Elementary, Van Buren, Missouri

Business license applications

Diane Jean Belcher of Wolf Lake, Illinois, submitted a business license application last week with the City of Cape Girardeau to operate Allure La Vie LLC at 255 S. Plaza Way in Cape Girardeau. Allure La Vie is a teeth-whitening salon and will sell self-application teeth whitening products. According to the application, the business will open Nov. 21.

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Abram's Promise Inc. of Indian Land, South Carolina, filed a business license application with the City of Cape Girardeau last week to operate Movement Mortgage LLC at 1200 N. Kingshighway, Suite 201, in Cape Girardeau. The company has 18 other mortgage offices in Missouri, but this will be its first office in Southeast Missouri. According to the business license application, Movement Mortgage will open its Cape Girardeau location this week.

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Stonebriar Auto Services LLC, doing business as Jiffy Lube, has filed a business license application to operate a Jiffy Lube automotive service, maintenance, repair and oil change business at 889 N. Kingshighway, currently the location of The Finish Line. The new business license is expected to go into effect Dec. 4.

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