Business Today, April 2013 - Business briefs

FERGUSON ENTERPRISES OPENS IN CAPE

Ferguson Enterprises, ranked by trade publications as the nation's largest distributor of plumbing supplies and pipe, valves and fittings, opened a Cape Girardeau location March 4. Tom Kelsey of Lorimont Place Ltd. brokered the real estate for the location at 1329 Southern Expressway. The 10,800-square-foot building was formerly occupied by Elfrink Transportation and was remodeled for its new use. The Cape Girardeau facility is the company's 10th Missouri location. Others are in the St. Louis, Kansas City and St. Joseph areas. Ferguson also has a branch facility in Paducah, Ky.

SAFARI PLAYLAND OPENS IN JACKSON

Safari Playland opened at 529 W. Main St. in Jackson. It is a part of the educational programs offered by Lazy L Safari Park, a walk-though zoo in Cape Girardeau, and was established "to teach families about animals and how animals play an important part of our lives," according to a news release. Animal exhibits will be rotated throughout the year. Children can play in a veterinary clinic, pet store, pet grooming and zookeeper zones.

VERIZON ACTIVATES NEW CELL CITES

Verizon Wireless activated 11 new cell sites in Southeast Missouri to provide improved coverage and capacity. In Cape Girardeau County, coverage will be improved along Highways 34 and 72; in Bollinger County coverage will be bettered along Highway 51/91; in Madison County there will be improved coverage along Highway 67; in Scott County, coverage along Highway 25 will be enhanced; and in Stoddard County coverage will be improved along Highway 51 near Puxico, Mo.

BLOOMSDALE POSTAL SERVICES RELOCATED

BLOOMSDALE, Mo. -- Retail and post office box services at the Bloomsdale Post Office were suspended as of Jan. 31, the Ste. Genevieve Herald reported. "This change is tentative and will not lead to a formal proposal to discontinue unless we conclude that a maximum degree of regular and effective postal services can be provided through alternate means," read a letter signed by Steven Erbland, post office operations manager, based in Park Hills, Mo. As an alternative, postal services began Feb. 1 at Mary's Market South, 54 Mill Hill Road in Bloomsdale. Customers will retain the same addresses and ZIP code, 63627. New post office boxes are being installed at Mary's Market, which will become what is called a village post office. The U.S. Postal Service is paying for the space inside the grocery store.

DOLLAR DEALS OPENS IN MARBLE HILL

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- A Dollar Deals store opened Feb. 4 on Highway 34 in Marble Hill, the Banner Press reported. James Bess of Bonne Terre, Mo., owns the former Dollar General building, as well as some other Dollar General buildings in the state. Store manager Lisa Elmer of Grassy, Mo., said that as Dollar General stores that rented space from Bess move out to larger buildings, Bess replaces them with Dollar Deals stores. The store sells everything in stock for $1.

MOBILE STORE HOLDS RIBBON CUTTING

DEXTER, Mo. -- The Dexter Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for My Mobile Store, now open at the intersection of U.S. 60 and North Walnut Street. The store is owned by Cindy Piroli, who also has a store in Poplar Bluff, Mo. The store sells cellphone, iPad and notebook accessories as a well as offers cellphone repairs and custom laser etching. Wendy Piroli is the store manager.

SCULLY BUILDING ADDS TWO DINING OPTIONS

Subway and We Proudly Brew opened Jan. 28 in the Scully Building at Southeast Missouri State University. They occupy the space that formerly housed the Center for Child Studies, which relocated to Bessie Street. Subway offers its full menu of meats, breads and cheeses found at most Subway establishments. We Proudly Brew is a smaller version of Starbucks that serves Starbucks coffees and additional coffee drinks, as well as some teas, sandwiches, confections and salads.

CLASSROOM CONNECT CLOSES

Classroom Connect, a teaching supply store in Cape Girardeau's Town Plaza, closed at the end of February after two-and-a-half years in business. The store was owned by retired teacher Larry Schnurbusch.

NEW DINER OPENING IN CAPE

Cape Diner will open at the former location of Brenda's Place and Patty Lou's Cafe at 602 Morgan Oak St. in Cape Girardeau.

GROCERY COMING TO ALTENBURG

ALTENBURG, Mo. -- River Hills Grocery and Deli LLC will open by late March at 95 Route C in Altenburg, The Republic-Monitor reported. Joe Holt of Altenburg will run the grocery store, which will offer a full line of groceries as well as a deli counter with made-to-order sandwiches and pizza, fountain sodas, coffee and cappuccinos. The building is owned by Rick Hoffman and is being constructed by Meisner and Roth Construction. Additionally, Rodney Kline will use a space in the building for a hardware store. Kline also operates Fruitland Hardware. Altenburg has been without a full-service grocery store since Altenburg Foods closed in October.

PONDEROSA RECEIVES ELITE AWARD

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- The Perryville Ponderosa restaurant received the Award of Excellence for outstanding QSC accomplishment in 2012, The Republic-Monitor reported. Ponderosa chief operating officer Thomas A. Sacco wrote in a December letter that the local restaurant's QSC score was in the top 5 percent of all Ponderosa restaurants, placing it in the most elite category within the group of successful restaurants. The Perryville Ponderosa is now a member of the "Circle of Excellence" in quality food, guest service and cleanliness.

SPORTING GOODS STORE OPENS IN PERRYVILLE

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- HardCore Athletics opened at 25 Taylor Lane in Perryville, The Republic Monitor reported. The store carries name-brand sports apparel, footwear and equipment.

BUTLER COUNTY RECEIVES 'WORK READY' HONOR

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Butler County received a certificate for "Work Ready Community In Progress" status Jan. 11 from the Missouri Department of Economic Development and the Missouri Workforce Investment Board. Butler County was the first county in Missouri to submit the application and meet one of two goals to be certified. The county is more than halfway toward meeting its second goal to receive full certification. The Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce presented the certificate to Ed Strenfel, presiding county commissioner, at a recent meeting.

FUMATORE DI SIGARO WINS EXCELLENCE AWARD

Fumatore di Sigaro, a cigar shop in Cape Girardeau, was awarded the Excellence in Business Award from the Missouri Small Business & Technology Development Centers and Missouri Procurement Technical Assistance Centers. Business partners Scott Pietreface and Richard Proffer were recognized for outstanding achievement in business management, government contracting, job creation and revenue generation.

FARMINGTON COFFEE SHOP TO CLOSE

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- Jane Cook, owner of the Holy Grounds Coffee Shop, announced Feb. 6 that she will be closing the business, which opened in 2003. The coffee shop is inside the Oasis Christian Bookstore, and Cook said the bookstore will remain open, the Park Hills Daily Journal reported. Instead of the espresso-based coffee shop with baristas, the bookstore will offer complimentary coffee for customers.

OLD SCHOOL BEAUTY CUTS RIBBON

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for Old School Beauty, a new business owned by Brandan and Susan Palma.

DIVA'S MARKET OPENS IN PUXICO

PUXICO, Mo. -- Diva's Market opened on Main Street in Puxico, selling inspirational gifts, wreaths, potted plants, cemetery bakets, handmade jewelry and art, jellies and relishes, baked goods and more.

MEXICAN RESTAURANT TO OPEN ON SPRIGG

Plaza Azteca Grill, owned by Daniel Alvares of El Torero, will open this spring at 1036 N. Sprigg St. in Cape Girardeau, in a building most recently occupied by Dairy Queen, according to Thomas M. Meyer, who brokered the property for Thomas L. Meyer Commercial Realty. Meyer said the restaurant will serve made-to-order Mexican cuisine, assembly-line style.

MERIDETH PURCHASES CENTURY 21

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Tim Merideth is the new broker owner of Century 21 Premiere Realty in Sikeston, the Standard Democrat reported. He purchased the business in December from Faye Walborg, who owned it for 15 years and has worked there for almost 30. She will continue to list and sell while helping Merideth with the transition.

WINGS ETC. OPENS IN JACKSON

Wings Etc. opened Feb. 19 at 2003 E. Jackson Blvd. in Jackson. The sports bar chain has locations in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and North Carolina and has won awards in several markets. Owner Joe Hobbs lives in Jackson.

LIBERTY UTILITIES BREAKS GROUND IN JACKSON

Liberty Utilities held a groundbreaking in late February at its future site in the North Jackson Industrial Park. Liberty purchased seven acres from the city and will build a 22,000-square-foot corporate headquarters to serve approximately 82,500 central region natural gas customers in Missouri, Illinois and Iowa. Penzel Construction of Jackson was chosen to build the $2.8 million facility, with completion scheduled for this fall. The operation has already created 25 new jobs in Jackson. Atmos announced in May 2011 that it agreed to sell its distribution systems in Missouri, Illinois and Iowa to Liberty, a subsidiary of Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. of Oakville, Ontario, Canada, for about $124 million.

RESTAURANT PLANS ANNOUNCED FOR FORMER HOTEL

STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- The former Hotel Ste. Genevieve will house a restaurant called Audubon's of Ste. Genevieve, along with banquet and meeting rooms, the Ste. Genevieve Herald reported. Audubon Redevelopment LLC announced plans for the building at the corner of Main and Merchant streets in a news release issued in late February. The main floor will include a renovated kitchen, dining and bar area as well as private dining areas. The main floor restaurant, Audubon's of Ste. Genevieve, will serve traditional fare and new offerings, according to the release. The second floor and basement will include banquet and meeting rooms. Both the interior and exterior of the building will be renovated, with the extent of the work to be determined by financing available. The hotel building, built in 1903, is in a portion of the historic downtown currently under consideration for a tax increment financing proposal, which would allow developers to recapture money from the increase in sales and property tax as a result of their improvement projects. The Hotel Ste. Genevieve and Cafe Ste. Genevieve closed at the end of business on Dec. 31, 2012. The news release anticipates the restaurant will open this fall. Bacon Architectural LLC of Crystal City, Mo., is providing the design for the renovation.

PLAZA TIRE BUYS EWERS, ADDS FIVE NEW LOCATIONS

Plaza Tire Service increased its store count to 56 with the purchase of five Ewers Tire and Service locations: two in Columbia, Mo., two in Jefferson City, Mo., and one in Mexico, Mo.

ROBINSON COMPLETES ETHANOL LOADOUT FACILITY

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- In November 2011, Green Plains Renewable Energy announced that BlendStar LLC would own and operate a new ethanol unit train terminal on the BNSF Railway in Birmingham, Ala. GPRE selected Robinson Construction Co. of Perryville as general contractor for the $12.2 million project. The new terminal delivers 385,000 barrels of ethanol per month via 96-car unit trains and over-the-road trucks. The terminal simultaneously loads and unloads rail cars while providing 24-hour truck loading from its four-lane truck load-out canopy. The facility's process and piping design was completed to allow for the future addition of biodiesel storage and delivery components. Robinson provided value engineering ideas during the bidding process, several of which were selected for the final design. Construction on the project lasted 10 months, with construction manpower peaking at approximately 60. Operations began Dec. 19 at BlendStar's new facility.

SMITH & CO. GETS STATE HONOR

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The Smith & Co. engineering firm of Poplar Bluff received two awards during a state awards banquet in Kansas City, Mo., the Daily American Republic reported. An honor award for Butler County's bypass road to the Poplar Bluff Industrial Park and a distinguished serivce award for 45 years of service were presented by the American Council of Engineering Companies of Missouri.

NEW COUNTRY MART COMING TO POTOSI

POTOSI, Mo. -- A new Country Mart is expected to open in Potosi in June, the Park Hills Daily Journal reported. According to Jim Hamblin, director of operations for Country Mart, the new store will host the same departments and products customers have come to expect, but in a new, modernized facility. The store will be about 10 percent bigger than the old store, he said. Fire destroyed part of the Country Mart building and ruined most of the inventory July 24, 2012. Sargent Construction of Fredericktown, Mo., is the primary contractor for the new facility.

ADVERTISING, MARKETING GROUP PRESENTS AWARDS

Red Letter Communications of Cape Girardeau and The Wright Group of Perryville, Mo., won the Tri-State Advertising and Marketing Professionals highest honors March 1 during the annual ADDY Awards banquet. Red Letter won Best of Show in the broadcast/multimedia division for its STIHL Built in America campaign on behalf of STIHL Inc., a maker of power tools. The Wright Group won Best of Show in the print division category for a brochure it created for RM Coco. Gold ADDY winners were Acclaim Press for The Ambassador of Bourbon: Maker's Mark and the Rebirth of America's Native Spirit; Acclaim Press for The Kentucky Bourbon Experience: A visual Tour of Kentucky's Bourbon Distilleries; The Wright Group for RM Coco brochure; Saint Francis Medical Center for New Physician Reception Invite; Red Letter Communications for the SoutheastHEALTH Survivor campaign; Idyllic Enterprises for Best Idea that Never Flew -- River City Aquatics Swimming Club Logo; Red Letter Communications for the SoutheastHEALTH Neuroscience Bus Graphics; Horizon Media Group for the Sabona Jewelry Catalog; The Wright Group for The Bank of Missouri Brochure and Inserts; and Saint Francis Medical Center for the Pink Up Cape campaign. Silver ADDYs were awarded to 15 professional entries and bronze ADDYs were given for 17 entries. Honored with a Judge's Choice Award was Steve Turner of the Southeast Missourian for his digital media campaign for Port Cape Girardeau. Judges unanimously selected the entry, which also received a silver ADDY, as deserving of special recognition. Gold ADDY winners are automatically eligible to compete in district competition in March against entries submitted by clubs in Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska. District winners will compete at the national level in June.