C.P.U., Inc.

Year established: 1978

Product or service offered: We have two divisions. One division offers IT support services, hardware software, networking and the other division offers professional payroll and timekeeping services

Number of employees: 15

Location: 320 South Plaza Way Cape Girardeau MO

Owner(s): Frank Jones, James Vandeven, Thomas Essner

Describe your business/occupation in exactly five words.: Professional technology and services provider

What is your vision for your business and/or your industry in 2012?

Mike Unverferth, director of sales and marketing

Mike Unverferth, director of sales and marketing: Our vision at CPU is to continue to provide excellent technical support, products and services to our clients. In our industry, we have to continually review new technology, learn the new technology, adopt the best products and services available. We then offer these technology products and services to our clients in an effort to help them improve their businesses by operating more efficiently and improving productivity which leads to increased profitability.

What do you think is the community's biggest asset from a business perspective?

MU: One of the biggest assets we have here is Cape Girardeau is a strong Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber continues to advocate for business and foster a spirit of business development and civic pride in our area. The Chamber is an excellent source of business contacts as well as education and professional development.

How has technology changed your business in recent years? Was it difficult to adapt to the changing technology?

MU: Technology is our lifeblood here at CPU. The technology is constantly changing and we work very hard to stay on top of latest and greatest. We pride ourselves on offering excellent service to our clients on both the technology and the payroll service side of our business. We value our relationships with our clients and have received many testimonials from them indicating the feeling is mutual.