Memo 1/8/07

Rust Communications buys Concordia weekly

Rust Communications, owner of the Southeast Missourian, has acquired The Concordia, a weekly newspaper in Concordia, Mo., as of the first of the year. Shelly Arth, publisher of the Marshall (Mo.) Democrat-News, another Rust newspaper, is the new publisher of the Concordia weekly. The Concordia was purchased from Gary and Judy Beissenherz, who will continue to work there for the next few months. Rust Communications publishes more than 50 community newspapers in eight states.

Workforce EmploymentSolutions expanding

Workforce Employment Solutions, a company with Missouri offices in Cape Girardeau, Ste. Genevieve, Arnold, Perryville and Farmington and Southern Illinois offices in Chester and Carbondale, is expanding this month to Texas, Wisconsin and northern Illinois. The company, which was founded in Farmington 12 years ago, specializes in industrial, office professional and corporate recruiting.

Counseling offered for small businesses

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Free counseling sessions for owners of small businesses are being offered by the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning Commission. The sessions will be conducted by Gil Degenhardt. The next one-hour sessions will be provided from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday at the commission offices, 1 W. St. Joseph St. in Perryville. For an appointment, call Kathy Hall at (573) 547-8357.

Seminars scheduled for small businesses

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- A series of seminars on small businesses will be presented in Perryville. The first seminar called "Starting a Small Business: The First Steps" will be offered at 6 p.m. Jan. 29 at the University of Missouri Extension office in Perryville. The office is at 321 N. Main, Suite 1. Registration is required by phoning (573) 243-3581.

SBA announces disaster assistance

Residents affected by the severe storms, tornadoes and flooding that occurred in September are eligible for low-interest disaster loans offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The assistance is available to residents of the Missouri counties of New Madrid and Perry and the neighboring counties of Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Dunklin, Madison, Mississippi, Pemiscot, Scott, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve and Stoddard. In Illinois, assistance is available in the counties of Jackson, Randolph and Union. SBA centers are open at the New Madrid City Hall and the Perry County Emergency Operations Center in Perryville from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays through Friday. Anyone unable to visit the SBA in person can call (800) 659-2955.

-- From staff reports