MEMO

The Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce's Industrial Appreciation Dinner will be Thursday at the Show Me Center.

The dinner honors area industries, with the highlight of the evening being the presentation of the Commitment to Excellence Award, recognizing the 1993 industry of the year.

This year's event marks the seventh year for the dinner. Dana Corp., which opened its facility on Southern Expressway early in 1990, was recognized as the 1993 "Industry of the Year."

Previous winners were Concord Publishing House Inc. in 1992, Biokyowa in 1991, Procter and Gamble in 1990, Lone Star Industries in 1989 and General Sign Co. in 1988.

Charles V. Petty, president of Family Success Unlimited in Raleigh, N.C., will be guest speaker. Petty is a full-time family humorist and has addressed groups in 49 states and 38 foreign countries.

Tickets for the dinner are available at $20 each. Reservations are available by calling the Chamber, 335-3312.

The St. Louis District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration is seeking nominations for the 1995 Small Business Person of the Year.

The St. Louis district covers the eastern half of Missouri, including Southeast Missouri. It will accept nominations from the 54 counties that comprise the area.

In addition to Small Business-Person of the Year, nominations are sought in the following categories:

Accountant Advocate of the Year; Financial Services Advocate of the Year; Media Advocate of the Year; Minority Small Business-Advocate of the Year; Women in Business Advocate of the Year; Veteran Small Business-Advocate of the Year; Small Business-Exporter of the Year; Young Entrepreneur of the Year; and Entrepreneurial Success Award.

Nominations are due to the SBA by Nov. 26. Additional information concerning nomination guidelines are available by calling LaVerne Johnson, (314)-539-6600.

The 32nd annual celebration of National Small Business Week will be held next May.

Dumplin's Franchise Systems Inc. has been formed to franchise 100 H.R.H. Dumplin's Restaurants over the next five years.

The new franchise company was awarded the North American franchise rights by Nashville-based H.R.H. Dumplin's Inc., which has 33 restaurants in nine states.

"We felt it was time to expand," said David York, founder and president of H.R.H. Dumplin's.

Plans call for 100 of the English tearoom-style restaurants to be developed over the next five years, primarily in the Southwest and Midwest, said Burrell Shaw, president of the new franchise company.

Shaw is a partner in Investor Services Co., which structures and manages limited partnerships. He has nine years experience in restaurant investment experience.

The first H.R.H. Dumplin's Restaurant was founded by York in Sikeston, serving dishes from his grandmother's recipe book.

Commerce Bancshares Inc. and Peoples Mid-Illinois Corp. have signed a letter of intent to merge.

Commerce Bancshares, headquartered in St. Louis, is a regional bank holding company with assets of $7.8 billion. The company has more than 170 branches in Illinois, Kansas and Missouri, including Cape Girardeau.

Peoples Mid-Illinois Bank, a single-bank holding company headquartered in Bloomington, owns Peoples Bank, the second largest bank in McLean County with six banking offices and more than $450 million in assets.

David W. Kemper, chairman, president and CEO of Commerce, and Andrew F. Anderson, president and CEO of Peoples, jointly announced the merger. The transaction is expected to be completed during the first quarter of 1995.

The Missouri Department of Insurance has announced that Cox Health Systems Insurance Co. will be allowed to start marketing health insurance in Missouri.

The insurance company is owned and operated by Cox Medical Center of Springfield, a company which operates two hospitals and several related businesses in the Springfield area.

The company will be the first Missouri-based insurance company owned by a hospital authorized to do business as an insurance company.

According to the business plan submitted to the Missouri Department of Insurance, the company will be marketing three different insurance plans to local employers. Two of the plans will include an option to use Cox affiliated doctors at a reduced rate. The third option is a traditional plan that allows complete choice of a doctor.