MEMO

SBA counseling sessionsscheduled in OctoberThe Small Business Development Center will conduct counseling sessions in three areas this month.The counselor, Gil Degenhardt, will be available Oct. 26, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce office. The counseling sessions (about one hour) are free. Call 335-3312 for appointment.He will conduct sessions at the Sikeston Chamber of Commerce Oct. 25, from 9 to noon. Appointments are available by calling 471-2498. He will hold sessions at the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning office in Perryville Oct. 27 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Appointments are available by calling 547-8357. Sessions will also be held at the Malden Chamber of Commerce, Thursday, from 9 to 11 a.m. Appointments are available by calling 276-4519.The Small Business Development Center represents a Partnership for Economic Development between Southeast Missouri State University, the U.S. Small Business Administration, local financial institutions, area utility companies and Southeast Missouri municipalities.

H&R Block begins incometax courses this weekH&R Block of Cape Girardeau is offering a 28-hour, abbreviated income tax course starting this week.Class participants have a choice of morning or afternoon classes over a five-week period. Morning sessions will be held Tuesday and Friday from 9 to noon and afternoon sessions, Tuesday and Friday from 12:15 to 3:15. Cost of the course is $99.Additional information is available by calling 334-6215.

Total construction activityrises in Missouri this yearTotal construction activity is up this year in Missouri.The F.W. Dodge Division of McGraw-Hill, an authority on the construction market, reported total construction for the first eight months at $3.8 billion, up 15 percent from the $3.3 billion during the same period in 1993.Nonresidential construction in the state during the first eight months, which includes commercial, manufacturing and other buildings not designed for shelter, was reported at $1.4 billion, up 5 percent from the $1.3 billion during the same period of 1993. Residential construction for the year through July is up 14 percent, at $1.7 billion, compared to $1.5 billion in 1993. Nonbuilding construction, which includes streets, highways, bridges, river and harbor developments, airports and a few other projects, was reported at $670,073,000 for the year, up 47 percent from last years $455,166,000.August totals show a slight drop in nonresidential construction, from $204,267,000 last year to $187,928,000. Other figures were on the plus side. Residential construction in the state in August was reported at $233,273,000, up 6 percent from 1993, $219,144,000. Nonbuilding construction was reported at $73,481,000 in August, up 60 percent from the $45,988,000 in August 1993.

Foundation earns economic development grantAn economic development grant for the Missouri Incutech Foundation will benefit all areas of Southern Missouri, says Rep. Bill Emerson, R-Cape Girardeau, who recently announced the Commerce Department grant.The funds will be used to establish a regional office for the foundation at the University of Missouri-Rolla campus, which will assist 2,900 small- and medium-sized manufacturers in 69 counties of South Missouri.This regional facility will be used as an economic development consortium, Emerson said. It will literally be an outreach center to attract new industries as well as provide ongoing technical assistance and networking support of current businesses.The Commerce Department describes the facility as an agency to provide hands-on technical consulting, company assessments, vendor and technology searches, seminars, equipment and software demonstrations and industry networking to the target manufacturers.This is a real breakthrough for rural business, said Dennis Roedemeier, executive director of the Foundation.Mark IV and Purolator announce merger plansMark IV Industries Inc. and Purolator Products Co. have announced a merger agreement where Mark IV will purchase all outstanding stocks of Purolator.Purolator Products Co., headquartered in Tulsa, Okla., is the leading international manufacturer, distributor and marketer of filtration products and systems for fluid transfer applications. Products include a wide range of filters for the automotive, marine, heating and air-conditioning industries.Purolator operates a manufacturing facility at Dexter that employs more than 350.Mark IV, headquartered in the Buffalo suburb of Amherst, N.Y., manufactures products and systems for power and fluid transfer, transportation and professional audio markets.

Proposed railroad mergerwould eliminate 2,750 jobsCHICAGO The proposed merger of the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe railroads would eliminate 2,750 jobs and save the combined companies more than $100 million, the railroads said last week.Burlington Northern Inc. and Santa Fe Pacific Corp. have applied for government approval of their proposed $2.5 billion deal. The two lines filed the merger request with the Interstate Commerce Commission. If approved the merger could occur in 1996. However, the merger may be opposed by Union Pacific Corp., which also wants to acquire Santa Fe.The Santa Fe, formally known as the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe, is headquartered in Chicago and operates 12,000 miles of track stretching from Chicago south through Texas and through the Southwest to California. It was founded in 1859.

Home & Garden Show setMarch 31 through April 2Dates have been established for the 1995 Home & Garden Show, sponsored by the Southeast Missouri Home Builders Association.Reservations are being taken now for display spaces at the March 31 through April 2 show.Additional information is available by calling Cindy Gage, 334-7410.