MEMO

Spartech Corp. has announced a significant increase in its results for the quarter ended Jan. 29.

Bradley B. Buechler, Spartech president and chief executive officer, reported quarterly earnings of $2.1 million, or 17 cents for primary and 9 cents fully-diluted earners per share. That was a sizable increase from the $1.3 million, or 10 cents primary and 6 cents fully diluted earnings per share reported for the same period a year ago.

Revenues were $49.2 million for the quarter, an increase of 30 percent more than the $37.9 million reported during the same period a year ago.

Spartech, headquartered in St. Louis, has two operations in Cape Girardeau -- Atlas-Alchem Plastics, One Atlas Drive, and The Resin Exchange, One Plastics Avenue, in Nash Road Industrial Park.

"Spartech Plastics, our rigid-sheet and roll-stock group, turned in an excellent performance in the first quarter of fiscal 1994," said Buechler. "In addition, increased production efficiencies at all of our rigid-sheet and roll-stock facilities and lower interest costs also benefited the first quarter results."

Bluff City Beer Co., headquartered in Cape Girardeau, with facilities at Herculaneum, Bonne Terre, Poplar Bluff and Kennett, has added to its lines Lite Ice, a low-calorie ice beer from Miller Brewing Co.

Until now there has not been a low-calorie entry in the ice-beer category, said Scott Barnum, Miller low-calorie category director.

Lite Ice joins the Miller ice-beer line, which includes Icehouse and Molson Ice.

Union Electric Co. recorded earnings of $283 million, or $2.77 a share, for 1993, compared to year-earlier results of $289 million, or $2.83 a share. The company's sale of an Iowa retail property bolstered 1992 earnings by $18 million, or 18 cents a share.

UE's 1993 fourth-quarter earnings totaled $1.5 million or 1 cent a share, compared to fourth-quarter 1992 results of $33 million, or 33 cents share, which included the gain from the sale of the Iowa property. The quarter just ended included costs for routine refueling of the company's Callaway nuclear plant, which reduced the period's earnings about 20 cents share.

Summer flooding affected UE's 1993 earnings, lowering results by about 10 cents a share, said Charles W. Mueller, president and chief executive office. UE's kilowatt-hour sales increased by more than 2 percent over the previous year. Residential sales increased 12 percent, commercial sales increased 4 percent, and industrial sales dropped 11 percent.

UE serves 1.2 million customers in Missouri and Illinois.

The Missouri Bar and the Tort Law Committee will sponsor a continuing legal education program for lawyers in Cape Girardeau March 10.

The program, "Case Evaluations: What's It Really Worth?," will be held from 3:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. at Drury Lodge.

Lawyers attending the program will receive 3.6 hours of MCLE credit.

Fee for the program is $65. Additional information is available by calling (314)-635-4128.

KANSAS CITY -- John R. Leach has been promoted to chairman and chief executive officer of Western Auto Supply Co., the Sears, Roebuck and Co. subsidiary based here.

Leach, who joined Western Auto in 1977, had been president and chief operating officer of the retail auto parts and service chain since 1991.