Pizza coming to mall

Shoppers at West Park Mall will soon have another option to grab a bite to eat.

Johnny Carter and Eric Long plan to open EJ Roni's by the end of the month next to Smoothie and Pretzel Co. EJ Roni's will serve pizza, hot dogs, burgers, soft drinks and more.

Carter and Long said they have been discussing opening the business for several months. Carter, who owns JNP Sports, and Long, who owns Kicks Soccer, noticed their dining options were limited and wanted to have another eating option for shoppers and employees at the mall.

"We decided this was the perfect time to go for it," Long said. "We hope people will enjoy having another food outlet at the mall."

EJ Roni's will maintain normal mall hours of 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

* Three advance to business contest finals: Since early spring, entrepreneurs have had a chance to enter a contest to win space in West Park Mall and advertising space in the Southeast Missourian. The "You're in Business" contest allowed area residents 18 or older to submit business plans. A final competition will consist of a question-and-answer session. The session is scheduled for July 10, with the winner announced at 2 p.m.

* Couple open "green" businesses: A husband and wife have opened their own ecologically responsible businesses.

Lindsey Hellmann has started Eco Clean, an all-natural cleaning service. She uses bathroom cleaners, hand soap and other natural cleaners that are Green-Seal certified to clean each home.

"Traditional methods of cleaning your home use harsh chemicals," she said. "What I use won't harm you, your family or your home. If everyone could make one change to help the environment, that would go a long way."

Her husband, Morgan, has started Reel Clean landscaping service. He uses a reel mower, a manual push mower that doesn't use gas.

Morgan started his business after he lost his job because of the recession. He hopes to run the business on a full-time basis.

"Within the next two years I hope to have this new business going full time," he said. "It's like a tandem business; she cleans the inside and I clean the outside."

To schedule an appointment with either business, call 803-0270.

* Silver K Strip Center to open by summer: The Silver K Strip Center, currently under construction at William Street and Silver Springs Road in Cape Girardeau, is scheduled to open this summer. Larry Westrich of DSW Development Corp. said the strip center on the site of the former Alliance Bank will be mix of new construction for retail space and a face-lift for the existing Armed Forces Career Center.

As I reported in March, the Qdoba Mexican Grill will occupy 2,400 square feet, leaving 6,600 square feet of space available for rent. Interested parties should contact Westrich at 335-3134.

"When the project is complete, the mixture of new construction and rehabilitation will be seamlessly integrated, giving the Armed Services building an exterior face lift to match the newly constructed addition," Westrich said.

* Another thrift store opens on Broadway: Good Neighbor thrift store has opened at 821-A Broadway in Cape Girardeau. The store sells men's, children's, women's and infant clothing. Its hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

* More action at NorthPointe: Broker Sandy Helwege of Coldwell Abernathy Realty updated me last week on the next phase at NorthPointe shopping center at Carondelet Avenue. Already home to Subway, Beef O'Brady's and LA Weight Loss, the center will soon have an additional 5,000 square feet added. Helwege said construction is scheduled to begin in the next few weeks.

* Hospitals earn high patient satisfaction ratings: Saint Francis Medical Center and Southeast Missouri Hospital were recognized by HealthGrades for being among the nation's top 10 percent for patient satisfaction, receiving the Outstanding Patient Experience Award for the second consecutive year. HealthGrades is a health care rating organization.

The Cape Girardeau hospitals earned the award based on patient survey data collected as part of the federal government's Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems. Survey results from more than 3,000 hospitals nationwide were analyzed.

* Several ribbon cuttings scheduled: The Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce has scheduled ribbon cuttings this week for two businesses.

Tailored Travel will have a ribbon cutting at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. The travel agency at 4 S. Pacific St. in Cape Girardeau opened in April.

At 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Comfort Suites at 2904 Old Orchard Road in Jackson will hold its ribbon cutting. The 64-room hotel opened for business March 2.

Southeast Missourian business reporter Brian Blackwell may be contacted at 388-3628 or bblackwell@semissourian.com.;