STRICTLY BUSINESS: EXECS PLEASED WITH LONE STAR EMPLOYEE TEAMS

Felix Pardo and Michael Clarke are making the rounds of some Lone Star Industries Inc. facilities to introduce Dyckerhoff, AG as the new owner of the giant United States cement manufacturer.

Pardo was recently appointed chairman, of the Board of Directors at Lone Star Industries, replacing David Wallace who is retiring.Clarke has been named president and Chief Executive Officer of the company replacing William Troutman, who will retire after a brief transition period. Troutman will remain on the board of directors.Pardo and Clark are emphasizing that Lone Star has enjoyed superior results as a result of its excellent management and employee team, and that the successful team will continue to guide Lone star under the new ownership of Dyckerhoff, AG.Dyckerhoff and Lone Star jointly announced in early September that Dyckerhoff, a cement and building materials company headquartered in Germany, headquartered in Germany, had agreed to the sale. Of Lone Star to the German company.When the announcement was made Sept. 3, Steve Leus, managed of the local Lone Star facility, said it was understanding that the new company would retain its current work forces.The local plant employees form 170 to 200 people and has an annual payroll in excess of $8 million.The company is also one of two Cape Girardeau companies which have the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce Commitment of Excellence Awards twice as the city Industry of the Year -- in 1989 and in 1998.Pardo explains that Dyckerhoff will use Lone Star as a platform for future growth in the United States. Clark told employees that he was delighted to join the Long Star management team, and the will be working with the existing Lone Star organization to develop further improvement in the performance of the company.Dyckerhoff has a 50 percent share in a Glen Falls, N.Y. company, Lehigh Cement Co., and has operations in Spain, France, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Russia an other countries. The company has sales in excess of $2.2 billion.

Including Lone Star, Dykerhoff will have total cement capacity of almost 30 million tons. Dyckerhoff is also a major producer of ready-mix concrete and finishing products for the building materials industry in Europe.Clark has been involved in the cement industry 20 years and is currently chairman of the Portland Cement Association. He has an engineering degree from McGill University and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School.Pardo, who has experience in senior management position in company I the natural resource industry, primarily coal and environmental industrial services, has degrees from Brown University and the Wharton Graduate School of Management.

Wallace, retired Lone Star chairman of the board, said the merge was in the best interests for all those connected with Lone Star.

"Our shareholders will receive a substantial premium to the current mart value of their stock, and our customers, suppliers and employees will benefit from the combined resources for the two companies, he said.

5,000 to 15,000Some Midwest millionaires believe that 15,000 on the Dow is likely within the next few years.Others, however, say it could sink to 5,000.The Dow Jones Industrial Average was hovering about the 10,400 mark the day that Mercantile Trust Company did a telephone survey of more than 300 millionaires in the Midwest.The survey indicated that nearly three of five -- 59 percent -- believed that 15,000 was "every likely" or "somewhat likely" by 2004.

In contrast, 25 percent of the group though it was "very likely" or "somewhat likely" that the Dow would sink to 5,000 by the year 2004.October has historically been a tough month for the market, said Edward D. Higgins, president of the Mercantile Company. "The great crashes of 1929 and 1987, both came in October. So did four of the five other worst days in market history.Midwest millionaires clearly reflect a bullish long-term view, by which the market could well rise another 50 percent over the next few years.And, the fate of the Dow is important those surveyed. Seventy-five percent of the millionaires surveyed indicated that 75 percent of their personal financial security was "very" or "somewhat" closed tied to the performance of the stock market.

Edward D. Higgins, president of the Mercantile Company. "The great crashes of 1929 and 1987 both came in October. So did four of the five other worst days in market history."

Midwest millionaires clearly reflect a bullish long-term view, by which the market could well rise another 50 percent over the next few years.

And, the fate of the Dow is important those surveyed. Seventy-five percent of the millionaires surveyed indicated that 75 percent of their personal financial security was "very" or "somewhat" closed tied to the performance of the stock market.