STRICTLY BUSINESS: INDUSTRIAL AND BUSINESS PARKS GOOD FOR REGION

Industrial and business parks not only attract new businesses to the area but enhance services to existing ones. Two of the "newest kids on the block," -- Six Thirty Corp. Business Park and Cape West Business Park -- have grown by leaps and bounds over the past five or six years.

Industrial parks provide employment to more than 3,000 workers in the immediate Cape Girardeau area, headed by the Nash Road Industrial Park, one of the area's oldest and largest industrial centers.

The Nash Road complex, an idea explored by local businessmen and civic leaders more than 35 years ago, in 1959, has grown to more than 20 industries along either side of Interstate 55 south of Cape Girardeau. More than 1,100 workers are employed in industries there.

Cape West Business Park, the newest corporate environment, was designed to serve retail businesses, distribution centers, light manufacturing, warehouses and offices. In less that five years, three big retail operations have located in the area west of Interstate 55.

Wal-Mart Supercenter and Lowes home center have already opened in the business park, and Target Stores will open next week. Combined, the three retail giants employ more than 500 people.

The Six-Thirty Industrial Park, founded in 1987 on a 191-acre tract north and south of Highway 74 and east from South Kingshighway to Sprigg Street, is already dotted with businesses ranging from manufacturing to service businesses, including Dana Corp., which manufactures automotive parts, to Mid South Steel, which moved to the area last year.

Also in the industrial park area are Florsheim Shoes and VIP Industries, which were located alongside Highway 74 (now, Southern Expressway), before Six Thirty was founded.

"Industrial and business parks are good for the area," said Mitch Robinson, executive director of the Cape Girardeau Area Industrial Recruitment Association.

When industry representatives make contact with city officials, they want to look at industrial and business parks. Several sites are still available in the three parks here.

Nash Road Industrial Park

Although planning for the Nash Road complex started in 1959, it wasn't until 1964 that the Greater Cape Girardeau Industrial Corp. had its first tenant, Arkansas Best Freight Systems, which purchased five acres to establish a terminal.

Three more companies -- Cape Supply Co., Ludlow Corp. and Superior Electric developed another 27 acres of the park in 1965, and by 1970, seven companies were in the park. Ten years later, in 1980, 300 acres of the park were home to 15 industries employing more than 800 people.

During the late 1970s, the corporation purchased another 500 acres of land in the area.

In 1994, a report indicated the park had 21 industries.

Industries west of I-55 in the park are Addison Corp. (Associated Building Centers), Admiral Plastics, BioKyowa, Borden, Clarklift of Cape, Foamex, General Sign Co., Georgia Pacific Golden Cat Corp., Hardware Wholesalers, Jerry Lipps Trucking, Major Brands, QC Corp., Resin Exchange, SEMO Box Co., Truck Transport and Browning-Ferris Industries (BFI).

Industries east of I-55 are: ABF Freight Systems, Gelco Truck Leasing, Havco Wood Products, Rhodes Oil Co. and Sander Enterprises (SEI).

Since then, a manufacturer of plastic bottles has located in the park. Texberry Container Corp., a Houston-based manufacturer and distributor of plastic bottles ranging from 2 ounces to 2 1/2 gallons, occupies a portion of the vacated Florsheim Shoe Warehouse building.

Georgia Pacific, which moved to the park in 1973, has announced it will restructure its sales and logistics operations across the country, eliminating the need for a facility at Cape Girardeau.

The Cape Girardeau area will be served by a warehouse and delivery operation from St. Louis.

Eventually, six existing distribution facilities, including Cape Girardeau, will close.

John Buchholz, a Georgia Pacific spokesman from Atlanta, said employees will have an opportunity to seek positions in other parts of the company's division-growth strategy.

A date for the local closing has not been announced.

Six Thirty Industrial Park

Six Thirty Industrial Park, created in 1987, has developed quickly over the past few years, and now includes 10 facilities, with more prospects in the near future.

Groundwork is currently under way on a section of the park near South Sprigg Street and Southern Expressway (Highway 74), site of a new 19,000-square-foot state office building, which will be constructed this year.

"We have a number of prospects on the north side of Highway 74," said Ernie Beussink, president of Six Thirty Corp. "And, we're looking to develop the south side of the expressway."

One of the latest businesses to move to the south side of the highway is Mid South Steel Inc., adjacent to Dana Corp.

Potential prospects along the expressway include D & K Wholesale Drug Inc., headquartered in St. Louis. D&K is expected to move its Cairo, Ill., operation to Cape Girardeau within the next year.

Also planned in the Six Thirty Industrial park is a 10,000-square-foot office warehouse section, to be constructed by owners of the park.

Land for the 630 Corp. Industrial Park was purchased in January 1987.

A group of investors purchased a 191-acre tract of land, north and south of Southern Expressway, then Highway 74, and east of Kingshighway to Sprigg Street.

Among businesses in the park are Missouri Power Trans Inc., Day Transfer, Southeast Fabrication, Cape Central Publishing, Genex, Dana Corp., Mid South Steel and others.

"We felt this property had great possibilities as commercial property when we purchased it," Beussink said. "We felt it would be an asset to the city."

Dana Corp., was the first big tenant for the industrial park.

Already in the same area were Florsheim Shoe, VIP Industries and ERB Equipment.

Dana, which manufactures a lineup of products for vehicular, industrial and mobile off highway markets, selected a 15-acre site in the park to open its $23 million, 140,000-square-foot operation in 1989.

Cape West Business Park

Target Stores is the latest retail store to open in Cape West Business Park.

Although the official grand opening of the new discount store is July 23, the store will open its doors to the public Wednesday.

Plans were announced by Drury Development for the 158-acre business park in late 1990. Drury Development officials were optimistic about the park, saying it offered high visibility, convenient access to the West Park Mall area, the airport and nearby cities.

Officials were hopeful of attracting up to 40 tenants.

Bluff City Beer was the first in the new park, relocating its headquarters from Poplar Bluff to Cape Girardeau in a 15,000-square-foot warehouse-office building in 1992. The company has five distribution centers throughout Southeast Missouri.

Wal-Mart was next, opening a 168,000-square-foot supercenter in the park in 1992. The new U.S. Postal Service's Regional Mail Processing Center, which processes all mail from four zip code areas, also located in the park in 1992.

Lowes Home Centers was the next retail giant to build in the park, opening its 115,000-square-foot center in March 1994.

For a long while, the business park was being considered by Wal-Mart for a Sam's operation. The Sam's Cape Girardeau project was removed from the company's current list last year.

A number of other business operations have opened in the area, including Hardee's and McDonald's restaurants, a service station-convenience store, a used car operation and two motels -- Drury Suites and Hampton Inn.