STRICTLY BUSINESS: IT'S INDUSTRIAL WEEK IN CAPE GIRARDEAU

This is "Industrial Week" in Cape Girardeau.

Activities, sponsored by the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce's Industrial Relations Council, start today with the annual Industrial Appreciation Golf Tournament, to be held at the Cape Girardeau Country Club, with a 12:30 start.

The week's activities continue Wednesday with the Industrial Appreciation Dinner, starting with a social hour at 6 p.m. Keynote speaker is writer and humorist Grady Jim Robinson.

The highlight event of the dinner will be the announcement of the "Commitment to Excellence" award, which is presented to the "Industry of the Year."

A special industrial relations seminar will be held Friday, featuring speakers from QPI Security Systems Inc. and the Community Counseling Center. "Defusing Trauma in the Workplace," is the topic of the 9 a.m. seminar, which will be held immediately following the Cape Girardeau Chamber's First Friday Coffee, which starts at 7:30 a.m. at the Drury Lodge.

Missouri Manufacturing

scene has healthy glow

The Missouri manufacturing scene still has a healthy glow despite the loss of some manufacturing plants during the past year.

The Show-Me State is on the plus side in manufacturing jobs, barely, but on the minus side of industrial plants for the past 12 months.

The number of industrial jobs increased, from 468,449 to 469,598, according to the Missouri Manufacturers Register, 1996 edition. That's an increase of 1,149 jobs, or 0.25 percent.

The state gained 274 plants during the year, according to Leah V. Kalas, director of communications of Manufacturers' News Inc., Evanston, Ill., which researches and publishes manufacturing registers each year. "But, Missouri lost 377 plants to mergers, movement out-of-state and closings."

That translates into the loss of 103 plants, bringing the 1996 total to 9,710 plants, a decrease of 1 percent.

Cape Girardeau County statistics followed the state trend, with a gain in manufacturing employment and a loss of two manufacturing facilities.

Two Cape Girardeau County cities shared in the good news revealed in the 1995 edition of the Missouri Manufacturers Register.

Cape Girardeau ranked 12th in the state in the number of manufacturing facilities and 13th in the number of manufacturing jobs. The city had 95 facilities listed in the new publication, up 10 from last year.

Cape Girardeau and Jackson are included in the state's top 25 cities by number of industrial jobs. Cape Girardeau, 12th on the list of jobs and plants, gained one manufacturing facility during the year, and boosted its employment.

The city now has 96 manufacturers and showed a net gain of about 75 manufacturing workers during the year.

The Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce profile publication lists more than 5,600 manufacturing jobs.

Jackson, ranked 24th in manufacturing jobs despite losing about 70 workers and three manufacturing facilities. The year before, Jackson had more than doubled its manufacturing employment, due largely to the expansion of Lee Rowan Inc.

Jackson now counts about 3,000 manufacturing jobs, in 45 facilities.

Five of Missouri's top 10 industrial cities suffered decreases in the number of manufacturing establishments, four realized a net increase, while one remained the same, according to the latest directory.

Missouri gained more than 1,100 manufacturing facilities over the past two years, highlighted by a 1,000-plant gain in 1995.

A total of 9,710 manufacturing facilities are listed in the state. That compares to 8,079 five years ago.

St. Louis, the leading industrial city with 2,098 manufacturing plants, was one of the big losers from last year's register numbers. St. Louis gained 55 plants during the last 12 months -- August 1994 through July 1995 -- but lost 98, resulting in a decrease of 43 plants. Still, more than 117,546 people are employed in manufacturing in St. Louis, an increase of 1.1 percent from 1994 totals of 116,212.

Kansas City, the second largest industrial city in the state with 897 plants, gained 42 and lost 60 for a decrease of 18 plants over the past year. About 55,000 people are employed in the manufacturing sector in Kansas City, down 3 percent from a year ago.

Rounding out the top 10, by plants, are: Springfield, 383, down from 392 last year; Fenton, 168, up two; St. Joseph, 150, down three; Joplin, 160, down one; Hazelwood, 53. down two; Bridgeton, 60, up five; Maryland Heights, 114, up one; and North Kansas City, 151, up three.

Printing and publishing firms comprise the largest industrial group in the state with 1,677 such firms statewide, representing 17.2 percent of the state's total. Industrial machinery and equipment is second on the list, with 1,248 plants, accounting for 12.8 percent of manufacturers in the state. Rounding out the top five of manufacturers are metal fabricating, 947 plants; food industry, 699 plants; and lumber and wood products, with 664 related plants.

Detailed profiles of all 9,710 manufacturing plants appear in the annual register, which is divided into six sections covering more than 600 Missouri cities. All manufacturers can be found alphabetically and by city, product, SIC code and parent company.

An economic update.

Another economic report is an optimistic one for Missouri.

"Missouri Economic Report: Second Quarter Update," indicates that the economy is expanding at a brisk pace, with impressive increase in exports, employment and average weekly earnings.

The report is the first ever for the Missouri Department of Economic Development, but is not last.

Joseph Driskill, director of the department, said the report will be issued on a quarterly basis.

The new report is intended to serve as "a snapshot of the Missouri economy," noted Driskill.

Among the findings in the first report:

-- Employment in the state topped 2.55 million, a 3.2 percent increase from the second quarter of 1994. The unemployment rate for the quarter was listed at a stable 4.8 percent.

-- Missouri exports were higher than any second quarter on record, at $1.4 billion, 10 percent more than the totals for the same quarter a year ago.

-- Pay increases for Missouri workers averaged 4.1 percent.

-- Employment is up 2.3 percent from the first quarter of 1995. Construction employment, which is still enjoying good weather conditions, is up 9.8 percent.

Another employment indicator is the monthly job reports of the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, which reports another decrease in unemployment for the state in August.

The total labor force for Missouri in August was 2.8 million, 113,900 more than a year ago. The August unemployment total was 148,100, down 4,700 from July.

Manufacturing employment surged in August, with 5,700 new jobs, with big gains in electronic and electrical equipment, along with an increase in jobs in furniture, fixtures and transportation equipment.

Unemployment also dipped in Perry County to 4.7 percent, down from the 4.8 reading in July. Unemployment is up a bit in Cape Girardeau County, but by only a 0.1 of a point, at 4.2, compared to the 4.1 percent of July.