STRICTLY BUSINESS: SANDBAGGING MACHINE TO BE INTRODUCED AT FLOOD CONFERENCE

When Stacey Kanzler passed through Ste. Genevieve during a 1993 vacation, she was appalled by the flood disaster she observed but was impressed with the hundreds of volunteers who worked long hours to erect a floodwall.

Hundreds of residents, volunteers, National Guardsmen and members of the U.S. Coast Guard worked tirelessly to barricade a majority of the community from the encroaching Mississippi River.

The sights never left Kanzler, an earth-moving contractor at Wauconda, Ill.

"When I saw all those people bagging sand, I could envision a machine which could make things easier," Kanzler said this week.

Not waiting to return home, Kanzler designed and faxed her ideas to a builder, and by the time she returned home, some sandbagging machines were ready.

The machines were immediately sent out for testing.

"One of them was sent to Ste. Genevieve," Kanzler said. "Others were sent to Ellis Grove, Ill., where pre-teen boys and girls, working against the flood, filled an average of 800 bags an hour.

The machines can bag up to 1,600 bags an hour, Kanzler said. She is now president of the Sandbagger Corp. at Wauconda.

Ste. Geneveive officials remember the sandbagger.

They worked, a city official said, adding that the equipment played a big role in helping our town.'

The machines will be in the spotlight again this week, at the 1995 National Flood Conference, Tuesday through Friday, to be held at the Regal Riverfront Hotel in St. Louis.

The primary focus of the National Flood Conference is to address problems confronting many flood victims.

The sandbagging machine will be on display at the conference from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday.

"We'll be demonstrating the use of the machine, and people will have an opportunity for a hands-on experience," Kanzler said.

The sandbagger, she said, is being used to prevent floods, mudslides and erosion, adding: "It can also be used to contain fires and hazardous spills."

Sandbagger Corp. offers two standard models and will design special machines for customers with unique requirements.

Customers include various Mississippi River levee districts, water districts and municipalities.

Kanzler and her husband operate Kanzler Earth Moving Co., and have been in the earth-moving business more than 18 years.

New on the business scene

The new Hampton Inn opened here last week.

The three-story, 82-room hotel and the nearby Drury Suites, both at the Interstate 55/Route K interchange, are owned and operated by Drury Inns Inc.

"We're proud to add the Hampton Inn to the growing Cape Girardeau area," regional manager David Ziegler said. "There is an increased demand for quality hotel accommodations in Cape Girardeau."

Drury Inns Inc., owns and operates more than 70 Drury Inn, Pear Tree Inn by Drury, Thrifty Inn, Hampton Inn and holiday Inn Express hotels in 12 states.

Little Caesars Pizza, which opened here in 1990, has added a new service.

"We started a delivery service last week," said Gary Ratledge, president of the business which includes operations at Sikeston and Poplar Bluff. "This marks a new change in our business."

The delivery service is new to the Little Caesars pizza chain, which previously provided eat-in and carry-out services. Following a recent survey, the chain permits a delivery service.

Ratledge and his wife, Sharon, opened their first Little Caesars restaurant near Kingshighway and Independence in March 1990. The Ratledges have since opened Little Caesars at Sikeston and Poplar Bluff, which will also offer the delivery service.

Then, there will be eight.

Splash Casino, once referred to as a "boat in a moat" in Tunica County in Mississippi, has announced it will close within the next two months.

Splash, the first gambling casino in Tunica, is an isolated operation now, more than 15 miles south of a glut of casinos in the Robinsonville area in northern Tunica County.

Another casino, Treasure Bay Casino & Resort has applied to the Memphis Engineer District for a permit to re-excavate a 150-foot-wide channel leading to the Mississippi River. The channel was once used to move the casino to its present site on Buck Island in Tunica County.

The gambling company wants to move the casino down the Mississippi River to the port of Pascagoula.

This will leave eight casinos in operation in Tunica County, which at one time had more than 20 applications for gambling operations.

All eight of the remaining casinos are in the Robinsonville area, 30 miles south of downtown Memphis, Tenn.

Two other casino operations have moved from the Tunica area over the past year and a third has closed. Lady Luck moved its riverboat casino south of Tunica County and President's Riverboat left the Mississippi area. Casino Belle closed, and was only recently acquired by Harrah's.

Harrah's, one of the smallest casino operations in Tunica County, and one of the initial casinos in the Robinsonsville area, purchased the Belle to increase its size. The Belle is across the road from the current Harrah's.

A helping hand for workers

The Missouri Department of Economic Development (DED), Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DOLIR) and Southeast Missouri Private Industry Council (SEMO PIC) have announced plans to help more than 400 workers at Dexter to re-train for new jobs.

Purolator Products announced last week that it would close its Dexter plant, eliminating 410 jobs.

State officials met with Purolator officials late last week to explain state benefits and services available to laid-off works and to schedule informational meetings.

Meetings with employees will be held at the UAW Hall in Dexter Wednesday. Three sessions are scheduled, at 7 a.m., and at 1 and 4 p.m.

The Division of Job Development and Training of DOLIR provides funds to SEMO PIC to offer immediate "Worker Re-entry" programs to the workers.

Missouri also has a contract with the Missouri State Labor Council (AFL-CIO) to provide liaison services to organized labor. The Purolator plant was affiliated with the United Auto Workers (UAW).

The Purolator Products plant in Dexter was one of 14 major automotive supply industries in Missouri. The plant manufactured filters for the automotive industry.

Career options workshops will be available to the workers. Other services include counseling, assessment and testing, job search assistance, training and job placement. Workers will also learn how to interview for new jobs and how to prepare resumes.

The plant will be shut down in two phases. The first 250 employees will be released Aug. 25. The remainder of the plant will cease operations Sept. 29.

Many management employees will be offered positions in other Purolator facilities, but officials point out that this is a relatively small number of employees.

Purolator opened its Dexter plant in 1968.

More than 6,000 workers have been laid off by GTE Telephone, in 110 work sites in 21 states, including Missouri and Illinois .

The layoffs, say GTE officials, are because of GTE's decision to restructure its workforce to keep pace with technological innovations, changes in the marketplace and increased competition because of deregulation.

The U.S. Department of Labor is awarding up to $4.8 million to help the workers make a quick and smooth transition to other employment opportunities.

The request for federal assistance came from the Common Interest Forum, a joint effort of GTE, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).