STRICTLY BUSINESS: SOME THINGS CHANGING AT TG (U.S.A.)

There's something new at TG (U.S.A.) Corp. in Perryville:

-- A new name, "TG Missouri Corp."

-- And, a new logo.

When TG (U.S.A.) Corp. opened for business in Perryville Industrial Park more than a dozen years ago, it produced plastic transmission gears for Ford Motor Co. and steering wheels for Chrysler Corp. The company and its small band of 27 workers operated out of a 48,000-square-foot building.

That was in February 1987.

Today, TG Missouri works out of more than 400,000 square feet of space, and the more than 1,200 employees produce hundreds of auto parts, including steering wheels, air-bag covers, speaker covers, auto side moldings and lots of little knobs and plastic covers.

The company makes parts for most auto manufacturing companies, including Toyota, Mazda, and the Big Three: Ford, GMC-Chevrolet and Chrysler.

The company, which has been an integral part of the Perryville economic scene, officially became TG Missouri Corp. in August.

The change is from a reorganization of North American Operations by TG's parent company, Toyoda Gosei of Japan.

The new logo, which incorporates the TG initials, along with the new names, will standardize and provide location identification for TG Missouri and TG Kentucky, the two U.S. manufacturing facilities.

TG was founded by Toyoda Gosei Co. Ltd., a part of the Toyoda Group and Mitsui and Co., a leading trading company in Japan. The company was founded in April 1986, and in May 1987 the first Japanese-owned automotive plant opened at Perryville.

Toyoda Gosei started in Japan in 1949 as Nogoya Rubber Co. Ltd., which produced rubber parts for automobiles. In 1973, the company changed its name to Toyoda Gosei Co. Ltd.

The Mitsui Co. was founded more than 100 years ago in 1876 and has offices throughout the world.

TG selected Perryville as the site for its first manufacturing facility after several visits to Missouri and other states.

Glenn Graham was the first American to be hired by Toyoda Gosei, when he became a part of the management team of TG, during formation of the company. He helped oversee construction of the first plant. After joining TG he spent considerable time in Japan becoming familiar with Toyoda Gosei and its production and management systems.

The company employed more than 200 within a year, 750 by 1996, 950 in 1998, and now has a 1,200-member work force.

Perryville and TG have enjoyed a mutual beneficial relationship. The community's support and a strong work force have enabled TG to be successful, resulting in an average $73 million annual revenues being poured into the community through payroll, investments, purchase of goods, services, local taxes and civic-minded activities.

Coming this month

The Southeast Missourian's "Top 60" industries, based on number of employees, started as a "Top 25" six years ago, but due to growth, expansions and new industry, the list grew to "Top 40 in 1995, and soared to the "Top 60" in 1996.

We have been researching the 2000 list, which will appear later this month.

This year, we'll present three lists -- a "Top 60" on manufacturing, industry and product-related companies in Southeast Missouri; a "Top 15" Cape Girardeau County list of all employers in the county (manufacturing, retail, medical, education and others); and a "Top 20" list of largest employers in Southern Illinois.

Manufacturing and industry are Missouri giants.

More than 8,400 facilities provide employment to more than 460,000 employees statewide, with Cape Girardeau ranking 12th among Missouri's cities in manufacturing facilities.

The 80-plus plants in the city provide employment to 3,500 workers. Add the county, and the manufacturing employment numbers double, as more than 130 Cape Girardeau County plants provide employment to more than 7,000 people, with more than a third of them at two plants -- Procter & Gamble Paper Products north of Cape Girardeau and Lee-Rowan Co. at Jackson.

For the Cape Girardeau list, we checked with the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce and a number of other sources. The largest employer is Mid-America Motel Corp., headquartered in Cape Girardeau. Mid-America includes motel, restaurant, construction and administration workers in a number of locations.

Nobody will be surprised that Southern Illinois University-Carbondale emerged as the biggest employer in Southern Illinois. We checked with county economic commissions throughout Southern Illinois area, and the SIU economic development department.

We may have missed someone in all our calculations. When the lists are published Feb. 27, business and industry representatives are urged to check the various lists. If companies were omitted, contact us. Submit the company name, type of product, how long in business, and total employment to: B. Ray Owen, Strictly Business, Southeast Missourian, 301 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63701, or Rowen@Semissourian.com.

Good news, bad news

There was good news and bad news on the Cape Girardeau business front last year.

The good news was that more than 175 new businesses opened.

The bad news? Almost 150 businesses closed.

Actual figures show about 172 openings, with 149 closings, a net gain of 23 new businesses.

That's a better average than some years over the past decade when more closings were reported than openings.

Records from the Cape Girardeau merchants permit office showed a combined total of 474 new businesses opened during the years 1993, 1994 and 1995, almost keeping pace with the 489 closings during the same three-year span.

Net gains came in 1996 when 168 new business licenses were issued, with 87 closings, for a net gain of 82, and in 1998 when 291 new businesses opened with 190 closures.

Some merchant license transactions represented change-of-ownership or address.