Travel agent flies solo with own business

Earlier this year Cynthia Schutt opened Tailored Travel, one of three agencies by that name in the U.S. Recently Schutt became an independent agency owner with the opening of All Around Travel, though the location at 4 S. Pacific St. in Cape Girardeau hasn't changed.

Schutt said that after being affiliated with a host agency for many years, she wanted to give sole ownership a try. She said she thinks this move will help her better serve her clients.

"This economy is really taking a toll on the travel industry, so with this decision I am helping in two separate ways," Schutt said. "One, this will now be a local business, which will keep the money in our area, and two, I will be able to use my affiliation with all the major vacation vendors to get even more for my clients' money."

The agency is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon Saturday and by appointment only Sunday. The business can be reached at 651-3149 or 866-501-9345.

* Meeting scheduled to discuss clinic relocation: This Thursday a town hall meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at the VFW Post, 1049 Kingshighway, to discuss the relocation of a VA clinic. The clinic would be moved from the Missouri State Veterans Home to the former site of the Pier 1 Imports building near West Park Mall.

* Part-time job fair Wednesday: Businesses still have time to register for a booth at Wednesday's Southeast Missouri State University part-time job fair. Scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom, the event will assist businesses with hiring qualified, part-time student workers. Nearly 20 businesses had registered by Saturday. There is no charge for businesses to participate in the job fair. For more information, call 651-2583 or visit www.semo.edu/careerlinkages/parents/calendar_22116.htm.

* New bar opening in downtown Cape: Today classes will resume for Southeast Missouri State University students. Those students who frequent the bar scene downtown will have one more option with the opening of Margarita Mama's later this week at 701 Main St. The bar will be open 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday. Owner Ben Burch previously worked at St. Louis-area bars and most recently at Slingers in Cape Girardeau. Burch said he's looking forward to operating the new bar.

"It will be pretty much a SEMO bar dedicated to the college students," Burch said. "The bar will be very Greek friendly with a fun-filled, high-energy atmosphere."

* Census Bureau office renovations nearing completion: Crews will soon finish renovation work on the new Census Bureau office in Cape Girardeau at 623 S. Silver Springs Road. The building will house offices that will coordinate the upcoming census count for all the counties in Southeast Missouri.

Officials expect to move in by Oct. 1. The office will have 62 employees.

Tom Kelsey, a broker with Lorimont Place Ltd., the firm that handled the leasing deal, said the 7,300-square-foot space was formerly home to Station West, a home-improvement retail showroom. The offices are part of a larger 36,000-square-foot neighborhood mixed-use center and has a combination of retail and office tenants.

* Sodexo purchases local in-home care business: An international food and facilities management service company has purchased Comfort Keepers, an in-home care franchise serving seniors and other adults in Cape Girardeau and other markets nationwide. Sherry James of the Comfort Keepers office, 225 S. Sheridan Drive in Cape Girardeau, said no changes by Sodexo are expected at their office.

Southeast Missourian business reporter Brian Blackwell may be contacted at 388-3628 or bblackwell@semissourian.com.<I>