BIRDIE RADER NOT SORRY SHE SWITCHED CAREERS

Birdie Rader switched careers 20 years ago, and she couldn't be happier.

Rader, a sales associate at Century 21 Key Realty, was recently inducted into the Century 21 Divisional Hall of Fame, only one of 16 members who have been inducted into the Hall.

The recognition is one of the latest for Rader, who has become accustomed to receiving real estate honors. During her 19-year career with the Century 21 system, she has sold more than 800 units and produced sales volume of more than $62 million.

She has received the Century 21 Centurion Award -- the highest level of annual recognition given to top producing sales associates -- five times. This is one criteria for induction into the Hall of Fame.

She was inducted into the Hall of Fame last month during the annual divisional seven-state conference, held in Corpus Christi, Texas.

"I've never been sorry I switched careers," said Rader, a Texarkana, Ark. native who knew Ross Perot from the Texas side of Texarkana. "I was a biology teacher at Southeast Missouri State University 10 years and enjoyed that phase of my life, but I wanted something to develop my own talents and help others."

Rader attributes her real estate success to her golden rule philosophy toward work: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. In the end, the seller, buyer and agent wins. My satisfaction comes from working with people and helping them to achieve their goals. It gives me a thrill to see a customer or family acquire the home they want."

Rader has been with Century 21 Key Realty since 1988.

"I owned my own realty company for a while," said Rader. "It was a Century 21 firm."

Rader sold Century 21 American Real Estate Company in 1983 and remained with the firm five years as a listing and selling agent before joining Century 21 Key Realty.

Rader started receiving sales honors early in her real estate career.

She has twice received the top Century 21 agent award for the Missouri region and only recently was honored for being among the top 1 percent of sales associates in the St. Louis Region.

Rader has received all possible Century 21 professional designations -- residential specialist, investment specialist, VIP sales association, management specialist and more.

Century 21 operates approximately 560 Century 21 offices with more than 7,200 associates in the South Central States region. Rader recently was named as top sales associate in that entire region.

She also has been honored as Realtor of the Year by the Cape Girardeau County Board of Realtors and has been honored as a Woman of Achievement by the Zonta Club of Cape Girardeau.

Rader, who has a master's degree from the University of Arkansas, met her husband, William S. Rader, another Arkansas native, while both were attending the university.

She taught school at Texarkana and Blytheville, Ark., where her husband practiced law, before moving to Cape Girardeau. Her husband is a practicing attorney, and has served as an associate circuit judge.

Capital Supply, which sells musical instruments, amplifiers and other electronic music equipment, held its grand opening Saturday.

The new business, located in a 100 by 250-foot building in Nash Road Industrial Park, adjacent to Jerry Lipps Truck Service, is owned by Lipps.

"We sell retail," said Lipps. "We have a large warehouse and showroom areas."

Kerry Johnson is manager of the business, which is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

"We also offer mail-order," said Lipps. "We have a 50-page catalog."

The catalog office opens at 8 a.m. Monday through Saturday. More than $3,500 in merchandise was awarded during the Saturday grand opening.

Blockbuster Video, a video rental and sales business, opened recently at West Park Village -- 2530 William -- in Cape Girardeau.

The new business, which offers more than 10,000 video titles, is open from 10 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week.

Seifert's Store has reopened in West Park Mall.

James Seifert, who came out of retirement to revive the ailing specialty store chain, was in Cape Girardeau recently to help reopen the store.

Seifert, a co-founder of the Seifert's chain that was purchased by Grafton Group Ltd. in 1979, assumed 38 store leases from the defunct Seifert's chain, which was placed in Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August.

The Seifert story dates to 1951, when the first store opened at Ottumwa, Iowa. At one time, the company owned 50 stores, which were sold to the Grafton Group Ltd., of Canada. The chain grew to 200 stores, but started failing in 1990. It dwindled to 38 stores before Seifert came out of retirement.

"You're going to see Seifert's go back to what it was 10 years ago," said Seifert.

Peggy Tinsley is store manager of the Cape Girardeau operation.

From the "If you're wondering what it is" department:

That large, covered pile of dirt located near the intersection of Broadway and West End Boulevard is just that...dirt.

"It's top soil," said a spokesperson from Southeast Missouri Hospital. "We're storing it on the vacant lot for future use."

Enter Roosevelt Bank, exit Savings of America.

Roosevelt Bank of St. Louis has purchased 17 Savings of America federal savings banks in Missouri, including the one at 3168 Route K in Cape Girardeau.

Roosevelt Bank, based in Chesterfield, also has assumed operations of Savings of America locations in Poplar Bluff, Dexter, Malden, Hayti, Caruthersville, Portageville and Sikeston. The remainder of the newly acquired locations are in metropolitan St. Louis.

Mary Trigg, a spokesperson for Home Savings of America, said the firm, headquartered in Irwindale, Calif., was concentrating on large metropolitan markets in California, New York, Chicago, Florida, Houston and Dallas and eliminating many of its rural markets.

Image Creators Inc. recently opened in Cape Girardeau.

The new company offers marketing services for business owners for manufactured products and services.

"We offer expertise and technology in marketing, project management, sales literature development, trade show preparations, graphic designs and technical writing," said Louise Getts, president of the firm.

Getts previously was associated with Blair Industries at Scott City, as assistant marketing manager.

The new business is owned by Getts and her husband, Alan.

Alan Getts, a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, is vice president and is involved in the organizational and administrative operations of the company.

Heading up the software and graphics division of the company is Eldridge Urquhart, a graduate of the University of South Alabama, with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering.

Additional information is available by calling 334-6600.

ELSEWHERE:

Anna Mercantile opened recently at Anna, Ill.

The new business offers a general line of merchandise, including used and antique furniture, appliances, and rugs.

Owners of the firm, Kasey and Terry Rueffer, also own Rueffer's Jewelry, Shoes and Dry Cleaning, and Mainstreet Trading Co., all in Anna.

Plans for a new Comfort Inn have been filed at Carbondale, Ill. The new, two-story, 60-room, complex is planned east of Carbondale on Route 13. The city's motels have been running over 90 percent occupancy.

CLOSINGS:

F. W. Woolworth Co., a variety store which has had a Cape Girardeau connection for almost 80 years, will close its doors Jan. 8.

"We started our closing sale Thursday," said a spokesman of the local store, located at Town Plaza Shopping Center. "We hope to close out Jan. 8."

Sale hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday Through Saturday.

The local store, a 12,000 square foot operation which employs 13, opened in 1960. The first Woolworth store here opened in June of 1914 in downtown Cape Girardeau.

Woolworth Corp. announced last month that 700 of its 9,000 stores will be closed.