Calling all entrepreneurs

A new Southeast Missouri State University class in entrepreneurship is so popular the Harrison College of Business is offering a second section. And for some, the classwork could mean more than just some credit hours -- among those enrolled will be contestants hoping to win a grant and workspace to start their own business.

The Southeast Apprentice contest, sponsored by president Ken Dobbins and the Student Government Association, will choose up to 10 students based on a one- to two-page concept proposal, said Gina Harper of the Southeast Innovation Center.

The winners, who will be chosen based on business plans developed during the course, will receive grants of up to $5,000 each for start-up costs and six months' rent in the recently completed business incubator. The incubator has 11 office spaces totaling 4,200 square feet in which to house startup businesses.

Contest entries must be submitted by 5 p.m. Tuesday.

The contest is in its second year, Harper said. But this is the first time a formal course, with credit, has been offered on campus in conjunction with the program.

Dr. James Stapleton will teach the course, which he said will explore the characteristics of a successful enterprise, study the common reasons start-up businesses fail and guide students as they write business plans.

"The competition is based on the quality of the business plan the students produce," Stapleton said.

So far, Stapleton said, the original section offered has filled up with 20 students and the second already has 10 enrollees. The remaining 10 slots are set aside for the students submitting proposals for the contest.

The course will become a regular offering, and is open to any student regardless of major, Stapleton said.

One area that will be emphasized is the connection of local markets to the global economy, Stapleton said. "There will be a discussion of how supply chains work for the most common products and the effects of the Internet on the ability to deliver products and services any time, anywhere, any place in the world, and to make sure they understand that."

Last year's contest had three winners, Harper said. Two students won $5,000 each for a photography business and a graphic design company. The third received $2,600 to start a lawn-care service.

Two of the grants will be sponsored by Dobbins' office and the third will be sponsored by the Student Government Association. A panel of local business leaders will judge the business plans in May at the end of the coursework, Harper said.

• Survivability: Speaking of entrepreneurs, the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council released its 12th annual rankings of states based on the climate for small business survival. Missouri ranked 19th, gaining strong marks for having no individual or corporate alternative minimum tax, no inheritance tax, a low gas tax, low government spending and strong tax limitation. Negatives for Missouri included high crime rates and a poor rating on eminent domain laws.
• Party shop: The former Academy of Scuba Training building at 2005 N. Kingshighway is undergoing renovations to become a new retail outlet for Younghouse Party Decorations and Costumes.

Cape Girardeau issued a building permit recently for an estimated $163,500 renovation of the 6,232-square-foot building. Plans include scrapping the 14-foot-deep swimming pool on the lower level, owner Rob Younghouse said.

The upper level of the store, which opens onto a parking lot off Kingshighway, will become the second outlet for the family costume and party business, Younghouse said. The store will be called Younghouse Party Central.

The lower level, which is accessed from the parking lot behind the building, will become the headquarters of Midwest Energy Inc., the business led by his wife, Laura Younghouse, that operates 11 Amerimart convenience stores in the region, Rob Younghouse said.

The new location should be open in mid-December, "just in time to miss the Christmas rush," Younghouse joked. New Year's is big for Younghouse, however, and he expects to do well at the new location. "New Year's is a huge thing for us," he said.

The location on North Kingshighway will have a visibility that the current location lacks, he added, but there are no plans to close the current store near the Interstate 55 and Highway 74-Dutchtown exit, Younghouse said.

• Wente recognized: South?east Missouri Hospital president and chief executive officer James Wente won the 2007 Visionary Leadership Award from the Missouri Hospital Association, the association said in a news release. "Jim's pursuit of excellence is infectious," association president Marc Smith said.

Wente joined Southeast as chief financial officer in 1975, winning promotions until he was named CEO on Jan. 1, 1991. During Wente's tenure, the hospital has expanded greatly, including the 75,000-square-foot Southeast Medical Plaza, HealthPoint Plaza fitness and rehabilitation center and development of a new west campus near I-55 where a medical office building is nearing completion.

"I'm very flattered and humbled by this recognition," Wente said in a news release, adding that it reflects on the quality of the leadership team at the hospital including the trustees, administrators and medical staff.

The expansions and renovations at the hospital continue, with Cape Girardeau issuing building permits last week for a $446,000 renovation of the 2,080-square-foot third-floor cardiac catheterization laboratory and a $200,000 remodeling of the 9,310-square-foot pediatrics and obstetrics laboratory.

• Insurance office opens: Linda B. Morton has opened a new Nationwide Insurance office at Sunset Boulevard and Independence Street that will be staffed by Jack Johnson and Cathy Fowler. Johnson will be the office manager, bringing more than 40 years' experience in insurance as a sales manager for two major companies and a stint as an independent agent. Fowler, a licensed agent, will bring experience in running a small business. Most recently she was the food and beverage manager at the Cape Girardeau Country Club.
• Name change: The CPA firm of Begley, Janssen, Young & Birk LC has changed its name to Begley, Young, Unterreiner & White LLC. The firm will remain at 2103 Themis St. and is a successor to the firm originally established in 1948 by Robert J. Early. The firm has three partners and eight additional professional staff.
• Location change: Crouch, Farley & Heuring PC, a CPA firm, has moved from Scott City to a new location at 623 S. Silver Springs Road. The firm has been been in business for more than 30 years. Rick Heuring opened the Scott City office as Heuring Accounting Services in 1983 and it merged with Crouch, Farley & Huering of Farmington, Mo., in 2005. The firm also has an office in De Soto, Mo.

Rudi Keller is the business editor for the Southeast Missourian. Contact him at 335-6611, extension 126