Local Harley dealer heads for the highway

Sonny Minor is following the class rock song's advice: His motor's running and he's heading to the highway.

The Cape Girardeau Harley-Davidson dealer has plans under way to build a new facility along Interstate 55 a mile or so south of town.

Minor, whose family has sold Harley-Davidson's in Cape Girardeau for 31 years, is relocating for a couple reasons: Harley-Davidson has been pushing some of their dealerships to relocate to more prominent locations. Minor says they have also long needed more space and that the new facility will be more than twice as large as their current spot at 905 Enterprise.

"We've run out of room," Minor said. "Over the years, we've doubled our number of employees. And for years, Harley-Davidson has been trying to get us to move to the interstate."

The new 20,000-square-foot building will sit on 2.75 acres on the north side of I-55, almost directly across the highway from the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport along the outer roadway near mile marker 89. The building they have now is less than 9,000 square feet.

The new building will feature a 10,000-square-foot showroom, up from the 2,000 square feet they have now. The showroom will showcase the motorcycles, Harley-Davidson motor clothing, collectibles, etc. The other 10,000 square feet will be a mix of storage and the store's service department.

Minor believes that once they move -- scheduled for the first half of next year -- they will be on the only Harley-Davidson on I-55 from Chicago to New Orleans.

The philosophy makes sense. As we saw with last year's Harley-Davidson rally, Harley-Davidson owners take their hobby seriously. (They probably think calling it a hobby is not strong enough.) They travel all over the country to attend rallies, and riders cruising the highways no doubt stop at various Harley dealerships they pass. Sounds like a smart move.

It's probably not going to be long until it's done either.

Bids for the dirt work were let last week. They've been working on the plan for about two years and bought the property two years ago. They hope to open in May, which will coincide with Harley-Davidson's 100th anniversary.

According to Tom Kelsey, whose Lorimont Place brokered the deal, the seller was 730 Inc., a corporation owned by Gene Rhodes.

"We're really excited about moving," Minor said. "We've needed the space for some time, and we really think people will like it."

Words on Kinder Morgan

A Wall Street Journal report last week zeroed in on Kinder Morgan, saying such energy partnerships may be losing steam. The article, written by Chip Cummins, appeared last Wednesday.

Folks around here are most familiar with Kinder Morgan because it was formed by Cape Girardeau native and former Enron head Richard Kinder. The corporation is attempting to build a 550-megawatt power plant near Crump on Route U. The plant would generate electricity with natural gas-powered and steam turbines.

The somewhat controversial proposal is still before the Missouri Air Conservation Commission, and the decision has been postponed more than once.

Anyway, the article in the Journal points out that since its inception Kinder Morgan Energy Partners has made investors a ton of money by buying cash-generating pipelines and coal and petroleum terminals.

But now, Cummins writes, "ornery capital markets and heightened concerns from rating agencies about debt are making acquisitions more difficult."

After hitting a 52-week high of $39.65, just before Enron's collapse, the company's unit price has struggled, but recently has started to climb. The shares were up $1.55 to $33.66 last week in the stock exchange's composite trading.

One skeptic said the more you grow, the harder it is to grow more.

But since it started, it has made about 30 aquisitions valued at about $6 billion. But it hasn't made a major purchase, the article says, since the $730 million pipleline deal earlier this year. Executives maintain they can strike if they find a good deal. Kinder-Morgan says they can still expect a potential total return of 15 percent to 17 percent. Others say Kinder-Morgan should be looking at something more like 4 percent.

Kinder-Morgan might know more about its business than others, however. The following day, the Journal ran a story saying that its profits are up 38 percent.

Sounds like their steam is still going strong.

Buchheit expands

Biehle, Mo.-based Buchheit has announced it is opening a rental and repair center in the Perryville area. This will be a full-service rental store, renting small power tools and large equipment along with a full-service small-engine repair center.

The center will service Briggs & Stratton, Yard Machines by MTD, Troy-Bilt, Lawn-Boy, Gravely, Stihl, Karcher, Swisher, Brave Industries, Ariens, Reddy Heater Kerosene & Gas Space Heaters, Poulan, American Yard Products, Coleman Powermate, Kawasaki, Murray-Stanley, Ryobi, Homelite, Carter Go Karts, Kohler Engines, Tecumsey, Ardisam, Honda, Pug, King Kutter and Toro.

(Allow me to take a breath.)

Rudy Buchheit founded Buchheit in 1934. Buchheit employees over 230 people in the Perry County area and another 350 throughout the other locations. This is the sixth store for the family-owned-and-operated business. Other locations include Perryville, Jackson, Herculaneum, Mo., Sparta, Ill., and Jacksonville, Ill.

Work begins on bank

Construction has started for the 1st Community Bank building at the corner of Mount Auburn Road and Independence. A groundbreaking ceremony was held Thursday at teh site, which will have the address of 17 S. Mount Auburn Road.

The bank buiding is expected to be finished by May 30.

According to 1st Community Bank president and CEO Scott Spencer, the new bank will be a 7,300-square-foot facility offering full-service commercial banking with a drive-through and 24 hour ATM.

"Cape Girardeau is a rapidly growing and dynamic community, and our community-based banking philosophy is natural fit for this market area," Spencer said.

1st Community Bank has total assets of $174 million and has Missouri locations in Poplar Bluff, Malden, Bernie and Campbell. Its corporate headquarters are in Poplar Bluff.

Fire away

Is the boss thinking of letting you go? (Mine still wonders why he hired me.) It's a question that occurs to many workers these days as companies look for ways to streamline in a weak economy.

Meridian Resources, a business coaching firm in South Carolina, has compiled a list of warning signs that might indicate an employee's job is in jeopardy. I've also thrown in a few ideas of my own, just for fun.

Your boss and your colleagues are making less eye contact with you.

The entire company moves without telling you. (I hate when they do that.)

Your co-workers are more aware of what's going on in your areas of responsibility than you are.

When an important company meeting is held, you're not asked to attend. (Or if you are, it's to serve drinks.)

Some of your responsibilities at work have either been taken away and given to others because of "restructuring" or "reorganization." (Or they place you in a division of one called "soon to be fired" or "totally expendable.")

Someone else is sitting at your desk.

And finally (drumroll, please), your name is Scott Moyers.

Scott Moyers is the business editor for the Southeast Missourian. Send your comments, business news, information or questions to Biz Buzz, 301 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63702-0699, e-mail smoyers@semissourian.com or call 335-6611, extension 137.