Shredding the evidence is sometimes a good idea

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smoyers

Forget Enron for a minute.

There's not always something wrong with shredding documents, especially when the goal is to thwart theft, corporate espionage and what has become known as Dumpster diving.

That's the goal of a new Cape Girardeau-based business called Shred Plus. As its name suggests, it's a document-shredding company that will come to your business and destroy sensitive documents that have outlived their usefulness.

The business is owned by Michele and Mike Griffin, and they started the mobile aspect of the business Feb. 1. The business will also offer data storage and retrieval at its offices at 779 Enterprise. Michele Griffin said that will open soon.

The document-shredding industry first sprang up in Toronto 15 years ago, and Griffin said it's continued to catch on. A quick Internet survey called up hundreds of sites for similar companies across the country.

There's a reason.

In today's increasingly competitive business market, a larger number of companies have implemented a comprehensive record retention system, explained Griffin, an area native who recently moved back here from Phoenix.

Yet in three, five or seven years, the material becomes outdated. That's when the Griffins and their 24-foot box industrial shredding truck pay a visit.

They'll shred such items as direct mail, bank statements, personal medical information, outdated tax records, closed legal files, credit card payments stubs and more, she said. And they can shred up to 1,000 pounds an hour.

Locked containers will be given to customers for them to place their confidential materials in and the documents are taken out into the business' parking lot and shredded on-site.

Bonded employees will shred the documents to confetti and commingle it with other customers' material. The paper is eventually sold back to a recycling company, Griffin said, which allows them to keep prices down.

Griffin said their business combats Dumpster diving -- the act of stealing thrown-away information for sales leads and items to bid. It may sound far-fetched, but it's become a growing threat to businesses, ever since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1988 that an American's right to privacy vanishes once personal paper hits the pavement.

"The bottom line is it's identity theft," she said. "It was the fastest-growing crime last year in the United States. People can know everything about you from these documents, from your Social Security card number to your credit card numbers."

It could be advantageous to make sure such information doesn't fall into the wrong hands, Griffin said.

"If data is leaked from your business and causes harm to a customer, you are liable," she said.

Michele Griffin is a registered nurse, and Mike was in sales for 14 years. They moved to Cape Girardeau because they saw a strong potential customer base, with its central area for banking, law and doctors' offices, and the retail hub.

"There are lots of documents in this town that need to be protected," she said.

And Griffin won't rip Enron for giving the shredding business a bad name.

"Actually, Enron's been good for us," she said. "It's brought to light the whole shredding issue. Besides, we don't know what we're shredding anyway."

And I wouldn't want to know.

A really big shoe

Westfield Shoppingtown West Park is getting some new shoes.

Mall manager Jim Govro tells me that The Shoe Department will be opening Feb. 25 in the spot abandoned a month ago by Supermarket of Shoes.

Supermarket of Shoes had seen traffic flow slow down, Govro said. The parent company had decided to tighten up their districts and move out of many secondary markets.

But the Shoe Department started out in the secondary markets, Govro said.

"They know markets like this one and the trends," Govro said. "So they should be able to deliver a great product at a great price."

The Shoe Department -- a subsidiary of Shoe Show -- was founded in 1960 in Kannapolis, N.C. Over the past 40 years, the company has continued to grow with stores named Shoe Show, Shoe Department and Burlington Shoes. Total stores exceed 700 in 28 states.

Retreat!

Leisure Retreat, which offers massages, body wraps and other things that does a body good, recently opened at 121 S. Broadview at Broadview Plaza.

The owner is Laura Pridemore, who used to work at El-lan until it closed. Pridemore then decided to go into business for herself.

Pridemore reminded us how massages do more than make us feel good.

"They're good for circulation," she said. "They're good for stress. They're good for relaxing muscles. They're mentally and physically good for you to relax."

Vim & Vigor

Southeast Hospital recently released the first issue of its new magazine, Vim & Vigor. In a setup piece by hospital administrator Jim Wente, he writes that the magazine will allow its readers to learn more about some of Southeast's medical services and how to access them. The first issue features an overview of the heart surgery program. It also has a profile on Oprah.

Aside from the content, which is good, I've shown the magazine around here, and everyone says it looks great. If you're interested in one of larger employers or the state of health care in the area, you ought to give it a read.

Fun money

According to Inc. magazine, DWL, a customer-relationship management company in Canada, gives its employees $1,000 per year on the condition they use it for fun only. No debt reduction allowed, no contributions to IRAs. Employees document their fun time with pictures they post on a large corkboard in the company building.

Does it work? The company boasts a 98 percent retention rate since the program started.

Scott Moyers is 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 to smoyers@semissourian.com or call 335-6611, extension 137.