1999 BUSY FOR BUSINESS COMMUNITY

3. Cape Girardeau's two Save-A-Lot stores will consolidate into one store in the former Del Farm National Grocery and Schnucks building, giving the city's Midtown its first grocery in almost two years. Heartland Save-A-Lot at 19 N. Spanish and near Broadway and Kingshighway, both owned by Maevers Food Inc. of Jackson, will close when the new market opens at 121 S. Sprigg. The store will occupy about half of the 36,000-square-foot structure. The retail sales area will be about 12,000 square feet.

4. BLOOMFIELD Golden Cat Corp. will be getting some help in financing the training of a half-dozen employees. State Rep. Marilyn Williams, D-Dudley, says the company has been approved for a $7,130 grant from the Missouri Job Development Fund to help cover the cost of training workers. Located on Highway Y east of Bloomfield, the company produces cat litter. Golden Cat Corp. has been in business for more than 50 years.

5. SIKESTON Every day for 41 years John Southern went to work, eager to chat with his customers and help them with any dilemma they might encounter. But early in morning, the retired manager at Riggs Wholesale Co. watches helplessly as flames destroy a large part of his past. Efforts from seven area fire departments prove futile when a fire razes the building supply and hardware business at 380 N. West St. No one is injured. The company, which originated in Sikeston 50 years ago, moved from its first site at Main and Malone to larger quarters on North West Street in May.

7. Cape Girardeau homeowners are making a big splash. Although it's summer and that means time to indulge in the luxury of a swimming pool, some Cape Girardeau residents are wading in line for construction permits. The city's inspection services division has issued eight permits for swimming pools so far this year, including four this past month alone. While the pool permits total $157,000, and deck permits range from $600 for a self-constructed one to $5,500 for one with benches, fancy trim and landscaping. Fifteen permits for decks have been issued this year. But these are only a portion of the construction project permits issued so far this year. Nearly $11 million in permits have been issued by the city since January. But overall, construction permits are down for Cape Girardeau during the first five months of 1999.

7. A new beauty salon has opened in downtown Cape Girardeau. Total Image Salon, 124 N. Main, owned by Shawn and Stephanie Stockard, offers hair styling, nail care and tanning facilities. Stephanie Stockard, a graduate of Stage One The Beauty School in Cape Girardeau, manages the salon.

8. A labor union's dispute with a painting subcontractor shuts down a Southeast Missouri State University construction project. Workers in other trades walk off the job after Painters Local Union 1292 begin picketing the construction site. Non-union painters remain on the job. A lone picket carrying a white AFL-CIO umbrella parades near the entrance to the Show Me Center. University officials say they hope the dispute will be resolved quickly so work can proceed on expansion of the Student Recreation Center. The building adjoins the Show Me Center. The project is supposed to be finished prior to the start of the fall semester.

10. The Procter & Gamble Company has announced details of its five-year, far-reaching, strategic plan to carry the company into its next phase of "Organization 2005." During the process, which will increase long-term annual sales growth 6 to 8 percent, 15,000 jobs will be eliminated over the next six years about 13 percent of the work force and 10 plants may be closed. There is no immediate or planned impact on the Cape Girardeau County facility.

10. Circuit City, a giant retailer of brand-name consumer electronics, is coming to Cape Girardeau. The company, headquartered at Richmond, Va., has been looking at the Cape Girardeau market for a number of months. Despite the announcement, no official date for opening has been set. The store will occupy a new building in Cape West Business Park.

12. The Kmart store in Cape Girardeau is taking on a new look. The store is moving to a Big K format. Remodeling began at the store, 11 S. Kingshighway, earlier this week and will continue through mid-August. The 80,000-square-foot store will undergo complete remodeling, but will remain open through the two-month process.

14. No one knows much about the origins of the street, but one thing city officials do know is that Walnut street is falling apart. Situated between Commercial street and South Kingshighway, a 300-foot stretch of road is causing major problems for two businesses. The road itself is practically a dirt road. Only two businesses operate on the street: Motorsports Unlimited and Gary's Car and Truck Sales. Both businesses sell cars that get covered with dust from the road every day and frequently need to be cleaned to entice sales. Owners of both businesses have agreed to pay to pave the road. But no one seems to know who built the road, and because its origin is unknown, no one knows who is responsible for maintaining it.

14. The Family Chiropractic Clinic has opened at 210 N. Sprigg in Cape Girardeau. Operating the clinic is Dr. Michael Givens of Cape Girardeau, a graduate of Logan Chiropractic College in Chesterfield.

15. The days of traditional meter readers making the neighborhood rounds are numbered. AmerenUE plans to replace all its electric meters in Southeast Missouri with new automated ones. The switchover began three years ago in St. Louis, where the millionth automated meter was recently installed. Around 46,000 meters will be installed in territory AmerenUE serves in the Cape Girardeau region. Installation will begin in earnest in November and December and is scheduled to be completed by March 2000.

21. A new real estate company has opened in Cape Girardeau. ERA Realty Group, a full-service real estate company, has joined the ERA Franchise Systems Inc., a worldwide residential and estate brokerage network. The new business is at 2131 William in the Heritage Plaza. Glenn Dorsey, member and broker-owner, and his wife, Paula, both formerly of Cape Girardeau, have returned here from the Pensacola, Fla., area to open the new company.

21. Riggs Wholesale Co. will be back in business July 1. The Sikeston business plans to move into temporary quarters at 705 Davis Blvd. The Riggs building on North West Street was destroyed by fire on June 5. Dolph Riggs owns the business.

28. Standard Office Products of Murphysboro, Ill. has opened a service center for office equipment in Cape Girardeau. The company, owned by Bill Heckert of Cape Girardeau, opened the local office at 38 N. Spanish when Standard Office Products took over the service accounts of Tri-State Copiers here. The Spanish street store will serve as local office for the company's wholesale and retail sales of Canon off-lease and rental return units.

28. Pendleton Woolen Mills has opened a retail outlet in Cape Girardeau. The store, at 2117 William, in Heritage Square, offers men's and women's clothing, along with other items, including Indian blankets. Peggy Tinsley is store manager.

28. USA Mattress Outlet has opened a store at 1914-B Independence in Cape Girardeau. Sue Northern, a co-owner in the business, is manager of the local store. USA Mattress Outlet, which offers a number of mattress brands Sealy, Serta, Bassett, Beautyrest and others has three stores. Other locations are at Sikeston and Mt. Vernon, Ill.

28. SCOTT CITY Hawaiian Snow, a snow-cone business, has opened at 1708 Main St., in Scott City. The new business offers 24 flavors of snow cones and is owned by Terry Johnston.

28. The Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority Board of Commissioners recently presented an award to Morton D. Potashnick for 17 years of service.