AUTO DEALERSHIP SMALL INDUSTRY OF THE YEAR

The oldest auto dealership in Cape Girardeau has earned one of the Chamber of Commerce's newest awards.

Ford Groves Motor Co., which opened in November 1914, was named Small Business of the Year Friday night by the Cape Girardeau chamber during its annual dinner and dance at the Show Me Center.

Robert Neff, general manager and part owner of the company, accepted the award from F.R. "Buz" Sutherland, outgoing chairman of the chamber's Small Business Committee, which sponsors the award.

More than 700 people attended the event. Two other awards were presented.

J. Hugh Logan joined a small and prestigious group. Logan, who worked with Moon Distribution for more than 30 years before retiring in 1965, was named recipient of the Rush H. Limbaugh Sr. award. Also honored was Rozan Bonsignore, who received the Go-Getter award, presented by the chamber for a member's outstanding work with the organization's membership committee.

The Limbaugh award was presented by David Limbaugh, a grandson of 103-year-old Cape Girardeau attorney Rush Limbaugh Sr., for whom the award is named.

Logan, a former Cape Girardeau mayor, founded the Cape Girardeau United Way in 1955. He has also worked as a volunteer in other areas, including Scouting, Southeast Missouri Hospital Foundation and Southeast Missouri State University Foundation.

New and outgoing directors were recognized by Ollie Miller, outgoing chairman of the board. Miller, in his final act as chairman, passed the gavel to Jim Rust, the new chairman of the board.

Rust told the group that the chamber was positioned for another good year. He listed a number of priorities for 1995, including retaining and expanding existing industry and business, creation of new jobs, attracting new workers to the area and finding a new home for the chamber.

Neff said, "To stand up here and receive this award is a great honor for our company and its 75 employees."

Previous winners of the award were Advance Business Systems in 1992; Bluff City Beer in 1993; and KBSI-TV last year.

Ford Groves has been a fixture in the auto sales business here for more than eight decades, starting in the downtown area and remaining in a location at 41 N. Sprigg for 65 years, from 1924 to 1989, before moving to its site at 1500 N. Kingshighway.

Since 1987, the company has doubled both its sales and revenues, exceeding $30 million in sales in 1994.

Frederick A. Groves incorporated the Ford Groves agency in 1914.

Groves remained in the agency until 1977, when he retired. L. Edgar Massey took over the dealership, becoming president and principal owner until 1986.