BELL GIVES RECRUITMENT GRANT

The Cape Girardeau Area Industrial Recruitment Association has been chosen to receive an Economic Excellence grant from Southwestern Bell Telephone.

The grant of $4,718 will be used to assemble and distribute a regional economic profile to be used to market and promote the greater Cape Girardeau area.

The profile will contain essential economic development information on industrial sites, available buildings, utility rates, tax and financial assistance programs, transportation networks, education resources, employee training programs, labor market data and other community demographics.

The award will be presented Sunday at the Missouri Community Betterment Conference. Also receiving one of the 22 grants given this year is the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority, which will use the funds to seek a foreign trade zone designation.

The industrial recruitment group was formed in December as a joint venture of Cape Girardeau County, the cities of Cape, Jackson and Scott City, and the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce. A seven-member board of directors representing the entities oversees operations of the association.

A goal of the association is to improve cooperation between Cape-area cities in seeking new industry. Organizers of the group point out that industrial prospects can be offered several sites to choose from, and that new industry benefits a wide area, not just the community it locates in.

D. Mitch Robinson, executive director of the association, said the Bell Telephone grant will go a long way toward helping the group meet its goals.

"We are thrilled that Southwestern Bell has chosen our organization as one of only 22 organizations who will receive this grant," said Robinson. "Our board of directors feels this project is crucial to effectively promote and market the Cape Girardeau area to prospective industries.

"Additional funding from Southwestern Bell will allow us to produce a professional publication illustrating how our communities have banded together to create new jobs and new investment throughout the region."

Robinson explained that economic profiles are the primary source of information for prospective industries that are interested in expanding or relocating to the Cape area. Since July, the industrial recruitment association has distributed several profiles to prospective companies.

As a result of the grant, Robinson said an additional 250 profiles will be produced and distributed to market the region.

Sponsors of the Economic Excellence program include: the Hawthorn Foundation, Missouri Department of Economic Development, the Missouri Chamber of Commerce, the Missouri Press Association, the Missouri Industrial Development Council, and Southwestern Bell.

In all, 76 applications were submitted to judges and a total of $110,000 will be distributed through the grant program. Projects were judged on their potential to create, expand or retain jobs and revenues in Missouri.