BUILDING EXPANSION BRINGS `GREAT DAY' TO AREA

Local and state officials involved in efforts and negotiations to get Procter & Gamble Co. to expand its tissue and towel manufacturing operations in Cape Girardeau County are happy.

The Fortune 500 company headquartered in Cincinnati on Wednesday announced a $350 million project that is expected to create more than 350 new jobs.

"It is a great day for Cape Girardeau County and Southeast Missouri," said Mitch Robinson, executive director of the Cape Girardeau Area Industrial Recruitment Association.

"We're glad to see it happen," said John Mehner, president of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce. "This will have a good impact on the entire region. P&G is truly a regional employer."

"We are ecstatic," said Gerald Jones, presiding commissioner of Cape Girardeau County.

"We had a meeting of county officials, industrial board members and other involved players this morning to hear the announcement when it came via telephone," said Jones. "There were a lot of excited people here."

Gov. Mel Carnahan; Joe Driskill, director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development; and state Sen. Peter Kinder were enthusiastic on hearing the news that Cape Girardeau had been selected for the P&G expansion.

"This is one of the most significant projects we have seen in Missouri in the past decade," said Carnahan.

Driskill said the announcement is the latest from a string of Fortune 500 companies that have made major investments in Missouri in recent months. They include Caterpillar, Union Pacific, General Motors and First Chicago Corp.

"The international business community has sent a strong signal that Missouri is a good place to live, work and do business," said Driskill. P&G's investment is the largest in the state since 1993, and third largest over the past 10 years.

"I'm thrilled beyond words for the entire area," said Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau. "We've been working on this for years."

P&G officials have pointed to the quality and performance of the work force in the area, said Kinder. The work force is to be commended, he said.

A lot of people deserve a lot of credit for efforts leading to this announcement, said Kinder.

Kinder recalled a meeting in the summer of 1994.

"I was on a platform in East Prairie with the governor and Driskill," said Kinder. "We were aware of P&G's search for a new facility, and I brought it up with Driskill.

Kinder told Driskill that it was his impression that the company would like to come to Cape Girardeau. "P&G likes the work force and the community," he told Driskill.

Driskill has served as a leader of the state team through all the talks and negotiations, said Kinder.

Others from the state team included Carnahan, Joe Mickes of the Missouri Department of Transportation, David Shorr of the Department of Natural Resources and Alan G. Mueller, chairman of the Public Service Commission.

"These men have worked diligently throughout the past two years on this project," said Kinder.

Bob Drury also deserves a big hand in this project, said Kinder.

At a crucial point in negotiations, Drury, of Drury Development in Cape Girardeau, made his corporate jet available to take a group of the state team from Jefferson City to Cincinnati, Kinder said.

"That meeting was positive," said Kinder. "I feel it was a key development in the negotiations."

"I certainly want to give Mitch Robinson a pat on the back," said Mehner. "He has worked hard on this project the past two years.

Robinson was also mentioned by Mike Jennewein, human-relations manager at P&G.

"We've had great support from a number of people -- the Cape Girardeau Area Industrial Recruitment Association, the Cape Girardeau County Commission, Sen. Peter Kinder, the Missouri Department of Economic Development," said Jennewein.

"We started looking everywhere when the search first started," said Jennewein. "We narrowed it down to a handful, and finally to two or three sites before the final selection."

Some existing employees will be used in the new plant and some of the new hires will be used in both operations.

"The scope of this project was unique," said Robinson. "A lot of people played a lot of key roles."

These include representatives from the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority, railroad and utilities, including Citizens Electric of Ste. Genevieve and Union Electric.

"We owe a lot to Kathy Brown, P&G manager here; Mike Jennewein, and other P&G management staff who pushed hard for the operation to be located here," said Robinson. "I think the announcement solidifies forever Procter & Gamble's commitment to Cape Girardeau."

The Cape Girardeau County Commission, said Jones, appreciates what P&G's decision will mean to economic development in all of Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois.

"We look forward to continuing good relations with P&G," said Jones. "P&G has been a wonderful community corporation for 28 years and we anticipate that becoming even better."

"I think we can conservatively say that several hundred construction workers will be working here in the near future," said Jones.