Business briefs

Southeast research facility to be completed next summer

After an unforeseen delay last spring caused by a visit by an endangered species of bat, groundwork for the University Research Village off Interstate 55 is set to begin in the next four weeks. Contractors, temporarily waiting for the earth to dry out, are planning to complete the project in the summer or fall of 2008.

The research park is intended to reflect the interests of the university as well as the community. "We want alumni to come back and live," said Dennis Roedemeier, chief executive officer of the Southeast-affiliated Missouri Research Corp.

With good soil, clean air and a spacious atmosphere, the grounds include active retirement units, which used to mainly focus on swimming but now ten to concentrate on walking trails, fitness and health centers.

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Mid-South Wire gets state bond package

The Missouri Department of Economic Development has approved $3 million in tax-exempt bonds to assist the Mid-South Wire Co. in establishing a major manufacturing presence in Southeast Missouri. Mid-South converts raw low-carbon steel to wire for a variety of uses, including appliance-making, material-handling and the automotive industry. The Nashville-based manufacturer will use the bond revenue to build a new facility in Scott City for the production of cold-drawn wire for delivery to customers in the region. Company officials intend to staff the new facility with 25 people from and around Scott City and project creating a total of 60 new positions within five years.

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Alternative Internet service coming to SE Missouri

For people who can't get cable or DSL in the rural areas of Perry County and are looking for an alternative to satellite Internet service now have a choice of a high-speed Internet provider called INetPlus Inc.

The service costs $34.95 a month. INet offers a free site test to make certain you're in range of one of the five towers. For those who are not, the small company is still working on building its network.

"The first real test was when the storms came through and my satellite TV service was out but my Internet was still working," said Steve Delcambre of Perryville.

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State Farm announces $21.8 million dividend

State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. announced March 1 its auto insurance policyholders in Missouri will receive dividends totaling $21.8 million. Policyholders will receive 7.3 percent of their semiannual premium. The average dividend per vehicle in Missouri is $22. Dividend payments will begin in early April and will continue throughout the year.

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Edward Jones ranked No. 6 for service

The financial services firm Edward Jones is the highest-ranking brokerage firm on BusinessWeek magazine's first-ever ranking of "Customer Service Champs," according to Juanita Penfield, a financial adviser in Cape Girardeau. The St. Louis-based firm ranked No. 6 among 25 national and international companies that, according to the magazine's March 5 edition, are the "best providers of customer service."

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Class on writing business plan offered

A class being offered by the University of Missouri Extension called "The Basics of Writing a Business Plan" is being held at the Jackson Chamber of Commerce at 6 p.m. March 19. The class is sponsored by the Jackson Chamber of Commerce. The class will teach key parts of a business plan while providing guidelines for styles and appearance of the plan. The importance of a business plan will also be covered as well as who needs to write one. To register, call 243-3581. Seating is limited.

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Nash Road industrial property sold

One of the larger buildings in the Cape Girardeau area has been sold. Tom Kelsey, commercial broker with Lorimont Place Ltd., said Thursday the 278,000-square-foot facility at 4680-4780 Nash Road, west of Interstate 55, near the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, has been sold to Moriah Logistics LLC. The company is owned by the Kermit Meystedt family, which also operates Genesis Transportation Inc., a Cape Girardeau-based trucking company. Moriah owner Kermit "Moose" Meystedt has been searching for an opportunity like this and said it is a perfect fit.

The building, a combination of manufacturing and warehouse areas, has nearly 6.5 acres under roof and has 12.2 acres of land. It is occupied by two corporate tenants, Silgan Plastics, which leases about 124,000 square feet of space, and Procter & Gamble, which recently leased 154,167 square feet in the warehouse portion. Silgan, based in Chesterfield, Mo., primarily manufactures plastic containers for the Golden Cat division of Nestle Purina at Bloomfield, Mo. Procter & Gamble's paper products division uses the balance of the building for product storage.

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Missouri job growth at 80,000

Republican leaders last week claimed efforts to make the state more business-friendly have created nearly 80,000 jobs since January 2005.

Gov. Matt Blunt said Tuesday laws approved since he took office that add restrictions to workers compensation and civil lawsuits have prompted employers to bring new jobs to Missouri, although he acknowledged that the overall improved national economy has helped.

According to federal labor data, Missouri had an increase of 53,000 jobs from January 2005 through December 2006, the latest month for which figures were available Tuesday. That's a 2 percent growth rate that ranked Missouri 36th in the nation. In 2006 alone, Missouri's growth rate ranked 44th nationally.

Lawmakers in 2005 restricted who can be held liable in personal injury lawsuits and where those cases can be heard.But House Minority Leader Jeff Harris said Blunt's policies have promoted lower-paying jobs and pointed to the numbers that show Missouri has lagged behind other states.