Business briefs

Cape company wins gold safety award

Genesis Transportation Co. in Cape Girardeau was presented a gold safety award by Great West Casualty Co. of South Sioux City, Neb., as part of the 2006 National Fleet Safety Awards Program. The program drew more than 525 entries from across the country. Carriers were recognized for achieving a low preventable accident frequency per million miles of operations. The program recognizes fleets in similar operations (truckload and less than truckload) with awards based on their year-end preventable accidents results.

Kickin' at the mall

Kicks Soccer Shop plans to move from its location in the Plaza Way mall to a larger location at West Park Mall. Co-owner Sue Long says the store will be open sometime early July. A grand opening is being planned.

Garber's receives Perfect Fit Award

Garber's Mens Wear, in the Town Plaza shopping center in Cape Girardeau, has been awarded the Perfect Fit Award for 2006 from Jim's Formal Wear in Trenton, Ill. Garber's was recognized for having a replacement percentage of less than 7 percent of the total orders for 2006. The actual replacement percentage was 3.59 percent.

Garber's Men's Wear has been in business for 47 in Cape Girardeau and is locally owned by Rodney and Dimple Bridges. Fitting specialists include the Bridges, Vicki McKinney and Heather Connell.

New store on board in Jackson

Mark Hobbs recently had the grand opening of his skateboard store in Jackson. It's called Hobby's Board Sports and More. Hobbs sells skateboards, snowboards, wakeboards and clothing. He said he has about 100 decks in stock and could get any brand name on the market.

"I went on a mission to find my son a skateboard, and I couldn't find one," he said. "The park was just packed with skateboarders every time we went. That's when I said, 'Hey, we need a skate shop.'"

Rhodes launches advantages program

Rhodes 101 Stop convenience stores have started their advantages program. Signing up is free. The talking machine at the gas pump will tally the amount of gallons purchased if a tag has been registered. Every gallon of fuel purchased earns 10 points. A dollar is earned when 750 points is reached.

There's a separate rewards system for in-store purchases. Each dollar spent earns 20 store credits. Once 750 credits are reached, a dollar coupon is earned. The tag also keeps track of coffee and soda purchases. Every eighth beverage is free.

New store in Kennett

KENNETT, Mo. -- Garry and Kimberly Beckett of Campbell, Mo., have opened a Radio Shack at 502 Cottonwood Plaza in Kennett.

New insurance office

DEXTER, Mo. -- County Wide Insurance has opened its new facility at 140 S. Walnut in Dexter. The business offers a full range of insurance policies.

Landmark store closes

KENNETT, Mo. -- Doyne's Men's Wear, 107 South Side Square in Kennett, is going out of business after more than 60 years. In 1946 Jim Farmer put a men's store in the location after relocating from Cape Girardeau where he worked in the shoe business. In 1970 he sold the store to Noah Barkovitz from Hayti, Mo. Doyne Gatewood managed the store from 1970 to 1975 when he bought the store. Tony and Linda Gatewood have operated Doyne's Men's Wear since 1984. Gatewood is closing the store because of ill health.

Industries protest halfway house

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- After plant managers in the Poplar Bluff Industrial Park publicly expressed disappointment with the city council's decision to approve a conditional use permit for a halfway house for prisoners in the state's Department of Corrections system to be located in the industrial park, Sam Schalk and Jerry Lewis, two businessmen who proposed the halfway house, withdrew the project. Workers in all five of the plants signed petitions expressing their safety concerns, and asked the council to reconsider its decision. Plant managers were joined in their disapproval by members of Poplar Bluff Industries and the industrial division of the Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce.

Bank grows into St. Louis

SIKESTON -- A family-owned institution with roots in Sikeston is branching out in St. Louis.

The Montgomery family has recently acquired five Clayton properties where it plans to build a $100 million 25- to 30-story tower with office, retail and possible residential or hotel space. Family members emphasized while the building will provide 4,000 square-feet for a Montgomery Bank location on the ground floor, the bank's headquarters will remain in Sikeston.

Company officials said construction could start in 18 months.

Last August, the Montgomery family acquired the World News and Bella Yoga building. In recent weeks, the building at 10 S. Central, which houses the St. Louis Bread Co., was purchased.

Final acquisition was completed of the 14 S. Central and 18 S. Central properties from Missouri Real Estate and Insurance Agency. A final building, 8720 Forsyth, is under contract and will close soon.

One of the largest privately-held financial institutions in the region, Montgomery Bank has 13 branches in Missouri. In addition to the Sikeston bank and bank headquarters, banks are located at Cape Girardeau, Miner, Chaffee, Jackson and Dexter, and there are six branches located in the St. Louis area including Affton, Bridgeton, St. Louis Hills, Chesterfield, South County and Crestwood. The newest Montgomery Bank location opened June 1 in Des Peres.

Dry corn mill begins operation at the port

BENTON, Mo. -- SEMO Milling has just completed its first production run at the SEMO Port.

A public meeting to close out the $467,980 block grant from the Missouri Department of Economic Development was held recently during a Scott County Commission meeting.

The grant funded public infrastructure improvements as an incentive for the mill to locate at the SEMO Port, according to Dan Overbey, executive director of the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority.

SEMO Milling is a dry corn mill and custom bagging and logistics facility. Among its products are degermed yellow No. 4 flaking grits, degermed yellow brewer grits, degermed yellow corn grits, degermed yellow corn cones, degermed yellow corn meal, degermed yellow enriched corn meal, soy-fortified yellow corn meal, degermed yellow corn flour, corn soy blend and corn binder.

"They're selling to several major food companies in the region," Overbey said. "They just began production but they're still doing more construction work on the building."

The mill's owners are also committed to creating a number of jobs as part of the terms of the grant.

"They've got right now 26 employees on staff," said Bev Miller, manager of finance for the SEMO Port. "They're running one shift. They're planning to add another shift in July which will bring on seven additional employees. The company is also on track for a third shift starting in October which will add 10 more jobs."

Springfield-based store opens

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A new store for pet owners, Petsway, has opened in the Mansion Mall shopping center. General manager is Bill Lingenfelsner. Petsway was started in Springfield in 1989, and now has seven locations in Missouri: five in Springfield, one in Joplin and the newest one in Poplar Bluff.

Manpower manager honored

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Manpower Inc. announced the recipients of the Manpower Power Awards recently recognizing individuals and operations across the company's network of 4,400 offices in 73 countries for outstanding performance in 2006.

This year, Manpower recognized Debbie Glenn and staff for winning the prestigious award. All eligible participants were judged on criteria by an executive panel, comprised of Jonas Prising and other North American executives representing sales, operations and quality.

The Manpower Power Award honors employees and operations for their financial achievements and performance in positively representing the Manpower brand and culture.

Glenn also has offices in Poplar Bluff and Kennett.

Sign company opens

Ellis Bradshaw, general manager of Canedy Sign and Graphic, and Sara Canedy Alley cut the grand opening ribbon for the company May 11. Canedy Sign and Graphic is located at 18023 U.S. Highway 61 South and is open Monday through Friday. The company offers digital message centers, all types of neon to high- rise lighted signs, vehicle graphics and digital prints.

Old Town Cape gets $500 from pub crawl

Old Town Cape has received a $500 donation from the proceeds of the annual St. Patrick's Day pub crawl. Old Town Cape will use the money for future downtown beautification projects. The pub crawl took place in downtown Cape on March 17. This is an annual event that donates toward beautifications projects through Old Town Cape. The bars and restaurants that participated are: Bel-Air, Port Cape, Rude Dog Pub, Buckner Brewing Co., Breakaway's Bar and Billiards, Broussards's Cajun Cuisine, The Pour House, The Billiard Center, River Nick's and Jeremiah's. Participating businesses handed out tickets that could be stamped at each bar and traded in for merchandise from drink distributors. Old Town Cape is a nationally accredited Main Street Program that works to build a downtown community that cherishes its past and is an economically viable district in which the residents of Cape Girardeau can live, work and play.

Sunset Pool opens new location

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Sunset Pool, Spa & Metalcraft held a grand opening ribbon cutting May 18 at their 801C South Main location. Mickey Rankin, Tom Rankin and Mike Wells share ownership. Open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, the store offers a full service for pools and spas and a full line of chemicals and professional in-house water lab. They also carry pool tables and lawn furniture.

Element 74 awarded Healthy Start contract

Element 74 of Cape Girardeau has been awarded a contract with the National Healthy Start Association based out of Washington, D.C. The project will consist of a Web-based "peer learning network" that will allow each location within the organization to access centralized resources via the Internet, as well as collaborate on new and innovative projects for its centers. The NHSA, whose partners include over 100 federally funded Healthy Start projects in the United States, promotes community-based maternal and child health programs, particularly those that focus on the reduction of infant mortality, low birth weight and racial disparities in prenatal outcomes. Element 74 is a software development firm with an award winning Web site. The company was started in 1999 and is owned by Chris Edmonds.

Portageville Armory to be named after local soldier killed in Iraq

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. -- Honor and dedication.

Those are two attributes among many Lt. Amos Camden Riley Bock showed during his service with the Missouri National Guard.

And they were given to the fallen New Madrid soldier and his family on Memorial Day when the Portageville Armory was dedicated and renamed in his honor.

"Very soon after Lt. Bock was killed, some of his previous leaders and mentors from the Missouri National Guard immediately saw the significance of his service and thought about what we could do as an organization to help honor his memory," said Capt. Tammy Spicer of the Missouri National Guard, who is company commander for the 1140th Engineer Battalion. "The possibility of naming the Portageville Armory in his name seemed very fitting."

Bock died Oct. 23 from injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle while assigned to the 101st Airborne Division. He was the son of Riley and Jill Bock of New Madrid.

Bock began his career with Company C., 1140th Engineer Battalion of the Missouri National Guard in 1999. In 2000, he received an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy, and he graduated from West Point in 2004 as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army.

Bock's father and his uncle, George Bock were also members of the 1140th. George Bock left the unit to serve as an officer in a medical unit in Kansas City. Riley Bock was there eight years as the company clerk and left the unit to serve in Brigade in St. Louis as a JAG officer.

Plaza Tire Service opens in Scott City

Plaza Tire Service opened its 45th location in Scott City on Memorial Day. The new five-bay facility is at the corner of Main and Crites streets next to Burger King.

Ground was broken for the Scott City store in January. Plaza Tire Service president, Mark Rhodes, said the company had been looking forward to serving Scott City long before that time.

Scott City native Mike Hensley is managing the Scott City Plaza Tire Service. Hensley has been with Plaza Tire Service for two years and previously worked as the Cape Girardeau Siemers Drive store's assistant manager and the Cape Girardeau North Kingshighway store's manager.

Plaza Tire Service currently operates 45 stores throughout four states -- Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and Arkansas -- and is listed as the 28th largest independently owned tire retailer in North America by Tire Business magazine.

New businesses on Broadway

Three established businesses in Cape Girardeau have recently relocated next door to one another in the 2000 block of Broadway.

Bloom, owned by Carrie Tracy, specializes in invitations and stationary; Wendy Ray Durham's Magnolia Market sells flowers, chocolate-covered fruit and other gifts; and Carrie Perez' Photography By Carrie is a photography studio.

Dealership changes

The VanMatre Buick dealership on South Kingshighway officially became VanMatre Buick GMC Pontiac. Owner Mark VanMatre purchased all of Cape GMC Pontiac's assets, which included 93 vehicles. The owners of Cape GMC Pontiac, Darryll Brown and Charlene Bach, have retired.

VanMatre also brought over 11 of its employees.

Mark and Scott Rhodes, owners of Plaza Tire, purchased the Cape GMC Pontiac property but have no immediate plans for it at this time.