Chamber announces new award, hall of fame, walk of fame for area entrepreneurs

The Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce announced new major recognitions for entrepreneurship at its annual banquet Friday night, including a new hall of fame and walk of fame.

Jon K. Rust, outgoing chairman of the chamber board and publisher of the Southeast Missourian and co-president of Rust Communications, outlined the three-part plan to honor entrepreneurs at the banquet:

• an award to be given annually to �one or more worthy entrepreneurs with direct ties to the area.�
• establishment of the Entrepreneur Hall of Fame in a portion of the chamber�s space in the Marquette Tech District.
• construction of an entrepreneur walk of fame being established in downtown Cape Girardeau.

The annual award will be called the Drury Family Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award.

John Mehner, president and CEO of the chamber, said the walk of fame is part of the city�s downtown strategic plan. It will be installed on the courthouse side of Spanish Street between Broadway and Independence Street. The hall of fame, Mehner said, will be in corridors near the chamber�s board room with informational panels and plaques.

Mehner said some of the details of the criteria for the hall of fame and walk of fame need to be fine-tuned, but inclusion will require more than starting and running a successful small business.

�They�ll have to have one or more megasuccessful ventures,� Mehner said, adding the selection will follow a similar process the chamber uses for other awards. The elected members will be vetted by a committee.

Mehner said he is unsure when the hall and walk of fame features will be installed.

Chuck Drury, president and CEO of Drury Hotels, and one of the members of the Drury family who operates many business lines locally and nationally, kicked off the announcement about the awards with a speech about the beginnings of the Drurys� foray into the hotel business.

He recalled difficult beginnings in the 1940s, when his grandparents faced losing the family farmhouse in the Depression era before his grandfather started a plastering business. He explained how the region and local banks helped the family get its first hotel project off the ground.

�There�s no magic in the doing, but the results can be magical,� Drury told the crowd of more than 800. �This region offered the Drury brothers opportunities to take risks and supported their efforts. Cape offers you the same opportunities and potential for success. Our family is happy to foster this spirit of entrepreneurship and look forward to knowing future winners who delight in building foundations for success right here in Cape Girardeau.

�On behalf of the Drury family, we thank you and applaud your entrepreneurial endeavors. Like you, we�re proud to call Cape Girardeau our hometown.�

The complete transcript of Drury�s speech can be found at www.semissourian.com/story/2479933.html.

bmiller@semissourian.com

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