Civic, business leader Dennis Vinson dies at 63

Dennis L. Vinson — founder, president and CEO of Signature Packaging and Paper in Jackson and a member of numerous civic, philanthropic and not-for-profit boards including the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents — died Sunday night at a St. Louis hospital.

He was 63 years old.

The cause of his death has not been reported as of Monday night and his funeral arrangements were pending at Ford and Sons Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau.

Expressions of shock and sorrow over his death could be found on various social media platforms Monday including Missouri Gov. Mike Parson’s Facebook page.

“Dennis was a dedicated public servant and strong supporter of workforce development,” Parson said in his statement. “He will be missed, and we will always remember his commitment to Missouri and the people of our state.”

Vinson and his family moved to Cape Girardeau from Georgia about 12 years ago. It was in Conyers, Georgia, he founded Signature Packaging and Paper — which manufactures corrugated packaging and point-of-purchase displays — in 2003. In 2007, he moved the company to Jackson, where it has continued to prosper as one of Cape Girardeau County’s leading businesses.

“Dennis was one of the first people who welcomed me to the Jackson chamber 11 years ago,” recalled Brian Gerau, president of the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce, who said he learned of Vinson’s death Monday morning from Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce president John Mehner.

“Dennis was such a great ambassador for so many things ... for Jackson, for Cape County and for the state of Missouri,” Gerau continued, adding it was a great honor for the Jackson chamber to be recognized by the Missouri Chamber of Commerce when Vinson chaired that organization.

“It was an honor of a lifetime to have him tell me how proud he was of the Jackson chamber,” Gerau said. “I reciprocated and told him how proud I was of him.”

Vinson’s leadership, Gerau said, “was contagious,” adding “he was very generous to his church, to all civic organizations and both the Cape and Jackson chambers. I sat on numerous boards with him. He gave back much more than some people really know and never thumped his chest about it. Our community is weaker now.”

“Dennis was a great community leader as well as a very fine, strong and knowledgeable businessman,” commented Jackson Mayor Dwain Hahs. “He was someone who was very visible in the community. Probably the thing that impressed me most was the organization he built, Signature Packaging.”

Under Vinson’s leadership, Signature Packaging was recognized for its success on local, state and national levels. The company received the Missouri State Fast Track Award in 2010 and was named the Jackson chamber’s Industry of the Year in 2011. For the past five years, Signature Packaging has been listed among Black Enterprise’s BE 100 List of the Nation’s Largest Black-Owned Businesses.

Cape Girardeau Mayor Bob Fox said he was “shocked” when he heard the news Monday.

“We just had a meeting last Tuesday morning,” Fox said. “It just goes to show how precious life is. He was such an entrepreneur and a visionary and was so involved with all sorts of economic development issues throughout the state and especially here locally.”

The Cape Girardeau mayor went on to describe Vinson’s death as “a great loss to the community, and I sympathize with his family. I know his kids and they all went to Cape Central. A super, super family and a big loss.”

Former Cape Girardeau Mayor Jay Knudtson added “this is a tragic loss for so many, but especially his wonderful family. Our hearts and prayers go out to the Vinson family.”

In addition to his service on state and local chamber of commerce boards and committees, Vinson also served as a member of the SoutheastHEALTH System Board of Directors and he was sworn in earlier this fall as the newest member of the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents. Also in 2019, he was named one of B Magazine’s 2019 Newsmakers.

“Words seem inadequate to express the sorrow that is felt by the loss of Dennis,” said Ken Bateman, president and CEO of SoutheastHEALTH. “He was an outstanding citizen, a great contributor and a visionary leader who brought his deep knowledge of operating performance to a variety of topics that have benefited SoutheastHEALTH. Dennis served our board with great commitment (and) leaves a legacy of incredible business acumen, strategy formulation and passion for business excellence recognized by all of us. We extend our most sincere condolences to his family during this difficult time.”

Southeast Missouri State University president Carlos Vargas said the university is “profoundly saddened to learn of the passing of Dennis Vinson. For the past several months, he has served with distinction as a valued member of the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents. Prior to that, he also gave selflessly to the University’s Missouri Innovation Corporation Board of which he was a member.”

Vargas added “we will remember Dennis for his commitment not only to the University, but also for the ways he invested in his community. We very much enjoyed working with him during his time as a regent. On behalf of Southeast, I would like to express our sincere condolences to Dennis’ wife, Joy, their children and their granddaughter on this enormous loss.”

Vinson also served as a member of the Missouri Governor’s Economic Steering Committee, The Bank of Missouri Advisory Board and the board of the Boys and Girls Club of Southeast Missouri. He was scheduled to join the PORCH (People Organized to Revitalize Community Healing) board of directors in Cape Girardeau later this month, according to Tamara Zellars Buck, PORCH vice chairwoman.

“He was familiar with our ‘purpose built communities’ program from family members in the Atlanta area and he was excited about it,” Buck said. “When we told people Dennis was joining our board, they got excited (because) he was a game changer.”