CVB, chamber to move into Marquette Tower

If all goes as planned, the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce will reach its centennial anniversary just after moving into its new location in the Marquette Tower.

At a news conference announcing the move, chamber president John Mehner spoke of the history between the organization and the building.

“Almost every important decision and meeting back in the ’50s and ’60s took place in this building,” Mehner said.

And in the spirit of the quote “everything old is new again,” Mehner expressed his excitement about moving to the renovated Marquette Tower and bringing with him the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau and Cape Girardeau Area Magnet.

“We finally have an opportunity to be co-located,” Mehner said.

“We’re going to be able to have tremendous synergy, cost savings — which is important to me — but also opportunities to work together.”

The chamber took control of the Convention and Visitors Bureau in 2002, but the organizations have continued to work in separate facilities.

In 2012, Magnet contracted with the chamber, and since then, the area’s industrial recruitment arm has operated out of the chamber offices.

The CVB currently is in the H-H building, which is slated to become a Marriott Courtyard Hotel in 2017.

With 11,300 square feet of space in the Marquette Tower, the chamber no longer will need its Mount Auburn Road office, and the plan is to sell the property.

Mehner encouraged anyone interested to get in touch with him.

Mehner said he is excited for the chamber’s future in the Marquette Tower and looks forward to moving into its new offices soon.

“Obviously we’re going to have an interesting six months,” Mehner said at the news conference. “We cannot wait to get into our space, which already looks awesome.”

bbrown@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

Pertinent address:

388 Broadway, Cape Girardeau MO