FISCHER, R&M COCO GET CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AWARDS

J. Ronald Fischer, a native Cape Girardean who served more than three decades in city and county government before his retirement as Cape Girardeau city manager in 1995, has joined a small but growing elite list.

Fischer became the 12th recipient of the Rush H. Limbaugh Award, which was established in 1989 by the local Chamber of Commerce to recognize area business people who have expended exceptional effort on behalf of the community for an extended time.

The award was presented Friday night during the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce annual dinner at the Show Me Center.

Also honored were R&M COCO, a design-fabric distributor, which received the Small Business of the Year Award, and Cathy Schlosser, who received the Go-Getter Award for outstanding work with the chamber's membership committee.

More than 600 people braved the snow to attend the dinner.

New and outgoing chamber directors were recognized by Bart Ozbun, vice president and financial counselor-in-charge of the local Merrill Lynch investment office. He is serving his second straight term as chamber board chairman.

David Limbaugh, grandson of the late Rush H. Limbaugh, presented the award named for his grandfather.

Fischer served as city manager seven years, retiring in August 1995.

Fischer, who at one time owned and operated a grocery store, served on the Cape Girardeau City Council and served one year as mayor before becoming city manager. He also served on the Cape Girardeau County Commission for 20 years before he became city manager.

He was appointed to the Cape Girardeau County Commission in 1968 by then-Gov. Warren Hearnes, and he was re-elected nine times. He helped make the county one of the most progressive and financially sound in the state.

His leadership helped the city achieve a number of significant projects: acquisition of the city water system, realization of the Cape LaCroix-Walker Branch flood-control project, renovations to the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, implementation of curbside recycling, development of a five-year annexation plan, and many other projects.

Fischer also served on a number of boards in the city, including the Southeast Missouri Hospital board, Red Cross board, the Copper Dome board and others. He attended Southern Illinois University-Carbondale before entering the Navy, serving for four years.

R&M COCO becomes the ninth recipient of the chamber's Small Business of the Year Award, which was presented by Buz Sutherland of the chamber's Small Business Council.

R&M, which distributes decorator drapery and upholstery and other fabrics throughout 48 states, Puerto Rico, Mexico and a number of South American countries, has experienced a 45 percent increase in sales the past two years and anticipates continued growth this year, said Jim Rust, president of the locally-owned company.

The company was established in 1969 in a 12-by-15-foot space. The firm moved to its own building in 1972 and relocated to its present 27,000-square-foot quarters in 1978. The company formed COCO Designs to offer 54-inch decorative designer prints and solids in 1987. In 1991, the company purchased Custom Design Interior, and in 1992 the name was changed to R&M Fabrics Inc., with Rust as president; Clyde Nenninger, vice president of finance; Michael Edwards, vice president of marketing; Michael Watson, vice president of sales; and Beverly Rust, director.

The company adopted its current name in 1995. The company employs 44 people, including 10 full-time salesmen. It recently introduced new lines of fabrics from Europe, which are distributed exclusively by R&M.