FLORSHEIM SHOE STEPS UP AS TOP INDUSTRY OF YEAR

An industry that has been on the Cape Girardeau manufacturing scene since the turn of the century has been honored as the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce's 1994 "Industry of the Year.

Florsheim Shoe Co., which once occupied a multi-level structure overlooking the Mississippi River on North Main, and is now located in a modern facility at the intersection of Southwest End Boulevard and Southern Expressway, was recognized Thursday night with the "Commitment to Excellence" award during the annual Chamber of Commerce's Industrial Appreciation Dinner, held at the Show Me Center on Southeast Missouri State University campus.

Ed Downen, Florsheim's general factory superintendent, accepted the award from R. J. McKinney, vice chairman of chamber board of directors.

"We thank the chamber for this honor," Downen said. "We hope we're here for many years to come."

More than 800 people attended the annual banquet.

Florsheim became the seventh Cape Girardeau area manufacturer to receive the industry-of-the-year award since it was inaugurated in 1988. Previous winners include General Sign Co., Lone Star Industries, Procter & Gamble Paper Products Co., BioKyowa Inc., Concord Publishing House Inc., and Dana Corporation-Spicer Axle Division.

McKinney said Florsheim is an important business here with more than 450 employees and a $6 million payroll.

"Industry plays a significant role in our area," McKinney said. "More than 160 companies employ more than 8,000 people here, with an estimated payroll of more than $169 million.,"

Florsheim, which produced 726,002 shoes here in 1993, is producing more than 3,100 pairs of shoes a day.

Florsheim Shoe, founded in 1892, came to Cape Girardeau in 1906, when the city was in need of a large industry to make up for the loss of the Frisco Railroad Shop and Terminal business, which had moved to Chaffee.

The five-story, 165,000-square-foot shoe factory opened in 1907.

Florsheim moved to a new facility along Southern Expressway in 1969, but the old plant remained in use for the production of shoe leather until 1984.

When Florsheim vacated the brick structure on North Main Street, the company donated the building to the Chamber of Commerce. It has been torn down, and the chamber has sold the property.

The award was presented following remarks by Charles V. Petty, a humorous speaker from North Carolina who presented a lighthearted but provoking look at family values.

Petty, a full-time humorist and entertainer, is president of Family Success Unlimited at Raleigh, N.C. He is a native of Arkansas. He served on the North Carolina Governors's staff seven years, carrying out the state's emphasis on volunteerism.