GROWTH: AREA CONTINUES TO EXPERIENCE AN INCREASE IN BUSINESS, JOBS

PERRYVILLE -- Each year more than 50 new businesses open in Cape Girardeau County.

"That figure more than doubled in 1991," said Ron Steele, regional economic development planner for the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission in Perryville, which keeps tabs on new business openings and closings for seven area counties.

"1991 was a great year for new businesses," said Steele. "End-of-the-year tabulations of new, expanding and closing businesses indicate that the seven-county region demonstrated economic stability despite the national recession."

Regionwide, a total of 232 new business startups were reported, 15 more than the 217 of a year ago. Another 48 businesses reported expansions either in personnel or building projects.

Cape Girardeau and St. Francois counties led the region, accounting for a total of 185 of the new openings, with 103 of them in Cape Girardeau.

"Service and retail businesses continue to enjoy rapid growth," said Steele. "During the fourth quarter a total of 71 new businesses opened 31 in Cape County. Forty-eight of them were retail establishments and 20 service businesses."

During the third quarter, 23 of the 51 new businesses were retail, with 28 of them service orientated.

The seven counties involved in the planning commission's report are Cape, Bollinger, Iron, Madison, Perry, St. Francois and Ste. Genevieve. The commission issues business reports quarterly that indicate economic activity throughout the seven-county region it serves.

"We review all newspapers throughout the region as well as a number of statewide periodicals for reports of new, expanding and closing businesses in the region," said Steele.

For the year, a total of 28 closings were reported, including a Brown Shoe manufacturing plant in Madison County, where 385 jobs were lost.

"Despite the closing of the factory operation, the seven-county area as a whole resulted in a total increase of 1,105 jobs for the year," said Steele.

New business starts and expansions resulted in a total of 1,662 jobs for the year, but business failures accounted for the loss of an estimated 517 jobs.

Cape Girardeau County has been the leader in new businesses in the region, with 103 for the year, followed by St. Francois County, where 82 new businesses were recorded. Cape County also reported 30 expansions during the year and nine closings.

Cape County recorded a total of 31 new businesses during the fourth quarter October through December.

Included among the openings were the Shop 'n Save grocery, which provided employment for about 150 people; Everything's A $1.00, which provides employment to 25; and Applebee's Restaurant, which provides employment to more than 100.

"In other industrial news, Lone Star Industries is investing $3 million to $4 million to convert its cement plant to burn hazardous and non-hazardous wastes in its cement production process at Cape Girardeau," said Steele. "This will result in the creation of up to 20 jobs in the future."

Steele also reported that Iron Mountain Forge in Farmington Industrial Park has launched a 30,000-square-foot addition to its existing facility, which will create an additional 30 jobs.

"Iron Mountain Forge produces park and playground equipment," said Steele.

Following are numbers of new businesses, expansions and closings of businesses for the seven counties that comprise the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning Commission. The totals represent totals for 1991.

Regional totals: 232 new businesses, 48 expansions, 28 closings.

Bollinger: Five new businesses, one expansion, two closings.

Cape Girardeau: 103 new businesses, 30 expansions, nine closings.

Iron: 13 new businesses, no expansion, two closings.

Madison: Seven new business, three expansions, three closings.

Perry: 15 new businesses, nine expansions, five closings.

St. Francois: 82 new businesses, four expansions, four closings.

Ste. Genevieve: Seven new businesses, one expansion, three closings.