MEHNER GETS EARLY START AT CHAMBER POST

John Mehner got an early start on his first day of a new job Friday.

Mehner assumed the position of president of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, and his first duty was to attend the chamber's First Friday Coffee from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at Drury Lodge.

"I'm excited about my new position," said Mehner. "Obviously, it will take a little while to get on to everything here, but I'm looking forward to it."

Mehner, one of more than 70 candidates, was named to the position in August. He will replace Robert Hendrix, who announced his retirement earlier this year after serving 21 years as chamber president.

"This job combines so many things I'm interested in," he said. "It's a people business. I'll have to do a lot of listening to people and working with people.

"I felt that being from Cape Girardeau could be an advantage for me," he said. "But I wasn't sure that the search committee would feel that way. Some of the candidates had good chamber experience.

"I will have to learn the nuts and bolts of the chamber, the staff responsibilities, the day-to-day operation," Mehner said. "But I will not have to learn the other half all the businesses in town and who own them.

"I'll have a great teacher," he said. "Bob will stay on here as a consultant until the end of the year. He can teach me a lot."

Mehner, who is vice president of Advanced Business systems, which was founded by his father, Jack, in 1963, said the decision to seek the chamber job was a tough one.

Mehner is familiar with the workings of the chamber. He has been a chamber member since 1986, and has served on the chamber board since 1990. He was chairman of the board in 1992. He was also instrumental in establishing the newly-formed Cape Girardeau Area Industrial Recruitment Association and serves on its board.

"I've been involved with the chamber a number of years," said Mehner. "I love the work involved with it."

One of the primary responsibilities at hand is the budget, said Mehner.

"We have a challenge with the budget," he said. "We've got to figure out how to work around the $35,000 to $40,000 deficit we'll have from the loss of the license bureau."

Mehner also discussed membership, business incubator, speculative buildings and other topics.

"My background in the chamber has been in membership. I want to remain active with the members," he said. "I feel the key to maintaining a good chamber is the membership keeping the members in active roles, keeping them involved."

Mehner said he also wanted to be "an accessible chamber leader. I also plan to spend a lot more time in the committee structure and be a little more hands-on."

He said a business incubator was currently on the back burner in chamber planning. "Incubators work well in some areas," he said. "It's something that we will continue to look into."

Mehner touched on spec buildings.

"These have worked well in the past," he said. "But right now we have a number of vacant buildings throughout the area, which are available to industry."

Mehner graduated from Cape Girardeau Central High School and attended Southeast Missouri State University, where he received bachelor degrees in criminal justice and computer science. Following graduation, he joined the St. Louis County Police Department. In 1985, he moved back to Cape Girardeau.