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NewsJuly 18, 2005

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A new hotel has opened, a national-chain retailer soon will open and a well known restaurant recently opened for business in Poplar Bluff. Amid this activity, the executive director of the Chamber of Commerce thinks the city will one day find itself "at a crossroads of opportunity" because of impending transportation improvements...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A new hotel has opened, a national-chain retailer soon will open and a well known restaurant recently opened for business in Poplar Bluff. Amid this activity, the executive director of the Chamber of Commerce thinks the city will one day find itself "at a crossroads of opportunity" because of impending transportation improvements.

Ken Parrett, who previously headed the Jackson Chamber of Commerce for seven years, said two highway projects are in the works that will eventually put the city in the middle of a four-lane highway from Little Rock, Ark., to St. Louis.

"We have ideal conditions for economic growth," said Parrett. "In April we passed a 1/2-cent sales tax to expedite the four-lane Highway 67 project that is scheduled for completion in 2012, and we're moving to finish the four-lane Highway 60 project that has been under way for years. That's what I mean by a crossroads of opportunity."

In mid-May, a new Holiday Inn Hotel opened on Westwood Boulevard, not far from U.S. 67 and U.S. 60. Twenty local subcontractors worked on the project. David Robert, director of operations for HMA hotels, which owns the Poplar Bluff Holiday Inn, said it is the only full-service hotel in the city. He said weddings and other social functions already have been booked for the summer.

"The investors insisted on luxurious decor, plentiful in-room amenities and the most beautiful indoor pool in the region," said Robert.

Pasta House, the restaurant in the hotel, opened in February.

Parrett said the city's is getting its first Walgreens. It is also being built at the corner of U.S. 67 and U.S. 60, directly across from the Chamber of Commerce office.

"And we have another first for the city," said Parrett. "Arby's has opened at 111 N. Westwood Blvd. The owner is RTM Restaurant Group." Parrett said there are more than 3,000 Arby's nationwide, "and now we've got ours."

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Parrett said the new owners of the former Cherry Creek Development are moving quickly to attract businesses to the 72-acre site along the north side of Route PP between Business 67 and Bypass 67. The owners want to develop the area for new businesses such as medical offices, auto dealerships and retail outlets.

The land has been divided into large lots of five to six acres each and numerous smaller lots ranging from a half-acre to three acres. Plans also include four more entrance drives off Route PP.

"Several retail operations are expressing interest in this property," said Parrett. "It will enhance the shopping experience in Poplar Bluff."

Last summer, NORDYNE Inc., a manufacturer of residential heating and cooling products in Poplar Bluff Industrial Park, announced a major expansion -- a 295,000-square-foot increase in the size of the current facility. Employment was expected to increase from 400 to more than 700. Parrett said the expansion is at least half completed, and jobs are being added on a regular basis.

Parrett said Briggs & Stratton, the largest employer in the city with 1,100 workers, continues to grow and develop its engine and engine-related products.

"Briggs is prospering and the Poplar Bluff plant has the highest production rate of all the Briggs & Stratton plants in the country," said Parrett. "Overall, our industrial base in the city is excellent."

Photo by Ken Parrett/Poplar Bluff Chamber

PIC -- The new owners of the former Cherry Creek Development are moving quickly to attract businesses to the 72-acre site along the north side of Route PP between Business 67 and Bypass 67. The owners want to develop the area for new businesses such as medical offices, auto dealerships and retail outlets.

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