PARKS GOOD FOR BUSINESS

Things are still happening along a four-mile stretch of former Missouri Highway 74 in South Cape Girardeau.

Construction continues on a 93,890 square-foot facility for Jim Wilson Inc., at 2007 Southern Expressway.

Charter Communications purchased property in the park for an expansion structure.

The City of Cape Girardeau has purchased 12 acres for a new maintenance facility to be constructed in the future.

Today, 17 businesses, ranging from manufacturers to service businesses, are in operation at the 250-acre industrial site.

A total of 21 sites have been sold at the park over the past decade.

"Four parcels of land are waiting for future construction," said Tom Kelsey, broker for Lorimont Place Ltd., which oversees the park, along either side of the roadway -- now Southern Expressway -- which leads from South Sprigg to South Kingshighway

Route 74 has been moved north a few blocks to serve as a main artery from Interstate 55 to the new Mississippi River Bridge, now under construction.

The area on either side of Southern Expressway -- 630 Industrial Park -- has many new buildings and businesses.

630 Industrial Park, owned by Six Thirty Corp., which is owned and operated by Ernie Beussink and Earl Norman, was established in 1987.

The industries operating in the 630 Park are good companies, said Kelsey. Lorimont Place Ltd., a commercial real estate and development company, handles many of the sales in the industrial park.

Kelsey said his company has worked with several prospects for property in the park.

Dana Corp., a manufacturer of axle components for light vehicles, was the first to opt for property in the park more than a decade ago.

Dana Corp, with a 140,000-square-foot facility, employs more than 300 workers at 2075 Corporate Circle on the south side of the expressway.

The lengthy list also includes Mid South Steel Products Inc., which manufactures storage tanks in both above-ground and underground technologies, and First Tire & Wheel, which occupies the former Mid-America Distributing building, each with more than 40,000-square-foot structures.

Cotner Electric and Elfrink Transportation joined the list a couple of years ago. Another recent addition is an industrial and contractor rental outlet, RSC, which will occupy a 3-acre parcel on the north side of the expressway.

Among other businesses in the park are Missouri Power Trans Inc., Day Transfer, Southeast Fabrication, Federal Express, Cape Central Publishing, Ryder Trucking, Praxair, Mid-America Power, Metco and All America Homes.

The park is zoned for a number of types of industries, according to Kelsey.

A 19,000-square-foot state office building is on a section of the park near South Sprigg Street and Southern Expressway. In the same general vicinity in the park is Sundance Apartment Complex, a 48-unit complex in the 900 block of Hackberry, between Benton and South Pacific.

A couple of businesses have purchased property in the park and will build in the future.

One of these is Santie Wholesale Oil Co. Bruce Barnes of Santie might also build a 100,000-square-foot warehouse in the area.

Also within the confines of the industrial park area are Florsheim Shoes, VIP Industries, Ozark Gas and ERB Equipment, which were there before the industrial park was founded.

Florsheim Shoe closed operations last year, but Abbey Manufacturing purchased the 94,000-square-foot facility and is still producing shoes at the plant.

Almost everything on the north side of the expressway is sold.

A number of tracts, from one to 25 acres, are available on the south side of the expressway.

Mitch Robinson, executive director of the Cape Girardeau Area Recruitment Association, who works with the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce and the City of Cape Girardeau to attract industry to the area, says industrial parks are important when talking to prospective businesses.

"We try to promote all of the industrial parks in the area," said Robinson. "One park may not have what they are looking for but another will be to their liking."

Among advantages for 630 Industrial Park is easy access to railways, the interstate, the airport and river.

All of the industrial parks can offer training resources through the Cape Girardeau Area Vocational-Technical School and an area quality work force skilled and affordable.

Other immediate area industrial parks are Nash Road Industrial Park, 730 Industrial Park, Cape West Business Park and Rust Avenue Industrial Park, all in the immediate Cape Girardeau area; Perryville Industrial Park at Perryville; Scott City Industrial Park; Lang Industrial Site, Meyer Industrial Site and Seabaugh Industrial Park, all in the Jackson area, and the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority in Scott and Cape Girardeau counties.

Industrial sites are also in Marble Hill and Sikeston. Regional ports can be found along the Mississippi River at Ste. Genevieve, Cape Girard-eau/Scott City, New Madrid and Caruthersville.

The Southeast Missouri area offers manufactures dependable supplies of electricity and natural gas; generating plants of AmerenUE and Associate Electric Cooperatives provide the bulk of electric power. Natural gas lines cross the region.

The entire Southeast area has long been noted for its industrious work ethic, which has produced a work force which is educated, quality conscious and productive. Education and training resources are in place throughout the region to improve training to raise skill levels of employees.

All of this, along with enterprise zones, small business development centers offering financial analyses services, chambers of commerce and regional planning and economic developments commissions, make for a pro-business climate.

NEXT: Perryville Industrial Park.

INDUSTRIAL PARKS

The 630 Lineup

* Dana Corp Mfg. Plant, Spicer Axle Plant.

* Federal Express.

* Southeast Fabricating.

* Day Transfer.

* Ryder Transportation.

* Cape Central Publishing.

* METCO River Towboat Service.

* Missouri Power & Transmission.

* Praxair Welding Supplies.

* State of Missouri offices support offices.

* Mid-South Steel Products.

* All American Homes.

* First Tire & Wheel.

* Cotner Electric Commercial Contractors.

* Elfrink Transportation. LTL Carrier.

* Rental Service Corp.

* Jim Wilson Co., 94,000 square feet.

* Charter Communications.

* Santie Wholesale Oil Co. (two sites).

* City of Cape Girardeau.