PAUL EBAUGH GETS RUSH LIMBAUGH AWARD

Paul Ebaugh has joined a small and prestigious group.

Ebaugh, retired consulting construction contractor and bank president, was named recipient of the Rush H. Limbaugh Award Friday night.

The award was presented by the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce during the chamber's annual dinner-dance held at the Show Me Center.

Also honored at the annual chamber event were Horizon Screen Printing and Promotional Products, which received the Small Business of the Year Award, and Cathy Schlosser, who received the Go-Getter Award. Schlosser's award was for her outstanding work with the chamber's membership committee.

New and outgoing chamber directors were recognized by Dennis Marchi, outgoing chairman. Marchi said the chamber, the state's oldest, is observing its 80th year.

James W. Wente, administrator of Southeast Missouri Hospital, was installed as chamber chairman.

Wente said the chamber will build on a foundation "that makes Cape Girardeau a proud, vital city posed to meet a new century of progress."

"Through the years the chamber's efforts have helped build Cape Girardeau's industrial foundation," said Wente.

In 1920, the city's industries included Portland Cement Co, International Shoe, a carriage manufacturer, three poultry firms, six lumber companies, three cigar manufacturers, a broom-maker and two flour mills. New on the business scene, with the new interest in the automobile, were three filling stations.

Today there are more than 130 industries in the city and county employing more than 7,000 workers, Wente said. Another 26,000 people are employed in the professions, government, construction and service retail, he said.

Cape Girardeau "is on the go and on the grow," he said. Chamber membership has helped make it possible: From a base of about 100 members in 1920, the chamber has grown to more than 1,100 members.

David Limbaugh, grandson of the late Rush H. Limbaugh, presented the award named for his grandfather.

Ebaugh, who also served as a member of the Missouri Highway Commission for six years and who has long been involved in community service, became the award's ninth recipient.

The award, established in 1989, recognizes a business person who has expended an exceptional effort for the community over time.

Limbaugh, an attorney for more than 75 years here, was the award's first recipient. Others were radio and television station owner Oscar Hirsch, businessman and former mayor Howard C. Tooke, businessmen Harry Rediger, Charles Hutson and Joe F. Gambill, businessman and former mayor Narvol A. Randol and businessman and former mayor J. Hugh Logan.

Ebaugh has been involved in the community a number of years as a former chamber chairman, former United Way Board president and past-chairman of the United Way fund drive.

He also served as director of the Cape Retirement Center, president of the Southeast Missouri Hospital Foundation and as a member of the hospital's board of trustees. He is a former member of the advisory council for Doctors' Park Surgery Center and a former member of the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents.

Ebaugh also is a past general chairman of the city's Boy Scout fund drive.

As president of Cape Construction Co. from 1955 to 1972, he traveled extensively throughout the Middle East in the 1950s and 1960s to secure contracts for pipeline construction. He is also a past-president of Pipeline Contractors Association of America.

He resigned from the construction company in 1972 to work at First National Bank. He was named executive vice president of First National Bank in business development and marketing, and was elected chairman of the board in 1974. He later served in that capacity when First National became Centerre Bank.

In 1989, he and a group of investors opened Amerifirst Bank, of which he became president.

During his six years with the highway commission he advocated Proposition A, which provided funds for highway and bridge improvements. The measure passed in 1987.

He was president of First Federal Savings and Loan, and he served as president of the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents.

In 1985 he was named recipient of the Golden Deeds Award by the Evening Exchange Club.

Ebaugh and his wife, Gayle, have four children and 12 grandchildren.

Ebaugh told the group the chamber was third in the state but No. 1 in "action and activities."

Dru Reeves accepted the Small Business Award for his parents and Horizon business owners Glenn and Rhoda Reeves. They were unable to attend.

Dr. David A. Kunz, co-chairman of the chamber's Small Business Development Committee, presented the award.

Rhoda Reeves started the business in 1981, as a hobby and part-time business in 1983. For Rhoda Reeves, screen printing was just another hobby in a long list of arts and crafts, and the business was never intended to become a full-time business.

Working out of her basement, she worked about two weeks to fill her first 200 shirt orders for the local Girl Scouts. That order would be a 15-minute job for Horizon Screen Printing.

She is president of a company that produces some 2 million shirts a year and sends orders to more than 20 states.

Horizon is the sixth recipient of the award. Previous winners were Advance Business Systems in 1992, Bluff City Beer in 1993, KBSI-TV in 1994, Ford Groves in 1995 and Hutson's Fine Furniture last year.

Glenn Reeves joined in the business in 1986, after retiring from Sears where he worked for 33 years.

Glenn Reeves is vice president, son Dru is production manager and daughter Sara works in the office.

Horizon has expanded over the past 14 years, employing 40 people, with the majority of the employees on a full-time basis. A number of part-time jobs are filled by university students. The company, able to produce 10,000 decorated shirts a day, often runs double shifts to meet demand during a heavy season. Horizon now has one six-color and two 10-color automatic presses; one each of a four-, six- and eight-color manual press; and two flatbed presses.

Although the company has some major national accounts, many of the T-shirts and designs that line the walls at 430 Broadway may not be known nationally.

The company processes a lot of local orders.

Horizon takes on all orders, small or large. "We'll take any order, 12 or up," said Glenn Reeves. "We have many orders for 12 shirts for family reunions, holidays and other special occasions."

"Small customers are still the fun part of the business," said Rhoda Reeves. "The big orders are like a factory. But with the smaller customers we can create. That's one of the reasons I started the company, and that is one of the reasons I still love it."

In 1990, Horizon added the ad-specialty business with the purchase of another local company, Marcon Enterprises, now Horizon Promotional Products, which had been founded by Drs. Charles Wiles and Judy Wiles in 1978.

The Horizon company has three floors of the building at 430 Broadway, a total of more than 15,000 square feet.

Also honored were three, 50-year chamber members -- Paul Miles, Unnerstall Drugs and McDonald Co. Inc.