P&G WORKERS TO VISIT; 119 TO BE OFFERED JOBS AT EXPANDED PLANT

More than 100 families from across the nation and Canada will visit the Cape Girardeau County area over the next month.

Procter and Gamble Paper Products, which announced a $350 million expansion project in April, is bringing approximately 119 P&G employees and their families to Cape Girardeau from other areas.

"These employees are being offered positions at P&G's new paper plant here," said D. Mitch Robinson, executive director of the Cape Girardeau Area Industrial Recruitment Association. "We're preparing to present vendor fairs to explain benefits and quality of life in this area."

Four groups will visit in March, with the first group coming from the Mehoopany, Pa., P&G plant March 4-6. Other groups include workers from the Albany, Ga., plant March 16-18; a group from Green Bay, Wis., March 18-20; and groups from Oxnard, Calif., and Weston, Toronto, Canada, March. 31-April 2.

The employees and their families will have opportunities to visit the new plant site and Jackson and Cape Girardeau before attending the vendor fair during one day of their tour.

The Area Industrial Recruitment Association and Cape Girardeau and Jackson chambers of commerce, working with local P&G officials, have established vendor fairs to be held at Drury Lodge during each of the visits.

"The visitors will have an opportunity to ask questions in nine categories," said John Mehner, president of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce. "This will permit them to get better-acquainted with our area."

Six realty companies were selected by P&G to appear at the vendor fair. Local realtors said that as construction of the P&G plant expansion progresses, they expect more building and home-sales activity.

Categories and participants at the vendor fairs:

-- Banks: Alliance Bank, Bank of Missouri, Capaha Bank, Cape Regional Credit Union, Commerce Bank N.A., Mercantile Bank, NationsBank, South East Missouri Bank, First National Bank, Union Planters Bank.

-- Employment agencies: Missouri Division of Employment Security, Workforce, Interim Personnel, Manpower Temporary Services, Snelling & Snelling, Sincerely Yours Secretarial Services Inc., Personnel Support Inc.

-- Government agencies and offices: Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitor Bureau, Jackson, Missouri Department of Conservation.

-- Area chambers of commerce: Jackson Chamber of Commerce, Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce.

-- Hospitals: Southeast Missouri Hospital, St. Francis Medical Center.

-- Retail: West Park Mall administrative office.

-- Utility companies: AmerenUE, Southwestern Bell Telephone Co.

-- Schools: Cape Girardeau public schools, Jackson R-2 School District, Notre Dame High School, Cape Area Vo-Tech School, Southeast Missouri State University.

-- Realtors: Coldwell Banker Hamilton Realty, Prudential Bridgeport Inc. Realtors, Century 21 Key Realty, Century 21 Dutch Realty, Century 21 Ashland Realty, and Classic Real Estate Ltd.-Better Homes & Gardens.