Southeast's Innovation Center recognizes award winners

The Southeast Missouri State University Innovation Center recognized two area businesses Wednesday for their entrepreneurial efforts.

Cape Precision Machine in Cape Girardeau and Wee Care Preschool in Advance, Mo., are among the six businesses in Southeast Missouri that will receive SPARK (Service, People, Area, Results, Keys to success) awards during this week's National Entrepreneurship Week, sponsored by the university. The inaugural SPARK awards are given to businesses for their growth and economic contributions in the region.

The businesses were selected earlier this month from 240 businesses in Missouri, Illinois and Tennessee that completed the Innovation Center's Operation Jump-Start and Bootstrap training programs.

Bill Vickery, director of entrepreneurship at the Innovation Center, said small businesses such as those that won SPARK awards are the backbone of the economy, as they provide 70 percent of all jobs in the U.S. He said the awards complement the mission of Entrepreneurship week, which runs through Friday.

"Sometimes the small-business owner gets overshadowed by the big corporations," Vickery said. "It's a really a privilege to honor the small business owner for all they do for our economy and nation. Individuals like Cape Precision and the thousands across our nation are the ones who are providing most of the jobs, and we're happy to recognize them as individuals who completed our class and turned that success into small business."

Cape Precision Machine owner Lucian Zielinski said the business plan he developed in Operation Jump-Start greatly contributed to turning his dream of starting a machine shop into a reality. The business manufactures and fabricates plastic, aluminum, bronze and steel products and parts for local and regional businesses as well as industries as far away as Kansas City, Mo., and Nashville, Tenn.

"When you look at the three-state area the Innovation Center serves, it's pretty amazing that we won," Zielinski said. "One of the most important things in running a business is customer service and knowing how to work with people.

"Especially with the way the economy is people want more than just a quote and want to know you're willing to work with them," he said. "That's what we strive to do here at Cape Precision Machine."

Other SPARK award winners are Mineral Area Pro Wash in Bonne Terre, Mo., Baetje Farms in Ste. Genevieve, Mo., Adorable Again in Dyersburg, Tenn., and Flower Ridge Farm in Harrisburg, Ill.

In addition to presentation of SPARK awards, Southeast hosted the premier of the Young Entrepreneur Society movie Wednesday. The documentary featured the stories of 40 young entrepreneurs in the United States. After the screening, students in attendance participated in a question-and-answer session with the film's creator and producer, Louis Lautman.

On Tuesday, National Asset Recovery Services president and chief executive officer Chris Buehrle visited three entrepreneurship classrooms and appeared at a luncheon.

bblackwell@semissourian.com

388-3628

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