State business awards presented

Business and community leaders from across the state attended the 47th annual Governor's Business Development Conference on Thursday and Friday. The conference included speakers and sessions about economic development and available resources for businesses.

At the close of the conference, Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder and Greg Steinhoff, director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development, presented the following awards: Small Business of the Year to Nature's Window in Gladstone; Community Development Award to Frisco Station Apartments in Joplin; Exporter of the Year to Glen Martin Engineering in Boonville; Governor's Technology of the Year to Orion Genomics in St. Louis; Innovative Workforce to General Motor's GM/UAW Skill Center in Wentzville; Economic Development Project of the Year to Centocor Biologics in St. Louis; and Career Service in Economic Development to Richard Oldenburg in Washington, Mo.

Three communities also were recognized for completing the Missouri Community Assessment and Planning Process. Hartville and Richland received a Five-Star City certification and Tipton received an All-Missouri Certified City award.