A fond farewell to one of Cape's boosters

As Tim Arbeiter prepares to leave Cape Girardeau behind, Cape Girardeau is preparing to lose one of its longtime champions.

The vice president of the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce has accepted a position as president of the Lee's Summit, Missouri, Chamber of Commerce.

"Obviously we'll be hiring somebody, but you don't hire a replacement for Tim, if you know what I mean," Cape chamber president John Mehner told the Southeast Missourian.

Arbeiter has deep roots in Cape Girardeau. Before coming aboard the local chamber 10 years ago, he worked at Southeast Missouri State University, from which he earned two degrees and served as student regent of the university's governing board. He grew up in Cape Girardeau though, he was born in Illinois, and graduated from Central High School.

In addition to his work with the university and the chamber, Arbeiter also was past executive director of Old Town Cape. In 2011, he was presented with the Charles L. Hutson Visionary Award from the organization in recognition of his commitment to revitalizing downtown. He was instrumental in the DREAM Initiative, which brought in over $2 million dollars to downtown and eventually resulted in the Downtown Strategic Plan.

Arbeiter said he is pleased to be staying in Missouri and to be able to continue working with his colleagues in Cape Girardeau. We are glad to hear this as well, and look forward to seeing his future successes.

Congratulations, Tim, and good luck. We wish you all the best.