CHAMBER LOOKS TO CONTINUED GROWTH IN BUSINESS, SCHOOLS

Set your priorities and work toward those goals. That is the mark of a successful plan. The same strategies apply to organizations, and that is exactly the path of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce.

Members of the chamber's board of directors met recently at a retreat to assess the past year and look ahead at 1997 objectives.

This past year was deemed successful for Cape Girardeau. The city has acquired more than 500 new jobs. The growth occurred through a number of business openings, including the new Alliance Blue Cross Blue Shield processing center, K's Merchandise, four new retail outlets in the Cape West Business Park and several other businesses. D&K Wholesale Drugs will open its new distribution center in Cape Girardeau next month. This kind of activity speaks well of the city's overall business climate.

Chamber members also expressed relief that Proposition A was defeated by voters in November. The measure would have raised the state's minimum wage to the highest in the nation, and chamber members had worked hard to defeat the proposition.

The board also set its sights on a number of aggressive priorities for the coming year. The group wants to work with the Cape Girardeau Area Industrial Association to secure at least one new major employer or a major expansion with at least 50 new jobs. But the chamber continues to realize the importance of existing businesses. The chamber will continue its work with the Community Based Economic Development Plan, designed to address concerns of existing business and industry.

Another admirable goal of the chamber is to work with the public schools as its implements its new master plan. This support of business is essential to building quality education.

The board outlined a number of other goals:

-- Continued work with legislators and the Missouri Department of Transportation to secure continued funding for the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge.

-- Work to reach a consensus on health care issues.

-- Become a partner with the SEMO Regional Industrial Training Group to ensure a skilled labor force.

While many cities have active chambers of commerce, few can boast of a steady membership of more than 1,100. The Cape Girardeau chamber's membership is in the top three in the state, including metropolitan areas. That says much about the can-do attitude of local businessmen and women and the effectiveness of the chamber.