Stories from Friday, February 25, 1994

Perhaps the best indicator of where we're headed, is an examination of where we've been. That's what the Southeast Missourian tries to do each year on the pages of its Progress edition. This year's 62-page edition has a decided business bent. The 55 stories and more than 80 photographs reflect a wide range of businesses throughout the region and the people behind them. The stories also show how these businesses impact our lives...

The tragedy was played out on the evening news hundreds of times during the mid-to-late 1980s. The chant of the auctioneer meant another farm, which had been the livelihood of a family for generations, had crumbled in economic turmoil -- a victim of too much debt and plunging commodities prices...

Almost a quarter-million visitors spent the night in Cape Girardeau over the past year. That figure is expected to swell to a healthier number in the near future. Those in the know figure more than 325,000 visitors each year may call Cape Girardeau home for a night...

In business as in life, delivering the goods is the bottom line. Sometimes the translation is literal. The family-owned Werner's CGA Grocery on Broadway has made delivery part of its service since opening almost 50 years ago. "It's helped us through the years," said Kenneth Werner, reflecting on the business his father, Clarence, and uncle, Alvin Werner, started in December 1935. "We used to have two trucks and two drivers," Werner said. "Now we operate one truck."...

With the opening of Lowe's Home Center this month, and planning under way by Wal-Mart to open a Sam's Club store eventually, Cape West Business Park is emerging as a major commercial development area. Initially, the site included about 160 acres of farmland acquired by the Drury family. It is located on the west side of Interstate 55 and runs from Route K to Bloomfield Road...

Electronic banking is on the rise in today's society. More and more pay checks are being deposited directly into financial institutions, ATM cards are in wide use, and very soon debit cards may begin phasing out checks. The trend toward high-tech banking is due to more than just the fact that technology is available. Automatic deposits of pay checks and electronic transfers are more efficient and cost effective both for businesses and financial institutions...

Getting ahead and staying ahead require more than a steady job and good intentions. When it comes to saving money, success is dependent upon a goal, a plan and discipline, many financial advisers say. "You don't go anywhere without a goal," said William Holly, manager of Consumer Credit Counseling Service. Having a clear goal fills as important a role in saving money as it does in day-to-day living, Holly asserted...

If you want your mail to get to its destination quicker, Mike Heuschober has a suggestion. Type the address on the envelope, and leave the punctuation behind, says Heuschober. The reason? In order to process 700,000 to 800,000 pieces of daily mail in less time than ever, the post office has turned to state-of-the-art computer and optical technology...

Dear Editor: I am in my roving reporter mode! Last weekend we went to hear a highly acclaimed organ concert by the organist of the Boston Symphony given at Arizona State's New Organ recital hall which has a 2 year old organ (which is thought to be one of the 5 best in the country.) I was surprised and pleased to see that today's soloist was Gary Miller...

Gov. Mel Carnahan has declared June 11 and 12 "Free Fishing Days" in Missouri. During the weekend observance in Missouri, residents and non-residents alike can fish free. On those two days, permits, daily trout tags and trout stamps are unnecessary at any Missouri Department of Conservation area and most other places. Requirements for special permits may still be in effect in some county, city or private waters, however...

It surprised me recently that Hollywood found it necessary to remake "The Getaway," an entertaining movie from my youth but hardly the sort of classic story that bears retelling for each generation. I mentioned this to my 11-year-old son. "I saw that movie in high school," I told him...

July Miller admired the few fancy hair bows she had seen and decided to try her hand at making a few for her daughter Jodie. Those hair bows tied five years ago led to a home-based business for Miller, Little Jules Designs. Hers is one of many home-based businesses in Cape Girardeau County. She sells hair bows through home parties and also at Kids Wear Again in downtown Cape Girardeau...

A marriage, the birth of a child and buying a new home often are the types of momentous events that are used to mark life's progression. Buying a new home -- like marriage and child-rearing -- can be both joyful and stressful. For the stressful times, there's help for the prospective home buyer or seller...

With mortgage rates dipping to digits that haven't been seen in the housing market for two decades, many home buyers and home owners looking to refinance are reaping the benefits. "People that could not have afforded their own home five years ago may find that they can very much afford a home today," said Martha Hamilton of Century 21 Key Realty. "The cost of a home mortgage is real close to what a home mortgage would have cost in the mid 70s."...

The massive warehouse-like building that houses the Spicer Axle Division of the Dana Corporation sits atop a rise overlooking the Southern Expressway in the south end of Cape Girardeau. Dana Corp. has been a part of Cape Girardeau since 1988. It was named in 1993 as Cape Girardeau's Industry of the Year...

With the passage of the Outstanding Schools Act in Senate Bill 380 last year, school reform in Missouri has become a big business. Reforms contained in the bill have dominated the time of the State Board of Education and staff at the state department of education over the last few months. Most local school districts have been busy trying to understand the forthcoming reforms and many have had to react to requirements in the law for a minimum local tax levy of $2.75...

The Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau is forecast to crest 2 feet above the 32-foot flood stage on Sunday. No serious flooding occurs at that stage, but the rising river has stopped construction of a new section of the Fayville levee near Olive Branch, Ill...

From strong convictions and a reliance on Judeo-Christian values sprang one of the "greatest nations in the world." A return to those convictions is needed to bring this nation back to its "once proud heritage." So proclaimed the Rev. Jerry Falwell, chancellor of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., who addressed members of the Regional Commerce and Growth Association at their annual banquet Thursday evening...

Southeast Missouri Hospital and St. Francis Medical Center are in the business of medicine; Procter and Gamble Paper Products Co., manufacturing; and Southeast Missouri State University, education. But all four share one thing in common: They rank as the Cape Girardeau's area's largest employers, providing a big boost to the local economy...

Before the Cape Girardeau City Council chooses a riverboat gaming company at its next regular meeting, it will have to consider each company's approach to safety measures on and off the boat. But the city will also have to address safety issues of its own, in areas such as building code enforcement for the land-based portion of the operation and police and fire protection for patrons...

The Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport has been called one of the city's most valuable assets. Unfortunately, it's also one of its best-kept secrets. Airport Manager Randy Holdman wants to change that, through a vigorous marketing campaign aimed at improving the quality of the airport's commercial and general aviation and developing industry at the site...

JACKSON -- When the Jackson school district opened Orchard Elementary School four years ago, there were two spare classrooms. This year, only one classroom remains vacant. When the 1994-95 school year starts in August, there will be none. In less than four years, the elementary school is now filled to capacity...

When a worker at the Cape Girardeau Water Treatment Plant dropped a wrench into an electrical control panel Wednesday, it caused the panel to short out and trip the circuit breakers. On Thursday, when Union Electric workers went to the plant to turn the power back on, the wrench had not been removed...

When a person is hired by the Dana Corp., he or she not only becomes an employee but also an integral member of a team. During the first week of employment at the Cape Girardeau plant, workers are introduced to the "project teams" of Dana Corp. Each employee is assigned to a team. Their primary goal: to come up with and implement suggestions to improve the workplace, the product and any other aspect of the working environment which may need fine-tuning...

When the first Mississippi River bridge at Cape Girardeau opened, it provided a thoroughfare that would add 120,000 people and $60 million in purchasing power to the Cape Girardeau trading area. That was in 1928. Before the bridge, inter-state transportation was limited to two ferries -- Cape Ferry and Thebes Ferry -- which combined to transport about 30,000 cars a year across the big muddy...

Schools attract more than the attention of young learners. Potential newcomers, whether individuals or entire plants, often look to schools as barometers of prosperity in a town or neighborhood. "They are part of what makes up your quality of life, which is extremely important for relocating businesses as well as start-up businesses," said John Mehner, president of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce...

School districts large and small prove to be "big players" in the communities that support them. Schools provide direct impact to local economies through payroll and local purchases of supplies and services. Schools in small communities, like Oak Ridge, often serve as a hub. Districts in larger communities such as Cape Girardeau also play an important role in the local economy...

JACKSON -- John "Buss" Gallup, 61, of Jackson, died Wednesday, Feb. 23, 1994, at St. Francis Medical Center. He was born Sept. 17, 1932, near Patton, son of Henry and Nola Brotherton Gallup. Gallup had been a mechanic at the former Kurre Motors in Jackson, Cape GMC Pontiac in Cape Girardeau, was self-employed as a mechanic and had owned and operated a television and radio repair shop. In 1980 he started work at Star Communications. He was a member of Post Oak Methodist Church near Patton...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Mabel Adams, 97, of Cairo, died Thursday, Feb. 24, 1994, at Daystar Care Center. She was born March 29, 1896, in Villa Ridge, daughter of George H. and Ida Miller Forsythe. She married Dean Adams, who died in 1973. Adams was a retired clerk for the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. She was a member of the United Church of Christ in Tamms...

PAINTON -- Jim Dick Jeffress, 73, of Sun City, Ariz., died Monday, Feb. 21, 1994, in a hospital there. He was born in June 1920, at Painton, son of Loe and Ruth Painton Jeffress. Jeffress farmed in this area, moving to Sun City in the mid 1960s where he was a mechanic until retiring...

MCCLURE, Ill. -- James Patrick McRaven, 69, of Vero Beach, Fla., died Sunday, Feb. 20, 1994, at his home, following a lengthy illness. He was born Dec. 28, 1924, in McClure, son of Chester nd Lillian Newton McRaven. McRaven served 25 years in the U.S. Navy, and was employed 15 years at Cape Kennedy Center...

Son to Mr. and Mrs. Jean-Paul Arpin of Independence, North Kansas City Hospital, 5:16 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 18, 1994. Name, Tyler Matthew. Weight, 7 pounds 13 ounces. First child. Mrs. Arpin is the former Amy Laucis, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Tony Williams of Jackson. She is a respiratory therapist at North Kansas City Hospital. Arpin is a dental student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Dental School. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Roger Arpin of Cape Girardeau...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Graveside service for Illeana McCowen of Cairo will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at Beechwood Cemetery in Mounds. The Rev. Kenneth Provines will officiate. There is no visitation. Barkett Funeral Home at Cairo is in charge of arrangements...

A break in a Union Electric Co. natural gas main in the 1400 block of William forced the evacuation of at least one home early Thursday. Cape Girardeau police officers detoured morning rush-hour traffic around the break until UE employees finished repairs shortly after 7 a.m...

ADVANCE -- Opal I. Ward, 74, of Advance, died Wednesday, Feb. 23, 1994, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Feb. 23, 1920, near Bloomfield, daughter of Henry Allen and Violet Rose Summers Blunt. She and Roy Iverson Ward were married March 13, 1948, in Piggott, Ark. He died Jan. 22, 1981...

JACKSON -- Jean Kurre has made countless trips to school over the past 26 years. For 10 years she worked as a bus driver for the Jackson School District; she was the district's first woman driver. For the last 16 years, she has steered the district's school bus system as transportation director or "bus boss" as she is affectionately known...

Cape Girardeau serves as a hub for many things in Southeast Missouri. It is a center for education, commerce, industrial growth and development and health care. Cape Girardeau is the only major city between St. Louis and Memphis, Tenn., to offer the advanced services of two hospitals. To meet the demands of being regional medical centers, hospitals have continued to expand...

Sometimes a decision based on solid business principals reaps unexpected rewards. In the mid-1980s, St. Francis Medical Center chose to become involved in a new program within the Cape Girardeau public schools linking the business, industry and service world with the classroom...

David Palmer is in the business of blood collection, gathering thousands of pints of blood at hundreds of area drives for use at regional hospitals. It's a big job, said Palmer, account representative for the Missouri-Illinois Regional Blood Services, a part of the American Red Cross...

There's a stranger in the house. Yet, in the span of few hours, the stranger has become a friend. "Bed and Breakfast hosts normally don't think of the people that stay with them as customers, rather they're guests," explained Tom Neumeyer of The Olive Branch Bed & Breakfast, 25 S. Lorimier...

For the third year in a row, the Cape Girardeau Regional Fraternal Order of Police is raising money for the Easter Seal Society's 1994 donation drive. But this year the FOP is trying something different -- offering donors the ability to win St. Louis Cardinals baseball tickets or baseballs autographed by St. Louis Cardinals players...

World War II and its aftermath will be evoked Saturday at a luncheon meeting of the Cape Girardeau branch of the American Association of University Women. Retired Army Col. H.H. Gerecke will speak about "Ministering to the Nuremburg War Criminals," basing his remarks on the experiences of his father, a Lutheran pastor, who was chaplain to the top Nazis on trial for World War II atrocities. The trials were held from 1945 to 1949...

The newspaper you are reading right now is printed on recycled paper. An estimated 500,000 trees are cut down every week and reduced to pulp, to print the Sunday editions of newspapers all over the United States. Because our natural resources are limited, but our lust for products derived from them is not, the city of Cape Girardeau -- like hundreds of other cities across the U.S. -- is getting into business of recycling...

The Center for Regional History and Cultural Heritage will sponsor a lecture on "Archives and Politics" by Kenneth Winn at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the University Center Ballroom. Following the presentation, an informal question and answer session and reception will be held...

We go to them for answers. But where do they go to share information and learn from one another? For more than 60 years, one way many local physicians have chosen to go about the business of improving medical care has been through participation in the Cape Girardeau County Area Medical Society...

Cape Girardeau continues on a fast track in the construction industry. Construction totals for 1993 are the second best in the history of the city and marked the third time in as many years that totals are over the $30 million mark. "City building permits for more than $33 million were issued last year," said Rick Murray, building inspector and supervisor of Cape Girardeau Inspection Service. "The exact figure is $33,169,258."...

Unobtrusive signs on grassy knolls and on acreage harboring earth-moving equipment spell out the message. Church-related construction and expansion projects are on the rise in the Cape Girardeau area. At least four churches are planning new buildings at sites in the new and fast-growing Lexington Avenue vicinity. The pastor of one of those churches, First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), credits two factors for the increased activity...

Bigger is better. Homeowners and builders certainly seem to think so. In Cape Girardeau, most of the new homes are large ones, 2,000 square feet or more. There are a number in the 3,000-square-foot category and beyond. "Ninety-seven percent of the homes being built today are what is normally considered the large home, 2,000 square feet and above," said Rick Murray, inspection services director for the city of Cape Girardeau...

Traditional shrubs dot the front yard. Flowers fill a backyard hideaway complete with gazebo, deck and patio. Designing outdoor space has become an extension of America's number one hobby. Gardening tops nearly every survey of American pastimes. That's good news for the professionals, who say business is booming...

Dream homes have become more than dreams for many in recent months. Contributing factors include low mortgage rates and demand, housing industry professionals say. "The activity level has been very heavy in the last year to 18 months," said David Dormeyer of Bridgeport Realtors Inc. "There are lots of people looking and buying too."...

One of the most stunning complexes along the rapidly developing Mt. Auburn Road has been the $13 million Lorimont Place, a retail-professional office complex and the corporate home to Health Services Corporation of America. Lorimont Place, 840 S. Mt. Auburn Rd., is situated between West Park Mall and Doctors' Park...

It's been several decades since West End Boulevard was appropriately named at Cape Girardeau's western outskirts. But it wasn't long ago that the area west of Kingshighway mostly was undeveloped farm land. Then Interstate 55 opened, ushering in the rapid western expansion of Cape Girardeau...

If projections of at least 800,000 visitors and more than 600 new jobs when riverboat gambling comes to Cape Girardeau hold true, there will be a positive economic impact on the city. But to what extent a business will benefit will likely be determined by how they go about courting the increased visitors...

When it comes to promoting economic development, three key players in the Cape Girardeau area believe that one of the most important considerations is teamwork. And that concept of teamwork includes having an awareness of all industrial sites in the area and a willingness to work with others and share information in recruiting new industry...

After a slight dip in 1991, sales tax revenue in Cape Girardeau has jumped 13 percent in the past two years, indicating a robust and growing retail sales base in the city. That's good news for economic development advocates like John Mehner, president of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce...

As events continually show, weather plays an important role in our daily lives. We can't stop storms from occurring, but we can prepare for them, thanks to forecasts prepared by the National Weather Service. The forecasts are based, in part, on weather data collected every hour from a network of weather observation stations, including the weather station at Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport...

Fax machines, cellular telephones, and voice pagers have been considered "high tech" communication equipment intended primarily for businesses. Because of lower prices and greater consumer awareness, however, that technology is now making its way into homes for everyday use...

In the days when the United States was young, mail was delivered on horseback and could take weeks to arrive. But then the need for expediency arose during the Civil War, giving way to the Pony Express. Eventually, mail was placed on steamboats, locomotives, wagon trains -- anything headed in the general direction of the letter's destination...

Cape Girardeau has seen a restaurant growth explosion in the past five years. From Applebee's to the Red Lobster under construction, restaurants are popping up throughout the river city. In 1989, Cape Girardeau had 87 restaurants; today, it has 98, city records show...

"If you took all the men and women employed in the U.S. insurance industry and laid them head-to-toe, starting on New York's William Street, they would stretch up the West Side Highway, over the George Washington bridge into New Jersey, down the New Jersey Turnpike to the Pennsylvania Turnpike, across Pennsylvania to Ohio, along Interstate 80 past Chicago, Des Moines, Lincoln, Neb., past Cheyenne, Wyo., to Salt Lake City, Utah, and a little beyond."...

Like many cities, Cape Girardeau has its share of entrepreneurial success stories: small businesses birthed by a dream and fostered with hard work and determination. One such business is Bootheel Area Rapid Transportation, known as BART, which was founded in June 1987 by John Marek and Ray Duffey as a shuttle service between Cape Girardeau and St. Louis' Lambert Airport...

ANNA, Ill. -- For the past year, this small Southern Illinois town has been job hunting as it attempts to climb out of the economic hole of losing two major employers. City and civic leaders are more optimistic these days, largely because of a new state prison that's going to be built at Tamms, about 17 miles from the Anna-Jonesboro area...

JACKSON -- If you've ever bought ventilated wire shelving for home closets, sliding baskets, door or wall racks, and organizers for your home, chances are they were made in Jackson by the 1,200 employees of Lee-Rowan of Jackson, a member of the Newell Group...

The River Ridge Winery is a welcome addition to Commerce, but vintners say just three wineries in this region is anything but a crowd. River Ridge joins Alto Vineyards at Alto Pass, Ill., and Sainte Genevieve Winery in Ste. Genevieve. "What we need is half a dozen wineries," said Jerry Smith of River Ridge. "People would come from St. Louis or Memphis to several wineries, do some tasting and comparing. When you have only one, it's quite a distance to travel."...

A planned three-mile extension of Nash Road will provide a major economic boost to the Southeast Missouri Regional Port and industrial sites in Scott City and Cape Girardeau. "This project is critical to the development of the port authority, not only to attract new industry at the port, but to enable other industries in the area to have more direct access to the port," said Dan Overbey, executive director of the port authority. ...

SCOTT CITY -- Next time you purchase a movie video, there's a good chance the vinyl clamshell the videocassette comes in was manufactured by Blair Industries Inc. of Scott City. The firm manufactures various vinyl and plastic products, including video cassette cases, vinyl envelopes, audio cassette albums, diskette albums, binders, software packaging and other custom vinyl packaging...

PERRYVILLE -- When you think of hospitals in this area, one is generally drawn to Cape Girardeau -- a mecca of hospital services for the region. But in recent years, the Perry County Memorial Hospital has grown to serve not only the people of Perryville, but to also function as a regional health facility in its own right...

TAMMS, Ill. -- The first employee of the planned $60 million super-maximum prison has been named. The environmental survey is history, and a group of small, golden mice has its own little corner of the prison site preserved. And a rock chestnut tree will not be disturbed...

Gerald Mueller says conditions in Southeast Missouri are perfect for growing vegetables. The weather is right. The soil is right. The rainfall is right. But only a few farmers have bought into the wholesale growing of vegetables. Bootheel agronomists say the trend may be changing as farmers look for diversification and higher income potential for their land...

Sales of cars and trucks in the U.S. are expected to increase as much as 12 percent this year as consumers replace aging vehicles. Sales could reach 16 million in 1994, surpassing the 14.2 million sold in 1993. These figures were revealed recently during a meeting of economists for the Big Three -- General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co., and Chrysler Corp. -- at the annual Society of Automotive Analysts Conference, held in Detroit...

In an age when time management is king and hours spent at home are fewer than ever, a way of doing business has evolved that makes the most of the minutes in a day. Commonly called telemarketing, many companies these days translate the term as customer service. It's direct, it's one-on-one, and, advocates say, it saves time for persons on both ends of the line...

When the weekend rolls around after a long week's work, most people are ready to engage in 1) nothing at all, or 2) something they really enjoy. There are outlets in Cape Girardeau and Jackson for either weekend venture. One of the fastest growing leisure sports in the area is golf...

Most residents in Cape Girardeau can't remember a time when the Southeast Missourian wasn't around to deliver the news of the day. For 90 years this newspaper has served the community. The Southeast Missourian tallies its years of service from Oct. 3, 1904, the day brothers Fred and George Naeter began publishing the newspaper. ...

Americans have a love affair with movies, and Cape Girardeans are not exceptions. The city of 35,000 boasts 10 movie screens, spread among three theaters. On any given day in Cape Girardeau, showtime occurs about 30 times. But Friday and Saturday nights are still the big movie nights in Cape Girardeau and around the country, theater operators say...

Good times or bad, the florist business seems to have a knack for maintaining a steady growth pattern. According to area florists, however, the bad times tend make business even better. Floral gifts are more popular than ever among Southeast Missourians, who are buying flowers for a wider variety of occasions...