St. Charles County Business Record, MO articles from April 2007

St. Charles County Business Record, MO archives from April 2007

U.S. Small Business Administration in St. Louis chooses Home-Based Business Champion.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The U.S. Small Business Administration in St. Louis has chosen Karen Hoffman, owner of City of Experts, as this year's Home-Based Business Champion for Region VII, which encompasses Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and...

St. Charles County's assessed valuation climbs above $6 billion.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask Despite a recent downturn in the real estate market, property values continue to climb in St. Charles County. The reassessed valuation of real estate in the county now stands at almost $6.02 billion, a 10 percent...

Commentary: Hot spot for builders has no place for St. Charles homeless.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask The mayor wanted it. So did his aldermen, non-for-profit groups and some businesses. But the neighbors didn't, and last month they convinced the St. Charles County Planning and Zoning Commission to recommend against a...

Fate of O'Fallon Station may be known soon.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask A Chicago developer is due back in O'Fallon later this month to discuss the future of the $40 million, mixed-use project known as O'Fallon Station -- a redevelopment project that could help breathe new life into the...

Representative from St. Charles says TIF reform may be in hands of educators.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady Educational advocates are probably the only hope for any kind of TIF reform legislation, says Rep. Tom Dempsey, R-St. Charles. Dempsey said lobbyists representing businesses and developers are very prevalent in...

Two developers plan mixed-use project near O'Fallon.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask THF Realty and Cullinan Properties Ltd. are planning a mixed-use development on a 265-acre site at highways 40 and DD, and while no one can say as yet what exactly is going in there, a number of people in O'Fallon are...

O'Fallon City Council requiring solicitors to wear ID badges.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The O'Fallon City Council is now requiring solicitors, peddlers and canvassers to wear identification badges on their outer clothing in order to identify them to any person they approach. The new ordinance...

St. Charles County Economic Development Center's Alliance training offered at a discount.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The St. Charles County Economic Development Center's Alliance training program is offering a 20 percent discount to new members for the 10 remaining seminars scheduled for 2007. The discount means a possible...

Nana Matteson earns Dardenne Prairie Citizens Emergency Response Team designation.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Nina Matteson, an administrative assistant at St. Charles-based Dutchman Realty, recently became a certified member of the Dardenne Prairie Citizens Emergency Response Team. The CERT program is designed to...

Nominations sought for O'Fallon manufacturer of year.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Nominations for O'Fallon's fifth annual Manufacturer of the Year are now being accepted through Friday, April 20. Each year, the city recognizes accomplishments of a local manufacturing firm with this award....

City of St. Peters wins lawsuit brought by residents.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The city of St. Peters announced recently it received a favorable judgment from the U.S. District Court in a lawsuit brought by Dan Burkemper and five other residents, who claimed the city violated their...

O'Fallon summer job fair announced.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The city of O'Fallon will hold a summer job fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 7, at the Renaud Spirit Center, 2650 Tri Sports Circle. The city will take applications and conduct interviews for...

State of Missouri reports success with business portal.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Since launching the new Internet site on Feb. 20, more than 46,000 visitors have visited the state's business portal at www.business.mo.gov, state officials announced on Tuesday. The portal, which was created...

Hunan Dragon opens in St. Charles.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The city of St. Charles and members of its chamber of commerce helped Hunan Dragon open for business at 2009 Zumbehl Road on March 23. The owners are Janet Kha and her brother Chef Sing Kha. For store hours,...

Robert Topping named president of QinetiQ North America.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Robert Topping, former president and CEO of Westar Aerospace & Defense Group Inc., a QinetiQ company, was recently named president and chief operating officer of QinetiQ North America Operations, the U.S....

Markus, Crayon, Fetterhoff join Premier Bank in St. Charles.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Mark H. Markus, Kerry Crayon and Jeffery Fetterhoff joined Premier Bank as senior residential mortgage lenders. Markus, Crayon and Fetterhoff will work out of the St. Peters Banking Center on Salt Lick Road...

St. Peters-based Cissell Mueller Construction promotes Jim Tillerson, hires John Wuebbeling.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff John Wuebbeling joined Cissell Mueller Construction as construction superintendent, and Jim Tillerson has been promoted to project manager at the St. Peters-based company. Wuebbeling has more than 31 years of...

Corporate Group names project manager for St. Charles and Warren counties.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Greg Laughlin has joined Corporate Group Inc., a commercial real estate development company, as project manager. Laughlin brings 25 years of experience to this position. Laughlin will be responsible for the...

St. Louis-based SSE Inc. hires VP of government marketing.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Bradley Baker joined SSE Inc. in the newly created position of vice president of government marketing. Baker, an O'Fallon resident, will seek to develop new business opportunities...

Missouri Nurses Association elects new officers.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The Missouri Nurses Association, District 15, recently elected new officers to lead the group next year. Those elected are: Keith Hampton, president; Dianna Phares, vice president; Sr. Joanne Reuter, recording...

Docket's 'birthing pains' causing jail population boom in St. Louis.
April 3, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka Several St. Louis Circuit Court judges are alarmed by how few criminal cases have been processed by the courts since the beginning of the year, a situation blamed in part on the city's new individual docketing system....

Parents sue Parkway School District in St. Louis over teen's suicide.
April 3, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter The parents of a teenage girl who killed herself three years ago are suing the Parkway School District and two of its employees, alleging the employees' detention of their daughter triggered her suicide. The lawsuit...

Correction: Red-light cameras.(Correction notice)
April 3, 2007... Byline: Staff Report Our March 30 story, "St. Louis stalls on issuing Photo Cop tickets," overstated the public availability of video footage from red-light cameras across the United States. While some city police departments grant access...

Scaled-down taxation bill sent to full Senate in Missouri.
April 4, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck A proposal to prevent the Missouri judiciary from making some decisions that affect taxation or government spending is headed to the Senate floor. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the controversial measure 5-3...

Jefferson City-based Lathrop & Gage chief to take over as chairman.
April 4, 2007... Byline: Heather Cole Lathrop & Gage's long-term chief executive Tom Stewart will step down June 1 to take over as chairman. The job of chairman, until now an honorary title, will become a more active one, said Raymond Beagle Jr., who has...

Commentary: Tort reformists accuse system in 114,000 deaths.
April 4, 2007... Byline: Will Connaghan Murderer. That's right, Mr. or Ms. Trial Attorney, you have helped kill 114,000 people over the past 20 years. Don't believe it? Just ask the Pacific Research Institute or the Missouri Chamber of Commerce. The oh-so...

U.S. Postal Service commemorates Dred Scott decision.
April 4, 2007... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff The U.S. Postal Service and the Dred Scott Foundation have joined forces to recognize the 150th Anniversary of the Dred Scott decision with commemorative envelopes and postal cancellations. A new...

Wife, daughter sentenced for embezzlement in Lewis County after burning body.
April 4, 2007... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Betty Joanne McWilliams, 59, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, on charges of bilking Social Security out of $133,000 after burning her...

Hazelwood man gets 12 years for stealing over $4 million.
April 4, 2007... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff James Knight, 58, was sentenced to 151 months in prison on multiple fraud charges for stealing more than $4.4 million dollars from more than 50 victims, U.S. Attorney Catherine L. Hanaway announced...

Missouri Court of Appeals asked to reverse Charles Polk Jr. judgment.
April 5, 2007... Byline: Heather Cole Charles Polk Jr. may be in prison, but judges still are wrestling with the lawsuit filed by one of his alleged fraud victims. It's now up to the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District to decide if a $3.6 million...

Still sprinting: Coaching keeps Kansas City lawyer moving.
April 5, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick Cliff Wiley still can run fast. Age has cost him a step or two from his days as an Olympian and world champion runner in the 1970s and 1980s. But the 51-year-old lawyer and high school track coach is still confident...

Use of focus groups help lawyers connect with juries.
April 6, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter Years spent working on client cases may be wasted time if lawyers can't find a way to connect with juries. The use of focus groups, however, can help lawyers develop stories that resonate with jurors. That's a mantra...

The Missouri House gives first-round approval.
April 6, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck The Missouri House has given first-round approval to a resolution that, if passed by the voters, would amount to the first change to existing language of the Missouri Bill of Rights in more than a century. The...

Valley Park anti-immigration bill blocked again by St. Louis County Circuit Court judge.
April 6, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka The presiding judge of St. Louis County Circuit Court issued a sweeping restraining order Thursday against the latest anti-illegal immigration bill to come out of Valley Park. Judge Carolyn Whittington's order echoed...

Q&A with Jerry Boshears, operators of Frenchtown Heritage Museum.
April 9, 2007... Byline: Wm. Stage The myriad contents of the Frenchtown Heritage Museum are largely the legacy of the late Richard Vinson. A retired educator, Vinson bought his Frenchtown home in 1975 and soon began a pastime that spanned nearly 25 years,...

St. Charles County Assessor to host two discussion sessions.
April 9, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff St. Charles County Assessor Scott Shipman will host two discussion sessions this month to provide property owners with opportunities to ask questions about their 2007 reassessment statements. The first session...

St. Charles County's debt on buildings retired.
April 9, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff St. Charles County officials say that a long-term debt totaling $43 million has been paid in full. The final payment in March eliminated the balance of leasehold revenue bond debt issued in 1992 to fund...

Ameristar, with casinos in St. Charles and Kansas City, buys Resorts East Chicago.
April 9, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Ameristar Casinos Inc. says it has reached an agreement to buy Resorts International Holdings to acquire its subsidiary that owns and operates Resorts East Chicago for $675 million in cash. Resorts East...

St. Charles Chamber of Commerce to host Business Showcase.
April 9, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The St. Charles Chamber of Commerce is looking for businesses to participate in its Neighbor to Neighbor Business Showcase. The event will be held in conjunction with the chamber's May 16 general membership...

St. Charles City adds new businesses.
April 9, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff St. Charles City said the following businesses have applied for licenses to operate in the city: * 2nd Wind Exercise Equipment, retailer, 1381 Bass Pro Drive, 636-925-1464. * Art Of Film Productions,...

Ameristar, with casinos in St. Charles and Kansas City, promotes Ray H. Neilsen.
April 9, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Las Vegas-based Ameristar Casinos Inc. has promoted Ray H. Neilsen to corporate senior vice president. Neilsen also serves as co-chairman of Ameristar's board. The company also promoted Paul Eagleton to senior...

Michael Ross joins Waddell & Reed's St. Peters office.
April 9, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Michael Ross has joined investment firm Waddell & Reed's St. Peters office as a financial adviser. Ross previously was a sales representative with The Lou Fusz Automotive Network.

Keith L. Schneider moves commercial realty office in St. Charles.
April 9, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staf Keith L. Schneider of commercial real estate firm Colliers Turley Martin Tucker has relocated his office to Suite 200 at 1551 Wall Street in St. Charles. His phone number is 636-949-9797.

Prudential Alliance Realtors office relocates in St. Peters.
April 9, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Prudential Alliance Realtors has relocated to 251 Salt Lick Road in the Dierbergs 79 Crossing Plaza in St. Peters. The phone number is 636-397-7378.

Bella Baskets opens in St. Peters.
April 9, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Bella Baskets recently held a grand-opening ceremony. The store is located at 107 Harvester Court in St. Peters. For more information call 636-922-4444.

St. Charles-based Dutchman Realty sponsors benefit.
April 9, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Dutchman Realty, a commercial real estate firm in St. Charles, said it will help sponsor a benefit for not-for-profit ShowMe Aquatics and Fitness. The event and auction will take place April 22 at Travenas...

Goddard honors local school.
April 9, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff At its annual convention last month, Goddard Systems Inc. recognized Tracy Pelligrini, owner and operator of a Goddard franchise in St. Charles. Goddard, headquartered in King of Prussia, Penn., operates more...

St. Charles-based Corporate Group's Jim Helmholtz celebrates fifth anniversary.
April 9, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Jim Helmholtz recently celebrated his fifth anniversary with Corporate Group, a commercial real estate development and management company based in St. Charles. Helmholtz works in the company's maintenance and...

Cost of building roads, highways in St. Charles County increasing.
April 9, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask St. Charles County's rising land values not only are making homes more expensive to buy, they are also making it more expensive to build roads and highways. "The cost of right-of-way is just going out of sight," said...

St. Charles election results could impact development.
April 9, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask When it comes to politics, it seems that nothing ever gets settled. Last year, St. Charles officials approved an ordinance prohibiting the use of eminent domain for private redevelopment. Just days after the April 3...

Tyler Mackie joins St. Louis-based Gateway Commercial as associate.
April 9, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Tyler Mackie has joined Gateway Commercial/Cushman Wakefield as an associate. In that capacity, Mackie will focus on property and buyer/tenant representation in the office sector. Prior to joining Gateway...

Bryan Grate joins Clayco as senior project engineer in St. Louis office.
April 9, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Clayco has added Bryan Grate as a senior project engineer in the St. Louis office. In his new position, Grate assists project managers with design-build projects. His responsibilities include bid solicitation,...

Glantz & Associates Architects gets 2 new contracts in South St. Louis.
April 9, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Glantz & Associates Architects Inc. has received a contract for the design of single-family homes for the Rolwes Homes Inc. neighborhood, Boulevard Heights, in South St. Louis. The neighborhood will have 44...

THF Realty teams with Columbia-based Maly Commercial on project.
April 9, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff THF Realty and Columbia-based Maly Commercial Realty Inc. have teamed up to build a retail center called Grindstone Plaza in Columbia, Mo. Construction cost is estimated at $27 million. The project will total...

The Lawrence Group Architects completes hospital in southern Illinois.
April 9, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The Lawrence Group Architects Inc. has completed a $19 million, two-story addition to Herrin Hospital, which serves Herrin and surrounding communities in southern Illinois. The 50,000-square-foot addition...

Missouri Attorney General Nixon sues firm that leases credit card machines.
April 10, 2007... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon filed suit on Monday against a New York City company he says defrauded dozens of Missouri small businesses that leased its credit card swiping machines. The...

Missouri's law schools get mixed review in magazine's rankings.
April 10, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter Like a rite of spring, the U.S. News & World Report graduate school rankings hit the newsstands last week. In Missouri, the deans of the four law schools frown on the rankings. Criticism of the rankings came even from...

Students from St. Louis Univ. School of Law lend a legal hand in N.O.
April 11, 2007... Byline: Will Connaghan Spring break took on a whole new meaning for a group of faculty and students from Saint Louis University School of Law last month. Instead of spending wild nights in Cancun or skiing down the slopes of the Rockies,...

Court doubts it can change state appropriation in Missouri.
April 11, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck A Cole County judge said Monday that he has "serious doubts" about his authority to force the state to change an appropriation decision. Nonetheless, he said there is a way to give the plaintiffs affected by that...

8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals hears arguments on South Dakota's informed consent law.
April 12, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter Another battle in the abortion war was fought in St. Louis on Wednesday. Lawyers representing Planned Parenthood, a group of pregnancy crisis centers and the state of South Dakota argued before the 8th U.S. Circuit...

Missouri Court of Appeals asked to define blight.
April 12, 2007... Byline: Tom Herrmann A case one litigant defines as a groundbreaking battle over individual property rights likely will turn on how a three-judge appellate panel defines "blight." The attorney for three Clayton property owners who are...

Missouri Court of Appeals upholds $1.5M railroad verdict.
April 12, 2007... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Report The Missouri Court of Appeals in St. Louis upheld a $1.5 million verdict for a truck driver injured in 1999, ruling that an error in jury instructions would not have changed the jury's verdict....

Missouri lead-paint case could recast long-standing law.
April 13, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck The city of St. Louis' lawyers candidly asked the Missouri Supreme Court on Thursday to change a law in the city's favor. Whether the court will agree to do it remains to be seen. The city is seeking to hold paint...

Mo. Senate Budget Committee adds $2.3M to Public Defender's Office, but director remains cautious.
April 13, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck The Missouri Public Defender system is unlikely to get everything it needs for caseload relief this year, but a Senate committee has offered at least some hope. The Senate Budget Committee said Thursday that it would...

Commentary: Missouri Second Injury Fund games ignore history.
April 13, 2007... Byline: Will Connaghan Politicians have been playing political football with Missouri's workers' compensation law for many years. Laws are written to favor employers over employees and vice versa, depending on which party is in charge....

Guatemalan school to be named for daughter.
April 16, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask I'm increasingly being asked about the status of a plan to build a Guatemalan school that will be named after my daughter, Katie, who died in September shortly after completing her service in the Peace Corps. Because of...

Three St. Charles businesses to receive Employers of the Year awards.
April 16, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask And the winners are . . . St. Charles has determined which three local businesses will receive this year's Employers of the Year awards. Each year the city honors one manufacturer, retailer and service provider. This...

Debi Enders joins Commerce Bank in St. Charles County.
April 16, 2007... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff Commerce Bank has hired Debi Enders as a small-business specialist. In her new position, she will develop relationships with small businesses in St. Charles County, the bank said. "Debi brings to...

St. Charles County Collector of Revenue named Woman of Achievement.
April 16, 2007... St. Charles County Collector of Revenue Michelle D. McBride will be honored for her volunteer efforts at the 52nd Annual Women of Achievement Luncheon, on May 15, at the Ritz Carlton in Clayton. The Women of Achievement program honors 10 area...

Speculative development on the rise in St. Louis.
April 16, 2007... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff Speculative development and land acquisition are two major trends in the St. Louis industrial market this year, members of the St. Louis chapter of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors were...

Developers suing city of O'Fallon over sewer problems.
April 16, 2007... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady Tired from months of waiting, developers have begun suing the city of O'Fallon over its sewer problems. The municipal sewer plant has reached its capacity of 10 million gallons of water per day, so O'Fallon has...

O'Fallon entertains ideas for sewer problem.
April 16, 2007... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady The city of O'Fallon has been enforcing a moratorium on new hookups to its sewer system for the past two years, and development in some parts of the county has been directly impacted. The city has been...

Tourists turn to Web to discover St. Charles.
April 16, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask The Internet increasingly is becoming an important ingredient when it comes to marketing products and services. Some recently released figures also indicate its importance to the local tourism industry. The Greater St....

Diversification of St. Charles-based Westar Aerospace and Defense proves profitable.(Company overview)
April 16, 2007... Byline: Amy Armour A decision to diversify the St. Charles-based Westar Aerospace and Defense Group in 1993 has made millions for company so far. Subsidiary Westar Display Technologies was born in 1993 after the company decided to look for...

Volunteers add millions to St. Charles-area economy.
April 16, 2007... Byline: Michelle Kowalski Volunteerism was worth $278 million to St. Charles, Franklin, Lincoln and Warren counties last year. That's millions of dollars in free labor and services. And according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 26...

First quarter profit dips for Commerce Bancshares.(Financial report)
April 16, 2007... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff Commerce Bancshares Inc.'s net income for the first quarter fell 2.7 percent compared to the same period last year. Net income for the first quarter amounted to $51.5 million compared to $52.9...

Record corn crop possible in Missouri.
April 16, 2007... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff If the weather cooperates, Missouri could see a record corn crop this year, according to the Missouri Corn Merchandising Council. The U.S. Department of Agriculture expects Missouri corn farmers to...

St. Charles' ArtWalk returns April 27-29.
April 16, 2007... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff The second annual Spring ArtWalk returns April 27-29 to Main Street in St. Charles. The event, which is free and open to the public, will showcase more than 80 professional artists who will exhibit...

Youth In Need's annual benefit raises record amount in St. Charles.
April 16, 2007... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff Youth In Need's annual dinner and auction raised more than $200,000 for the not-for-profit. That is a record amount for this event, the social service agency reports. Approximately 560 people...

Gov. Blunt appoints Jerry B. Hollingsworth to park panel.
April 16, 2007... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff Gov. Matt Blunt has appointed Jerry B. Hollingsworth of St. Peters to a two-year term on the Missouri State Park Advisory Board. The park board gives guidance to state officials concerning the...

Don Klackner named GM of bowling center in St. Peters.
April 16, 2007... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff Brunswick Corp. has named Don Klackner general manager of its Brunswick Zone XL bowling and entertainment center, now under construction in St. Peters. He will be responsible for overseeing daily...

Kathy Bence gets hospital administrative director post in Kirkwood.
April 16, 2007... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff SSM St. Joseph Hospital in Kirkwood has named Kathy Bence of St. Charles as its administrative director of interventional services. Bence will oversee all interventional services, including...

Commentary: Tragedy tempers afterglow of NRA convention.
April 17, 2007... Byline: Will Connaghan As I write these lines on Monday morning, reports of the deadliest mass killing spree in U.S. history are being broadcast. At least one gunman has killed as many as 31 people and wounded dozens more on the campus of...

Bar groups to celebrate their fellowship at dinner in Maryland Heights.
April 17, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter On Thursday, lawyers from the Missouri Asian-American Bar Association and the Mound City Bar Association will get together for an evening of fellowship when they celebrate the seventh annual Unity Dinner. By custom,...