St. Charles County Business Record, MO articles from August 2004

St. Charles County Business Record, MO archives from August 2004

Western St. Charles County sees increase in residential permits.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady The western part of the county, particularly Wentzville, is continuing to see an increase in residential building permits year over year. For the past few years, the cities of O'Fallon and Wentzville have...

Majority of WingHaven's retail development complete.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Rachel Brown If you build it, they will come. And in WingHaven's case, they have. WingHaven is O'Fallon's 1,200-acre master-planned community that has experienced nonstop activity since it broke ground in 1998. With...

Ameristar St. Charles Casino hires new PR manager.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask Last week Ameristar St. Charles Casino announced that Mike Knopfel would succeed Melissa Barreca as the gambling operator's public relations manager. Knopfel has some experience working with the gambling industry and...

City of O'Fallon seeking nominations for Manufacturer of the Year award.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask The city of O'Fallon continues to solicit nominations for its annual Manufacturer of the Year award. The city is scheduled to present the award during a luncheon that will begin at 11:30 a.m., Aug. 25, at City Hall. ...

Botanicals on the Park store closing.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask While retailers continue to be attracted to O'Fallon's burgeoning population, there is no guarantee of success. Botanicals on the Park, a full-service florist and gift and accessories retailer, is closing its...

St. Charles Chamber of Commerce hosts town-hall meeting.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask A town-hall meeting Wednesday afternoon at the St. Charles Chamber of Commerce office drew more than two dozen members concerned about the current direction of city government and the impact on the local business...

Interview with financial planner/magician, Robert Blattel's success.
August 3, 2004... Byline: Wm. Stage After receiving an undergraduate degree in business administration from the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 1973, Bob went in to the financial planning field, starting his own company in 1977. Associates include Bob's...

Missouri's tax administration gets high ranking.
August 3, 2004... Byline: staff Missouri tax administration is ranked one of the top four in the country, according to a Council on State Taxation's survey to determine whether states provide fair, efficient and customer-focused tax administration. The...

Gaming group to promote responsibility.
August 3, 2004... Byline: staff The Missouri Riverboat Gaming Association says it will promote responsible gambling and the prevention of underage gambling during the next few days. The association's Responsible Gaming Education Week runs Aug. 2-6. The...

National magazine recognizes WingHaven architects.
August 4, 2004... Byline: staff A four-page, full-color article in the national magazine Professional Builder features the homes at Sleepy Hollow Village at Boardwalk Place, designed by St. Louis-based Glantz & Associates Architects Inc. and built by The...

SSM St. Joseph Hospital recognized by ADA.
August 4, 2004... Byline: staff SSM St. Joseph Hospital West in Lake Saint Louis received national recognition July 26 from the American Diabetes Association, the largest and most widely known organization in the field of diabetes, for its diabetes...

Ameristar Casinos gets 133 top honors from survey.
August 4, 2004... Byline: staff Ameristar Casinos Inc. earned top honors in the annual Casino Player "Best of Gaming" reader survey with the distinction of being voted best casino in each of their markets. Ameristar's properties won the most first-place...

St. Peters enforcing registration requirement for vacant gas stations.
August 4, 2004... Byline: James Monahan Many small businesses have a life cycle. When that cycle ends, the buildings and sites they occupied may be sold and put to another use. In the case of service stations with underground gasoline storage tanks,...

Business owners form consortium of talents.
August 4, 2004... Byline: Rachel Brown In any other situation, these four St. Charles County businesswomen might be competing with each other for a new account, keeping a careful distance to protect their business secrets. Instead, they have joined forces...

Lewis and Clark mission offers long-range success.
August 5, 2004... Byline: Mike Nixon The original Corps of Discovery mission into the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase could easily be called the most successful failure in American history. President Thomas Jefferson commissioned Meriweather Lewis and...

Bicentennial commission reports immediate successes.
August 5, 2004... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady Although the number of visitors during the St. Charles Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Signature Event in May fell below projections, the St. Charles Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission reported overall success....

Sewage spill shouldn't impact future development, director says.
August 5, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask The recent release of sewage into Dardenne Creek should not negatively impact future development in the western and southern portions of St. Charles County, said the director of the sanitary district responsible for the...

St. Peters officials defend actions in issuing of bond.
August 5, 2004... Byline: staff In a response to a letter written by the Great Rivers Habitat Alliance, St. Peters officials defended their actions regarding issuing a bond for the proposed 1,800-acre Lakeside Business Park. Because of current low interest...

Home-Based Women Entrepreneurs to hold monthly meeting.
August 5, 2004... Byline: staff The Association of Home-Based Women Entrepreneurs' monthly meeting will take place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 10, at Spazios Westport. Technology expert Louise Wiedermann will present "Technology and the Home-Based Business."...

GM reports record truck sales.
August 5, 2004... Byline: staff General Motors industry-leading truck lineup had record July sales, led by record GMC sales (61,269) and the second-best month ever for sport utility deliveries (137,181), which were up 11 percent. This is the fourth month...

GC Services to relocate 600 workers to Weldon Spring.
August 6, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask Even as telecommunications provider MCI emerges from bankruptcy, its campus in Weldon Spring increasingly resembles a ghost town as the company continues to lay off workers. However, the three-building campus will...

Community foundation inspired by friend of St. Charles County.
August 6, 2004... Byline: Rachel Brown It was a dream of Kevin Kipp's to bring a community foundation to St. Charles. President of Bubble Communications Inc. and active member of an array of St. Charles County organizations, Kipp was unfortunately not...

Quilogy wins Microsoft partner portal challenge.
August 6, 2004... Byline: staff Quilogy was announced as the first-place winner in the Partner Portal Challenge at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in Toronto in July 2004 with 40 Quilogy architects and developers successfully passing the tests....

SBC studies kids' Web habits.
August 6, 2004... Byline: staff According to a national survey of 1,000 6- to 17-year-olds conducted by SBC Communications Inc., high-speed Internet access has become a valuable and sought-after resource for schoolwork, with nearly 90 percent of all...

Missouri gas prices increase.
August 6, 2004... Byline: staff As of Aug. 3, gasoline prices in Missouri averaged $1.77 per gallon, 12 cents lower than the national average of $1.89. Missouri gas prices are now five cents higher than one month ago. Compared to one year ago, gasoline...

Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital welcomes new OB/GYN, announces scholarship winner.
August 6, 2004... Byline: staff Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital welcomed Kirsten Purtell McDaniel, D.O., obstetrics/gynecology, and it announced that the Missouri Hospital Association has chosen Jennifer Hanff, BJSPH volunteer coordinator, as the MHA...

St. Charles woman receives designation as accredited senior appraiser.
August 6, 2004... Byline: staff Nancy Matheny, CPA/ABV, CVA, principal in the St. Charles office of Brown Smith Wallace, recently received her designation as an accredited senior appraiser. Matheny was awarded her designation from the American Society of...

SSM St. Joseph appoints nursing unit director.
August 6, 2004... Byline: staff SSM St. Joseph Hospital West in Lake Saint Louis appointed Debbie Hoffman, R.N., to director of the nursing unit over the hospital's medical, pediatrics and oncology units. In her new role, Hoffman will be overseeing the...

Rubin, Brown, Gornstein & Co. promotes Mitchell to manager.
August 6, 2004... Byline: staff Tate Mitchell, CPA, has been promoted to manager at Rubin, Brown, Gornstein & Co. L.L.P. As a manager in the firm's assurance services group, Mitchell specializes in tax return and financial statement preparation, SEC filing...

Ribbon cuttings held for new O'Fallon businesses.
August 6, 2004... Byline: staff On Friday, July 23, the O'Fallon Chamber of Commerce and city officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Christophers Florist, located at 3004 WingHaven Blvd. Joe Mast III is the owner. On Monday, July 12, the O'Fallon...

Commentary: Trademark violations could threaten small-business intent.
August 6, 2004... Byline: Mike Nixon Pat and Mike had been buddies when they were younger. The two got reacquainted last month during a 30-year class reunion and updated each other as to what they had done with their lives and careers since transitioning...

St. Charles Community College workshop designed to assist business people.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask Apparently, once was not enough. In June, the Economic Development Center of St. Charles County brought in business consultant and author Kevin McCarthy to talk to local business people about how to gain insights...

Groups spread the word about Missouri's first Sales Tax Holiday.
August 9, 2004... Byline: James Monahan August 13-15 presents a real window of opportunity to save on sales taxes for anyone shopping in St. Charles County. Over that three-day weekend shoppers in St. Charles, St. Peters, O'Fallon, Lake Saint Louis,...

MO Public Service Comm. files complaint against America Home Brokers.
August 9, 2004... Byline: staff The staff of the Missouri Public Service Commission has filed a complaint against America Home Brokers Inc., alleging numerous violations of PSC rules and regulations. The PSC has alleged the Moscow Mills manufactured...

St. Charles-based Executive Personal Computers to hold blood drive during sale.
August 9, 2004... Byline: staff Executive Personal Computers Inc. in St. Charles wants your money and your blood. The business, at 3941 Harry Truman Blvd., will hold a blood drive and cholesterol screening for visitors to its warehouse computer and...

Interview with co-owner of Salon de Christe grow.
August 10, 2004... Byline: Wm. Stage A Chicago native, Bob Miller has been in the hair care industry since he was 16. In the 1980s, he moved to Cleveland to become vice president of Matrix Essentials, at the time the largest professional hair care...

Good etiquette is also good business.
August 10, 2004... Byline: Erin Conroy Etiquette is more than knowing which fork to use for the salad. "Etiquette boils down to kindness, courtesy and respect," said etiquette expert Melenie Broyles. Unfortunately, many of us don't realize that. ...

Crude oil reached record high.
August 10, 2004... Byline: staff U.S. crude oil prices reached $44.41 per barrel last week, setting a new record high amid renewed concerns about Russian oil major YUKOS and the company's ability to export oil. Oil prices fell in June and most of July. The...

Dietitian registration now required in Missouri.
August 10, 2004... Byline: staff A state law that takes effect Aug. 28 will require Missouri dietitians to be licensed through the Department of Economic Development's Division of Professional Registration. "We currently have 928 [dietitians] licensed on...

Home Showcase to cater to buyers, owners.
August 11, 2004... Byline: Amy Amour Home buyers tired of driving back and forth across town for all of their home-building or remodeling needs will have a new, one-stop location in St. Charles this September to do their shopping. The Home Showcase, an...

Development group seeks dialogue with politicians.
August 11, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask Since April when five new members were elected to the 10-member St. Charles City Council, relations between that body and the local business community have become increasingly strained. Last month, more than two dozen...

Building Trades Council endorses business park.
August 11, 2004... Byline: staff The St. Louis Building and Construction Trades Council has endorsed St. Peters' proposal to create a $350 million business park in 1,600 acres of flood plain owned by the city. "Our council has a consistent history of...

Encouraging Supporting Promoting Women to present workshop on intuition.
August 11, 2004... Byline: staff Professional women's group Encouraging Supporting Promoting Women will present a workshop during its August meeting. Certified financial planner and business consultant Rodney Loesch will be the keynote speaker at the...

County's fight over TIFs refuses to die.
August 12, 2004... Byline: Mike Nixon The fight between St. Charles County and St. Peters over usage of tax increment financing refuses to end. Last week the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, upheld a lower court's dismissal of a lawsuit brought...

Ameristar keeps revenue lead over Harrah's.
August 12, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask Ameristar St. Charles Casino again stood on top in July taking in more than $26 million in adjusted gross revenues. However, Harrah's St. Louis Casino and Hotel in Maryland Heights experienced the largest percentage gain...

State awards money for training auto workers.
August 12, 2004... Byline: staff The General Motors assembly plant in Wentzville and two Daimler-Chrysler assembly plants in the area have been awarded $900,000 each in customized training funds, according to the Missouri Department of Economic Development....

O'Fallon manufacturer to be honored.
August 12, 2004... Byline: staff The city of O'Fallon will present its Manufacturer of the Year award during a luncheon Aug. 25 at the O'Fallon Municipal Centre, 100 N. Main St. The event begins at 11 a.m. Don Wainwright, president of Wainwright Industries,...

Missouri economic development expert tells companies how to expand trading opportunities.
August 13, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask In introducing the main speaker, Scott Drachnik, vice president of marketing for the Economic Development Center of St. Charles County, said, "You've probably all heard the phrase, 'It's a small world, and it's getting...

Employment Cost Index report finds benefits becoming more costly to employers.
August 13, 2004... Byline: James Monahan Total compensation costs for civilian workers moderated slightly in the second quarter of 2004 compared with increases in the previous quarter. Over half of the March to June increase was due to rising benefit costs....

Pendleton gets grant from state of MO for water improvements.
August 13, 2004... Byline: staff A state grant will help the village of Pendleton in Warren County install a community water distribution system, providing residents with an adequate water supply. The Missouri Department of Economic Development awarded a...

US Small Business Administration breaks loan record.
August 13, 2004... Byline: staff The U.S. Small Business Administration said that with almost two full months still remaining in its fiscal year, the agency already has backed more loans in its 7(a) and 504 programs than ever before in its 51-year-old...

Businesses open in St. Charles.
August 13, 2004... Byline: staff The St. Charles Economic Development Department says the following businesses applied for business licenses in July: Any Basket Under the Sun, a retailer at 904 S. Main St.; Boone's Lick Trail Cottage, a bed and breakfast at...

Wentzville eateries to hold grand openings.
August 13, 2004... Byline: staff The city of Wentzville and the Wentzville Chamber of Commerce will conduct grand opening ribbon-cutting ceremonies at two restaurants located near each other. The ceremonies will begin at 11 a.m., this Tuesday, at Cecil...

Lindenwood University hires ex-police chief.
August 13, 2004... Byline: staff Lindenwood University in St. Charles has hired former St. Charles Police Chief Paul Corbin as director of the school's criminal justice program. He starts his new job Aug. 16. Corbin spent five years as the city's police...

O'Fallon names new PR director.
August 13, 2004... Byline: staff Mary G. Wilson is the new public relations director for the city of O'Fallon. She succeeds Dave Dorr who resigned that post in the spring. Wilson's background includes reporting news for local publications including the...

O'Fallon-based Paric's Wall-Schultz achieves LEED accreditation.
August 13, 2004... Byline: staff The U.S. Green Building Council has awarded Rebecca Wall-Schultz with a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design accreditation. She is vice president of preconstruction services for Paric Corp. in O'Fallon. Wall-Schultz...

SSM St. Joseph Hospital names Harmon admitting director.
August 13, 2004... Byline: staff SSM St. Joseph Hospital West in Lake Saint Louis recently named Judy Harmon director of admitting and PBX, the hospital's private exchange network. Harmon had served as the lead educator in the hospital's admitting and...

St. Charles West High School students win environmental award.
August 13, 2004... Byline: staff St. Charles West High School's Missouri Envirothon team placed 12th out of 51 teams at the North America Canon Envirothon, a national high school competition held in Buckhannon, W. Va. The high school received the highest...

Schools asking students to be specific this year when buying supplies.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Amy Amour Paper, pens and pencils are not enough to cover the vast needs of St. Charles County students returning to school this fall. The supply lists for local schools are specific, detailed and encompass supplies that weren't...

Premier Bank to start work on permanent facility in St. Peters.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask Premier Bank plans to break ground on its 21,000-square-foot permanent facility in St. Peters later this month. Premier Bank St. Peters Banking Center will be located at the intersection of Interstate 70 and Salt...

SSM St. Joseph Hospital West named to Top 100 Hospital list.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Rachel Brown One of the top hospitals in the nation is in St. Charles County. For the second time, SSM St. Joseph Hospital West in Lake Saint Louis has been named a Top 100 Hospital by Solucient, the nation's leading source of...

Lindenwood Univ. signs agreement with UM-Rolla.
August 16, 2004... Byline: staff Lindenwood University in St. Charles and the University of Missouri at Rolla have signed an agreement that will allow students to start work on their engineering degrees at Lindenwood. Under the agreement, both...

Local dental practice changes its name.
August 16, 2004... Byline: staff Today's Family Dental has changed its name to Expressions Dental Group. The name change reflects the mission of the practice and also conveys to the public its cutting-edge technology and newly expanded services, the group...

Interview with Bogey Hills Country Club golf pro.
August 17, 2004... Byline: Wm. Stage John Prange knows every slope and vale on the links of Bogey Hills Country Club, having worked there since his sophomore year of high school. In the intervening 30 years, he has gone from cleaning members' golf clubs to...

St. Charles County rezoning requests scheduled for next meeting.
August 17, 2004... Byline: James Monahan The St. Charles County Planning and Zoning Commission will consider rezoning requests for several parcels of land at its next meeting on Aug. 18. At Wednesday's meeting, a public hearing will be held for Mark and...

Boeing small diameter bomb successfully launched.
August 17, 2004... Byline: staff A Boeing small diameter bomb was successfully launched Tuesday, Aug. 10, over the Gulf of Mexico Test Range by a U.S. Air Force F-15E aircrew. The 250-pound class, near precision-guided weapon was dropped from 30,000 feet and...

Number of hires outpaces number of separations for June.
August 17, 2004... Byline: staff Last week the U.S. Department of Labor reported the number of hires continued to outpace the number of separations in the month of June. There were 4.3 million hires and 4.1 million separations in June, little changed from...

Missouri Chamber of Commerce endorses gubernatorial candidate.
August 17, 2004... Byline: staff The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Political Action Committee officially endorsed gubernatorial candidate Matt Blunt in an announcement on Monday. The chamber cited Blunt's statewide tour of businesses and...

LMI Aerospace Inc. begins to see black.
August 18, 2004... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady Cost-cutting efforts from LMI Aerospace Inc. are starting to pay off as the company begins to see black in its financial report. According to LMI's second-quarter earnings report, ended June 30, the company...

St. Joseph Hospital West among top 100.
August 18, 2004... Byline: Rachel Brown A St. Charles County hospital has been named one of the top hospitals in the nation for a second time. SSM St. Joseph Hospital West in Lake Saint Louis has been named a top 100 hospital in 2003 by Solucient, the...

Ameristar Casinos reports dividend.
August 18, 2004... Byline: staff Ameristar Casinos Inc. reported a quarterly cash dividend of $0.125 per share payable on Sept. 15 to stockholders of record on Aug. 31. This announcement follows news the company's St. Charles casino topped all other local...

Hospital gets city grant for SANE program.
August 18, 2004... Byline: staff The city of St. Charles granted SSM St. Joseph Health Center $3,000 to the hospital's sexual assault nurse examiner program to organize a SANE course for nurses interested in entering the field of forensics. Last year the...

Consumer Price Index declines in July.
August 18, 2004... Byline: staff The Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers decreased 0.2 percent in July, before seasonal adjustments, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported on Tuesday. The July level of 189.4 was 3...

Planners work on New Town's commercial development.
August 19, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask Practically everyone in the area has heard about Whittaker Homes' New Town development in St. Charles and the more than 4,000 housing units that eventually will be built there. This week, architects are working on the...

Retail development continues in O'Fallon.
August 19, 2004... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady Commercial development along Highway 40 in the county has taken off in the past few months, with hundreds of thousands of retail square footage planned for one of the county's major arteries. Laboure Centre, a...

Goddard School breaks ground.
August 19, 2004... Byline: staff The Goddard School, located at 1402 Gettysburg Landing Road in St. Peters, is under construction. The new, state-of-the-art, 8,000-square-foot building has been designed to accommodate approximately 120 children from six...

SCORE to hold business workshop.
August 19, 2004... Byline: staff SCORE small-business counselors will hold a workshop called "Create a Plan to Winnerize Your Business" from 8 a.m. to noon on Friday, Aug. 27, at the Small Business Administration Information Center, 200 N. Broadway in St....

Women entrepreneur association to hold meeting.
August 19, 2004... Byline: staff The Association of Home-Based Women Entrepreneurs will hold its monthly meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 14, at Spazios Westport. The program's topic will be titled "Best Business Practices." Lois Creamer, owner of Book...

Rising fuel prices did not stop consumer spending.
August 20, 2004... Byline: Mike Nixon The week of May 10, the national average price for unleaded gasoline topped $2 a gallon, and the cost for diesel was not far behind. Almost immediately, many economists proclaimed that fuel expenses were out of control....

Local companies fare well in training funding.
August 20, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask St. Charles County companies fared well in the latest round of customized job training funds to be awarded by the Missouri Department of Economic Development. Almost $2 million has been awarded by the DED through its...

Lear Corp. reports dividend.
August 20, 2004... Byline: staff Lear Corp., the world's largest automotive interior systems supplier, with a plant in Wentzville, announced that its board of directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.20 per share on the company's common stock....

Youth employment increased in July.
August 20, 2004... Byline: staff From April to July 2004, the number of employed youth 16 to 24 years old increased by 2.3 million to 21.4 million, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported Wednesday. July is the traditional...

Better Business Bureau to hold symposium.
August 20, 2004... Byline: staff The Better Business Bureau Serving Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois will hold a symposium from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 30 at the University Club, 1034 S. Brentwood Blvd. in St. Louis. The symposium will help...

St. Charles chamber welcomes new staff.
August 20, 2004... Byline: staff The St. Charles Chamber of Commerce is proud to welcome Claire Felder and Heidi Fairbanks as the newest chamber staff. Felder joined the chamber staff on Aug. 2 as membership director. She is a graduate of Maryville...