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

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

O'Fallon-based Datotel recognized for fast growth.
December 3, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask A business advocacy group and state government recently recognized O'Fallon-based Datotel for its rapid growth since the IT company was created in 2004. The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry presented its 2007...

St. Charles-area volunteer activity worth millions, group says.
December 3, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask There are some who say you can't put a price on an act of kindness. But don't tell that to local businessman and civic leader Ed Watkins. Watkins called a news conference last week at which he announced that Wentzville...

Q&A with Mike Melson of Bad Boyz Bail Bonds of St. Charles.
December 3, 2007... Byline: Wm. Stage It's hard to miss Mike Melson's Hummer with its jet black finish set against a rendering of raging fire, as if the vehicle and its driver had just emerged from some hellish inferno. And when you do see the Hummer on St....

Kim Matreci accepts new position at Lake Saint Louis-based MTM.
December 3, 2007... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff Kim Matreci recently accepted the new position of vice president of client services at MTM, based in Lake Saint Louis. Matreci has more than 16 years of experience in management and...

Paule, Camazine & Blumenthal opens new office in St. Charles.
December 3, 2007... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff Paule, Camazine & Blumenthal P.C. is scheduled to open its St. Charles office today, Dec. 3. The new office is located in Suite 203 at 800 Friedens Road. "We are opening the office because of the...

St. Peters' Rec-Plex expansion completed.
December 3, 2007... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff Walton Construction St. Louis has completed the 106,000-square-foot expansion of St. Peters' Rec-Plex in time for the fall ice hockey season. The $18.5 million expansion and renovation project...

Missouri's Gov. Blunt, Sen. Dempsey to address copper-theft problem.
December 3, 2007... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff Gov. Matt Blunt and state Sen. Tom Dempsey have scheduled a community meeting for Tuesday afternoon to discuss ways to combat copper thefts. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. at St. Peters...

Ameristar Casino St. Charles gives $20,000 to Angels' Arms.
December 3, 2007... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff The Ameristar Casino St. Charles Community Advisory Board has awarded $20,000 to Angels' Arms, a not-for-profit that provides homes for foster parents to keep foster children who are siblings...

Target helps Lutheran Family and Children's Services of Missouri.
December 3, 2007... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff Lutheran Family and Children's Services of Missouri will use a $1,000 grant it received from Target Stores to purchase upgraded reading materials for the Elm Point Early Childhood Center in St....

Citi's O'Fallon employees help Red Cross.
December 3, 2007... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff Citi employees in O'Fallon helped the Red Cross Nov. 17 thank more than 40,000 Red Cross financial and blood donors. The company opened its call center in O'Fallon and staffed it with volunteers to...

St. Charles Chamber of Commerce schedules health fair.
December 3, 2007... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff The St. Charles Chamber of Commerce is looking for health-related businesses to participate in its third annual Health Fair. The fair will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Jan. 16, at the Heart of St....

O'Fallon chamber seeks office manager.
December 3, 2007... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff The O'Fallon Chamber of Commerce is seeking candidates for the position of office manager/director of member services. Required qualifications include a high school diploma (bachelor's degree...

Danette Craig joins Clayco's St. Louis office.
December 3, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Clayco has added Danette Craig of St. Charles as an accounting manager at its St. Louis office. She recently worked as a senior staff accountant for Taylor Morley Homes. In her new position, Craig handles...

Barbara Marshall joins Heartland Bank's St. Charles branch.
December 3, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Heartland Bank has hired Barbara Marshall of O'Fallon as banking center manager and business development officer at its St. Charles facility, 5991 S. Highway 94. Before joining Heartland, Marshall was vice...

Missouri Community College Association honors Sen. Rupp, three other locals.
December 3, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The Missouri Community College Association recently presented awards to Republican state Sen. Scott Rupp of Wentzville and two St. Charles County residents. The association presented its Distinguished...

Bruce Aydt honored by St. Louis Association of Realtors.
December 3, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Bruce Aydt, senior vice president and general counsel of Prudential Alliance Realtors, has been honored with the St. Louis Association of Realtors' Jack Goldman Lifetime Achievement Award. Aydt, of O'Fallon,...

Robert J. Blackwell, of O'Fallon firm, makes 'Super Lawyer' list again.
December 3, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Robert J. Blackwell, principal in the O'Fallon law firm Blackwell & Associates P.C., has been selected as a 2007 Missouri/Kansas Super Lawyer in Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights. His selection was based...

O'Fallon's Kevin McHargue promoted to executive VP at Goldman Promotions.
December 3, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Kevin McHargue, an O'Fallon resident, was promoted recently to executive vice president at Goldman Promotions. McHargue has 18 years of experience in the promotions industry, previously serving as vice...

Help available to avoid foreclosure.
December 4, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter The Truebloods were doing their best to get by. John worked two jobs to support the family while his wife, Cheryl, stayed at home with their three kids. Times got tougher when John lost his second job as a cook in...

Pre-filed bills in Missouri cover new, old ground.
December 4, 2007... Byline: Kelly Wiese In the opening hours of bill filing, legislators have offered proposals making it a crime to use alcohol or drugs while pregnant, adding new judges and asking voters to limit courts' authority. Many of the ideas were...

St. Louis T-shirt seller strikes out in federal court.
December 4, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter A federal judge backed the St. Louis Cardinals last week in a case filed against a man who claimed ownership of team trademarks. Chief U.S. District Judge Carol E. Jackson said Douglas J. Lewis, the owner of STL...

Judge denies effort to toss taxpayers from school funding suit in Mo.
December 4, 2007... Byline: Kelly Wiese A judge Monday denied a request from suing school districts to drop from the case three taxpayers who intervened to defend the state. The suing districts, collectively known as the Committee for Educational Equality,...

Missouri Attorney General Nixon to file amicus brief in gun-rights case.
December 5, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon said Tuesday that he would work with attorneys general from other states to file a friend of the court brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of an...

Missouri Supreme Court rules privacy trumps discovery request.
December 5, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka The state Supreme Court said Tuesday that a St. Louis County judge erred in January when he ordered the handover of a nurse aide's personnel file. Circuit Judge Gary M. Gaertner Jr. granted the request, made by a man...

Missouri Supreme Court criticizes delay in man's trial.
December 5, 2007... Byline: Kelly Wiese A man who has asserted his right to a speedy trial for more than a year could get the chance to walk free, after tough questions by state Supreme Court judges Tuesday about delays in the case. Tracy McKee was charged...

Seniors file suit in St. Louis-based federal court to prevent razing of Catholic-run apartments.
December 5, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka Four elderly residents of the Catholic-run San Luis Apartments in the Central West End are fighting the upcoming demolition of their building with a federal lawsuit. The suit, filed in the St. Louis-based federal...

Missouri Supreme Court mulls inmate's access to courts.
December 6, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka The state Supreme Court considered on Wednesday whether an inmate serving a life sentence can sue his attorney. The judges expressed a strong reluctance to rule as the trial court did, that the inmate's legal...

Mo. Attorney General Mukasey speaks on effort to stop Internet predators.
December 6, 2007... Byline: Kelly Wiese Attorney General Michael Mukasey told law enforcement officials that people at all levels of government, and beyond, must work together, without concern about who gets the credit, to catch criminals who prey on children...

St. Louis County Circuit Court rules charity director to be banned from fundraising.
December 6, 2007... Byline: Kelly Wiese A leader of the Gateway to a Cure charity will pay a fine and be permanently barred from working in fundraising or running a nonprofit group in Missouri under a court order filed Wednesday. Mary Bolling, a former...

Missouri Supreme Court Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. nominated for federal bench.
December 7, 2007... Byline: Kelly Wiese Missouri Supreme Court Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. has been nominated by President Bush to a spot on the federal bench. Bush on Thursday sent Limbaugh's name to the Senate for consideration to sit on the U.S. District...

Legal fees for Metro trial could top $46 million.
December 7, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka CEO Larry Salci's sudden exit from Metro wasn't the only announcement Thursday that will have a far-reaching impact. The transit agency could be on the hook for combined legal fees of $46 million or more. An attorney...

8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocks funeral protest law.
December 7, 2007... Byline: Kelly Wiese A federal appeals court on Thursday put on hold Missouri's law restricting funeral protests. A panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower federal judge who denied a preliminary injunction against...

St. Louis man seriously injured in car accident wins $3 million judgment.
December 7, 2007... Byline: Kelly Wiese A St. Louis man who was walking across a street when he was hit by a car, and nearly killed, has won a $3 million judgment against the teenage driver, after that man failed to show up in court to defend himself. Whether...

Party Time.
December 10, 2007... Byline: Mike During a recent conversation with St. Charles attorney Lorna Frahm, we both noted that we have received fewer invitations to Christmas parties this year compared to past years. I don't think that's due to a decline in...

Chesterfield-based Progress 64 honors Gary Elmestad.
December 10, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask It's not often the people working behind the scenes get recognized, so it was nice to see Gary Elmestad honored by Chesterfield-based Progress 64 West during the organization's Excellence in Community Development Awards...

Citigroup lays off more than 50 at O'Fallon campus.
December 10, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask Citigroup recently let go a little more than 50 people, some of them independent contractors, at its O'Fallon campus. Given the financial services giant's exposure in the subprime market, it's surprising that more of the...

Looks like a mid-February opening for casino hotel in St. Charles.
December 10, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask Ameristar St. Charles Casino is aiming at a Valentine's Day opening for its 400-suite, luxury hotel, according to St. Charles Mayor Patti York. The mayor said it is possible the Las Vegas company could have a soft...

Missouri governor announces record increase in state exports.
December 10, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Gov. Matt Blunt announced that Missouri has set a record in third-quarter export numbers over the same time last year. Missouri exports were up 7 percent in the third quarter 2007 versus the same period in...

Argent Capital Management expands headquarters in Clayton.
December 10, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Argent Capital Management, co-founded by St. Charles resident John Meara in 1998, has moved into expanded headquarters at 100 S. Brentwood Blvd. in Clayton from 700 Corporate Park Drive in Clayton. The new...

SSM St. Charles Clinic Medical Group offering more services.
December 10, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff SSM St. Charles Clinic Medical Group announced it will be offering laboratory and radiology services at its new facility in Warrenton, and it will be offering nuclear testing at its Lake Saint Louis location....

St. Joseph Health Center doc to talk about knee-replacement program in St. Peters.
December 10, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Dr. Anthony Berni, an orthopedic surgeon at SSM St. Joseph Health Center in St. Charles, will present an informational program on total and custom knee replacements from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec....

Frahm Law Firm changes address in St. Peters.
December 10, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The Frahm Law Firm changed addresses in October, from 300 First Executive Ave., Ste. D, St. Peters to 5770 Mexico Road, Ste. A, St. Peters. The phone number has also changed to 636-229-4070.

Missouri-based Charter Communications solicits nominations for education innovators.
December 10, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Charter Communications and the cable industry's education foundation, Cable in the Classroom, invite teachers, public officials and administrators who have created outstanding local education programs using...

Ribbon-cutting ceremonies held in St. Charles.
December 10, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The following companies celebrated ribbon-cutting ceremonies in St. Charles in the month of November: The Amish Peddler, 917 S. Main St., 636-724-7722, Mark and Beth Smith, owners; Pickett, Ray & Silver,...

Ribbon-cutting ceremonies held in St. Peters.
December 10, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The following companies celebrated ribbon-cutting ceremonies in St. Peters in the month of November: Closet Tailors, 636-300-0015, Rick Wunderlick, owner; El Maguey, 309 Center Point, 636-477-7900, Mario...

Ribbon-cutting ceremonies held in O'Fallon.
December 10, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The following companies celebrated ribbon-cutting ceremonies in O'Fallon in the month of October: Ensemble Clothing Boutique and Hair Studio, 1120 Technology Drive, 636-922-5377, Carri Thornton, owner; and...

Ribbon-cutting ceremonies held in Wentzville.
December 10, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The following companies celebrated ribbon-cutting ceremonies in Wentzville in the month of November: Verizon Wireless, 1859 Wentzville Parkway, 636-327-4788, Scott Anderson, manager; Cartridge World, 1861...

Marissa Dill, of St. Charles, joins Argent Capital Management.
December 10, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff St. Charles resident Marissa Dill has joined Argent Capital Management as marketing assistant. She earned her bachelor's degree in marketing and management from Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo.

Myra Lamb joins Affinity Homes as community sales manager for Bellemeade in St. Peters.
December 10, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Myra Lamb has joined Affinity Homes as community sales manager for the home builder's newest community, Bellemeade, located in St. Peters. Lamb has 20 years of experience in the home-building industry. She is...

O'Fallon resident Michael Brown joins Premier Bank.
December 10, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff O'Fallon resident Michael Brown joined Premier Bank as senior residential mortgage lender. His office is located in Chesterfield. Premier Bank operates three bank branches in the county: St. Charles, St....

Coldwell Banker Gundaker in St. Charles adds new associates.
December 10, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The Coldwell Banker Gundaker office at Highway 94 in St. Charles added the following associates to the office: Crystal and Drew McGrath, Christa Otter, Mike Ursch and Darlene Suter.

Harmon honored by St. Charles Community College, St. Charles Chamber of Commerce.
December 10, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The St. Charles Chamber of Commerce and the St. Charles Community College will recognize Grace Harmon for her civic leadership in two separate ceremonies in February. SCC will bestow its 2008 Professional...

Wi-Fi technology works but funding is hard to come by.
December 10, 2007... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady Wi-Fi technology works. The question is who will pay for it. Municipalities all over the United States are asking themselves that question. Cities want wireless communities in order to attract businesses, but so...

AT&T television service has arrived in St. Louis metro.
December 10, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask Today AT&T will announce the availability of its new television service in the St. Louis metropolitan region. Known as U-verse, the Internet protocol television will enable AT&T to compete with cable and satellite...

St. Charles County Exec. Steve Ehlmann wants 'smarter' economic development.
December 10, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask The rhetoric about tax-increment financing has toned down since St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann took office almost a year ago. But Ehlmann made it clear Friday that he holds the same disdain for TIFs that his...

Missouri mother pleads guilty to causing baby's death.
December 11, 2007... Byline: Kelly Wiese A woman accused of drinking so much she caused her newborn's death pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter Monday. Sherri Lohnstein received the maximum, a seven-year sentence, but she will undergo a 120-day alcohol...

Former Missouri lawmaker sentenced to prison.
December 11, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter Former state Rep. Nathan Cooper was sentenced Monday to 15 months in federal prison on felony fraud charges that he steered temporary work visas to clients in the trucking industry. Cooper, a Cape Girardeau...

Panel named to fill St. Louis County judicial vacancy.
December 11, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter Three attorneys and a judge were named Monday as possible successors to retiring St. Louis County Circuit Judge Emmett O'Brien. They are Mary Elizabeth Ott, Thomas J. Plunkert and St. Louis County Associate Circuit...

Groups urge businesses to support Missouri court plan.
December 12, 2007... Byline: Kelly Wiese Businesses depend on an impartial court system and should work against efforts to overhaul Missouri's method of judicial appointments, a business lawyer told a group gathered Tuesday to discuss attacks on the court...

Man charged with threats to judge, police in Adair County.
December 13, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka A Kirksville man accused of threatening to "destroy" an Adair County associate circuit judge was indicted by the U.S. Attorney's office Wednesday on charges of mailing violent threats. Lonnie E. Sutton, 33, has no...

Mo. Supreme Court consider class action against quarry.
December 13, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter A lawyer for an O'Fallon quarry argued Wednesday that a homeowner who blames the business for creating a nuisance hasn't met the criteria for the class action she seeks. Lawrence F. Hartstein said during oral arguments...

State of Mo. official joins law firm's lobbying group.
December 13, 2007... Byline: Heather Cole A state economic development official who helped create the Missouri Quality Jobs Act has taken a lobbying job at Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal. Brian Grace, the former director of policy and legislative affairs for...

Missouri governor calls for death penalty for rapists who prey on children.
December 14, 2007... Byline: Kelly Wiese Gov. Matt Blunt called Thursday for changing state law to allow for the death penalty in cases against rapists whose victims were young children. Blunt made the announcement at a cyber crimes summit in Jefferson City,...

Missouri Supreme Court mulls $6.1 million verdict against Countrywide.
December 14, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter The Missouri Supreme Court heard arguments this week over a $6.1 million verdict against a mortgage company for engaging in the unauthorized practice of law. Lewis Rice & Fingersh lawyer Richard Ahrens said the statute...

St. Louis seeks new leader after 'driving force' of drug court quits.
December 14, 2007... Byline: Kelly Wiese The head of the drug court for the St. Louis city circuit is moving on after 11 years, so circuit court officials are starting a national search for his replacement. Jeff Kushner, the drug court administrator, joined...

St. Charles County Economic Development Center partnering to increase interest in loan program.
December 17, 2007... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady The St. Charles County Economic Development Center is partnering with local developers to put up signs aimed at increasing interest in its 504 loan program and moving commercial property. The EDC is giving...

Developers pause to rethink projects in St. Charles area.
December 17, 2007... Byline: Mike Trask The housing slowdown apparently is causing some developers to rethink their plans to build mixed-use projects that feature a residential component. O'Fallon Station, a redevelopment project by Chicago developer Joseph...

New owner of Mid Rivers Mall puts redesign on hold.
December 17, 2007... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady The new owner of the Mid Rivers Mall is taking its time with plans to redesign the 30-year-old mall into a lifestyle-type center. "Right now we are in the process of talking to retailers,... trying to see who...

From trash to treasure: Former landfill in O'Fallon transformed into working business.
December 17, 2007... Byline: Amy Armour After nearly three decades of serving as vacant and polluting eyesore, the former R&E Landfill in O'Fallon has been transformed into an environmentally friendly working business -- Secure N' Save Storage. The Missouri...

O'Fallon-based Synergetics reports increased net income.(Financial report)
December 17, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff O'Fallon-based Synergetics USA Inc., a manufacturer of microsurgical medical devices, reported a 5.3 percent increase in net income in its first quarter 2008. In its first quarter, which ended Oct. 29, 2007,...

Boeing approves 14 percent dividend increase.
December 17, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Boeing approved a 14 percent increase in the company's dividend, the fifth increase in the past five years. Boeing's quarterly dividend will now be 40 cents per share, up from 35 cents. The annual dividend...

St. Peters offers free Wi-Fi in parks.
December 17, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The city of St. Peters announced it will offer free wireless Internet access in 12 city parks and five community facilities by spring. St. Charles-based Protonics Technology Inc. is providing the service. Andy...

Habitat for Humanity of St. Charles starts discount store.
December 17, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Habitat for Humanity of St. Charles announced plans to open a retail store, carrying new and used home-improvement merchandise to help generate funding for its housing projects in the county. The Habitat for...

Missouri Enterprise launches new Web site.(Website overview)
December 17, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Missouri Enterprise, an organization of manufacturing and business-management professionals who help state companies succeed, has launched a new Web site at www.missourienterprise.org. The site contains case...

U of Missouri Extension Council of St. Charles County candidates sought.
December 17, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Nominations are being accepted for the January 2008 election to the University of Missouri Extension Council of St. Charles County. The council is the local link between county residents and the university's...

Ann's Bra Shop, with three stores in St. Louis metro, recognized among top in world.
December 17, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Ann's Bra and Lingerie Shop was named one of 156 best bra shops in the world by Intima magazine. Ann's Bra Shop was one of 360 participating stores that were nominated by a group of 18 exclusive brands,...

Domain Street Wine Bar opens in New Town.
December 17, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Domain Street Wine Bar recently opened at 3301 Domain St. in New Town at St. Charles, a mixed-use community development under construction in north St. Charles City. The bar offers 100 specialty wines from...

St. Peter sports franchise achieves gold standard.
December 17, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Play It Again Sports in St. Peters, located at 212 Mid Rivers Center, recently was given "Gold Standard" status by the franchisor during its evaluation process in 2007. The store was recognized for its high...

Ribbon-cutting ceremonies held in St. Charles.
December 17, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The following stores held ribbon-cutting ceremonies in St. Charles in December: Kim's Canines, 1714 Scherer Parkway, 636-947-3777, Kim Lutz, owner; Texture Room, 3769 New Town Blvd., 636-946-0633, Heather...

Cuivre River Electric assists Adopt-A-Family program in St. Peters.
December 17, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Cuivre River Electric Co. trust board recently awarded $4,000 in Operation Round Up grants to Saints Joachim and Ann Care Service to purchase holiday hams for their annual Christmas Adopt-A-Family program. The...

Local artists to be featured at Foundry Art Centre in St. Charles.
December 17, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Local artists Alex Elmestad of St. Charles and Allison Whitt of Maryland Heights have been chosen as two of 22 artists worldwide to show their work in the Internal Illuminations exhibit at the Foundry Art...

Steve Bass joins Rebuilding Together-St. Louis board of directors.
December 17, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Steve Bass, chief engineer of global strike systems for The Boeing Co. facility in St. Charles, has joined the board of directors for Rebuilding Together-St. Louis, a national volunteer organization that...

Keith McCulloh, others take office on St. Charles County Assn. of Realtors board.
December 17, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff Keith McCulloh was recently installed as the 2008 president of the St. Charles County Association of Realtors during an installation ceremony held in December at the Heart of St. Charles Banquet Center. Also...

Business leaders recognized at chamber awards ceremony in St. Charles.
December 17, 2007... Byline: Business Record Staff The St. Charles Chamber of Commerce will recognize business and civic leaders during a ceremony on Feb. 8 at The Columns Banquet and Conference Center in St. Charles. Grace Nichols will be honored as the 2007...