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

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

Survey shows St. Louis workers being told to pay more for health care.
February 2, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask More and more companies are passing some of the skyrocketing costs of health insurance to their employees. That is one of the findings of a survey taken last year of more than 90 companies in the St. Louis area. ...

Seamus McDaniel's restaurant adds to WingHaven's community feel.
February 2, 2004... Byline: James Monahan A neighborhood landmark in St. Louis has become part of a new neighborhood in O'Fallon. Seamus McDaniel's, an Irish pub and restaurant operating since 1985 in the southwest section of St. Louis known as Dogtown,...

Small Bus. Admin., Dept. of Commerce talk exporting at Econ. Dev. Center of St. Charles County.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Amy Amour The U.S. Small Business Administration, the Department of Commerce and the International Trade Administration hosted an International Business Primer Workshop Wednesday, Feb. 4, at the Economic Development Center of St....

Regulatory fairness bill up again for vote in Mo. General Assembly.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady Monday was a big day for small businesses in Missouri. On Monday, Feb. 2, the state House and Senate held a joint press conference at the Capitol in Jefferson City, Mo., to discuss the importance of a bill...

Commentary: Director of St. Charles's Convention Bureau views it as his biggest accomplishment.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Wm. Stage Steve Powell, 52, director of the Greater St. Charles Convention and Visitors Bureau Education: Bachelor's degree in recreation and parks administration and master's degree in public administration, University of...

St. Charles casino sees increased profits, talks of expansion.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask When Station Casinos refused to spend the money to complete the entertainment complex at its St. Charles site, Ameristar Casinos came to the rescue. Now there is additional evidence that Ameristar's investment in the...

St. Charles casino sees increased profits, talks of expansion.
February 4, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask When Station Casinos refused to spend the money to complete the entertainment complex at its St. Charles site, Ameristar Casinos came to the rescue. Now there is additional evidence that Ameristar's investment in the...

Small Bus. Admin., Dept. of Commerce talk exporting at Econ. Dev. Center of St. Charles County.
February 4, 2004... Byline: Amy Amour The U.S. Small Business Administration, the Department of Commerce and the International Trade Administration hosted an International Business Primer Workshop Wednesday, Feb. 4, at the Economic Development Center of St....

New Tiner Dental office in St. Peters designed to help relieve patient anxiety.
February 5, 2004... Byline: Dan Turpin Just the thought of going to the dentist sends shivers down the spine of even the hardiest of souls. Most people rank visiting the dentist right up there with a lower gastrointestinal examination. But Dr. Bradford...

St. Charles Community College professor honored by Missouri governor.
February 6, 2004... Byline: staff In December, St. Charles Community College history and theater professor Hal Berry received the Governor's Award for Excellence in Teaching. Berry was one of 69 faculty members in Missouri recognized by Gov. Bob Holden for...

SSM nurse Ward is a pioneer in women's health.
February 6, 2004... Byline: staff Last month, NurseWeek Magazine honored SSM St. Joseph nurse Pennie Ward with a 2003 Nursing Excellence Award in the category of community service. Ward, of St. Charles, is the only nurse in the state of Missouri who is...

MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. reports $205 million in sales.
February 6, 2004... Byline: staff Net sales for MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. were $205 million for the 2003 fourth quarter compared to $195.9 million for the 2003 third quarter. The increase in net sales was primarily a result of increased product volumes,...

Economic Development Center of St. Charles County names new marketing VP.
February 6, 2004... Byline: Mike Nixon The Economic Development Center of St. Charles County has tapped a development specialist from Franklin County to run its marketing effort. Scott Drachnik, who for the past two years worked as the community...

TelGaAs ready to leave St. Charles County Economic Development Center after nine years.
February 6, 2004... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady After nine years of incubation, TelGaAs Inc. is ready to spread its wings and fly from its perch at the St. Charles County Economic Development Center in St. Peters. TelGaAs is a unique company to the EDC in...

U.S. Bank honors St. Louis metro area employees for their performance.
February 6, 2004... Byline: staff Several U.S. Bank employees from the St. Louis metro area earned the company's quarterly Pinnacle award, one of U.S. Bank's highest retail employee achievement honors. U.S. Bank's quarterly Pinnacle awards program recognizes...

O'Fallon-based Paric Corp. serves as construction manager of hotel in St. Louis.
February 6, 2004... Byline: staff O'Fallon-based Paric Corp. served as construction manager and design/build general contractor for a $20 million Parkway Hotel in St. Louis. The 133,000-square-foot structure hosts such amenities as a fitness center, a...

Federal Trade Commission hotline to assist victims of Web scam.
February 6, 2004... Byline: staff The Federal Trade Commission has launched a consumer hotline to assist alleged victims of a Web cramming scam operated by Miami-based Epixtar Corp. and several of its subsidiaries, including one formerly known as SBA Online...

St. Charles electronics manufacturing plant may close.
February 9, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask Local economic development officials are working to see what financial assistance might be available to keep a St. Charles electronic assembly plant from closing its doors. UQM Technologies Inc. has laid off more...

Commentary: Leaders are born, not made . . . or are they?
February 9, 2004... Byline: Tony Gartner In a previous advice column article, I quoted from "The Leadership Challenge" by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner, who wrote: "Every time we conduct a workshop or give a speech on leadership, someone will ask, `Can...

Rep. Hanaway talks tort reform at League of Chambers meeting.
February 9, 2004... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady It sounded like a repeat of last year's talk about bills in the House and Senate that would help employers and workers in the state - but that's not necessarily a bad thing. When state Rep. Catherine Hanaway,...

SSM St. Joseph hospitals continue to fight proposed BJC hospital in O'Fallon.
February 11, 2004... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady The proposed $75 million BJC hospital in O'Fallon was the target for public comment at the St. Charles County Council meeting Monday night. Kevin Kast, president of the SSM St. Joseph hospitals in the county,...

TPG Wafer Holdings LLC to sell 34M shares of MEMC common stock.
February 11, 2004... Byline: staff MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. on Tuesday announced that TPG Wafer Holdings LLC plans to offer 34 million shares of MEMC common stock in a secondary offering. TPG Wafer Holdings is a member of an investor group led by Texas...

Ameristar Casino St. Charles continues to attract more patrons than nearby competitors.
February 11, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask Ameristar Casino St. Charles boarded more patrons and brought in more revenue in January than did nearby competitor Harrah's Casino in Maryland Heights. It has been a year since the St. Charles casino attracted more...

Quilogy and McEagle Development host Web-based, interactive physics class.
February 12, 2004... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady It can be said that St. Louis baseball creates excitement for young and old. Then perhaps it will instill a fever for learning in everyone. At least that was the goal of a Web-based, interactive physics class...

Incubator tech company opens offices in overseas markets.
February 12, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask It isn't often that you hear of an incubator company with global operations. Start-up Auvi Technologies isn't even a year old, but already it has big dreams and is taking action to make those dreams come true. The...

Brunstein joins T.R. Hughes as sales, marketing director.
February 13, 2004... Byline: staff Jeanne Brunstein has joined the T.R. Hughes Commercial Group as sales and marketing director. In this position, Brunstein will be responsible for all aspects of commercial sales, leasing and management. Prior to joining T.R....

Kneemiller named to Emmaus Homes' board.
February 13, 2004... Byline: staff Bob Kneemiller, senior estimator inspector for State Farm Insurance Co. and president of St. Charles City Council, Ward 4, was recently named to the Emmaus Homes board of directors. Kneemiller has served two terms on the St....

Johnson joins First National Bank of St. Louis board.
February 13, 2004... Byline: staff First National Bank of St. Louis has appointed Vincent L. Johnson, a principal of The Johnson Law Firm, to the St. Charles County board of directors effective immediately. Johnson and his brother, Dwayne Johnson, started The...

Edward Jones investment representative honored.
February 13, 2004... Byline: staff Karen Schneider, a St. Charles investment representative for the financial services firm, Edward Jones, was one of 33 representatives honored for their business management skills at a recent Jones forum in St. Louis....

County government employees named to state boards.
February 13, 2004... Byline: staff Two St. Charles County government employees have been selected to serve on state boards. Gil Copley, director of St. Charles County's Department of Community Health and the Environment, was recently appointed to the...

Dan Nieland joins Lindenwood University as manager of corporate partnerships.
February 13, 2004... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady Dan Nieland, who worked at Dierbergs Markets and served as councilman for the city of St. Charles, has accepted the position as Lindenwood University's new manager of corporate partnerships. He began the new...

St. Charles' New Town development sparking unforeseen enthusiasm.
February 13, 2004... Byline: Amy Amour More than 260 homes have been sold in New Town, a 638-acre residential and commercial project in St. Charles. The funny thing is, it doesn't exist - not yet, anyway. The traditional-type, small-town-styled New Town...

St. Charles-based 321 Studios introduces new software.
February 13, 2004... Byline: staff 321 Studios, the leading provider of DVD backup, recovery and creation software, is now offering GAMESXCOPY, a backup utility for PC games. The GAMESXCOPY program allows users to save backups of PC games to either the hard...

Enterprise Banking changes name to Enterprise Bank & Trust.
February 13, 2004... Byline: staff Enterprise Banking has become Enterprise Bank & Trust. "The new name reflects the seamless integration of our commercial bank and wealth-management services and emphasizes the fact that Enterprise is one of very few financial...

St. Charles County Assessor to mail occupancy tax notices.
February 13, 2004... Byline: staff In the 1990 general election, the voters of St. Charles County passed the Occupancy Bill (RSMo 137.082). The occupancy law, in part, states that newly constructed residential property shall be assessed and taxed the first of...

Commentary: More computer users heading into the Wi-Fi Zone.
February 16, 2004... Byline: Bill Mocca Have you tried downloading e-mail or files over an 802.11 connection at a hotel or coffee shop yet? The virtual network of Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) hot spots is just getting started, and both coverage and service can...

O'Fallon-based Jackson Products emerges from Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
February 16, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask Jackson Products Inc. in O'Fallon announced Friday that it had emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The privately owned company filed for bankruptcy in mid-January. The company said at the time that it expected to...

St. Charles's brick requirement hinders restaurant's construction.
February 16, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask Many St. Charles officials thought the controversy over a proposal requiring brick exteriors was behind them. Last month the City Council approved a bill that compromised on the issue, exempting larger buildings from...

Simmons takes reins as Missouri's economic director.
February 16, 2004... Byline: James Monahan On Jan. 2, Kelvin L. Simmons became director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development, replacing Joe Driskill, who held that position for the past decade. In his new role, the former chairman of the...

Wentzville has more demand for home-building permits than O'Fallon.
February 18, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask It's not yet a trend, but for the second time in three months the city of Wentzville has seen more demand for home-building permits than has the city of O'Fallon. Wentzville issued permits in January for the...

After 30 years, Sharon LeGrand retires as work force regional manager for state of Missouri.
February 18, 2004... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady At the age of 49, she is retiring. And her career spans 30 years. By the end of this month, Sharon LeGrand will hang up her hat as a work force regional manager for the state's Division of Workforce...

St. Louis-based cabinet company introduces the drop-in sink to kitchen and bath market.
February 19, 2004... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady It costs less than other kitchen surfaces, and it should appeal to home buyers, small businesses, redecorators or anyone who wants an expensive look at a low cost. That is what Dan Lucas is counting on, at...

Nike in St. Charles sponsors Senior Olympics.
February 20, 2004... Byline: staff Nike IHM Inc., located in the Missouri Research Park in St. Charles, and its parent company, Oregon-based Nike Inc., have signed on for a bronze medal level sponsorship of the 25th annual St. Louis Senior Olympics. The games...

Colerick joins Coldwell Banker Gundaker Highway 94.
February 20, 2004... Byline: staff Carole J. Colerick, GRI, is now associated with the Coldwell Banker Gundaker Highway 94 at the Mid Rivers Office. Colerick, a million-dollar agent club member, brings to the company 14 years of experience in the industry.

Dr. Mujtaba A. Qazi of Pepose Vision Institute named Outstanding Scientist of 21st Century.
February 20, 2004... Byline: staff Dr. Mujtaba A. Qazi, director of clinical studies at Pepose Vision Institute, has been selected to be included in 2000 Outstanding Scientists of the 21st Century by The International Biographical Centre of Cambridge, England,...

St. Charles resident Jamie Salvo appointed to environmental board.
February 20, 2004... Byline: staff St. Charles resident Jamie Salvo has been appointed board member of the not-for-profit Choose Environmental Excellence-Gateway Region. Salvo is the environmental programs director for the St. Charles County Division of...

Commentary: Old politics maintain a grip concerning military service.
February 20, 2004... Byline: Mike Nixon In February 1970, hundreds of thousands of inexperienced males were questioning their futures. American boys as young as 14 had serious thoughts hidden in back of their minds. Many secretly wondered what would happen if...

Bauche promoted to senior VP of Enterprise Bank & Trust.
February 20, 2004... Byline: staff Enterprise Financial, the parent company of Enterprise Bank & Trust, announced today that Douglas N. Bauche was recently promoted to senior vice president. His responsibilities will now include managing the St. Peters bank's...

St. Charles County's health care providers argue over whether new hospital is needed.
February 20, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask One side talked about the future, arguing a new hospital will be needed to meet St. Charles County's health care needs. The opposing side stressed current conditions, arguing that another hospital would only cause harm...

13th annual Missouri Chamber Day held at the Capitol Building in Jefferson City.
February 20, 2004... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady Attracting more jobs and companies to Missouri is on everyone's mind lately. But, if politicians talk about it, the discussion often turns toward campaign rhetoric. That's what happened at the 13th annual...

Robert J. Blackwell elected president of St. Charles County Bar.
February 20, 2004... Byline: staff Robert J. Blackwell of Blackwell & Associates P.C. in O'Fallon has been elected as president of the St. Charles County Bar Association for 2004. Blackwell attended the University of Missouri-Columbia for both his...

Central Institute for the Deaf names St. Charles residents to its board.
February 20, 2004... Byline: staff The Central Institute for the Deaf has named St. Charles residents Bonnie Bell and Tom Schmidt to its board of managers. Bell, human resources manager at Nike IHM Inc., has for the past several years helped organize Nike...

Sturm joins Coldwell Banker Commercial.
February 20, 2004... Byline: staff Coldwell Banker Commercial CRA L.L.C. has added Patricia Sturm, a resident of Lake Saint Louis, as a sales and leasing associate. As a sales and leasing associate, Sturm handles general commercial real estate transactions,...

High school students attend career fair at St. Charles Community College.
February 20, 2004... Byline: staff More than 200 local high school juniors and seniors got a taste of college - as well as pizza - in a half-day visit to the Business and Social Sciences Career Fair held Feb. 17 at St. Charles Community College. Students...

St. Louis Chapter of the SCORE Association to offer set office hours at St. Charles location.
February 23, 2004... Byline: Amy Amour The St. Louis Chapter of the SCORE Association, formerly known as the Service Corps of Retired Executives, started offering set office hours at its St. Charles location last Tuesday. SCORE has been conducting...

St. Charles County business and community leaders raise money for American Diabetes Assn.
February 23, 2004... Byline: Amy Amour Of the 264,275 residents that live in St. Charles County, 10,228 people have been diagnosed with diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association, the estimated annual economic cost of diabetes in the county is...

St. Peters City Hall hosts conference to help businesses get federal money.
February 23, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask For the past couple of decades Republican politicians have derided the federal government for the obstacles bureaucrats put up that make it more difficult for businesses, especially small businesses, to succeed. That...

St. Charles-based 321 Studios responds to federal court decision about copyright violation.
February 24, 2004... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady Almost with religious fervor did Robert Moore, president of St. Charles-based 321 Studios, address the media during a Web-cast press conference Monday regarding the adverse decision it received last Friday after a...

Interview with Sherman Thompson Parker, State Representative 12th District of St. Charles County.
February 24, 2004... Byline: Wm. Stage In his first term, Parker served on the House Republican Policy Development Committee, the Education Standing Committee and the Small Business Committee. He is vice chairman of the Financial Services Committee and...

State of Missouri approves employee training for 19 businesses.
February 24, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask Companies in St. Charles and Wright City are among 19 businesses in Missouri that have been approved for customized employee-training funds by the state Department of Economic Development and its Division of Workforce...

Missouri Dept. of Economic Development provides Small Business Incubator Tax Credit program.
February 25, 2004... Byline: James Monahan Wouldn't it be nice if a state agency could provide a mechanism to assist in the funding of not-for-profit corporations and, in the process, help small startup businesses grow and prosper without any direct allocation...

FMLA creates problem for small businesses.
February 25, 2004... Byline: Amy Amour Eleven years following the enactment of the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993, employers and employees are struggling with its interpretation, and the legislation is under scrutiny for its lack of clarity. Under the...

O'Fallon-based Mid-East Area Agency on Aging helps older workers re-enter the workplace.
February 25, 2004... Byline: Amy Amour Senior workers looking to re-enter the workplace after a long absence have a few options to make the transition smoother. The Mid-East Area Agency on Aging, located in O'Fallon, offers two programs geared specifically...

Reality Systems partners with MERS/Goodwill.
February 26, 2004... Byline: James Monahan In five short months Reality Systems L.L.C. and MERS/Missouri Goodwill Industries have demonstrated that a for-profit and a not-for-profit organization, working together, can benefit each other and improve service to...

Engineer for MO Dept. of Transportation talks about funding at annual seminar.
February 26, 2004... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady "We've got to be creative on this [transportation] funding." That was one of the comments made by Jim Gremaud, area engineer for the Missouri Department of Transportation. He and Gary Turner, executive...

Commentary: Lacking common sense could result in commonsense law.
February 27, 2004... Byline: Mike Nixon Family-friendly comedian and pop-culture icon Bill Cosby recently penned a book titled: "I Am What I Ate . . . and I'm Frightened!!!" This humorous work takes a semi-serious look at aging and consuming foods designated...

Drainer named marketing manager at SCI Engineering.
February 27, 2004... Byline: staff SCI Engineering Inc. announced that Brian Drainer has recently joined the firm as the marketing manager. Drainer holds a bachelor's degree in design from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Ill., and an associate's...

Cities of O'Fallon, St. Peters and Wentzville hold ribbon-cutting ceremonies.
February 27, 2004... Byline: staff On Friday, Jan. 23, the city of O'Fallon and its chamber of commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Global Equity Lending, located at 9035 Veterans Memorial Parkway in O'Fallon. According to Dennis Green, area marketing...

St. Charles-based Comic Book Relief hosts book and toy show.
February 27, 2004... Byline: Amy Amour Comic Book Relief, a comic book and toy shop on Second Street in St. Charles, is hosting its first annual Red K 1 Day Comic Book and Toy Show on March 20. The show, to be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the ballroom at...

St. Peters-based Auvi makes international debut at CeBIT 2004.
February 27, 2004... Byline: staff Digital audio/visual designer and developer Auvi Technologies, based in St. Peters, will showcase its award-winning SA250 MP3/WMA (Windows Media Audio) player and SA1500 digital jukebox at CeBIT 2004. CeBIT, which takes place...

Farrell joins St. Louis-based Carmody MacDonald P.C.
February 27, 2004... Byline: staff St. Charles resident Kelley F. Farrell joined St. Louis-based Carmody MacDonald P.C. as an associate in its litigation group. Farrell brings 10 years of experience to the law firm's commercial, employment and real estate...

St. Louis-based Spellman Brady & Co. promotes Potter.
February 27, 2004... Byline: staff St. Louis-based Spellman Brady & Co., an interior architecture, design and furnishings firm, promoted Susan Potter, a St. Charles resident, to director of marketing of the company's expanding long-term care division. In her...

Turner to retire as executive of St. Charles County Road Board.
February 27, 2004... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady He knows the roads in St. Charles County like the back of his hand. And considering how much road construction that has gone in the county in the past decade, that's quite an accomplishment. And now he is...