St. Charles County Business Record, MO articles from July 2003

St. Charles County Business Record, MO archives from July 2003

St. Charles County's unemployment rate declines again.
July 1, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask St. Charles County continues to have the lowest unemployment rate in the St. Louis metropolitan area, according to the latest statistics from the Missouri Department of Economic Development. The county's unemployment...

St. Charles-based West Community Credit Union breaks ground on new facility.
July 1, 2003... Byline: Joan Elliot West Community Credit Union recently broke ground for a new facility that will be located at 4161 Highway K, seven-tenths of a mile north of Highway 40 at Waterbury Falls Drive. It is expected to open in the spring of...

Ronan Sign Co. expanding business at new location.
July 2, 2003... Byline: Kathleen Brady Build it, and they will come -- but not without the proper signage. That's what most home builders in St. Charles County think when it comes to building new subdivisions. And that is what gave Nancy Schneider...

Fred Weber Inc. requests permission to drill in New Melle.
July 2, 2003... Byline: James Monahan One of the key factors in the growth of St. Charles County has been highway construction. And one of the leaders in building roads to serve the area over the past half century, from initial work on Interstate 70 to...

Commentary: Disabled, elderly have options for home care.
July 2, 2003... Byline: Joe Maxwell On a daily basis here in Missouri, seniors and those with disabilities must make the choice to move into a residential facility in order to receive the type of care that they can no longer receive at home. For some of...

Missouri's economy extremely diversified.
July 2, 2003... Byline: Joseph Driskill A recent analysis completed by the Department of Economic Development's Missouri Economic Research and Information Center has determined that we have the fifth most diversified economy in the United States. What...

Hiring trend reflects St. Charles County's prosperous business state.
July 3, 2003... Byline: Kathleen Brady Recent headlines report that businesses nationwide lack the confidence needed to begin hiring more employees due to the uncertain future of the economy. Economists have speculated that the same attitudes will carry...

St. Charles's The Newberry Group is a profile of business success.
July 3, 2003... Byline: Dan Turpin The Newberry Group, an information technology and systems consulting firm located in St. Charles, received the U.S. Department of Agriculture Woman Owned Business of the Year Award in Washington D.C. on June 5. The...

University names local vet adjunct professor.
July 3, 2003... Byline: Staff The Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery at the University of Missouri-Columbia has named Dr. Eugene Hinds to the position of adjunct professor. Hinds, of St. Charles, is the founder/owner of Veticare Animal...

Yes Trading Co. opens in O'Fallon.
July 3, 2003... Byline: Staff O'Fallon will welcome Yes Trading Co. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 17. The event will take place at 4:30 p.m., 3732 Monticello Plaza. Yes Trading Co. specializes in the latest fashion for costume jewelry and...

Medicorp held St. Peters groundbreaking in June.
July 3, 2003... Byline: Staff The St. Peters Chamber of Commerce Ambassador cheered on Mayor Brown as he assisted Robbie "Jack" Johnson by shoveling the first scoop of dirt on the newest Medicorp facility located at 1101 St. Peters-Howell Road. Medicorp's...

St. Louis cardiologist receives prestigious award.
July 3, 2003... Byline: Staff A cardiologist at Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital has won the highest honor bestowed by the Greater St. Louis Division of the American Heart Association. Dr. Martin Schwarze, director of cardiac rehabilitation at the...

Hilton Garden Inn in O'Fallon makes two new appointments.
July 3, 2003... Byline: Staff Hilton Garden Inn-O'Fallon, in the heart of WingHaven, has named GoGo Navapant as general manager and Julie Lipson as director of sales. Navapant, who has been associated with Lodging Hospitality Management for the past...

Local IT director named to leadership program.
July 3, 2003... Byline: Staff Linda S. Peterson, director of information technology at CPA firm Botz Deal & Co. in St. Charles, has been accepted into Focus St. Louis' 2003-04 leadership program. Focus St. Louis is an organization dedicated to creating a...

HNB Bank groundbreaking scheduled in Wentzville.
July 3, 2003... Byline: Staff Officials from the city of Wentzville and the Wentzville Chamber of Commerce will conduct a ground-breaking ceremony for HNB Bank at 2 p.m. next Tuesday. HNB will offer a full-service bank with an ATM, lobby and...

Several businesses open in St. Peters.
July 3, 2003... Byline: Staff Dan Simpson of Wells Fargo Home Mortgage recently celebrated the grand opening of his new office located at 6140 Mid Rivers Mall Drive by treating his guests to a "Kansas City-style barbecue." Stacey Spencer was all...

Coldwell Banker Gundaker announces May sales numbers.
July 3, 2003... Byline: Staff The Coldwell Banker Gundaker office at Highway 94 and Mid Rivers announced a May sales volume of $26,632,971. Susan Brewer, Cathy Davis and David Parrish all were recognized for their sales volumes. Suzi Wickham received the...

O'Fallon-based Paric Corp. completes library construction project at Webster University.
July 3, 2003... Byline: Staff O'Fallon-based Paric Corp. has completed one of the most technologically advance libraries in the Midwest, the $21 million Emerson Library at Webster University. The library, which is destined to become the hub of the...

Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital Auxiliary installs new officers.
July 3, 2003... Byline: Staff The Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital Auxiliary added five officers to its board of directors at a luncheon ceremony June 13. The elected officers were installed for two-year terms. The new officers are: James Owen,...

SSM auxiliary announces scholarship winners.
July 3, 2003... Byline: Staff The Auxiliary of SSM St. Joseph Heath Center in St. Charles and SSM St. Joseph Hospital West in Lake Saint Louis annually presents two $1,500 scholarships to college students working towards degrees in healthcare. This...

RX Systems of St. Charles has prescription for future pharmacist.
July 7, 2003... Byline: Joan Elliot Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish and you feed him for life. That adage in its many variations is certainly applicable to educating young people and providing scholarship money to help make...

Client Services to build in Truman Crossing; city tract up for bid again.
July 7, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask As expected, Client Services Inc. will remain in St. Charles and expand its operations in the city. But the collection agency may not get the almost 27 acres it wanted earlier this year for its expansion. The company...

Commentary: Planning critical for a retirement 'paycheck'.
July 7, 2003... Byline: Steven Stillman While most workers live on their paychecks during their working years, few plan for a "paycheck" that will provide a dependable stream of monthly income during their retirement. They've not answered such questions...

HBA reaches out to county's Latin-American community.
July 8, 2003... Byline: Kathleen Brady The average age of carpenters in the St. Louis metropolitan area is 50 to 52, according to the Home Builders Association of Greater St. Louis, and in the next few years, there will be a shortage of carpenters in the...

Lewis and Clark school enrollment still climbing.
July 9, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask There used to be a preconceived notion about vocational schools, such as the Lewis and Clark Career Center in St. Charles. High school kids who had no desire to go to college or any other form of post-secondary education...

Cottleville to celebrate 150th anniversary this fall.
July 9, 2003... Byline: Joan Elliot Can you guess what city in St. Charles County was incorporated in 1853 and is one of the oldest cities in the county? It was home to Spanish explorers in the 1540s and French explorers in the 1650s. It used to be known...

O'Fallon Chamber of Commerce names new president.
July 10, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask The O'Fallon Chamber of Commerce board of directors didn't have to look very far away to find a new president and chief executive officer. The board late last month decided to offer the leadership post to Scott Tate, who...

CitiMortgage to move into new building earlier than expected.
July 10, 2003... Byline: Kathleen Brady Looks like CitiMortgage employees will get to move into their new 515,000-square-foot headquarters in O'Fallon a little earlier than expected. According to Larry Chapman, senior vice president and principle of...

Thousands of products offered at beauty brands.
July 11, 2003... Byline: Amy Armour Anyone that needs a hair cut, a facial or beauty supplies can try out a new store in St. Charles County dedicated to beauty -- beauty brands, the newest salon, spa and retail superstore. beauty brands Inc. officially...

Ice cream shop takes visitors back to bygone days.
July 11, 2003... Byline: Joan Elliot I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream . . . especially, that is, when it comes from the new deli and creamery in "old town" St. Charles, where the ambience of days gone by calls out to visitors who peruse...

Commentary: Fair labor standards should also offer courtesy to employers.
July 11, 2003... Byline: Mike Nixon Dennis got off to a bad start with his manager when he took on a job in direct sales. He made the mistake of asking what bonuses could be expected. His new boss's face took on a stern expression, and Dennis was told...

Gov. Holden appoints one to MO Head Injury Advisory Council.
July 11, 2003... Byline: Staff Gov. Bob Holden appointed John A. Scherr of St. Charles to the Missouri Head Injury Advisory Council. Scherr is Ward 5 City Councilman for the city of St. Charles. He is also a pipefitter for Temperature Control Systems....

St. Charles man reaches $19 million in career sales.
July 11, 2003... Byline: Staff Earl J. Seals of St. Charles has reached his $19 million career sales milestone as a manager at Vector Marketing North American Public Relations. Seals is division manager of the company's Gateway division that is based in...

SCI Engineering adds project engineer to staff.
July 11, 2003... Byline: Staff Jonathan Robison recently joined SCI Engineering Inc. as a project engineer to provide a diverse scope of geotechnical evaluations and oversight of construction projects for the geotechnical services group. Robison graduated...

St. Charles County high school students participate in MBW.
July 11, 2003... Byline: Staff Last month, several St. Charles County high school students participated in the 18th annual Missouri Business Week sponsored by the Missouri Association of Realtors. The five-day conference stimulates students' interest in...

St. Charles Events July 11, 2003.
July 11, 2003... Byline: Kevin Kipp "Learn to . . . be what you are, and learn to resign with a good grace all that you are not." -- Henri Frederic Amiel, in e-mail courtesy of Aleece Vogt LISTENING POST. The sneak preview at The Foundry Arts Center...

St. Charles Community College names VP of academic affairs.
July 11, 2003... Byline: Staff Michael Banks, who has served as dean of the arts and humanities division at St. Charles Community College since 1994, has been appointed as vice president for academic affairs. Banks will oversee all academic divisions at...

Debate over O'Fallon's downtown wages on.
July 14, 2003... Byline: Amy Armour "This is a call to arms," said Don Detrich, O'Fallon resident and spokesman for the O'Fallon Old Town Preservation Committee at the O'Fallon Board of Aldermen meeting on Thursday. "You've seen enough of the concept plan,...

Commentary: Bridge Builders Program begins in St. Charles County.
July 14, 2003... Byline: Linda Jacobsen So what are Bridge Builders? They are people who are curious about how others live, especially when these others have a life experience far different from their own. More than that, they are people willing to take...

Controversial software firm makes Missouri Research Park home.
July 14, 2003... Byline: Kathleen Brady A company that has been making news because of its landmark copyright case against the movie industry has just moved to St. Charles County. 321 Studio, founded in 2001 by Robert Moore, is a leading provider of...

Home builders continue to keep busy.
July 15, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask Home building continues at a brisk pace in St. Charles County. But builders are not just putting up houses, they're putting up bigger houses. There is no doubt that people want bigger houses, said Barry Glantz of...

Murder at Montelle sets stage for new customers.
July 15, 2003... Byline: James Monahan Lovers of wine, murder mysteries and outdoor theater will have a unique opportunity to enjoy all three in on Saturday, July 26. That's when the Montelle Winery presents "Murder at Montelle," the first of three murder...

New Old Hickory Country Club offers free social memberships.
July 16, 2003... Byline: Kathleen Brady Old Hickory Golf and Country Club, located at 1 Dye Club Drive, is offering 120 free social memberships for life. The offer is a way for the brand-new club to draw people to the facility, said Mike Weinhaus,...

Former American Airlines workers turn toward new careers in real estate field.
July 16, 2003... Byline: Joan Elliot Even the best flight plan may have to be modified when weather conditions or other things change. However, a change in the flight plan for more than 5,600 former American Airlines employees in the metropolitan St....

County nonprofits receive $1.9 million in state tax credits.
July 16, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask A number of not-for-profit organizations in St. Charles County have received some help in their fund-raising efforts from the state of Missouri. One dozen such organizations in the county are among the 101...

Lake Saint Louis to build new city hall, police station.
July 17, 2003... Byline: Amy Armour One rest-room shared by employees, visitors and prisoners is just one of many reasons why Lake Saint Louis police officers and government workers are in dire need of a new, larger location. "The [cramped] building...

O'Fallon writer publishes play on Roman culture.
July 17, 2003... Byline: Joan Elliot Dark Ages . . . Diocletian . . . Byzantine culture. These heavy-duty words are music to the ears of O'Fallon writer and history buff Robert Montague II, who recently produced and self-published his first play, one that...

Drs. VanGundy, Smith, Kramer join SSM Clinic Medical Group.
July 18, 2003... Byline: Staff The SSM St. Charles Clinic Medical Group is pleased to announce the addition of two experienced family practice physicians, Jason VanGundy, M.D. and Brian M. Smith, M.D. Daniel J. Kramer, M.D., joins the Internal Medical...

SCI Engineering employees recognized.
July 18, 2003... Byline: Staff T. Michael McMillen, director of geotechnical services at SCI Engineering Inc., was recently inducted into the University of Missouri-Rolla Academy of Civil Engineers for distinguished service and commitment in the...

Physician practice groups move into WingHaven.
July 18, 2003... Byline: Staff Several physician practice groups affiliated with St. Luke's Hospital have moved into the hospital's new location at the WingHaven development in O'Fallon: Albert L. Van Amburg III, M.D., and Donald F. Busiek, M.D., have...

City of St. Peters opens new cable station.
July 18, 2003... Byline: Staff The city of St. Peters' new Cable Operations Facility at 4100 Mexico Road will open its doors to the general public during an open house from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 26. The city purchased this building in June...

Gov. Holden appoints one to Missouri Board of Architects.
July 18, 2003... Byline: Staff Gov. Bob Holden appointed Kevin D. DeSain of O'Fallon to the Missouri Board of Architects, Engineers and Land Surveyors. DeSain is currently the vice president of DeSain and Associates Land Surveyors in St. Peters. He earned...

Franklin County getting more than a third of 504 loans.
July 18, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask Mark Diliberto, senior lender for the Economic Development Center of St. Charles County, has been helping companies find financing to build or expand their facilities here for some time now. But increasingly, Diliberto...

SBA launches regulatory alerts Web page.
July 18, 2003... Byline: Staff Small-business owners have a new tool to help cut through the complex and confusing federal regulatory process. The recently launched regulatory alerts Web page of the Office of Advocacy now provides one-stop access to...

New community development director will help streamline county government.
July 18, 2003... Byline: James Monahan On Monday, July 14, Wayne Anthony went to work in his position as a director in local government, just as he has for the past 25 years. Only this Monday he sat down at a desk in St. Charles County rather than in...

Commentary: What is the best way to go -- manager, leader or coach?
July 21, 2003... Byline: Tony Gartner There seems to be an evolution in the way business and organizations of various types are run in terms of how they are "managed." My first experience with teaching was a class titled "The Theory and Practice of...

Small businessperson target for new building in Wentzville.
July 21, 2003... Byline: Kathleen Brady There is a big need for smaller space in St. Charles County. At least that is the thinking behind one venture in Wentzville to build a new 20,800-square-foot office/warehouse facility. According to Bob Meyer...

Indianapolis builder eyes Arena Parkway location.
July 21, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask Herman & Kittle Properties Inc. of Indianapolis is looking to build a 360-unit apartment complex on a 35-acre site located just east of Arena Parkway and north of the Family Arena. Preliminary plans also call for the...

First St Louis Bread Co., second Starbucks comes to St. Peters.
July 22, 2003... Byline: James Monahan Coming soon to St. Peters: The St. Louis Bread Co. Construction is now underway for the first St. Louis Bread Co. restaurant in St. Peters, which marks the fourth bread company location in St. Charles County. The...

O'Fallon's econ. development director looks back on job well done.
July 22, 2003... Byline: Joan Elliot When the phone rings in Jim Grabenhorst's office, he never knows if the caller will be an entrepreneur looking to start a home-based business or a representative of a Fortune 100 company. "That's been the most...

Commentary: Technology at work for you.
July 23, 2003... Byline: Matt Blunt The Secretary of State's Office receives, files and maintains millions of pages of documents each year. We have been working aggressively to make this process as efficient and cost effective as possible. To survive...

Commentary: Weakened dollar can lead us to stronger exports.
July 23, 2003... Byline: Joseph Driskill There's an old saying: "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade." That adage can certainly be applied to recent news of the weakened U.S. dollar. The value of the dollar has been falling for more than a year,...

Hail storms, natural disasters adverse for business, customers.
July 23, 2003... Byline: Amy Armour Severe hail storms have wreaked havoc on St. Charles County residents in the last couple of months and in past years, resulting in rising insurance costs, insurance moratoriums and nonrenewed customers. "Every year...

US Hockey League franchise plans to call Wentzville home.
July 23, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask It's not just home builders and retailers who have discovered Wentzville. A group of area businesspeople plan to move a U.S. Hockey League team in Wentzville, possibly as soon as the fall of 2004. The ownership group...

Businesses look at disability, health, financial insurance.
July 23, 2003... Byline: Joan Elliot "Be prepared," as the Boy Scouts would say, is a motto for both life and business. And various ways of being prepared was the focus of a business meeting at the St. Charles Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, July 17. ...

Teamwork, special services means sales for Meyer Real Estate.
July 24, 2003... Byline: Kathleen Brady Teamwork, tight-knit and determined are some words that can describe the sales force at one of the oldest real estate agencies in St. Charles County: Meyer Real Estate. For more than 40 years, Meyer Real Estate...

Business cycles affect small, large businesses differently.
July 24, 2003... Byline: James Monahan By definition, business cycles have their ups and downs. But how those ups and downs affect individual businesses depends on the size of the company. That's the conclusion of a Joel Popkin & Co. study sponsored...

Ameristar wins award for best annual report.
July 25, 2003... Byline: Staff The Ameristar Casinos Inc. 2002 Annual Report earned the top award of Best of Show and six additional honors in this year's AR100 awards, the country's most prestigious annual report competition which recognized the top 100...

Cuivre River awards grant to hearing impaired.
July 25, 2003... Byline: Staff The Center for Hearing-Speech St. Louis/St. Charles County received $3,000 from Cuivre River's Operation Round Up to help purchase a clinical diagnostic otoacoustic emission device for the use at its St. Peters location. The...

Valvoline Instant Oil Change opens two new service centers.
July 25, 2003... Byline: Staff Valvoline Instant Oil Change is opening two new service centers in St. Charles County, bringing the number of service centers it operates in the St. Louis area to 50. One of the new service centers is located at the...

St. Peters Chamber of Commerce holds ribbon cutting ceremonies.
July 25, 2003... Byline: Staff On Tuesday, July 1, the St. Peters Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Crosby Chiropractic. The new location, at 331 Jungermann Road, has treatment rooms, a physical therapy room and a nursery for...

SSM St. Joseph Senior Health Clinic to receive a $295,738 grant.
July 25, 2003... Byline: Staff The Missouri Foundation for Health announced this summer SSM St. Joseph will receive a grant award of more than $295,000 for its one-of-a-kind Senior Dental Health Clinic. "Funds from the MFH will help us strengthen and...

Commentary: Will Dubya become a retro Reagan or a conservative Carter?
July 25, 2003... Byline: Mike Nixon The honeymoon is evidently over for George W. Bush. During this past week, the 43rd president of the United States has undergone criticism on both the domestic and international stage regarding issues ranging from...

Doctor provides office space to SSM St. Joseph Hospital West.
July 25, 2003... Byline: Kathleen Brady Roles have reversed for a doctor who used to lease office space at SSM St. Joseph Hospital West in Lake Saint Louis. Now the hospital leases space from him.Dr. Sijad Baig, a general physician, wanted to own his own...

LMI Aerospace begins layoffs.
July 25, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask LMI Aerospace Inc. last week began laying off employees at its St. Charles facilities, the company said in its filing Wednesday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company plans to terminate 60 of its...

Wainwright Industries moves its distribution facility to Wentzville.
July 25, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask Wainwright Industries Inc. has moved its distribution facility from St. Peters to Wentzville to better serve the General Motors Assembly Center, one of Wainwright Industries' bigger customers."We just needed more space,...

O'Fallon officials, property owners still wrestling over redevelopment.
July 28, 2003... Byline: Amy Armour Talk about the conceptual plan for the downtown revitalization project continues to dominate board of aldermen meetings in O'Fallon. At the last board meeting, city officials addressed some of the main concerns of...

Hospitals, college address nursing shortage.
July 28, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask Two local hospital systems again have come up with sizable donations to help St. Charles Community College produce more nurses.Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital and SSM St. Joseph Health Center/St. Joseph Hospital West...

Commentary: Congress' decision: To tax Internet sales or not.
July 28, 2003... Byline: Bill Mocca The U.S. Congress may soon have to choose between Internet businesses and consumer groups who want to keep sales taxes away from the Internet and states and bricks-and-mortar businesses, which are pushing a sales tax...

Numbers of SBA-backed loans increase among small businesses.
July 29, 2003... Byline: James Monahan Those looking for good news about economic growth may find it in recent statistics from the U.S. Small Business Administration, which is showing a marked increase in the number of small businesses receiving SBA-backed...

McEagle Development names new vice president.
July 29, 2003... Byline: Amy Armour McEagle Development Corp., a commercial real estate development company in O'Fallon, recently announced that Christopher P. McKee has joined the company as vice president. McKee joined the company in June...

Cost cutting at MEMC boosts bottom line in second quarter.
July 30, 2003... Byline: Kathleen Brady Like many companies nowadays, MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. is tightening its belt in the slow economy. But results actually boosted the wafer manufacturer's bottom line. The company's second-quarter profits...

St. Charles operation helps Ameristar boost profits.
July 30, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask Ameristar Casinos Inc. said this week that the company's multimillion dollar investment in its St. Charles operation continues to generate a strong return on the property.The Las Vegas-based company said Ameristar St....

Commentary: Media's potrayal of war in Iraq unbalanced.
July 31, 2003... Byline: Kevin Kipp "I have good news for you, boys: The folks back home are behind you 50 percent." Bob Hope in VietnamLEFT THE COUNTRY. These days we can tell how biased a journalist is by how badly they misconstrue President George W....