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

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

Andy Kastrup works to make St. Charles wireless.
July 1, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask The sale of the site and the building that previously housed St. Charles City's Police Department and Municipal Court drew quite a bit of attention earlier this year when some local politicians questioned whether the...

Performance reviews require trust, uniformity.
July 1, 2004... Byline: Erin Conroy Unlike commercial trucks, people do not typically sport bumper stickers asking, "How's my driving? Call 1-800. . . ." Appraising an employee's performance is more complicated and requires a formal system to ensure both...

Nasdaq National Market may drop LMI Aerospace.
July 1, 2004... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady For the past few years, LMI Aerospace Inc. has been trying all sorts of ways to maintain its status as a profitable company, and recent news that it may be dropped from the Nasdaq National Market isn't helping....

Comic Relief celebrates Free Comic Book Day.
July 1, 2004... Byline: staff On Saturday, July 3, Comic Relief in St. Charles will join thousands of comic book stores around the world to celebrate Free Comic Book Day, an industrywide event. In the course of Free Comic Book Day, stores will give away...

Verizon helps victims of domestic violence.
July 1, 2004... Byline: staff Verizon Wireless and St. Charles County have participated in the HopeLine program to help victims of domestic violence. Through the program, Verizon collects, refurbishes and/or recycles old wireless phones to help victims of...

Sens. Bond, Talent announce $3.3 million for airline workers.
July 1, 2004... Byline: staff Sens. Christopher "Kit" Bond and Jim Talent, both R-Mo., announced the Department of Labor approved $3.3 million to assist laid-off airline workers in Missouri. The grant is the second and final increment of the $7.4 million...

Fairness board bill benefits small businesses.
July 2, 2004... Byline: Mike Nixon Common sense and the executive stroke of a pen benefited small business in Missouri on Wednesday morning when Gov. Bob Holden signed the Small Business Regulatory Fairness Bill into law. Four years in the making, and...

Queensbrooke development begins phase II.
July 2, 2004... Byline: James Monahan With 74 villas virtually completed at the northwest corner of Harvester Road and Queens Brooke Boulevard, Greater Missouri Builders is now ready to break ground on phase II of the Queensbrooke development. ...

Missouri Transportation & Development Council elects board member.
July 2, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask Gary Elmestad has been elected to the board of yet another transportation group. Elmestad was elected in June to the board of directors of the Missouri Transportation & Development Council, a grassroots coalition working...

SSM St. Charles Clinic Medical Group completes move.
July 2, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask SSM St. Charles Clinic Medical Group has completed the move of its offices at 2850 W. Clay St. to Greater Missouri Builders' office building at 1551 Wall St. in St. Charles. The 14 physicians and 150 full-time and...

St. Charles Chamber of Commerce says city has positive biz climate.
July 2, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask Despite some recent actions by St. Charles officials that have been deemed by some to be less than friendly to local businesses, the Chamber of Commerce says the city still has a positive business climate. Apparently,...

T.R. Hughes takes employees on trip.
July 2, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask Noted local home builder Tom Hughes knows how to reward his employees for a job well done. Hughes recently treated his employees and their spouses to an extended weekend vacation in Cancun, Mexico. The company took...

Interview with exec. director of Foundry Arts Centre.
July 6, 2004... Byline: Wm. Stage The newly opened Foundry Art Centre is located in the Frenchtown District of St. Charles and was part of the American Car & Foundry complex. With 5,000 square feet of exhibition space, the not-for-profit center hopes to...

Hampton Inn to celebrate grand re-opening.
July 6, 2004... Byline: James Monahan If you have occasion to visit the Hampton Inn St. Charles and think it looks like a million bucks, that's because since April the owners have invested that much and more on a major facelift. The entire building,...

Employee care theme for next bagel talk.
July 6, 2004... Byline: staff The next St. Charles Chamber of Commerce "Bagels with Benefits" seminar, which will take place from 7:30 to 9 a.m. on Thursday, July 15, will hold a panel discussion on employee care. Panel members include Quilogy, Western...

Firm providing free kits for home sellers.
July 6, 2004... Byline: staff HMS Financial L.L.C., a local mortgage consultant firm, is providing independent home sellers with free for-sale-buy-owner home-selling kits. The free kit includes a professional for-sale sign, comparable sales data, a buyers...

Gov. Holden signs unemployment compensation bill.
July 6, 2004... Byline: staff On Thursday, Gov. Bob Holden signed into law a bill that would restore long-term solvency to Missouri's unemployment compensation fund, which went bankrupt in 2003. The 78-page bill contains numerous reforms, including a...

Kevin Kipp remembered by the St. Charles community.
July 7, 2004... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady When people think of Kevin Kipp, they think of a fun-loving, philosophical and philanthropic fellow who befriended nearly the entire St. Charles community in the two decades he lived there. And that's how his...

ERSI releases new database tool for businesses.
July 7, 2004... Byline: Amy Amour How well does your business really know its customers? Do you know how much annual income they bring home and are willing to spend on various services? Or how far outside the neighborhood they are willing to travel to...

Ameristar donates $100,000 to Foundry Art Centre.
July 7, 2004... Byline: staff Ameristar Casino St. Charles donated $100,000 to the Foundry Art Centre of St. Charles to establish a multipurpose room, which will be known as the Ameristar Gallery. The gallery, which includes approximately 1,450 square...

Council overrides veto on residency requirement.
July 8, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask Despite opposition from the business community, the City Council on Tuesday overrode Mayor Patti York's veto of a bill that requires the mayor to appoint only St. Charles residents to the city's many advisory boards and...

Pearl Computer Inc. celebrates 10 years.
July 8, 2004... Byline: Amy Amour Pearl Computer Inc., a full-service technology company in St. Charles, celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. Pearl Computer, started by Chris Black in 1994, had its start in a small office on Main Street in St....

UMB Bank to hold investment seminar.
July 8, 2004... Byline: staff UMB Bank in O'Fallon plans to hold an "Investing Made Easy" seminar from 7 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. on Thursday, July 29, at the bank, located at 9957 WingHaven Blvd. The seminar, which is part of a series, will explore issues with...

Community Council of St. Charles moves offices.
July 8, 2004... Byline: staff The Community Council of St. Charles County moved from the St. Charles Community College campus into its new offices at 425 Spencer Road, the former St. Charles City-County Library District's administration building, on June...

Krupp Construction credited for early road reopening.
July 8, 2004... Byline: staff The St. Charles County Highway Department credited good weather and L. Krupp Construction Co. in St. Charles for the early reopening of Towers Road between Windam Place and Wellsmont Drive, including the Dingledine/Towers...

Hovis Machine Shop in St. Charles specializes in drag-racing engines.
July 9, 2004... Byline: Dan Turpin From drag-racing motors to Nascar engines, Hovis Machine Shop in St. Charles has filled a need for speed in the racing industry for the past 20 years. In 1979, St. Charles was better known for its cornfields than its...

St. Peters gets federal housing grant.
July 9, 2004... Byline: staff St. Peters City was among the cities pegged to receive $232,000 of the $98 million of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funding for low-income families in Missouri. The money was earmarked for the city's...

RE/MAX updates its relocation program for corporations and individuals.
July 9, 2004... Byline: staff RE/MAX Relocation Inc., an affiliate of RE/MAX International, has redesigned its relocation tool for corporations and individuals transferring to the St. Louis region at www.remax-relocation.com. The Web-based relocation...

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Comm. holds technical assistance seminar in St. Louis.
July 9, 2004... Byline: staff The St. Louis District office of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will hold a 2004 Technical Assistance Program Seminar from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 29, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in St. Louis....

Groves joins Glantz & Associates Architects in St. Louis.
July 9, 2004... Byline: staff Matthew Groves has joined Glantz & Associates Architects Inc. as an architectural AutoCAD draftsperson. In this position, he is responsible for drafting new subdivision and custom residential housing for St. Louis' premier...

Marchbanks completes Society of Certified Senior Advisors training course.
July 9, 2004... Byline: staff Rob Marchbanks, CSA, with St. Charles-based Marchbanks & Associates Financial Advisors L.L.C., completed a comprehensive course on priority senior issues on May 22. The course is conducted by the Society of Certified Senior...

Missouri Baptist Medical Center names Anne Prange Nelson as its new chief nurse.
July 9, 2004... Byline: staff O'Fallon resident Anne Prange Nelson, RN, DHA, CS, CNAA, FACHE, has joined the executive team at Missouri Baptist Medical Center as vice president of operations and chief nurse executive. Nelson comes to Missouri Baptist...

FOCUS St. Louis announces 29th leadership class.
July 9, 2004... Byline: staff FOCUS St. Louis has selected 64 diverse professionals for the 2004-2005 Leadership St. Louis class. Three St. Charles County residents are in the class: Lee Lewis, community relations manager at Enterprise Rent-A-Car; Jill...

Murray joins Cole & Associates as project manager.
July 9, 2004... Byline: staff Eddie B. Murray, PLS, has joined Cole & Associates as a project survey manager. Murray, a resident of Wentzville, will be responsible for managing surveying projects, including fieldwork and office calculations with an...

Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital welcomes Stanley Mathew, MD, endocrinology.
July 9, 2004... Byline: staff Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital welcomed Stanley Mathew, MD, endocrinology. Mathew joins BJC Medical Group in association with Zinnat Meghjee, DO, and Pierre Moeser, MD, at 6 Jungermann Circle on the campus of BJSPH....

Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital earns several awards.
July 9, 2004... Byline: staff Advancements in patient care have earned Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital six prestigious awards from the Professional Research Consultants 2004 Patient Satisfaction Achievement Awards. The six include: Platinum Achievement...

Cities of Wentzville, St. Peters, and O'Fallon conduct ribbon-cutting ceremonies.
July 9, 2004... Byline: staff On Tuesday, June 22, the city of Wentzville and its Chamber of Commerce conducted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Mortgage HeadQuarters, located at 1121 W. Pearce Blvd. Mortgage HeadQuarters has been servicing Lake of the...

Commentary: Responsibility is alternative when rulings rebut morality.
July 9, 2004... Byline: Mike Nixon The Supreme Court struck down an Internet pornography shield for the third time last week. So once again debate raged between those who insist that all audible and visual forms of language are protected free speech and...

St. Charles economic development panel concerned about city council's attitude toward business.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask A growing number of St. Charles businesspeople are saying the business community has to be more vocal when it comes to city government's decisions that impact local businesses. The latest group to voice its concerns...

St. Charles County sets stage for Essence's Medicare plan.
July 12, 2004... Byline: Rachel Brown The ripe socioeconomic climate of St. Charles County has not only cultivated new retail and commercial ventures, it has also proved to be fertile ground for a new Medicare health plan run by a group of doctors. Two...

Family Support Services in St. Charles gets tax credits.
July 12, 2004... Byline: staff Family Support Services in St. Charles, a nonprofit organization providing support for teens with developmental disabilities, will receive $26,183 in tax credits from the Missouri Department of Economic Development's Youth...

Job-training bill signed by Missouri governor.
July 12, 2004... Byline: staff State Senate Bill 1155, which will add job training and retraining programs to community colleges' curriculum, was signed by Gov. Bob Holden on Thursday. The legislation specifically targets business and jobs at risk of being...

U.S. House approves more funds for Small Business Administration.
July 12, 2004... Byline: staff The U.S. House of Representatives approved funding for the U.S. Small Business Administration's 7(a) small business lending program on Thursday. The measure, added as an amendment to the Commerce, Justice, State, the...

Interview with owner of St. Joseph's Carmelite Nursing Home.
July 13, 2004... Byline: Wm. Stage In early 2002, along with two partners, Chris Brown purchased the former St. Joseph's Carmelite Nursing Home, operated by the Carmelite Sisters since 1919. In carrying on the spiritual tradition of the sisters, the...

Area casinos see large hikes in revenues.
July 13, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask Harrah's St. Louis Casino in Maryland Heights experienced huge percentage gains in both customers and revenue in June compared to a year ago, according to the latest figures released by the Missouri Gaming Commission....

Leucadia National Corp. to acquire MCI stock.
July 13, 2004... Byline: staff MCI Inc. announced it received notice from Leucadia National Corp. that it intends to make a filing with the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice seeking clearance to acquire at least 50 percent of MCI's...

SCC dean appointed to National Research Council.
July 13, 2004... Byline: staff Diane Schroeder, associate dean of adult education and literacy at St. Charles Community College, has been appointed by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Research Council to serve on a panel setting national...

St. Charles County to hold surplus sale.
July 13, 2004... Byline: staff St. Charles County government plans to hold a surplus vehicle sale. A list of vehicles can be accessed at www.saintcharlescounty.org. Vehicles may be viewed and inspected from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, July 25, at the St....

Food processor eyes St. Charles, other sites.
July 14, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask St. Charles is on the very short list of possible locations for a new food-processing plant, according to local economic development officials. "We are on the short, short, short list," said Nadine Boon, economic...

Montecito development fits mixed-use craze.
July 14, 2004... Byline: Amy Amour Mixed-use community developments - rather than strictly residential develops - have been the craze in the home-building industry for the past few years. And St. Charles County has been a hotbed for such developments,...

Businesses support multicultural event.
July 14, 2004... Byline: staff The first-ever "Around the World Festival," to be held from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, July 31, at St. Peters City Hall, is being supported by a growing list of sponsors that includes Anheuser-Busch, Citigroup, Bank of...

Consumer confidence for June up.
July 14, 2004... Byline: staff The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index was up in June, increasing by 8.8 points from the revised 93.1 in May. The June index of 101.9 reached its highest level in two years. Recent declines in gasoline and energy...

LMI Aerospace shareholders may soon be rewarded.
July 15, 2004... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady During a Web cast of LMI Aerospace Inc.'s 2004 annual shareholders meeting, President Ron Saks thanked shareholders for their support and told them they may soon be rewarded. "On behalf of LMI Aerospace...

Patches Etc. measures its success at 25.
July 15, 2004... Byline: James Monahan If you think quilting is just for little old ladies with nothing else to do, better think again. Last year, quilting was a $2.27 billion industry, and the total number of quilters in the United States exceeded 21...

Commerce Bancshares reports earning in second quarter.
July 15, 2004... Byline: staff Commerce Bancshares Inc. announced record earning of $0.79 per share for the three months ended June 30, an increase of 10 percent compared to $0.72 per share in 2003. Net income for the second quarter amounted to $53.8...

MO Dept. of Econ. Development to compile benefits information.
July 15, 2004... Byline: staff The Missouri Department of Economic Development is asking thousands of Missouri businesses to provide information about benefits paid to their employees. Once compiled, the data is expected to benefit the state's employers as...

Missouri Chamber of Commerce releases legislator ratings.
July 15, 2004... Byline: staff The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry has released its 2004 Legislative Vote Records, a series of ratings for each Missouri legislator based on the most critical business votes of the last legislative cycle. The...

State awards training funds to area companies.
July 16, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask A total of eight St. Charles County companies will get some help in training their workers from state government. The Missouri Department of Economic Development recently allocated $328,000 in training funds to the local...

St. Peters busy with storm water projects.
July 16, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask St. Peters is near the halfway mark in implementing a series of major storm water projects in five watersheds within the city. The Board of Aldermen on July 8 authorized City Administrator William Charnisky to...

SBA, Ecuador trade ministry collaborate.
July 16, 2004... Byline: staff The U.S. Small Business Administration and the Ministry of Foreign Trade, Industrialization, Fishery and Competitiveness of the Republic of Ecuador have signed a statement of collaboration for the ministry to join the Small...

Shop N Save benefits from lottery.
July 16, 2004... Byline: staff A Shop N Store, located at 24 O'Fallon Square in O'Fallon, received $116,000 from the Missouri Lottery on Thursday. The store sold a winning ticket worth $11.6 million and received a check equivalent to 1 percent of the...

MCI Inc. begins trading on Nasdaq.
July 16, 2004... Byline: staff MCI Inc. began trading its stock on the Nasdaq National Market on Thursday. MCI stock will trade under the new symbol "MCIP," which reflects MCI's Internet protocol heritage. During the past three months, MCI has continued to...

Citigroup reports net income of $1.14B.
July 16, 2004... Byline: staff Citigroup Inc. reported net income of $1.14 billion for the three months ended June 30 and earnings per diluted share of $0.22. Results included a $4.95 billion after-tax charge, or $0.95 per share, for the WorldCom...

Commentary: Name recognition, likeability could decide governor's race.
July 16, 2004... Byline: Mike Nixon There are 12 candidates running for governor in Missouri this year. Most of those seeking the state's highest office are generally unknown to the majority of statewide voters. Even those closely watching this contest...

Julia Dibner, Ph.D. wins Distinguished Fellow & Senior Scientist award.
July 16, 2004... Byline: staff Julia Dibner, Ph.D., was awarded Distinguished Fellow & Senior Scientist for Novus International Inc. by the Novus board of directors. Dibner's discovery of how ALIMET feed supplement is efficiently converted into...

St. Charles chamber welcomes new members.
July 16, 2004... Byline: staff The St. Charles Chamber of Commerce welcomes its new members: API Financial Solutions, Stephen Mueller; Assured Title Co., Brian Scheidegger; Bank of America - St. Charles, Jack Knott; Charles W. Taylor P.C., Charles Taylor;...

St. Charles announces new businesses.
July 16, 2004... Byline: staff The city of St. Charles welcomes these new businesses to our area: Bellacino's Pizza & Grinders, C Blake Concrete Inc., Dungarees, Enchantments L.L.C., Garage on Main Street, Hospitality Services, JNS Tropical Sno, LeGrand...

Boone Center awarded CARF accreditation.
July 16, 2004... Byline: staff The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities recently announced that Boone Center has been accredited for a period of three years for its organizational employment services. The accreditation represents the...

St. Peters Chamber of Commerce holds ribbon-cuttings.
July 16, 2004... Byline: staff On Wednesday, June 30, the St. Peters Chamber of Commerce and city officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new concept cooking store, Meal Makers, located at 438 Mid Rivers Mall Drive. Craig Hartman and his father, Bob...

Employee satisfaction important for businesses.
July 19, 2004... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady Employees are the most expensive investment a business will ever make, said Susan Sommer, president of Sommer Investments L.L.C. They can make or break a company. Sommer was one of about a dozen business...

Commentary: Public relations professional will be sorely missed.
July 19, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask It has been two weeks since gadabout, raconteur and promoter par excellence Kevin Kipp died. A considerable amount has been written already about Kevin, but at the risk of sounding redundant this columnist would like to...

St. Peters receives media coverage as result of Olympic diving trials.
July 19, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask St. Peters officials are still tallying the numbers, but the city estimates it received as much as $10 million in media coverage as a result of the U.S. Olympic Diving Trials, which took place last month at the city's...

Retailer interested in building on Noah's Ark site.
July 19, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask A retailer is interested in building a 300,000-square-foot store on the Noah's Ark site located on the southeast quadrant of the Interstate 70 and South Fifth Street interchange in St. Charles. Nadine Boon, the city's...

Interview with Rick Finholt, administrator at Missouri Research Park.
July 20, 2004... Byline: Wm. Stage A Chicago native, Rick Finholt earned his baccalaureate degree from the University of Illinois-Champaign-Urbana and went on to receive his Ph. D. from Northern Illinois University in American literature. As an American...

O'Fallon-based True Fitness acquires five retail stores.
July 20, 2004... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady O'Fallon-based True Fitness Technology Inc., announced on Monday its plans to acquire five local retail stores by Aug. 1. True Fitness is a manufacturer and distributor of premium commercial and residential...

New St. Louis-based restaurant seeks local food suppliers.
July 20, 2004... Byline: staff Larry Forgione, renowned chef and owner of a new restaurant called An American Place, is seeking local and regional farmers, ranchers and food growers to supply products for his restaurant, which is slated to open in downtown...

O'Fallon leadership program seeks applicants.
July 20, 2004... Byline: staff Leadership O'Fallon 2004-2005, a six-month training course to encourage knowledgeable and influential leaders to take a more active role in the community, is seeking applicants for its program by Aug. 6. Classes will meet for...

Stock market course returns to St. Charles Community College.
July 20, 2004... Byline: staff The Stock Market/Economy Update continuing education course, offered by the Division of Corporate and Community Development at St. Charles Community College, will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, July 27, on the...

St. Charles-based art centre finds high demand for studios.
July 21, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask The Foundry Art Centre, St. Charles' newest cultural attraction, has only been open for a couple of months, but already it has proven to be a huge success with area artists. The brick building where railroad cars...

St. Charles-based Perma-Glass Service has been installing inground fiberglass pools for 21 yrs.
July 21, 2004... Byline: James Monahan As soaring temperatures scorch the Midwest each summer, who doesn't dream from time to time of having a private swimming pool? This year more than 100 area residents will turn to a St. Charles company to help them...

Second-quarter wages show gain, discrepancies.
July 21, 2004... Byline: staff Median weekly earnings of the nation's 101.3 million full-time wage and salary workers were $639 in the second quarter of 2004, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported Tuesday. This was 3.7...

St. Charles business community gets behind proposition to fund road construction.
July 22, 2004... Byline: Amy Amour In the past 14 years, St. Charles County has seen tremendous growth in both the residential and commercial sectors. The county has added more than 100,000 new residents, and 40,000 new jobs have been created since 1990....

Economic Development Center of St. Charles County hosts international trade delegation.
July 22, 2004... Byline: Amy Amour The Economic Development Center of St. Charles County and the Missouri Department of Economic Development have teamed up to provide a free international trade seminar for St. Charles County businesses. The...

National Federation of Independent Business names St. Onge small-business guardian.
July 22, 2004... Byline: staff The National Federation of Independent Business presented state Rep. Neal St. Onge, R-Jefferson City, with its "Guardian Small Business" award Monday evening during a dinner of small-business owners in St. Charles County. It...