St. Charles County Business Record, MO articles from June 2002

St. Charles County Business Record, MO archives from June 2002

Business groups, Missouri chamber succeed in blocking some tax increases for businesses.
June 3, 2002... Byline: Kathleen Brady Before the Missouri legislative session ended in May, the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and some business groups joined together to effectively block state legislation that would impose what was believed to be a $190...

Ameristar Casino hiring for St. Charles facility.
June 3, 2002... Byline: Diane Plattner Ameristar Casino St. Charles facility contributed to improved company performance for the first quarter of 2002, said a spokesperson for the company. Ameristar also expects that the new $340 million St. Charles...

Arena football team relocates to St. Charles.
June 4, 2002... Byline: Colleen Dilthey With the recent change in ownership and replacement of the head coach, the RiverCity Renegades, the St. Louis metro area's minor league football team, is making strides to secure its place toward the top of the...

Ameren Corp. achieves century milestone in business.
June 4, 2002... Byline: Kathy Ioannou-Bouckaert At 100 years old, AmerenUE doesn't seem to be losing any steam with age. This year marks AmerenUE's historical century of service, and by the looks of things, the company is remaining steady in the...

Some local companies find big benefits investing in employee health.
June 5, 2002... Byline: Diane Plattner More and more St. Charles companies are focusing on keeping their employees healthy with in-house wellness programs in order to keep the cost of health care insurance down. Representatives of these companies said...

St. Charles Automotive holds contest for VW Beetle.
June 5, 2002... Byline: Colleen Dilthey Imagine six days of no work, fast food, fun in the sun and unlimited naps. It sounds pretty relaxing, and a lot people would probably jump at the offer. But what if it meant sitting in a spinning Volkswagen Beetle...

Pine Valley finds baby boomers push demand for bottled water.
June 6, 2002... Byline: Diane Plattner Water was once considered a free drink that came through the tap, but today people everywhere buy the beverage in bottles. Skeptics say the growth of the bottled water industry is the result of hype and clever...

City of St. Peters, BP Amoco lawsuit transferred.
June 6, 2002... Byline: Kathleen Brady The lawsuit between the city of St. Peters and BP Amoco is more than half a year old, and the wait for a court ruling still months away. On May 20, State of Missouri et al vs. Planning and Zoning et al was...

WorldCom facility not in danger of closing despite recent slump.
June 7, 2002... Byline: Kathleen Brady Despite declining profits, stock values and nationwide layoffs, the WorldCom Inc. campus facility in Weldon Spring office is not in danger of closing, a company spokesperson said. Linda Laughlin, spokesperson for...

Winner announced in St. Charles VW Beetle contest.
June 7, 2002... Byline: Colleen Dilthey No heat, no rain, no rotting trash was going to stop 20-year-old Ryan Sevener of Barnhart, Mo., from winning a two-year lease for a 2002 Volkswagen Beetle from St. Charles Automotive. Sevener, KLOU "St. Louis...

Commentary: FBI reorganization is needed upgrade.
June 7, 2002... Byline: Mike Nixon It has been said that the United States moved from having a cavalry to having an army when it entered the battlefields of World War I more than 85 years ago. Times change, technology changes, allies and enemies change,...

Patriot Machine Inc. to triple office space.
June 8, 2002... Byline: Kathleen Brady Patriot Machine Inc., an engineering and manufacturing firm, is tripling its size in the 370 Corporate Center in St. Charles. Patriot Machine, located in a 25,000-square-foot facility at 951 Hamsted Court off of...

Lake Saint Louis leads MO in # of building permits.
June 8, 2002... Byline: Colleen Dilthey For eight consecutive months, the city of O'Fallon issued the highest number of residential building permits. But in May, things changed. The city of Lake Saint Louis skyrocketed off the charts with more that 300...

MO gov. presents 2002 Small Business of the Year.
June 8, 2002... Byline: Colleen Dilthey Gov. Bob Holden presented the Newberry Group Inc., an information technology business headquartered in St. Charles, with the 2002 Small Business of the Year Award May 31, during the 44th annual Governor's Economic...

Hart's Auction Center celebrates 22 years of service.
June 11, 2002... Byline: Kathleen Brady Buying and selling has been a part of Jim Hart's life for more than 35 years, and this month marks the 22nd anniversary of his auction house in O'Fallon. On June 20, 1980, Hart opened the Hart's Auction Center at...

Employers invest in business when investing in employees.
June 11, 2002... Byline: Colleen Dilthey It is no surprise that many Americans in today's work force are becoming more and more concerned with how they will plan for their retirement. With Social Security inevitably running out, many people are investing...

St. Peters McDonald's has new patriotic decor.
June 12, 2002... Byline: Colleen Dilthey Thousands of men and women lost their lives to terrorism and evil on the fateful morning of Sept. 11. Although the attacks took place hundreds of miles away, David Giarla, owner of three McDonald's Restaurants in...

St. Charles technology incubator seeks tenants.
June 12, 2002... Byline: Amy Armour The Economic Development Center of St. Charles County is looking for few good businesses to fill its second incubator location in historic St. Charles. The Advanced Technology Center, located at 118 N. Second St.,...

St. Peters is low-cost city for businesses.
June 13, 2002... Byline: Colleen Dilthey People looking to open their business in a cost-efficient place need look no further than this fair county. The city of St. Peters was recently given the designation of "Very Low-Cost City" in the 2002 Kosmont Cost...

St. Charles chamber breaks ground on future home.
June 13, 2002... Byline: Kathleen Brady Five years ago, when Nancy Stuenkel first joined the staff of the St. Charles Chamber of Commerce, there was some talk about moving the chamber office to a bigger, better facility. Now that dream is only months away...

Commentary: PR can be weapon against terrorism.
June 14, 2002... Byline: Mike Nixon Vietnam has gone down in history as the first war to be fought in the living rooms of America. Television images carried the sounds of battlefields and images of jungle firefights half a world away in dramatic fashion....

Boardwalk Market Place planned at WingHaven.
June 14, 2002... Byline: Diane Plattner A slice of Americana with a small-town atmosphere will soon be a part of McEagle Development's $750 million mixed-use WingHaven project in O'Fallon. Quaint storefronts lining casual streetscapes will emerge this fall...

Placement of fireworks stands in county ignites debate.
June 14, 2002... Byline: Kathleen Brady It's that time of year again. Fireworks stands pop up all over the place around this time in preparation for Fourth of July celebrations. But events at the last St. Charles County Council meeting suggest that...

Community college summer enrollment at record high.
June 14, 2002... Byline: Diane Plattner St. Charles Community College, located at 4601 Mid Rivers Mall Drive in St. Peters, is experiencing its hottest summer of enrollment ever with 3,076 students. College representatives say several factors account for...

St. Charles charter offers top-notch treatment.
June 17, 2002... Byline: Amy Armour Roll out the red carpet, and prepare yourself for the royal treatment on the St. Charles Princess. "You can expect top-notch service and a beautiful environment. Someone will always be there to greet you as you enter...

St. Charles to host pro wrestling match.
June 17, 2002... Byline: Colleen Dilthey Professional wrestling has become a popular cultural phenomenon in recent years. On Monday nights, Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Entertainment crew, formerly the World Wrestling Federation, entertain...

Synergetics relocates within St. Charles County.
June 18, 2002... Byline: Amy Armour After starting the company with only three employees in a two-car garage in Chesterfield, Mo., Synergetics Inc. broke ground for its new 33,000-square-foot office and manufacturing building in O'Fallon June 11. ...

Homebuilder raises flag in memory of 9-11 victims.
June 18, 2002... Byline: Colleen Dilthey Red, white and blue; stars and stripes; flags and banners graced the Richmond community as nearly 1,000 men, women and children from throughout the state of Missouri gathered with T.R. Hughes Inc. in a...

St. Charles arena football team has new owner.
June 19, 2002... Byline: Kathleen Brady On Monday at a press conference at the St. Charles County Family Arena, the National Indoor Football League announced that Ed Watkins, co-owner of Winning Endeavors Consulting Inc., has officially assumed ownership...

Managing partner of arena football team resigns.
June 19, 2002... Byline: Kathleen Brady Dallas resident Bill Magers ended his relationship with the River City Renegades June 3 when the National Indoor Football League accepted a bid from St. Charles resident Ed Watkins to own the team. Magers returned to...

Local travel agents say travel is up.
June 19, 2002... Byline: Diane Plattner The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 affected all aspects of business, particularly the travel industry. However, now that the summer season is under way, area travel agents say that people are once again taking...

Ameristar hosts viewing of new casino to open this summer.
June 20, 2002... Byline: Kathleen Brady This summer residents from St. Charles County and the St. Louis metropolitan area will experience casino entertainment at a whole new level. On Thursday, June 13, Tony Raymon, senior vice president and general...

Investment rep explains advantage of buying bonds.
June 20, 2002... Byline: Colleen Dilthey Although the economic forecast is a bit hazy, many people are still investing with the hope that the economy will turn around. On Tuesday, Matt Hoyne, investment representative for Edward Jones Investments on Main...

St. Charles property owners seek county assistance.
June 21, 2002... Byline: Diane Plattner St. Charles property owners who would like to improve their quality of life through extension of public services now have another option. St. Charles County offers assistance through the neighborhood improvement...

Moussaoui ruling raises questions about self-representation.
June 21, 2002... Byline: Mike Nixon When U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema granted Zacarias Moussaoui's request to present his own defense without the assistance of an attorney last Thursday in Alexandria, Va., it immediately began raising questions...

GM workers donate blood to Red Cross.
June 21, 2002... Byline: Colleen Dilthey General Motors Corp. adopted the "Keep America Rolling" slogan after Sept. 11 in an effort to keep the American morale up. On Wednesday, employees at the GM Assembly Center in Wentzville rolled their sleeves up to...

Lake Saint Louis Chamber of Commerce installs new president.
June 24, 2002... Byline: Amy Armour The Lake Saint Louis Chamber of Commerce recently installed a new president, and she has lots of ideas for a fun-filled and growing chamber. Carol Davis, the new president, is a licensed real estate agent with...

Boone Bridge needs expansion; St. Charles County voters to decide.
June 24, 2002... Byline: Colleen Dilthey St. Charles County has long been recognized as the fastest-growing county in the state of Missouri and is also ranked among the fastest-growing counties in the nation. The increase in population and business in the...

Violating no call law proves costly for some businesses.
June 25, 2002... Byline: Kathy Ioannou-Bouckaert Missouri is approaching its one-year anniversary of when the first completed no call list came into being on July 1, 2001. Since the no call law has been in effect, Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon has...

St. Peters Chamber of Commerce annual Savor event draws 600.
June 25, 2002... Byline: Amy Armour Area residents and businesses withstood the heat last week to sample shrimp, steak, chicken wings and pasta at St. Peters City Hall. The St. Peters Chamber presented its fourth annual Savor event on June 20. The...

Unemployment figures continue to decline in country, state, county.
June 26, 2002... Byline: Colleen Dilthey The Missouri Department of Economic Development reported that unemployment rates continued in a downward spiral during the month of May. According to the most recent figures, unemployment rates dropped in the...

O'Fallon's Dinner To Go caters to on-the-go families.
June 26, 2002... Byline: Amy Armour You've worked all day. You're sitting in endless traffic, and you only have an hour before you have to take the kids to soccer practice and dance lessons, and you haven't even thought about dinner yet. A new company in...

St. Charles businesses hire more employees for summer.
June 27, 2002... Byline: Diane Plattner With summer under way, business is way up at several St. Charles companies that specialize in summer activities. Area business owners and managers say that they must accommodate their busy business by hiring extra...

Max & Erma's opens restaurant in Mid Rivers Mall.
June 27, 2002... Byline: Amy Armour Have you ever tried an ice cream sundae with ingredients stored in an old-fashioned bathtub? If you visit Max & Erma's restaurant in Mid Rivers Mall, it may be what you or your kids are looking for. Co-owned by Ed...

Trucking group supports $511M state highway funding increase.
June 28, 2002... Byline: Kathleen Brady In August, voters across Missouri will decide the fate of a $511 million increase in funding for the state's highway and transportation systems under Proposition B. If Proposition B is approved by voters in the Aug....

The Shoppes at Lake Saint Louis will support westward growth.
June 28, 2002... Byline: Colleen Dilthey The Shoppes at Lake Saint Louis is expected to help support the wave of business and residential growth westward. The DESCO Group is developing The Shoppes at Lake Saint Louis, a 22-acre retail development that...

Real estate agents see St. Charles County as viable market.
June 28, 2002... Byline: Diane Plattner Due to its tremendous growth in recent years, St. Charles has become a booming area for the real estate industry. Two women real estate professionals agree that St. Charles offers great opportunities in the real...

FBI appointment focuses on coordinating information and analysis.
June 28, 2002... Byline: Mike Nixon With details and data concerning the war on terrorism changing almost on an hourly basis, it is nearly as difficult for professionals commissioned to protect the nation to keep abreast of the latest developments as it is...