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

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

Lake St. Louis-based NetLogic grows quickly, becomes profitable.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady For the past three years, many telecommunications companies have experienced layoffs, consolidations and even bankruptcy. But during that time one local telecommunications firm has established itself, grown and...

St. Charles County ranks well in Partners for Progress nationwide study.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask Last September, Partners For Progress released the findings of a study it commissioned that compared St. Charles County to similar collar counties in the nation. The report generally gave St. Charles County good marks...

St. Charles-based 321 Studios offers ripper-free versions of software.
March 1, 2004... Byline: staff St. Charles-based 321 Studios announced Friday that it is distributing and selling "ripper-free," or RF, versions of its award-winning DVDXCOPY software through the company's Web site and nationwide retail channels. The...

Missouri's Purchasing Managers Index shows expansion.
March 1, 2004... Byline: staff Missouri's Purchasing Managers Index has remained above an expansionary level for two straight years, offering further evidence that the state's economy is rebounding, including the manufacturing sector. The January PMI...

Interview with John Dengler, chair of both St. Charles Business District and Bicentennial Comm.
March 2, 2004... Byline: Wm. Stage After serving in World War II with the 70th Trailblazer Division in France and Germany (1943-1946), John Dengler returned to run the company established by his father in 1917 in downtown St. Louis. Dengler Tobacconist...

Missouri governor announces delay in Ford plant layoffs.
March 2, 2004... Byline: staff On Friday, Gov. Bob Holden announced that the Ford plant in Hazelwood has delayed its plans to lay off at least one shift on April 26. It is uncertain how long the delay will last. Holden said that his administration will...

321 Studios kicks off its Fight for Fair Use week.
March 2, 2004... Byline: staff On Monday, 321 Studios kicked off its Fight for Fair Use week, a weeklong campaign to encourage consumers to protest the federal court's decision to stop 321 Studios from selling its backup products with encryption...

Missouri Dept. of Economic Development reports export rebound in 2003.
March 2, 2004... Byline: staff The Missouri Department of Economic Development reported international sales of state products increased in 2003. The exports increased by 6.5 percent more than its total in 2002. As a result, exports totaled $7.23 billion in...

Right Track Nutrition opens at St. Charles County's Economic Development Center.
March 3, 2004... Byline: staff Right Track Nutrition, a nutrition education, wellness and dietary consulting firm, recently set up shop in the small business incubator facility operated by the Economic Development Center of St. Charles County in St....

CenturyTel recalls St. Charles phone book.
March 3, 2004... Byline: staff CenturyTel Inc., the nation's eighth largest telephone company, sent notice to several subscribers in St. Charles County stating that it had found errors in the 2004 St. Charles County telephone directory, which it delivered...

Nominations solicited for environmental excellence awards.
March 3, 2004... Byline: staff Choose Environmental Excellence-Gateway Region is accepting nominations for its annual Environmental Excellence Awards, honoring those who have taken exemplary steps toward becoming more environmentally responsible. The...

SBC Kansas City and St. Louis/St. Charles employees vie in contest for DSL subscribers.
March 3, 2004... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady On Saturday, Feb. 28, hundreds of SBC employees rallied in Kirkwood to kick off the "I-70 Challenge," a month long contest between SBC Kansas City and St. Louis/St. Charles employees to increase SBC Yahoo! DSL...

Boeing Co.'s St. Louis-based Integrated Defense Systems gets new JDAM contracts.
March 3, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask The Boeing Co.'s St. Louis-based Integrated Defense Systems unit has received two new contracts for its Joint Direct Attack Munition weapon system. The two contracts total $857 million. Boeing's plant located in...

CenturyTel CEO Glen Post testifies before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee.
March 4, 2004... Byline: staff CenturyTel CEO Glen Post testified before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 24, urging lawmakers to consider the impact of Voice over Internet Protocol. Post asked the committee to require VoIP providers to...

St. Peters Chamber of Commerce holds annual Home & Garden show.
March 4, 2004... Byline: staff The 11th annual Home & Garden and the Great Outdoors Show, presented by the St. Peters Chamber of Commerce, is scheduled for Saturday, April 24, and Sunday, April 25, at the St. Peters City Centre. Applications for booth...

St. Louis Chapter of eWomenNetwork gets grant.
March 4, 2004... Byline: staff The St. Louis Chapter of eWomenNetwork has qualified for an eWomenNetwork Foundation grant award in the amount of $3,000. The money was granted to the nonprofit organization for its support of the issues of health, wellness...

Coldwell Banker Gundaker's I-Team services the world.
March 4, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask Observers long have noted that the world is shrinking, what with all the technological advances that have taken place in communications and transportation. And more and more, the world is coming to St. Charles County....

IRS specialist discusses bogus tax schemes at St. Peters Chamber of Commerce meeting.
March 4, 2004... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady Amid reports of people collecting thousands of dollars from the government through tax fraud, it's understandable that the Internal Revenue Service would want to spread the word about avoiding bogus tax deals. ...

Gala event raises funds for Emmaus Homes non-profit agency.
March 5, 2004... Byline: staff Emmaus Homes, a nonprofit agency that provides services to adults with disabilities, raised $115,000 at its 16th annual Open Your Heart Gala event on Friday, Feb. 13. The 2004 corporate sponsors for Emmaus Homes include...

St. Charles woman elected to board of National Assn. of Parish Catechetical Directors.
March 5, 2004... Byline: staff Carolyn M. Roettger, director of religious education at Sts. Joachim & Ann Parish in St. Charles, is the newly elected Heartland regional representative for the executive committee of the National Association of Parish...

Commentary: Amendment intention fails to match document purpose.
March 5, 2004... Byline: Mike Nixon The Constitution is the most sacred document ever produced by and for the United States of America. Yet from its inception in 1787 until its ratification in 1791, and for nearly 213 years since being signed, this...

Reliance Bank to open O'Fallon location.
March 5, 2004... Byline: Amy Amour Reliance Bank, headquartered in Des Peres, has plans to build two new locations in St. Charles County. The 5-year-old bank has locations throughout the St. Louis region, but a St. Peters and an O'Fallon location will mark...

St. Charles-based Quilogy, Microsoft Corp. present new software on a Webcast.
March 5, 2004... Byline: staff On Monday, March 8, Num Pisutha Amond, general manager of St. Charles-based Quilogy, and Ingo Friedrichowitz, production planning manger of Microsoft Corp., will conduct a Webcast from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. introducing the new...

St. Charles school-business partnership to hold luncheon meeting.
March 5, 2004... Byline: staff The St. Charles Regional School-Business Partnership will hold a free luncheon meeting from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday, March 22, in the Healthwise Conference Room at Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital. The luncheon will...

O'Fallon chamber hosts career, education fair.
March 5, 2004... Byline: staff The city of O'Fallon and its chamber of commerce will host a joint-sponsored Career and Education Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 20, at the O'Fallon Municipal Centre. Booth space is available with a minimum...

Books named GM of O'Charley's in St. Peters.
March 5, 2004... Byline: staff Dave Books has been named general manager for the new O'Charley's Restaurant in St. Peters, located at 3995 Veterans Memorial Parkway. A 10-year veteran of the restaurant industry, Books most recently served as general...

St. Charles accountants pass prestigious CPA exam.
March 5, 2004... Byline: staff Quinn Martin and Jim Bredenkoetter, staff accountants with the certified public accounting firm of MPP&W P.C., have successfully passed all four parts of the prestigious CPA exam. Martin is a senior accountant at the firm's...

St. Peters Chamber of Commerce welcomes new members.
March 5, 2004... Byline: staff The following are a list of new members for the St. Peters Chamber of Commerce: AAA Insurance; AFLAC; Algonquin Nurses P.R.N.; Alternative Mortgage Solutions; Aly's Interior, Gifts and Aly's Chocolate Cafe; American Heart...

Local Coldwell Banker office raised money for Salvation Army.
March 5, 2004... Byline: staff The Coldwell Banker Gundaker Highway 94 @ Mid Rivers Office raised $3,303 for the Salvation Army this past holiday season by staffing the kettle at the Target store on Mid Rivers twice a week from Thanksgiving until...

Golab joins SCI Engineering.
March 5, 2004... Byline: staff SCI Engineering Inc., a leading provider of construction engineering and inspection, geotechnical, environmental, cultural and natural resource services, is pleased to announce Scott Golab as project engineer in the...

MCI expands Voice over Internet access.
March 8, 2004... Byline: staff On Thursday, MCI announced it has expanded its Voice over Internet Protocol service, MCI Advantage, and is working with BroadSoft Inc. to provide extended hosted communications capabilities. VoIP service, which allows...

St. Charles Economic Development Center to host small-business loan seminar.
March 8, 2004... Byline: staff A free breakfast seminar on 504 small-business loans will be held from 8:30 to 11 a.m. on Thursday, April 8, at the Economic Development Center of St. Charles County, 5988 Mid Rivers Mall Drive in St. Peters. The event is...

National Small Business Week registration available online.
March 8, 2004... Byline: staff The U.S. Small Business Administration has opened registration for its SBA Expo '04: Celebrating National Small Business Week online. The expo will take place May 19 to 21 in at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando,...

LaFarge North America Inc. hopes to close on 35 acres it owns in St. Charles.
March 8, 2004... Byline: James Monahan The Family Arena in St. Charles may be getting a new neighbor. LaFarge North America Inc. plans to sell 35 acres of land it owns fronting on South River Road (Arena Parkway) between the arena and Friedens Road....

St. Charles County Economic Development Center sponsors seminars focusing on real-life stories.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady Instead of just reading about famous business owners, the St. Charles County Economic Development Center is helping budding entrepreneurs get up close and personal with these real-life success stories. About...

Developer says St. Charles City's new regulations make it harder for small businesses.
March 8, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask The controversy concerning what exterior materials are acceptable for new buildings in St. Charles City won't go away. Lou Cariffe, a broker/agent with Shockley Commercial/Industrial in St. Charles, said Thursday...

St. Charles County-based 321 Studios consolidates two locations.
March 9, 2004... Byline: Amy Amour Last month 321 Studios, a software manufacturing company located in the Missouri Research Park, consolidated its two offices. But company officials said the consolidation was not related to a federal court's February...

Missouri job market continues to remain sluggish.
March 9, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask Unemployment continues to creep upward in St. Charles County, although it remains below the level it was a year ago. The county's jobless rate rose to 4 percent in January, up one-tenth of a point from the previous...

Interview with Bill Wilbrand, partner in the international firm of Brown Smith Wallace L.L.C.
March 9, 2004... Byline: Wm. Stage A respected business and financial adviser, Bill Willbrand, 47, practiced in the Clayton business district for 18 years, eventually moving to St. Charles in 2001, where he and partner Frank Megargel formed...

U.S. District Court judge grants temporary stay for St. Charles County-based 321 Studios.
March 9, 2004... Byline: staff U.S. District Court Judge Richard Owen for the Southern District of New York has issued an oral, temporary stay of the preliminary injunction he issued 321 Studios. A hearing on the motion to stay will take place March 15....

Bert Sperling to speak at Partners for Progress meeting in St. Charles.
March 9, 2004... Byline: staff Bert Sperling, nationally renowned researcher and author, will be the keynote speaker at Partners for Progress' "Best Practices" summit on March 12 at the St. Charles Community College. Sperling, who researches and ranks...

St. Charles Chamber of Commerce discusses ballot issues.
March 9, 2004... Byline: staff The St. Charles Chamber of Commerce will dedicate its March 17 general membership meeting to the discussion of the April 6 ballot issues, which includes tax increases for local schools, nontax increase proposals by the St....

Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital forms new board.
March 10, 2004... Byline: staff Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital has finalized the list of business leaders for its new 2004 community board of directors. The new board will solicit input and feedback from the community regarding the hospital's community...

City of St. Charles and Chamber of Commerce accepting award applications.
March 10, 2004... Byline: staff The St. Charles Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Department for the city of St. Charles are accepting applications for the 2004 Small Business Person of the Year and the Employers of the Year awards....

St. Charles officials look at revitalization of Missouri riverfront.
March 10, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask For much of St. Charles' history, the Missouri River has been viewed as more of a barrier than an asset or amenity. City officials hope to change that with the help of a concept plan recently released. The concept...

Report by federal government finds small firms having big impact on innovation.
March 10, 2004... Byline: James Monahan While many large U.S. corporations enjoy immediate name recognition, small, unknown firms are often the force driving business innovation, especially in high-tech industries. That's the finding of a U.S. Small...

Pinnacle to host investment seminars in St. Charles.
March 11, 2004... Byline: staff Pinnacle Equity Management announced a new investment strategy series that it will host each quarter, featuring different topics and speakers to keep attendees current on investment issues. The first seminar, "Why Just...

Fire science program to start at Lindenwood University.
March 11, 2004... Byline: staff Lindenwood University is offering a fire science degree program for eastern Missouri. The program is a cooperative effort between the St. Charles City Fire Department and the St. Charles County Fire Protection Association....

Vendor opportunities at O'Fallon art festival.
March 11, 2004... Byline: staff Artists and vendors are invited to exhibit and sell their wares at the O'Fallon Garden Expo & Festival of the Arts on May 1 in Civic Park. Booth space costs $25 to $50. The deadline for applications and fees is 5 p.m. on...

CenturyTel recalls St. Charles phone books.
March 11, 2004... Byline: James Monahan CenturyTel Inc. serves more than 3 million customers nationwide. A small number of those customers in St. Charles County recently received phone books printed with errors. What's a successful communications...

Missouri Senator Gross introduces transportation bill.
March 11, 2004... Byline: James Monahan If state Sen. Charles "Chuck" Gross has his way, beginning in July 2005, road contractors will no longer pay sales tax on materials used on projects issued through the transportation entities. Current state...

St. Charles County Councilman wants county to tackle illegal annexation problems.
March 11, 2004... Byline: Amy Amour Annexations affect both businesses and residents. Sometimes they are voluntary, and other times they are involuntary. It's when annexations go from being involuntary to being illegal that has the St. Charles County...

Commentary: Employment figures dependent on approach to numbers.
March 12, 2004... Byline: Mike Nixon Reading the current unemployment report is a little like the old riddle of asking whether a glass of water is half full or half empty: It depends on how one looks at the bottom line. Headlines following last Friday's...

Channel 20 producer Christopher Ferguson receives Bronze Telly Award.
March 12, 2004... Byline: staff Channel 20 producer Christopher Ferguson is the recipient of a Bronze Telly Award in the 25th annual Telly Awards competition. The Telly was awarded for a Newsmagazine segment titled "September in Saint Charles," which...

Techmeyer given high position in regional Rotary.
March 12, 2004... Byline: staff Linda (Peterson) Techmeyer, OASIS office automation in the IT division of Botz Deal & Co. CPAs, has been appointed to the position of assistant governor for Rotary District 6060 beginning July 1. Techmeyer will be working...

Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital recently names its new community board.
March 12, 2004... Byline: staff Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital recently named members of its new community board. Those members include Darrell Roegner, chairperson, Premier Bank; Wayne Baker, Warrenton Oil; Bill Brown, BenHur Construction; Dan Brown,...

St. Charles County's Habitat for Humanity elects officers, board members.
March 12, 2004... Byline: staff Colleen Bussen, director of senior services at SSM St. Joseph Health Center, has been elected president of the board for Habitat for Humanity of St. Charles County for 2004. Other board officers include Anita Sandage,...

New businesses open in St. Charles.
March 12, 2004... Byline: staff The following are new businesses in St. Charles City that opened in February: Blossom, 806 N. Second St.; Lending Partners Inc., 223 N. Main St.; Mr. Goodcents, 510 N. Fifth St.; Paradigm Design, 2240 N. Fourth St.; Reality...

O'Fallon and St. Peters city officials hold ribbon-cutting ceremonies.
March 12, 2004... Byline: staff On Wednesday, Feb. 18, the O'Fallon Chamber of Commerce and city officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Guadalajara Family Mexican Restaurant at 102 McDonald Lane in O'Fallon. The owners are Mario Ibarra and Antonio...

Lee Hecht Harrison, a career services firm, offers tips on diversity programs.
March 12, 2004... Byline: staff Diversity has recently become a focal point for many organizations, but there is still a long way to go, according to the experts at leading career services company Lee Hecht Harrison. Diversity must be integrated as an...

Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital announces its 2004 Medical Executive Committee.
March 12, 2004... Byline: staff Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital announced its 2004 Medical Executive Committee, which consists of various physicians, each leaders in their own field. Pictured above, from left to right, are committee members Ben...

Free trolley service debuts in WingHaven development in O'Fallon.
March 12, 2004... Byline: staff This month a free trolley service debuted in the 1,200-acre, mixed-use WingHaven development in O'Fallon. Bruce Sokolik, president of McEagle Development, said the trolley will help residents travel to the retail and service...

Boeing gets $70M order for Standoff Land Attack Missile-Expanded Response missiles from Navy.
March 12, 2004... Byline: staff On Thursday, The Boeing Co. announced that it received a $70 million order for Standoff Land Attack Missile-Expanded Response missiles from the U.S. Navy, on behalf of the Republic of Korea Air Force. SLAM-ER missiles use...

Indoff Business Products sponsors ergonomics awareness breakfast.
March 12, 2004... Byline: staff Indoff Business Products is sponsoring an office ergonomics awareness breakfast at the Economic Development Center of St. Charles County from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at 5988 Mid Rivers Mall Drive. Gail Albers of Humanscale and Brad...

Banger resigns as O'Fallon city administrator.
March 12, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask O'Fallon will soon begin looking for a new city administrator. Patrick S. Banger is leaving that position to take a job with McCarthy Building Cos. Inc., headquartered in St. Louis. Banger will become McCarthy's...

Leap day helps casinos in St. Louis metropolitan area reap more revenues.
March 12, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask Concerns about the economy aren't keeping people away from the area's casinos. All five of the gambling operators in the St. Louis metropolitan area reported revenue gains in February, with Ameristar St. Charles...

Speakers at Partners for Progress meeting address economic highlights of St. Charles County.
March 15, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask Throughout most of the 1990s, local government officials took every opportunity to tout the "High-Tech Corridor" that Highway 40 was to become. The rush to get high-tech was such that the Economic Development Center of...

Dot Com Properties L.L.C. chooses location for new shopping center in St. Charles.
March 15, 2004... Byline: Amy Amour Location is top priority to businesses; it can mean the success or failure of a company. Location was definitely one of the reasons why Dot Com Properties L.L.C. picked the corner of Zumbehl Road and Hawks Nest Drive...

Interview with owner of Sally T's Deli.
March 16, 2004... Byline: Wm. Stage Old Town St. Peters has been cast off from the mainland. A six-block stretch along Main Street on the north side of Interstate 70, these rustic, 19th century buildings are what is left of the original St. Peters. Even the...

Group to hold charity gala at Bristol's Seafood Grill.
March 16, 2004... Byline: staff Houlihan's Restaurant Group will host a charity gala March 28 to introduce the newest Bristol's Seafood Grill at WingHaven in O'Fallon. The restaurant opened for business March 8. The event, to benefit St. Louis Children's...

St. Charles Chamber of Commerce to host seminar.
March 16, 2004... Byline: staff The Education Committee of the St. Charles Chamber of Commerce will host a seminar on how to develop a marketing plan from 7:30 to 9 a.m. on Thursday, March 18, at the St. Charles chamber office, 2201 First Capitol Drive in...

Costco Wholesale hosts trade fair.
March 16, 2004... Byline: staff Costco Wholesale, 200 Costco Way in St. Peters, will host a business trade fair from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 20. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call Christy Hampton at...

'Day at the Capitol' puts St. Charles on the map.
March 16, 2004... Byline: Dan Turpin St. Charles County has accounted for 64 percent of the growth in the St. Louis metro region over the last decade and is ranked in the top 2 percent for growth nationally. The county has created 12 new jobs a day in...

Regulatory flexibility an issue for small businesses.
March 16, 2004... Byline: Emily Umbright This is the first part of a three-part series on governmental regulations imposed on small businesses. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, firms with less than 500 people composed 97.6 percent of...

Notice of regulatory changes to be sent via email.
March 17, 2004... Byline: Emily Umbright Editor's note: This is the second part of a three-part series on governmental regulations imposed on small businesses. According to the National Federation of Independent Business, 82 percent of small-business...

Chamber holds legislative update breakfast.
March 17, 2004... Byline: staff The Joint Governmental Concerns Committee of the St. Charles County chambers of commerce will host a 2004 Legislative Session Update Breakfast from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Friday, March 19, at the Old Hickory Golf Club, #1 Dye...

Bridgeway Counseling acquires Phoenix House store, program.
March 17, 2004... Byline: staff Bridgeway Counseling Services, headquartered in St. Charles, acquired Phoenix House Inc.'s Second Chance thrift store and residential program in Washington, Mo. Janet Woodburn, president and CEO of Bridgeway, said there was...

Hospitals offer new language service.
March 17, 2004... Byline: staff SSM St. Joseph Health Center in St. Charles and SSM St. Joseph Hospital West in Lake Saint Louis recently partnered with CyraCom International to provide interpretation services throughout both facilities. CyraCom delivers...

Craftsmen eyes site in Elm Point for expansion.
March 17, 2004... Byline: Mike Trask Craftsmen Industries in St. Charles appears to be ready to expand again. But at this point it's unclear when or where the expansion will take place. Last year Craftsmen announced its intention to purchase 77 acres...

St. Charles city creates new job.
March 18, 2004... Byline: staff Carol M. Rosse recently accepted an offer to serve as the first-ever communications coordinator for the city of St. Charles. She will report directly to Mayor Patti York effective Monday, March 22. Rosse, who was previously...

Legislation proposed to restrict job outsourcing.
March 18, 2004... Byline: staff This week the House Committee on Job Creation and Economic Development heard legislation filed by Rep. Mark Abel, D-Festus, that would require anyone seeking a state governmental contract for services to employ U.S. citizens...

SBA loan program continued.
March 18, 2004... Byline: staff On Monday, March 15, President George W. Bush signed into law a measure that would continue the U.S. Small Business Administration's 504 loan program through May 21. The 504 loan program operates with no appropriated dollars...

Regulatory fairness board up for approval.
March 18, 2004... Byline: Emily Umbright Editor's note: This is the third part of a three-part series on governmental regulations imposed on small businesses. Businesses with fewer than 500 employees spend an average of $4,463 per year complying with...

Dri-Port Marine moves headquarters to O'Fallon.
March 18, 2004... Byline: Amy Amour Dri-Port Marine has moved its headquarters to a larger, more visible and more competitive location. Even with a few boat dealers already located in St. Charles County, Greg Maze, one of the owners of Dri-Port Marine,...