St. Charles County Business Record, MO articles from March 2005

St. Charles County Business Record, MO archives from March 2005

Landlord unsuccessful in appeal against Sixteenth Circuit Court.
March 1, 2005... Byline: Stephanie Mitchum Murphy The 16th Circuit Court did not violate the Sunshine Law by not providing a landlord with specific records of landlord petitions and complaints, the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, recently...

Wisc. law firm sees benefit to marketing women in IP practice.
March 1, 2005... Byline: April Rockstead Barker (This article originally ran in Wisconsin Law Journal, Milwaukee, WI, another Dolan Media publication). In a novel approach to marketing its intellectual property practice, Michael Best & Friedrich L.L.P....

Assembly Solutions outgrows St. Charles County biz incubator.
March 1, 2005... Byline: Mike Trask Another manufacturing company is leaving St. Charles County. But in the case of Assembly Solutions L.L.C., this is a good thing. The electronic contract manufacturer, known primarily for making printed circuit...

St. Charles firms see real benefits from employee training.
March 1, 2005... Byline: Mary Pat Sueme In order to remain competitive, businesses spend billions of dollars to invest in the newest technologies and the latest market research. A good portion of that money goes into improving its work force, which not...

Gov. Blunt makes changes to St. Charles County Convention and Sports Facilities Authority.
March 1, 2005... Byline: Mike Trask Just in time for the opening of the St. Charles Convention Center, Roger L. Pryor has returned as a member of the St. Charles County Convention and Sports Facilities Authority. Republican Gov. Matt Blunt appointed Pryor,...

Commentary: Police dog search decisions demonstrate dual doctrines.
March 2, 2005... Byline: Marshall H. Tanick (This article originally ran in Minnesota Lawyer, Minneapolis, MN, another Dolan Media publication). State constitutional provisions may be construed more broadly to afford greater rights to citizens than...

IT insurance becoming more popular option for businesses.
March 2, 2005... Byline: Rachel Brown With new computer viruses wreaking havoc everyday, the business community is waking up to the need to protect themselves beyond just obtaining virus protection software. Information technology insurance, now widely...

Survey shows Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 not developed enough for businesses.
March 2, 2005... Byline: Mary Pat Sueme The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 will recognize its 12th anniversary this year. But like many pre-teens, some people would argue that the law is still immature enough to damage business. FMLA is the law...

Saint Louis Univ. professors study economic impact of proposed Medicaid cuts.
March 2, 2005... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff Two Saint Louis University economists have examined the recent proposal to reduce Medicaid spending in Missouri. Heather Bednarek, Ph.D., and Muhammad Islam, Ph.D., economics professors in the...

MO Foundation for Health releases Medicaid resource for doctors.
March 2, 2005... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff The Missouri Foundation for Health released a "Missouri Medicaid Basics" report on Tuesday, Feb. 15, that clearly outlines the basic facets of the state's Medicaid system. Highlighted components...

MO Supreme Court rules against casino in real property tax question.
March 3, 2005... Byline: Erin Suess "What is the proper standard for appraising the real and personal property of a gambling casino for tax purposes?" The Missouri Supreme Court opened with this query, a question which by the end of the opinion the...

Revenue loss, merger cause no worries for Weldon Spring MCI workers.
March 3, 2005... Byline: Mike Nixon MCI center employees in Weldon Spring offered no overall appearance of concern following last Friday's announced $32 million net loss for the telephone company last year. In an early morning conference, Chief Executive...

Missouri's economic performance is above average.
March 3, 2005... Byline: Mike Nixon Despite a surge in corporate layoffs in the past year and the consolidating of one-time industry rivals, the nation's unemployment level of 5.2 percent is not as bad as some critics would lead the public to believe....

Businesses need to ask 'right' interview questions in order to find the right job candidate.
March 3, 2005... Byline: Mary Pat Sueme Finding the best candidate for the job can be a grueling process for many businesses. Resumes that are flooded with exaggerated credentials and job interviews that start to blend together can make the final decision...

MCI to continue acquisition talks with Qwest.
March 3, 2005... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff MCI announced its intention to review Qwest's latest proposal from to acquire MCI. In entering into the merger agreement with Verizon on Feb. 14, MCI's board of directors unanimously determined that...

MasterCard reports record 2004 results.
March 3, 2005... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff MasterCard Inc. reported that 2004 was a record year for its international business. Net income for the year was a record $238 million, or $2.38 per share, compared to a net loss of $386 million, or...

St. Charles-based jWeb nominated for four national Web awards.
March 3, 2005... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff jWeb New Media Design of St. Charles was nominated for four national awards for Web site design and online communication. The nominated sites were created for the National Children's Cancer...

St. Louis chapter of Society of Design Administration installs 2005 officers.
March 3, 2005... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff The St. Louis chapter of the Society of Design Administration announced its installation of officers for 2005. Among the officers was Julie Lynch of SCI Engineering Inc. in St. Charles, who was...

Ameristar Cares employees active in St. Charles community.
March 3, 2005... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff Members of the Ameristar Cares program, which is made up of employees of Ameristar Casino St. Charles, raised more than $433,801 for charities in the greater St. Louis area. In addition to...

SSM St. Joseph Health Center, Medical Park names mgr. of radiation oncology.
March 3, 2005... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff Joseph Prosser, RTT, BA, recently was named manager of radiation oncology for SSM St. Joseph Health Center in St. Charles and SSM St. Joseph Medical Park in St. Peters. Prosser, a radiation...

League of Chambers visits Jefferson City, MO.
March 3, 2005... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff More than 80 business and civic leaders from local chambers of commerce and economic development agencies traveled to Jefferson City on Feb. 15 to brief area legislators on the key issues in St....

St. Charles Noonday Optimist Club to offer scholarship.
March 3, 2005... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff The St. Charles Noonday Optimist Club announced that a one-year $1,000 scholarship will be offered to a senior who meets the scholarship program's requirements at each of the following high schools:...

Great Rivers Habitat Alliance announces board members.
March 3, 2005... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff Great Rivers Habitat Alliance, a conservation group that opposes development in floodplain areas of the county, announced additions to its board of directors. The new board members included Tom...

O'Fallon Chamber of Commerce, city officials hold ribbon-cuttings.
March 3, 2005... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff On Thursday, Jan. 27, the O'Fallon Chamber of Commerce and city officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Fancy Nails, located in the Lakeside Shoppe Plaza at 3042 WingHaven Blvd. Its owner is...

Commentary: Block grants headed for the chopping block.
March 4, 2005... Byline: Joe Nathanson (This article originally ran in The Daily Record, Baltimore, MD, another Dolan Media publication). CDBG. It's an ungainly acronym, but it stands for a federal program that has been highly popular with mayors and...

MO-based Walpert Properties adds commercial real estate broker to staff.
March 4, 2005... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Michael C. Erkmann has joined Walpert Properties as a commercial real estate broker. He will be specializing in leasing, tenant representation and brokerage of retail property. Erkmann began his...

St. Louis office of HOK names principal for design.
March 4, 2005... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Ripley Rasmus, senior vice president and design principal in the St. Louis office of HOK, has been named office principal for design in the firm's north central region, which includes its St. Louis and...

Clayco's St. Louis office adds three health care facility experts to staff.
March 4, 2005... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Clayco and Forum Studio Inc. have increased their health care facilities experience by adding three industry experts: Michael Parnas, Joe Green and John Talavera. Joining Clayco's institutional...

Construction of Cupples Station Lofts under way in downtown St. Louis.
March 4, 2005... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff The historic Cupples Station warehouse district is undergoing another transformation this year with the addition of the Cupples Station lofts. Located at the northeast corner of 11th and Spruce...

Cross Homes readies first display home at St. Charles County's Tudor Trace.
March 4, 2005... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Now that streets are in and its three, one-acre sites are coifed with plantings and multiton boulders, Cross Homes & Associates has begun work on its initial $1 million-plus display at Tudor Trace, a...

Guarantee set to electrify new St. Charles Convention Center.
March 4, 2005... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Set to open on April 9, the long-awaited St. Charles Convention Center will provide the St. Louis metropolitan area with a new venue for small to midsized exhibitions and conventions. Guarantee...

Downtown rejuvenation shows no sign of slowing down in St. Louis.
March 4, 2005... Byline: Leah G. Rothschild Like several urban environments nationwide, there is a booming housing renaissance in downtown St. Louis, and experts say the revitalization trend shows no signs of slowing. The Downtown St. Louis...

Using due diligence on real estate deals to avoid paying in spades.
March 4, 2005... Byline: Erin Suess Buying a building requires more than a walk-through and a superficial kicking of tires. For property and development lawyers, this means creating standardized property condition reports whenever their clients go shopping...

Eminent domain case draws interest in Missouri.
March 5, 2005... Byline: Mike Trask A number of area residents say they have a stake in how the U.S. Supreme Court rules later this year on a case involving New London, Conn., residents' battle to prevent a developer from using eminent domain to buy their...

Loss of May Department Stores will make it harder for St. Louis region to attract new business.
March 5, 2005... Byline: Mike Trask The economic impact of Federated Department Stores Inc.'s buyout of May Department Stores Co. is as yet unclear. However, there already is considerable speculation that the $11 billion deal will result in thousands of...

Missouri state official promotes more proactive approach to attract businesses to state.
March 5, 2005... Byline: Mike Nixon It is time to update the way Missouri does business. Just six weeks into his job, Department of Economic Development Director Garry Steinhoff revealed some of his findings and ideas on how the state can be more...

Michael A. Karr joins Evans & Dixon L.L.C. as an associate in workers' compensation practice.
March 5, 2005... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Michael A. Karr has joined Evans & Dixon L.L.C. as an associate in the firm's workers' compensation practice. Based in the firm's St. Louis office, Karr represents major insurance carriers and...

Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin partner receives Innovations in Bankruptcy Law Award.
March 5, 2005... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin partner David A. Warfield recently received the first Judge Robert E. Brauer Innovations in Bankruptcy Law Award, presented by Paul H. Berens, the chairman of the...

Law firm of Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale P.C. announces staffing changes: March 5, 2005.
March 5, 2005... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff The law firm of Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale P.C. is pleased to announce that Jamica D. Dowell has joined the firm as an associate in the employee benefits group. Dowell handles a variety of employee...

Kenny Costa joins Brown Smith Wallace as a senior accountant.
March 5, 2005... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Kenny Costa joins Brown Smith Wallace as a senior accountant in the audit group and tax and accounting services group. He will perform audits, prepare business and individual income tax returns and...

Erika Z. Schenk promoted to counsel at international law firm Bryan Cave L.L.P.
March 5, 2005... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Erika Z. Schenk has been promoted to counsel at the international law firm Bryan Cave L.L.P. She was also named the co-leader of Bryan Cave's Commercial Practice Business Response Team. As co-leader,...

Missouri Supreme Court and Missouri Court of Appeals Summaries of Opinions: March 5, 2005.
March 5, 2005... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Civil Law Real property; assessed valuation Casino Aztar and Aztar Missouri Gaming Corp. (collectively "Aztar") own about 37.5 acres of real property along the Mississippi River at...

St. Charles-based Client Services adds employees at fast rate.
March 7, 2005... Byline: James Monahan Since it opened its new 40,000-square-foot customer service and call center on Harry S. Truman Boulevard last fall, Client Services Inc., a consumer debt collection company in St. Charles County, has been hiring...

Missouri's first iSold It on eBay debuts in O'Fallon.
March 7, 2005... Byline: Rachel Brown One of the hottest new franchise concepts is making its Missouri debut in WingHaven's Lakeside Shoppes center in O'Fallon this month. With 50 stores open nationwide and approximately 12 to 15 new stores opening...

St. Charles County Assessor acts to recover personal property assessment responses.
March 7, 2005... Byline: Mike Nixon The St. Charles County Assessor's Office will mail approximately 50,000 personal property assessment forms to businesses and individuals that failed to respond to the initial and annual distribution of those reports in...

U.S. Small Business Administration reports on progress.
March 7, 2005... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff The efficiency of programs administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration is growing, and the agency is able to do more for American small businesses with less taxpayer money, reported SBA...

Truck deliveries report from Wentzville GM plant mixed.
March 7, 2005... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff The Express and Savana models of General Motors trucks, which are assembled in Wentzville, showed some good news and bad news. In the month of February, GM's Express line delivered 8,447 trucks,...

St. Louis attorney Richard Hughes to receive Award of Honor.
March 8, 2005... Byline: Erin Suess The Lawyers Association of St. Louis is paying honor to longtime St. Louisian Richard L. Hughes of the law firm Mogab & Hughes Attorneys P.C., presenting him with the Award of Honor at its annual dinner on Saturday,...

MO Court of Appeals rules driver not covered by underinsured motorist coverage.
March 8, 2005... Byline: Stephanie Mitchum Murphy A woman was not entitled to collect underinsured motorist insurance after she was hit by an underinsured motorist, the Missouri Court of Appeals ruled in a reversed decision. The insurance company...

MO Court of Appeals rules on city's request for preliminary plat for undivided property.
March 8, 2005... Byline: Stephanie Mitchum Murphy A dispute between the city of Kansas City, Mo., and a company requesting a preliminary plat for some undivided property was contested and therefore not entitled to a de novo review by the trial court, the...

Employers urged to avoid being lawsuit targets.
March 8, 2005... Byline: Mike Nixon Speaking strictly off the record, a St. Louis defense attorney disclosed to an opposing lawyer, whose client had filed a discrimination and wrongful termination lawsuit against his one-time employer, that the defendant...

Business owner thinks city of St. Charles imposes too many regulatory measures.
March 8, 2005... Byline: Rachel Brown In obtaining a license to do business in the city of St. Charles, one business owner thinks the city is imposing too many regulatory measures on her. And city officials argue they are just being prudent. Vickie...

St. Louis regional ride-share agency teams up with provider of pretax benefits program.
March 8, 2005... Byline: Amy Amour Employers looking to add benefits for employees without adding high costs to their business can check out a pretax commuter benefits program recently implemented in the St. Louis region. RideFinders, a St. Louis...

St. Charles Business Briefs: March 8, 2005.
March 8, 2005... Byline: Mike Trask Now that TelGaAs has finally graduated from the business incubator the Economic Development Center of St. Charles County operates in St. Peters, the company has decided to locate in O'Fallon. TelGaAs is a designer and...

Supreme Court of Missouri celebrates investiture of Judge Russell.
March 9, 2005... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff The Supreme Court of Missouri administered the oath of office for a Supreme Court judgeship to Mary Rhodes Russell during a 2 p.m. ceremony on Monday. Chief Justice Ronnie L. White presided over the...

Commentary: Smoking bans in the workplace raise burning legal issues.
March 9, 2005... Byline: Marshall H. Tanick (This article originally ran in Minnesota Lawyer, Minneapolis, MN, another Dolan Media publication). The number of legal disputes regarding tobacco smoking in public places is constantly increasing. In...

Securing workers' compensation claims will be more difficult under MO House bills.
March 9, 2005... Byline: Mike Nixon Securing workers' compensation claims will be more difficult under a bill given preliminary approval by both the Missouri House of Representatives and Senate. Supporters of Senate Bill 1, a revision of existing workers'...

New not-for-profit corporation formed to aid construction industry.
March 9, 2005... Byline: Amy Amour The construction industry is the second-largest employer in the nation, preceded only by government employment. According to Deborah Henry, Ph.D., director of special programs at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, by...

National staffing service survey says professional work attire affects positive perception.
March 9, 2005... Byline: Mary Pat Sueme Improving outward appearances may be important to television shows like "Extreme Makeover." But a recent study indicates that improving outward appearances is also important in the workplace. A survey, developed...

St. Charles County considers how to fund economic development groups.
March 9, 2005... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff During a work session Monday night, the St. Charles County Council told representatives from the St. Charles County Economic Development Center and the Regional Chamber and Growth Association that...

NetLogic to offer special VoIP service.
March 9, 2005... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff Local telecommunications company NetLogic announced its plans to deploy its special Voice over Internet Protocol service known as VoIP Plus on a national basis. The company's target market is...

Aerospace Filtration Systems in St. Charles awarded part of defense contract.
March 9, 2005... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff On Wednesday, March 2, Aerospace Filtration Systems in St. Charles was awarded a delivery order amount of $4.1 million as part of a $58.7 million firm fixed-price contract for 1,250 Honeywell and...

Women legislators update Women Lawyers' Assn. of Greater St. Louis on status of bills.
March 10, 2005... Byline: Emily Umbright The female legislators who gathered at the Women Lawyers' Associations of Greater St. Louis' legislative luncheon last Friday delivered heartfelt orations of the changes they see happening at the capitol and the way...

MO Court of Appeals finds exception to 'other insurance' rule.
March 10, 2005... Byline: Erin Suess Mapping out an uncharted insurance issue, the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, held an indemnification clause in a contract must stand, regardless of similar "other insurance" clauses. Under this ruling,...

Court erred in dismissing prisoner's request for recovery of seized items, MO Court of Appeals holds.
March 10, 2005... Byline: Stephanie Mitchum Murphy Even though a man was convicted of homicide and sentenced to life in prison, his family was still entitled to items seized from his home that were later found "irrelevant" to the case, the Missouri Court of...

St. Charles County Council ponders ways to fund EDC.
March 10, 2005... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady At a Monday night work session, the St. Charles County Council discussed possible ways to release at least some of the money that was approved in the 2005 budget to the St. Charles County Economic Development...

Commentary: Lawsuit protection includes proper insurance coverage.
March 10, 2005... Byline: Mike Nixon Editor's note: This is the second in a series of 10 articles aimed at helping business owners and managers avoid becoming lawsuit targets by the people that work with them. The series will be published on Tuesdays and...

Lenders rely on uniform commercial codes filings.
March 10, 2005... Byline: Christine Pearson When looking to finance a new or existing business, independent business owners must look into getting loans, usually through lenders that deal with businesses. Inevitably, business owners will have to deal with...

U.S. Army Medical Reserve to lease St. Peters building.
March 10, 2005... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff The U.S. Army Medical Reserve has closed a deal to lease the building at 4178 N. Service Road in St. Peters. National Information Solutions Cooperative sold the 62,000-square-foot property Tuesday...

Women Impacting Public Policy voices concerns through survey.
March 10, 2005... Byline: St. Charles Business Record Staff Women business owners voiced their top issues that are hampering the growth of their businesses in a nationwide survey called "What Women Want," administered through Women Impacting Public Policy....

St. Louis home builder prognosis mixed for '05.
March 11, 2005... Byline: Erin Suess John Eilermann, president of the Home Builders Association of Greater St. Louis, offered up a mixed bag for the homebuilders at the annual President's Address breakfast at the Holiday Inn in Westport. The...

'Cautious optimism' tints 2004 apartment statistics.
March 11, 2005... Byline: Jennifer Anast "Cautious optimism" is the theme of the Rubin, Brown, Gornstein & Co. L.L.P.'s publication on 2004 Apartment statistics. RBG & Co. annually surveys clients and industry contacts for the purpose of analyzing market...

Heavy-equipment thieves 'getting more brazen'.
March 11, 2005... Byline: Justin Stranz (This article originally ran in the Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland, OR, another Dolan Media publication). John Huddleston had heard a lot of crazy stories as a superintendent for Wildish Standard Paving and...

Commercial developers switch from variable rates to fixed rates.
March 11, 2005... Byline: David Reich-Hale (This article originally ran in Long Island Business News, Long Island, NY, another Dolan Media publication). Concerned that long-term interest rates may begin to rise after years of record lows, commercial...

Freddie Mac's Conventional Mortgage Home Price Index rises 10.7%.
March 11, 2005... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Freddie Mac announced that its quarterly Conventional Mortgage Home Price Index rose 10.7 percent, on an annual basis, from the fourth quarter of 2003 through the fourth quarter of 2004, up from an 8.4...

Paric Corp. opens downtown St. Louis office.
March 11, 2005... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Paric Corp. is making a major commitment to downtown St. Louis by opening a new branch office at 900 Olive St. "We have developed a strong niche in the renovation of landmark structures downtown,"...

St. Louis office of Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum promotes Cheung.
March 11, 2005... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Kerry Cheung, AIA, has been promoted to vice president in the St. Louis office of Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum Inc. Cheung, a member of HOK's health care group, is currently working on Columbia St....

John Eyres joins Ascent Corp. as a business development associate.
March 11, 2005... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff John Eyres has joined Ascent Corp. as a business development associate. Making the announcement was Phil Horstmann, president of the firm that designs, deploys and manages mission critical technical...

Clayco and Forum Studio increase health care experience by adding three industry experts.
March 11, 2005... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Clayco and Forum Studio Inc. have increased their health care facilities experience by adding three industry experts: Michael Parnas, Joe Green and John Talavera. Joining Clayco's institutional...

June Roesslein Interiors moves to Chesterfield, MO.
March 11, 2005... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff June Roesslein Interiors has moved to these new offices at 17899 Chesterfield Airport Road, Chesterfield, MO 63005. Founded in 1976, the company employs 16 professionals who provide residential, custom...

Realtors add condos, co-ops to the monthly sales figures.
March 11, 2005... Byline: Bob Geiger (This article originally ran in St. Paul Legal Ledger, St. Paul, MN, another Dolan Media publication). Beginning with its January report, the National Association of Realtors will include condo and co-op sales in its...

Proposals to ban indoor smoking have St. Charles-area restaurant owners, others on edge.
March 12, 2005... Byline: Mike Trask When Terry Jones opened Wiliker's Restaurant and Bar in St. Charles in 1985, his establishment featured only four non-smoking tables. Now, 20 years later, there is a complete reversal with the restaurant having only four...

Ban on indoor smoking could impact St. Louis County casinos.
March 12, 2005... Byline: Mike Trask A proposal now before the St. Louis County Council to ban indoor smoking has drawn the ire of some local officials and could have huge ramifications on the local gambling industry. Maryland Heights officials believe...

Commentary: MO smokers smolder, say ordinances promote segregation.
March 12, 2005... Byline: Mike Nixon The evidence is undeniable. Smokers and nonsmokers can agree that the use of tobacco does increase a risk of developing various physical ailments. Beyond that point, the aroma of accord quickly stales. Nonsmokers...