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

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

County's small-biz person of the year named.
May 1, 2002... Byline: Colleen Dilthey The St. Charles Chamber of Commerce recently announced that Ed Pundmann has been chosen as the small-business person of the year. He said that he is proud to receive the award but remains humble about his success....

SBC joins EchoStar to provide consumers more for less.
May 1, 2002... Byline: Amy Armour Late this summer, consumers will have the option to pay only one price for their television and Internet services. SBC Communications Inc., parent company of SBC Southwestern Bell, has teamed up with EchoStar...

Tattoo, body-piercing salons don't fit Lake St. Louis' image.
May 2, 2002... Byline: Colleen Dilthey Upon the submission and denial of an application to open a tattoo and body-piercing studio in the city of Lake Saint Louis, the city is currently developing an ordinance, Bill 1840, which will ban these types of...

Telecommunications regulations topic of committee meeting.
May 2, 2002... Byline: Kathleen Brady If they didn't already know, attendees at the last St. Charles Chamber of Commerce's Telecommunications Committee meeting finally realized just how complicated telecommunications regulations can be. The committee...

Small Business Week begins Monday.
May 3, 2002... Byline: Kathleen Brady The 38th annual Small Business Week begins Monday, May 6. Sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration, small businesses throughout the country will be recognized at several events throughout the week. ...

Commentary: Immigration system change is necessity.
May 3, 2002... Byline: Mike Nixon We are a nation of immigrants. Some family tree roots may have grown deeper into American soil by virtue of time, others may still be seedlings, but still we are ultimately all transplants from someplace. When the...

WorldCom Inc. lays off 360 employees in Weldon Spring.
May 3, 2002... Byline: Kathleen Brady On April 3, WorldCom Inc. announced it was in the process of reducing its U.S.-based staff by 3,700. In March it was said that only 60 jobs would be eliminated within the state of Missouri. That number changed...

Marshalls features department-store styles for less.
May 3, 2002... Byline: Colleen Dilthey Shoppers will soon have their fill of department-store styles at prices 20 percent to 60 percent lower than department-store costs. The city of St. Peters will be the home of the newest Marshalls store in the St....

Job seekers, employers meet at community college in St. Charles, Mo.
May 6, 2002... Byline: Colleen Dilthey The economy is shaky, and job security is a mystery. On the heels of the recent layoff of 360 workers from the Weldon Spring WorldCom facility, many are uncertain of what the future holds. But with the help from a...

St. Charles Heart Walk attendance surpasses last year's.
May 7, 2002... Byline: Kathleen Brady Frontier Park in downtown St. Charles was full of people participating in this year's St. Charles Heart Walk on Saturday morning. More than 1,250 people gathered for the event, making it the largest assembly of...

Bank of St. Charles County merges with Allegiant Bank.
May 7, 2002... Byline: Amy Armour It's just getting harder to keep track of what banks are still around. One more bank in St. Charles County has merged into a larger St. Louis-based bank. On Thursday, May 9, the Bank of St. Charles County will...

Conference to focus on economic security for Missouri.
May 8, 2002... Byline: Kathy Ioannou-Bouckaert The panoramic view of the Lake of the Ozarks and its surrounding beauty will provide a relaxing atmosphere while attendees of the 44th annual Governor's Economic Development Conference and Missouri Economic...

SSM Urgent Care Center in Warrenton meets needs.
May 8, 2002... Byline: Diane Plattner SSM St. Joseph Urgent Care Center opened almost four years ago in Warrenton to meet a demand in the area for its services. Each year the center has seen an approximate 25 percent growth rate, which center...

New energy bill could expand U.S. resources at home.
May 9, 2002... Byline: Amy Armour The U.S. Senate recently passed a comprehensive energy bill which includes a renewable fuels provision that would allow biodiesel and ethanol to be produced in the United States. "This energy package gives new hope...

Companies partner to teach about safe teen driving.
May 9, 2002... Byline: Diane Plattner Insurance agent Marty Estepp feels good community service builds good business relationships, so he started a campaign to educate teenagers on driving safely. Estepp & Associates Insurance Agency in St. Peters...

Commentary: Church must face sexual abuse problems.
May 10, 2002... Byline: Mike Nixon A multiplying number of priests in the Roman Catholic Church are being exposed from the shadows of past protection policies and charged in dozens of cases alleging sexual assault against children. To date in the St....

Proposed legislation may increase cost of doing business in Missouri.
May 10, 2002... Byline: Kathleen Brady With both the Missouri House and Senate currently in conference over the final version of Senate Bill 1248, the bill will most likely pass in one form or another this month. For Missouri businesses, the passage...

St. Charles small businesses concerned over tax legislation.
May 10, 2002... Byline: Diane Plattner If the Missouri General Assembly has its way, the state's small-business owners will see a large tax increase this year. Senate Bill 1248 has sparked outrage from the National Federation of Independent Business and...

Evers Print Group tries to build local client base.
May 10, 2002... Byline: Colleen Dilthey How can a pen affect the life of a business? This seemingly innocent object has the potential to make a large impact on a business through its daily adventures from one hand to another. A company name or logo...

Construction co. CEO wins ethical business award.
May 13, 2002... Byline: Kathleen Brady "I have never been more surprised in my life," said Tom Hughes, president and CEO of T.R. Hughes Inc. More than 100 businessmen and women, family, friends and city officials greeted Hughes with cheers and loud...

2002 Builder's Expo & Trade Fair set for August.
May 13, 2002... Byline: Diane Plattner The 2002 Builder's Expo & Trade Fair, presented by the St. Charles County Association of Realtors, is coming to the Family Arena in August. This year's expo and fair, which will have more than 100 booths featuring...

Commentary: Ergonomic strategy includes small biz.
May 14, 2002... Byline: Kathy Ioannou-Bouckaert As far back as the 1980s, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has been in the process of developing an ergonomics standard. After a long process that included the input of 20 small-business...

Congestion, confusion create need for the expansion of I-70.
May 14, 2002... Byline: Colleen Dilthey In accordance with the burgeoning population, an increase in new business and hundreds of cars on the road, St. Charles County Executive Joe Ortwerth has announced that, with the help of the Missouri Department of...

Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital breaks ground for phase II.
May 15, 2002... Byline: Colleen Dilthey In the fall of 2001, Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital celebrated the opening of its newly renovated and expanded emergency department, phase I of the hospital's campuswide expansion. On Monday, hospital officials,...

Athena Award recipient known for cheerful spirit, community service.
May 15, 2002... Byline: Kathleen Brady Phyllis Schneider, director of administration and marketing for the Economic Development Center of St. Charles County, was honored Friday as this year's Athena Award recipient from the Athena Leadership Foundation of...

AVChem selected presenter at venture capital forum.
May 16, 2002... Byline: Diane Plattner AVChem, a chemical management services company headquartered in St. Charles, will be one of 20 presenting companies at the third annual InvestMidwest venture capital forum next week in St. Louis. Presenting...

MetaStable Instruments Inc. continues to receive research, development contracts.
May 16, 2002... Byline: Amy Armour MetaStable Instruments Inc. recently received two research and development contracts from the U.S. Air Force. The phase I and phase II awards will mark the fourth and fifth Small Business Innovative Research awards the...

King Safety Products receives Missouri impact! Award.
May 16, 2002... Byline: Diane Plattner King Safety Products Inc. of O'Fallon has received the second 2002 Missouri impact! Award for continual improvements in manufacturing excellence. The Missouri Enterprise Business Assistance Center presented the award...

Commentary: Domestic terrorism must be punished.
May 17, 2002... Byline: Mike Nixon The Bush administration and the U.S. Justice Department are faced with an opportunity. That opportunity is to show they are as serious about fighting domestic terrorism as they are international terrorism, with the...

New Bass Pro Shop hasn't hurt other businesses.
May 17, 2002... Byline: Diane Plattner Since it opened its newest location in the Mark Twain Mall last year, business at the St. Charles Bass Pro Shops Sportsman's Warehouse has been booming. But representatives of other outdoors and sporting goods stores...

New auto detailing company makes house calls.
May 17, 2002... Byline: Amy Armour Is your schedule too busy to squeeze in a car wash? Are you desperate to get the cookie crumbs from your toddler out of the seat of your car, but you just don't have the time to do it? Or does your business rely on...

Speaker discusses St. Charles County's metro role.
May 20, 2002... Byline: Kathleen Brady "One of the shortcomings of the St. Louis region at the moment is it doesn't understand and appreciate nearly as much as it should what an asset it has in St. Charles County," said Terry Jones, Ph.D., professor of...

Consultant offers hiring tips to employers.
May 20, 2002... Byline: Colleen Dilthey "Be prepared." For years, the Boy Scouts of America have used this motto as a guideline for life. When hiring new employees, an employer should take the advice of the Scouts; preparation is the key to hiring and...

St. Charles County building permits issued in April.
May 21, 2002... Byline: Colleen Dilthey The St. Charles County Building Department released residential building permit figures for the month of April with O'Fallon once again topping the list. A total of 415 residential building permits were issued...

St. Charles County hospital emergency room opens.
May 21, 2002... Byline: Kathleen Brady The staff at SSM St. Joseph Hospital West in Lake Saint Louis has been watching emergency room visits increase dramatically throughout the past few years, and on Tuesday, May 14, SSM St. Joseph Hospital West...

St. Charles casino offers coinless gambling.
May 22, 2002... Byline: Amy Armour No more carrying heavy buckets of coins across the casino floor and waiting in line to cash them in. Gambling just got a little quicker and easier. Since April 30, players have been able to use a coinless gaming...

St. Charles strip mall expansion planned.
May 22, 2002... Byline: Kathleen Brady Five years ago, the Target/Dierbergs strip mall at the corner of Highway 94 and Mid Rivers Mall Drive halted its plans to add on two more strip-mall facilities until the owners of the development could find two or...

Seminar on starting new business is a success.
May 23, 2002... Byline: Diane Plattner Ron Mueller, director of the St. Charles Small Business Development Center, hosted a three-hour seminar May 14 on how to start a business in Missouri. The seminar is part of a monthly series that began last September...

New St. Charles-based gas card company strikes it rich.
May 23, 2002... Byline: Colleen Dilthey American Petroleum Promotions, a multimillion-dollar company based in St. Charles, is one of a kind. With no competition and a steadily increasing client base, Vice President Rod Wortham said that the company is...

Innovative Business Technology moves to downtown St. Charles.
May 24, 2002... Byline: Diane Plattner Innovative Business Technology has relocated its office from 3906 Old Highway 94 to 800 First Capital Drive in St. Charles. The new office, which is larger than its former location in St. Charles County, will...

Trucking association joins fight against terrorism.
May 24, 2002... Byline: Mike Nixon The Saturday Evening Post ran a full-page advertisement on Feb. 21, 1942, that illustrated the determination of U.S. business and industry to not be slowed because of the threats of war. Sponsored by the American...

DiscountCoffee.com aids in arrest of suspects in identity theft.
May 28, 2002... Byline: Kathleen Brady Last week Kirby Newbury was instrumental in the capture and arrest of two women allegedly involved in the manufacturing of methamphetamines and the identity theft of more than 20 other individuals, but he will tell...

April reports show decline in unemployment rate.
May 28, 2002... Byline: Colleen Dilthey The Missouri Department of Economic Development reported that unemployment declined in the month of April. According to the latest figures, the country and the state of Missouri showed a decrease in unemployment...

Home connection package offers free technology to homebuyers.
May 29, 2002... Byline: Amy Armour The Jones Co., a homebuilder in St. Charles County, has teamed up with Charter Communications to offer a home connection package that allows homebuyers a complete digital package to meet their entertainment, as well as...

New Frontier Bank offers small biz seminars.
May 29, 2002... Byline: Colleen Dilthey New Frontier Bank in St. Charles prides itself on catering to small businesses within the St. Charles County community. Charted by several small businesspersons from the community, the bank's mission statement...

Bankcard Processing International's top priority is service.
May 30, 2002... Byline: Amy Armour As the need to purchase items on credit increases every year, a small business in O'Fallon capitalizes on the necessity for businesses to offer credit as a method of payment. Jeff Maine opened Bankcard Processing...

Vanilla Coke takes St. Charles, metropolitan area by storm.
May 30, 2002... Byline: Diane Plattner Marking the 116th birthday of the world's most popular soft drink, The Coca-Cola Co. has unveiled its newest product, Vanilla Coke. Company representatives say the product, which debuted in the St. Louis metropolitan...

Annual Moolah Shrine Circus draws large crowds.
May 31, 2002... Byline: Colleen Dilthey Thanks to marketing efforts that went above and beyond anything done in St. Louis, the 60th annual Moolah Shrine Circus drew large crowds to St. Charles. The Family Arena took its first turn at hosting the four-day...

Annual chicken wing cook-off competition scheduled.
May 31, 2002... Byline: Kathleen Brady Put on a bib and bring plenty of napkins; it's time for the fourth annual St. Charles County Wing Ding event. The St. Charles County Wing Ding is a gigantic chicken wing cook-off competition and its proceeds go...

Security tightened at St. Louis Gateway Arch.
May 31, 2002... Byline: Mike Nixon "We usually don't deal with `what ifs,'" said FBI media coordinator Peter Krusing as he looked out his St. Louis office window at the Gateway Arch after being informed of unspecified terrorist alerts and warnings...