St. Charles County Business Record, MO articles from May 2003

St. Charles County Business Record, MO archives from May 2003

The Work Performance Center uses SBA loan to expand.
May 1, 2003... Byline: Amy Armour These days, everybody is trying to see how far they can stretch their dollars. And businesses are no exception. The Work Performance Center, located in St. Peters and Wentzville, is in the process of seeing how far...

Start-up loan amounts decrease, number of loans increase.
May 1, 2003... Byline: James Monahan While businesses nationwide continue to downsize, cut salaries and consolidate operations, it's no wonder that banks are taking less of a risk investing in start-up companies. Yet it seems that there are more start-up...

Hearts & Roses to help domestic violence cause.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Staff Hearts & Roses on Fifth Street in St. Charles will join St. Louis area florists this Mother's Day for the third annual Give a Bouquet for Mother's Day Campaign. The campaign raises awareness to the problem of domestic...

Cold Stone Creamery expands franchise in St. Charles.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Staff Cold Stone Creamery, the fastest-growing super-premium ice cream franchise in the nation, announced plans to expand its franchise operations in various parts of Missouri, including St. Charles County. "Cold Stone Creamery's...

Commerce Bank ribbon cutting planned.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Staff On April 22, Commerce Bank, located at 2913 Highway K in O'Fallon, celebrated a ribbon-cutting ceremony. It's the second Commerce Bank branch to open in O'Fallon.

Coldwell Banker adds to staff, honors realtor.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Staff Vincent Weatherspoon has recently joined the Coldwell Banker Gundaker Highway 94 @ Mid Rivers office. Weatherspoon has a background in new construction and makes his home in the O'Fallon area. Lee Cowap has been awarded a GRI...

Hardee's celebrates Founder's Day.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Staff Hardee's Food Systems Inc. celebrated Founder's Day on May 2, honoring the 42-year anniversary of the quick-service restaurant chain. To celebrate the day, Hardee's corporate officers will trade their business suits and brief...

Anheuser-Busch donates to St. Peters recycling effort.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Staff St. Peters received an $18,000 grant from Anheuser-Busch to create backboards for residents to place their blue recycling bags. "Anheuser-Busch has a long-standing tradition of corporate environmental responsibility and is...

Hairy Elephant Hair Salon ribbon cutting planned.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Staff On April 14, the Hairy Elephant Hair Salon for Kids, located at 3056 K&N Plaza in O'Fallon, celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon cutting. The Hairy Elephant is dedicated to creating a fun hair salon experience for...

Gov. Holden reappoints St. Louis man to Convention & Sports Facilities Authority.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Staff Gov. Bob Holden reappointed Dale Finke of St. Louis to the St. Charles Convention & Sports Facilities Authority. Finke, 64, is a licensed insurance broker and agent. He is the past president of the Missouri Association of...

O'Fallon chamber welcomes new members.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Staff Recently joining the O'Fallon Chamber of Commerce are Jefferson Bank, Steve Bynum; Midwest Agency, Donna Willmann; Contours Express, Jan Keith/Kathy Roethy; Express Personnel Services, Jim Street; St. John's Urgent Care, Deb...

BenNet to get $3,000 grant from Cuivre River Electric Co-op.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Staff Participants of BenNet, a newly formed Benevolence Information Exchange Network in St. Charles County, will receive a $3,000 grant during their regularly scheduled monthly meeting from the Cuivre River Electric Community...

Ameriwood lays off 130 at its Wright City factory.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask In another sign the manufacturing industry continues to contract, a furniture factory that has operated in Wright City for more than a quarter of a century is laying off a sizeable portion of its work force Friday. ...

Newco to relocate to Fountain Lakes.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask St. Charles-based Newco Enterprises Inc. plans to consolidate its operations in a new 125,000-square-foot facility that will be built in the Fountain Lakes Commerce Center. Newco is a leading manufacturer of...

Broadband issue fails in Senate committee.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Kathleen Brady Telecommunications giant SBC may put on hold its promise to invest in deploying digital subscriber lines in rural Missouri as a result of a decision made by the Senate Commerce and Environment Committee on Tuesday....

Athena Award acknowledges unique contributions of women in workplace.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Joan Elliot Athena, Greek goddess of wisdom and strategy, has long been the symbol and inspiration of successful, responsible women. Mythology describes this warrior princess as a logical thinker with the ability to hone skills,...

Maytag test-drive store opens in St. Peters.
May 5, 2003... Byline: James Monahan The loneliest guy in town will be looking for company on Saturday, May 10, at the grand opening of a new Maytag Store at 331 Costco Way in St. Peters. "Ol' Lonely," the Maytag repairman, also known as Gordon...

Commentary: Are IT departments ready for Personal Digital Assistants?
May 5, 2003... Byline: Bill Mocca While Personal Digital Assistants may be a new tool for IT departments, PDAs have been widely used by consumers for some time. Global sales by all manufacturers totaled 5.1 million units in 1999. In 2000 sales more than...

Tax increment financing controversy continues despite circuit court ruling.
May 6, 2003... Byline: Kathleen Brady A Missouri Supreme Court decision on the use of a widely used economic tool in the state may be the last word on the multiyear tax increment financing controversy in St. Charles County. St. Charles county...

Hobby Lobby to make debut in area.
May 7, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask The Cave Springs Shopping Center in St. Peters soon will have a major retailer to replace the old Kmart store that closed almost one year ago. Hobby Lobby Stores Inc., an Oklahoma City-based arts and crafts retailer, has...

Imagine O'Fallon 2010 designed to get input from area residents, businesses.
May 7, 2003... Byline: Joan Elliot Close your eyes and imagine . . . That's what O'Fallon's Department of Development Services is asking city officials, businesses and residents to do -- to imagine what the city of O'Fallon might be like in the year...

Lake Saint Louis Internet company offers training at home for employees.
May 7, 2003... Byline: Amy Armour While the sluggish economy continues to pressure companies to save money, an online employee training program that saves time and money is welcome news. Lake Saint Louis-based StaffKit, an online business, has been...

Commentary: Protecting Missouri seniors from abuse.
May 7, 2003... Byline: Joe Smith It is never an easy decision to place a loved one in a nursing home. There are several circumstances that leave individuals no other choice but to utilize round-the-clock care nursing homes provide. But with that decision...

Commentary: Missouri takes steps to fight investment fraud.
May 7, 2003... Byline: Matt Blunt Protecting Missourians from investment fraud is one of our most important responsibilities in the Secretary of State's Office. I have made it a top priority for the Securities Division to be relentless in pursuing shady...

Commentary: Missouri's business climate less taxing.
May 7, 2003... Byline: Joseph Driskill The current national recession has taken a toll on many states and Missouri is no exception. The Show-Me State has experienced a decrease in the size of our work force over the past two years as a result. Some...

Commentary: Unemployment numbers needn't discourage job seekers.
May 8, 2003... Byline: Mike Nixon It is easy to say unemployment is not that bad if you are the one with a job. It is also easy to be convinced life is worse than it is if the one looking for work takes news of continued layoffs and increasing jobless...

O'Fallon Board of Aldermen choose development team.
May 9, 2003... Byline: Amy Armour The O'Fallon Board of Aldermen selected Main Street Ventures L.L.C. as its preferred developer for a revitalization plan for downtown O'Fallon last week. The city and the developer will now begin to negotiate an...

Enterprise Bank names new vice president.
May 9, 2003... Byline: Staff Enterprise Financial, the parent company of Enterprise Bank and Enterprise Trust, announced that Kenneth R. Gumper Jr., was named vice president in its St. Peters bank. Gumper is responsible for managing and developing a...

SSS St. Joseph Health Center names new medical director.
May 9, 2003... Byline: Staff Fredric Simowitz, M.D., has been named medical director of neurodiagnostic services at SSM St. Joseph Health Center in St. Charles and SSM St. Joseph Hospital West in Lake Saint Louis. Simowitz brings more than 30 years of...

Arts Centre could become `anchor' for downtown's north end.
May 9, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask An effort to bring a little culture to downtown St. Charles could help spark the economic revitalization of that area and the nearby Frenchtown Historic District. The Foundry Arts Centre is scheduled to open in...

Commentary: NECAC observes National Community Action Month.
May 9, 2003... Byline: Letter to the Editor Dear Editor: The North East Community Action Corp. is proud to join the 18 other not-for-profit Community Action Agencies in Missouri and more than 980 agencies across the United States in observing the...

St. Charles location added to SuperGlass Windshield Repair franchise.
May 9, 2003... Byline: Staff David Juengst recently joined the franchise organization, SuperGlass Windshield Repair, along with 219 other franchises nationwide. SuperGlass specializes in a high-tech resin injection system which virtually eliminates...

Coldwell Banker Gundaker welcomes back staff.
May 9, 2003... Byline: Staff Tina Hemminghaus has recently joined the Coldwell Banker Gundaker Highway 94 @ Mid Rivers Office. Hemminghaus returned to the company after a short tenure with another real estate company. She stated, "I am thrilled to be...

Van Kampen Investments salutes local financial professional.
May 9, 2003... Byline: Staff Van Kampen Investments announced the selection of Shane Westhoelter of Gateway Financial Advisors Inc. in St. Charles for membership in the Generations of Experience Club, Van Kampen's top-performer program for financial...

First State Bank names new assistant vice president.
May 9, 2003... Byline: Staff First State Bank of St. Charles, a full-service, independent, community bank, has announced that Doug Weber has been named assistant vice president in the loan department. Weber joined First State Bank in 1997 as a loan...

Cole & Associates names executive vice president, principal engineer.
May 9, 2003... Byline: Staff Kevin Riggs, P.E., has joined Cole & Associates as executive vice president and principal engineer in charge. In the newly created position, Riggs will oversee the company's engineering staff as well as assist in corporate...

O'Fallon named top economic development marketer in state.
May 9, 2003... Byline: Staff The city of O'Fallon has been named winner of the Missouri 2003 Economic Development Marketer of the Year Award. The announcement was made by Gov. Bob Holden. The award, which goes to the community in the state with the most...

St. Charles County experiences budget shortfall.
May 9, 2003... Byline: Kathleen Brady St. Charles County government is beginning to feel a little bit of the pain that Missouri and other state and local governments are feeling as a result of the downtrodden national economy. The county announced...

Dave's On The Boardwalk grocery store part of LifeWorks vision.
May 12, 2003... Byline: Joan Elliot If Dave Gabris was playing the game of Monopoly, one could say he had passed Go, collected $200 and taken a walk on the Boardwalk. But what Gabris is participating in -- with an old-fashioned grocery store called Dave's...

Commentary: Meeting management can turn time waster into time saver.
May 12, 2003... Byline: Tony Gartner "There are typically 17 million meetings each day in America." By definition, a meeting is two or more people getting together to exchange common information. This gem is taken from an e-zine article by...

Builder required to provide additional information for townhouse development.
May 12, 2003... Byline: Kathleen Brady The Jones Co. learned Tuesday night that it would need to provide additional information to the St. Charles City Council before it could approve of the company's proposed residential development. On Tuesday, May...

GM plant prepares to celebrate 20 years in county.
May 13, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask General Motors officials are putting the finishing touches on their plans for a celebration marking the 20th anniversary of the automaker's Wentzville Truck Assembly Center. Tentative plans call for the celebration...

O'Fallon downtown development may be put on hold.
May 13, 2003... Byline: Amy Armour Opposition to a possible moratorium on planning and zoning projects in downtown O'Fallon rang clear in City Hall on Thursday night, but business owners and residents were not sure if it was heard. The O'Fallon Board...

Ameristar Casino St. Charles leads in revenues.
May 14, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask Ameristar Casino St. Charles raked in more money last month than did nearby Harrah's St. Louis Casino in Maryland Heights, even though Harrah's boarded more patrons. Ameristar St. Charles led all 11 casino operations...

Committee surveys St. Charles County businesses on master plan.
May 14, 2003... Byline: James Monahan According to a survey conducted by the Economic Development Committee for the St. Charles County Master Plan 2015, businesses are happy with how things are progressing. Richard Sacks, president of The Sacks Group...

Commentary: Demonstrating our commitment to Missouri seniors.
May 14, 2003... Byline: Joe Maxwell At the beginning of this year, I made a New Year's resolution to pass legislation that would put teeth in our current laws that protect our seniors residing in nursing homes from abuse and neglect. I am proud to tell...

WingHaven's Phoenix Village may fill office niche.
May 14, 2003... Byline: James Monahan In general, the commercial real estate market is "picking up," despite the sluggish economy, said David Gannon, assistant vice president of Grubb & Ellis/Krombach Partners, a St. Louis-based commercial real estate...

Commentary: Missouri General Assembly meets budget deadline.
May 14, 2003... Byline: Joe Smith Last week the General Assembly met it's constitutionally established deadline and sent to the governor a budget balanced on controlled spending and efficiencies rather than tax increases. By defeating three separate...

Queensbrooke Village project to bring small-town atmosphere to St. Peters.
May 15, 2003... Byline: Amy Armour In the next two years, St. Peters will be the home for a new urban style mixed-use development. On Thursday, May 8, the St. Peters Board of Aldermen approved the site plan for Queensbrooke Village, a retro-style...

Jordellen Technologies help businesses with IT solutions.
May 15, 2003... Byline: Joan Elliot Chris Oliver is not bashful about giving voice to his life's dream. He'd like to do for small to medium-sized businesses in the area what Ross Perot's Electronic Data Systems did for large corporations in the 1980s....

St. Charles chamber recognizes small-business person of year.
May 16, 2003... Byline: Joan Elliot Curt Dreyer has fire in his soul -- the spark that contributes to his overall success as well as the business itself in which that success manifests. Chosen St. Charles Chamber of Commerce Small Business Person of...

Better Business Bureau of Eastern MO elects new president.
May 16, 2003... Byline: Staff Kevin F. Kast, president/CEO/market executive of SSM St. Joseph Hospital West, SSM St. Joseph Health Center and SSM St. Joseph Medical Park, was elected chairman of the Better Business Bureau of Eastern Missouri & Southern...

Law office opens in St. Charles.
May 16, 2003... Byline: Staff The Law Offices of Edward A. Gilkerson, located at 11166 Tesson Ferry Road in St. Louis, announced that it opened an office in St. Charles at 118 N. Second St., Suite 225, phone (636) 410-0325.

Superintendent of Custom Coatings retires.
May 16, 2003... Byline: Staff Custom Coatings Inc., located at 1810 Scherer Parkway in St. Charles, announced the retirement of Donald E. Pyrtle, superintendent, after 32 years of service as painter. A member and supporter of Painters' District Council...

MO Dept. of Natural Resources awards grant to St. Charles County.
May 16, 2003... Byline: Staff The Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will help the St. Charles County Soil and Water Conservation District protect the Peruque Creek watershed. A grant provided by the EPA...

Craftsmen Industries to expand operations.
May 16, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask Craftsmen Industries Inc. has gone back to the Industrial Development Authority of St. Charles County for assistance in financing the company's expansion. Earlier this year, Joe Helmsing, owner and founder of St....

Missouri Foundation for Health awards grants to St. Louis health centers.
May 16, 2003... Byline: Staff The Missouri Foundation for Health awarded grants to several St. Louis metropolitan health centers, including a $105,898 grant to St. Charles Regional Child Assessment Center in Wentzville. The Child Assessment Center...

Coldwell Banker Gundaker adds sales associate.
May 16, 2003... Byline: Staff Coldwell Banker Gundaker Highway 94 @ Mid Rivers Office is pleased to announce the addition of sales associate Kathy Koutsobinas to the office. Koutsobinas transferred from the company's corporate office and resides in the...

Community Living elects new board members.
May 16, 2003... Byline: Staff Community Living Inc.'s board of directors appointed its 2003 slate of officers. Rick Leach, president; Mary Enger, executive vice president; John Boschert, vice president; Jan Egelhoff, vice president; Cecilia Reynolds, vice...

Commentary: Observe National Emergency Medical Services Week.
May 16, 2003... Byline: Letter to the Editor Next week the entire country will be celebrating National Emergency Medical Services Week (May 18-24, 2003). It's a time set aside by the American College of Emergency Physicians to salute the more than 750,000...

St. Peters Chamber of Commerce holds ribbon-cutting ceremonies.
May 16, 2003... Byline: Staff On April 22, the St. Peters Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Karen Schneider's Edward Jones office at 1980 Zumbehl Road in the Schnucks Plaza. Call Schneider for your investment needs at (636) 255-0298....

Commentary: Pledge protection act raises questions of federal court authority.
May 16, 2003... Byline: Mike Nixon Legal procedures sometimes seem far removed from emotional concerns. But in many cases it is emotional concern on a given issue that leads to establishing the laws courts are obligated to interpret and protect. One...

Retired St. Charles judge wins Athena Award.
May 19, 2003... Byline: Joan Elliot During the short span of 22 years, Grace Nichols went from being a mom to an attorney to a mayor to a judge to a goddess. A goddess? That designation came when she won the Athena Award May 9 during the fourth annual...

Workers' compensation bill fails, will return next year.
May 20, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask Pro-business groups appear generally satisfied with the recently concluded session of Missouri's Republican-controlled General Assembly, even if Democratic Gov. Bob Holden is not. But one measure that received...

Feedback on O'Fallon redevelopment plan remains mixed.
May 20, 2003... Byline: Amy Armour More than 300 people attended an open house on O'Fallon downtown redevelopment plan, and feedback from the session remains mixed. Early last week, O'Fallon city officials and the partners of Main Street Ventures,...

Commentary: O'Fallon chamber holds 2003 awards banquet.
May 20, 2003... Byline: Kevin Kipp And when your nation starts to fall, well Frenchie, you can spare us, Just call the Germans for a hand, they know the way to Paris. -- final stanza of an Internet poem exploring the virtues of American and...

Commentary: Historic legislative session comes to a close.
May 21, 2003... Byline: Joe Smith The 92nd General Assembly has been a session like no other. For the first time in 50 years, a new party held the legislative reins, and with the turn of power came an innovative agenda with fresh ideas. Couple an...

Red Cross lobbied on adult day-care center.
May 21, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask Some St. Charles officials are trying to interest the Red Cross into opening an adult day-care center in the city. So far at least, officials of the St. Louis chapter of the American Red Cross have expressed only slight...

Econ. Development Center programs reach $1B in financing.
May 21, 2003... Byline: Kathleen Brady The St. Charles County Economic Development Center facilitated more than $1 billion in business loans that resulted in the creation or retention of 14,457 jobs through two loan programs in its 20-year history. ...

Missouri first to streamline women's business process.
May 22, 2003... Byline: Staff The state of Missouri on Wednesday became the first state to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the National Women's Business Owners Corp. The memorandum permits the state to quickly certify those Missouri...

St. Charles retired execs. group connects with biz community through workshops.
May 22, 2003... Byline: Joan Elliot Some local volunteers want to know the score -- well, the SCORE, that is! The acronym stands for Service Corps of Retired Executives, and its mission is to provide education to those interested in starting a small...

Castilli by Formal America renovates St. Peters store.
May 22, 2003... Byline: James Monahan If you're in the business of making your customers look good, you'd better make sure your company projects the right image as well. To that end, Castelli by Formal America has just completed a renovation of its...

Commentary: Workplace cheating costs companies productivity, profits.
May 23, 2003... Byline: Mike Nixon A hot story both inside and outside print and broadcast newsrooms this past week was the case of reporter gone bad Jayson Blair. At only 27 years of age, Blair was considered somewhat of an internal star by some at The...

Marketing Direct Inc. adds two new employees.
May 23, 2003... Byline: Staff St. Louis resident Eric Castelli and St. Charles resident Chad Wainscott have joined Marketing Direct Inc. Castelli has joined as director of technology services consulting. He is responsible for managing client relationships...

SSM St. Joseph Health Center honors nurses.
May 23, 2003... Byline: Staff The seventh annual Lee Oppeau Excellence in Nursing and Rookie of the Year awards were presented during the National Nurses' Week celebration, May 6-12, at SSM St. Joseph Health Center in St. Charles and SSM St. Joseph...

Mullenix Properties wins awards from St. Louis Apartment Association.
May 23, 2003... Byline: Staff Mullenix Properties Inc. claimed three awards, including top honors as "Management Company of the Year" from the St. Louis Apartment Association. The family-owned and operated company, which was founded in 1964 and which...

Community Council honors leaders at awards banquet.
May 23, 2003... Byline: Staff The Community Council of St. Charles County honored community leaders with the "Community Builder Awards" at the sixth annual luncheon and award ceremony at Stegton's Banquet Center in St. Charles. The Community Council...

St. Charles chamber has new executive director.
May 27, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask The St. Charles Chamber of Commerce has a new executive director. She is Charlotte Sparks, who once served as executive director of the Maryland Heights Chamber of Commerce. Sparks is scheduled to start work at the...

MEMC sales up, looks to pay down debt.
May 27, 2003... Byline: Kathleen Brady MEMC Electronic Materials Inc.'s first quarter 2003 net sales of $188 million, a 38 percent increase from first quarter 2002, seems to indicate the demand in the semiconductor industry is rising. The first...

Commentary: Missouri freshman legislator takes stock of first session.
May 28, 2003... Byline: Joe Smith It is amazing how fast this session and my first term as a freshman legislator has gone. Even though it's gone by quickly, we have been able to get a lot of good stuff done for the people of Missouri, some of the best we...

Wal-Mart celebrates grand reopening in St. Peters.
May 28, 2003... Byline: James Monahan Wal-Mart, known for its discount prices, spared no expense for the grand reopening celebration of its store at 1661 Jungermann Road in St. Peters. The celebration marks the first major renovation to the facility since...

Advocate for state's elderly lists legislative session's victories for state's seniors.
May 28, 2003... Byline: Joe Maxwell This legislative session has been marked by successes that will truly improve the lives, safety and health of Missouri's seniors. As Missouri's elderly advocate, I am proud of two very important accomplishments for the...

Starbucks to open its first St. Charles location in August.
May 28, 2003... Byline: James Monahan Good news for sleepy commuters: Starbucks is coming to St. Charles County. The first Starbucks Coffee Co. area retail location on the St. Charles side of the Missouri River is scheduled to open in August at 484...

O'Fallon businesses debate redevelopment plan at board meeting.
May 29, 2003... Byline: Amy Armour People who attended the O'Fallon Board of Aldermen meeting on Thursday, May 22, were greeted at the door by residents and business owners handing out T-shirts that read "Preserve Old Town O'Fallon." That message, which...