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

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

Commercial development of O'Fallon-based WingHaven retail centers moves ahead.
September 2, 2003... Byline: Joan Elliot Commercial development is moving at high speed in WingHaven lately. At the heels of the completion of The Boardwalk retail center and the opening of the Hilton Garden Hotel comes another retail center to decorate the...

Investment group considers St. Charles as home for floating bed-and-breakfast.
September 2, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask In recent memory, there has been only one boat operating along the St. Charles riverfront that has proven to be a success, and that one has a lot of slot machines and doesn't go anywhere.Nevertheless, a group of...

Harmon resigns as chairman of Greater St. Charles Convention and Visitors Commission.
September 2, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask Raymond W. Harmon has resigned his post as chairman of the Greater St. Charles Convention and Visitors Commission. However, Harmon said he would continue to serve as a member of the commission, the group that oversees...

Commentary: The best way to stop Internet spam is to ignore it.
September 2, 2003... Byline: Bill Mocca Spamming is an Internet term invented to describe the act of cross posting the same message to as many newsgroups or mailing lists as possible, whether or not the message is germane to the stated topic of the newsgroups...

Revenues for Boeing's Integrated Defense System outpacing that of commercial airplanes.
September 3, 2003... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady While the commercial jet industry is taking a big hit from a decrease in demand these days, things are looking up for The Boeing Co.'s Integrated Defense Systems division.In Boeing's 2003 second-quarter report,...

Commentary: Urban sprawl may be coming to St. Charles.
September 3, 2003... Byline: Kevin Kipp "The 19th century industrial city - with people living stacked on top of one another - is an aberration."- Historian/JudgeSteve EhlmannSO TAKE THAT. How many of the sprawl-squawkers who criticize this county's prosperity...

Officials predict convention center will boost St. Charles economy.
September 4, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask The jury is still out, but local political officials and businesspeople are predicting the convention center and hotel project will be a great success when the complex opens in two years. In fact, one speaker at...

Billboard advertising an effective tool in building name recognition.
September 4, 2003... Byline: James Monahan Driving back from the Lake of the Ozarks along Interstate 70, eastbound travelers see a series of 10 billboard advertisements from Behlmann Automotive extending from Highway 19 on the west to Jonesburg on the east....

Y2Marketing grades advertising schemes for companies.
September 5, 2003... Byline: Joan Elliot Say "marketing" and the words empathy, emotions and values are not likely to immediately spring to mind. But check with Floyd Bell of Y2Marketing in St. Peters, and you'll find that those words are a substantial part of...

Employment rebound expected along with increased turnover.
September 5, 2003... Byline: Mike Nixon It is difficult to guess what the employment picture will produce. Observers contend the worst could be over following an economic slump that led to massive corporate downsizing and outbreaks of job losses during the...

Cuivre River helps Augusta Volunteer Fire Dept. prepare for water rescue.
September 5, 2003... Byline: staff With the projected 2004 opening of Klondike Park on the Missouri River in southwestern St. Charles County, the Augusta Volunteer Fire Department is taking proactive measures for future water-related emergencies. The Augusta...

Colliers Turley Martin Tucker moves St. Charles office.
September 5, 2003... Byline: staff The St. Charles office of Colliers Turley Martin Tucker, headed by Vice President Keith Schneider, has moved from 2101 Bluestone, Suite 102, to 118 N. Second St., Suite 212. The office phone number has remained the same,...

MTM breaks ground on new office building.
September 5, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask A growing transportation company has broken ground for a $3.9 million corporate office building in the 40-acre Hawk Ridge Industrial Park in Lake Saint Louis. The park is located near the intersection of Highway 40 and...

Employment rebound expected along with increased turnover.
September 5, 2003... Byline: Mike Nixon It is difficult to guess what the employment picture will produce. Observers contend the worst could be over following an economic slump that led to massive corporate downsizing and outbreaks of job losses during the...

Julie Powers to assume St. Peters' economic development duties after reorganization.
September 8, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask Julie Powers, St. Peters' director of planning for the past eight years, will take over responsibility for the city's economic development efforts next month. However, Cathy Gillies says she will continue to help grow...

Nat. Federation of Independent Business poll shows small businesses investing despite tepid economy.
September 8, 2003... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady The latest National Small Business Poll, released by the National Federation of Independent Business in August, showed that even in this slow-growth economy, many Main Street entrepreneurs are investing in their...

Commentary: Watching the changing face of St. Charles County.
September 8, 2003... Byline: Linda Jacobson While sitting with my husband in a local restaurant, I had the opportunity to observe the changing face of our community. It was a packed Saturday afternoon, with families patiently waiting to place their orders and...

Winning Technologies expands into Wichita, Kansas.
September 9, 2003... Byline: Amy Amour Winning Technologies Inc., headquartered in O'Fallon, announced its expansion into the Wichita, Kan., and Phoenix markets last month. Winning Technologies is an information technology management company that provides...

Play component added at WingHaven development.
September 9, 2003... Byline: Joan Elliot An old adage contends that "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." If that is true, WingHaven still has all its bases covered.In addition to its living, learning and working components, the 1,200-acre mixed-use...

St. Charles City development panel considers masonry building requirements.
September 10, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask It appears increasingly likely that a proposal to require masonry buildings to be constructed along the major entranceways into St. Charles will be substantially changed before it is voted on by the City Council."The...

Telecommuting policies help both employers, employees.
September 10, 2003... Byline: James Monahan Employers that allow employees to work from home on occasion can save money and have a better chance of retaining good employees, said some employers that use telecommuting policies for workers.Employers can save...

St. Charles Events September 10, 2003.
September 10, 2003... Byline: Kevin Kipp YOU KNOW. You know what's a little annoying? Fox Sports' tricycle bell going brrring during televised Rams games. It's to alert you to other scores flashing in the upper right corner of the screen. At least it was...

Telecommuting policies help retain good employees.
September 10, 2003... Byline: James Monahan Employers that allow employees to work from home on occasion can save money and have a better chance of retaining good employees, said some employers that use telecommuting policies for workers. Employers can save...

St. Charles City panel considers proposal to require masonry buildings on major entranceways.
September 10, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask It appears increasingly likely that a proposal to require masonry buildings to be constructed along the major entranceways into St. Charles will be substantially changed before it is voted on by the City Council. ...

Ameristar revenues rise while attendance falls.
September 11, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask When Ameristar opened its expanded casino and entertainment facility in August 2002, the gambling operator saw a huge increase in patrons and the revenue they generated. Now, one year later, the Las Vegas company...

MOsaics Missouri Festival for the Arts to be held Sept. 12-14.
September 11, 2003... Byline: Amy Amour The ninth annual MOsaics Missouri Festival for the Arts will be held on Sept. 12, 13 and 14 on North Main Street in Historic Saint Charles.MOsaics features approximately 125 artists from across the state, region and...

St. Charles family practice physician receives board certification.
September 12, 2003... Byline: staff Paul R. Ganninger, M.D., family practice physician with SSM St. Charles Clinic Medical Group, has been certified as a diplomat in family practice by the American Board of Family Practice. The ABFP is the second-largest...

Commentary: Commitment to war on terrorism threatened mostly by individual attention span.
September 12, 2003... Byline: Mike Nixon There is one primary threat facing the United States as it leads the way in a war on terrorism and works through the current phase of securing and establishing a democratic government in Iraq. It is not the extremist...

CitiMortgage leases space in O'Fallon biz park.
September 12, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask CitiMortgage's 515,000-square-foot office complex in the Progress Point Business Park in O'Fallon is not the only location from which the company will be operating in St. Charles County.The company recently signed a...

321 Studios expands Missouri Research Park.
September 12, 2003... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady No sooner had the software development company 321 Studios Inc. set down its headquarters at the Missouri Research Park in July, when it needed more room - 83,000 square feet more to be exact.321 Studios relocated...

City of O'Fallon holds ribbon cutting ceremonies.
September 12, 2003... Byline: staff On Friday, Aug. 15, the city of O'Fallon held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Baby Town, located at 3808 Monticello Plaza. Baby Town owners are Tim and Mary Jo Kuhn.On Monday, Aug. 18, the city of O'Fallon held a ribbon-cutting...

Westward expansion for St. Charles County related to lower housing costs.
September 15, 2003... Byline: Joan Elliot Anyone who thinks the term "westward expansion" only applies to the early settlers of America's history needs to look at St. Charles County, where people have continued to head farther west to find cheaper land, less...

Increased job turnover to be expected as job market improves.
September 15, 2003... Byline: James Monahan A large percentage of managerial or executive employees are expected to search for a new position when the job market improves says some human resource professionals.According to a recent job recovery survey,...

More layoffs coming at MCI.
September 16, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask Workers at WorldCom Inc.'s facility in Weldon Spring in St. Charles County continue to see their jobs disappear.WorldCom, now doing business as MCI, will lay off about 62 employees in its customer service department on...

History buffs revamp old general store in New Melle.
September 16, 2003... Byline: Joan Elliot An old 1850s shipping crate, once used to ship goods from Butler Bros. Grocer Co. in St. Louis, now graces the front porch of a similar Butler Bros. General Store, located at 3669 Mill St. in New Melle. Weathered and...

Commentary: Positive indicators for Missouri's economy.
September 17, 2003... Byline: Joseph Driskill As you have probably heard in the news over recent weeks, Missouri is showing signs of economic recovery. We have been tracking economic trends and data very closely and believe we have seen strong harbingers of the...

Webinars offer strategies about e-mail marketing.
September 17, 2003... Byline: Amy Amour The U.S. Small Business Administration and Topica Inc., a San Francisco-based provider of self-service e-mail solutions, will be sponsoring a series of free, live online "Webinars" about e-mail marketing strategies this...

Medicorp prevails in suit against Tenet subsidiary.
September 17, 2003... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady St. Peters-based Medicorp Inc. prevailed in a lawsuit against Tenet Healthcare subsidiary University Medical Center, located in Tennessee. Tenet Healthcare is the nation's second-largest health care provider....

Challenges facing St. Charles home builders.
September 17, 2003... Byline: James Monahan Advances in technology and construction products have helped home builders improve the quality of new homes. But builders today face issues of rising land costs, availability of qualified laborers and adequate supply...

Quiktrip store in a prime location looks to expand.
September 18, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask The Quiktrip Corp. is in the preliminary planning stages of redeveloping its St. Charles store at 1640 S. Fifth St. and perhaps bringing other retailers to the area.The Tulsa, Okla.-based retailer needs about 10...

Ultimate Furniture Outlet fills old Wal-Mart location in Wentzville.
September 18, 2003... Byline: Amy Amour Ultimate Furniture Outlet, a division of Rothman Furniture, opened its doors in July in the old Wal-Mart location at No. 1 Wentzville Center. The store will celebrate its grand opening in October.The 70,000-square-foot...

St. Peters-based Graces ps (personal skills) offers classes on etiquette, culture.
September 19, 2003... Byline: Joan Elliot When Peggy Sherwin was in Morocco several years ago, she saw a very attractive elderly gentleman whom she wished to photograph. Having heard that the Moroccan people expected remuneration for being photographed, she...

M&B Sachs Business Park in Wentzville almost full.
September 19, 2003... Byline: Amy Amour The M&B Sachs Business Park in Wentzville has been looking for tenants to fill its lots since 1999, and the park is finally close to reaching full capacity.More than half the lots in the business park sold in the past...

Craig Daily appointed St. Charles-based First Bank branch manager.
September 19, 2003... Byline: staff First Bank announced the appointment of Craig Daily as branch manager at the 120 Jefferson St. office in St. Charles. Daily plans, directs and manages the marketing, business development and sales activities of the branch to...

St. Peters appoints Lisa Bedian as its community relations director.
September 19, 2003... Byline: staff Lisa Bedian is joining the city of St. Peters as its community relations director. In her new role, she will be responsible for managing internal and external communications for the city, as well as the cable television...

Four St. Charles businesses selected to participate in Best of Missouri Market in St. Louis.
September 19, 2003... Byline: staff CopperTop Bird Feeders, Grand Natural Products, LadyBug Pies and Thompson Farms, four local St. Charles businesses, have been selected to participate in the 12th annual Best of Missouri Market on Oct. 4 and 5 at the Missouri...

Commentary: Patriot Act reinforces reminder of publicly demanded security.
September 19, 2003... Byline: Mike Nixon The old saying goes: Be careful what you ask for because you just might get it. This folksy phrase offers direction to thoroughly think out a situation - along with all the possible results - before making a decision...

Pearletha R. Washington, M.D., joins staff of Crossroads Regional Hospital.
September 19, 2003... Byline: staff Pearletha R. Washington, M.D., has recently joined the medical staff at Crossroads Regional Hospital. New patients are being accepted at her Wentzville office. Washington obtained her bachelor's degree in English at Princeton...

Chef Julie Vinnedge joins Quintessential Catering.
September 19, 2003... Byline: staff Quintessential Catering is pleased to welcome Chef Julie Vinnedge to the Quintessential culinary team. She is the owner of C*H*E*F*, Culinary Helper for Every Family, and currently teaches classes at Viking Cooking School in...

New state law may help city revitalize downtown.
September 22, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask St. Charles officials aren't ready to initiate a major redevelopment project in the city's downtown area, but they are moving forward to make sure the mechanism is in place to facilitate such a project.The city council...

Slump in commercial airline industry hits LMI.
September 22, 2003... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady Like a lot of businesses that supply parts and labor to the commercial airline industry, St. Charles County's LMI Aerospace Inc. has cut employees and diversified its efforts in order to survive.LMI, a major...

Crossroads Regional Hospital adds services, facilities to meet growing population.
September 23, 2003... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady Crossroads Regional Hospital is expanding its services and adding another physician medical office on its 50-acre campus in Wentzville.Crossroads Regional Hospital is an 86-bed acute care hospital that offers...

Demand for new housing remains strong despite higher mortgage rates.
September 23, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask Despite recent hikes in mortgage rates, the demand for new single-family homes in St. Charles County remains robust.A total of 330 permits for the construction of single-family houses were issued in the county in August,...

Costume retailer, Johnnie Brock's Dungeon, a long way from the basement.
September 24, 2003... Byline: James Monahan It won't be long before you answer that knock on the front door and find yourself face to face with Spiderman, Dracula, Frankenstein or some small ghoulish figure. And when you do, come Halloween evening, chances are...

Events like Renaissance Faire bring commerce to Wentzville.
September 24, 2003... Byline: Amy Amour Jousting knights, a variety of music playing on six stages, well-scripted dramatic scenes played by volunteer actors and fields of land made to look like the 16th century attracted record crowds to the Greater St. Louis...

Seminar teaches entrepreneurs the importance of intellectual property protection.
September 25, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask The advent and growth of the Internet has resulted in the creation of more and more valuable intellectual property by businesses. It is reasonable, therefore, to assume that there is more interest and demand in getting...

Missouri Democratic leaders raise questions regarding military directive about political activity.
September 26, 2003... Byline: Mike Nixon Missouri state Sen. Jon Dolan, R-Lake St. Louis, was issued a military directive last Friday that he not engage in any political activity as an elected official. Violating this order could result in his being...

Missouri Supreme Court to hear arguments in PCB-dumping case.
September 26, 2003... Byline: Deborah Fauver A punitive damage judgment of $7.2 million for dumping PCB-contaminated concrete is up for oral argument before the Missouri Supreme Court on Oct. 8; the $650,000 compensatory award, based solely on economic damages,...

Follwell joins Crossroads Regional Hospital in Wentzville.
September 26, 2003... Byline: staff Richard O. Follwell, D.O., has recently joined the medical staff at Crossroads Regional Hospital and the practice of Drs. Roger A. De la Torre and J. Stephen Scott. A graduate of the University of Health Sciences, College of...

UMB Bank of St. Louis celebrates new branch in O'Fallon's WingHaven community.
September 26, 2003... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady It's not every day that you see kids sticking their hands in the mud with their parents' permission - let alone applause. But that's what took place at a construction ceremony to celebrate a new UMB Bank branch in...

Cost to comply with USA Patriot Act varies for financial institutions.
September 26, 2003... Byline: Amy Amour The USA Patriot Act, which goes into effect on Oct. 1, will affect how financial institutions set up new accounts. As of Oct.1, all financial institutions will be required to collect more detailed information about new...

Ramey, Matson, Bredenkoetter, Flynn join the team at St. Charles-based MPP&W.
September 26, 2003... Byline: staff Janet Ramey, John Matson, Jim Bredenkoetter and Carissa Flynn have joined MPP&W P.C. in various capacities. Ramey joined the MPP&W team as an audit manager in its St. Charles office. She will be working closely with the...

Wolz appointed officer at First Bank in St. Charles.
September 26, 2003... Byline: staff Mark L. Wolz was appointed commercial loan officer at the 120 Jefferson St. office of First Bank in St. Charles. Wolz prospects, underwrites, renews and approves new loans for middle-market businesses for First Bank. Wolz...

St. Charles Clinic Medical Group announces staff changes for September 26, 2003.
September 26, 2003... Byline: staff Wan-In Koo, D.O., family practice physician with SSM St. Charles Clinic Medical Group, has been certified as a diplomate in family practice by the American Board of Family Practice. And Mary Lou Smith, RNC, MS, WHNP, joins...

Commentary: How 'Bout That.
September 26, 2003... Byline: Kevin Kipp ROADIE. Word is that Gary Turner, director of the county Transportation Department will step down early next year. He took the position, formerly occupied by County Engineer Craig Tajkowski in October 1998. Turner had a...

Kevin DeSain appointed to Missouri Land Surveying Division.
September 26, 2003... Byline: staff Kevin DeSain, PLS, was appointed to the Missouri Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Professional Land Surveyors and Landscape Architects as a member of the Land Surveying Division by Gov. Bob Holden on July 10....

Matheny, Morrell to chair St. Charles' Discovery Expedition board.
September 26, 2003... Byline: staff Lynn Morrell, vice president of Harmon Properties Inc., and Nancy Matheny, director of the St. Charles Region for Brown Smith Wallace L.L.C. litigation and valuation services, have been elected co-chairs of the Discovery...

Joan M. Lockwood appointed to Missouri Supreme Court Committee on Civil Jury Instructions.
September 27, 2003... Byline: staff Joan M. Lockwood, an attorney with Gray, Ritter & Graham P.C., has been appointed to the Missouri Supreme Court Committee on Civil Jury Instructions. Established in 1961, the committee is responsible for drafting and...

St. Charles County's jobless rate falls.
September 29, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask After climbing steadily for several months, St. Charles County's unemployment rate fell to 4 percent in August, according to the latest figures from the Missouri Department of Economic Development.That is the lowest the...

St. Charles' Partners for Progress reports on improved economic and living conditions in the county.
September 29, 2003... Byline: Mike Trask The approximately two dozen companies and organizations that make up Partners for Progress have been working for several years to improve the economic and living conditions of St. Charles County. Now, they are starting...

Evanston Financial's name changes to Development Dynamics L.L.C.
September 29, 2003... Byline: Amy Amour Evanston Financial, now known as Development Dynamics L.L.C., has changed its name to better describe its new business focus.Development Dynamics, a strategic development advisory firm in O'Fallon, was started by Laura...

Commentary: It's important to Listen for the space between the words.
September 29, 2003... Byline: Tony Gartner Somewhere I read that the essence of music is the space between the notes. If that is a given, I think we could make the point that the essence of "listening" might be the space between the words. Most people spend...

Chad Theatrical expands business with Halloween store.
September 30, 2003... Byline: Amy Amour Anita Davis has accomplished more in her life than most. She started tap and ballet dancing at the age of 2. She was a dancer in the children's opera when she was 6, and by the time she was 13, Davis was teaching classes...

Club Pet caters to the needs of dogs, cats.
September 30, 2003... Byline: Amy Amour Pet pampering isn't for the filthy rich any more.Nowadays more and more small businesses are getting into the business of pet pampering. Club Pet, for example, opened last month for business in O'Fallon.Club Pet, started...

The Bar Plan Board announces dividend for its policyholders.
September 30, 2003... Byline: staff The Board of Directors of The Bar Plan Mutual Insurance Company recently declared a dividend for eligible policyholders.Policyholders qualify if, for the three-year period ending Dec. 31, 2002, they were continuously insured...