FAITH-BASED COUNSELING CENTER OPENS IN CAPE

One Accord Counseling, a faith-based counseling center, is now open at 1200 N. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau, according to a news release from Elizabeth Statler, business owner and licensed clinical social worker. Statler is a board-certified professional Christian counselor at the center, which specializes in traditional and faith-based counseling for children, adolescents and adults. Marital, family and individual counseling also are available.

MEN'S BARBERSHOP, SPA OPENS IN CAPE

The Men's Room, a barbershop and spa for men, opened Aug. 26 at 705 William St. in Cape Girardeau. The facility offers full-service barbering and has a sauna, steam room, therapeutic pool and lounge. Steven R. Johnson owns the business.

SEMO NAMED TO LIST OF TOP ONLINE MBA PROGRAMS

AffordableCollegesOnline.org named Southeast Missouri State University to a new list of the nation's Top 30 Online MBA Programs. Only 30 of nearly 8,000 online MBA programs considered were recognized. Southeast is ranked No. 26 on the list of 30 online MBA programs nationally that stand out for academic excellence, student engagement, selectivity and strength of faculty. Accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business was required for inclusion on the list.

SERVICE MASTER TEAM ATTENDS INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION

SIKESTON, Mo. -- The ServiceMaster PCS team attended the 2013 International Convention in St. Louis July 31 to Aug. 3. This year's convention featured an industry expo, awards banquet and breakout informational sessions on management, operations, sales, technology and marketing for all ServiceMaster service lines, including disaster restoration, residential cleaning and janitorial services. Virgil Jones is owner of the ServiceMaster PCS franchise serving Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois.

HEFNERS RENOVATING KESLER'S BUILDING

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Slug Hefner purchased the former Kesler's Furniture building and is renovating it for new businesses, the Daily American Republic reported. Simply Swirled, a frozen yogurt business owned by Hefner's wife, Paula, opened Aug. 22. It is in the southeast part of the building, along 11th Street between Vine and Pine streets, and employs 12. It has indoor seating for 20 and a patio for 24. Slug Hefner said the northeast part of the building, which faces Pine Street, has been leased to Brick Oven Pizza. The 1940s part of the building on the north side has been removed. Hefner is constructing a 25-foot-wide, two-level addition on the north side of the building. Two spaces on the west side of the building have not yet been leased. Hefner, who owns Hefner Furniture, said he has plans to use the basement. When the project is complete, it will have a new brick exterior.

POPEYE'S BREAKS GROUND IN POPLAR BLUFF

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A groundbreaking was held recently for the new Popeye's Chicken restaurant at the intersection of Kanell and Westwood boulevards in Poplar Bluff. Officials with the Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce, City of Poplar Bluff and Mid-America Hotels/Drury Restaurants were present for the event. The 3,000-square-foot restaurant is expected to open by early December.

AGENCY ON AGING CHANGES NAME

The SEMO Area Agency on Aging changed its name to Aging Matters at the end of September, according to an email from public information director Ruth Dockins. The service, employees, phone number and mission remain the same, which is "providing services to enhance the quality of life for senior citizens," according to the email.

INTEGRITY CALLING CENTER CLOSES SEPT. 10

Integrity Solution Services' office at 2102 William Street in Cape Girardeau, which previously housed National Asset Recovery Solutions, closed Sept. 10. Stacy Spradling, vice president of human resources for Integrity, said the call center has seen a number of employees find new employment, and the office has hosted between 15 and 20 job fairs. Charter Communications chose to end its business relationship with Integrity on July 11. The Integrity call center employed about 400 full-time employees at the time of the closure announcement.

NEW RESTAURANT OPENS IN MARBLE HILL

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Tracy Stratton opened Duck 'N' Dine, a new restaurant on Highway 51 in Marble Hill, the Banner Press reported. The restaurant serves hamburgers, steaks, catfish and other homemade food. A grand opening was held Oct. 5, along with a ribbon cutting with the Bollinger County Chamber of Commerce. Stratton has extensive experience working in restaurants and previously co-owned an antique store in Marble Hill.

STATE FARM OFFICE MOVES TO NEW LOCATION

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Joe Hennemann's State Farm Insurance office moved to 412 Tanner St. in Sikeston, the Standard Democrat reported. Along with the larger building, Hennemann added a part-time sales representative and plans to hire another sales representative in January.

SEMO NAMED ONE OF BEST IN THE MIDWEST

Southeast Missouri State University was listed among the best regional universities in the Midwest in the 2014 edition of Best Colleges by U.S. News & World Report. Southeast, which has been consistently ranked by the publication since 1993, is the highest ranked moderately selective public university in Missouri on the list. Best Colleges includes the rankings of nearly 1,800 schools nationwide. The 160-page 2014 edition of the Best Colleges guidebook is available at www.usnews.com/colleges and hit the newsstands Sept. 24.

LUCENT WINDOW AND DOOR BUYS NEW FACILITY

STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- Lucent Window and Door Co. LLC completed the purchase of a manufacturing facility on South Tenth Street in Ste. Genevieve, the Ste. Genevieve Herald reported. Tom Bruggeman, one of the principals involved in Lucent Window and Door, announced the purchase in late August. Lucent Window and Door will be a "high-end manufacturer of wood and wood aluminum-clad windows and doors," Bruggeman said. The facility includes 14.6 acres of property and buildings totaling 221,000 square feet. The Bank of Bloomsdale took ownership of the property in a foreclosure process in August 2011. The plant has been idled since April 2011, when BiltBest Windows' last production line ceased operation.

MALDEN PHARMACY CUTS RIBBON

MALDEN, Mo. -- The Malden Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting Aug. 24 for Malden Pharmacy, 214 W. Main St. Phillip Wilkins is the pharmacist on staff. The pharmacy also held a grand opening.

SHAMPOO SHACK HAS NEW OWNER

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Chelsea McCoin purchased the Shampoo Shack at 414 Poplar St., according to the Daily American Republic. Previous owner Mary Kee retired after 31 years as owner and stylist. McCoin is joined in the business by stylist Larissa Williams.

SEMO EDUCATION PROGRAM RECEIVES AWARD

Southeast Missouri State University received the University Professional and Continuing Education Association -- Central Region 2013 Celebration of Excellence Award for Mature Programs as a partner in the University of Missouri Statewide Cooperative Ed.D. Program. The University Professional and Continuing Education Association is the association for top leaders in professional, continuing and online education. Southeast received the award in conjunction with other state partners in the cooperative program, including the University of Missouri-Columbia, Missouri State University in Springfield, Mo., Central Missouri State and Northwest Missouri State. Southeast has been part of the MU Statewide Cooperative Ed.D. program, hosted through the University of Missouri since 1997, when Southeast and other universities in Missouri decided to develop a cooperative program for outlying regions in the states. The Cooperative Ed.D. offers educational leaders or those who aspire to be educational leaders in Southeast Missouri the opportunity to participate in a quality doctoral program from the University of Missouri, with most of the course work being offered at Southeast Missouri State and being taught by Southeast faculty.

CHAFFEE TEXTILE FACILITY MOVING TO SIKESTON

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Sikeston city officials announced Sept. 11 that Carr Textile Corp. has bought the old Brown Shoe facility to expand its business operations, the Sikeston Standard Democrat reported. The manufacturing and distribution operation in Chaffee, Mo., equipped for rerolling, biasing, slitting, die cutting, sewing and plastic extrusion, outgrew the 100,000-square-foot building there, said Ed Dust, director of the Sikeston Department of Economic Development. The old Brown Shoe building is approximately 430,000 square feet. Dust said Carr Textile will initially have a minimum of 25 employees at the facility in Sikeston, but the building has "long-term growth potential" for more jobs from both Carr Textile expansions and from other businesses leasing space from Carr.

SOUTHEAST MISSOURIAN WINS AWARDS IN STATE CONTEST

The Southeast Missourian won eight awards in the 2013 Missouri Press Association's Better Newspaper Contest in the daily newspaper category: Second place for general excellence; first place for best front page; second place for best breaking news story for "Murder charges filed;" honorable mention for best breaking news story for "Police: Striking of joggers deliberate;" second place for best news or feature series for the news series "2011 Flood: A year later;" third place for best editorial pages; second place for best sports pages; and third place for best sports feature story for "Delta dilemma."

DALE AND HANCOCK COUNSELING CENTER NOW OPEN

The Dale and Hancock Center, a counseling center in Cape Girardeau, is now open at 528 Helena St. The center is a full-service counseling center that offers therapy for children, adults, families, veterans, individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abusers, said Bob Dale, CEO and therapist at the center. Dale said the center also offers e-counseling, or counseling done over the Internet. The center has four therapists who all are trained in general therapy with specialties in areas such as cognitive therapy and marriage and family counseling.

ELITE TRAVEL RECOGNIZED AS TOP PRODUCER

Elite Travel Inc. of Cape Girardeau was recognized as one of the top travel agencies nationwide by Southwest Airlines Vacations. Carolyn Kempf, president of Elite Travel, and Jaime Stroder, travel consultant, were among representatives of about 20 U.S. travel agencies recognized as top producers for 2012 by Southwest Vacations at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. This is the third time Elite Travel has received this recognition. As part of the retreat, Kempf and Stroder visited other properties, including Mandalay Bay and the Wynn, where an awards ceremony was held with training and updates on travel.

THREE RIVERS TO RECEIVE $2.75 MILLION GRANT

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Three Rivers College was awarded a $2.75 million Department of Labor grant aimed at improving workforce development education in Southeast Missouri. The grant is part of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grants Program, which provides funding to help two-year higher education institutions in creating job skills training programs targeted at area-specific needs. The college will use the funding to develop comprehensive advanced manufacturing, advanced welding and precision agriculture programs. The new programs will include "stackable" certificates and credentials that can be earned singly, or together to build toward one of two new associate of applied sciences degrees Three Rivers will offer. The college also plans to use the funds to expand its transfer articulation agreements with other colleges and universities. The planned agreements would create seamless transfer possibilities to students seeking manufacturing- and agriculture-related degrees at those schools, including bachelor of science in agribusiness, engineering technology, industrial technology and computer systems, among others.

VETERINARY CENTER OPENS IN FARMINGTON

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- The Farmington Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for Heartland Veterinary Center, 680 Walton Drive. An open house for the new clinic was held Sept. 29.

ADVANCED TRANSPORT CUTS RIBBON

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for Advanced Transport, 1447 N. Westwood Blvd. The business is owned by brothers Mitchell McDaniel and Gary McDaniel.

BARBECUE RESTAURANT OPENS IN PUXICO

PUXICO, Mo. -- Chunky Boyz BBQ, a family-owned business, opened the first week in August at 122 W. Richardson Ave. in Puxico, the Puxico Press reported. Menu items include sandwiches, baked potatoes, salads, dinner plates, chicken wings, calzones and pizza. The restaurant is owned and operated by Buddy Clinton and Gary Clinton and family.

JOY'S BRIDAL RELOCATES

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Joy's Bridal moved to 138 E. Front St. in Sikeston. The new building allows Joy's staff to do two bride appointments at the same time.

RADIO SHACK BREAKS GROUND

KENNETT, Mo. -- The Kennett Area Chamber of Commerce and Radio Shack held a groundbreaking ceremony Sept. 6 for the new Radio Shack location on First Street in Kennett, the Daily Dunklin Democrat reported. A date for completion has not been set. The new facility will be larger than the current location and there will be more accessible parking.

MOMMA'S KITCHEN CUTS RIBBON

MALDEN, Mo. -- The Malden Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting Set. 20 for Momma's Kitchen, 2772 N. Douglass St. in Malden. Shawna Heck owns the restaurant.

BOLLINGER CHAMBER ADDS NEW MEMBERS

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- The Bollinger County Chamber of Commerce added several new members in September. They include Duck -N-Dine, Marble Hill; Marble Hill Optimist Club; Mouser Steel Supply Inc., Patton, Mo.; Burr Auto Body & Repair, Patton; Variety Shop 1, Patton; Will's Auto Repair & Towing, Marble Hill; Catherine Stevens -- Coldwell Banker, Jackson; Debbie Thurman -- Coldwell Banker Abernathy Realty, Jackson; and Highway 51 Express, Patton. Additionally, Randy Poole joined the chamber as an individual member.

BUDROVICH ACQUIRES ASSETS OF ST. LOUIS COMPANY

On Sept. 13, Budrovich of Scott City announced it signed a purchase agreement to buy the assets of St. Louis-based vessel repair and river service company Tubbs Marine/Humboldt Boat, according to a news release from the company. Budrovich provides crane rental, excavation and grading, utility services and land development. The purchase will allow the company to broaden support for its customer base and strengthen its role as a provider of hoisting and repair services, the release said.

SUNBELT CELEBRATES OPENING

Sunbelt Environmental Services, 1267 N. Mount Auburn Road in Cape Girardeau, held a ribbon cutting Oct. 1 with the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce. Sunbelt provides hazardous waste transportation and disposal, emergency spill response, mold cleanup, asbestos surveys and abatement, radon sampling and mitigation and lead-based paint risk assessment and abatement, according to an email from the chamber.

NEW PLAYGROUND OPENS WITH RIBBON CUTTING

A ribbon cutting was held Sept 27 for Melaina's Magical Playland, Cape Girardeau County's first all-inclusive, fully accessible playground, according to an email from the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce. The playground was inspired by Jeff and Andrea Cunningham's daughter Melaina Cunningham, who was born with nemaline myopathy, a neuromuscular disease that causes muscle weakness. It was designed for people with all levels of physical ability. Melaina Cunningham died in 2009 because of complications of her disease. Melaina's Magical Playland is a castle-themed playground in Cape County Park North that includes amenities such as a retaining wall with ramps that allow access to the highest levels of the playground, swings with arm and back support, flat rubber surfacing and safety fencing.

FITNESS CENTER BREAKS GROUND

GT Performance Gymnastics and Cheer and CrossFit 573, between Clean Uniform and Perryville Machine Shop on Old Orchard Road in Jackson, broke ground Sept. 26, according to an email from the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce.

FRANKLIN ELEMENTARY EARNS STATE AWARD

Franklin Elementary School of Cape Girardeau received a Bronze Award at the Positive Behavior Support Summer Training Institute in Osage Beach, Mo. State education officials recognized Franklin for successful implementation of Schoolwide Positive Behavior Support, a comprehensive approach for improving student behavior and academic performance.

CENTURY 21 PREMIERE EXPANDS TO COMMERCIAL

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Century 21 Premier Realty extended its area of real estate specialization to include commercial properties by obtaining the Century 21 Commercial program designation. Agents who completed training in the program include Tim Merideth, Faye Walborg, Linda Lester, Marilyn Ferrell, Mike Leible, Stacey Comstock and Beth Naile. The program will help the company leverage its core strengths in the small- to mid-tier commercial real estate and investment property markets, including retail centers, office and industrial properties, motels and farms for sale and lease.

DYNAMITE COFFEE OPENING PERMANENT LOCATION

Dynamite Coffee, which can be seen in a bright red concession trailer at the Cape Girardeau Riverfront Market on Saturday mornings, will open a permanent location at 206 Independence St., on the corner of Spanish and Independence streets.