Southeast Missouri Hospital breaks ground for cancer center

n Southeast Missouri Hospital schedules Wednesday groundbreaking: Last year Saint Francis Medical Center broke ground on its $84 million, 180,000-square-foot Heart Hospital and Cancer Institute, with an expected fall 2011 opening. This Wednesday at 2 p.m., Southeast Missouri Hospital will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for its $33 million, 49,200-square-foot cancer center. The facility, at the hospital's West Campus on South Mount Auburn Road near Cape Girardeau Central High School, should be ready for use in December 2010.

With cancer being one of the top deadly diseases in the nation, it's good to hear that both hospitals have made a commitment to fighting this battle with construction of the cancer centers.

n Budget Auto Repair relocates to former Precision Transmission building: The building at 1401 N. Kingshighway has been vacant since August, when Precision Transmission suddenly ceased operations in Cape Girardeau. Now another automobile repair shop is filling the space.

Budget Auto Repair has moved from 50 S. Kingshighway into the former Precision Transmission building. Owners Stephen and Denise Worley said they moved because their new spot is more centrally located with higher visibility and easier access for their customers.

Broker David S. Glastetter and commercial sales associate Ralph Hendrickson of ERA Cape Realty, 1409-A N. Mount Auburn Road, facilitated the lease on this transaction.

n Jackson credit union branch to hold grand opening today: Cape Regional Credit Union is holding the grand opening today of its Jackson branch location at 5721 U.S. 61, immediately west of the intersection stoplight of Highway 177 and U.S. 61 in Fruitland. Festivities begin with a Jackson Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting at 8:30 a.m. An all-day refreshment reception follows, ending at 4 p.m.

The credit union has offered banking services to residents of Cape Girardeau County or those working here since 2005.

In 1971, the credit union began as Procter & Gamble Employees Credit Union, a financial cooperative begun by and for P&G employees only; with the credit union site within the plant. In 1993, another credit union location opened on North Kingshighway and the name officially changed to Cape Regional Credit Union.

Other business entities/employee groups have joined Cape Regional's membership over the years; including Mid-South Steel, Havco Wood Products, City of Cape Girardeau, Med-Assets, Concord Publishing House, City of Jackson, Cape Girardeau County, Buzzi-Unicem and Nordenia USA. In 1996, Cape Regional Credit Union moved into a building at 2427 Cape Centre Drive in Cape Girardeau. In February 2005, Cape Regional Credit Union became a community credit union, opening banking services to persons living or working in Cape Girardeau County. The Procter & Gamble plant site office remains operational and serves the original P&G employee group.

For more information about the credit union, visit www.caperegionalcu.com or call the Jackson office at 388-2330 or the Cape office at 334-7686.

n Cape Communications to relocate in early spring: A Cape Girardeau-based communication business will relocate to 809-811 Enterprise, according to Tom Kelsey, commercial broker with Lorimont Place Ltd., who handled the recent real estate transaction.

Cape Communications, a local company started in 1977, has purchased a 4,900-square-foot commercial building and property off South Kingshighway, formerly occupied by Sign Magic. The new location will allow the company to expand.

The company, which serves over 2,000 customers throughout Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois, handles various kinds of phone systems, data networking, LAN cabling, call accounting and dictation systems.

Kelsey told me he understood the building will be extensively remodeled during the next several months to accommodate the new buyer's needs, with an early spring opening likely.

The company is owned by Mark Essner and Mike Bles and is temporarily headquartered at 615 N. Broadview St. in Cape Girardeau. While a sales price wasn't disclosed, Lorimont's website shows an asking price of $254,000.

n Cape Drury hotel on hold: Some of you may be curious about the status of the planned Drury Inn and Suites at the corner of Highway 74 and Mount Auburn Road. Spokesman Eric Strand told me that the hotel is still planned but is on hold at the moment, pending a pick-up in demand in the Cape Girardeau market.

n Jackson guitar studio opens: Patrick Rafferty is opening a guitar studio at 200 Kies Avenue in Jackson. His private studio which opened Jan. 7 offers lessons for all ages and levels in both popular and classical guitar. The Jackson native holds degrees from Southeast Missouri State University and Peabody Conservatory of John Hopkins University in Baltimore. Rafferty has 10 years of professional teaching and experience of studying from such world famous guitar pedagogues including Julian Gray and Manuel Barrueco. Rafferty can be reached at (410) 917 3503 or at patrickrafferty447@hotmail.com.

Southeast Missourian business reporter Brian Blackwell can be reached at 388-3628 or bblackwell@semissourian.com