Ever since the Branding Iron closed Nov. 23, 2008, the property at 1015 N. Kingshighway has been without a tenant. That will change Feb. 1 when a family restaurant opens in the space.

Bobby's Kitchen will be open 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. seven days a week. Its co-owners may sound familiar to those who patronize Fruitland Diner. Krissty Steers and her husband, Bobby, opened the eatery in August 2008. Bobby's Kitchen's menu will be the same as Fruitland Diner.

She said they've gone in with another partner and believe Bobby's Kitchen can be a success. They're taking applications and conducting group interviews from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday. Steers said they're looking to hire a good number of employees.

You may remember the Steerses owned Jackson Diner, which closed in early October. That space on 3125 E. Jackson Blvd. is now going to be occupied by a Huddle House. Steers said the site was too small for the diner to be successful, but the building for their latest venture is much bigger. For their sake and that of the business community, let's hope Bobby's Kitchen is here for a good while.

n Jackson Bakery closes: Southeast Missouri now has one less restaurant where you can buy a doughnut. Earlier this month Jackson Bakery closed its doors.

Building owner Chad Hartle said the owners, who he said moved in May, "couldn't make a go of it." Hartle said the baking equipment is still in the building near China John's on East Jackson Boulevard and he hopes another bakery can rent the space. Hartle can be contacted at 576-5433.

"A lot of people are saddened that Jackson is losing its bakery," Hartle said. "But I'm trying my best to get another one in here because I realize how important a bakery is to the people in Jackson."

n Providers Plus opens: A family-owned home medical-equipment supply business that began out of a basement in St. Louis has expanded into Cape Girardeau. Providers Plus opened its eighth location Dec. 1 at 252 Siemers Drive.

The business has a partnership with Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau.

Jeff Serafin, who owns the business with his brother, John, and mother, Kathy, said the timing was perfect to open the new location.

"We have some business opportunities down there, as one of our other locations is in Festus and Poplar Bluff," he said. "Cape Girardeau is completing the triangle."

Five employees work at the Cape Girardeau office, but additional employees could be hired in the future. The retail portion of Providers Plus is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Those interested in learning more about the business may call 651-6521.

n Global Cafe reopens today: The eclectic Global Cafe temporarily shut down when Southeast Missouri State University dismissed classes for the winter break. Since classes will resume Tuesday at the university, Global Cafe co-owner Belen Lichtenegger has decided to reopen the restaurant. The restaurant serves a buffet from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. every day and dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Lichtenegger plans to have additional food for her Filipino night Jan. 31, for which she is taking reservations. Global Cafe's phone number is 334-7955.

n Insurance agency relocates: Nick Hogan State Farm Insurance has relocated from 1353 N. Mount Auburn Road to a newly remodeled office space at 1409 N. Mount Auburn Road, Suite D in Cape Girardeau. Broker David S. Glastetter and broker and commercial sales associate Ralph Hendrickson with ERA Cape Realty facilitated the lease.

Nick Hogan has been an agent with State Farm since 2005.

n Hutson acquired by Edward Jones, moves offices: Former AIG Retirement financial adviser Chris Hutson has moved offices in Cape Girardeau and now works for Edward Jones. The move to 2536 William St. took place Dec. 8.

Hutson said his affiliation was independent from AIG, which needed government money to stay afloat.

His office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday or by appointment. The phone number is 335-9843.

"Everyone is in that retirement planning mode," said Hutson, who is in his 13th year in the financial planning sector. "They're close to retirement or already in that stage and I do my best to help them through that process."

n Malden Plaza Tire rebuilding after extensive fire damage: Normally I don't include items out of our coverage area, but this announcement by Plaza Tire caught my attention. A fire earlier this month severely damaged the Malden, Mo., Plaza Tire store to the point that it must be demolished and rebuilt. In the meantime, the store, which has been in Malden since 2000, has relocated from 2772 N. Douglass St. to 1207 N. Douglass St. Plaza Tire's headquarters is in Cape Girardeau.

n Technology and Networking partners with Recovery Solutions for disaster recovery: Technology and Networking of Cape Girardeau has partnered with Illinois-based Recovery Solutions, a disaster-recovery service for financial institutions. In the event of a catastrophe, Recovery Solutions will deliver a customized and fully furnished Mobile Banking Facility to a site. The units include generators and satellite communications to restore functionality to a banking organization even when normal power communication facilities are down, enabling a bank to be operational within hours.

Banks are required by regulators to have a Business Continuity Plan that covers common emergencies as well as pandemic situations. One part of such a plan is assessing how quickly a bank can get its technology-based programs up and running. Technology and Networking encourages banks to put plans in place early.

"The only way to know if you'll be ready in an emergency is to create a plan and then test it regularly," said Mike Buchanan, vice president of sales for Technology and Networking. "Waiting until a disaster strikes to find out that there is a problem could be a very costly option for the bank and a very inconvenient experience for customers."

For more information, call 335-5157 or e-mail info@tanasc.com.

n Upon further review

In a column I wrote in November I mentioned that Cotner K Electric had moved to 779 Enterprise Drive when two brothers split ownership of the company. While I originally said Cotner Electric Co. Inc. at 2049 Southern Expressway in Cape Girardeau was open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, a reader pointed out the company is actually open 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Cotner Electric Co. specializes in commercial and residential work and does highway lighting, street lighting, horizontal boring, and industrial and service work.

Brian Blackwell is a business reporter with the Southeast Missourian. Contact Brian with any news items at 388-3628 or bblackwell@semissourian.com.