HI-TECH BUYS TRI STATE

Hi-Tech Communications Inc. purchased its sixth technology company, Tri State Telephone in Cape Girardeau. This company was previously owned by James Crowell. Hi-Tech has been locally owned and operated since 1996, with offices in Cape Girardeau, Caruthersville and Sikeston, Mo. The company serves customers in Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky.

TANNING SALON OPENS IN PARK HILLS

PARK HILLS, Mo. -- The Park Hills-Leadington Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for Perry's Hot Spot Tanning LLC, 317 W. Main St. in Park Hills. Pam Perry owns the new business, which offers booth and bed tanning, spray tanning, spray tanning parties, tanning supplies and more.

TOWER ROCK GETS SAFETY AWARD

STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- Tower Rock Stone Co. received the Hillenkamp-Rush Meritorious Safety Award from the Missouri Limestone Producers Association, the Ste. Genevieve Herald reported. The quarry won the award for not losing any work time due to injuries in 2010. It is the first time Tower Rock has received the honor. Tower Rock is the largest single-site open pit mine in the state in acreage and tons produced. Currently, close to 600 acres are open and the mine produces between 7 and 10 million tons per year.

COMPUTER STORE OPENS IN P.B.

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for Bits-N-Bytes Technologies, a new computer sales and service store at 215 E. Pine St. Chris Murdock owns the business.

DOLLAR GENERAL OPENS IN SIKESTON

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Dollar General held a grand opening March 3 for its new store on North Main Street in Sikeston. The store employs six to 10 people.

BROWN SHOE TO CLOSE SIKESTON LOCATION

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Brown Shoe Co. Inc. announced March 7 its plans to close a Sikeston distribution center as part of its ongoing portfolio realignment efforts, the Sikeston Standard Democrat reported. The phased closure is expected to begin in May and conclude in October. During this time, operations will move to other locations as the company works to reduce excess capacity in its distribution network, officials said in a news release. Brown Shoe Co. has a long history in Southeast Missouri, dating back at least 70 years. The company currently employs 155 people at the Sikeston Distribution Center. Company officials said they are encouraging employees to apply for open positions with the company. An on-site career center is being created to assist employees in their internal and external job search efforts.

Sports Clips holds ribbon cutting.

SPORT CLIPS OPENS IN CAPE

An athletic-themed hair care business opened March 16 in Cape Girardeau. SportClips, 3019 William St., has flat-screen TVs streaming sports channels and eight full-time stylists who received specialized training on haircuts for men and boys. The salon also offers hot steam towel treatments and neck and shoulder massages. Owner Jesse Keyser also owns SportClips locations in Marion, Ill., and Carbondale, Ill. A ribbon cutting was held March 20.

FARM BUREAU DISTRICT HONORED

BRANSON, Mo. -- The Timothy Taylor District of the Missouri Farm Bureau Insurance Co. was named 2011 District of the Year at the company's All Star Sales Conference March 2 to 4 in Branson. The district includes agents in Butler, Dunklin, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Scott, Stoddard and Wayne counties. The district met criteria for selection of District of the Year, was the top district in issued life premiums and had two agents on the Court of Excellence. In addition, Timothy Taylor will receive a First in Class Award at the LAMP 2012 convention in Orlando, Fla. He is one of 25 field management professionals from a wide range of insurance companies across the nation to receive the award.

SPINE SOURCE SELECTS WRIGHT GROUP

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- SpineSource Inc., based in Chesterfield, Mo., appointed the Wright Group of Perryville as their agency of record to expand its position to the spinal implant device market in North America. The Wright Group is charged with implementing a campaign to drive growth and expand opportunity in underserved markets. Courtney Bohnert, The Wright Group's director of business development, will function as account representative and coordinator.

ULTIMATE FLOORING HOLDS RIBBON CUTTING

Ultimate Flooring holds ribbon cutting

Ultimate Flooring and Paint, 2465 Cape Centre Drive in Cape Girardeau, held a ribbon cutting March 23.

HYDRAULIC HOSE PLANT CLOSING

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Denver-based Gates Corp. has confirmed that Gates Rubber Co. in Charleston will close, leaving 127 people without jobs. The plant, at 1300 Plant Road, makes hydraulic hoses used in tractors and airplanes. Tom Reeve, executive vice president with Gates Corp., said the Charleston plant, which opened in 1981, will ramp down production to prepare for the closing. No official closing date has been given.

CAPE ADDS RIVERFRONT MARKET

Cape Girardeau will hold an open air market from 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays in the parking lot at 35 S. Spanish St., across from Bel Air Grill. The Riverfront Market will begin May 5 and continue every Saturday for the next 25 Saturdays. The market will include farm products, value-added products like jams and baked goods, and nonfarm products like crafts and homemade soaps. The market will also feature demonstrations and entertainment.

SHOE STORE OPENS ON INDEPENDENCE

Envious Styles opened at 208 Independence St. in Cape Girardeau. Marquetta Rush owns the store, which sells heels, boots, sandals and accessories.

CHARLESTON COMPANY GETS TOP RATINGS

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Valmont Irrigation named Mid-Valley Irrigation of Charleston a Valley Performance Plus Dealer for excelling in sales, service and aftermarket parts. Mid-Valley also received an Excellence Award for Technical Service.

MORE THAN 200 LOSE JOBS AT P.B. PLANT

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Briggs & Stratton Corp. of Milwaukee continues to reduce its manufacturing capacity due to a decline in the lawn and garden market, resulting in the layoff of 210 permanent employees at its plant in Poplar Bluff, the Daily American Republic reported. Layoffs were effective April 12. Plant manager Mark Melloy said about 1,050 workers are employed there. The layoffs will drop that number to 840. This is the second layoff Briggs & Stratton has announced at the local plant in the past six months. Starting Oct. 14, the firm began laying off 110 full- and part-time employees and 92 seasonal workers. On Jan. 26, Briggs & Stratton announced the closing of two plants.

FROZEN DRINK BAR OPENS INSIDE MIXING 10

Brain Freeze frozen drink bar opened inside Mixing 10 at 2 N. Main St. in Cape Girardeau. The bar, owned by Bryan Huff, features frozen alcoholic beverages in six fruit flavors.

RECORDING STUDIO OPENS IN P.B.

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for G Set Recording Studio's new location at 207 S. Broadway. Eric White owns the business.

MARKETING FIRM OPENS LOCAL OFFICE

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Uboon2, a St. Louis-based branding, marketing and advertising agency, is opening a Poplar Bluff office and hiring local staff. The office is on the level above Poplar Bluff Realty, 1800 N. Westwood Blvd., and run by Amber Palmer. Uboon2 came to Poplar Bluff three years ago to help brand and market the Eight Points Development and has since added several other local clients.

STEAKHOUSE TO OPEN IN CAPE

The former Ponderosa restaurant, 45 S. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau, will reopen as a hibachi steakhouse and grill. The new restaurant, Watami, will open in late May or early June, said owner Yong Chun Zhang. Zhang operates Dongzhi Enterprises, based in Carbondale, Ill.

PARTY STORE HOLDS RIBBON CUTTING

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- The Farmington Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting March 16 for Get Your Party Started, a full-service party supply store at 116 W. Liberty in downtown Farmington.

PIZZA RESTAURANT JOINS CHAMBER

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Debi's Awesome Pizza, 401 First St., joined the Bollinger County Chamber of Commerce. Debi Ivey owns the restaurant, and Carol Rose is the manager.

MARBLE HILL ADDS CLEANING SERVICE

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Wendy Taylor Snowden of Marble Hill opened her own business, Taylormaid Cleaning Service. The business is available to clean, wax and strip floors; clean kitchens and bathrooms; power wash houses; clean windows and more.

RAZING CAIN CLOSES

Razing Cain Restaurant and Bar of downtown Cape Girardeau closed after less than a month in business. Owner John Buckner of the Broadway Esquire Entertainment Group LLC confirmed the restaurant's last day of operation was March 29. Chef James Cain is also no longer affiliated with the company. Buckner said he wants to focus on selling art. The group recently merged with Eustis Studios at 1606 Independence St., and the gallery is now called Broadway Gallery & Framing, said Buckner.

UPDATES

MAC PARTNERS WITH UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI

PARK HILLS, Mo. -- The University of Missouri-St. Louis and Mineral Area College in Park Hills signed a new partnership agreement March 19, reported the Park Hills Daily Journal. UMSL has been offering fully-accredited college degrees at MAC since 1998. The new three-year partnership agreement differs from previous ones in that this agreement is solely negotiated between UMSL and MAC.

ARENA GOLF HAS NEW OWNERS

Bryan and Tyra Johnson purchased Arena Golf, 2901 Hawthorne Road in Cape Girardeau. Bryan Johnson will provide individual lessons, group lessons and clinics at Arena Golf. The facility has a retail golf shop, driving range, miniature golf course, batting cages and custom club fitting.

MICROBREWERY GETS WHOLESALE LICENSE

John A. Huber Brewing Co. in Fruitland received its wholesale license. They've been brewing a blonde ale in the former SEMO Ag and Dairy building to be sold by the bottle and in kegs. The ale, Hubrew, is available on tap at Bel Air in Cape Girardeau.

INSURANCE AGENCY HAS NEW OFFICE

Consolidated Insurance Agency, which was displaced by the office fire at 1707 N. Mount Auburn Road in November, has a new permanent location at 2909 Beaver Creek Drive in Cape Girardeau. A ribbon cutting was held March 22 with the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce.

ROSS FURNITURE MOVING

Ross Furniture is moving to 2310 E. Jackson Blvd. after 33 years in uptown Jackson. Ross Furniture purchased the former Sanders Hardware building, said manager Adam Ross. The new store will have 5,000 more square feet of showroom space and will open with all new inventory. The location will also allow all furniture to be displayed on one floor, instead of three different floors as it is now.

CROSSFIT OPENS NEW LOCATION

CrossFit 573 opened in a new location at 3210 Old Cape Road in Jackson. Owner Blake Guilliams and trainer Dina Palmer, both U.S. Navy veterans, have been training clients in a garage since August 2010.

COMPANY WILL MOVE FROM CAPE TO SIKESTON

After more than 40 years in Cape Girardeau, Do it Best Corp. will move its distribution operation to a new facility in Sikeston, Mo., the Southeast Missourian reported. The company's new $30 million retail service center will be in the Sikeston Business, Education and Technology Park. Its 115 employees will relocate to the new, 40 percent larger building after it is completed.

DEVELOPMENT

NORDENIA COMPLETES JACKSON FACILITY

Construction is complete on Nordenia USA's Jackson Industrial Park facility, the Southeast Missourian reported March 2. The company also has a new president and chief operating officer: Reinhold Franke replaces Bill Burke, who retired after heading the German company's American operations for nine years. About half of the new 183,000-square-foot building will be used for the manufacturing of flexible plastic packaging and the other half for storing both raw materials and finished products. Five new machines will help the company meet growing consumer demand and increase production capacity 30 to 40 percent, Franke said. Right now, only a handful of people are working at the new facility, but by summer about 100 will be there full time. Eighty-five employees will be moved from Nordenia's existing plant to the new facility.

TG EXPANSION TO ADD 200 JOBS

PERRYVILLE, Mo. (AP) -- A $39 million expansion at the TG Missouri auto supply plant in Perryville will result in 200 new jobs over the next five years. The company is adding the production line as part of a new contract to supply chrome components to Toyota's plant in Princeton, Ind. The components will be used for grills and rear details for the Toyota Highlander. The state provided $2.7 million in tax credits for the project, along with a $1 million Community Development Block Grant and $125,000 for training and recruitment assistance. TG Missouri also will receive $200,000 from the Delta Regional Authority.

COLLEGE APPROVES WILLOW SPRINGS DEAL

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Separate negotiations completed in late March will give Three Rivers College possession of a new campus at Willow Springs and a $1 million piece of property in Kennett, Mo., reported the Daily American Republic. The board of trustees signed documents allowing them to lease a 30,000-square-foot building from the City of Willow Springs for $1 per year for 10 years. They have also taken possession of 36 acres in Kennett donated by Emerson, a manufacturing and technology company. Classes for 200 to 250 students in Willow Springs will begin in the fall after minor renovations are completed. No decision has been made on how the Kennett property will be used.