Expansion and service of local businesses continue

New and expanding businesses

* Midnight Munchies, a late-night food-delivery service, began operations Jan. 25. Owner Lance Fleming runs the business out of Bel Air Grill, where he is a bartender. Bel Air takes a small percentage for use of their facilities. Food items such as chili cheese nachos, fried pickles, fried Oreos, cheeseburgers, soda, bottled water and tobacco products -- with proper ID -- can be delivered from midnight until 3:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. Orders must be prepaid and there is a $10 minimum, plus a $2.50 delivery charge. Fleming said he is looking into adding alcoholic beverages to the menu. For more information visit www.midnitemunchie.com or call 335-0377.

* TEVA Corp., a company specializing in all-natural plant and soil additives, is holding a grand opening of its new facility at 6100 Highway 77 in Benton, Mo. from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 17 Lan Coots started TEVA Corp in Essex, Mo., in 1979 to promote natural farming methods and find more environmentally responsible ways to increase yields, according to a news release last week. Today, Lan and his son Mark work together to distribute their products nationwide. Several jobs have been added in the past few weeks and TEVA hopes to add more to accommodate growth said Mark Coots, chief executive officer. For information on TEVA, visit www.tevacorporation.com.

* The Cousin Carl Farm Show will take place Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Arena Park. More than 100 vendors are slated to participate in the free two-day agriculture expo, which will include daily roundtable discussions, live broadcasts of the Cousin Carl show, antique tractor parade, antique tractor pull, pedal tractor pull, food, train rides, a petting zoo, pig races, farm toy show, wagon rides and prize giveaways. For more information or to participate, visit www.kwkz.com or call 334-7800.

* Plaza Tire Service increased its store count to 56 last week with the purchase of five Ewers Tire and Service locations in mid-Missouri. Vernon "Pee Wee" Rhodes established Plaza Tire Service in 1963 as Plaza Car Wash, a hand-operated carwash on William Street. Eventually the company began selling and changing tires along the sidewalk outside the carwash; it has grown to have locations in Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and Arkansas. Pee Wee's sons now own and operate the company with Mark Rhodes as president and Scott Rhodes as vice president. Plaza Tire Service was listed as the 26th largest independently owned tire retailer in North America by Tire Business magazine, according to a news release. The new locations will be in Columbia, Mo., Jefferson City, Mo. and Mexico, Mo.

Business providing service to community

* Local AARP volunteers will be available in a number of locations this month to help prepare federal and state income tax returns free of charge to those in need on a first-come, first-served basis. Services are intended to assist low-income and elderly persons, but anyone can ask for help. Volunteers will be at the Salvation Army in Cape Girardeau from 9 a.m. to noon on Mondays; at the Cape Girardeau Public Library and at the Riverside Regional Library in Jackson from 1 to 4 p.m. on Mondays; at the Chaffee Senior Center and at the Heritage House Senior Center in Sikeston from 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays; at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center from 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesdays and Thursdays; At the Riverside Regional Library in Benton, Mo., and the Perry County Senior Citizen Center from 1 p.m. to 4 on Wednesdays; and at the Jackson Senior Center from 9 a.m. to noon on Thursdays. For more information, call Roger Riley at 243-7080. Additional locations throughout Missouri and Illinois can be found at www.aarp.org.

Get involved with local business

* The Cape Riverfront Market, a project of Old Town Cape, will hold an informational meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the First Presbyterian Church fellowship hall at 235 Broadway for anyone interested in vending for the 2013 market season. The market will run e from 8 a.m. to noon every Saturday between May 4 and Oct. 26 at 35 S. Spanish St. For more information, contact Ross Peterson, market manager at 576.0730.

Business education

* Three Rivers College will host an Entrepreneurs Saturday Seminar for aspiring small business owners from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Participants will learn the basics of creating and planning a small business, including the creation of an effective business plan. The seminar is co-sponsored by Three Rivers, the U.S. Small Business Administration, the University of Missouri Extension and the Missouri Small Business & Technology Development Centers. Participants may attend the seminar in person at the Three Rivers Poplar Bluff Campus, or via remote broadcast at Three Rivers' Centers at Kennett and Sikeston. Registration is $25 for the general public. Three Rivers students enrolled in BMGT 239 may register for free. For more information or to register, email jkropp@trcc.edu by Wednesday, or call 573-8410-9709.

Business recognition

* Jackson Manor Nursing Home was given an overall five-star rating from Nursing Home Compare, a website run by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. CMS sets forth standards for nursing homes enrolled in Medicare or Medicaid based on state-conducted health inspections, nursing and physical therapy staffing and quality of medical care. There are 78 five-star nursing homes in Missouri. Jackson Manor is the only home in Cape Girardeau County to receive a five-star rating.

Rumors and previews

* Rumor has it that the former location of Grace Cafe at 818 Broadway, most recently Calix Coffeebar, has changed hands. More to come.

salderman@semissourian.com

388-3646

Pertinent address:

24 S Spanish St, Cape Girardeau, MO

401 Kiwanis Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO

419 East Broadway, Columbia, MO

1005 North Fairview, Columbia, MO

111 West Dunklin, Jefferson City, MO

1401 Missouri Boulevard, Jefferson City, MO

214 East Promenade, Mexico, MO

6100 Highway 77 in Benton, MO

800 S Main St, Chaffee, MO

305 Cresap St., Sikeston, MO

701 Good Hope St, Cape Girardeau, MO

711 N. Clark St., Cape Girardeau, MO

1997 E. Jackson Blvd., Jackson, MO

800 S Main St, Chaffee, MO

921 N Clark St, Cape Girardeau, MO

44 N Winchester St, Benton, MO

4 N Spring St., Perryville, MO

818 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, MO

235 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, MO

35 S. Spanish St., Cape Girardeau, MO

2080 Three Rivers Boulevard, Poplar Bluff, MO

901C South Bypass, Kennett, MO

103 Kathleen, Sikeston, MO