After weeks of research, interviewing area coffee experts and surveying potential customers, 11th- and 12th-grade students in the Business Technology program at the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center have launched their own business.

The students last week rolled out their coffee cart into the main entrance of the building for the first time, offering 12-ounce cups of Kaldi's Coffee, with several creamers from which to choose.

Instructor Amber Prasanphanich said creating the business has helped students learn more about entrepreneurship, hospitality and management through hands-on experiences.

Students created the idea of the coffee cart, she said, and researched what types of coffee to offer, how much to charge per cup and how much it costs to produce.

"I plan on being an entrepreneur myself when I get out of high school, so this is a good opportunity for me to have this type of experience," said James Fullenwider, a high-school senior.

Business students operate a new coffee cart Oct. 26 at the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center. (Fred Lynch)

The Business Technology students also worked with other classes at the center, including the marketing class to create a logo and the woodworking and cabinetry class to build the coffee cart.

Profits from the coffee cart will be used to pay for student trips to DECA events. The student organization's mission is to prepare emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high school and colleges around the world.

Prasanphanich said the cost of going to the events can add up, with the international event in Orlando and state competitions at Lake of the Ozarks. So, the coffee cart serves as a way to ensure students have the opportunity to attend those events.

By January, students will take the data they've collected to finish the project. But the coffee cart itself is ongoing, Prasanphanich said, and students are planning to offer more items in the future, such as hot chocolate and possibly food.

"We've learned so much together as a class," she said, adding students will make mistakes and learn from them. "I think it's going to be more beneficial than just reading a chapter in a book and taking a quiz."

Dentists to buy back candy to aid troops

Drs. Patrick and Janet Ruopp of Cape Girardeau will buy Halloween candy back from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Monday.

Children will be paid $1 per pound for the candy. The money will go to the not-for-profit Operation Gratitude, which compiles individual care packages for troops stationed abroad.

The dental office also ishoping to add items to the care packages to be shipped next month.

Donations of personal-hygiene items, letters and cards supporting the troops, handmade scarves, hats, cool ties and other items will be accepted at Ruopp & Ruopp DDS PC, 1818 Broadway in Cape Girardeau, through noon Nov. 12.

MU Extension to hold business class

The Cape Girardeau County university of Missouri Extension Center in Jackson is holding a small-business energy-savings class.

The class will be offered Nov. 11 and is sponsored by the University of Missouri Extension and Small Business Administration.

Data: Missouri leads nation in business creation

Census data released recently shows Missouri leads the nation in new business creation, Gov. Jay Nixon announced Tuesday.

Business creation in the state rose 16 percent in 2013, the most recent year for which numbers are available, while most states saw a drop in the number of firms created, according to a news release from the governor.

The data show 1,293 more businesses created in Missouri in 2013 than in 2012. Thirty-nine states saw a decrease in business creation, the release stated.

Missouri also outperformed those states that saw an increase in the number of new businesses, showing bigger growth than all 10 of those states combined.

Sikeston pharmacy has grand re-opening

Sikeston MediCenter Pharmacy, 507 N. Main St. in Sikeston, Missouri, celebrated its grand reopening Thursday.

The pharmacy has added several new elements, such as a computer system that can text or email patients when prescriptions are ready, vaccination services, online refills and an app, according to a news release from MediCenter Pharmacy.

The pharmacy also has partnered with Health Mart to be able to accept major health insurance plans at the same co-pays as national chains and comptetive pricing, though it remains independent and locally owned, the release stated.

klamb@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3639

kwebster@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3642

Pertinent address:

1080 S. Silver Springs Road, Cape Girardeau, Mo.