__AVERAGE JOE’S CUTS RIBBON__

LEADINGTON, Mo. — The Park Hills-Leadington Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting Dec. 1 for The Average Joe’s Bar and Grill, 5089 Flat River Road in Leadington, next to the Forever Antiques Mall. Mark Barton owns the restaurant, which offers a full menu and bar with daily specials and weekly entertainment.

__BUTLER COUNTY PUBLISHING PURCHASES TWO PAPERS__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — Butler County Publishing announced Dec. 2 its purchase of the Dexter Daily Statesman and North Stoddard Countian. The Poplar Bluff-based newspaper and printing operation assumed production of these publications Jan. 1. “We are very excited to have the Dexter Statesman and its other entities join Butler County Publishing’s family of products,” Don Schrieber, president of Butler County Publishing, said. “Effective Jan. 1, the Dexter Statesman will be published on Wednesday and a weekend edition,” Schrieber said. “The content of the newspaper will be solely locally focused, with community-driven news and reporting.” Customers who have prepaid subscriptions will be credited for those days that no longer will be published, Schrieber said.

__DOGGIE DAY CAMP OPENS IN CAPE__

A new Hampton Inn opened in December at 207 S. Mount Auburn Road in Cape Girardeau. (See brief on next page, submitted photo)

Stacy Busch-Heisserer recently opened Deer Creek Doggie Day Camp on Cape Lacroix Road in Cape Girardeau. The facility has a kitchen, a living-room setup and a large yard out back. Manager Randi Spiker said they work with puppies on things such as basic obedience and familiarizing them with noises and situations, such as bathtime and vacuuming.

__AREA BANKS COMPLETE MERGER__

PERRYVILLE, Mo. — Reliable Community Bancshares Inc., parent company of The Bank of Missouri, headquartered in Perryville, has completed a merger with Bank Star of the BootHeel, according to a Dec. 4 news release. The Bank of Missouri purchased the assets and assumed the liabilities of the Steele and Caruthersville, Missouri, locations. The transaction brings to 23 the number of locations operated by The Bank of Missouri in the state. Raymond DePriest, who has worked at Bank Star of the BootHeel for 31 years, will serve as community bank president for the new locations. All Bank Star employees will join The Bank of Missouri team, the release stated.

__SEMO INSTITUTE FOR INNOVATION RECEIVES AWARD__

Southeast Missouri State University’s Institute for Regional Innovation and Entrepreneurship received a 2015 Innovation Award from the National Association of Development Organizations Research Foundation. The association’s Innovation Awards program recognizes regional development organizations and partnering organizations for improving the economic and community competitiveness of the nation’s regions and local communities. The award is for the Institute’s Regional Entrepreneurship Assessment & Strategy Reports, which examined four Economic Development Districts in Missouri this fiscal year: the Bootheel Regional Planning Commission, Southeast Missouri Regional Planning Commission, Lake of the Ozarks Council of Local Governments and South Central Ozark Council of Governments.

(submitted photo)

__TECHNOLOGY AND NETWORKING INC./ASC MOVES__

Advanced security services provider Technology and Networking Inc./ASC has changed its name to Broadtek. The name is part of a rebranding initiative, according to a news release from Broadtek. The company has relocated to 1315 Broadway in Cape Girardeau from its previous location at 2751 Thomas Drive.

__UPS STORE HAS NEW OWNER__

The UPS Store at 2128 William St. in Cape Girardeau is under new ownership. A business-license application filed at Cape Girardeau City Hall shows the packing and shipping store now is under the ownership of Rystrom Inc. The store previously was owned by Hagler Inc.

__BANK OF MISSOURI RATED ‘SUPERIOR’__

PERRYVILLE, Mo. — BauerFinancial Inc., an independent bank rating company, has given The Bank of Missouri a five-star ‘Superior’ rating. This is the 17th quarter in a row the bank has received that rating, according to a news release from The Bank of Missouri. The BauerFinancial rating is based on an analysis of several criteria, including capitalization, asset quality, profitability, liquidity and risk.

__JACKSON CHAMBER HOLDS RIBBON CUTTINGS__

The Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting Dec. 10 for Missouri Mattress, 2064 Walton Drive in Jackson. The chamber also held a ribbon cutting Dec. 15 for Illusions Styling Studio, 1121 E. Jackson Blvd.

__FLAT RIVER BUILDING CENTER HAS NEW OWNERS__

PARK HILLS, Mo. — Crockey and Kathryn Peterson, owners of Flat River Building Center in Park Hills since March 1977, have retired and sold the business to R.P. Lumber, the Park Hills Daily Journal reported. R.P. Lumber was founded by Robert L. Plummer in January of 1977 in Staunton, Illinois, and now operates more than 50 lumberyards and a truss plant throughout Illinois and Missouri.

__DESLOGE CHAMBER HOLDS RIBBON CUTTINGS__

DESLOGE, Mo. — William and Frank Rohman, along with their mother, Kay, opened Rohman’s ‘50s Diner at the corner of Desloge Drive and Elm Street in Desloge, the Park Hills Daily Journal reported. A ribbon cutting was held with the Desloge Chamber of Commerce. The chamber also held a ribbon cutting recently for Giving Tree Boutique, 1136C N. Desloge Drive.

__KROGER COMPLETES REMODEL__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — A grand opening was held Dec. 2 for Kroger, which has completed a remodel including new décor, a new front entrance, a floral area, pharmacy drive-thru and an expanded pharmacy area, the Daily American Republic reported. The store also has expanded its selection of natural and organic foods, and gluten-free, wheat-free and dairy-free products.

__CASA RECEIVES NATIONAL CERTIFICATION__

Court Appointed Special Advocates of Southeast Missouri, serving the 32nd Judicial Circuit of Bollinger, Cape Girardeau and Perry Counties, was awarded certification by the National Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Association. The certification recognizes that Court Appointed Special Advocates of Southeast Missouri is in compliance with National CASA’s standards for quality child advocacy, according to a news release. CASA of Southeast Missouri was started in 1992 and has 330 children in care in the circuit.

__YELLOW GOLD GETS GOLD PRIDE AWARD__

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. — Reinke recognized Yellow Gold LLC in East Prairie with a Gold Reinke Pride Award in recognition of the company’s marketing year success. The award was presented during Reinke’s annual convention held in November in Dallas.

__SHOE SENSATION CUTS RIBBON__

SIKESTON, Mo. — The Sikeston Regional Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for Shoe Sensation during its recent grand opening. Angie Mitchell is manager of the Sikeston store at 1305 S. Main St.

__HAMPTON INN OPENS IN CAPE GIRARDEAU__

A new Hampton Inn opened in December at 207 S. Mount Auburn Road in Cape Girardeau. The 86-room hotel is managed by Midamerica Hotels Corp. Matthew McDowell is general manager of the hotel. The property also includes 776 square feet of meeting space that can accommodate up to 45 people, according to a news release.

__SLEEP NUMBER STORE OPENS IN CAPE__

A 2,500-square-foot Sleep Number mattress store opened Dec. 18 at 157 Siemers Drive, Suite 108, in Cape Girardeau.

__BENING FORD CUTS RIBBON__

PERRYVILLE, Mo. — Bening Ford, 909 S. Perryville Blvd. in Perryville, held a ribbon cutting Dec. 17.

__RAGSDALE’S TO REOPEN IN MARCH__

Ragsdale’s, at the corner of Water Street and Broadway in Cape Girardeau, is projected to be open by St. Patrick’s Day, according to Buckner’s Brewing Co. brewmaster Mike Mills. Mills said the bar, which occupies the downstairs portion of Buckner’s, plans to open for the holiday as a throwback to its last reopening, which was on a St. Patrick’s Day in the late 1990s. More details on the business’ opening will be available in the coming weeks.

__CONTINENTAL TITLE HAS NEW LOCATION__

FARMINGTON, Mo. — Continental Title of Missouri had an open house and ribbon cutting Dec. 16 with the Park Hills-Leadington Chamber of Commerce and the Farmington Regional Chamber of Commerce. The business recently moved from Park Hills to 1337 Maple St. in Farmington.

__SCOTT COUNTY FARM BUREAU GETS AWARD__

BENTON, Mo. — The Scott County Farm Bureau received a special project award during the 101st annual meeting of the Missouri Farm Bureau Dec. 7 at Lake of the Ozarks, the Sikeston Standard Democrat reported. Scott County won for its Rural Crimes Committee to deter farm theft. Patrick Seyer, county vice president, accepted the award for the county from Blake Hurst, Missouri Farm Bureau president. Only one special project award is presented in each of the organization’s eight board districts, with each winning a $100 cash award.

SLOAN + THEMIS MOVING TO NEW SPACE

Sloan + Themis, a custom jewelry store in downtown Cape Girardeau, moved from 31 N. Main St. to the The Indie House, 605 Broadway. Sloan + Themis’ space is on the second floor of the building. An open house is planned for Feb. 5 and 6.

__KOHLER BOOKKEEPING CUTS RIBBON__

Kohler Bookkeeping, 412 S. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau, held a ribbon cutting and open house on Jan. 6.

__SOTO PROPERTY ACQUIRES FENTON COMPANY__

SOTO Property Solutions of Cape Girardeau has acquired a St. Louis-area property management company, Metroplex Management in Fenton, Missouri. Ruth Haen, owner of Metroplex, has been in the business for 10 years. With her addition, SOTO Property Solutions now has five real estate agents and Realtors on board.

__TAX BUSINESS OPENS IN BENTON__

BENTON, Mo. — The Tax Team has opened at 22 Winchester St. in Benton. Frank Ovanin and Tim Watkins merged with Rick Dohogne last year to form The Tax Team, according to a news release from The Tax Team. Services provided by the firm include business and farm tax returns, establishment of LLCs, subchapter S corporations and partnerships and the required payroll and government reporting associated with such entities.

__CENTURY 21 PREMIERE REALTY HAS NEW LOCATION__

SIKESTON, Mo. — Century 21 Premiere Realty expanded its operations to a new office at 1101 E. Malone Ave. in Sikeston. Tim Merideth, broker/owner of Century 21 Premiere Realty, said the new location has more than 2,700 square feet and was designed to take advantage of the latest technology in real estate sales and marketing.

__PERRYVILLE CHAMBER HOLDS RIBBON CUTTINGS__

PERRYVILLE, Mo. — The Perryville Area Chamber of Commerce held ribbon cuttings in November for Leona’s Porch Home Decor and Gifts and HSB Advisors, formerly known as Michael Horrell and Associates.