It was 50 years ago this month the Procter & Gamble plant opened north of Cape Girardeau. Over the past half-century, P&G has become an integral (and many say indispensable) part of the local and regional economy. It's difficult to overestimate the impact Procter & Gamble has made on Southeast Missouri in general and on Cape Girardeau specifically.

Suffice it to say, life in this area would not be the same without P&G.

A golden anniversary is certainly worth celebrating, which is what Procter & Gamble did Saturday afternoon and evening with a carnival and plant tours for employees, family members, retirees, company officials and local VIPs (I don't know that I consider myself to be a VIP, but I was privileged to attend the celebration).

Three of the four Procter & Gamble brands manufactured at the Cape Girardeau plant -- Bounty, Charmin and Pampers -- are on the company's "Billion Dollar" list, meaning they have annual sales of at least $1 billion. The plant also produces Luvs brand diapers.

The Southeast Missourian will feature more stories about the P&G anniversary later this month.

In case you hadn't noticed, passenger riverboats are once again docking at Cape Girardeau. I stopped by the riverfront Friday morning to watch passengers disembark from Queen of the Mississippi and board buses for tours of the Cape Girardeau area.

As I strolled along the cobblestone riverbank, I happened to see Isle Casino vice president and general manager Lyle Randolph and Century Casinos chairman and co-CEO Erwin Haitzmann, who was in town to meet with local casino representatives.

Century Casinos is in the process of buying Isle Casino's operations from Eldorado Casinos as part of a $107 million, multiple casino acquisition. Details of the transaction were published in the Southeast Missourian in June.

Haitzmann, who lives on the island of Malta in the Mediterranean Sea, told me he is very impressed by the casino operation in this area. He and Randolph told me they anticipate few, if any, changes in day-to-day activities at the Isle once Century Casinos assumes control of operations, which they expect will be in early 2020.

Billed as the "first Caribbean restaurant in Cape Girardeau, My Marie opened Thursday in West Park Mall. The restaurant, located in the area once occupied by The Pasta House Co. and Tandoor Indian Grill & Bar, has a lunch buffet and take out menu featuring "Caribbean Creole soul food."

The restaurant's menu is available on the restaurant's Facebook page, which can be found by searching for "My Marie Restaurant." My Marie's phone number is (573) 803-1891

Now on to the rest of this week's Business Notebook ...

Southeast named state's top RN to BSN program

The online RN to BSN program at Southeast Missouri State University was named best of its kind in Missouri last week by www.RegisteredNursing.org in its annual ranking of nursing school programs.

According to the website, "health care employers are increasingly requiring a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree or higher for nursing jobs, so many schools in Missouri are now offering specialized RN to BSN programs to meet this need."

In making its announcement, www.RegisteredNursing.org noted the RN to BSN program offered by Southeast is "100% online and no campus visitation is required."

Rounding out the state's top five RN to BSN programs were:

2.) Missouri Western State University, St. Joseph

3.) Missouri State University, Springfield

4.) University of Missouri-St. Louis

5.) Hannibal-LaGrange University, Hannibal

Registration underway for Corporate Games

The Cape Girardeau Parks & Recreation Department's annual Corporate Games are scheduled for Sept. 15 to 27. Registration is open for teams from local companies, businesses and organizations now through Aug. 16.

Registration forms are available at the Arena Building. More information about the Corporate Games program is available by contacting Chris Eastridge at ceastridge@cityofcape.org or by calling the Parks & Recreation Department, (573) 339-6340.

Mehner elected to board

Molly Mehner

Cape Girardeau deputy city manager Molly Mehner was recently elected to a vice president position representing the Midwest region on the International City/County Management Association's Executive Board for 2019-2020.

She and five other regional vice presidents will be inducted into office during the 105th annual ICMA conference in Nashville, Tennessee, from Oct. 20 to 23.

Wood named to task force

Jen Wood

Jen Wood, research and development officer at Southeast Missouri Food Bank, has been chosen to participate in a new Feeding America task force known as the Healthcare Partnerships Community of Practice Conveners. The group's objective is to advance network learning and action on how to effectively address and reduce food insecurity to health care partnerships and interventions.

Wood is one of 15 people from Feeding America's 200-member network to be chosen as a community convener. Her appointment runs through June 2020.

The Southeast Missouri Food Bank is based in Sikeston, Missouri.

Ogburn earns Fellow status

Alex Ogburn

Alex Ogburn, vice president of Saint Francis Medical Partners, recently became a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), a professional society for health care administrators.

The FACHE designation recognizes Ogburn's competency, commitment to service and leadership abilities. Fewer than 20% of American College of Healthcare Executives attain Fellow status.

The credentialing process involves academic preparation, health care management experience, three years' tenure as an American College of Healthcare Executives member, passing a health care management examination by the college's board of governors, continuing education, references and community and civic involvement.

People on the Move

Franklin Hayward II

Dr. Franklin Hayward II has joined Saint Francis Healthcare System and has become affiliated with Cape Spine and Neurosurgery.

Hayward is board eligible through the American Osteopathic Board of Neurological Surgery. He earned his medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Stratford in 1999 and completed a rotating internship there the following year. He completed a residency in 2005 at Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine-Grandview in Dayton and also completed a one-year rotation at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, California.

Hayward has been in private practice since 2006.

Richard Ronca

Dr. Richard D. Ronca has joined Saint Francis Healthcare System as a neurohospitalist, a physician who specializes in the management of hospital inpatients who have neurological disorders. Ronca will rotate inpatient coverage with Dr. Aleksey Androsov who is also a neurohospitalist.

Ronca received his medical education from Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia. He completed his internship and residency at Jackson Health System in Miami, Florida, in 2016 and 2019, respectively.

Michael Barnes

Family nurse practitioner Michael D. Barnes has joined Cape Spine and Neurosurgery, which is affiliated with Saint Francis Healthcare System.

Barnes earned his Bachelor of Science in nursing in 1998 from Southeast Missouri State University, where he also completed his Master of Science in nursing in 2003.

He is board certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

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