INDUSTRIAL RECURITER CITES DEEDS

Before Mitch Robinson asked area governments for more money, he sent them a neat blue folder.

Robinson became the Cape Girardeau Area Industrial Recruitment Association's executive director in May 1993, overseeing the organization's $140,000 budget.

After almost two years, he believes a $12,500 increase is in order to pay for rising health-care, telephone and equipment costs.

The folder doesn't mention the increase -- Robinson delivered that message in person. It is a summation of CGAIRA's accomplishments.

They include these success stories:

-- Cape Central Publishing Co. It used to be on Commercial Street in Cape Girardeau but was forced out of its building by the new bridge route. The publishing company turned to CGAIRA for help and ended up with a low-interest Community Development Block Grant for a new building.

-- Texberry Container Corp. A plastic-bottle supplier for Golden Cat Corp., Texberry wanted to locate in the former Florsheim Shoe building. The realtor asked CGAIRA to help find local investors to buy the building. Penzel and Co. Inc. bought the building, leased it to Golden Cat, which subleased 70,000 square feet to Texberry. Texberry now employs 20 people and wants to employ 30 more by the end of the year.

-- D&K Wholesale Drug Inc. Headquartered in St. Louis, the corporation has a distribution center in Cairo, Ill. Robinson is working with them to find a building and relocate in Cape Girardeau.

It's an impressive scrapbook, but Robinson admitted he hasn't hit a home run, developmentally speaking, yet.

"Some of the projects we have going right now would be considered home runs," Robinson said. "Most of the projects we do are smaller, just giving people a reason to stay in Cape, Jackson or Scott City. It isn't glamorous."

He wouldn't comment on current projects, pointing to a need for secrecy when working on economic development.

Area politicians seem happy with Robinson. Jackson Mayor Paul Sander commended Robinson for helping keep Lee-Rowan in Southeast Missouri when it considered a move elsewhere.

Scott City Mayor Larry Forhan said he appreciated Scott City having the opportunity to be in CGAIRA. On its own, the city couldn't afford an economic developer.

Forhan said Robinson would be helping the city "in the near future" with two other local companies.

"We're very up on the association and on Mitch Robinson," Forhan said.