Business Notebook: PPP loans to begin again; medical marijuana outlets plan to open soon

The federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) will reopen this week, the U.S. Small Business Administration announced Friday. This new round of PPP loans is intended for new and certain existing PPP borrowers.

Initially, only community financial institutions will be available to make "first draw" PPP loans beginning Monday, followed by "second draw" loans starting Wednesday. The program will be open to all participating lenders shortly after that, according to the SBA.

Updated PPP guidance, outlining program changes intended to enhance its effectiveness and accessibility, was released last week in accordance with the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act.

This round of PPP loans is intended to provide small businesses with up to $284 billion to be used toward job retention and other expenses through March 2021.

In 2020, the Paycheck Protection Program provided 5.2 million loans worth about $525 billion to American businesses, supporting more than 51 million jobs threatened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the new guidelines released by the SBA Friday:

• PPP borrowers can set their PPP loan's covered period to be any length between eight and 24 weeks to help accommodate their business needs.
• PPP loans will cover additional expenses, including expenses for operations, property damage costs, supplier costs and worker protection expenditures.
• The program's eligibility is expanded to include 501(c) (6) organizations, housing cooperatives, and destination marketing organizations, among others.
• PPP provides greater flexibility for seasonal employees.
• Certain existing PPP borrowers may request to modify their "first draw" PPP loan amounts and are eligible to apply for a "second draw" PPP loan.

A borrower is generally eligible for a "second draw" PPP loan if the borrower:

• Previously received a "first draw" PPP loan and will use, or has used, the full amount of that loan only for authorized uses.
• Has no more than 300 employees.
• Can demonstrate at least a 25% reduction in gross receipts between comparable quarters in 2019 and 2020.

More information on SBA assistance to small business is available online at www.sba.gov/ppp or www.treasury.gov/cares.

Marijuana dispensaries project openings in coming weeks

Cape Girardeau's first medical marijuana dispensary could open before the end of January.

"If everything goes right, (it will be) before the end of the month," said Krystal Wright, spokeswoman for Cape Girardeau Investments LLC, which is licensed to open a dispensary at 1001 Broadway to be known as Greenlight.

Wright told the Missourian on Friday that the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) has scheduled an inspection at the dispensary, a necessary step before it can open.

Meanwhile, representatives of two other dispensaries — one in Cape Girardeau and one in Jackson — said they are targeting February openings for their businesses.

"We are planning to open the second week of February," said Jessica Landry, project manager for Organic Remedies Inc., which is licensed to open a dispensary in the former location of the Lemonade House Grill, 350 N. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau. "The date will be determined by DHSS, but we are shooting for our (state) inspection to be Feb. 5."

Missouri Medical Marijuana Collective is planning to open its dispensary in Jackson, at 1336 Clover Drive, in "mid-to-late February," according to Missouri Medical Marijuana managing member Justin Neely.

"The number one thing we are trying to avoid is opening and having limited supply," he said. "We want our patients to be able to count on us to have products in stock (but) currently the supply situation is horrible. Limited supply is also creating ridiculous prices."

Two other dispensaries licensed to operate in Cape Girardeau — Bloom Medicinals of MO LLC at 1802 Broadway and QPS Missouri Holdings LLC at 772 S. Kingshighway — did not respond last week to recent email inquires from the Missourian about their projected opening dates.

Optometry practice consolidates Cape Girardeau offices

Leet Eye Care, which has offices in Cape Girardeau and Jackson, will consolidate its two Cape Girardeau locations next month.

During Friday morning's webcast of the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce's First Friday Coffee, optometrist Ryne Wood announced Leet Eye Care will merge its office at 856 N. Kingshighway with the practice's main office at 3230 Blattner Drive. He and optometrist Jeremey Dohogne will begin seeing patients at the Blatter Drive location starting Feb. 1.

The move will not affect the practice's Jackson location at 1014 E. Jackson Blvd.

More information is available by calling the practice at (573) 334-2020.

G and G Nutrition opens in Jackson

G and G Nutrition opened last week at 511 E. Jackson Blvd. in Jackson, next door to Hardee's.

The smoothie and juice bar offers a wide range of loaded teas, shakes and prolessa shots, with add-ins such as collagen, probiotics and beverage mixes. Beverages are sugar and gluten free and, because they're plant based, they're vegan-approved as well.

"Our products are from a global company called Herbalife, which has been around since 1980," commented Grant Gray, one of several people with "G" names who own the business, along with his wife, Rachel Gray. Others involved in G and G Nutrition's ownership and management include Taylor and Whitney Gorton and Perry and Morgan Middleton.

G and G Nutrition is open from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. weekdays and from 9 a.m. until noon Saturdays. More information is available on the G and G Nutrition's Facebook page.

Awards & Recognitions

Kacie Walley

Kacie Walley of Elite Travel Inc. in Cape Girardeau recently completed training for certification in rail travel with Amtrak Vacations.

The training focused on train vacation packages connecting some of the most beautiful and popular destinations across the United States and Canada in an eco-friendly, flexible and fun way to discover America.

Walley is able to assist clients with hundreds of preplanned train trips or can custom create an itinerary. She can be reached by contacting Elite Travel, (573) 334-1234, or through the agency's website, www.elitetravelinc.com.

n

Several local Realtors in the Cape Girardeau/Jackson area have become Sterling R investors in the Realtors Political Action Committee, according to the National Association of Realtors.

They include Dolores Baker, Terry Baker, Rebecca Buehler, Bill Cole, Jessica Farrar, Liz Lockhart, Lois Long, Beth McFerron, Tom Meyer, Terri Penrod, Jared Ritter, Vicki Stroud and Angie Womack.

David Soto of Soto Property Solutions has also been recognized as a Sterling R investor and Southeast Realtors' only President's Circle member.

The bipartisan Realtors PAC is a grassroots-based political advocacy organization working to protect the real estate industry, working to advance public policies and candidates that build strong communities, protect property interest and rights, and promote a vibrant business environment.

Investments from PAC members are applied toward supporting homeownership, commercial real estate transactions and the future of the real estate industry.

People on the Move

Dr. Gilbert L. Kukielka

Dr. Gilbert L. Kukielka, an interventional cardiologist, has joined Cape Cardiology Group, a practice affiliated with Saint Francis Healthcare System.

Kukielka comes to Cape Girardeau from Marietta Memorial Hospital in Marietta, Ohio, where he practiced general and interventional cardiology and served as director of the hospital's cardiac catheterization laboratory.

He earned his medical degree in 1983 from the University of Costa Rica Medical School and completed internal medicine residencies at the University of Costa Rica in 1987 and at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston in 1990. In 1994, he completed a fellowship in cardiovascular sciences at Baylor, where he was promoted to a faculty position he held for many years.

In addition to his Baylor fellowship, Kukielka completed three other fellowships — cardiology and interventional cardiology fellowships at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore between 1995 and 1999 and a peripheral vascular interventional fellowship at Christ Hospital-Lindner Center for Clinical Cardiovascular Research in Cincinnati in 2000.

After completing his training, Kukielka accepted a faculty position at Ohio State University in Columbus, where he served five years as assistant professor of internal medicine and director of peripheral vascular intervention and directed one of the university's outreach cardiac catheterization laboratories and cardiology program.

Following his time with Ohio State, he worked in private practice in Cincinnati before joining Marietta Memorial Hospital.

He is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in cardiovascular disease and interventional cardiology.

Cape Cardiology is at 211 St. Francis Drive, Entrance 7.

n

Laci Prucinsky

Laci Prucinsky was recently named manager of the Missouri Department of Conservation's Cape Girardeau Nature Center.

Before coming to Cape Girardeau, Prucinsky worked for more than a decade in various conservation roles at Fontenelle Forest near Bellevue, Nebraska, Turtle River State Park in North Dakota and Custer State Park in South Dakota. She has worked as a naturalist and park interpreter, and for more than six years she served as a supervisor of naturalist staff members and volunteers.

She is also a nature photographer and spent a summer in Southeast Missouri conducting bird surveys in the Mississippi lowlands.

Prucinsky is active in the National Association for Interpretation (NAI), serving on the scholarship and mini-grants committee for the association's Interpretive Naturalist Section, while also serving on the organization's Certified Interpretive Trainer Revision Committee. In addition, she has served as a regional workshop chair.

She holds a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a master's degree in conservation biology, awarded jointly by Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, and the University of New South Wales in Kensington, Australia.

The Conservation Nature Center, 2289 County Park Drive, is open from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.

n

S.M. Wilson & Co., a St. Louis-based full-service construction management, design/build and general contracting firm, has announced the promotion of Mary Anderson, Gwen Arenberg and Evan Dorks to be assistant project managers in the company's Cape Girardeau office.

In their new roles, they will work with project managers to coordinate projects and ensure schedule, document control and quality standards are met and projects are completed safely, on time, and within approved budgets.

Mary Anderson

Anderson began as an intern with S.M. Wilson, working nearly two years with the firm before moving back to her hometown of Cape Girardeau. She was rehired in 2019 and has worked on back-to-back projects in Chicago and Detroit for high-end retailer Von Maur.

She earned a Bachelor of Science in construction management at Southeast Missouri State University, has five years of construction experience and is OSHA 30 certified.

Gwen Arenberg

Arenberg joined S.M. Wilson in 2019. Her experience includes work on a residence hall and business school building at Columbia College in Columbia, Missouri. She recently worked on the Hallsville (Missouri) Primary School addition and is a member of the S.M. Wilson Special Project Division.

A licensed architect with seven years' construction experience, Arenberg holds a Bachelor of Arts in art history from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, and a master's degree in architecture from Washington University in St. Louis.

She chairs the Missouri Botanical Garden Young Friends Council and is OSHA 30 certified.

Evan Dorks

Dorks started as an intern with S.M. Wilson and has been with the company five years, during which he has worked on numerous projects, including renovations for the St. Louis County Library District, multiple Target remodeling projects and work at a senior living facility and medical office building in St. Peters, Missouri, and Wentzville, Missouri, respectively.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in construction management from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville and is OSHA 30 certified.

Corporate generosity

PERRYVILLE, Mo. — The Robinson Construction Charitable Fund recently issued grants amounting to just more than $15,000 to three area organizations.

Lucas & Friends Backyard Adventures Playground, Safe Families for Children-Southeast Missouri and Dream Factory of Southeast Missouri each received just more than $5,000.

The donations represented proceeds from the construction company's 2020 golf tournament, Chip in for Charity. "The idea behind Chip in for Charity is to raise money and awareness for groups and charities that are near and dear to Robinson Construction and our community," the company said in a news release about the charitable donations.

The 2021 Chip in for Charity golf tournament is scheduled for Sept. 27.

n

Casey's General Stores kicked off a campaign last week in partnership with LIFEWTR to support local schools throughout the company's 16-state footprint.

Throughout the rest of January, Casey's customers can round up their purchases to provide funding for projects and initiatives at K-12 public and private schools in Cape Girardeau and the surrounding area. In addition, a dollar will be donated for every purchase of a LIFEWTR brand drink and a Mega Slice, up to $25,000 total.

"Teachers continue to demonstrate heroic efforts in the face of challenging school years, educating our children in schools, online and even sometimes both at the same time," said Megan Elfers, vice president of marketing for Casey's in announcing the campaign.

Guillermo Prieto, director of shopper marketing with PepsiCo Beverage North America, Central Division, said LIFEWTR brands "are thrilled to partner with Casey's to aid schools, particularly during these school years that saw a multitude of changes brought on by the (COVID-19) pandemic."

Last fall, Casey's announced its "Cash for Classrooms" grant program. Ranging from $1,000 to $50,000, the grants may be used for physical improvements, materials, teacher support and community engagement initiatives. Grant recipients will be announced in March.

More information about these charitable programs may be found at www.caseys.com/community.

Chamber Notes

The Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce will conduct a "virtual" business breakfast on its Facebook page at 8 a.m. Friday.

Commercial building permits

During the weeks of Dec. 20 and Dec. 27, the City of Cape Girardeau issued commercial building permits for:

• Construction of a single-story metal building at 180 Weston St. to be built by Penzel Construction, with an estimated construction cost of $3 million.
• A storage building to be constructed by Duncan Property Management LLC at 2840 Wintergreen Drive at an estimated cost of $140,000.
• Interior renovation of an existing two-story office building at 112 Themis St. at an estimated cost of $100,000. The contractor on the permit is listed as Tenmile Studio LLC.

Looking for more business news? Check out B Magazine, and the B Magazine email newsletter. Go to www.semissourian.com/newsletters to find out more.