Association marks 10 years of business recruitment

By B. Ray Owen

Southeast Missourian

The Cape Girardeau Area Industrial Recruitment Association, founded a decade ago, has provided recruitment services for 29 new or expanded businesses in the Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Scott City areas.

The group celebrated its accomplishments Monday, marking the association's 10th anniversary.

"The CGAIRA has had some great successes," said Paul Sander, chairman of the 2002 board of directors and mayor of Jackson.

The CGAIRA assisted in finding its first business location for a local company in 1994.

"Cape Central Publishing Co. needed a new site," said Mitch Robinson, CGAIRA executive director, who had been in his position about a year at that time.

The publishing company constructed a new building in 630 Industrial Park, along Southern Expressway, doubling its space to about 13,000 square feet.

Three years and six projects later, Robinson and the CGAIRA were involved in one of the area's largest expansion projects ever: a $350 million project by Procter & Gamble Paper Products to prepare for the manufacture of tissue and paper towels.

Speakers on the anniversary program included Sander; Robinson; Dr. Bruce Domazlicky, Southeast Missouri State University; Skip Smallwood, economic developer for AmerenUE; Mike Seabaugh, area representative of the Missouri Department of Economic Development; and John Mehner, president of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce.

The program was held at the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center, 1080 S. Silver Springs Road. About 60 people attended.

Robinson reviewed the new businesses and business expansions over the past decade, including those by Procter & Gamble, BioKyowa Inc., SEMO Box Co., HAVCO Wood Products, Jackson Machine and Manufacturing, Rubbermaid, Blair Industries in Cape Girardeau and Scott City, Pavestone, Renaissance Aircraft and others.

Last year, $200 million in Chapter 100 bonds were issued for another Procter & Gamble expansion for its diaper facility in Cape Girardeau County.

New road project

Robinson also announced a $1.1 million road improvement project over the next year near a new 500,000-square-foot warehouse put up by Procter & Gamble.

The county, coordinating with the CGAIRA, applied for special economic development funding through the Missouri Department of Transportation for the road project, which will add turn lanes to and widen Route V to provide better access for larger trucks.

"And we're looking at some other things that could have big impact on the immediate area," said Robinson.

Domazlicky presented a brief regional economic outlook during the Monday session.

"We may see unemployment at 4 percent early this year," he said. "But it will fall back to 3.0 or 3.5 the rest of the year."

Cape Girardeau County had 3.1 percent unemployment in December.

Domazlicky said retail sales were still at the billion-dollar a year level in the county. Overall, he said, "this could be a good year for local economy."

rowen@semissourian.com

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