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Volume 14
Issue 22
May 31, 2008
www.columbiabusinesstimes.com
Primaris’ mission:
improve healthcare,
assist Medicare users
By Jennifer Herseim
It starts with a tingling in the back of
your throat. Then a seemingly endless
stream of liquid from the deep caverns of
your nose comes forth, and pretty soon
you’re dialing the doctor’s office for an
appointment.
When a person gets sick, the doctor
prescribes a treatment. But when the
health care system is sick, Primaris is on
call. The not-for-profit health care consulting firm frequently runs check-ups
on hospitals, physicians, nursing homes
and home-health agencies to make sure
the industry is providing high-quality,
cost-effective care.
“We have learned over the course of
years to take complaints and other input
we get from oversight, and gain quality
improvement out of it,” said Dorothy
Andrae, director of clinical review services and home health.
“That’s a very important linkage
because our mission is to improve quality.
If you just process complaints and then
stamp them closed, you don’t get much
out of that.”
(continued on Page 7)
5
12
16
Economic Index
City plans for lower
sales tax revenue.
Industrial
Recruitment
Partnership
develops land for
potential employers.
Centennial Investors
Five fledgling
companies earn
investments.
1
$ 50
photo by jennifer kettler
Keeping health
care healthy

Columbia’s Car King
Gary Drewing’s dealerships
dominate local auto market
CBT’s ranking of Columbia’s dealerships begins on Page 18
PRST STD
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit #353
Columbia, MO
SPECIAL SECTION
Health Care
See Page 21
May 31, 2008 | CBT
in this issue
11
14
26
Health
Insurance
Insure Missouri
failure leaves
reform in limbo.
People You
Should Know
Ginny Chadwick
keeps Columbia
COLORful.
Fit Friendly
MU honored
for stepping
up workplace
workouts.
Albert Buick Honda GMC��21
Audrain City-County Health Unit��7
Ashland Auto Sales��20
Bangkok Gardens��3
Boone Hospital Center��31
Columbia Car Classics��20
Columbia’s Chamber of Commerce��3, 12, 16
Columbia Hyundai/Dodge City��21
Columbia Regional Hospital��7
Comfort Keepers��29
Elly’s Coutoure��3
Equinosis��16
First National Bank & Trust Company��3
First National Bank��16
Gerke & Associates��16
Hampton Inn & Suites��3
Head Motor Co��22, 21
I-70 Used Cars��20
Joe Machens BMW��21
Joe Machens Ford��1, 21
Joe Machens Toyota-Scion��21, 22
JD Byrider��20
Kaldi’s Coffee��3
Kayotea Room��3
Legend Automotive Group��21
Legend Mazda��21
Lenoir Woods��3
Manhattan Closet��3
Marcy Motors��20
Medicaid��23
Medicare��23
Media Convergency Group��16
Merle Norman Cosmetics��3
Mid Mo Auto Plaza��20
Midwest Independent Bank��3
Mojo’s��14
Nebraska Banker’s Bank��3
Nasopure��16
Perry Nissan��21, 22
Perry Chevrolet��21
Premier Automotive��20
Primaris��1, 4, 9
PrimeGen��16
Ragtag Cinemacafe��14
Regional Economic Development Inc��12
Saturn of Columbia��21
Tiger Hotel��3
Universal Auto Sales��20
University Chrysler Center��21
University Hospital��3
University of Missouri Health Care��31
Uprise Bakery��14
advertisers index
Beckett & Taylor Agency�� 30
Boone County National Bank�� 36
C & S Business Services�� 34
Callaway Bank�� 5
Center for Maternal-Fetal Care�� 23
City of Columbia Public Works�� 22
City of Columbia Water & Light�� 15
Columbia Orthopaedic Group�� 21
Columbia Turf�� 25
Delta Systems Group�� 31
First National Bank�� 2
Grill One 5�� 9
Guaranty Land Title�� 16
Greenway Massage Team�� 24
Instant Imprints............................................... 4
Integrity Home Care�� 23
KT Diamond Jewelers�� 4
Maxwell Trailers�� 6, 22
McDonalds�� 32
Mid-America Specialty Markets�� 6
Mid Missouri Land & Lots�� 29
Missouri Credit Union�� 12
MU Concert Series�� 13
MU-Robert J. Trulaske, Sr.
College of Business�� 27
Shelter Insurance Agent - Matt Donnelly�� 7
Socket Internet�� 3
Stoney Creek Inn�� 24
Terrace Retirement Apts�� 29
The Tiger�� 7
Towner Communication�� 32
Triangle Blueprinting�� 29
UCIE�� 17
University of Missouri Healthcare�� 28
Visionworks Marketing & Communications�� 26
Williams and Hussey Eyecare�� 8
Williams Keepers – Raymond James�� 9
Willie Smith’s Magic Services, Inc�� 16
Wheeler Auctions�� 16
Women’s Wellness Center�� 20, 33
CBT | May 31, 2008
editor’s welcome
A classic advertisement for Joe Machens Ford from back in the
1970s, features photos of Joe Machens and his son, Dave. The script
above the cute little boy’s head reads, “My dad sells Fords.”
The ad is on the company’s Web site, along with this bit of
history: “It all began on May 5, 1969. Joe Machens moved from
St. Louis to Columbia and purchased the franchise from Tom
Allton.”
The original dealership was located downtown in the building
on East Broadway where customers now go to buy beer, The
Fieldhouse bar.
The Web site contains another fascinating historical nugget from
1979 that describes how Machens decided to start selling mopeds
and motor scooters. The energy crisis was causing gas prices to
spike, and customers were looking for economical transportation.
The experiment ended after a few months, but it demonstrated
market savvy that the company maintained through the years.
Machens Motors bought and sold several franchises, including
Isuzu, Honda, Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche. They bought the
BMW franchise in 1984, the year after Gary Drewing joined the
dealership as a partner. Machens died a decade ago and Dave and
Gary bought the Toyota franchise in 1989, from Legend Automotive
Group on Vandiver.
Rusty, Gary’s son, came on board in 2005, and Gary bought
Dave’s half of the company two years ago.
Now, more than half of the time that somebody in Columbia
buys a car or truck, he or she is writing the check to one of Machens’
dealerships.
But an upstart is gaining market share at a brisk pace, Perry
Nissan and Chevrolet, on what used to be the northern side of
town, where there’s a similar story to tell.
R. Edward Perry founded the dealership in 1961, and his son
Justin, along with partner Dennis Harper, bought the company in
1983. Justin bought out Harper a few years later and obtained the
Nissan franchise in 1987.
Now, sales at the Toyota franchise and at Nissan, which moved
last July to a larger space at Providence and Interstate 70, are outpacing Ford and Chevrolet by wide margins.
To see the details of where the competition stands today, the
CBT obtained vehicle sales records from the state Department of
Revenue, crunched the data and analyzed the trends. We found
some pretty wild swings in the popularity of different models, in
part because Columbians, as they were in Machens’ scooter-selling
days, are looking for more economical forms of transportation.
—David Reed
(573) 499-1830 | (573) 499-1831 fax
editor@businesstimescompany.com
Chris Harrison | General Manager | Ext.1010
David Reed | Group Editor | Ext.1013
Karen Pojmann | Assistant Editor | Ext.1009
Cody Moore | Graphic Designer
Alisha Moreland | Graphic Designer
Betsy Bell | Creative Services
Jennifer Kettler | Photo Editor
Cindy Sheridan | Operations Manager
Becky Beul | Marketing Representative
Kelly Murray | Marketing Representative
Joe Schmitter | Marketing Representative
Writers in this issue: Brent Beshore, Jennifer Herseim,
Randy McConnell, Jordan Milne, Jim Muench, Sean Spence,
Dave Walle, Bondi Wood
Columnists in this issue: Cathy Atkins, Al Germond, Mike Martin
The Columbia Business Times is published every other Saturday by
The Business Times Co.
2001 Corporate Place, Suite 100, Columbia, Mo 65202.
(573) 499-1830.
Copyright The Business Times Co., 2008. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of any
editorial or graphic content without the express written permission of the publisher is
prohibited.
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The Columbia Business Times strives to be Columbia’s leading source for timely and
comprehensive news coverage of the local business community. This publication is dedicated
to being the most relevant and useful vehicle for the exchange of information and ideas
among Columbia’s business professionals.
May 31, 2008 | CBT
people on the move
Hirings
Kirkwood
Emerson
Lutheran Senior Services named Kent Kirkwood its new administrator at
Lenoir Woods, a continuing care retirement community in Columbia.
Kirkwood has a long history serving the senior living community. For 10
years, he was president and CEO of the Groves, a retirement community
in Independence, Mo. In 2004, he took an interim administrator’s position with Lenoir Woods, and then worked for three years managing an
LSS community in Jefferson City.
Midwest Independent Bank has hired Robb. D. Emerson as its first vice
president/information technology manager. He brings over 15 years of
experience in technology to Midwest Independent Bank. Previously,
Emerson was the regional sales manager with 3Com/TippingPoint
Technologies, a network security company.
MIB Banc Services, LLC, the two-bank holding company of Midwest
Independent Bank and Nebraska Banker’s Bank, has hired Steven M.
Launius as an IT auditor. Previously, Launius worked as an IT Professional
at the University of Missouri where he was awarded the SANS GIAC
Certified Firewall Analyst Accreditation, which validates the skills of
computer security professionals.
Ryan Lidolph has joined First National Bank and Trust Company as
a business banking officer. He is responsible for assisting business customers with financing for their companies. Lidolph has a dual degree in
marketing and business management from Northwest Missouri State
University. He was valedictorian of his graduating class at the Missouri
Bankers Association School of Lending.
Susan Bell has been appointed general manager of the new Hampton
Inn & Suites Columbia. The hotel located across Stadium Boulevard
from the University of Missouri is scheduled to open this summer. Bell
was general manager for several hotels during her 14 year career with
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. Bell, originally from Harrisburg,
began her hotel career in Columbia first at the Holiday Inn West and
then at the old Campus Inn, which is now the new site of the Hampton
Inn & Suites-Columbia at the University of Missouri.
Honors
Lidolph
The Columbia Historic Preservation Commission has honored John
and Vicki Ott as Outstanding Local Historic Preservationists. The award,
the first ever given by the commission, was presented May 29 at 907
Alley A, one of the Ott’s most recent refurbishing projects. They have
redeveloped and restored the Paramount Building at 9th and Cherry,
which houses Bangkok Gardens and Kaldi’s Coffee; and the Dorsey
Building, 906-914 Broadway, occupied by Manhattan Closet, Merle
Norman Cosmetics, Kayotea Tea Room and Elly’s Couture. They are in
the process of restoring four buildings on Walnut near Orr Street which
are part of the warehouse/art village district; and along with their Tiger
partners, the Ott’s have completed Phase I restoration of the historic
Tiger Hotel.
Kristi Ray, executive vice president of Columbia’s Chamber of
Commerce, was selected as a fellow in the Ford Foundation Regional
Sustainable Development program. The fellowship is a 12-month program for regional leaders who help build communities and economies.
Ray will be responsible for crafting a “regional action plan” that includes
strategies to overcome regional obstacles to sustainable economic
growth and prosperity. The ACCE selected 50 business-civic leaders to
participate in the fellowship funded by the Ford Foundation.
Two University Hospital pharmacists received distinguished honors
for their contributions to health-system pharmacy. The Missouri Society
of Health-System Pharmacists named Joseph A Cameron III the organization’s 2008 Pharmacist of the Year, and Edward Ege was selected as the
MSHP Research and Education 2008 Garrison Award winner. Cameron
is the pharmacy residency coordinator at the University Hospital. The
Pharmacist of the Year Award is given annually to a MSHP member, out
of more than 450 members. Ege serves as director of the pharmacy residency program, director of the pharmacy dosing service and director of
the pharmacist anticoagulation service. The Garrison Award is presented
annually to a MSHP member who shows outstanding accomplishment
in practice.
Arshad Muzaffar, M.D., was recently named editor-in-chief of The
Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal. Muzaffar is the director of craniofacial
and pediatric plastic surgery at University of Missouri Health Care. He
oversees diagnosis and treatment of several complicated craniofacial
anomalies. As a bi-monthly international publication of the American
Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association, the journal reports on the study
and treatment of surgical procedures and the latest research related to
this abnormality. One out of every 600 newborn babies is affected by
a cleft lip or cleft palate, the fourth most common birth defect in the
United States.
CBT | May 31, 2008
economic index
City expecting revenue shortfall,
sheds declining market designation
The city of Columbia is predicting significantly lower-than-expected revenue from
sales and property taxes for the current fiscal
year.
In past years, the city’s revenue estimates
typically came in higher than expected. But
this year, sales tax revenue came in low. The
city Finance Department is estimating that
sales tax revenue for the fiscal year 2007-2008
will increase 1.5 percent from FY06-07. That’s
half of what was budgeted, which was a 3
percent increase.
Through April, the city’s sales tax revenue is about 1.5 percent above what it was
through April the previous fiscal year. In the
Compiled by Horizon Research
latest official tally of receipts, from February,
sales tax revenue rose 1.52 percent, and the
trends are shown in the two charts on this
page supplied by Horizon Research Services.
In recent years the city typically had a
property tax revenue increase of about 5
percent in new construction and a 1 percent
increase from rising real estate value, or 6
percent overall.
With the housing slump, “we’re not going
to see that for awhile,” Finance Director Lori
Fleming said. The city is budgeting for a 2
percent growth in property taxes in the current fiscal year.
(continues on Page 6)
May 31, 2008 | CBT
economic index
Economic Index ... continued from Page 5
There are positive and negative developments for the local housing industry. The
largest buyer of U.S. home loans, Fannie
Mae, eliminated its policy of requiring higher
down payments in markets where home
prices are declining, including Columbia.
The local Realtors’ board complained that
the policy was unfair and counterproductive.
But the local slump continues – sales were
17 percent lower in April compared with the
same month last year, and the median price
fell nearly 3 percent.
Columbia’s Economic Indicators
receipts
1% Sales Tax Receipts
February 2008: $1,487,874
February 2007: $1,465,610
Change (#): $22,264
Change (%): 1.52%
Value of Building Permits
– Residential
April 2008: $9,498,778
April 2007: $9,903,650
Change (#): -$404,872
Change (%): -4.1%
1% Sales Tax Receipts
Fiscal Year-to-Date 2008:
$8,219,949
Fiscal Year-to-Date 2007:
$8,080,278
Change (#): $139,671
Change (%): 1.73%
Building Permits – Detached
Single Family Homes
April 2008: 47
April 2007: 47
Change (#): 0
Change (%): 0.0%
labor
Columbia Labor Force
March 2008: 93,060
March 2007: 93,321
Change (#): -261
Change (%): -0.3%
Missouri Labor Force
March 2008: 3,014,889
March 2007: 3,022,132
Change (#): -7,243
Change (%): -0.2%
Columbia Unemployment
March 2008: 3,981
March 2007: 3,205
Change (#): 776
Change (%): 24.2%
Missouri Unemployment
March 2008: 182,511
March 2007: 146,123
Change (#): 36,388
Change (%): 24.9%
Value of Building Permits
– Detached Single
Family Homes
April 2008: $7,499,000
April 2007: $8,185,300
Change (#): -$686,300
Change (%): -8.4%
Building Permits – Residential
Additions/Alterations
April 2008: 51
April 2007: 73
Change (#): -22
Change (%): -30.1%
Value of Building
Permits – Residential
Additions/Alterations
April 2008: $830,368
April 2007: $538,350
Change (#): $292,018
Change (%): 54.2%
Value of Building
Permits – Commercial
Additions/Alterations
April 2008: $2,396,266
April 2007: $1,053,987
Change (#): $1,342,279
Change (%): 127.4%
Units Sold in Boone County
– Detached Single
Family Homes
April 2008: 166
April 2007: 201
Change (#): -35
Change (%): -17.4%
Volume of Sales in Boone
County – Detached Single
Family Homes
April 2008: $27,522,335
April 2007: $33,202,646
Change (#): -$5,680,311
Change (%): -17.1%
Median Price of Home Sales
in Boone County
April 2008: $139,500
April 2007: $143,700
Change (#): -$4,200
Change (%): -2.9%
utilities
Water Customers
April 2008: 43,812
April 2007: 42,608
Change (#): 1,204
Change (%): 2.8%
Building Permits
– Commercial
April 2008: 35
April 2007: 25
Change (#): 10
Change (%): 40.0%
Electric Customers
April 2008: 44,503
April 2007: 43,121
Change (#): 1,382
Change (%): 3.2%
Missouri Unemployment Rate
March 2008: 6.1%
March 2007: 4.8%
Change (#): 1.3%
Value of Building Permits
– Commercial
April 2008: $5,266,391
April 2007: $6,121,987
Change (#): -$855,596
Change (%): -14.0%
Sewer Customers
– Residential
April 2008: 39,478
April 2007: 37,896
Change (#): 1,582
Change (%): 4.2%
construction &
housing sales
Building Permits – Residential
April 2008: 102
April 2007: 126
Change (#): -24
Change (%): -19.0%
Building Permits
– Commercial
Additions/Alterations
April 2008: 29
April 2007: 18
Change (#): 11
Change (%): 61.1%
Sewer Customers
– Commercial
April 2008: 3,517
April 2007: 3,384
Change (#): 133
Change (%): 3.9%
Columbia
Unemployment Rate
March 2008: 4.3%
March 2007: 3.4%
Change (#): 0.9%
Contributors include: Lori Fleming, Linda Rootes, and Carol Van Gorp
Compiled by David Walle
CBT | May 31, 2008
photos by jennifer kettler
business Profile | primaris
Primaris CEO, Richard A. Royer.
Business Profile ... continued from Page 1
Primaris has about 75 employees and is located
Primaris has compiled a knowledge database of
on Keene Street just south of Columbia Regional best practices that health care providers tap into.
Hospital. It holds Missouri’s contract for the
After re-entering home-health services five years
Medicare Quality Improvement Organization and ago, the Audrain City-County Health Unit searched
the contract for a program known as CLAIM that for a company that could inform them about current
trains a network of volunteers to help Medicare best practices.
enrollees navigate the system. Medicare is the U.S.
“We needed to have some help and support,
government’s health insurance program for people and we knew that quality was our main initiative,”
65 and older and/or disabled.
administrator Kevin Lowrance said. “We’re in it for
The nonprofit organization’s annual revenue the patient, and I think with Primaris that’s true too.
has averaged about $7.2 million during the last five They’re also refreshing. With their quality initiative,
years. In 2007, Primaris’ revenue was $6.9 million.
they don’t push our noses in it.”
Asked for an example of the work Primaris does,
When Primaris hosted a conference on acute hosAndrae cited the case of a male patient who had a pitalizations, Home Health and Hospice coordinator
severe bacterial infection that went undetected Arlinda Wilson learned that by identifying high-risk
because of a procedural flaw. The patient’s doctor patients and teaching them to notify nurses of probordered three urine tests for him at the hospital and lems, the health unit could reduce the number of
expected the samples to be analyzed immediately. frequent hospital visits by the same patients.
Instead, the task was not completed and the patient
“If you implement these programs, they said our
was discharged from the hospital.
numbers would go down,” Wilson said.
Three days later his urine analysis identified
Audrain City-County Health Unit won an award
dangerous levels of e coli in his urine. A computer from Primaris for health care improvements.
program that was supposed to alert the staff about
Royer said about 20 percent of Primaris’ work is
the patient’s incomplete tests failed to warn them.
devoted to Medicare’s beneficiary complaint process
Primaris looked at how the lesson learned could and Medicare education.
improve hospitals throughout Missouri.
When CLAIM director Carol Beahan worked the
In cases such as this, Primaris acts as the “quality Medicare helpline years ago, she heard a multitude
control officer for a million Medicare patients across of consumer concerns.
the state,” CEO Richard A. Royer said. But the conMedicare beneficiaries are often left bewildered
sulting firm’s role doesn’t stop there.
by insurance plans administered through Health
(continues on Page 8)
May 31, 2008 | CBT
business Profile | primaris
Business Profile ... continued from Page 7
Carol Beahan, director of CLAIM, reviews upcoming plans for educational events.
Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) and and Kansas City areas. The not-for-profit was
Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs) and initially called the Professional Standards
by Medicare savings accounts, she said.
Review Organization, only practicing
Before 1993, Medicare enrollees had to Medicare oversight. With passage of the
navigate the complicated system on their 1986 Tax Equity Fiscal Responsibility Act
own. Once the CLAIM program was created, and its implementation a few years later, the
they had an organization to educate them. organization went through an overhaul and
Primaris has held the contract since the pro- changed a portion of its identity.
gram’s inception and says it has helped about
“As that became implemented, Medicare
135,000 Missourians save an estimated $9 began shifting our role,” Royer said.
million in out-of-pocket
When industry stanexpenses.
dards pitch and roll,
“When the opporPrimaris adjusts. Due
“Because we keep our
tunity came about for
to changing Medicare
us to apply for this
policy,
the nonprofit
finger on the pulse and
grant, it worked out
organization cut its
well because we were
workforce by more
we are close to our
working for Medicare
than half in the early
customers, I think we will
beneficiaries in other
‘90s and reworked its
ways to improve care
business model.
always be changing—we
already,” Beahan said.
“When you go from
A network of more
a
company with 200
have to be.”
than 250 volunteers
employees and six
keeps the CLAIM profield offices to one
—Dorothy Andrae
gram running, taking
office and 75 people,
what they call a benefieven over a course of
ciary’s “shoebox” full of bills and sorting out several years, there is a lot of trauma,” Royer
what Medicare covers.
said. “A lot of people are going to be leaving.
Primaris employees also work on state- The systems are going to be changing. Your
wide initiatives to educate both providers entire business model is going to be thrown
and patients on a variety of health issues from on its head.”
infections in hospitals to ways of reducing
With these challenges, Primaris’ strategy
the number of patients frequently readmitted for over 26 years is maintaining a close interto hospitals.
action with health care providers. In its early
Understanding
what
multi-faceted years, Primaris had two employees living
Primaris does can be as confusing as under- near clients; now they have 10 more field
standing the Medicare plan itself.
employees. The only way to survive, Royer
Originally located in Jefferson City, said, is to be really in touch with your client
Primaris was formed in 1982 from two state base.
medical societies. Primaris relocated about
“Because we keep our finger on the pulse
three years ago to Columbia, a better loca- and we are close to our customers, I think
tion for people traveling from the St. Louis we will always be changing—we have to be,”
business Profile | primaris
Primaris Claim Volunteer Jayne Wikoff, goes
over the generic $4 prescription costs with,
Ann Mericle, a new Medicare patient.
Andrae said. “By the nature of our work as a QIO,
we have to respond to what the government wants.
But we have to understand our providers enough to
see what they need.”
Up until a few years ago, the Medicare system
kept its programs separate from the private sector,
Royer said. Since then, business interests with private
groups have emerged as a burgeoning opportunity.
“Medicare didn’t want anything to do with them.
They started changing that a few years ago, calling
on QIOs to get more active with employer groups,”
Royer said. “That is a new and opening area for us,
so we’re very excited about that.”
Working to improve health care standards, Beahan
said Primaris is the type of company that can be personally satisfying, even when benefits don’t come
until years later. In 2003, Primaris joined a national
smoking cessation program called Healthy Aging.
At the time, Beahan was unsure how the program
would impact lives.
“I didn’t know exactly what the outcome of that
project was, but we participated in it with some of
our health care providers in this area and it worked,”
she said. v
Primaris
www.primaris.org
(573) 817-8300 or toll free (800) 735-6776
200 N. Keene Street
CBT | May 31, 2008
10 May 31, 2008 | CBT
From the Roundtable
Will Columbia be winner or loser as energy costs escalate?
Al Germond
Al Germond is the
host of the “Columbia
Business Times Sunday
Morning Roundtable”
every Sunday at 8:15
a.m. on kfru. He can
be reached at al@
columbiabusinesstimes.
com.
In any situation there will be those who win
and those who are not so fortunate and end
up losing. As the cost of energy in this country
escalates, some of the winners and losers are
already well known. Today’s losers, though,
could end up becoming tomorrow’s winners,
and I like Columbia’s chances in this evolving
environment.
The biggest loser right now is the United
States. This country’s precarious position visà-vis petroleum and the government’s sluggish
and all but inept position in dealing with the
situation leaves me piqued. The popular anger
that accelerates daily in pace with the steadily
rising cost of petroleum products will sooner
or later lead to a bold program that will hopefully make the U.S. a winner when it comes to
energy. To solve the problem, we need to wage
the equivalent of a war effort.
Selfishly thinking about our own area of
the country, I believe Columbia will end up a
winner. Unfortunately, this will probably be at
the expense of areas that lie within the existing
zone of commuting that extends dozens and
dozens of miles outward in all directions.
Certainly this is not without precedent.
Major population shifts have occurred in
waves over time as the United States shifted
from an agrarian to an industrial and servicebased economy. Rural areas have been depopulated as cities and their suburbs saw their
populations increase and territories expand
as measured by succeeding federal decennial
censuses.
A substantial number of the people who
work in Columbia and its immediate outlying
area don’t actually live here. Stories abound
of daily commutes up to 90 miles each way
because Columbia is the location of good jobs
that pay pretty well, while back home there
may not be any place to work.
Gasoline used to be an expense of trifles.
At $4 a gallon, more and more of us are now
asking what it costs to go somewhere before
we set out. While a round-trip to St. Louis (250
miles) may be a little far for a commute on a
daily basis, this excursion now costs $40.00
in a vehicle stingy enough to get 25 miles per
gallon. A year ago, that same trip would have
cost about half as much.
Many who work in Columbia have typical
commutes that range from 60 to 100 miles
round trip. This leaves those individuals with
an increased chunk out of their family budget
just to get to where they work. For example,
take the thousands who commute from
Columbia to Jefferson City or vice versa who
spend at least 300 miles on the road a week and
based on 25 miles per gallon are spending at
least $48.00 to get to their jobs and back. Surely
things will have to change.
How much time will pass before some entrepreneur decides to open up a bus line between
Columbia and Jefferson City? There used to be
a bus line linking the two cities that was operated by Missouri Transit Lines, but that’s now
just a memory.
In addition to restoring links to the state
capital, I anticipate new bus connections will tie
Columbia to other communities in the region.
With ridership on Columbia’s municipal transit
system surging, the Wabash Depot could be
really stressed as the nexus of a regional mass
transportation network.
Then some commuters may get tired of
driving while family economics may force
others to something really drastic: move closer
to their jobs. Here’s a huge economic opportunity for the Greater Columbia area. It will begin
as some look for a place to “crash” during the
week to curtail the number of fuel-consuming
round trips. I envision a market for thousands
of sleeping rooms occupied four nights a week
that would rescue what is now conceded to be
an over-built rental market.
Some may consider buying a house.
Thousands of new residences would be built.
With careful planning and assurances of affordability, the boom would be inevitable. From
the selfish view of someone who lives within
Fortress Columbia, I like the city’s chances as
the energy situation tightens up. Growth and
expansion will continue so we better plan for
it. The current energy crisis is going to put
Columbia in the winner’s circle.
Citizen Journalist
In Columbia, slapping critics with The Scarlet Label
Mike Martin
Columbia resident
and science journalist
Mike Martin earned
a master’s degree in
business administration
from the University
of Washington, with
a concentration in
entrepreneurship and
innovation. He can
be reached at mike.
martin@nasw.org.
“RUARACIST?”
Imagine opening an e-mail – from a
Columbia school board member, no less – with
that in the subject line.
I opened this doozy not long ago. Responding to my critique of school superintendent Phyllis Chase, the board member
told me I was “perpetuating the [Columbia
Daily] Tribune’s bias against Dr. Chase.” Racial implications continued in another
e-mail, in which this individual noted that if
“members of the Waters family were among
the biggest beneficiaries of ‘urban renewal’ in
the 1960’s” and if the “Tribune building was
indeed built where Sharp End – a well-known
African-American business district – was, it
was all an “interesting coincidence.”
“How dare…!” my wife said. I agreed. Criticism is not racism just because its object is the
district’s African-American leader. To suggest
otherwise is to inject an element of ethnicity
where it doesn’t belong. It was just another instance of someone in
a position of power applying an inappropriate
label – “racist” – to shut down a critic or
challenger. Watershed moment
Former Tribune columnist Tony Messenger
wrote about this sort of name-calling in a July
20, 2005, column, “Opposition group fights
those who too quickly label them.”
Messenger followed a group of citizens
called TARRIF, who joined forces to fight tax
increases they thought were unfair. “Traci
Wilson-Kleekamp is a nut. A kook even,” he
began the column. “Ditto Ben Londeree, Renee
Richmond and DeAnna Walkenbach. And
don’t forget Karl Skala. The whole bunch is
nuttier than a fruitcake.”
Harsh words for citizens many would have
just as eagerly labeled “caring and engaged.”
But “that’s what you’ll hear from a few selfappointed city leaders in the next few months
as Columbia debates an expected vote in
November,” Messenger admitted. “For their
efforts, they’ll be labeled loud-mouthed, antigrowth, not-in-my-backyard troublemakers.”
Why the labels? In TARRIF’s case, City Hall
and other establishment players wanted “to do
all the talking, and they want us to shut up,”
Wilson-Kleekamp opined. But the group pressed on, with WilsonKleekamp telling Messenger that she was
fully aware “the more she spoke out, the
more some folks would try to marginalize her
views,” which included wanting “the city to
develop a comprehensive growth plan before
it decided to start seeking tax increases,”
Messenger wrote. Likewise, Skala wanted the Columbia
“Planning and Zoning Commission – from
which he was recently removed – to have
more say in the development process,” while
Richmond and Walkenbach wanted “developers to treat residents’ property rights as
equal to their own.”
In defeating two of six proposed taxes, the
group created a watershed moment in our little
burg’s political history. Gone were the days of
dismissing establishment critics as crackpots. Columbia would never be the same. The Scarlet Label Despite a grassroots revolution that, three
years later, has seen once marginalized players,
such as Skala, ascend to the city council and
several stern status-quo rebukes at the ballot
box, establishment players – and former players
– still play the labeling game. Public hearings “bring out the cranks, the
professional complainers and those with an
ideological ax to grind,” former Columbia
school board member Kerry Crist commented
in the Tribune last week, while noting that not
enough people attend public meetings. Largely considered an “august body” of
educated and successful elites, the school board
has sported many of the labeling game’s most
practiced players. At a recent meeting, members slapped several labels – from “alarmist” to
“micromanager” – on Inez Segert, a colleague
who challenged proposed budget cuts. Those labels didn’t make sense, and they
rarely do. Tribune publisher Hank Waters did not
“kill” the district’s tax levy, as several levy supporters suggested at Flat Branch Restaurant
last election eve. Voters killed it, and by a large
margin.
(continues on Page 17)
CBT | May 31, 2008 11
Legislature lets businesses avoid immigration checks
By Randy McConnell
Missouri business dodged a bullet as the 2008 legislative session ended.
Amid the political fervor of anti-immigrant rhetoric,
the General Assembly passed two pieces of legislation
that prohibit businesses from hiring undocumented
workers, but did not require Missouri companies
to use a federal system to check whether potential
workers are properly documented.
cbt analysis
Since early in the session, business organizations
had united against any provision that would require
companies in the state to use the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security’s computerized “e-verify” system
to determine whether a worker could be hired.
Business groups such as the Missouri Chamber
of Commerce and Industry, Associated Industries of
Missouri and National Federation of Independent
Business had argued that the e-verify system had too
high an error rate to be a good tool for businesses.
Under the bill that passed, only companies with
state government contracts are required to use the
federal system.
Gary Marble, president of Associated Industries,
said the legislation is unlikely to cause problems for
Missouri companies because almost all the violations
involve businesses that knowingly hire workers who
are in this country illegally. Even without e-verify,
prosecutors would have difficulty proving businesses
hired illegal immigrants, he said.
Dan Mehan, who heads the Missouri Chamber,
said in a prepared statement that Missouri businesses
should not be expected to act as anti-immigration
extensions of federal agencies involved with customs.
“We do not need to poison that environment by scaring
business from the state with legislation that burdens
“We do not need to poison that
environment by scaring business
from the state with legislation that
burdens Missouri businesses with
immigration enforcement.”
—Dan Mehan, Missouri Chamber of Commerce
Missouri businesses with immigration enforcement,”
Mehan said.
The statement was notably and unusually cool
toward the Republican legislature, which generally
has had close ties to the business community. Early
on, House Speaker Rod Jetton co-sponsored legislation that would have required businesses to check
prospective workers through e-verify. But Jetton, who
is considered pro-business, soured on the idea after
business lobbyists put him under pressure.
The legislation instead allows companies to use everify as an affirmative defense if they later are found
to have hired an illegal immigrant.
For the first offense of hiring an illegal immigrant,
companies would lose their local and state licenses
and permits for 14 days. On the second offense, the
penalty rises to one year. They permanently lose their
licenses and permits on the third conviction.
The legislature passed the bill and avoided a late
threat by Gov. Matt Blunt to call a special session if it
failed. The Republican governor had gained considerable national media attention about his proposed
crackdown on illegal immigrants before he decided
not to run for another term as governor.
Marble, a former GOP lawmaker, said some
Missouri businesses could face difficulties because
of a successful amendment that imposes penalties if
they hire an illegal immigrant as an independent contractor. Businesses that “misclassify” an employee as
a contractor would face fines of $50 a day per worker,
up to $50,000.
Sen. Tim Green, a north St. Louis County Democrat
and union official who has headed the state building
trades council, had sought the change to make sure
contractors hired legally, withheld and reported taxes
and paid fringe benefits – which construction trades
contractors often avoid in some areas by hiring undocumented workers.
At one point, Senate sponsor Scott Rupp, a St.
Charles County Republican, said he understood
Green’s intent, but viewed the amendment as “radioactive” for several House members. However, the
language remained in the version passed by the full
House and Senate. v
Insure Missouri failure leaves reform in limbo
By Randy McConnell
JEFFERSON CITY—The dust has begun to settle
on the corpse of Insure Missouri, Gov. Matt Blunt’s
rather sudden and unexpected conversion to using the
state government’s power to expand access to basic
health care.
cbt analysis
But its failure has left health insurance reform on the
state level in limbo, and one current effort, undertaken
by the Missouri Foundation for Health, was quickly
mired in a partisan skirmish.
Blunt on Tuesday accused the foundation of being
controlled by Attorney General Jay Nixon, the presumptive Democratic nominee for governor. Blunt
said the foundation has been unwilling to collaborate
with the state to improve health care.
James Kimmey, the foundation CEO and president,
told CBT that while Nixon appointed the original
board, “no one is left from that original board and the
members have all gone through an election process.
The attorney general in my years of working here has
never once asked us to fund any particular program
and the governor is doing that now. It’s exactly what
he accuses the attorney general of doing.”
Two years ago, Blunt led the Missouri legislature
to eliminate coverage or reduce services to about
400,000 Missourians in the Medicaid program. But
last September, Blunt announced a new program that
would eventually add almost 200,000 to the rolls of
government-funded health care.
For Missouri employers of low-wage workers,
Insure Missouri promised a government-subsidized
path to health insurance—an increasingly scarce com-
modity for that workforce, although its scope was
unclear. Paradoxically, Insure Missouri excluded many
of the poor and disabled who previously were cut and
added able-bodied workers and parents who would
cost less to insure.
Heading into 2008, before Blunt announced he
wouldn’t seek re-election, the program lacked many
firm details. By mid-January, early legislative hearings indicated that it lacked the most basic detail – the
For Missouri employers of low-wage
workers, Insure Missouri promised
a government-subsidized path to
health insurance—an increasingly
scarce commodity for
that workforce.
legal grounds for existing. The Blunt administration
was relying on appropriations language, good for
only one year, to launch the effort. Rules to launch the
plan were stymied, Blunt shelved enrollment in the
first phase and legislators began trying to write language to launch a whole new program for low-income
workers.
By then, Blunt was a one-term governor, and his
key staff was departing. The Senate revived Insure
Missouri, but the House rejected it as the speaker and
key committee chairmen became bogged down in a
dispute over medical facility construction.
A joint conference committee removed Insure
Missouri from the budget in May, sealing its fate.
Where does Missouri head now, as the number
of uninsured has risen from 668,000 residents a year
ago to 772,000, according to a U.S. Census Bureau
estimate?
The mourners over Insure Missouri have no natural
leader. Blunt is preparing to leave, and any bold policy
initiatives are unlikely this year.
Nixon has adopted the standard party line about
restoring the eligibility of those cut from Medicaid
in 2005 – a line more useful to political rhetoric than
policy formulation.
The Republicans vying for Blunt’s seat, U.S. Rep.
Kenny Hulshof and State Treasurer Sarah Steelman,
have hesitated to criticize the governor’s performance
or propose alternatives for reducing the number of
uninsured Missourians.
Business groups historically have avoided leadership roles on overarching health policy issues
and showed little to no interest in Insure Missouri.
Affiliated organizations are taking on segments of the
overall issues such as transparency in cost and quality
measures.
The public, however, shows an inclination to act.
Missouri voter interest was kindled after Blunt’s
Medicaid cuts, and health care policy consistently
ranks in the top three issues in national voter surveys. Small wonder: health insurance premiums for
workers rose 87 percent from 2000 to 2006, compared
to 16 percent for worker wages. In 2006, premiums
actually slowed to a 7.7 percent rise – compared with a
3.8 increase in wages.
(continues on Page 24)
12 May 31, 2008 | CBT
Public-private partnership
formed to develop ‘shovelready’ industrial sites
By Bondi Wood
Bill Watkins
Ken Pearson
Jeff MacLellan
Steve Erdel
Bernie Andrews
Paul Land
Amid downbeat news on local efforts to attract industrial employers, a
public-private partnership group has formed to attract potential employers to
Columbia and Boone County.
Literally starting from the ground up, the non-profit organization is actively
trying to dig the local economy out of its slump by locating and purchasing large
tracts of vacant land, then completing the often difficult pre-permitting activities. The goal is to make the sites “shovel ready” for potential employers.
The Columbia Area Jobs Foundation (CAJF) is a nine-member board made
up of community leaders from both the public and private sector. Presiding
Commissioner Ken Pearson represents Boone County and City Manager Bill
Watkins represents the city. Also serving on the board are representatives
from the Columbia Chamber of Commerce and REDI, Regional Economic
Development Inc. Although the board has been meeting for more than a year,
it just became official in March when it was awarded its non-profit status.
The primary goal of the CAJF is to fill a void in the current shovel-ready
land available in Columbia and Boone County. The lack of such sites was identified in a 10-year report compiled by REDI President Bernie Andrews in April.
Andrews and his staff compiled a list of companies that considered Columbia
and Boone County as project sites between 1997 and 2007. Chief among the
reasons that Columbia was passed over in the site selection process was a lack
of affordable land ready for construction, according to REDI’s findings. Cases
in which the area failed to make the “short list” of potential employers is documented in the 10-year report.
The report states, “The number one reason for the lack of success in the
attraction of new manufacturing projects and other desired primary employers
to Columbia/Boone County has been the absence of a community-based, nonprofit development group continuously working to secure industrial land and
create industrial sites with infrastructure that are available at a low-cost or
competitive price.”
Foundation President Paul Land describes the CAJF as one more means to
attract employers to Columbia. “It’s another tool,” Land said. “If you don’t
have the right tools in the toolbox, how are you going to build the appropriate
house?”
There is a national movement among cities to offer prepared sites, which
expedites the site location decision-making process and can give communities
a competitive edge in attracting major employers. The CAJF would negotiate
the required hurdles of utility installation, environmental reports, zoning, and
traffic counts; thereby eliminating the time and effort a potential buyer would
need to get land ready for construction.
According to Land, potential employers want “known utilities, known land
prices and known zoning” prior to committing to a site. “We can’t just ask them
to sit tight while we try to get land re-zoned for their purposes,” Land says.
Land believes that the Boone County Commission and Columbia City
Council may have more faith in an entity like the CAJF than in private property
owners. “They may be reluctant to grant certain types of zoning to private
property owners, but may be more willing to grant it to an entity like us,” he
said. Although the focus appears to be on moderately priced, shovel-ready land,
the ultimate goal of the CAJF is creating employment opportunities in midMissouri. “This is about creating jobs,” Andrew said. “Profit’s not the motive;
it’s jobs and investment in our community. … We want to complement rather
than compete with existing landowners.”
Citing specifically Trade Wind Park, which is to date the largest shovelready commercial site in Boone County, Andrews said, “Trade Wind is going
to be a great asset. We don’t want to be in competition with private developers.
We’re glad they’re putting in parks that are shovel-ready. Our price points will
just be different.”
Though there is vacant commercial land in Columbia and Boone County,
it’s not the size and topography required by most companies looking to locate
here. Although Andrews could not disclose specifics, he did say that members
of the CAJF Board had already identified and visited some potential sites for
purchase by the group. Also, according to Andrews, the potential sites are on
the outskirts of the city. “To keep the price down, we’re going to have to go out
a little bit. The group is looking at several options right now,” he said.
Because the CAJF is a not-for-profit foundation, it can accept donations of
land and raise money to purchase land. “We haven’t made specific fundraising
plans,” Andrews says, “It’s critical that we get started identifying properties.”
(continues on Page 15)
14 May 31, 2008 | CBT
Ginny Chadwick
Operations Manager,
Columbia Locally Owned Retail & Services, COLORS
AGE: 30
JOB DESCRIPTION:
Helping locally owned businesses expand their network and draw attention to the advantages of buying local. I coordinate
behind-the-scenes activities for COLORS and public outreach. I also help plan promotions and community events
for COLORS and keep businesses involved in the not-for-profit organization. Current projects include the COLORS
Community Party on June 12 at Mojo’s and public service announcements scheduled to run on KBIA and KOPN.
YEARS LIVED IN COLUMBIA: 11 years
ORIGINAL HOMETOWN: Harrisonville, Mo., a rural town south of Kansas City, where everyone knows each other by
name. While in high school, I worked in a shoe store that my father had built.
EDUCATION: I earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri in consumer and family economics,
with an emphasis in personal financial planning
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: There is virtually nothing in the local community that I haven’t tried to get involved
in. COLORS allows me to connect with all local businesses and the events that they have going on. I am also
secretary for Big Canoe (a sustainable, urban agriculture organization), a La Leche League leader (a mother-tomother breastfeeding support group), involved in Roots (a self-directed learning community), a T/F volunteer
and an active participant in Bike Walk and Wheel Week.
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND: While in college, I worked at First National Bank, the only locally owned bank in
Columbia. After several years there, I became a full-time mother for my two daughters. I had the opportunity to
help at several locally owned businesses during that time, which is what brought me to COLORS. COLORS gives
me the opportunity to support all local businesses in one job.
A COLUMBIA BUSINESSPERSON I ADMIRE AND WHY:
Local food and farmers are very important to me. What they do for our community is something that I feel I can
never be thankful enough for! One farm specifically is Ken and Jen Muno at Goatsbeard Farm. Ken and Jen have
followed their dreams, creating a beautiful farm and making an amazing local cheese. By bringing their family and
business together, they constantly work to create a local business that can succeed in the current economy.
WHY I’M PASSIONATE ABOUT MY JOB: Buying locally is important, and I am very passionate about helping the community
understand why. As COLORS operations manager, I strive to fulfill COLORS objectives to raise public awareness, help
create branding for local businesses, coordinate group promotions and keep Columbia the colorful community it is.
IF I WEREN’T DOING THIS FOR ALIVING, I WOULD...work for a local business, maybe even own one. (But after seeing the amount
of commitment that goes into local business ownership, I realize that it would be very difficult to do while raising
children).
BIGGEST CAREER OBSTACLE I’VE OVERCOME AND HOW: Local business owners are the busiest people! Sometimes it is challenging
to get them to commit to or find time to promote their business with COLORS. I find going to them works best, since they
rarely leave their businesses.
A FAVORITE RECENT PROJECT: Planning community events is one of my favorite things to do. Currently we are planning a
community party to help educate citizens on the importance of buying locally and to meet local business owners. I get to
interact with local business owners and some of the best local musicians to put together a great event, which takes place at
Mojo’s at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 12.
WHAT PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THIS PROFESSION: It’s fulfilling to be an advocate for an organization that spreads the word
about how important it is to shop at local businesses. Locally owned businesses are better for our economy and keep more
money circulating within our community. They live in our community and make decisions that affect them directly, helping
create a unique character for Columbia.
WHAT I DO FOR FUN: I enjoy bringing people in the community together, especially outdoors. I love riding my bike downtown and
eating at a local restaurant with my children, especially when restaurants serve food from our local farmers.
FAMILY: I have two amazing daughters that I homeschool – Aubrielle, 8, and Savannah, 5.
FAVORITE PLACE IN COLUMBIA: Columbia is full of amazing spaces. The new Uprise/Ragtag space is currently our family’s favorite.
We also really enjoy Stephen’s Lake Park, but there is nothing like going out to Goatsbeard Farm and playing with the goats!
ACCOMPLISHMENT I’M MOST PROUD OF: Being a mom! There is nothing in life that will center you and make you realize the
importance of life until you are with your children. Teaching them to value their community and being patient with them at their
level are the most challenging jobs I have ever had.
MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW THAT I...get tired. I have an amazing amount of energy that I love to give to many things, but, yes, even I get tired
sometimes.v
photo by jennifer kettler
CBT | May 31, 2008 15
Industrial Recruitment ... continued from Page 12
Columbia Area Jobs Foundation (CAJF) Members
Executive Committee—2008
President
Paul Land, Plaza Real Estate Company
Vice President
B. Jeffrey MacLellan, The Landrum Company
Secretary
Steve Erdel, Boone County National Bank
& Trust Company
Board of Directors
Representing Boone County
Presiding Commissioner Ken Pearson
Representing the City of Columbia
City Manager H. William Watkins, III
Representing the Columbia
Chamber of Commerce
Steve Erdel, President, Boone County National
Bank & Trust Company (listed above). Paul Land,
Plaza Real Estate Company (listed above). Larry
Moore, Harold E. Johnson Companies, Inc. Don
Stamper, Central Missouri Development Council
Representing Regional Economic
Development, Inc.
Dave Griggs, Dave Griggs’ Flooring America
B. Jeffrey MacLellan, The Landrum Group (listed
above). Mike Vangel, Vangel Marketing
Communications
Industrial Projects lost as summarized in the REDI Prospect
Reports from Fiscal Years 1997–2007
* This is not an exhaustive list, but includes larger prospects and their reasons for not locating in
Columbia/Boone County.
YEAR
COMPANY TYPE
LOCATION CRITERIA
REASON(S) FOR ELIMINATION NOTES
2007
Food
Manufacturer
$165 million
investment, 170 jobs
65+ Acre Site
1,000,000 gallons
per day (GPD) water.
800,000 gallons per
day waste water. Large
natural gas user.
Unable to find a site for sale that had capacity to
handle infrastructure requirements. Site of interest
in Columbia was not for sale and had infrastructure
costs estimated at $3.9 million for sewer upgrades.
Ashland site at airport required infrastructure
upgrades costing over $20 million. Company
purchased existing building elsewhere.
2007
Food
Manufacturer
Site size: 35-40 acres
236,000 (GPD) water
200,000 (GPD)
wastewater
Industrial Zoning
Rail access preferred
Eliminated based on land prices and lack of
shovel-ready site. Consultant specifically indicated
that the land price at $2 per square foot was out
of the question. Only site in Columbia was unable
to accommodate building size, and site required
significant sewer upgrades.
2007
Information
Technology
Local workforce
of 100 Information
technology graduates/
professionals. Required
local incentive of
at least $250,000.
Existing office of
10,000–15,000 square
feet.
This company was interested in Columbia area due
to the potential of hiring IT graduates. This was a
competitive project that would have required a local
incentive of at least $250,000. REDI was able to
put together an incentive package that garnered a
site visit. While the company was in further review
of local real estate, the company’s customer base
flattened due to economic conditions. Columbia
could be a viable location in future years after new
business is obtained.
2002
Automotive Parts
Manufacturer
200 employees
Existing facility of
75,000–100,000 square
feet
A Columbia building was one of two finalists for a
Canadian auto parts manufacturing project. The
company made several rounds of community visits
and interviewed local plant managers and human
resources staff. REDI staff also visited company
headquarters. Company eliminated Columbia due
to a lack of local incentives, labor rates and better
air service in the competing community.
2001
Printing
60,000 sq. ft. existing
building
A family-owned West Coast printing company was
considering relocation to Columbia, or one of two
other Midwest cities. The owner and family visited
Columbia and looked at an industrial facility, visited
schools, and looked at homes. The building in
Columbia was suitable, but we were eliminated
due to lack of air service options for the 300+
customers that would be visiting the plant.
2001
Major Distribution
Center – Fortune
500 Retailer
Site of 125 acres for
warehousing and
distribution center
This was a warehouse/distribution center project
with Phase 1 construction costs of $15-20 million.
Finding a site of 125 acres was problematic, but
a farm site in Boone County was on the short list,
although it lacked infrastructure. Boone County
was eliminated due to a low unemployment rate,
transportation challenges with the site and the lack
of incentives. The project eventually located in
another Missouri community.
1999
Fortune 500
Distribution
Center
Site search was for a
250-acre rail-served
site
National real estate consulting firm was moving
forward on a 250-acre rail site in Centralia for a
150-employee major distribution center requiring
rail service. The consultant made several trips to
the area, and negotiated an option to purchase
250 acres from the owner. The project would have
required an extensive infrastructure investment.
This project was eventually terminated due to an
industry downturn.
16 May 31, 2008 | CBT
Fledgling companies earn Centennial investments
By Sean Spence
Nearly three years after its inception, Centennial
Investors has gained momentum. The high-net-worth
investors now have provided funds for five early stage
companies, all of which will be based in Columbia.
Two companies have formally received investments
from Centennial Investors. Three others have received
investments from individual members, separate from
the group’s involvement.
The two companies that have made it through the
entire process and are now officially receiving money
through Centennial Investors are Equinosis and
Nasopure. Equinosis has invented a technology that
diagnoses and analyzes lameness in horses. Nasopure
developed an all-natural nasal wash system designed
to cleanse the nasal passages, reducing illness and
allergies.
The three remaining companies – Innovia Medical,
PrimeGen and Media Convergency Group—benefit
indirectly from Centennial Investors’ activities.
Innovia Medical produces a device that checks for
signs of inner ear infections, and PrimoGen says it has
developed a cleaner and more efficient way to convert
fuel into electricity. Media Convergence Group, an
online media company, recently relocated from Silicon
Valley to Columbia.
Centennial Investors was founded three years ago
through the Columbia Chamber of Commerce as a way
to commemorate the chamber’s 100-year anniversary.
Today, it is a collection of close to 50 individuals with
the financial capacity and interest to invest in risky,
early stage ventures. Commonly called an “Angel
Network” because beneficiaries often view the investments as miraculous, this sort of group is considered
an essential component for a community that wants a
technology-centered economic development strategy.
The investments are significant signs of success, following a three-year process that started with building
the network from nothing.
“We spent a year and a half putting this thing
together,” noted Gene Gerke, a Centennial Investors
founding member and president of business consulting
firm Gerke & Associates. “The fact that we’ve already
had this many investments in little old Columbia,
Missouri, really says something.”
Andrew Beverley, Centennial Investors president and chairman and CEO of First National Bank,
praised both Columbia’s business community and the
University of Missouri for their roles in helping the
investment group reach this point.
“I could not be happier with the involvement of the
community and the university,” he said. “I have been
particularly impressed with the quality of research
at MU and its potential to lead to jobs right here in
Mid-Missouri.”
Equinosis provides an example of this involvement,
originating at MU’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
At least once each month, group members view
presentations by companies seeking investment. This
is part of a lengthy process designed to evaluate each
company’s viability, growth potential and interest to
assembled investors. The group looks for companies
that need six-figure investments. “Two-hundred- to
five-hundred- thousand-dollar investments tend to
fall into our sweet spot,” Beverley said.
The next step for Centennial Investors is to look
for more investments, Gerke said. “We’ve got another
members’ meeting next month where a new company
will make a presentation,” he said. “We’ll just keep on
rolling.” v
Andrew Beverly (left), John Thompson and Gene Gehrke.
+8*(7:2'$<75867$8&7,21
´$%62/87(µ
Located near Bunceton, in
Cooper County, Missouri
Vince Millard Revocable Trust, Emprise Bank,
Successor Trustee
Friday, June 6, 2008, beginning at 10:00 A.M.
—Personal Property
Saturday, June 7, 2008 beginning
at 10:00 A.M.
—Real Estate & Machinery
Real Estate consists of 692 acres m/l located
in Cooper County, Missouri and will be sold
in one tract. Improvements include Morton
buildings and pipe fencing. Highway 5 road
frontage.
Sale price will be figured on the total
amount of sale and not by the acre.
CBT | May 31, 2008 17
Smart Thinking » Cathy Atkins
Price is rarely the real issue…
unless you make it one
In sales, there’s one objection that stands out
above all the rest. It’s the single-most common
and by far the most feared of all objections.
Just the thought of it can make a salesperson
stammer, offer discounts and hide.
Every salesperson has heard it before: “Your
prices are high. I can get it from your competition cheaper. What can you do for me?”
Price objections should never get in the way
of completing a sale. A better presentation or
stronger closing tactics will not help you navigate the price conversation. In fact, the only way
you can inoculate against price as an issue is to
do a better job earlier in your selling process.
I travel across the country, teaching high-level
negotiation tactics…and the biggest problem
people have with negotiation is the fact that
it’s typically triggered by poor salesmanship
upfront.
It’s like squeezing water from a rag. You
squeeze and get a few drops, so what do you do?
Squeeze harder. Squeeze until it stops dripping.
The trick is to learn not to drip from the start.
Be alert for the problems you bring to the
selling process (or the lack thereof) that trigger a
commodity-based sale rather than a value-based
sale. Some problem areas include:
• You present a solution with a price tag that
is out of line with the prospect’s expectations. In
that situation, price isn’t the problem, you are!
Either you didn’t uncover the relevant issues
surrounding the investment for your product or
service, such as available budget, funding, previous investments and current limitations, or if
you did, you ignored what you discovered.
• Your prospect’s perception of what you offer
is inconsistent with the investment necessary. If
the prospect views you as just another vendor
or provider of the product or service, price will
be the only differentiating factor. Someone will
always offer the product or service more cheaply.
Price is not the problem. The problem is lack of
differentiation — your inability to develop a
relationship where the prospect recognizes the
value you bring to the table, value that he would
lose by dealing with your competitor.
• You are trying to do business in the wrong
market. The marketplace is ever changing.
Various market segments that once encompassed
desirable prospects may not present the same
opportunity today. In that case, your problem
is not price. Any price is too high to someone
who doesn’t need your product or service. The
problem is tunnel vision (or perhaps lack of flexibility or creativity). Take off the blinders. Test
the waters with new markets. Call on markets
you previously avoided and stretch outside your
comfort zone.
• You are trying to sell what you want to sell
or what you think the prospect needs, not what
the prospect wants to buy. People buy what they
want, not necessarily what they need. If you
enter a selling situation predisposed to what you
are going to sell, you will miss the opportunity to
sell what the prospect is ready to buy. The prospect may object to the price, but the real obstacle
may well be your own rigidity.
• Your prospect perceives that you are only
trying to “make a sale.” You must have a genuine,
sincere concern for your prospects – and it must
show. If you act and sound like a stereotypical
salesperson, a bit too eager and enthusiastic, and
appear to be out to make a sale at any cost, your
prospect will feel like the proverbial lamb led to
the slaughter. Any price will be too high.
• You don’t focus on the big picture. If a
prospect views your product or service as a temporary or quick fix, rather than an integral part
of a long-term solution, the perceived value of
the return on his investment will be far less than
reality. What will the prospect be willing to pay?
Far less than you are asking. If your strategy is to
“get your foot in the door” with an initial sale in
the hope of securing future business, make sure
that initial sale is specifically tied to a predefined
future relationship. Not only will the prospect be
more willing to pay your price, he won’t be out
looking for another supplier while you provide
a temporary fix.
Don’t blame prospects for price objections.
Instead, examine your attitudes, actions and
strategies. Make sure you’re not creating your
own roadblocks. Remember, negotiation is no
substitute for poor selling. v
© 2008 Sandler Systems, Inc. Sandler Training provides sales & management training and consulting.
For information or to comment on the column, call
Catherine Atkins @ 573-445-7694 or email her at
atkins@awarenessmanagement.com.
Voices—Martin ... continued from Page 10
When at the district’s first “listening forum,”
amidst groping for the message voters intended
with that defeat, I suggested they might have
fired the superintendent, board member Steve
Calloway scolded me for “getting personal.” But
the superintendent is a high-ranking public official, and the discussion had nothing to do with
her personal life. Speak no evil
I often ask myself why the things my mother
taught me – and insisted I teach my own children – are so often junked in adult life.
Johnny, think for yourself. Johnny, stand
up for what you believe in. Johnny, get
involved. Vote. Run for public office.
But name-calling – especially in a smallish
town – can make getting involved intimidating
enough to shut down debate, which often
appears to be the establishment’s end game. Will
they think I’m a crank if I criticize the tax levy,
or a professional complainer if I report the mold
problem at Benton Elementary? Will they think I
have an ideological ax to grind if I advocate for a
different math curriculum?
See no evil; hear no evil; speak no evil. Is that
why violent crime is pounding our town? See no gangs; hear no gangs. Everything, dear
citizen, is absolutely fine.
18 May 31, 2008 | CBT
Ranking Columbia’s dealersh
Ford still No. 1, Nissan, Toyota, Kia growing fa
Joe Machens Ford-Lincoln Mercury
1911 West Worley
www.joemachensford.com
Gary Drewing, owner
Joe Machens Toyota-Scion
900 Bernadette Dr.
www.joemachenstoyota.com
Gary Drewing, owner
#1 in sales
New vehicle sales 2007: 4,054
Change from 2006: -8%, -374
Total vehicle sales 2007: 9,102
Change from 2006: -4%. -391
1st quarter 2008 total sales: 2,284
1st quarter change: 2%
#2 in sales
#2 in % sales growth
New vehicle sales 2007: 3,023
Change from 2006: +78% 1,327
Total vehicle sales 2007: 5,061
Change from 2006: +45% +1,568
1st quarter 2008 total sales: 1,297
1st quarter change: 12%
Joe Machens BMW
1510 I-70 Drive SW
www.joemachensbmw.com
Gary Drewing, owner
Perry Nissan
201 Nebraska Ave, I-70 a
Providence Road
www.perrynissan.com
Justin Perry, owner
#10 in sales
New vehicle sales 2007: 224
Change from 2006: +N/A% 224
Total vehicle sales 2007: 666
Change from 2006: +N/A% +666
1st quarter 2008 total sales: 194
1st quarter change: 35%
Justin Perry, owner
Gary Drewing, owner
Columbia Hyundai/Dodge
City Motors
1300 Vandiver Dr.
www.columbiahyundaimo.com
Larry Estes, owners
Lou Fusz Saturn of Columbia
210 Nebraska Ave.
saturnc.fusz.com
Lou Fusz, owner
#5 in sales
New vehicle sales 2007: 223
Change from 2006: +19% 35
Total vehicle sales 2007: 481
Change from 2006: -3% -16
1st quarter 2008 total sales: 104
1st quarter change: -20%
New vehicle sales 2007: 822
Change from 2006: +8% 63
Total vehicle sales 2007: 1,556
Change from 2006: +6% +87
1st quarter 2008 total sales: 324
1st quarter change: -12%
Perry Chevrolet
1 Business Loop 70
www.perrychevrolet.com
Justin Perry and
Bob McCosh, owners
#11 in sales
Legend Automotive
Group Mercedes-Benz
Pontiac Cadillac
500 Vandiver Dr.
www.legendgm.com
Richard Vairo, owner
Legend Mazda
500 Vandiver Dr.
www.legendgm.com
Richard Vairo, owner
hips:
astest
#3 in sales
D
By David Walle and David Reed
iversification is good strategy for investing, and it’s a
pretty good idea for auto dealerships in Columbia, too,
according to an analysis of car and truck sales data.
New vehicle sales 2007: 1,393
Change from 2006: +4% 52
Total vehicle sales 2007: 2,684
Change from 2006: -1% -18
1st quarter 2008 total sales: 660
1st quarter change: -7%
at
CBT | May 31, 2008 19
continued page 22
Head Motor Company Kia Motor Dealer
710 Business Loop 70 W.
www.headmotorcompany.com
Steven and Stuart Head, owners
#4 in sales
#2 in % sales growth
New vehicle sales 2007: 639
Change from 2006: +69% 261
Total vehicle sales 2007: 1,747
Change from 2006: +23% +329
1st quarter 2008 total sales: 430
1st quarter change: 14%
#8 in sales
#1 in % sales growth
New vehicle sales 2007: 606
Change from 2006: +113% 322
Total vehicle sales 2007: 1,191
Change from 2006: +84% +542
1st quarter 2008 total sales: 297
1st quarter change: 10%
#6 in sales
New vehicle sales 2007: 325
Change from 2006: -17% -65
Total vehicle sales 2007: 1,316
Change from 2006: +8% +95
1st quarter 2008 total sales: 280
1st quarter change: -23%
#12 in sales
New vehicle sales 2007: 140
Change from 2006: -31% -64
Total vehicle sales 2007: 140
Change from 2006: -35 % -76
1st quarter 2008 total sales: 36
1st quarter change: 20%
Albert Buick Honda GMC
1717 N. Providence
www.albertmotors.com
Don Albert, owner
#7 in sales
New vehicle sales 2007: 774
Change from 2006: -15 % -139
Total vehicle sales 2007: 1,197
Change from 2006: -19 % -279
1st quarter 2008 total sales: 244
1st quarter change: -25%
Steve and Stuart Head
University Chrysler Center
Chrysler Jeep Subaru
1200 I-70 Dr.
www.universitychrysler.com
Dan Burks and Dave Drane, owners
#9 in sales
New vehicle sales 2007: 433
Change from 2006: +9% 37
Total vehicle sales 2007: 1,149
Change from 2006: +14% +144
1st quarter 2008 total sales: 314
1st quarter change: 9%
20 May 31, 2008 | CBT
Columbia’s top used car dealers’ sales
Dealer
2007 Used Sales
SALES CHANGE USED
% Change Used
Sales From 2006
2007 Sales Rank
Rank Change
From 2006
COLUMBIA CAR CLASSICS
934
66
8%
1
0
UNIVERSAL AUTO SALES
620
421
212%
2
5
JD BYRIDER/JB AUTO. INC
485
(115)
-19%
3
-1
I-70 USED CARS
412
(9)
-2%
4
-1
PREMIER AUTOMOTIVE LLC
391
90
30%
5
-1
ASHLAND AUTO SALES
267
34
15%
6
0
MID MO AUTO PLAZA
177
(97)
-35%
7
-2
MARCY MOTORS
92
92
NA
8
NA
Totals
3,378
482
16.6%
TOP USED car dealers’ first quarter sales 2006-2008
Dealer
2008 Used
Sales
2007 Used
Sales
2006 Used
Sales
1 Year
Change Used
1 Year %
Change Used
2 Year
Change Used
2 Year %
Change
ASHLAND AUTO SALES
90
76
62
14
18%
28
45%
COLUMBIA CAR CLASSICS
232
214
192
18
8%
40
21%
I-70 USED CARS
118
131
110
13
-10%
8
7%
JD BYRIDER/JB AUTO. INC
110
136
154
26
-19%
44
-29%
MARCY MOTORS
39
-
-
39
NA
39
NA
MID MO AUTO PLAZA
54
77
92
23
-30%
38
-41%
PREMIER AUTOMOTIVE LLC
80
104
74
24
-23%
6
8%
UNIVERSAL AUTO SALES
238
69
37
169
245%
201
543%
Totals
961
807
721
154
19%
240
33%
CBT | May 31, 2008 21
columbia new car dealership sales 2007
Dealer
2007
New
Sales
2007
Used
Sales
2007
Total
Sales
New
Sales
Change
From
2006
Used
Sales
Change
From
2006
Total
Sales
Change
From
2006
% Change
New
Sales
From
2006
% Change
Used
Sales
From
2006
% Change
Total
Sales
From
2006
2007
Sales
Rank
Rank
Change
From
2006
JOE MACHENS
FORD INC
4,054
5,048
9,102
(374)
(17)
(391)
-8%
0%
-4%
1
0
JOE MACHENS
TOYOTA-SCION
3,023
2,038
5,061
1,327
241
1,568
78%
13%
45%
2
0
PERRY CHEVROLET INC 1,393
1,291
2,684
52
(70)
(18)
4%
-5%
-1%
3
0
HEAD MOTOR
COMPANY
639
1,108
1,747
261
68
329
69%
7%
23%
4
2
COLUMBIA HYUNDAI/
DODGE CITY
822
734
1,556
63
24
87
8%
3%
6%
5
0
LEGEND AUTOMOTIVE
GROUP
325
991
1,316
(65)
160
95
-17%
19%
8%
6
1
LEGEND MAZDA
140
-
140
(64)
(12)
(76)
-31%
-100%
-35%
12
-1
ALBERT BUICK
HONDA GMC
774
423
1,197
(139)
(140)
(279)
-15%
-25%
-19%
7
-3
PERRY NISSAN
606
585
1,191
322
220
542
113%
60%
84%
8
1
UNIVERSITY CHRYSLER 433
CENTER INC
716
1,149
37
107
144
9%
18%
14%
9
-1
JOE MACHENS BMW
224
442
666
224
442
666
NA
NA
NA
10
NA
SATURN OF COLUMBIA
223
258
481
35
(51)
(16)
19%
-17%
-3%
11
-1
TOTALS
12,656
13,634
26,290
1,679
972
2,651
15%
7.7%
11.2%
22 May 31, 2008 | CBT
Cars ... continued from Page 19
At the national level, Toyota had robust sales
and a historic breakthrough in 2007, overtaking
Ford, which had declining sales, for the No. 2
spot behind GMC.
No worries for Gary Drewing – he owns the
Ford and Toyota dealerships in Columbia.
Chevrolet’s sales fell 6.2 percent across the
United States, while Perry Chevrolet in Columbia
had a 1 percent drop in total sales from 2006 to
2007. But Justin Perry also owns Perry Nissan,
“After the move, we have had more growth,”
he said. Manufacturers will reward dealers that
move to a new, larger location with more inventory, Perry said. It doesn’t hurt, he added, that
Nissan sales all around the country “have been
hot.”
In the first quarter of this year, Perry Nissan’s
overall sales rose 10 percent compared with the
same quarter in 2007, but Perry Chevrolet’s sales
dropped 7 percent. The largest percentage gains
In the first quarter of 2008, overall the number of new car
sales for the 12 dealerships was 6,464, down 6 percent
from the first quarter 2007.
which had the largest increase in total sales of all during the quarter were Joe Machens BMW (35),
the local dealerships in 2007, 84 percent.
Legend Mazda (20), Head Motor (14), Machens
While the Missouri Department of Revenue Toyota-Scion (12) and University Chrysler (9).
sales data obtained by CBT do not break down to The biggest declines were Albert Buick Honda
specific models, the national trends appear to be (-25), Legend Automotive (23), Saturn (-20) and
holding true in Columbia’s auto market.
Columbia Hyundai-Dodge (-12).
Escalating gas prices have compelled buyers
Nationally during the first four months, small
to move away from big S.U.Vs and pickups – the cars offered one of the few bright spots in an othprofit mainstays of Ford, Chrysler and General erwise grim national auto market. Led by Chevy
Motors — and toward smaller, more fuel ef- Malibu, Ford Focus and Toyota Prius, national
ficient cars, the specialty of Toyota, Nissan and sales for small cars were up 7 percent from last
Kia. They were the three biggest movers in the year, while large cars and SUVs are down 31
local market in 2007.
percent and 22 percent, according to motorintelColumbia’s authorized dealers in new and ligence.com.
used vehicles bucked one national trend. Sales
“On the new side, you’re seeing more of a
fell 2.5 percent in the U.S., but new vehicles sales mix,” said Drewing, who also owns the BMW
for Columbia’s top dealerships were up 15 per- dealership. Although sales for large SUVs and
cent in 2007 from the previous year.
trucks have stalled, crossovers continue to perOverall, the 12 major dealerships sold 12,656 form well. “Escape, Mariner, small SUVs are hot
new vehicles in 2007, up 15 percent from 2006, and right now because of the price of gas,” Drewing
13,634 used cars, up 7.7 percent from the previ- said. Meanwhile, April sales of the Focus set a
ous year. Overall,
record at Joe
the 26,290 in total
Machens Ford.
Like Perry, Drewing also is expected to
vehicle sales rep“We’re buying
resents an 11 perall we can get,”
get a bump up when he moves the Toyota he said.
cent increase.
In the first
Overall, the
dealership to a larger location.
quarter of 2008,
pace of used car
overall the numsales is ahead
ber of new car
of new car sales
sales for the 12 dealerships was 6,464, down 6 in Columbia, according to first quarter statispercent from the first quarter 2007. However, tics. “Obviously you have a very hot pre-owned
used car sales jumped 7 percent from the pre- market,” Drewing said. But he added, “At our
vious quarter, and total sales ended 1 percent Toyota store new vehicle sales are up 25 percent
higher.
over 2007 and 2007 was a record year.”
In 2007, Machens’ three dealerships, includLike Perry, Drewing also is expected to get a
ing BMW, sold 14,829 vehicles, or more than half bump up when he moves the Toyota dealership
of the total sales in Columbia.
to a larger location.
Joe Machens Toyota-Scion and Head Motor
Drewing wanted to move the burgeoning
Company both posted big gains in 2007, up 78 Toyota dealership to Crosscreek, a commercial
percent and 69 percent respectively.
development project where Stadium Boulevard
But no dealership grew faster during the year reaches U.S. 63, but the City Council rejected the
than Perry Nissan, with sales of new vehicles plan earlier this year after intense neighborhood
more than doubling from 2006. Part of the credit, opposition. Drewing said he had looked at “quite
Perry said, goes to Perry Nissan’s move last July a few” sites in the last couple of weeks and still
to a new location on Providence Road just south plans to move the dealership. v
of Interstate 70.
health care
CBT | May 31, 2008 23
Industry trends include online research,
self-care, workforce shortage
By Jim Gann
In years past, when we were plagued by some mysterious physical problem, we’d call grandmother
and ask her for the best home remedy for whatever ailed us.
Today, grandmother is the Internet. The majority of adults (78 percent) go online to find health
information, searching most often for details on symptoms and treatments. Nearly one-third of us
use the Internet to find information on diet and weight loss programs. And, about 30 percent of us go
online for information on prescription drugs.
Not surprisingly, the popularity of online resources does not extend to physicians. More than twothirds prefer to provide their patients information through printed materials rather than sending them
to the Internet. Women are twice as likely to use online resources as men.
Changes in the source of health information are just one of the trends in healthcare toward the end
of this century’s first decade.
Another trend is the increase in self-care, driven in no small part by the growing number of previously prescription-only medications appearing in over-the-counter formats in today’s drugstores. Add
to that the growing number of self-administered diagnostic tests, and you have more people making
their own judgments regarding what is wrong and how to treat it.
In a new trend from a policy standpoint, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has
announced that effective Oct. 1, 2008, it will no longer reimburse hospitals for preventable mistakes
through Medicare and Medicaid. Historically, hospitals were reimbursed for the mistake and for the
cost of rectifying the mistake.
In addition, there is movement on a national level to establish a center to review clinical practice
data to identify best practices to improve outcomes and variations in treatment. At least one presidential candidate has discussed the need for a national comparative effectiveness center to enhance government’s role in highlighting best medical practices and tying those results to financial incentives.
The competition for high-quality, experienced workers is becoming more intense. As a result, employer-provided health insurance is changing to include coverage for more procedures, including outpatient doctor visits, lab work, X-rays and medication.
The workforce shortage is particularly acute in the healthcare industry itself. The large numbers of
aging baby boomers are affecting the healthcare system at the same time that the industry is experiencing a dramatic shortage of qualified workers. Price pressures may feed the tendency to hire lower-paid
workers, which directly impacts the quality of care.
Another trend continuing to gain traction is that of medical tourism, or outsourcing your care
to another country, which enables patients to not only receive medical care at greatly reduced costs
when compared to a U.S. procedure, at the same time they enjoy international travel and often exotic
destinations.
Finally, like nearly every other industry, the medical community is focused on becoming “greener.”
This trend is driven by environmental and financial factors, but also by the growing evidence that
many chronic diseases such as asthma, certain cancers and auto-immune disorders are linked to toxic
pollutants.
The healthcare industry faces some unique challenges when it comes to becoming more environmentally conscious. For instance, medical waste incinerators used by healthcare facilities to burn everything from waiting room trash to operating room waste, are a major producer of dioxin, which is
harmful in its own right but is also responsible for 10 percent of mercury emissions in the United States.
Since medical incinerators are often the final resting place for PVC plastic, which is the most common
kind of plastic in medical supplies, emissions can be doubly harmful to the environment and humans.
PVC plastics are also the source of phthalates, which can potentially cause harm to many internal
organs.
Using alternatives to PVC is one way in which many healthcare facilities are becoming “greener.”
Another is by serving fresh, local and organically produced food to patients, staff members and visitors. More and more hospitals are striving to buy meat raised without non-therapeutic antibiotics, use
milk produced without recombinant hormones and replace unhealthy snacks in vending machines
with more acceptable choices.
Another industry trend is to encourage physicians to institute energy-saving practices into their office settings, including using eco-friendly lamps and bulbs and implementing recycling.
One final change is the introduction of courses highlighting the correlation between environmental
issues and human health into the curriculum at many major medical schools. v
Jim Gann is a business management counselor with the Missouri Small Business and Technical Assistance
Center housed at the University Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Missouri.
24 May 31, 2008 | CBT
SPECIAL SECTION
Missouri health insurance reform ... continued from Page 11
Taking the early lead in testing the waters here
has been the Missouri Foundation for Health, which
launched a campaign called Cover Missouri. The group
is going to cities around the state and asking for ideas
about how to increase health insurance access statewide, Thomas McAuliffe, a health policy analyst for the
foundation, said. The foundation organized a forum in
Columbia on Tuesday and plans to hold them soon in
Poplar Bluff and Kirksville.
The state informational campaign coincides with a presidential campaign that observers
expect to delve closely into the
possible establishment of a national health care program, at
least on the Democratic side.
The Republican nominee-apparent, Sen. John McCain, also
has shown substantial interest in
Matt Blunt
federal activity on health insurance. McCain has proposed relieving companies of the
burden for providing the majority of financial support
for employee coverage. He proposes ending the federal
corporate tax deduction for such premiums and offering tax credits of $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for
families to buy coverage on the individual market.
Republican majorities in the Missouri legislature
also have backed changes that would allow companies
to leave the obtaining of health insurance to employees and their families – without getting the price breaks
found in group purchases.
McCain also has supported broader use of health savings accounts, tax-exempt funds for out-of-pocket costs.
The problem: the tax credits are far smaller than the
average cost of such policies, and most states do not require insurance companies to sell policies to families or
individuals without regard to adverse health status. He
McAuliffe said some health-care
leaders, even hospital administrators,
favor “Medicare for all,” or extending
the basics of America’s system
of health care for the elderly and
disabled to all. The system is widely
accepted and has relatively low
overhead costs compared with
commercial insurers
has proposed that states set up pools – which Missouri
has done to provide high-cost coverage to 3,000 persons
– for persons generally regarded as uninsurable.
Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have
backed plans that generally provide universal coverage
of all Americans, although Obama would not require
them to obtain it. Businesses have been particularly
sensitive to the fact that their health-insurance bills for
employees have swollen as hospitals, doctors and other
providers pass along the uncompensated care provided
to the uninsured.
All three candidates leave room for states to design
systems that differ, at least slightly, from the federal
models.
The federal models – particularly those favored by
Obama and Clinton – would overshadow any efforts
Missouri could make to improve its market.
But among questions the Missouri Foundation for
Health is likely to encounter as it explores health coverage in communities:
• Universality and community rating. Do
Missourians firmly believe that they deserve care if
they develop serious illnesses? Do they believe that all
persons should pay comparable costs for coverage, depending on whether they have family or personal histories of disease?
Individuals or families trying to obtain coverage in
Missouri still face difficulties on those counts, often facing denial of coverage or far higher rates if they have a
history of serious illness. For that reason, persons with
illness histories often try to obtain group coverage and
get better rates because their costs are averaged with
healthier persons. Group coverage is not always the answer as many small businesses know. They often face
substantially higher rates if one employee or dependent
has a serious injury or illness.
McAuliffe said some health-care leaders, even hospital administrators, favor “Medicare for all,” or extending the basics of America’s system of health care
for the elderly and disabled to all. The system is widely
accepted and has relatively low overhead costs compared with commercial insurers
• Standard benefits. While Missouri has adopted a
fairly lengthy list of illnesses that health insurance poli-
health care
cies must cover, it has never adopted standard
benefit plans that allow individuals to shop easily
for coverage. If businesses recede from their position as the principal buyer of health insurance in
the state, individuals would have much more difficult decisions to make on coverage.
On Tuesday, shortly after the foundation’s
presentation in Columbia, Blunt outlined what he
called several opportunities for cooperation and
suggested the foundation “make a 10 year commitment to several worthwhile projects.”
They included Mo HealthNet Outreach, several programs addressing children’s needs, including obesity prevention and treatment, and a tobacco cessation that uses vouchers for medicine.
CBT | May 31, 2008 25
Kimmey countered, “The impact of doing
what the governor asked us to would be to take
money away from non-profit agencies and give
it to the state government and that doesn’t seem
right to our foundation.”
Kimmey said its relationship with the state is
to provide about $9 million in funding to community organizations and voluntary agencies for senior services and a variety of activities consistent
with the foundation’s mission and goals.
“We actually put more money into many of
the programs Governor Blunt mentioned, like the
smoking cessation program, (which) the government hasn’t put any money towards,” he said. “
We feel we keep a pretty good balance.” v
College of Business Dean Bruce Walker
Trulaske deans outline win-win
partnerships with local businesses
Three deans from the University of Missouri’s
Trulaske College of Business outlined TCoB’s
partnerships with local and regional business
during a presentation May 20 at Cornell Hall
called Breakfast with the Deans, which was
sponsored by the Columbia Business Times.
The win-win partnerships include collaborative research projects, student internships and
student referrals. Professors serve on advisory
boards, and business people are recruited to
serve as professors-for-a day.
In the consulting projects, teams of students,
supervised by faculty, analyze challenges and
opportunities for local businesses. And Dean
Bruce Walker mentioned the best part: it’s free
of charge.
Walker also showed some of the business
school links with the highly popular football
program, which drew national attention to MU
and helped fuel what’s expected to be more than
a 20 percent enrollment increase in the coming
school year. Quarterback Chase Daniel is seeking a finance degree in the business school, and
12 of MU’s football recruits mentioned an interest in the Trulaske College of Business. Daniel
also was among 145 TCoB students who met
with Berkshire-Hathaway CEO Warren Buffet in
Omaha on March 14.
How can the TCoB help you?
• Managerially relevant research?
• MBA consulting projects?
• Continuing education?
• SIRE participation?
• Start-up support?
• Interns?
• New employees?
• Opportunities for networking & involve- ment (speaking,
mentoring, advising)?
Slide from College of Business presentation
26 May 31, 2008 | CBT
SPECIAL SECTION
Photos by Jennifer Kettler
MU excels in workplace wellness
By Jordan Milne
The University of Missouri’s flagship
campus and the University of Missouri
Hospital have just received the American
Heart Association Start! Fit-Friendly
Award. The award is given to employers
who encourage workplace wellness and
create a work environment conducive to
physical activity through various efforts.
To work toward these goals, the campus and hospital established walking
routes around the office, encouraged
walking teams, offered healthy food options in cafeterias and/or vending machines, generated online wellness newsletters and implemented tracking tools,
and allowed staff to wear athletic shoes
in the workplace.
“We are the only employers in
Columbia to receive the award,” said
Armine Alioto, nurse coordinator for
MU’s Healthy for Life program. “The
University of Missouri’s flagship campus
in Columbia is also the first large-scale
university to receive the award.”
The Fit-Friendly Workplace Award
also recognized AT Still University in
Kirksville, Audrain Medical Center in
Mexico, Heartland Health in St. Joseph,
Jefferson City Medical Group in Jefferson
Armine Alioto, nurse manager for Healthy for Life, helps coordinate
City and Truman State University in
the new program that gives University of Missouri employees more
Kirksville.
healthy fitness choices.
Healthy for Life, the T.E. Atkins
University of Missouri Wellness Program
that kicked off in June 2004, is a major factor in the university and University Hospital’s receiving
the recent awards.
“Our leadership understands that our people are our greatest asset,” said Dr. Laura Schopp,
Healthy for Life director.
The program started with an online health risk assessment of more than 1,000 employees, and
now has a team of eight employees working for the cause.
“Healthy for Life is based upon areas of lifestyle modification that employees have expressed
interest in via surveys,” Alioto said. The four areas that employees wanted to improve most were
physical activity, healthy eating choices, weight management and being smoke-free.
Long-range goals include outreach to all University of Missouri campuses and affiliate hospitals
and implementation of a research committee to disseminate knowledge to the public.
“It’s long overdue. We want to lower healthcare costs, have fewer sick days, and see better attitudes,” said Healthy for Life program manager Jenny Workman, who completed the Fit-Friendly
application for the campus.
“The employees are really, really excited for these opportunities. We even have the community
fitness facilities giving them discounts.”
Healthy for Life programs include a monthly newsletter, Weight Watchers at Work, Eat for
Life, “Million Step” (employees buy a pedometer for $15, walk 1 million steps and receive their
money back and a T-shirt upon completion), stress reduction programs, tobacco cessation, 173
Wellness Ambassadors, health/nutrition/exercise presentations, health fairs, screenings and noon
meditation.
“Employees particularly like our Million Step program because nobody’s cracking the whip,”
Alioto said. “Not everybody has time to go to the gym, but you can walk at work. People have
started taking the stairs and walking during lunch.”
The Fit-Friendly Award was to have been presented on May 29 to MU deputy chancellor Mike
Middleton at the Chancellor’s Wellness Walk, an open event sponsored by the MU Staff Advisory
Council that started on the south steps of Jesse Hall and continued to Lowry Mall.
The event was designed so that participants could learn about plants throughout the MU campus
as well as the importance of proper exercise. A Healthy for Life station offered blood pressure checks
and stretching demonstrations at Jesse Hall. Pedometers were sold at Tiger Plaza, and extended
tours of the Mizzou Botanic Garden were offered.
The Fit-Friendly Award also was presented at the University Hospital Human Resources Benefit
Fair on May 28. The fair featured information on programs offered through the UM Faculty and Staff
Benefits Office, as well as a number of Healthy for Life activities.
“Healthy for Life is a whole new way to raise consciousness about wellbeing,” Alioto said. “To me it
means that employees can choose this as a place to work because leadership cares about our health.” v
health care
CBT | May 31, 2008 29
Home care business ‘meaningful’ venture for couple
By Jim Muench
After Gary Powell sold his 7-Up and Dr. Pepper
distribution business in Columbia in 2002, he took his
time searching for another franchise opportunity.
Gary and Mary Powell
Having taken care of aging parents in the past, he
knew the importance of helping senior citizens. “I
wanted to do something that I thought was meaningful, and my wife was the same way,” Powell said. “It’s
not so much about making money. It’s a business, but
I’m kind of past that.”
In March, he and his wife, Mary Powell, opened
Comfort Keepers, an international provider of inhome care based in Dayton, Ohio. They purchased
the franchise for $32,500. The company provides assistance in the home or at the hospital for clients with
any kind of need. The goal is to help people live in
their own homes for as long as possible, Powell said,
assisting them with tasks ranging from chores to personal hygiene.
“As people get older, they’re not able to do some
of the housework, or maybe their eyesight is gone,
and they are not able to drive,” he said. ‘We can go in
and do meal preparation, light housework, take them
to the doctor or the grocery store, help them organize
their bedroom to where it’s easier to get around, or
take them to bridge club or to the park.”
The company does not offer skilled medical care,
which tends to be much more expensive, Powell said.
Nursing home care is the most expensive, he said, at
between $50,000 and $70,000 a year, while the median
annual price for Comfort Keepers care is about $15,000,
depending on the hours of care necessary.
With the first 65-year-old baby boomer retiring and
beginning to receive Social Security benefits earlier
this year, and a steady stream of retirees from that generation, Comfort Keepers is part of a growing industry. According to federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, the
fastest-growing segment of the population is 85 and
older. Likewise, the Social Security Administration
predicts that the number of older Americans will double in about 30 years.
Now in its tenth year after being launched by a
Springfield, Ohio, nurse, Comfort Keepers is the second-largest company in the industry, with nearly 550
locations, behind HomeInstead, the industry leader
with about 700 locations. There are seven open ter-
ritories in Missouri, said Jim Brown, director of franchise development, including Springfield, Jefferson
City and Sedalia.
With the first 65-year-old baby
boomer retiring and beginning to
receive Social Security benefits
earlier this year, and a steady
stream of retirees from that
generation, Comfort Keepers is
part of a growing industry.
Brown said he was pleased that the Powells chose
Columbia to set up shop because college towns are
popular with retirees for their many amenities at reasonable prices.
“He had a great business background, he had been
a local businessperson in the community for a long
time, and he had a passion for the senior business,”
Brown said of Gary Powell. “He was a really sincere
person, the type of person we look for. We find that,
with all of our owners, the common denominator is a
passion for seniors.” v
30 May 31, 2008 | CBT
SPECIAL SECTION
University of Missouri Clinical Support and Education Building
Mannequin at the Russell D and Mary B Shelden Clinical Simulation Center
MU opens clinic building
A new $26.5 million medical building opened in May will house nearly 650 faculty members in the
University of Missouri Clinical Support and Education Building. Inside the six-floor building, students
and physicians from the MU School of Medicine can practice medicine on high-tech mannequins
designed to offer real-time feedback similar to responses from a live patient. The mannequins
breathe, have a pulse, have eyes that dilate and can react to drugs given to them by medical students.
A $2.3 million gift from Russell and Mary Shelden to create the Russell D and Mary B Shelden Clinical
Simulation Center helped bring the lifelike mannequins to the new medical building.
The Department of Health Management and Informatics, a department which had been located
away from the medical campus for nearly 20 years, will be housed within the new medical building
just west of the University’s medical school and hospital complex. The department is nationally
ranked and home to the world’s first computerized laboratory system.
“This new building will provide much needed room for the medical school’s growing faculty and
our expanding medical education programs,” said William Crist, dean of MU’s medical school.
health care
CBT | May 31, 2008 31
Interior nurse station at BHC’s new Spine Center
New BHC Spine Center provides treatment and research opportunities
Inside the fifth floor of the Boone Hospital Center is a new specialized care facility devoted
to spine-related problems. The Spine Center includes 20 private rooms, a satellite gym, a family
activity/relaxation room, redesigned nurses station and a classroom for pre-surgery classes. With
advanced medical technology, the new 14,784 square foot facility will focus on getting patients
with spine problems back to their lives as soon as possible. The center works with several types of
doctors and specialists to provide spine and back care for patients with surgical and non-surgical
care dependent on the patient’s needs. Located within the hospital, The Spine Center will increase
communication between surgeons and physical rehabilitation physicians to ensure that a patient’s
progress is monitored. In addition to treating spinal disorders, the center devotes time for research
into the causes and treatments of spinal injuries.
Boone Hospital Center’s new Women’s Wellness Center focuses on prevention
A Women’s Wellness Center, offering outpatient gynecologic and preventative care for women,
has opened in the new Doctor’s Building of the Boone Hospital Center at 1705 E. Broadway. The
center uses a “package approach” to women’s health, with the services of a gynecologist, a primary
care physician, a women’s health nurse practitioner, a registered dietician and a psychologist. With
an emphasis on preventative medicine and treatment, the Women’s Wellness Center offers health
care, counseling and education in all areas of female health. The program is headed by Dr. Laura
Grant and consists of a team of health specialists.
Sinclair Nursing School programs receive awards
The American Academy of Nursing, which annually selects research projects that improve the
health care profession or demonstrate innovations in the field of nursing, selected two MU Sinclair
School of Nursing projects this year. TigerPlace and Aging-In-Place received the AAN’s Edge Runner
awards for their models of care. Americare Systems Inc. and the school of nursing built a state
approved facility four years ago that allows older adults to remain in their apartments, as their health
needs change. Research proved that as older adults transition from senior housing to nursing homes
their health decreases at an accelerated rate.
MU Health Care switches to color-coded patient wristbands
University of Missouri Health Care says the change to color-coded wristbands for patients adds
an extra level of caution for patients with specific health risks. The hospital recently joined 90 percent
of hospitals in Missouri who now use colored wristbands to identify important patient information
in a quick, visual way. Over 20 different colors can designate clinical conditions including a red
wristband to represent an allergy warning, a yellow wristband with the words “fall risk”, a purple
band to indicate do-not-attempt-resuscitation orders, a pink band with the words “limb alert,” to
alert staff not to use a specific arm or leg for procedures and a blue band to recognize certain medical
treatments patients may not want to undergo. Physicians and nurses from different hospitals can
recognize and understand the alerts based on standardized colors.
MU medical school receives donation for cancer research
A $1.1 million donation to the University of Missouri supports research efforts into the prevention,
detection and treatment of cancer patients. With the funds they donated, Michael and Sharon Bukstein
created a chair in cancer research, which will be awarded to an MU medical faculty member who will
expand cancer research.
continued page 33
32 May 31, 2008 | CBT
EPIC happy hour
Photos by Jennifer Kettler
Members of Emerging Professionals in Columbia, EPIC, chat with the Mid- Joe Newberry, middle, of Mid-America Wireless.
America Wireless representatives at their gathering at the Forge and Vine.
Jennifer Thoma of Boone County
National Bank
Erik Morse jokes with EPIC members.
EPIC members enjoy drinks.
health
care
CBT | May 31, 2008 33
MU clinical support ... continued from Page 31
“Our hope is that this endowed chair will increase MU
researchers’ ability to garner research grants and, ultimately, make
even more contributions to the ongoing efforts to prevent and
detect cancer, and to improve treatment for patients with cancer,”
Michael Bukstein said.
The Buksteins have been advocates in the fight against
cancer since they entered the medical profession nearly 30 years
ago. Michael Bukstein completed medical school from MU in
1970 and Sharon Bukstein has worked as a University Hospital
nurse. Michael chairs Missouri’s Comprehensive Cancer Action
Plan, which combines more than 40 agencies and health care
professionals to cover issues related to the disease.
MU research shows impact of telehealth intervention
One telephone call a day, keeps the doctors away, according to
research from the University of Missouri that found that patients
who received a telehealth intervention or a phone call from care
providers delayed their hospital readmission rates compared to
those who did not. Bonnie Wakefield, professor in the MU Sinclair
School of Nursing, evaluated the effects of a telehealth home-based
intervention in patients with heart failure. She randomly selected
patients who then received follow-up telephone or videophone
calls from their providers. The care may not change, but telehealth
can change the communication between providers and patients,
Wakefield said.
“With video and telephone technology, nurses have the ability
to interact regularly with patients and provide a sense of security,”
Wakefield said. “Patients discuss concerns on a frequent basis,
and nurses give advice and detect problems that the patient might
not notice.” v
34 May 31, 2008 | CBT
Deeds of trust more than $160,000 May 13-23
$400,000
MILLER, JOE AND TAMMY
HAWTHORN BANK
LOT 330 BLUEGRASS SOUTH ESTATES PLAT 4
$2,286,000
MAGNUS ENTERPRISES LLC
SECURITY BANK OF PULASKI COUNTY (1)
STR 25-48-12/W/SW
$386,620.00
FAIRWAY MEADOWS CORP
BOONE COUNTY NATIONAL BANK
LT 24A VINTAGE FALLS PLAT 1-A
$2,443,610.36
GLENNON PROPERTIES LLC
PREMIER BANK
LT 101 SOUTHFIELD PLAT 2
$360,000.00
FISHER, HENRY K AND CARLA G
BOONE COUNTY NATIONAL BANK
STR 35-50-14 //SW SUR BK/PG: 1715/315 FF TRACT 2 W
$1,500,000.00
KEITHAHN, STEPHEN AND MARI ANN
COMMERCE BANK
LT 20 ARROWHEAD LAKE ESTATES
$360,000.00
FISHER, HENRY K AND CARLA G
BOONE COUNTY NATIONAL BANK
STR 20-50-13 /NE/NE SUR BK/PG: 465/653
$935,000.00
STEPHENS, DAVID AND DEBRA
COMMERCE BANK
LT 17 PARADISE HILLS ESTATES BLK 4
$355,028.84
ROBINSON, CHRISTOPHER R AND MARCIA R
CITIZENS COMMUNITY BANK
STR 27-47-12/NW/SE
$700,000
UMC COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE FOUNDATION
FIRST NATIONAL BANK & TRUST
LOT 2 PT BOUCHELLE ADD
$321,500.00
WESTBAY, CHAD L
SUNTRUST MORTGAGE INC
LT 315 THORNBROOK PLAT NO 10
$650,000.00
MILLER, KEITH AND KATHY
BOONE COUNTY NATIONAL BANK
LT 1 ARROWHEAD LAKE ESTATES
$300,000
WILSON, JAY D AND TAMMY R
CALLAWAY BANK THE
LOT 131 FOREST PARK SOUTH PLAT 1
$625,439.19
PERRY, JUSTIN M REVOCABLE TRUST
LITTLE DIXIE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY LLC
LOT 1 PT FF CONLEY AND PERKINS SUB
$280,000.00
CAMPBELL, RYAN A AND BETH A
FIRST NATIONAL BANK & TRUST CO
LT 121 CASCADES PLAT 1 THE
$630,000
PEBBLEBROOK CONSTRUCTION & DEVELOPMENT CO
LLC
CALLAWAY BANK
LOT 103 FOREST PARK SOUTH PLAT 1
$265,750
HAYES, MATTHEW R AND KRISTINE A
WELLS FARGO BANK
LOT 235 SPRING CREEK PLAT 2
PUBLIC RECORD
$604,000.00
ACRON INC
EXCHANGE BANK OF MISSOURI
LT 1 BL 12 CENTRALIA OLD TOWN
$562,750.00
WILSON, JOANNA M TRUST
FIRST NATIONAL BANK & TRUST CO
LT G SURVEY FF BONNE FEMME ESTATES
$520,000
RODRIGUEZ, ELIZABETH A AND MANUEL D
WACHOVIA MORTGAGE
LOT 27 HARPERS POINTE BLK 2
$520,000
FENCO RENTAL LLC
COMMERCE BANK
LOT 22 PT FF QUINN & CONLEY’S SUB
$475,886.00
M & E OFFICES INC
BANK OF AMERICA
LT 244 PT COLUMBIA
$417,000
SAPP, SHAWN N AND JANIS K
COMMERCE BANK
STR 20-49-13 SE/NE/SE AC 10.000
$471,000
PAYNE, AARON M AND JESSICA L
PREMIER BANK
LOT 3 MILL CREEK TERRACE
$450,000
SENIOR SERVICES OF BOONE COUNTY INC
BANK OF MISSOURI
LOT 13 PT E C MORE SUB
$417,000.00
KRAVCHICK, MICHAEL AND LINDA
BANK OF AMERICA
LT 1415 HIGHLANDS PLAT 14-B THE
$404,146.94
JEWEL FAMILY L P
MERAMEC VALLEY BANK
LT 1 LOVEALL SUB
$263,700.00
SCRIVNER, KURT , LYN, LYNETTE K AND KURT R
BOONE COUNTY NATIONAL BANK
LT 48 BOONE’S POINTE
$263,700.00
SCRIVNER, LYNETTE K AND KURT R
BOONE COUNTY NATIONAL BANK
LT 26 BL 1 ROTHWELL HEIGHTS
$260,347
LEWIS, LEO E AND BETTY SANDERS
GOLD STAR HOME MORTGAGE LLC
LOT 1 PT COUNTRYSHIRE ESTATES
$260,000.00
FAIRWAY MEADOWS CORP
BOONE COUNTY NATIONAL BANK
LT 12 BOONE’S POINTE
$260,000.00
MEYER, THOMAS W
BOONE COUNTY NATIONAL BANK
LT 113 HERITAGE MEADOWS PLAT 6
$260,000.00
MEYER, LISA A
BOONE COUNTY NATIONAL BANK
LT 113 HERITAGE MEADOWS PLAT 6
$252,700.00
MCMILLAN, TAMATHA F AND GREGORY E
USAA FEDERAL SAVINGS BANK
LT 7 BLACKBERRY BEND SUB PLAT 1
$240,000
BLEYTHING, TRAVIS C AND KARLA L
CALLAWAY BANK THE
LOT 115 FOREST PARK SOUTH PLAT 1
$240,000
ROCK QUARRY LAND INVESTMENTS LLC
CALLAWAY BANK THE
LOT 166 FOREST PARK SOUTH PLAT 1
$248,000
HORN, KENNETH R REVOCABLE LIVING TRUST, JANELL
L REVOCABLE LIVING TRUST, KENNETH R, JANNELL L
COMMERCE BANK
STR 18-47-12//NW SUR BK/PG: 437/553
CBT | May 31, 2008 35
Time Well Spent
Previews and reviews of mid-Missouri events
By Brent Beshore, owner and CEO of Event Solutions
cbt calendar of events
EVENT TRENDSPOTTING
RSVP: Répondez s`il vu… what?
We see it everywhere—RSVP, but what does it really mean? The French, répondez s’il vu plait,
is translated as respond if you please or simply please respond. The acronym is placed at the end
of many invitations but is commonly misunderstood or ignored.
It does not mean call only if you are not going to attend. It does not mean confirm you are
attending and then not show up. And it certainly does not mean bring extra guests without warning. The purpose of an RSVP is to help the host prepare. Knowing the number of
individuals planning to attend an event can affect every aspect from the amount of food to
available parking.
How does a host get invitees to respond? The sad fact is most individuals either forget, do
not know what it means, or worse, are waiting for a better offer. There are, however, ways to
increase the efficacy of an RSVP.
The simplest way is to write Please respond in English, leaving nothing lost in translation.
Another rising trend is to say Regrets Only and simply assume all invitees who do not respond will attend.
According to the strictest etiquette rules, it is proper to respond to a written invitation with a
written reply. But in the digital age, this is no longer practical. Providing an e-mail address or
a phone number on the invitation makes responding easier and more convenient. In this day
and age communication is easier than ever, so répondez s`il vu plait.
Hit List:
1. Art in the Park: Stephens Lake Park — June 7-8
2. Cheers for Children Wine Tasting: Les Bourgeois Winery — June 12 at 5:30 p.m.
3.Shelter Gardens Summer Concert Series — Sundays from June 15 to July 27
4.I Love America Festival at the Fairgrounds: Midway Expo Center — July 4
Is your favorite charity holding a fund-raiser? Is your company hosting an event? Are you and your
friends throwing a party? Tell me about it at events@eventsolutionsllc.com.
REVIEW
Paintbrush Ball
Where: Pickard Hall, MU Alumni Center
When: Saturday, May 3
Why: Benefit for the MU Museum of Art and Archaeology
Cost: $70/person or $130/pair of tickets
Details: This event was really like three events in succession. The first occurred in the fascinating Cast
Gallery, with wine and light appetizers. The art was great, the wine was good, and the food was just
fine. My only knock is that wine glasses ran out early, which resulted in people in formal dress, looking at art and drinking wine from what amounted to a ballpark beer-cup. The second event was a
silent auction in the Reynolds Alumni Center great room. A fun mix of art, wine and experiences were
for sale. Then the party moved into the dining room, with the “Kapital Kicks” providing a great musical atmosphere. The biggest kudos go to John LaRocca and the University Club for providing by far
the best banquet catering I’ve ever had. Somehow Chef Pliska was able to produce about 350 medium
rare-tenderloins that tasted better than those some fine-dining restaurants can produce. The evening
wrapped up with a live auction and lots of dancing.
Rating: 8/10—It’s easy to see why this event sells out year after year.
PREVIEWS
The Tiger Quarterback Club’s Trivia Night
Where: Peachtree Banquet Center
When: Friday, June 13, 2008, 7 p.m.
Why: To benefit the Missouri football program
Cost: $200 per table of 8 or $300 to sponsor a round of trivia (which includes a table of 8 and a 30-second infomercial)
Details: Join the Tiger Quarterback Club for an evening full of fun trivia. The night’s activities will
include a silent auction, raffle items, 50/50, individual and group trivia and much more. The winning trivia table will receive a cash prize.
Anticipation Rating: 7/10
JUNE 2008
3
Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting
5:45 p.m. Stotler Lounge, Memorial Union on the University of
Missouri campus
The Chamber Chair and retiring board members will be honored
for their service this past year. The 2008 Outstanding Citizen of
the Year and the Ambassador of the Year awards will be presented. $35 per person. Register online for discount at www.
columbiamochamber.com.
4
Columbia Image Awards
9 a.m. Community Room of the Walton Building, 300 S.
Providence Road.
To recognize business and institutional leaders whose vision,
imagination and dedication have resulted in places and spaces
that create a positive and lasting perception of the city. Contact
Jessica at the Convention and Visitors Bureau, 875-1231
5
Building an Investor-Ready Tech Company
(session 1 of 4)
6 p.m. – 9 p.m. Osher Lifelong Learning Center, 3215B
LeMone Blvd.
From the Missouri Business Development Program comes
four evenings in June that covers a variety of topics on business creation and development of a high-technology company. The June 5 session is The Basics of Business. June 12
is Determining the Market. June 19 is Managing the IP. The
June 26 topic is The Equity Investment Process. $149 for four
sessions.
6
Beginning Quickbooks for Small Business
9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Osher Lifelong Learning Center, 3215B
LeMone Blvd.
An introductory, computer, hands on learning for small businesses. The session will cover cash flow, set up customers and
vendors, track accounts payable and receivable, reconcile accounts, create reports and set up a budget. Pre-register by calling the University Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at
573-882-7096. Cost is $119 and includes lunch.
9
EPIC’s “Havana Nights”
6 p.m. Columbia Country Club, 2210 N. Country Club Dr.
Join the Emerging Professionals in Columbia group “poolside”
for dinner, live music and drinks to kick off summer. $25 per
person if you register online at www.columbiamochamber.com
or $30 at the event. Golfers can play a quick nine before the
event starting at 4 p.m. for $25, which covers a golf cart and
prizes. Register online.
11
Exploring Entrepreneurship Start-Up Class
5:30 p.m. W1004 Lafferre Hall, College of Engineering,
University of Missouri, Stewart Road and Sixth Street.
A start-up session involving general business issues and
information about starting a business. Cost is $20. Preregister by calling the University Center for Innovation and
Entrepreneurship at 573-882-7096.
REDI Board Meeting
11:30 a.m. Board Room of the Walton Building, 300 South
Providence Road.
Board meeting of the Columbia Regional Economic
Development Inc. Call Michele Holmes at 573-442-8303 if you
plan to attend.