Columbia Business Times - December 2014

December 2014

Mallory Van Waarde Page 58

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From the Editor

Editorial Erica Pefferman, Publisher Erica@BusinessTimesCompany.com Sarah Redohl, Editor SarahR@BusinessTimesCompany.com Katrina Tauchen, Copy Editor Katrina@BusinessTimesCompany.com

Getting the job done ›› I thought this issue was going to kill me.

Literally.

At roughly 7:45 a.m. Oct. 21, 2014, CBT photographer Anthony Jinson and I are 1,100 feet in the air in the Cessna 182RG of Eric Cooper, a member of the Daniel Boone Flying Club.

Perched in the backseat, I’m tuning out my headset and grasping the papers flapping wildly in my lap, absorbed by the task at hand: mapping the best route above Columbia for images to accompany our “50 Years of Growth” article on page 32.

As we fly over the 70/63 Interchange, my concentration is unexpectedly interrupted by a deafening clap, a blast of cold air and the dip of the plane. “We’re going down!” I think, briefly, while I recollect myself.

Turns out Anthony had simply opened Photo by Anthony Jinson the window for a better view.

Often, extra stress and a bit of pain and/or risk are all it takes to turn a good story into a great story, and this was no exception. Sometimes, it’s a 6 a.m. photo shoot. Other times, it’s sacrificing my favorite pair of leather boots to the pecks of hundreds of free-range chickens at Stanton Bros. Farms (I’ll never let that go). I’ve chased after bicycles, gone into surgery and even made less-than-subtle wardrobe suggestions to some of Columbia’s most powerful, all in the name of the Columbia Business Times.

Like the local business personalities featured in the CBT, I do what it takes to get the job done. In the case of our cover subject, Mallory Van Waarde (page 58), that means working on clients’ projects from all over the world — even the Amazonian rainforest. For Kim Heibel, a local parking enforcement agent featured on page 80, that means taking the brunt of parking violators’ bad days, rain or shine. Then there are entrepreneurs such as Bob Stockton and Warren Byington from Process the Basics on page 54, who strive to make getting the job done easier for automotive sales people.

Also in this issue is a look at both Columbia Regional Airport’s improvement plans and local TSA operations, on page 50 and 53.

As always, we love feedback, so don’t hesitate to email me any time at sarahr@businesstimescompany.com. And enjoy the issue! It nearly killed me.

Best,

Sarah Redohl, Editor

Mallory Van Waarde risked personal comfort and business success to travel the world while growing her digital marketing company, Magnifyre. When faced with questions of travel or work and do or dream, her answer was simple: Why not both?

Story on page 58. Photo

by Anthony Jinson.

DECEMBER 2014

Columbia from the Air THE CBT SURVEYS 50 YEARS OF GROWTH PAGE 32

Seller’s MARKET PAGE 54

MALLORY'S

BIG MOVE Work or travel? She picks both.

PAGE 58

P.Y.S.K. LISA MALOTT-HULETT

cou

DESIGN Kristin Branscom, Art Director Kristin@BusinessTimesCompany.com Creative Services Gillian Tracey, Graphic Designer Gillian@BusinessTimesCompany.com Keith Borgmeyer, Graphic Designer Keith@BusinessTimesCompany.com MARKETING REPRESENTATIVES Deb Valvo, Director of Sales Deb@BusinessTimesCompany.com CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Casey Buckman, Anthony Jinson, Ben Meldrum, Sarah Redohl CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Al Germond, Vicki Hodder, Christi Kelly, Carolin Lehmann, Monica Pitts, Sarah Redohl, Torie Ross, Mallory Van Waarde, Molly Wright Interns Carolin Lehmann, Ben Meldrum, Alisiana Peters, Torie Ross MANAGEMENT Erica Pefferman, President Erica@BusinessTimesCompany.com Renea Sapp, Vice President of Finance ReneaS@BusinessTimesCompany.com Amy Ferrari, Operations Manager Amy@BusinessTimesCompany.com Crystal Richardson, Account Manager Crystal@BusinessTimesCompany.com SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscription rate is $19.95 for 12 issues for 1 year or $34.95 for 24 issues for 2 years.

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All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of any editorial or graphic content without the express written permission of the publisher is prohibited.

NEVER STOPS! PAGE 50

Holy Harley!

PAGE 26

Hello,35k MU HITS AN ALL-TIME HIGH PAGE 62

What About

I-70?

PAGE 46

PAGE 31

Mallory Van Waarde PAGE 58

OUR MISSION STATEMENT The Columbia Business Times and ColumbiaBusinessTimes.com 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.

columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 15

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THE BUSINESS TIMES COMPANY OUR EVENTS

20 Under 40 • Ones to Watch • City’s Best (Jefferson City)

ON THE WEB ColumbiaBusinessTimes.com ColumbiaHL.com JeffersonCityMag.com

E-NEWSLETTERS

About The Last Times What's happening online Jared W. Reynolds, CFP® Carroll Wilkerson, CFP®

Does your financial advisor help you...

• Develop a plan?

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• Cope with life’s unexpected changes?

Online extras Head online for a behind-the-scenes look at our flight for “50 Years of Growth” and some of the photos we just couldn’t fit in this issue!

Around the office

FIND A BETTER WAY:

Congratulations to our 2015 class of 20 Under 40!

Head online for the full list, and save the date Jan. 22 for a very special 20 Under 40 event.

50 Years of Growth

573.875.3939 • WRWEALTH.COM

Corrections Scott Dalrymple, profiled in November’s Business Update, formerly taught strategy and marketing.

Write to CBT editor Sarah Redohl at Editor@BusinessTimesCompany.com columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 17

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December 2014 Vol. 21, Issue 6 columbiabusinesstimes.com

58

Dream or Do

Mallory Van Waarde quit her job as a Web data analyst to work independently while traveling the world — and her client list more than doubled. Read her story, in her own words.

32 Aerial View

The CBT recreates images of Columbia taken in October 1964 to show the city’s astounding 50 years of growth.

46 Maintenance Mode

MoDOT and the Columbia I-70 Bridges Project look to replace aging infrastructure, though other projects are on hold as the city waits for further funding.

50 Changes at COU

Columbia Regional Airport is moving east as it works to boost its regional presence and get plans for a six-year, $27.8 million airfield transformation off the ground.

Departments

15 From the Editor 17 Letters to the Editor 21 Movers and Shakers 22 Briefly in the News 25 A Closer Look 26 Business Update 31 P.Y.S.K. 67 Opinion 69 Going Up 70 Nonprofit Spotlight 72 Celebrations 75 Technology 76 Economic Index 77 Deeds of Trust 78 Business Licenses 79 By the Numbers 80 7 Questions 82 Flashback

54 Seller’s Market

Local startup Process the Basics is changing the way the automotive business motivates employees, increases volume and raises profits.

62 Hello, 35k!

MU experiences record growth in its total enrollment, thanks to strategic recruiting of outof-state and international students and a boost to brand awareness.

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Movers and Shakers ›› Professionals grow, serve and achieve

peter

john

roling

hedrick

pummill

➜ Are you or your employees

making waves in the Columbia business community? Send us your news to Editor@BusinessTimesCompany.com

cosner

miller

petre

›› DeAnn Peter

›› Nicole Oidtman

›› MBS Textbook Exchange

Landmark Investments financial consultant Peter has achieved membership in Cetera Investment Services LLC President’s Club 2013. The top 6 percent of 1,500 total Cetera Investment Services financial professionals achieve this ranking each year.

Dave Griggs’ Flooring America hired Oidtman as an interior designer. She has spent the past four years working in the flooring and furniture industries.

MBS Textbook Exchange Inc. announced several promotions: Josh Hendrix has been promoted to director of warehouse automation, Roland Bullock to manager of wholesale logistics, Christina Crawford to director of accounts receivable and accounts payable, Shaun Crawford to general ledger supervisor and Kathy Moser to accounts payable manager. Dave Dartt has transferred from accounting to programming.

›› Angela John John has been promoted to branch manager of Commerce Bank’s West Broadway Hy-Vee Banking Center. John is responsible for business development and customer service related to the bank’s consumer banking, lending and small-business services.

›› Michael McCuistion McCuistion, owner and principal of Fidelity Financial Services LLC, recently attended an upper-level conference sponsored by Voya Financial Advisors Inc. (formerly ING Financial Partners) in Boston. Only the top 4 percent of Voya-affiliated representatives were invited to attend.

›› Scott Hedrick Officer Hedrick has been promoted to police sergeant at the Columbia Police Department.

He was previously an officer in the K-9 unit.

›› Glenn Chambers Chambers received the 40th William T. Hornaday Gold Medal Award, scouting’s most prestigious conservation award in the nation, which recognizes adults who have rendered distinguished and unusual service to natural resource conservation and environmental improvement over at least 20 years.

›› Scott Pummill Boone County National Bank promoted Pummill to manager of the Hallsville Bank.

›› Mizzou Alumni Association The Mizzou Alumni Association recently honored 14 outstanding faculty and alumni: Harvey Eisen, Marilyn Rantz, Denny Alberts, Morris Burger, Margaret Duffy, Stephen Paul Ferris, Wanona Fritz, Jerry Kennett, Mitchell McKinney, Donna Otto, Vicki Russell, Jeremy Taylor, James Thorne Sr. and Michael Williams.

›› Therese Miller Westminster College professor Miller was named the 2014 Community Engagement Professional of the Year at the annual Heartland Conference of Campus Compact.

›› Brad Roling

›› Shawn Crowe and Allen Green

Boone County National Bank appointed Roling as a commercial loan officer. Roling develops and manages credit relationships for consumers and businesses seeking commercial, real estate and construction loans.

AERODRY Disaster Restoration’s Crowe and Green recently attended the Water Damage Restoration Technician Course in St. Louis, which gives restoration technicians the background to understand water damage.

›› Dan Knight

›› Renee Cosner

›› Jeri Petre

Knight is the new Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys president. He will lead the association over the next year.

Cosner has joined the Word Marketing team.

She was previously the director of sales for the Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center.

Petre was named the new Eliot Battle Elementary School principal. Petre is currently the principal at Derby Ridge Elementary School. CBT

›› C. Mark Palmer The Department of Sociology at Iowa State University honored Woodhaven CEO Palmer with its 2014 Distinguished Alumni Award.

columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 21

Briefly in the News

›› A rundown of this month’s top headlines

Scoutandnimble.com Scoutandnimble.com launched nationally on Oct. 20. The website, which Columbia resident and founder Jesse Bodine describes as “the Etsy of designer rooms,” provides a creative space for interior designers to arrange mock rooms and allows customers to buy pieces featured in the designs directly from the site.

Entrepreneurial Teaching Lab A new entrepreneurial teaching lab has opened in the Agricultural Engineering building at the University of Missouri. The Archer Daniels Midland Center for Agricultural Development provides students with hands-on opportunities to brainstorm solutions to problems facing the agriculture industry. The lab was made possible by a $1 million gift from Archer Daniels Midland Co., one of the world’s leading agricultural processors.

35th MidwayUSA Columbia College’s 35th campus will open in January 2015 in Mesquite, Texas. The newest location will be inside the workforce and continuing education building on the Eastfield College campus.

20th anniversary

MidwayUSA received the 2014 Bizrate Circle of Excellence Award in recognition of its online customer experiences.

Midway was one of 140 companies out of 6,000 evaluated to receive the award.

$1,000,000 MU researcher Leigh Tenkku Lepper received more than $1 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to enhance prevention efforts for fetal alcohol syndrome.

Grad Programs Stoney Creek Inn, which will now be known as Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center, celebrated it’s 20th anniversary with a company rebrand. The company’s logo, signage and marketing materials were changed to show the urban influence of the chain’s 14 property locations.

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Stephens College introduced two new graduate degree programs, a Master of Physician Assistant and a Master of Fine Arts in television and screenwriting.

The physician assistant degree will be in collaboration with local health care facilities, and the Master of Fine Arts degree will include 10 days of classes each semester at Jim Henson Studios in Los Angeles.

What’s happening

Smoothies The smoothie franchise Smoothie King signed a five-store development agreement for Missouri with franchisee Jackie Floyd. Over the next few years, Smoothie Kings will be opening in west Columbia, east Columbia, downtown and Jefferson City.

Student Hackathon MU hosted its second annual Hackathon Oct. 3 to 5. During the weekend, teams of students worked on websites, mobile applications and hardware hacks.

WVEN

MU professor Tammy Jones has co-founded an organization, the Women’s Viticulture and Enology Network, to improve representation Tammy Jones among women in the grape and wine industry. The program pairs female research students from across the country with researchers in their corresponding fields.

Jan. 1, 2015

$10 million gift With the Donald W. Reynolds Institute’s latest gift of $10 million to the MU School of Journalism, the foundation became the university’s first $100 million donor.

Startup Weekend Columbia’s annual Startup Weekend came to a close Oct. 5, and the top three teams were selected. Startup Weekend, which gives entrepreneurs the chance to pitch business ideas in front of judges, awarded cash prizes of $500 to $2,000. This year’s winners were Equipment Share, Ombiance Yoga Mats and The Wandering Turtle.

Effective Jan. 1, 2015, Columbia Surgical Associates and the MU Health System will affiliate in an effort to expand health care options to patients across central Missouri.

best places to work Missouri Business and the Missouri Chamber of Commerce hosted the 2014 Best Places to Work Conference Oct. 23. The conference featured presentations from top executives on employee retention and creating a positive work environment. The 2014 winners of the Best Place to Work Award were also presented. This year’s recipients included Onshore Outsourcing, Veterans United and Big Cedar Lodge. CBT columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 23

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A Closer Look

New Businesses in

Columbia

›› A quick look at emerging companies

1. Darby Orthotics and Prosthetic Michael Darby likes to get the job done himself. After working in the orthotics and prosthetics industry for 28 years, he has just opened Darby Orthotics and Prosthetics at 3407 Berrywood Drive, Suite 203. Instead of taking on large amounts of patients every day, he only takes on a few, which gives him the time to hand-make prosthetics for all of them. He says this personalized approach is more effective. Darby’s office accepts most insurance companies, which he says is unique for orthotics and prosthetics offices in the area. Apart from his secretary, Darby Orthotics and Prosthetic is a one-man show.

Contact: Michael Darby, 573-777-4701

2. The Columbia Development Group

3. BluBear Taxi

5. Celia’s Naturals LLC

BluBear Taxi is adamant about giving the average taxi ride a personal touch.

Customers get to choose the radio station they want to listen to, look at the stars through the sunroof and know that they will make it home safely. The company’s drivers make sure their customers have made it into their homes safely before driving off, says Gerald Tubbs, BluBear Taxi marketing director. He says this is especially important in a college town. Owner Edith Tubbs says she wanted to create a service that enhances the community transportation industry, and BluBear Taxi does just that. BluBear Taxi can be found at 303 N. Stadium Blvd., Suite 200.

Contact: Edith Tubbs, 573-268-1782

Celia Wilkerson has been making her own face cream since she was a teenager.

Recently, she decided to turn her hobby into a business. After she spoke with the store director, the Hy-Vee on West Broadway picked up her product line of signature food-grade soaps and crèmes about a month ago. Wilkerson says they’re doing well in the supermarket. Her products are all natural, and those without goat’s milk are also vegan. She is currently visiting Washington in the hopes of expanding her business. She’s introducing her products to local stores in the health-conscious state, and she says several have shown interest.

Contact: Celia Wilkerson, 573-808-2161

Scott Linnemeyer and Scott Atkins have teamed up for a new venture: The Columbia Development Group. The group is a residential land development company. Linnemeyer, owner of Beacon Street Properties, and Atkins, owner of Atkins Investments, can be reached at 3810 Buttonwood Drive, Suite 101. Atkins and Linnemeyer teamed up because they have common interests and have done business together in the past, and they both want to expand their overall reach. A project they’re currently working on is Steeplechase Estates, a new home development in Columbia. Atkins and Linnemeyer both plan to keep their original businesses along with the new one.

Contact: Scott Linnemeyer, 573-289-6860

Making new friends after college can be tricky, but Emily Clapp and Melody Bezenek have a solution: a wine club. Their new business, Belle Bash, offers wine club starter kits to simplify socializing. The two met at a wine group Bezenek started in 2007. Their website, bellebash.com, has been up and running for a while, and the wine club starter kit and tasting notepad became available for purchase on Oct. 30.

The kit includes instructions on how to throw a wine-tasting party, wine glasses and the like. In the future, they will also sell additional materials to go along with the original wine club kit.

Contact: Melody Bezenek, 573-268-1922

2 1

6. Jamba Juice

4. Belle Bash

Jerry Amsler’s Jamba Juice craving brought the chain to Columbia. He used to travel a lot for work and enjoyed going to Jamba Juice in places like New York and California.

Today, he owns five in Missouri, all of which have been opened in the past 13 months.

Columbia’s own Jamba Juice opened on Aug. 28. Amsler wanted to bring the chain to Columbia because many students already know and love Jamba Juice from home, and it gives them a healthy option. He says he didn’t have to do much marketing for the new location because the students were already excited to have one in town. Amsler suggests following @JambaCoMo on Twitter for special offers.

Contact: Jerry Amsler, 314-413-9366 CBT

4 6 3

5

➜ Are you an entrepreneur? Are you sprouting a new business? Tell us about it at Editor@BusinessTimesCompany.com columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 25

Steve Tuchschmidt.

Photo by Anthony Jinson.

26 \\\ december 2014

Holy harley!

Business Update

›› Transformed, trending and up-to-the-minute

The Family Business

Steve Tuchschmidt of Mid-America Harley-Davidson caters to the core customer base while wooing the next generation of riders.

By Torie Ross When Steve Tuchschmidt was 3 years old, he got on a motorcycle for the first time.

Today, as the general manager for Mid-America Harley-Davidson in Columbia, Tuchschmidt has the responsibility of wooing Harley’s next generation of riders while staying true to the company’s older core customer base, a job he admits is not always easy.

Mid-America Harley has been owned and operated by Tuchschmidt’s parents, Steve Sr. and Laura, since 2001. “We are truly a family business,” he says. “My parents own the dealership; my wife, my sister and my brother-in-law all work in the building; and we really are one of the last family-run businesses in the motorcycle industry.”

In with the old, in with the new Because of this family environment, Tuchschmidt says it’s important to him to really develop the customer’s love of Harley’s products. In the past couple of years, Harley-Davidson has introduced several new items to its product line. First, there was the new street family of bikes: urban cruisers designed as entry-level bikes for a younger customer base.

“It’s designed for an urban environment, and it’s the cheapest price point for a bike that Harley-Davidson has ever had,” Tuchschmidt says of the new line.

Secondly, the company introduced Live Wire, Harley-Davidson’s first electric bike, which is still in the prototype stage. Finally, Harley-Davidson introduced Project Rushmore, which provided technological updates to all the touring families of bikes, with added navigation, Bluetooth radio and touchscreens.

However, as Harley-Davidsons become some of the most technologically advanced motorcycles on the road, Tuchschmidt says it’s important for Mid-America Harley to not alienate its

core customer base. “Trying to keep our core generation open-minded in trying some of the new products that we have can be really difficult, but I’ve found that the best way of doing that is forcing them to try new things and go for a test ride,” he says. “And every time, I can see the smile on their face as they’re coming back through the parking lot.”

Simultaneously, the dealership is working on developing its outreach market, or the younger riders, who might not typically come to mind when one thinks of a stereotypical HarleyDavidson rider. Doing this, Tuchschmidt says, has taken a lot of innovative thinking on the part of the dealership.

“For a lot of bigger businesspeople in town, I think Harleys are a great stress outlet where they feel like they don’t have to put on the suit. They can put on their leather jacket and go have fun and be young again and be seen in a totally different light.” — Steve Tuchschmidt, general manager, MidAmerica Harley-Davidson “When we market to the younger generation, we really think of the more grassrootsstyle marketing,” Tuchschmidt says, explaining that getting the products out at rallies or festivals where new customers can see and ride the bikes has been the most effective marketing tool. “As far as attracting younger riders, our

dealership has been a bright and shining star, and while we’re lucky to have three colleges in our backyard, we’ve done really well in catering to new riders.” According to Tuchschmidt, the younger market has begun to grow rapidly in the past four or five years.

Suit up Because of the diversity of Mid-America Harley’s customer base, and the diversity of Columbia’s population in general, Tuchschmidt says he never knows who he might see walk through the front doors. “We sell motorcycles to everyone, from building Gary Pinkel a new bike, to farmers in the surrounding communities, to everybody in between,” Tuchschmidt says.

But one group that the dealership has really seen embrace the biker lifestyle is the business community. “For a lot of bigger businesspeople in town, I think Harleys are a great stress outlet where they feel like they don’t have to put on the suit,” he says. “They can put on their leather jacket and go have fun and be young again and be seen in a totally different light.”

Jim Ford, executive director at The Insurance Group and one of the founding members of Bankers and Bikes, a motorcycle group for banking executives, agrees. Ford says that riders, no matter what their background is, all have one thing in common.

“All bikers have a love of the open air, when it’s just them and the road, and they don’t have to think about phone calls or memos,” Ford says. “I think that’s a common core between everybody who rides; bankers are no different.”

Riding onward Tuchschmidt, who recently celebrated his second year as general manager of Mid-America Harley-Davidson, says he and the rest of the company have big plans for the coming year. At columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 27

the forefront: continuing to grow the new rider community and increase involvement within Columbia and the universities.

“We really want to interact with the people who we might not be in front of as much or who might not be familiar with us,” Tuchschmidt says. Going forward, the Tuchschmidt family hopes to continue to build their business and Columbia’s motorcycle community as a whole. CBT

Bankers and Bikes

Eleven years ago, a group of sponsors got together to organize the first “Bankers and Bikes” ride, a weeklong ride geared toward banking executives.

“We needed an alternative to your regular old golf outing,” says Jim Ford, one of the group’s founding members. “We found that there were a lot of bank presidents, owners and executives who ride, so we decided to start organizing these trips.”

Since its inception, Bankers and Bikes has taken a ride to a different location every year, from Austin, Texas; to Jackson Hole, Wyoming; to Colorado Springs. Ford says he’s been amazed by how word has spread about the group. “You’re not just talking about Missouri people,” he says. “We have bankers coming from Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Arkansas, Tennessee and Texas who hear about our rides and want to join.”

Although Bankers and Bikes only organizes one full ride a year, Ford says it’s not uncommon to see several of the group’s members going into local motorcycle dealerships or going on smaller weekend rides together. The annual weeklong trip, which usually consists of 30 to 40 bikes and 60 to 70 riders, is a chance for the participants to shed their business suits and enjoy the open air.

“It’s all blue jeans and T-shirts for a week,” Ford says. “You won’t see a suit or tie for miles.”

28 \\\ december 2014

columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 29

Meet Billy Boyce, owner of Columbia Curb & Gutter Co. He recently obtained an SBA loan from The Bank of Missouri to refinance current debt to provide more operating capital for his well established business.

An SBA loan from The Bank of Missouri is one of the best financing options for small and growing businesses. An SBA loan can help you finance an entire business, equipment and fixtures, business real estate and much more.

www.bankofmissouri.com/business-sba-loans

30 \\\ december 2014

Karin Bell Vice President, SBA Manager

Crystal Morris SBA Sr. Loan Admin. Asst.

Geoff Karr SBA Lender

P.Y.S.K. Person You Should Know

Lisa Malott-Hulett President of Autos-2NV Inc.

›› Job description: I’m the owner/operator of Autos-2NV Inc., a small family body shop.

We do all types of collision work and specialize in restorations.

We restore cars, gas pumps and most things old.

›› Years lived in Columbia/ mid-Missouri: 20

Age:

45

›› Original hometown: West Milton, Ohio ›› Education: Heritage Christian Academy/Hart Vocational School, 1987; Columbia College Business; DDI Certified, Targeted Selection and Train the Trainer; OSHA 1910 32-Hour Certification; Safe-Con, OSHA 1926 30-Hour Certification

Photo by Sarah Redohl

›› Community involvement: I support and volunteer for funding events and support the Central Missouri Honor Flight and Wounded Warrior Project.

I also work with several local car clubs to raise funds for charity.

›› Most people don’t know that I: Worked a 20-year professional career for Kraft Foods NA and managed the capital equipment purchasing for all of Oscar Mayer. My husband and I started Autos-2NV Inc. in 2005 while continuing to work for Kraft. This has been our retirement plan of working at something we love and working together. Also, I actually work on cars, and I’m very grateful to the guys who work for me.

›› Favorite place in Columbia: This really depends on the day. I love the sunset with an adult beverage at Les Bourgeois and a good date night with my Husband at CC’s. ›› What people should know about this profession: You must have patience; this can be a very physical and dirty job.

For those who watch the restoration/hot rod TV shows, you cannot restore a car in a week. ›› Family: Husband, Kris Hulett; one son; and three stepchildren (the youngest is 24)

›› A favorite recent project: In May we completed a fullbody conversion on a 2004 C5 Corvette to make it look like a 1967 Corvette. ›› A Columbia businessperson I admire and why: I work in a community with such fantastic businesspeople, so this is a tough question for me. I would have to say the Head family of Head Motor Co. They work very hard to be successful and are also willing to give back to the community. Once you have an understanding of running and operating a small business, you develop a great appreciation for the hours and dedication required to be successful.

›› Why I’m passionate about my job: I grew up around cars and worked with my father and brother in the shop. My dad made us work hard and instilled in us a passion for automobiles and appreciation for all things old. I have always loved cars and antiques and feel honored to bring them back to life. There is no better feeling than seeing the end result and knowing what it took to get there. ›› What I do for fun: I enjoy spending time outdoors, working and going to car shows and auctions. ›› Accomplishment I’m most proud of: In business, I’m most proud of being a female owner/operator of a body shop.

Personally, I’m most proud of having a strong marriage.CBT

columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 31

Years of Growth Produced by Sarah Redohl � Photos by Anthony Jinson

In October 1964, University of Missouri student photographer Al Germond paid a dorm mate $5 — his whole allowance for the week — to ride along in his Cessna 172 over Columbia. Fifty years later,

By Sarah Redohl � Photos by Anthony Jinson Eric Cooper with the Daniel Boone Flying Club helped the CBT recreate those images to show Columbia’s astounding growth.

32 32 \\\ december 2014

Go to danielbooneflyingclub.org to Learn more about the Daniel Boone Flying Club.

columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 33

1964

70/63

The I-70/63 Interchange has seen a development boom during the past 50 years. U.S. Highway 63, new at the time, crossed over Interstate 70. Unlike today, there was very little development at the interchange or along Route PP. A trailer court had been built on Route PP, where a principal destination was once the Ranch House Restaurant.

34 34 \\\ december 2014

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1964 Faurot

Providence Road splits the Grasslands neighborhood, left, and MU’s campus and Greektown, right. Downtown is visible on the horizon. In 1964, the Stadium Boulevard extension to Highway 63 was still under construction. At that time, Memorial Stadium sat more than 47,000 people.

It currently seats upward of 71,000.

36 36 \\\ december 2014

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38 38 \\\ december 2014

columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 39

1964

Stadium/Mall

In 1964, the Marshall Gordon farm stood where the Columbia Mall is now located. Stadium Boulevard, then known as Conley Lane or the Outer Loop, crosses I-70 in the background. Also visible is State Farm’s first Columbia location on I-70 Drive SW, which now hosts a variety of stores including Toys R Us. The building to the right of State Farm was the original Holiday Inn, now Days Inn. Also visible are buildings of the Lourdes Parish School. Just below the horizon is Columbia’s old airport, now part of Cosmo Park.

40 40 \\\ december 2014

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columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 41

1964

I-70 SW

Interstate 70 curves from east to west above Business Loop 70 West, then known as Old Highway 40. Route E and Conley Lane, now Stadium Boulevard, run across the bottom of the frame. The airport runway north of I-70 is now part of Cosmo Park. The southbound swing of I-70 was laid out in the early 1950s so planes approaching the airport from the south had plenty of clearance to land.

42

2014

columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 43

1964

Power Plant

Providence Road traverses north to south, with the University Power Plant most prominent just east of the welltraveled road. Mark Twain, a private dorm, had recently opened south of Stewart Road. Lewis and Clark, another privately owned dorm now owned by MU, was under construction at the time. Note the abundance of trees — Dutch elms — already threatened by a blight that would eventually kill many of the city’s trees. CBT 44 44 \\\ december 2014

2014

columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 45

MoDOT and the Columbia I-70 Bridges Project look to replace some of the city’s aging infrastructure, though other projects are on hold for further funding.

By Christi Kelly Photo by Casey Buckman

46 \\\ december 2014

Commuters who have long awaited a rebuilding of the busy Interstate 70 corridor through Columbia will have to keep waiting because the Missouri Department of Transportation doesn’t have funding for an overhaul through at least 2017.

But in the meantime, the agency has made it a priority to fix some aging local bridges.

The Columbia I-70 Bridges Project will replace three bridges over local streets in 2015-2016 as part of MoDOT’s Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. The bridges are those over Business Loop 70 at the West Boulevard roundabout, Garth Avenue and Route 763/Rangeline Street.

All three, which are located on the 2.4-mile stretch between Stadium Boulevard and Highway 63, were built in 1957 as part of the original I-70 construction project and are showing visible signs of wear and tear.

MoDOT estimates the work will take a little over two years, beginning in 2015. Total project cost is estimated at $20.46 million, including $10,000 for right-of-way land acquisition, $2 million for engineering and $18.36 million for construction.

Officials met with industry members, including design consultants, contractors and workers, in November to begin the procurement process.

Adjusting the plan MoDOT’s current funding situation doesn’t allow for a full overhaul of the I-70 corridor, says Travis Koestner, assistant district engineer of MoDOT’s central district, so the focus is on replacing bridges that have served their useful lives.

“MoDOT is in maintenance mode, so most any work will be to take care of existing bridges or pavements,” he says.

Replacing them will reduce the need for ongoing minor maintenance, which also disrupts traffic, while preparing at least part of the corridor for future improvements, if and when the funding situation changes.

There is also a maintenance surface overlay project through Columbia preliminarily planned for 2017, though details for that plan are yet to be determined.

Although maintenance mode is the approach du jour, it’s still getting important work accomplished.

“These bridges need to be improved, and these are major reconstructions,” says Mitch Skov, a senior planner for the city’s Department of Planning and Development and member of the Columbia Area Transportation Study Organization. columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 47

Business Loop 70

Garth Ave.

Route 763 (Rangeline)

modot.org/central/major_projects/70ColumbiaBridges

Aiming for innovation For this project, MoDOT is using the designbuild project method, which combines both the design and construction phases into one contract. One contract team will be selected to complete the full project.

As part of the design-build approach, successful bidders have control over all the design and construction details. This helps get “the most innovative solution possible that fits the project goals,” Koestner says.

In September, MoDOT completed an aerial mapping project of the area included in the bridge work. The maps will be provided to potential bidders. The contractor will be selected in early summer 2015, and actual work on the bridges will likely begin that fall. The targeted completion date is fall 2016.

The project goals include: • delivering the project within the $18 million construction budget by Oct. 1, 2016; • constructing new bridges that will provide longterm service and be compatible with future expansion; • minimizing traffic impacts while maximizing capacity and mobility for the area; • maximizing safety for workers and commuters; • providing a project team that reflects the diversity of the community.

Although replacing aging bridges is necessary, and improvements will be welcomed, the construction phase could prove messy for commuters who use that stretch of I-70 and the cross-streets every day.

“MoDOT realizes this is a high-traffic area, and we desire to minimize impacts as much as possible,” Koestner says.

But how exactly they’ll do that won’t be known until the bidding process is complete. “That will be some of the innovation we’re looking for from the proposers,” he says.

48 \\\ december 2014

Other work scheduled for I-70 in the 2015-2019 plan includes: • pavement improvements on eastbound lanes near Lake of the Woods, scheduled for 20152016 at an estimated $3.3 million; • pavement improvements on eastbound and westbound lanes from the Missouri River to the Montgomery County line, scheduled for 20152016 at an estimated $11 million.

Plans on hold Plans to improve I-70 have been talked about for many years, with studies under way as far back as 1999. That’s when MoDOT and the Federal Highway Administration conducted a statewide feasibility study to look for ways to improve the 200mile stretch of I-70 through Missouri.

That study catalogued the condition of I-70 and projected future traffic and flow patterns. Based on that work and due to the sheer complexity and cost of the project, MoDOT and FHWA opened a more detailed, two-part study looking at improvement options. The project team completed the first phase in 2001 and the second in 2006. At that time, the FHWA approved plans to rebuild and widen I-70 to a minimum of six lanes — three in each direction — from St. Louis to Kansas City.

One option the study considered was a truckonly lanes strategy, which would involve building two truck-only lanes and two or more allpurpose lanes in each direction. Barriers or grass would separate the lanes. Suggested benefits included better control of wear and tear on pavement, a reduced number of severe truck/ car crashes and noise reduction along populated stretches of the highway. The project looked extensively at rural vs. urban options, interchange strategies, environmental impacts and other factors of such an overhaul. Although this plan was approved by the FHWA in August 2009, it never received the funding it needed and still sits on the back burner today.

In 2004, a St. Louis engineering company proposed design options for widening the interstate through Columbia and also for improving the interchange at Highway 63. All the options they proposed included six to eight lanes from Route Z on the east side of town to Route BB on the west side, with room for two more in the future.

Several years later, MoDOT released a study showing the state’s transportation funding needs would exceed $31 billion over 20 years, much more than the projected $12.6 billion in revenue.

The annual funding available reached $1.3 billion in 2009, but declining revenue could drop it as low as $325 million by 2017. MoDOT has previously estimated annual maintenance costs across the state at around $450 million. Most of the state’s transportation funds come from a 17.3-cent gasoline tax along with federal funds and local property and sales taxes.

“MoDOT does a great job using the funding they have,” Skov says. “My observation is they accomplish a lot more than some states with bigger budgets. MoDOT has more miles to maintain than Iowa, Kansas or other surrounding states — thousands of miles more.”

In August, voters had a chance to help boost that revenue through a 10-year, ¾-cent sales tax increase through Amendment 7, but it was resoundingly defeated. According to the Brookings Institute, the increase would have generated more than $5 billion over the 10-year period, which would have funded 800 projects across the state — including a $1.8 billion I-70 expansion project.

Opponents questioned the ability of local jurisdictions to put up their portion of the funds needed for those projects and the increased focus on roadwork, especially, as noted by the Brookings Institute, because a recent study showed that in 2012 Missouri residents drove 5 percent less per capita than in 2000.

Whether driving trends continue in a downward direction or not, funding is still limited, and improvements to I-70 are still needed and necessary. For now, the Columbia I-70 Bridges Project is the most MoDOT can offer. The agency has committed to keeping commuters informed and will release more details as they become available. CBT

Bridge Project Costs • • • • •

$10,000 for right-of-way land acquisition $2.091 million for engineering $18.363 million for construction $20.464 million total costs $16.079 federal/$4.02 million state funding

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1307 N. 7th St., Columbia, MO | 573-442-6143 columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 49

thinkstock.com

50 \\\ december 2014

Columbia Regional Airport is moving east as it works to boost its regional presence, but it’s not moving far — just enough to get plans for a six-year, $27.8 million airfield transformation off the ground.

By Vicki Hodder The airport has had its ups and downs since its move in 1968 from northern Columbia to more than 1,500 acres about 10 miles south of the city, off State Route H east of U.S. Highway 63. Owned and operated by the City of Columbia — and specifically run by Columbia’s Public Works Department — the airport is surrounded by property under the jurisdiction of either Boone County or the City of Ashland. Designed to serve these and other surrounding areas, Columbia Regional Airport (COU) has been attracting a growing number of passengers in recent years.

COU enplanements began an ongoing climb in 2009 following a significant dip in

2007 and 2008 that reflected changes in the airport’s carriers and service. With American Airlines offering two daily flights to and from both Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, planes have been flying about 85 percent full throughout this year, city officials say. The upward trend is visible in the number of COU enplanements.

In 2007, the city recorded 9,090 passengers boarding COU flights; by 2013, some 43,178 passengers took off from Columbia’s airport. COU airport manager Don Elliott predicts the number of enplanements this year will exceed 50,000. columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 51

Elliott believes the airport is on the cusp of a growth spurt that would more than double the number of passengers boarding at COU within five years. That ambition would require either additional flights or larger aircraft at the airport — or more likely, Elliott says, a combination of the two. Plans to rebuild the airport’s infrastructure would pave the way for much of that growth while bringing the airport into compliance with federal safety standards, he says.

The proposed renovation would carry a multimilliondollar price tag, with runway and taxiway improvements that are tentatively slated to begin next year expected to cost more than $27.8 million over the next several years.

Most of the bill — 90 percent of it — would be footed by the Federal Aviation Administration, with the remainder financed by Columbia’s transportation sales tax, according to city officials. Having approved Columbia’s airport master plan and the improvements it envisions, the FAA has signed off on the proposed projects and will consider refinancing 90 percent of the costs as its funding allows, according to Steve Sapp, public information specialist for the City of Columbia.

“What they [the FAA] have helped us do through the master plan, with the consultants, is they have basically given us a road map, that you need to do A, B, C, D and E,” Sapp says. “And that’s exactly what we’re doing to improve the infrastructure capacity at the airport.”

Greg Cecil, chair of Columbia’s airport advisory board, says it “absolutely” makes sense to complete the upgrades.

“It’s a community asset,” Cecil notes. “If we don’t do it, we become insignificant as an airport.”

Upcoming improvements At the heart of the COU master plan’s proposed improvements is the renovation of the airport’s nearly 50-year-old runways. The reason is straightforward: “The runway does not have an indefinite life,” Elliott says. “It’s just like a road.”

But the proposed improvements entail more than pavement repair, as vital as that is to the overall plan. The crosswind runway — a 4,401-by-75-foot east-west runway used primarily by smaller aircraft — also is to be lengthened

to 5,500 feet and widened to 100 feet. An existing visibility problem between the primary and crosswind runways caused by buildings on the property is slated to be corrected by moving the runway 1,850 feet to the east, Elliott says. Similar work would be done to Taxiway B to extend it to 5,500 feet and shift it to the east. And reconstructing the asphalt runway will strengthen as well as repair it because plans call for it to be rebuilt with greater weight-bearing concrete.

The primary runway, 6,501 feet long and 150 feet wide, already is made of concrete. Its pavement will be rehabilitated and the runway, which runs north to south, lengthened to 7,400 feet. Repairs of its taxiway were completed in 2013.

Although these proposals have been on the books for a while, and other preliminary projects have been completed, work on the runways themselves appears likely to begin next year. Airport administrators in late October received advance notice from the FAA of the agency’s intent to fund a handful of Columbia airport improvements in 2015. Although Elliott cautions that the notice is not a formal allocation of project funds, he expects the FAA to follow through with the financing. Projects the FAA has given notice it intends to fund include: • Design work for the crosswind runway shift, extension and widening. Estimated cost is $630,000.

• Realignment of Rangeline Road, which borders the airport to the east. Shifting the road farther east to make way for the future crosswind runway and Taxiway B extensions. Estimated cost is $1.6 million.

• Reconstruction and realignment of the portion of Taxiway B where it connects to the primary runway. Estimated cost is $1.3 million.

• Reconstruction of the crosswind runway on either side of its intersection with COU’s primary runway, replacing asphalt with concrete and widening that section from 75 feet to 100 feet. Estimated cost is $2 million.

With each improvement comprising several steps and dependent upon FAA funding, the runway work alone is expected to take several years.

“We’re probably looking in five to six years to be able to get this work either in design or completed,” Sapp says.

Tentative runway and taxiway design and construction timetable*

Percentage of storefront and online travel agency ticket buyers embarking from COU

YEAR

PROJECT

ESTIMATED COST (rounded)

2015

Design work to shift and extend crosswind runway

$630,000

2016

Design work for Taxiway B

$408,000

2017-2018

Crosswind runway and Taxiway B construction

$13.1 million

2018

Design work to extend primary runway

$410,000

2019

Complete construction of crosswind runway and taxiway

$4 million

2019

Primary runway

$6 million

2020

Isolated repairs to primary runway

$3.3 million

*Based on City of Columbia staff member interviews and five-year capital improvement plan 52 \\\ december 2014

COMMUNITY COLUMBIA JEFFERSON CITY FULTON MEXICO LAKE OZARK BOONVILLE HOLTS SUMMIT MOBERLY ASHLAND CENTRALIA HARTSBURG

2011 CALENDAR YEAR 14 9 5 6 3 6 8 7 17 8 14

March 2013 to March 2014 23 17 13 8 12 8 20 13 30 13 24

Source: Mead & Hunt passenger demand analyses, provided by City of Columbia

Giving COU New Wings

This work is already completed or under way. All projects were funded 90 percent by the Federal Aviation Administration and 10 percent by the City of Columbia.

September 2013: Completed reconstruction of Taxiway A, which serves the airport’s primary runway: $5.5 million.

September 2013: Built a new wildlife fence around the airport’s perimeter, as required by FAA standards: $1.5 million.

July 2014: Hired Burns & McDonnell, headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, to design the reconstruction of the crosswind runway on either side of its intersection with the airport’s primary runway: $375,000.

July 2014: Bought 52 acres along State Route H for future extension to the north of COU’s primary runway: $650,000.

October 2014: Hired Burns & McDonnell to design the relocation of Rangeline Road to make way for the extension of the crosswind runway to the east as well as Taxiway B improvements: $160,000.

Once the airfield infrastructure improvements are complete, Sapp says the city would need to make a decision about remodeling or repurposing the existing airport terminal. If the city were to decide on a new terminal, he says it likely would be built along State Route H on the north side of the airport property. The existing terminal probably would be used as a general aviation terminal, separating commercial and general aviation screening operations as the FAA would like to see, Sapp says.

Opening doors Even as they work to renovate the airport into compliance with FAA requirements, city officials hope they are laying the groundwork for airport growth. The city will have an easier time marketing the airport to American Airlines or other carriers if it can demonstrate Columbia’s commitment to ensuring the airport’s infrastructure can handle larger aircraft, Sapp says. That’s of particular note given that airport administrators believe the 50-passenger regional jets now flying out of COU will be replaced with more fuel-efficient 76-passenger aircraft.

“Within the next three to five years, most of the 50-passenger regional jets will no longer be in service,” Elliott says.

American Airlines spokeswoman Martha Thomas says she cannot comment for competitive reasons on the airline’s plans regarding service to specific airports or markets.

“American Airlines is very pleased with the performance of our service in Columbia, Missouri, and the support we’ve received from the community,” Thomas wrote in an email. “We constantly evaluate our network, including the specific aircraft we use on routes to cities such as Columbia, to ensure we are maximizing our fleet and profitability while matching customer demand.”

That said, COU administrators are eyeing opportunities for larger aircraft, new destinations and possibly additional carriers at the airport.

They’re also considering opportunities for light cargo or other types of operations there. Elliott mentions the possibility of serving FedEx or United Parcel Service operations, and Sapp wonders whether there might be a role for the airport in the University of Missouri’s plans to help create a domestic supply of a powerhouse medical isotope. Meeting FAA standards and upgrading the airport’s infrastructure opens up a great many possibilities, ranging from new cargo business to additional commercial destinations, Sapp says.

“We’re not quite there yet,” Sapp says. “But we’re getting there, and we have a plan to get there.” CBT

Security Check

The CBT gets an inside look at the operations of the TSA at COU.

By Sarah Redohl

It’s no surprise Columbia Regional Airport, or COU, greatly impacts the local economy, with a total output of more than $87 million, 745 jobs and a payroll exceeding $26 million. One of the staples of an effective airport is the Transportation Security Administration.

Fewer than 12 TSA agents work at COU, though the exact number can’t be published for security reasons, according to Bill Switzer, a TSA federal security director based in St. Louis. A large airport such as Kansas City International Airport, however, employs more than 100 agents. These federal employees are hired locally, though, once hired, they may request a transfer to another airport.

Switzer says the power structure is very similar to any other airport: A supervisory transportation security officer is in charge of lead transportation security officers and transportation security officers.

Although there is no difference in TSA standard operating procedures between large and small airports, there are some inherent differences, such as agents’ schedules and average time spent in line.

Switzer says agents typically work the same days and times, and the shifts are bid based with senior agents bidding first. The shifts for COU’s agents are established based on flight schedules, so with four daily flights (three on Saturdays) at 6 a.m., 6:45 a.m., 12:55 p.m. and 2:35 p.m., the agents usually work swing shifts.

Some TSA employees, such as supervisors, work full-time schedules. According to airport manager Don Elliott, most of the agents remain onsite between shifts.

“We just had an [agent] from Mexico who retired and would stay around between his shifts,” Elliot says. “Why drive to Mexico to turn right back around for his second shift? It’s a choice they make, so they don’t have to go back and forth.”

At COU, another difference is the agents must first check screened luggage and then check passengers, Elliott says. “Most airports have two separate teams to do that, so they’re doing double duty here.”

Private contractors and the TSA Under the TSA’s Screening Partnership Program, some airports have transitioned to private contractors fulfilling the duties of the TSA. As of August 2014, 18 airports participate in the program, including Kansas City International Airport.

Small airports in Iowa, New Mexico, Montana, Florida and New Hampshire also participate in the program, according to SPP Director William Benner.

Passengers traveling through these 18 airports represent 4.5 percent of the TSA’s annual passenger volume; the contracts are worth $661 million over five years, Benner says.

Along with most small airports, COU already utilizes a private contractor, Midwest Air Traffic Control, to staff its control tower. According to Switzer, any airport may apply for the program, and

Photo by Anthony Jinson

the decision lies with the airport’s governing body: in Columbia’s case, City Council. Contract screeners must meet all the requirements applicable to federally employed screeners, Switzer says.

“Contractors must adhere to the same strict operational, hiring and training standards as those used for TSA employees,” Switzer says. To date, he says, performance of TSA officers and private screeners is comparable.

“The government accountability office came out here and interviewed us about screening because there’s been this big push from Congress to privatize it, but we like what we have now,” Elliot says. “That consistency is good for the customer. Kansas City is private, and they like it. I think it’s just what you’re used to.”

Another difference is the time required to get through screening — usually less than 10 minutes at COU, according to Switzer.

“Screening is very quick here compared with larger places, like DFW,” Elliott says. At COU, screening usually begins just 45 minutes to an hour before the flight.

“People often think there are more concourses once you go through security, but it’s not like that here,” Elliott says. “Most people don’t want to wait too long in that holding area.”

‘Our goal is the same’ Attrition of TSA agents at COU is relatively low when compared to larger airports. “These TSA jobs, federal workforce jobs, are good jobs to have in any city, and that includes Columbia,” Switzer says.

When it comes to COU staff working with the TSA, Elliott says they work closely on safety meetings and training for the badge required to work on the tarmac. “This is a small airport, and everyone knows everyone else,” he says. “If there are any questions, they can just go ask one of the security officers or come ask me.”

“We basically rent them space here,” Elliott says.

“Our goal is the same: to serve the customer, to provide customer service and help them get through screening as quickly as possible.” CBT columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 53

basics

Bob Stockton and Warren Byington.

54 \\\ december 2014

A local startup is changing the way the automotive business motivates employees, increases volume and raises profits.

By Molly Wright | Photo by anthony jinson Bob Stockton was general manager of sales for a local car dealership when he hired Warren Byington for a sales position back in 2010. At the time, neither man anticipated the friendship and business partnership that would develop over the next four years. Today, their company, Process the Basics, provides a unique service that is rapidly making a name for itself in the automotive industry.

“The business is a consulting and training company designed specifically to help automotive dealers increase their volume, profit and efficiency by utilizing our software, knowledge and recommendations,” Byington says. Other companies offer software products that target automotive dealerships, Byington adds, but Process the Basics stands apart by providing a product that is both user friendly and based on a proven system of tracking sales that Stockton developed.

Stockton, who is a veteran of the automotive business, began developing a system that would allow him to track the progress of his sales team members when he was originally promoted to a manager position in 2006. “I wanted to be able to tailor training specifically for the salesperson by identifying their area of improvement,” says Stockton, who isn’t a fan of what he calls “blanket training” for which sales people are sent offsite to be trained as a group. “I might send someone

away for two days in Texas for training, but 90 percent of it he is already proficient at, so it’s a waste of time.”

At the same time, Stockton wanted to create a better, fairer way to rank sales team members rather than relying solely on monthly sales. “By rating salespeople on one number at the end of the month, you are only getting part of the story,” he says.

For example, salesperson A might sell 10 cars a month, and salesperson B sells 14 cars a month. But what if salesperson B talked to 75 people, and salesperson A only talked to 25 people? “There were 61 opportunities with salesperson B that were lost,” Stockton says.

Determined to have a more comprehensive view, Stockton created a system on paper that broke the entire automobile sales process down into five key areas: how many people the salesperson talks to a month; of those, how many test drives he or she goes on; how many deals he or she works off of the test drives; how many contracts are written up and cars sold; finally, of those sold, how many are delivered.

Applying these criteria to every potential sale and salesperson, Stockton soon began to see improvement across the board. “It took a couple of years and a lot of training, but I was able to take more than half of a staff of 20 that was doing OK — selling 10 to 12 cars a month — and take them to 18 to 20 cars per month,” he says. columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 55

2010, when Byington came on board, he brought his sales and management experience to the table.

“I took Bob’s system and helped perfect it along the way,” he says.

Soon Stockton began looking for a way to streamline the process, which was taking 90 to 120 minutes a day to complete on paper. “If I believe in efficiency, I should find something that is more efficient,” Stockton says. “I also wanted to make my life, my manager’s life and my assistant’s life easier.” However, he discovered the available software was salesperson rather than management driven.

Early in 2014, Stockton and Byington decided to go into business together, utilizing their free time after hours and on Sundays to create their business model. “From there we developed a business plan and then got local support from Todd Hoien at Hawthorn Bank, who excels in SBA lending,” Stockton says. They also interviewed several computer companies before going with Delta Systems, which Stockton says provided an A-plus experience. On Sept. 2, 2014, they launched Process the Basics.

According to Byington, the way it works is a dealer signs up for a monthly subscription and receives his or her own personal domain name.

Then Process the Basics preloads all the staff members, and from there the tool goes to work for the dealership. “The sales managers or GMs just log in every day, and everything they enter into the ‘opportunity log’ on their website is the hub that drives the entire system; then the data can be used to identify the stats and numbers that they want,” he says.

An additional advantage to their system is that mobile and desktop devices can input into the software, which allows everybody that is logged into the system, depending on their level of access, to see the information they need to see. This is an important feature, Stockton says, especially for dealers who have multiple locations and/or travel a lot. “In a snapshot, you have the vital stats of where every salesperson is at during the day,” he says.

From here the GM can decide how to motivate the sales staff. “You can’t go into a room 56 \\\ december 2014

and motivate 20 salespeople the same way, and this is something that is extremely overlooked in the business,” Stockton says.

“Our mission is to help turn salespeople into sales professionals,” Byington says.

Stockton agrees, adding that one of the biggest downfalls in the automotive business is the tendency to hit the panic button too late in the month. “This process allowed me to keep an aggressive tab on my salespeople. If an individual’s numbers were down earlier in the month, I could address the issue earlier and help the person achieve their goals.”

Additionally, accurate tracking opens communication, builds trust and creates friendships between managers and their teams. For Byington, developing more personal relationships is essential in an industry that typically has a high employee turnover rate. “The goal is to know your staff, and when you know your staff and the numbers, you can cater these conversations with each person,” he says.

“You can’t go into a room and motivate 20 salespeople the same way, and this is something that is extremely overlooked in the business.” — Bob Stockton, Process the Basics This, in turn, empowers managers and salespeople to each do their jobs more effectively, Stockton says. “By getting several sales team personnel operating at a sales professional level, the dealership receives a stronger bottom line, less turnover and more customer loyalty.”

‘We are determined to back our services’ Currently the company is located in the Regus “ready to go” office spaces in the Shoppes at Stadium. Initially, they wanted to operate from their homes, but having small children — Stockton has twin 4-year-old girls and Byington a 21-month-old boy — they decided to go with Regus, which both men agree has been a perfect fit. With more than 2,000 locations in 100 countries, Regus can often provide office space when the men travel for business as well.

Although they plan to expand, for now as a young company, Stockton and Byington say they are concentrating on providing local and regional automotive dealers with the best services possible. “When we first decided to do this startup business, we discovered there is a massive need for this,” Stockton says. “In less than two months of launching, we were getting a lot of inquiries and interest. Providing a good experience is essential to Process the Basics. We are determined to back our services and customer satisfaction 100 percent.” Additionally, onsite training is currently available to existing and potential clients to train sales staff in specific areas to help increase personal and storewide volume and profit.

Stockton, who is originally from Columbia, and Byington, who is from Bourbon, Missouri, say they appreciate Columbia’s businessfriendly atmosphere and feel mid-Missouri is a great place to raise a family. “Columbia Regional Airport is making huge strides, and we’re only an hour-and-a-half drive from two major metropolitan cities, both of which will really help a business like ours,” Stockton says.

Both men also say their families enjoy Columbia and everything the area has to offer, such as a great downtown, the MKT Trail and plenty of outdoor activities. “Columbia gives us everything we need and want as far as opportunities and amenities,” Byington says. “But then you can also go 10 minutes north, and you’re back out in the country."

Most of all, running their own business allows Byington and Stockton to spend more time with their families, something they missed while working for someone else.

“In the car business, you are back to square one at the beginning of every month,” Byington says.

Overall, Stockton says it was a good move, but he also offers some free advice for other wouldbe entrepreneurs. “Stay in the now,” he says. “Be willing to accept a certain amount of risk, and know where you want to be.” CBT

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Most entrepreneurs play by their own set of rules. In fact, that’s often one of the most appealing aspects of being one’s own boss.

Local entrepreneur-gone-global Mallory Van Waarde would certainly fit this mold.

In March, at 24, Van Waarde quit her job as a Web data analyst at Veterans United to work independently — and abroad — in Europe and South America. During that time, her client list more than doubled, and she formally

launched a boutique digital marketing agency — Magnifyre — with her business partner, Franco Puetz. She believes in designing her own life, one that plays off her passions and re-energizes her creativity.

Even if running your own business on the road isn’t on your bucket list, perhaps, at the least, she’ll inspire you to aim high for the life and career you really want. Here’s her story, in her own words.

Story by Mallory Van Waarde � Introduction by Sarah Redohl � Photos by anthony Jinson 58 \\\ december 2014

through the glass at the array of flavors inside my favorite ice-cream shop.

The scent of cinnamon lingered on my tongue, and I dropped the taste-testing spoon into the bin. “Cinnamon or chocolate?” The lady behind the counter asked. I paused, indecisive. “Why not both?” I responded.

Why not both?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ When I entered the “real world” after college graduation, I was excited to finally have the chance to build the life I desired. The sense of freedom was intoxicating, but the weight of responsibility was enormous. With so many routes to choose from, how does one determine the right course?

With classes and tests behind me, I started exploring opportunities in my free time after my work. My friend and I took on freelance digital marketing projects for local businesses. We were toying with the idea of creating an agency, but I couldn’t bring myself to commit. Building a business is a more-than-full-time gig, and I spent a lot of time daydreaming about the corners of the world I wanted to explore.

I found myself caught between the world of dreamers and doers.

The dreamer in me said, “Go and see the world.”

The doer in me said: “Don’t waste precious time. Focus on your work.”

I’ve always harbored a deep desire to see the world. This is matched with an equal passion for entrepreneurship. I didn’t want my world to be a place where work vs. travel was an either/or proposition. So it’s no surprise that when presented with the question “Dream or do?” I answered simply: “Why not both?”

Like any good online marketer, I set up an experiment (albeit, not that scientific).

It was an experiment with what is now commonly referred to as location independence, or simply, the freedom to live and work anywhere. I would continue my digital marketing work, but I would do it while traveling the world. It was time to determine whether work and travel were, in fact, mutually exclusive. columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 59

60 \\\ december 2014

Location independence requires a lot of planning; you cannot simply drop everything and leave town. I wish it were that easy. My first concern (and probably yours) was: Is this financially feasible? I started by getting rid of the anchors in my life: my car, my apartment, my hot yoga membership. Aside from travel insurance and student loans, I eliminated all of my monthly bills. I estimated my expenses for the places I wanted to visit and planned for $50 a day in Europe and $30 a day in South America. I made sure I would be making enough to live on and set aside a healthy emergency fund.

My business partner and I met with our clients and set up a system conducive for remote work. Because the majority of our communication happened through email and Google Hangouts, this was, surprisingly, one of the easiest parts. It certainly helped that one of us would still be available for face-to-face meetings when necessary.

The most difficult moment came when I left my full-time job. I had spent two years with an inspiring group of people who taught me, mentored me and invested in my growth. Leaving them behind to pursue a new dream felt a bit traitorous. It is a true testament to their character that many of them remained some of my biggest cheerleaders.

After months of preparation, I felt ready.

I packed my backpack with one week’s worth of clothes and my laptop and set off for five months to Europe and South America.

Amidst exploring, I worked from bus terminals, train stations and hostel bunk beds.

My cubicle was a coffee shop, and my conference room was Google Hangouts. I adopted a rhythm; I worked in the mornings and evenings and explored during the day.

Working on the road presented a unique set of problems: crappy Wi-Fi, a lonely work environment, sporadic work sessions. Because my schedule was unpredictable, it was hard to gauge whether we were making progress. We ditched the traditional time-tracking model as a way to determine productivity and instead set monthly goals, broken down into weekly activities. Productivity was gauged simply by whether we were able to meet our goals.

There were moments of self-doubt and frustration, but ultimately I found the process fun and engaging. Slowly, our business grew. In fact, we more than doubled our client base.

We built a network of copywriters, developers and online marketers (some of whom I met abroad) so that we could focus on our core

strengths and still offer our clients a range of services. We even gave our little agency a name: Magnifyre.

In hindsight, I think our growth came in part as a result of the power of context. The constantly changing environment was uniquely suited for me to perform at my best. The anonymity increased my focus. The beauty inspired me. The people challenged my paradigms. The quiet moments nurtured my creativity. I discovered that the spirit of entrepreneurship is cultivated through the context of explorative travel. They require the same qualities for success: creativity, independence, a sense of wonder, problem-solving, intellectual curiosity. Work and travel, it seems, can be beautifully symbiotic.

★★ ★ ★ ★ ★

months since I flew home from Bogota, Colombia. Magnifyre is still growing, and I continue to explore new corners of the United States.

Although I am playing with the idea of finding a new home base in the States, I have no intention of completely giving up my nomadic lifestyle — a lifestyle that feeds my curiosity and mitigates my restlessness.

Some are critical of my lifestyle choice.

They presume I am young and restless, that I am prolonging adolescence and avoiding responsibility. They say I will have to settle down because that’s what people do.

But these criticisms have little effect. In a world where it is normal to amass comfort and minimize risk, it’s exhilarating to live outside of my comfort zone. I am building a life that fits my speed, rhythm and recipe. To me, that is true freedom.

I realize that not every person wants or needs the life I lead, but everyone does want the freedom to live the life they choose. Truly embracing freedom means continually confronting fears: both of failure and of success.

By blazing my own trail, I am choosing to face my fears at the risk of my comfort — all for the purpose of pursuing a life that is full of wonder, creativity and productivity.

It’s easy to look at life as a series of either/ or decisions. Cinnamon or chocolate? Work or travel? Dream or do? Perhaps the joy and wonder in life comes from putting those assumptions to the test and finding out where your own dreams may lead. You never know. “Why not both?” may be your answer, too. CBT

Thoughts from the Bus >>Excerpts from Van Waard’s blog, hereandmal.com

April 21, 2014: ‘Is travel a break from life?’

I’ve started looking at my life through an 80/20 lens. If you aren’t familiar, the 80/20 rule suggests that 80 percent of outputs result from only 20 percent of inputs. This principle, also known as the Pareto principle, has a lot of implications for the business world, but this imbalance of inputs and outputs exists elsewhere.

Applied to life (and travel), this would suggest that 80 percent of our enjoyment and success in life occurs in only about 20 percent of our lives. That sounds kind of depressing, but the good news is that if you are cognizant of this imbalance, you realize there is a lot of room for improvement. It’s worth it to take time to examine that 20 percent in your life, identify the context for it and try to replicate it in other areas of life.

Aug. 28, 2014: ‘Lifestyle design and what’s next’ If you’ve thought about quitting your job and traveling the world, you’ve probably read The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris.

“Quit your job, travel lots, work as little as possible.” There are plenty of articles, books and blog posts dedicated to this concept of lifestyle design, and it’s starting to look like a one-size-fits-all solution… …It’s easy to buy into it because it presents a stark contrast from our 9-5 jobs and plays on our desire of wanting what we can’t have. The fact is that an elongated beach vacation (sans work) isn’t what everyone wants and/or needs.

Oct. 6, 2014: ‘Adjusting to home after long-term travel’ People treat you as they knew you (the “old you”) because they don’t know the things you’ve experienced. They haven’t seen you change. And the worst part is that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Subconsciously, you return to the person they once knew. And when you realize it, you feel as though you’ve become less of yourself. What happened to all of those things you learned?

One solution could be to brush off home forever and move on, but you need your family and friends to keep you grounded.

The ones that matter will make the effort to understand and grow with you.

And, chances are, they’ve had their own life-altering events that have left them fundamentally different, too. Make sure you don’t make the same mistake others have made about you.

columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 61

Even with a foreseen decline in in-state applicants in recent years, the University of Missouri has experienced record growth in its total enrollment, thanks to strategic recruiting of out-of-state and international students and a boost to brand awareness.

By Christi Kelly � Photos by Anthony Jinson

This semester,

the University of Missouri had its highest enrollment to date, topping off at just under 35,000.

With MU growing its recruiting efforts outside Missouri, it’s no wonder both out-of-state and international students are contributing record numbers to that total.

More than 10,800 out-of-state students made up 28 percent of total MU enrollment last year, up from just 4,425 students in 2003. That’s a 144 percent increase in a little more than a decade. The most out-of-state students come 62 \\\ december 2014

from Illinois, Texas, Kansas, California, Minnesota and Colorado.

International students are also a growing segment of the MU student body. From 2003 to 2013, international students grew from 5.2 percent of total enrollment to 6.8 percent, a nearly 31 percent increase to more than 2,000 students.

Ten years ago, MU saw a population growth trend emerging that would slow growth of instate student admissions.

“We knew the number of high school graduates throughout the Midwest would begin to decline starting in 2011 and wanted to get ahead

of the negative downturn,” says MU Director of Admissions Chuck May. The school started putting significant effort into out-of-state recruiting. The strategy: brand awareness.

“Everything was intentional and targeted,” he says, “from state-specific mailings and attendance at college fairs to counselor events.”

First, the school put full-time admissions representatives in Chicago and Dallas and another who split time between Minneapolis and Denver. These recruiters built relationships with prospective students, parents and

guidance counselors, just as their counterparts did back home.

This year, MU is taking the effort even farther, to California, where the student population there is growing so fast it’s gotten harder for them to get into their state’s large public universities. The campaign is starting with direct mail and email and will be followed by recruiting trips to Los Angeles and San Diego.

More recently, about three years ago, MU recognized the trend toward higher international enrollment and created the Office of International Admissions, which is charged with strategically recruiting and evaluating applicants from outside the United States.

“Essentially, we took the Mizzou message global,” says Director of International Admissions John Wilkerson.

In 2010, MU proactively recruited international students in only one country: South Korea. In 2014, the university recruited in 59 countries, on every inhabited continent.

A global reach One draw for international students is reputation. Rankings are important to many international students, Wilkerson says, and MU’s strong performance in that area has made a difference. He points to the university’s top 100 placement in the influential U.S. News & World Report rankings, for example.

The school’s status as a strong research university is also a key factor in boosting enrollment. In 2011 MU ranked 69th out of the top 150 research universities in the United States in terms of research funding.

Recruiting, processing and supporting a fastgrowing international student body puts pressure on MU staffing and systems.

“We face similar challenges currently being experienced by the entire campus due to enrollment increases,” says David Currey, assistant director of the International Center and director of International Student & Scholar Services at MU. That means they’re looking for ways to improve efficiency and make better use of technology. Staffing levels also have to adapt to needs, at least enough to keep up with recordkeeping and reporting compliance obligations under federal law, he says.

So what’s drawing these students to MU? A lot of factors go into any prospective college student’s decision: academic reputation, location, financial aid, hire rates for graduates, size, rankings. Financial aid and scholarships specifically for nonresidents of Missouri can also entice prospective stu-

dents and make the move more appealing. The Mark Twain Nonresident Scholarship, for example, offers funding to students in the top 50 percent of their high school graduating class with a composite ACT score of 27 or higher. Depending on ACT and SAT scores, students can receive between $2,000 and $10,000 per school year.

The Mizzou Heritage Scholarship is another attractive offering, targeting non-Missouri residents with a parent or stepparent who graduated from MU. To qualify, students must be in the top 25 percent of their graduating class with a composite ACT score of 27 or higher or a combined SAT score of 1210 or higher. The scholarship offers full waiver of nonresident tuition, about $14,000 per semester. There’s also a Global Heritage Scholarship for non-U.S. residents with an MU alum parent.

The International Merit Scholarship also aims to draw international students by offering $4,000 per year based on test scores and other criteria.

For freshman political science major Casey Edwards from San Diego, MU’s competitive scholarships and Midwestern location were big decision-makers — and so was Thai food.

Columbia’s diverse downtown restaurants — including Bangkok Gardens, Chim’s Thai Kitchen and Thip Thai — helped make it a little easier to move nearly 1,700 miles from home.

“I found Columbia to be a very good-size town,” Edwards says. “It wasn’t so big that I would easily get lost, and it was big enough so I wouldn't feel like I was in the middle of nowhere.

Also, the promise of good Thai food definitely drew me in since I was afraid I would only get to enjoy it when I went home for vacations.”

Besides the draw of a welcoming town to call home and good financial aid, Edwards also cites the positive, friendly atmosphere experienced on a visit in 2013.

The student-friendly community is one important factor in a recent increase in the number of out-of-state and international students attending MU, says Columbia Chamber of Commerce President Matt McCormick. Columbia offers a vibrant collection of restaurants and shops in The District, ample housing near campus and the ability to get around town and campus without a car.

Graduate student Dina van der Zalm agrees that Columbia’s size is ideal for students. The Greenville, S.C., native did her undergraduate studies at New York University in New York City and came to MU for a double master’s degree in social work and public health. MU originally hit her radar because it offers a lucrative and wellknown fellowship for returning Peace Corps vol-

unteers, and though the not-too-big, not-toosmall size of the city was appealing, that funding became her deciding factor.

“I turned down seven other schools, including some top programs, because I could not really afford the cost of living in Chicago, Boston or New York without a fellowship as generous as the one at Mizzou,” she says.

For accounting graduate student Liuan Yang, the decision to attend MU had two major influences: the school’s stature and his mom. Yang’s mother spent time at MU as a visiting scholar and loved the experience. She recommended the school to her son, who was also impressed with the school’s rankings.

“The accounting program has an outstanding reputation nationwide,” he says. “That strengthened my decision to come to Mizzou.”

Originally from Chongqing in southwest China, Yang now serves as president of the Missouri International Student Council.

In fall 2014, MU had 2,417 international students enrolled, compared to 2,236 the previous year — an 8 percent increase in one year. Total out-of-state enrollment, including international students, went from 9,915 in fall 2013 to 10,855 this year. That represents nearly 9.5 percent growth in out-of-state enrollment in just one year.

The biggest change has been in undergraduate programs, where international enrollment has more than doubled in five years, Currey says.

Within MU, the schools with the highest increases from 2013 to 2014 were the College of Engineering, which added 58 students to total 697; the College of Arts and Science, which added 43 to total 746; and the Graduate School, which added 30 to hit 123.

More than 10,800 outof-state students made up 28 percent of total MU enrollment last year, up from just ,425 students in 2003. That’s a 144 percent increase in a little more than a decade.

MU isn’t the only school seeing this trend.

Between 2003 and 2013, international student enrollment in the U.S. increased by 40 percent, according to USAcademy, an organization that helps international students seeking higher education in the United States. columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 63

A shift in global economic demographics is among several key factors contributing to the growth in international enrollment, Wilkerson says.

Business community sees benefits The Columbia business community has a lot to gain when out-of-state enrollment is up, McCormick says. For one thing, it boosts awareness about Columbia as a great place to live and work. As prospective students visit and enrolled students spend four or more years here, local businesses get more exposure to a diverse market.

A diverse, growing and engaged student body helps make Columbia attractive to new and expanding businesses, and it’s a big factor when the Chamber of Commerce works with businesses interested in Columbia as a home base.

“We talk about the influx of students and the amount graduating every year, not just at MU but also Columbia College, Stephens, William Woods and the other schools we have here,” McCormick says. “It makes it easier to sell.”

The flow of students into and out of higher education in Columbia also represents a built-in workforce, which is attractive to companies looking to hire, especially because many students end up staying in Columbia after they graduate or returning at some point down the road.

That means there are more students available for internships and part-time jobs and more post-graduates interested in finding work or starting their own businesses. McCormick says the life sciences and technology fields especially benefit from a highly educated workforce 64 \\\ december 2014

Numbers of international students enrolled at MU this year and last Students

Fall 2013

Fall 2014

Total international

2,236

2,417

On-campus international

2,212

2,393

Numbers of out-of-state students enrolled both years Students Total nonresident students

Fall 2013

Fall 2014

9,915

10,855

Colleges/schools within MU that have seen the highest increase in international enrollment Fall NR international students

2014

2013

Increase

College of Engineering

697

639

58

College of Arts and Science

746

703

43

Graduate School

123

93

30

Ag, Food & Nat Resources

178

164

14

School of Journalism

115

101

14

Registrar

75

62

13

School of Natural Resources

39

27

12

School of Medicine

43

36

7

College of Business

190

185

5

Human Environmental Science

63

59

4

College of Veterinary Medicine

1

0

1

Health Professions

8

7

1

School of Law

10

9

1

School of Nursing

4

5

-1

Social Work

1

2

-1

College of Education

89

97

-8

Truman School of Pub Affairs

35

47

-12

• mup.asu.edu/research2011.pdf • usnews.com/education/blogs/college-rankings-blog/2013/01/31/freshmen-students-sayrankings-arent-key-factor-in-college-choice • usacademy.collegenet.com/magnoliaPublic/preview/preview-learn/college/International-studentenrollment-trends.html • nafsa.org/_/File/_/eis2012/Missouri.pdf

passionate about their community, as evidenced by the MU Life Sciences Incubator and the Downtown Incubator, which foster and support startups.

One local industry that sees especially strong benefits from increased out-of-state enrollment is travel and tourism. As locals are well aware, football games, family weekends, graduation and other events bring such an influx of visitors that it’s hard to find a hotel room or a table at a restaurant.

“Whether students are from another country or another state, they’re bringing their families and friends to visit,” McCormick says. “They’re staying in our hotels, eating in our restaurants and shopping in our stores.”

Currey says MU’s international program sees the local business community as a valued partner in the effort to make international students feel welcomed.

“Their support and partnership are essential in our efforts to smooth the transitions students must go through to be successful at Mizzou,” he says.

Although a growing student body presents any college town with challenges around housing and infrastructure, it also gives Columbia character and spirit, McCormick says.

“That’s what helps keep the city alive and the passion alive in the community,” he says.

And though in-state students are accustomed to the widely varied and unpredictable Missouri weather, at least one California transplant still has some adjusting to do.

“I’m getting adjusted to very hot one day and rainy the next, and I’m very nervous for the snow,” Edwards says. “But the incredibly different weather wasn’t enough to deter me from choosing another school.” CBT

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Roundtable › Al Germond

point-of-view

The Babble of Noisy Rhetoric It’s old news by now, but the outcome of two municipal propositions in last month’s election may give us a pretty good idea of where Columbia is headed.

Although many cheered the resounding defeat of Proposition 2, which would have raised impact fees on new construction, we were just as disappointed by the failure of Proposition 1 that would have Al Germond is the increased the property tax rate to finance host of the Columbia enhancements to the city’s police and fire Business Times services. Confusion, misinformation and Sunday Morning the babble of noisy rhetoric from a variRoundtable at 8:15 ety of sources undoubtedly played a part a.m. Sundays on KFRU. in both outcomes.

He can be reached at Voters displayed their anger about taxes, al@columbia business weighed down by layer upon layer of fractimes.com. tional fees when viewed individually but rising to aggregated levels approaching 10 percent once totaled up. The “apple-pieand-motherhood” initiative-driven perpetual quarter-cent county children’s mental health sales tax passed a year ago because the measure’s surge of supporters went to the polls that day while the rest of us stayed home.

But there were no angels on hand for the Boone County Event Center proposition last August to chase another sales tax proposal into the winner’s circle and ensure the survival of what some still affectionately refer to as the Boone County Fairgrounds.

Proposition 2 deserved to fail because it was poorly devised, somewhat unfair and punitive in nature and only vaguely outlined how its receipts

This old postcard shows Broadway, looking west.

The city has decided to get serious about getting the message out by enhancing its public relations offensive. This is good.

This will be easy. The tougher challenge will be finding new streams of revenue that voters would be willing to accept…

would be used. Passage seemed assured at first. Then a group in opposition materialized to scoop up cash that aggregated to a low six-figure level to secure everything from polling and research to buying advertising. This is significant because a well-funded group of business leaders has finally been organized to challenge factions they believe are intent on throttling back economic growth and development across Greater Columbia. Ironically, Prop 2 came up shortest in Ward 3, whose council representative was among its most ardent supporters.

Proposition 1, on the other hand, should have been approved. Here confusion reigned, and the city shares some of the guilt for failure. Voters had several salient misunderstandings going to the polls. The county has rebated the city close to $2 million after voters approved a designated sales tax for construction and operation of the new 911 facility, relieving Columbia of its historic share of the costs. Voters thought this newfound bounty would go entirely for police and fire enhancements, when in fact the “gift” was already spoken for — municipal employee pensions and debt service, for example.

Then voters were deluded into feeling safe and sound because various indices of serious criminal activity have declined as Columbia continues to grow and expand. Although major crime calls might have been decreasing, there’s been no letup in the number of calls for service: calls for everything from security system false alarms and domestic brawls to the challenge of policing areas around various drinking establishments.

We are justly proud of our fire service and should pay for whatever enhancements are deemed necessary to maintain Columbia’s superior ISO fire insurance rating. On the other hand, we should be ashamed of how we have shortchanged the Police Department over the years. Things are looking up down at headquarters because Chief Burton has been rebuilding the department and restoring morale. Our underfunded Police Department remains housed in its somewhat shabby though historic downtown facility, and it remains a distant dream to secure funds to finance and build precinct substations in other parts of the city.

The city has decided to get serious about getting the message out by enhancing its public relations offensive. This is good. This will be easy. The tougher challenge will be finding new streams of revenue that voters would be willing to accept locked to ironclad guarantees that those revenues won’t be diverted from their intended destinations. CBT columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 67

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built to last

Going Up

›› City structures by CBT Staff

1

2

1. The Village of Bedford Walk

Location: Southwest corner of the intersection of West Nifong Boulevard and Bethel Street Developer: JES | Prime Senior Living Contractor: Fairway Construction Details: The Village of Bedford Walk will provide Columbia with 87 units of luxury independent senior living. The community will feature more than 25,000 square feet of amenities designed to facilitate and promote an active, social and vibrant lifestyle. Amenities will include a library, dining area, lounge with wine lockers, spa, fitness center with aquatic therapy pool, large courtyard area, theater room, concierge, paid utilities and transportation services.

Square footage: 120,000-plus on eight acres of property Estimated date of completion: Summer 2015 For more information, call: 573-443-2021

2. Break Time on Grindstone

Location: 1406 Grindstone Parkway Developer: Red Oak Development Contractor: Little Dixie Construction Details: MFA Oil owns 76 Break Time convenience stores in Missouri and Arkansas, according to mfaoil.com. Break Time on Grindstone will be MFA Oil’s sixth store in Columbia. The other Columbia Break Times are located at 200 N. Providence Road, 4 Business Loop 70 E., 900 Conley Road, 1416 Old 63 S. and 3200 E. Stadium Blvd.

Square footage: 5,000 Estimated date of completion: Early December For more information, visit: mfaoil.com

Photos by Ben Meldrum

3

3. Retail Space at Broadway Marketplace

Location: Southeast corner of the intersection of Brickton and Trimble roads Developer: The Kroenke Group Contractor: N/A Details: Two one-story buildings are going up in the Broadway Marketplace development. Kroenke leasing agent Adam Hartig, who is overseeing the development, told the Columbia Daily Tribune that AT&T, Supplement Superstore, Pancheros Mexican Grill and PepperJax Grill have signed leases for the spaces.

Square footage: 24,000 Estimated date of completion: November 2014 CBT columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 69

Nonprofit Spotlight ›› Columbia Meals on Wheels

Meals on Wheels

Columbia Meals on Wheels delivers hot, nutritious food to locals in need.

By Carolin Lehmann | Photos by Ben Meldrum Meals on Wheels volunteer Marilyn Dodge’s son accidentally owns a dog named Cookie No. 3.

Meals on Wheels is an organization where volunteers deliver hot, nutritious meals to approximately 100 clients in Columbia who can no longer cook for themselves. Volunteers often develop friendships with their clients and end up helping them in many other ways. This is how Cookie No. 3 came into the picture.

Dodge, who has volunteered for the organization on Mondays for the past 13 years, was dropping off food to a client who’s in her 90s when she heard the awful news: the client’s dog, Cookie No. 2, had been run over by a car.

The client always names her dogs Cookie so she won’t forget their names.

Geoffrey Karr “My favorite part is just being able to have casual conversations with our clients receiving meals.

It’s not so much about the meals; it’s about the interaction we have with them. It’s pretty special.”

70 \\\ december 2014

The client’s son, who lives in California, was convinced that a new dog wasn’t a good idea, but she finally won him over. Dodge agreed to help her in her search for a new Cookie.

She found a sweet, calm older dog at the Central Missouri Humane Society for the client, but once the client arrived at the Humane Society, she didn’t agree. She wanted the cute, highenergy dog that was her preferred color and size.

Cookie No. 3 came home with the client, and everything was great until one Monday when Dodge was dropping off a meal.

“Do you know what your dog did?” the client asked Dodge.

Cookie No. 3 had chewed up the carpet.

A few weeks later, the same question arose:

JoNetta Weaver “[Our volunteers are] that shining smile in the middle of the day that [the clients] want to see.”

Mark J. Mills “My dad was a volunteer driver [in my hometown]. Later, my dad took advantage of the Meals on Wheels delivery services, and I know that was important to his health and welfare when he was older.”

“Do you know what your dog did?”

Cookie No. 3 had a habit of messing up beds after they had been made.

Unfortunately, this was the last straw, and Cookie No. 3 had to relocate. Today, he happily resides out in the country with Dodge’s son.

Behind the program Dodge has funny stories to tell about her volunteering adventures, but she takes Meals on Wheels very seriously.

“It’s an excellent program,” Dodge says. “It keeps so many people at home.”

All senior citizens over the age of 70 are allowed to join the program, as well as individuals who have recently been hospitalized or

Paulette Anderson “I am extremely proud that the organization continues to thrive in spite of the loss of funding from the United Way.”

John Weaver “I have had a family member who benefited from Meals on Wheels in another community, so I have seen the impact that the services of the organization can have.”

➜ 800 Hospital Drive Columbia, MO 65201 573-886-7554

have a disability. There’s a wide range of individuals being helped by the program, from a mother going through chemotherapy who feels nauseous while cooking to seniors dealing with memory loss.

The program allows clients living by themselves to be checked on every day.

Some don’t have family or friends to check up on them, so this aspect of the program is important.

There’s a sliding fee scale for clients based on the federal poverty level. This means that the amount they pay for the meals depends on their gross income.

Approximately 200 volunteers of all ages help deliver the food that is cooked by the Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital. Some are full-time volunteers, and others are substitutes. Each volunteer delivers three to 10 meals a session. A registered dietician is present to deal with specific meal variations clients need.

There’s a meal for diabetics, a low-sodium meal and the like.

Margie Bramon “[I wish Columbians knew that] meals are not only delivered to senior residents of Columbia but also to other adults in need recovering from surgery, illness or accidents.”

Meals on Wheels offers a hot lunch and a sack dinner. Approximately 125 meals are distributed every day.

The meals are planned out a month ahead of time and offer plenty of variety. Some of the most popular dishes are the hamburger and a Thanksgiving-style meal with turkey, dressing, gravy and vegetables.

The volunteers drive out in 17 different directions to deliver the meals. There’s no limit on the amount of clients who can join the program.

‘They have the purest motives’ The Columbia Meals on Wheels also has a “project homecoming” partnership with the hospital. When individuals are healthy enough to return home after a stay in the hospital, Meals on Wheels offers them meal delivery at a reduced rate for 20 days.

Columbia’s Meals on Wheels only has two paid employees: Executive Director JoNetta Weaver and office manager Karen Carter. Most of the program’s funding comes from grants

Ray Troy “I became involved after performing community service so a traffic ticket would not go on my record. I did it for a month and liked it so much I never stopped.”

Kelly Mescher “I think a lot of people think that you have to be poor to receive Meals on Wheels. That’s not true at all. People can pay the full cost amount of $5 per meal, and if they live in Columbia, Meals on Wheels will deliver it to them.”

and donations, though they do hold a fundraiser called “Big Wheels” every year. They have a grant from the City of Columbia to help clients with the greatest need pay for their meals.

Weaver retired from her position as principal at Shepard Boulevard Elementary School two years ago. Now that she’s “retired,” Weaver trains the volunteers, writes grants, fundraises and manages finances.

Weaver speaks highly of the Meals on Wheels volunteers. She says they’re “that shining smile in the middle of the day” that the clients want to see.

“They’re very active but still have an internal compass that says they need to give back,” Weaver says. “They have the purest motives.”

Volunteers such as Dodge, who is a retired MU assistant to the president of governmental relations, personally benefit from the program as well. Dodge used to deliver meals with her late mother and now continues the tradition with her husband, Zane. It’s an opportunity for the two to spend time together as well as make new friends. CBT

Lynn Mitchell “I was invited to join, and as I looked into it, I saw a group of people serving a real need who were very efficient at what they were doing.”

Brandi Million “I’m amazed that a small act of delivering a nutritious meal can have such a large impact.

Those few minutes shared with our clients give more nourishment than the meal I delivered ever could.”

columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 71

Drew Brooks.

Photo by Anthony Jinson.

72 \\\ december 2014

on the city bus

Celebrations ›› COMO Connect

Ticket to Ride

COMO Connect revamps Columbia’s public transportation, with increased convenience as a primary goal.

When City Manager Mike Matthes first challenged Columbia Transit to consider innovative ideas and ways to improve Columbia’s faltering bus system, no one could have imagined the depth of the changes that would be implemented. “We didn’t just make some small changes around the edges,” says Drew Brooks, the multi-modal manager for Columbia Public Works. “We completely shook up the system, like an Etch A Sketch, and started over.”

In the old outdated system, buses made all of their transfers at the Wabash Station; they came in at the same time, transferred riders to their second bus and left at the same time. This meant that if one bus was delayed, all the subsequent buses were forced to wait for the transfer passengers. Although a central connection system may work for smaller towns or cities, Brooks says the system was inefficient and unrealistic for a city of Columbia’s size. That’s where COMO Connect came in.

Change is rolling in After months of public planning meetings, surveys and talks with both city officials and community members, Columbia Transit developed the idea of COMO Connect. As opposed to transferring all riders at the Wabash Station onto their new routes, transfers would now be made along the bus routes themselves. While planning those routes, transit officials such as Brooks were sure to include a school, a medical facility, a grocery store and a bank on almost all of the bus routes. “We really want to encourage choice riders, people who have a car but would still consider using the bus, to try taking the bus for running errands around their neighborhood,” says Teresa White, marketing specialist with Columbia Public Works.

Increased convenience is the main goal of COMO Connect. When the system was first

introduced, Columbia Transit hosted several information sessions, where riders could sit down with a transit professional and map out their new route. An information bus wrapped in COMO Connect’s new branding was also created, going to events such as Earth Day and high school orientations across the city to inform riders about the changes and encourage them to give the new system a try.

“One of our goals and main obstacles has been to change the public’s perception about taking the bus and to show them that even if you have a car, the bus is still a viable option,” White says.

She adds that a large part of that has been community involvement and education that informs the public on the importance of a healthy public transportation system, not only for the environment but also for city infrastructure.

The dreamers As Columbia Transit was imagining the changes COMO Connect could provide for the city, it got two local colleges, Stephens College and the University of Missouri, involved. Students at Stephens College helped with the creation of COMO Connect’s branding. The new logo, eight different colored arrows, each representing one of the new bus routes, was meant to signify how an efficient transit system could connect the whole city, whether it be community members, businesses, health care or educational institutions.

At MU, students in a sustainable technology class, part of the Department of Architectural Studies, worked in groups to design new bus shelters. These shelters implemented solar lighting, green roofs and even space for local artists to showcase their work. In June, community members were invited to vote on their favorite shelter design, and the chosen design will begin to go up in select locations in the coming year.

By Torie Ross

All about logistics In the first month COMO Connect was in place, ridership increased by 11 percent. In the first three months of the system, transit officials were able to collect enough feedback from customers and data from the buses to decide what changes needed to be introduced to the system, changes that officially went into effect in early November.

Going forward, Brooks, White and the rest of the team involved with COMO Connect hope to continue to improve ease of use for their customers and educate the public on the need for an active public transportation system.

“People may say: ‘Why should I care? I don’t ride the bus,’” Brooks says. “You benefit when your employees get to work on time, when your customers are able to make it in to your store, when your patients are able to come to their appointments, when traffic on the streets is alleviated. Even if you never take the bus in your life, it still impacts you in a major way.” CBT

Timeline 2013 › City manager challenges transit staff to come up with improvements to Columbia’s bus system.

› Columbia Transit presents the idea of COMO Connect to City Council at a meeting in May. 2014 › City Council approves the implementation of COMO Connect on Feb. 17.

› Public votes on a new bus shelter design in June.

› COMO Connect hosts a communitywide launch party on Rollins Street on Aug. 2.

› Based on customer feedback and data from the first three months of service, schedule and route adjustments go into effect Nov. 3. columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 73

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Technology

›› Monica Pitts reviews the latest trends in tech

Internet On the Go My 3 ½-year-old thinks Internet access is her God-given right. She doesn’t understand why it’s not available to power her Netflix and Disney Junior habit on demand. So when I saw the Chevy commercial advertising built-in Wi-Fi in its new vehicles, I was very intrigued by this technology to say the least.

The commercial led me to believe that the only way I was going to fulfil my data-hungry daughter’s Internet expectations was to buy a new car, but I know better than that. So I bribed my brother, Travis Schumacher, general manager of Tranquility Internet Services, with lunch to pick his brain about how people can get Internet on the go.

Here’s the skinny To harness the power of mobile Internet, you need both an airborne Internet signal and a vacuum-like receiver to suck it out of the sky.

No device is physically capable of manufacturing Internet from the sky when there is no signal from which to pull it. Basically, there’s no way to get Internet everywhere yet.

Most on-the-go devices are generally small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and relatively inexpensive, though they do require a monthly service plan: 1. Smartphone hotspot: Because most of us already treat our smartphones or tablets like appendages, this tends to be the most popular option. It’s a good solution for a home backup connection or the occasional

Monica Pitts

car trip. The most direct path to utilizing the service is calling your cellular provider. This usually results in a monthly fee. It’s great for on the go, but a smartphone hotspot tends to chew through your battery life as quickly as your monthly data plan.

2. Mobile hotspot: These act like a router capturing a 3G or 4G signal and projecting it for use on five to 10 devices depending on the hotspot. If you plan on using the Internet quite a bit, this may be a good solution to keep your phone battery out of the red. Some products, such as the Verizon Jetpack, offer up to 16 hours of battery life. To get started you’ll need to purchase a device and then sign up for the compatible monthly service.

3. Dongle: “Dongle” refers to a device that can be plugged into your computer’s USB port. In addition to tying up a USB port, they act as receivers pulling the Internet from the airwaves and channeling it into the spot you need it most: your computer. Because it has to be plugged in to work its magic, this limits Internet delivery to one device at a time.

4. Portable wireless router: Chevy installed one of these beauties in some of its new 2015 models. These routers are a bit more powerful than a smartphone hotspot and boast enough bandwidth for multiple devices and the ability to broadcast the signal to a 150-foot radius around the vehicle. The car must be running to enjoy surfing.

Is the Chevy service really all it’s cracked up to be?

Statement: The system achieves speeds up to 1.5 mbps.

Considerations: Unfortunately, 1.5 mbps is not that fast. It’s the minimum requirement to stream Netflix.

“The biggest thing to pay attention to is the coverage area,” Travis says. “If the coverage area is good, you should be able to stream some movies and music.”

Travis isn’t sure it will be much faster than your phone. It will, however, allow more than one device to connect at a time. Consider adjusting your Netflix video quality to standard definition to stretch your data.

Statement: Your first three months or 3GB of data are included with the purchase of the vehicle. Monthly data plans, starting as low as $5.

Considerations: This sounds like a super deal, but using the AT&T data calculator (att.com/att/ onstardatacalc), my daughter will blow through 3G in no time. She can only watch 34 half-hour episodes of Strawberry Shortcake before she eats up the entire promo. The $5-a-month plan is only enough juice to stream four episodes. Fortunately, the 3GB monthly plan isn’t all that expensive, just $30 a month.

Statement: Giving you the most comprehensive invehicle safety and connectivity system available.

Considerations: As long as the driver isn’t using the awesome connectivity to text and play online, the vehicles will offer some pretty impressive safety features such as emailed monthly diagnostics reports and a promise from OnStar to work with the police to recover stolen vehicles. Also SmartPlanet.com reports, “Connected cars will be able to send data that the car collects from its surrounding environment to the cloud, and synthesized data from numerous cars on the road will give drivers real-time information about things like road conditions or traffic congestion.” CBT

➜ P itts is the chief creati v e director of M aye C reate D esign . columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 75

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Economic Index ›› It’s all about the numbers Housing:

Construction:

Single-family homes sales, August 2014: 203

Residential building permits, August 2014: 102

Single-family active listings on market, August 2014: 903

Value of residential building permits, August 2014: $17,127,320

Single-family homes average sold price, August 2014: $204,000

Detached single-family homes, August 2014: 28

Single-family home median sold price, August 2014: $180,000 Single-family homes average days on market, August 2014: 62 Single-family pending listings on market, August 2014: 143

Labor: August 2014 – Boone County Labor force: 92,927 Employment: 88,915 Unemployment: 4,012 Rate: 4.3 percent August 2014 – Columbia City Labor force: 62,470 Employment: 59,835 Unemployment: 2,635 Rate: 4.2 percent July 2014 – Columbia (Metropolitan Statistical Area) Labor force: 97,998 Employment: 93,741 Unemployment: 4,257 Rate: 4.3 percent

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July 2014 – Missouri Labor force: 3,045,701 Employment: 2,871,260 Unemployment: 184,084 Rate: 6 percent

Value of detached singlefamily homes, August 2014: $7,097,403 Commercial building permits, August 2014: 30 Value of commercial building permits, August 2014: $8,553,378 Commercial additions/ alterations, August 2014: 26 Value of commercial additions/ alterations, August 2014: $6,043,378

Utilities: Water August 2014: 47,505 August 2013: 47,070 Change #: 435 Change %: 0.9 percent Number of customers receiving service in September 2014: 47,455 Electric August 2014: 47,971 August 2013: 47,441 Change #: 530 Change %: 1.1 percent Number of customers receiving service in September 2014: 47,896 CBT

Deeds of Trust

›› Worth more than $400,000

$13,000,000 Boone Holdings LLC First State Community Bank LT 6 White Gate Community $8,000,000 Rhodes Development Company LLC First Community Bank Missouri LT 4A Vanderveen Plaza Plat 2 $7,600,000 Premier Hotels Group II LLC Heartland Bank LT 3 Eastport Plat 1 $5,000,000 N J E Properties LLC Landmark Bank LT 3 Good Time Acres $2,801,184.69 EKD Properties V LLC Jefferson Bank & Trust Co. STR 7-48-11//NE $2,275,000 Phoenix Programs Inc. The Bank of Missouri LT 1 4-B Acres $2,000,000 Andrews J. Adam and Holly Commerce Bank LT 26 Arrowhead Lake Estates $1,850,000 Columbia Curb & Gutter Co Inc. The Bank of Missouri LT 1 4-B Acres $1,365,000 Anz Family Trust The Callaway Bank STR 12-48-13//SW BK/PG: 4343/136 AC 8.43

$1,274,633 Hereth, Ric and Bernie Hawthorn Bank LT A Valley Springs Sub $1,271,584.97 Hereth Properties LLC Hawthorn Bank STR 18-48-13/W/WSW $1,243,125 Ann Street LLC Landmark Bank LT 9 Broadhead Place FF Miss Sally Flood’s Sub $1,178,950 William Crossing LLC Landmark Bank LT 1 PT Garths ADD $1,096,500 Peachtree Commercial Properties LLC Landmark Bank LT 64 Rockbridge Sub Replat PT Lot 42 44 51 61 $793,000 Fries, Donald J. Commerce Bank LT 1 250 Apple Tree Court Condos $720,000 Omkara LLC The Missouri Bank STR 4-48-12//SE SUR BK// PG: 314/333 $637,000 North Columbia LLC Newtek Small Business Finance Inc. LT 146 PT East Highlands $555,000 Creative Building & Design LLC Mid America Bank STR 10-51-11//NE BK/PG: 297/305 AC 3.67

468 Deeds of trust

were issued between Sept. 30 & Oct. 27

Out of date technology?

What’s it costing you?

$490,000 Southwest Swimming Association Inc. Commerce Bank STR 15-48-13//SW/SE SUR BK/PG: 297/305 AC 3.67 $449,600 Molli, Dennis L. II and Jill A. Providence Bank LT 4 Bristol Lake Plat 1 $428,000 Claridge Hospitality Concepts LLC The Callaway Bank LT 225 Rocheport $425,643 HTG Development LLC Landmark Bank LT 109 Cross Creek Plat 1 $417,000 Emig, Bruce O. and LamarEmig, Phebe Flat Branch Mortgage Inc. STR 9-47-12//N SUR BK/PG: 4246/4 AC 10.01 FF Tract 6 $417,000 McClellan, Chrissa L. and John D. Landmark Bank STR 6-48-14//NW SUR BK/ PG: 1001/502 FF Tract 4 $405,000 Fredrick, Stanley W. Trust Hawthorn Bank LT 4A JR Keene Sub Lts 1,2,3 $400,000 Baker, Donald F. and Mary F. Commerce Bank LT 113 Old Hawthorne Plat 2 $400,000 Millbrooke Enterprises Inc. 8-Ball Commercial Properties LT 132 Deer Ridge Plat 3 CBT

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columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 77

New Business Licenses ›› Columbia residents and their upstarts

Our Partners...

“It isn’t always obvious who needs help. In our crazy, frenetic lifestyle we don’t always know how to help.

Thanks, United Way, for this chance.”

www.soccerpro.com

Aboutface Photo Booth & Rental 4411 Celebrant Court Special events, photo booth rentals B’s Lock and Key LLC 3721 Southridge Drive Locksmith, service and sales Bee-Line Repossession 720 W. Sexton Road Repossession company Boss Taco LLC 816 E. Broadway Wholesale food preparation Central Missouri AllStars 2309 Industrial Drive Competitive cheerleading and tumbling gym Charming Charlie 2300 Bernadette Drive, Suite 103 Retail women’s jewelry and clothing

“We’re committed to not only serving the pets and their owners in this community, but every citizen so that we can all have a better place to live.”

www.RollingHillsVetHospital.com

are community partners.

To become a member of the LU365 Small Business Circle visit uwheartmo.org/live-united-365 78 \\\ december 2014

Columbia Consulting Group LLC 708 S. Cedar Lake Court Online CPA services and consulting

Gracie Humaita Columbia 10 W. Nifong Blvd., Suite D Martial arts Happy Paws Pet Care LLC 4901 Aztec Blvd., Apt. 41 Pet sitting Inspired Marketing Management 5493 E. Waterfront Drive S. Marketing management and PR services Interlude Music LLC 901 Rollins St., Suite 1206 Student entrepreneur program ISGN Solutions Inc. 6203 Bridle Bend Drive Admin tasks for ISGN K.O.C. Auto Embassy 4115 Derby Ridge Drive Mobile auto detailing

Mi Tierra Mexican Grill 2513 S. Old 63, Suite 103 Mexican bar and grill Moe’s Southwest Grill 308 S. Ninth St., Suite 103 Fast-casual restaurant On-Q Management LLC 1902 Corona Road, Suite 101 Management company Sitter Getter Home Help LLC 4309 Silver Valley Drive Babysitting, pet sitting, house cleaning Smokehouse BBQ 403 N. Stadium Blvd., Suite 101 Full-service restaurant and bar Swingstow LLC 4205 Cape Cod Court Woodworking

Koala Center for Sleep Disorder 1505 Chapel Hill Road, Suite 203 Dental sleep medicine

Tamlyn Massage Therapy 315 Bernadette Drive, Suite 4 Massage therapy

Convergence Consulting 4008 Jungle Tree Drive Business/marketing consulting/event planning

Life Fit 2309 Industrial Drive Fitness/personal training

Truk Hanna Brooks LLC 504 S. Glenwood Ave. Wholesale distribution of self-published books

Dandy Amusements 2800 Goodwin Pointe Drive Amusement machines inside movie theater

Lo & Behold 1013 E. Walnut St., Suite 100 Retail women’s clothing and accessories

Extra Help Inc. 1301 Vandiver Drive, Suite B Workforce management company

Luanne Andes, MSW, LCSW 2012 Cherry Hill Drive, Suite 202 Private counseling service

Glamour Nail and Spa 215 N. Stadium Blvd., Suite 109 Nail salon

Megan Kitson Fitness 109 N. Greenwood Ave. Fitness instructor

Vinyl Renaissance and Audio 16 N. 10th St., Suite 101 Retail store 1:1 PT & Run 4004 Peach Court, Suite H Outpatient physical therapy 43TC LLC 1000 Building 6 W. Nifong Blvd., Suite 220 IT services CBT

By the Numbers ›› Boone County statistics

Have you ever arrived at work and wondered how you got there? So often, transportation is on autopilot. Here are the numbers behind getting from A to B.

Jobs in motion

982 682

70

Transportation jobs in Columbia

Source: city-data.com; Columbia, Missouri

Materials-moving jobs in Columbia

The number of convenience stores with gas services in Columbia

16.6 min

When were Columbia’s active bridges built?

Source: National Bridge Inventory Statistics

# of bridges

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2008-2012

Mean travel time to work in Columbia Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2008-2012

Railroad incidents and accidents in MO

Number of bridges: 121 Average daily traffic on Columbia’s bridges: 1,563,146 Average daily truck traffic: 279,959

Source: National Transportation Safety Board Railroad Accident Reports

Collision of two freight trains 7/21/2012 • Barton County Rear-end collision 5/14/1997 • Branson, MO

Source: National Bridge Inventory Statistics for Columbia

Collision of three freight trains 12/13/2001 • Pacific, MO Derailment 7/18/1983 • Crystal City, MO

Number of People

Columbia’s Commuting Habits

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2008-2012

Driving commuters 1% 0.7 %

9.1 %

Commute times, by the minute

Where is work?

2.2% 3% 5.4% 2.9% 2.3% 20.9 %

8.8 %

When do Columbians leave for work?

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2008-2012

1%

10.1%

75.9%

25.5%

Midnight to 4:59 a.m.

90.2%

27.8 %

5:30 a.m. to 5:59 a.m.

5 a.m. to 5:29 a.m.

Carpooled w/ 2 other people Carpooled w/ 3 other people

For those who work from home 14.5 %

Less than 1 10-14 15-19

35-44 45-59 60 or more

How Columbians get to work 1% 1.4% 6.7% 3.5% 0.8%

85.5 %

Worked from home Worked from other location

20-24 25-29 30-34

Within Boone Co.

8:30 a.m. to 8:59 a.m.

8 a.m. to 8:29 a.m.

9 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.

Outside state

Missouri traffic fatalities

Source: MoDOT 2013 Annual Report • *Source: MO State Highway Patrol

*Vehicles available

*Per workers 16 years and older in households 2.9%

26.9%

86.8%

Car, truck or van Public transportation Walk

Outside Boone Co.

7:30 a.m. to 7:59 a.m.

7 a.m. to 7:29 a.m.

23.1 %

Fatalities

Drove alone Carpooled w/other person

6:30 a.m. to 6:59 a.m.

6 a.m. to 6:29 a.m.

47.1 %

Bicycle Taxi, motorcycle or other Work at home

None One

Two Three or more

*

columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 79

7 Questions

➜ Columbia Public Works 701 E. Broadway, 3rd Floor 573-874-7250

›› Get to know your professionals

Parking Wars

Kim Heibel, parking enforcement agent, City Parking Enforcement

2. University of Missouri parking enforcement is separate from the city’s enforcement. How does this separation work? The city parking enforcement covers all city streets through campus, and MU parking enforcement covers all MU parking lots and garages on campus.

Fun Fact: 80 \\\ december 2014

3. How has technology changed the way parking violations are enforced? Since I have been a parking enforcement agent, we have gone from handwritten tickets to the autocite handhelds, and currently we are using Samsung cellphones. As we are issuing a ticket, our devices will automatically inform us of a vehicle that needs to be tagged or towed for unpaid parking tickets and will even inform the Columbia Police Department if the vehicle is stolen. Sometimes we are even asked by a customer to pull up his or her license plate to see if he or she has any unpaid parking tickets.

Photo by Sarah Redohl

1. Everyone has seen Columbia’s parking enforcement officers around town. What activities go on behind the scenes that allow you to do your job?

We regularly have enforcement meetings to stay up to date on any new situations that might require attention or events that need special enforcement.

Sometimes we also de-stress together by talking through difficult situations that have occurred while out on patrol.

When the supervisor receives a call from a customer requesting assistance such as a permit lock check, our supervisor coordinates with the parking enforcement agents through mobile devices to ensure the highest quality of customer service.

4. How did you get into this trade? I worked as a waitress at IHOP on Ninth and Elm since I was a junior in high school. After leaving college when I got married, I went to full-time waitressing at IHOP until I could find a permanent position. One of my regular customers happened to be the parking supervisor, Jesse Hughes. One day he came in and told me he had had my name on a roster for a year and to speak with Max Berends in City Hall if I wanted a job tomorrow as a parking enforcement officer. I actually started working before I filled out an application. Of course, that was more than 30 years ago. A lot has changed since then!

5. How, if at all, do you work with local law enforcement? Occasionally, we need assistance from the Columbia Police Department to aid in the impoundment of a vehicle for unpaid tickets or to help in difficult situations that may occur while on patrol.

6. What is something most people don’t know about being a parking enforcement agent?

Many people don’t realize that parking enforcement agents are people with families and worries just like them, and the agents do not get any personal enjoyment from issuing parking tickets. Parking enforcement agents understand getting a ticket can be very upsetting; agents must learn to not take customers’ reactions personally. It is all a part of the job.

7. What has been your craziest/most bizarre/most interesting experience with someone for whom you’ve written a ticket? For the most part, people recognize we are just doing our jobs and accept their tickets graciously. However, over the years, there have been a few rare occasions when people have responded negatively after the issuance of a parking ticket by yelling out such comments as, “Meter maids eat their young!” or “How do you sleep at night?” We also occasionally get called names, the least of which is “Parking Nazi.” CBT

➜ Read Fxxxx more of Heibel’s take on parking enforcement in Columbia online at columbiabusinesstimes.com.

ADVERTISER INDEX Accounting Plus...................................................................................................83

Job Point.........................................................................................................................3

Anthony Jinson Photography..................................................................13

LANDMARK BANK...........................................................................................................2

BLEU RESTAURANT & WINE BAR.........................................................................65

Massage Envy ...........................................................................................................14

Brady's Glass............................................................................................................49

MayeCreate Web Design.....................................................................................4

CALEDON VIRTUAL.....................................................................................................10

McAdams’ LIMITED.....................................................................................................11

CARPET ONE.................................................................................................................66

MIDWEST COMPUTECH.......................................................................................... 77

City of Columbia Water & Light...................................................................5

MORESOURCE INC........................................................................................................7

Columbia Chamber of Commerce............................................................. 12

Naught-Naught INSURANCE AGENCY......................................................49

Columbia Regional Airport.........................................................................65

Paint the Town.........................................................................................................14

COMO Connect........................................................................................................81

PCE Inc..............................................................................................................................18

D & M Sound.................................................................................................................20

ROOM 38..........................................................................................................................76

Dr. Tim McGarity...................................................................................................... 57

SOCKET...............................................................................................................................9

European Wax Center.......................................................................................24

STARR PROPERTIES...................................................................................................28

Food Bank for Central & NE Missouri....................................................8

State Farm Insurance - Stephanie Wilmsmeyer...........................28

Fry-Wagner Moving and Storage...........................................................24

THE BANK OF MISSOURI..........................................................................................30

Great Circle.................................................................................................................6

Tiger Scholarship Fund..................................................................................68

Hawthorn Bank.....................................................................................................84

Van Matre, Harrison, Hollis, Taylor, and Bacon PC..........49, 57

Heart of Missouri United Way....................................................................78

VISIONWORKS...............................................................................................................16

HOSS'S MARKET & ROTISSERIE............................................................................16

Wilkerson & Reynolds Wealth Management................................ 17

Inside The Lines........................................................................................................ 74

Wilson's Fitness.....................................................................................................29

columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 81

Flashback ›› Then and now

➜ The Columbia business landscape is always evolving, but it’s important to remember our historical roots.

By Torie Ross PHOTO BY BEN MELDRUM

Columbia’s bus system, known as COMO Connect, has been thriving since the renovations to the system in June 2014. There are now 11 bus routes serving a record number of riders across a wider area of Columbia than ever before, so it may seem hard to believe that it all started almost 70 years ago with one man and a few buses.

In 1945 a man by the name of Mr. Watson started the privately owned Columbia Municipal Bus Lines with only three or four buses.

According to Steve Sapp, public information specialist for the City of Columbia, when Watson decided to retire in the early 1960s, he

approached the city about purchasing the company. Initially, there was a lot of resistance from government officials. However, after reaching out to the community, they came to the realization that a city bus line was a service that many of Columbia’s residents had come to depend on. In September of 1965, the City of Columbia purchased the bus company from Watson, and Columbia Transit was born.

Over the years, as the system grew, different strategies were implemented to help keep up with the demand. In 1982 Wabash Station was purchased to act as a central transfer point between the various bus routes. Wabash

Station, which was originally built in 1910 as a rail depot, was removed as a central connection point during the 2014 system renovations in favor of several connection points throughout the city. There was also a time when different bus lines and even different buses were used to serve students and faculty of the University of Missouri, such as the Fast Cat buses (pictured above), which were also retired in 2014. One of the main purposes of today’s COMO Connect is to streamline the system, making it easier for all residents of Columbia to use and ensuring the bus is a viable transportation option for years to come. CBT

➜ We love Columbia business history. If you have any interesting photos and stories, please send them to Editor@BusinessTimesCompany.com 82 \\\ december 2014

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BRICE COTTLE, owner Automotive Specialist

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