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BECAUSE YOUR HEALTH IS
WHO WILL CONFRONT THE STRUGGLE OF SUBSTANCE USE? Opioid-related deaths in Missouri are nearly twice the national average and have more than quadrupled since 2000. (Missouri Department of Mental Health)
Heart of Missouri United Way
GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOLUNTEER. uwheartmo.org
OUR COMMUNITY’S HEALTH.
OUR COMMUNITY WILL, TOGETHER. BECAUSE CHANGE DOESN’T HAPPEN ALONE. University of Missouri Health Care is proud to support Heart of Missouri United Way, which invests community donations in local substance use treatment programs.
I
’m excited for you to meet Tami, Latisha, and Heather. Chances are if you don’t know one of these women, you know someone like them:
They’re the gatekeepers. They’re the people who are sometimes taken for granted, or maybe just not taken seriously. As writer David Morrison put it, “I would be horrible at their 39
job.” I think after you read about what it takes to do their jobs — switching hats in an instant, honing hawk-like organizational skills, carrying out work for
EDITOR'S PICKS While researching our story on executive assistants, we asked the community for input. Here’s just a sampling of the many names we received. We wish we could have written about everyone! The community definitely thinks these gatekeepers are something special.
many different people, making sure everything goes off without a hitch — you’ll feel a new appreciation for executive assistants and other similar roles.
ON THE COVER
Top Seasoned Pro Eric Morrison isn’t the only star of this month’s CBT. Senior designer Jordan Watts devoted
I challenge you to take a moment to appreciate the amazing people who play a critical role in your orga-
Vonda Cordes MU Football
nization but might not always get the credit they de-
Jodie Giboney
see on the cover. It transformed this
serve. They’re the organizers, the planners, the “have
JES Holdings
special cover into a showstopper.
you thought about this” people. They’re the list mak-
hours to the typography work you
Photography by Anthony Jinson.
ers, the ones who you’d be lost without. You know your receipts would definitely be lost without them. This is also our Top of the Town issue, where we reveal who you recognized as the best in Columbia
B2B. Take a look at page 39 to see the full list of winners in categories from Top Place to Work to Top Salesperson to Top Janitorial Service. We’ve pretty much covered it all! And thanks to the thousands of people who nominated a person or business and then voted. The recognition you’ve given to these people is truly special. In this issue, we’ve also got an update on the upcoming solar eclipse, a low-down on Columbia Mall, and lots of other great stuff. It’s hard to believe, but it will soon be time to nominate your favorite young professionals for CBT’s 20 Under 40 awards. The nomination form will be open soon. Until then, think of the young leaders in your life who make a difference in the community, innovate in their businesses, and lead their peers. We want to know who they are.
Angie Regan Emery Sapp & Sons
Caryn McClanahan Jacobs Property Management
Jolene Kirchhoff Landmark Bank
Robin Tipton Delta Systems Group
Sheila Burgess Missouri Employers Mutual
Pamela Bross Central Bank of Boone County
Lita Pistono
Thanks for reading,
Stephens College
Paula Jones Woodhaven
Mary Brown Columbia College
Brenna McDermott, Editor brenna@businesstimescompany.com
Sandy Overacre Veterans United Home Loans
Brenda Kidwell Providence Bank
/Co l u m b i a B u s i n e ss Ti m e s
@ Co l u m b i a B i z
Co l u m b i a B u s i n e ss Ti m e s .co m
Ed i to r @ B u s i n e ss Ti m e s Co m p a ny.co m COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 13
14 JULY 2017
EDITORIAL Erica Pefferman, Publisher Erica@BusinessTimesCompany.com Fran Patrick, Associate Publisher Fran@BusinessTimesCompany.com Brenna McDermott, Editor Brenna@BusinessTimesCompany.com Matthew Patston, Managing Editor Matt@BusinessTimesCompany.com DESIGN/CREATIVE SERVICES Jordan Watts, Editorial Designer Jordan@BusinessTimesCompany.com Keith Borgmeyer, Art Director Keith@BusinessTimesCompany.com Kate Morrow, Graphic Designer Kate@BusinessTimesCompany.com Cassidy Shearrer, Graphic Designer Cassidy@BusinessTimesCompany.com MARKETING REPRESENTATIVES Deb Valvo, Marketing Consultant Deb@BusinessTimesCompany.com MANAGEMENT Erica Pefferman, President Erica@BusinessTimesCompany.com Renea Sapp, Vice President ReneaS@BusinessTimesCompany.com Amy Ferrari, Operations Manager Amy@BusinessTimesCompany.com
Inside the Issue Twitter Chatter United Way Heart MO @UWHeartMo Great article about one of our partner agencies #MidMOLegalServices. Thanks for highlighting them @ColumbiaBiz! Mid-MO Innov. Week @bringupbiz Congratulations to The Business Times Company on being named the 2017 Small Business of the Year! @ColumbiaBiz Lauren Whitney-Karr @LaurenWhitK Five absolutely amazing businesses here in Columbia. Each special in their own way. Congrats to @ColumbiaBiz for becoming the 2017 winner! Fresh Ideas Food @freshideasfood We’ve been nominated for Top Office Digs in the @ColumbiaBiz Top of the Town. You can vote once daily until May 3! Debrah Charatan @DebrahCharatan Creating a Climate for #WomenInBusiness @ColumbiaBiz
Around the Office
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Keith Borgmeyer, Anthony Jinson, Rachel Thomas
LIGHTS, CAMERA, TOTT 2017!
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jerry Dowell, Sarah Everett, Al Germond, Maya McDowell, Nikki McGruder, David Morrison, Monica Pitts, Tony Richards, Kennedy Robinson, Sean Spence, Jennifer Truesdale, Anne Williams
Cover model Eric Morrison chats in the CBT studio with photographer Anthony Jinson. If you know Eric, you know what an easygoing person he is. He made the morning fun and our jobs easy.
INTERNS Nina Hebrank, Kennedy Robinson, Tiffany Schmidt, Rachel Thomas, Shuya Zheng SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscription rate is $19.95 for 12 issues for 1 year or $34.95 for 24 issues for 2 years. Subscribe at columbiabusinesstimes.com or by phone.
Thanks to everyone who made Top of the Town 2017 a big hit! Special thanks to our presenting sponsor, Columbia Regional Airport, and supporting sponsor, Socket. You guys are awesome. We’ll see you next year!
Contributors
The Columbia Business Times is published every month by The Business Times Co., Copyright The Business Times Co., 2008. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of any editorial or graphic content without the express written permission of the publisher is prohibited. OUR MISSION STATEMENT The Columbia Business Times and columbiabusinesstimes.com strive 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. CONTACT The Business Times Co., 2001 Corporate Place, Suite 100 Columbia, MO, 65202 (573-499-1830) • columbiabusinesstimes.com
Maya McDowell @MayaClaireMcD
Kennedy Robinson
David Morrison
Jennifer Truesdale
@DavidCMorrison
Correction In an article about the Conley House in the June issue, we misstated the year that MU purchased the property from the Conley family. It was 1980, not 1970. Write to CBT editor Brenna McDermott at Brenna@BusinessTimesCompany.com COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 15
16 JULY 2017
JULY 2017 VOL. 24 / ISSUE 1
TA B LE OF CON T EN TS
The Top of the Town Issue 13 FROM THE EDITOR 15 INSIDE THE ISSUE 19 CLOSER LOOK 20 BRIEFLY IN THE NEWS 23 BUSINESS UPDATE
58
Columbia Mall
26 NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT Girls on the Run
28 CELEBRATIONS Columbia Podiatry
31 MOVERS & SHAKERS 33 P.Y.S.K. Jan Beckett, Boone Hospital Trustee
37 OPINION 69 ORGANIZATIONAL HEALTH Five Best Practices to Coach Your Team Members
71 DIVERSITY Where Do We Start?
72 MARKETING Do You Need Social Media?
77 POLICY Paving the Way Forward
78 ASK ANNE Quality Boss Time
81 BUSINESS SMARTS Working with Unhappy Customers
The Gatekeepers They’re the unsung heroes behind some of the most powerful people in Columbia. Heather Cole, Tami Ensor, and Latisha Mayes make the business world turn.
39
82 DEEDS OF TRUST 83 ECONOMIC INDEX 85 NEW BUSINESS LICENSES 87 BY THE NUMBERS 90 FLASHBACK 300 N. Tenth
2017’s Top of the Town
52
Getting off the Ground
64
CBT is ready to celebrate our annual list of the top businesses, people, and services in town, as voted by our readers.
As Columbia Regional Airport begins direct flights to Denver, we look back at the quirky incentive deals that saved COU.
The upcoming solar eclipse will bring tens of thousands of new people to Columbia in August. What’s your business doing to prepare?
Solar Flair
18 JULY 2017
BUSINE SS • P EOP L E • IM P R OV EM EN T • F YI
C LOSER LOOK
Closer Look
The Relevant Youth
The BOLD Academy
Jasany Home
Drew Rogers and Blaine Thomas, two undergraduate students at MU, started The Bridge at the MU Student Center to help foster innovation and entrepreneurship among their fellow students. Now, Rogers and Thomas are helping those same students by setting them up with real industry experience through their new company, The Relevant Youth. The idea behind this “innovation agency” is building real work experience outside of the classroom, bolstering resumes along the way. Rogers sees fellow students unsuccessfully try to set themselves apart by joining clubs, taking difficult classes, and making grades while on campus. The Relevant Youth helps students create a tangible creative portfolio to use when entering the workforce to distinguish themselves from other applicants. The Relevant Youth partners with sponsor companies, providing those sponsors with the unique opportunity to meet students who could potentially work for them one day. The project launches this fall. “We’re seeking strategic partnership with real companies,” Rogers says. “We believe Relevant Youth can radically benefit your company’s talent acquisition process.”
The BOLD Academy provides young black and brown women with leadership training, education, positive identity development, and enrichment opportunities by connecting them with women leaders in the Columbia community. The academy will launch its first enrichment session in July. The program includes speakers, demonstrations, presentations, workshops, sisterhood bonding, and mentoring. Chrystal Sadler, co-founder of the BOLD Academy, saw a need for this kind of mentorship when she moved to Columbia at age 16. After graduating high school and coming back into the community, Sadler founded the BOLD Academy with Dr. Melita Walker. Now, the organization has several partnerships to help these young women create strong social and professional relationships that help them live up to their full potential. “I think this is so important today because Columbia has a lot of great women leaders doing great things,” Sadler says. “This program connects those girls with the leaders in the community so that they can know what’s out there and that there are women doing what they want to do right in their backyard.”
Jasany Home is a new home furnishings and design destination in Columbia. Founded in May, Jasany Home offers high quality home accessories at satisfying prices. This includes furnishings for living, dining, bedroom, office, outdoor, lighting, textiles, art, etc. —just about anything you could think of or want in your home. Jasany Home is located just off of Vandiver Drive at Heriford and Westfall — the shopping experience is different than your average furniture store. It offers an eclectic selection of inventory and a personal attentiveness that helps Jasany Home distinguish itself. Co-founder and creative director Justin Wilson believes that a Jasany Home experience is something you couldn’t find anywhere else. With an expert design team and sales associate staff, Jasany Home can find the accessories and furnishings that fit the customer’s unique style. “I love working with people,” says Wilson. “My goal with Jasany Home is to prove that through my people. My people are a reflection of who I am.”
Contact: hello@therelevantyouth.com Address: 911 E. Rollins St. Website: therelevantyouth.com
Contact: info@theboldacademy.org Website: theboldacademy.org
Contact: 573-777-5975 Address: 1400 Heriford Rd., Ste. 101 Website: facebook.com/jasanyhome
Are you an entrepreneur? Are you sprouting a new business? Tell us about it at Editor@BusinessTimesCompany.com COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 19
BUSINE SS • P EOP L E • IM P R OV EM EN T • F YI
Briefly in the News JULY 2017
C U LT U R E
TRUE/FALSE RECEIVES $10,000 The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has awarded $10,000 to True/False to continue the film series Neither/Nor. The Neither/Nor Series invites critics to build programming focusing on documentaries that blend fiction and nonfiction elements. For each series, a new critic is selected to focus on an area of film and choose a new selection of works to present at True/False Film Festival. EDUC AT ION
MU'S NEW CHANCELLOR MU announced that Alexander Cartwright has filled the position of Chancellor-designate. UM System President Mun Choi welcomed Cartwright in a ceremony and introductory event on MU’s campus. Cartwright comes aboard during a time of transformation as MU looks to become more efficient in the face of budget cuts.
“As a no n- t r a d i t i o n a l stu d en t who wo r ke d t h ro u g h th e e d uc a t i o na l r a nk s, I u n d er sta n d how c r uc i a l i t i s to ma i n ta i n a f fo r d a b i l i t y a n d a c c ess to t he e d uc a t i o n o f fered a t t he Unive r s i t y o f Mi sso u r i . I k now fi r s t ha n d h ow tr u ly t r a ns fo r m a t ive p u b li c h i g h er e d uc a t i o n c a n b e , n o ma tter yo u r s o c i o e c o no m i c b a c k g ro u n d .” — A l e xan de r C a r t wr i g ht , M U Ch an ce l l or- d e s i g n a t e 20 JULY 2017
BR I EFLY I N T H E N EWS
E DUC AT ION BUSINESS
HUB & SPOKE GOES FOR THE GOLD Hub & Spoke, a web design and marketing company founded in Columbia, was awarded two Gold Awards at the 34th annual Healthcare Advertising Awards. The agency received the awards for its website design for MU Health’s Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders and for Compass Health Network. Hub & Spoke has been working with health care clients since it was founded in 2004.
COLUMBIA COLLEGE INCENTIVE GRANT The Missouri State Board of Nursing and the Missouri Department of Higher Education awarded the Columbia College nursing program with a $150,000 Nursing Education Incentive Grant. Columbia College plans on using the grant to purchase advanced patient simulators, peripheral technology, and advanced software to help students improve in the nursing field. C OMMUNIT Y
Q1 COST OF LIVING STAYS LOW Recent numbers show that the cost of living in Columbia is 7 percent lower than the national average, according to the ACCRA Cost of Living Index. Columbia’s first quarter composite index of 93 indicates that items costing $100 in other U.S. cities only cost $93 in Columbia. The composite index is based on grocery, housing, utility, transportation, health care, and miscellaneous item expenditures. ENVIRONMENT
SIX ORGS GOING GREEN
E N V I RON M E N T
CPS GOES ELECTRONIC Columbia Public Schools will stop sending paper flyers home with students and instead use an electronic flyer system. With the help of Peachjar, a flyer management system company, CPS can get school news, activity descriptions, and event information out to parents more easily by sending flyers directly to email inboxes.
The City of Columbia recognized six organizations that have excelled in their sustainability efforts by awarding them with the Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement Awards, which recognize sustainable practices. The City congratulated Fretboard Coffee, the Columbia Mall, Columbia Insurance Group, Missouri River Relief, Dana Inc., True/False Film Festival, and Services for Independent Living.
“ Th e co s t of livi ng in C o l u m b i a i s c ons is tently b e l ow t h e nati onal ave ra ge . Th is c onti nues t o f a ci l i t a t e c ommerc e e f f i ci e n t ly b etween b u s i nes s es a n d C o l umb i ans .” — M a t t McCor m i ck , Pre si d e nt of th e Colum bi a C h a m b e r of Com merce COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 21
LAS IK | Ca t a ra c t S u r g e r y | G l a u c o m a | D r y E y e
Restoration Eye Care brings the most advanced vision options to you.
Learn more about how you can take control of your vision by visiting RestorationEyeCare.com 22 JULY 2017
BUSINE SS • P EO P L E • IM P R OV EM EN T • F YI
B U SI N ESS U PDAT E
Beyond Shopping Columbia Mall looks to provide an experience to draw traffic.
BY BREN N A McDER M OT T | P HOTOG R A P HY BY K E I TH B O R G ME Y E R
COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 23
BUSINE SS • P EO P L E • IM P R OV EM EN T • F YI
AS SENIOR GENERAL MANAGER OF Columbia Mall, Rusty Strodtman is used to getting questions about the next big retailer coming to Columbia. Is there a Whole Foods coming? What about Cheesecake Factory? What about Forever 21, the retailer Strodtman says they probably get the most requests for? “The biggest thing we can do as a mall owner is bring in new stores,” Strodtman says. “That’s what attracts people more than us marketing, it’s more than us planting flowers. All that stuff’s important, but the retailers matter. If we don’t have the retailers, it doesn’t matter how pretty our flowers are.” With the ongoing growth of online sales, Columbia Mall, owned and operated by GGP, is looking to diversify vendors and provide a mall full of relevant retailers that will also keep customers longer and provide them with experiences they can’t get online.
A NEW KIND OF MALL Online sales continue to hurt brick and mortar throughout the country, but Strodtman says the Columbia Mall is at 92 percent occupancy. Across the company, GGP’s occupancy rate is about 94 percent. According to Business Insider, the national vacancy rate was 7.9 percent in the first quarter of 2017. “The retailers are utilizing brick and mortar as a mechanism to help with their online shopping,” Strodtman says. “Seventy-five percent of online shopping has a brick and mortar connection. So the retailers know that they have to have a brick and mortar presence to help with that online portion, and so they’re trying to figure that out.” But nationwide, malls are increasing efforts to provide offerings consumers can’t get online — experiential entertainment. This trend extends all the way to GGP corporate. CEO Sandeep Mathrani was inspired by a trip to Dubai Mall, where he encountered KidZania, an indoor city for kids to play in, complete with restaurants and police stations. GGP, which owns 126 retail centers in the U.S., is partnering with KidZania to build activity centers in Dallas and Chicago malls over the next two years, according to Bloomberg. One strategy to make Columbia Mall more of a destination is to enhance food offerings. Strodtman says there’s demand for three to 24 JULY 2017
five sit-down restaurants in the mall parking lot that would, if they added more parking, increase evening activity and attract couples and families to the mall while they’re waiting for a table. They’re also looking to increase local options in the food court and stray from the fast food chains that have dominated malls for decades. Consumers want something they can’t get anywhere else. Falafel Café is a local food court resident. Strodtman says he wasn’t sure initially if a local place could do the volume to be successful, but they’ve had great results. Strodtman also wants to increase entertainment opportunities at the mall. Gaming and restaurant centers, like Dave and Busters, are a growing trend, as are bowling alleys with a restaurant. “We’re looking for something that isn’t retail and isn’t shopping necessarily but would be complementary to shopping,” Strodtman says. The mall’s ideal client is a 35-year-old woman with three children, so in addition to existing amenities like the indoor playground, nursing room, and family-first parking, anything they can do to attract families is part of their goal. They’ve been a strong proponent of attracting high school activities to Columbia, like MSHAA events, the Show-Me State Games, and Future Farmers of America events. Columbia recently secured the MSHSAA State Musical Festival for 2018 to 2022, which the mall supported financially to offset festival costs. Those events pack the mall. “Most of the kids are coming from small towns that don’t have malls,” says Stephanie Smith, property management associate at the mall. “They’re going to experience the [big] city.”
UNDER CONSTRUCTION There are always a few retailers shuffling around in the mall. Victoria’s Secret just wrapped up an approximately $3 million store remodel and re-opened with the newest store prototype. Tradehome Shoe Store relocated and expanded into two spaces, Mr. Bulky candy shop re-opened and expanded in a new space near the food court, and AT&T and MetroPCS have opened new stores. In 2016, the mall was one of three test kiosk sites for Build-A-Bear Workshop, an opportunity for the company to operate in smaller markets. The test was so successful
“If we don’t have the retailers, it doesn’t matter how pretty our flowers are.” - Rusty Strodtman
the company is rolling out kiosks in over 20 malls nationwide. Columbia’s Build-A-Bear kiosk has a prime location in the center of the mall, now called “Build-A-Bear Court,” and the GGP staff added small tables for birthday parties to specialize the space for Build-A-Bear’s needs.
POP-UP POSSIBILITIES Change keeps consumers coming back to the mall, and the staff is trying to capitalize on that with a new pop-up storefront that can be rented for a month or even a single day, Smith says. In this pop-up location, located next door to Victoria’s Secret, the mall will provide the fixtures, cash register, and basic store necessities and rent out the space. Clients could include someone testing a product, or someone with a home-based business looking to capitalize on a certain time of year, like Mother’s Day weekend. Pop-up stores can be a good place to sell fad items, like, most recently, fidget spinners: It’s a way to make fast cash on a hot product and not be tied down to selling it once it loses popularity.
B U SI N ESS U PDAT E
“As a customer, you’re intrigued to come back and see what’s coming, because you’re not sure who that next retailer is going to be,” Strodtman says. Temporary leases are a growing source of revenue for the mall. The calendar kiosk, which pops up around the winter holidays, and Halloween stores can fill an empty space and be successful for a short period of time. Smith says they’ve even transitioned some of those retailers in the “incubator phase” to permanent leases. Nic Parks, owner of The Pinball Company, opened The Arcade in the mall last year and started as a temporary tenant. Since then, he’s signed a permanent lease and moved into a larger space.
ECO-FRIENDLY IMPROVEMENTS The Mall received the 2017 Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement Award for emissions reduction. Incorporating LED lights into 95 percent of light fixtures since 2009 has decreased emissions by 26 percent, or enough to power 181 homes in the community for one year. “GGP is committed to being an environmentally responsible company,” Smith says. They’ve cut down lighting in service corridors and utilize low-flow faucets in restrooms, which cut sink water usage by 50 percent. Now they’re working to encourage retailers to be more environmentally friendly, switching to LED bulbs and encouraging retailers to turn off lights and ventilation when stores are closed. In 2016, they diverted 27 percent of waste away from landfills. The mall’s sustainability team is focusing on increasing trash diversion, especially with wet trash created by food court vendors. They’re looking for ways to recycle or compost those materials. As one of the largest buildings in Columbia, Strodtman says it’s important to be an eco-leader. CBT
Back row from left to right: Wayne Engle, Chuck Archer, Rodney Howard, Patrick Kennedy, and Rusty Strodtman Front row from left to right: Frances Day, Liana Twente and Stephanie Smith
Columbia Mall 2300 Bernadette Dr. visitcolumbiamall.com 573-445-8458 COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 25
BUSINE SS • P EOP L E • IM P R OV EM EN T • F YI
More than a Running Club Girls on the Run inspires health and confidence.
BY SARAH EVERE T T
ELIZABETH, AN ALPHA HART LEWIS Elementary School student, was different from many girls in her class. Her self-esteem was low; she was hesitant to participate in group discussion. Her teacher thought she might enjoy Girls on the Run Heart of Missouri chapter, an after-school program, and encouraged her to participate. At the first practices, Elizabeth’s coaches noticed many of the same things her teacher had noticed. She often ran or walked alone at Girls on the Run for the first few weeks. Then the coaches noticed a change in her. Elizabeth completed workouts with new friends by her side, and she even nominated her new friends for “Energy Awards” at the end of practice. The program, as it does for so many girls, was bringing out a whole new side of her for everyone to see.
ALL AROUND HEALTH “[Girls on the Run] really brings them together in a new way,” executive director Cheryl Unterschutz says. 26 JULY 2017
Girls on the Run is a 10-week program offered in the fall and spring that uses tailored curriculum, discussions, and running workouts to encourage joy, health, and confidence in third through eighth grade girls. The program encourages making intentional decisions, building healthy relationships, and being comfortable in your own skin. Heart of Missouri Girls on the Run is an independent council of Girls on the Run International, which has more than 200 councils in the United States and was founded in 1996. To date, the local chapter has provided programming to more than 1,000 girls since 2011. The program is non-competitive; there is not a focus on beating certain times, unless a girl chooses to make that her own goal. “It’s not just a running club,” board president Valerie Slayton says. At the end of the year, all of the teams, along with their adult running partners and community runners, participate in a celebration of their training: a 5K run.
“The first race I attended, I didn’t know any of the girls out there, but I cried,” board member and parent Angie Cantin says. “It was so moving and inspirational to see them having fun with friends and achieving their goals. I have been the designated crier ever since.” At her 5K, Elizabeth was the last on the course, but not for long. As she neared the finish line, her Alpha Hart teammates joined her and ran alongside her. That’s what Girls on the Run is all about. “It’s about a little girl who discovered her own value,” Unterschutz says. “It’s about girls supporting each other and helping each other reach their goals.”
ORIGINS The program started in Columbia six years ago with 25 girls at two elementary schools, Fairview and New Haven. The program meets at most Columbia schools now, though girls are welcome to practice at a different school if needed or wanted.
N ON PR OFI T
Girls on the Run MISSION Inspire girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running.
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES 1 full-time, 1 part-time
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Cheryl Unterschutz
COMMUNITY MEMBERS SERVED 200 girls in 2016
BOARD OF DIRECTORS • Valerie Slayton (President) • Mara Roberts (Vice president) • Michelle Haner (Secretary) • Angie Cantin (Treasurer) • Andrea Lisenby • Kelsey Thompson • Stephanie Thomeczek • Emily Wright • Jason Valentine • Brittany Overman • Maureen Kokoska
NEEDS • 5K volunteers and coaches
Cantin
Unterschutz
“I read about it in the school newsletter and was immediately interested in what they were doing,” Cantin says. “To empower girls to be confident and healthy and joyful really spoke to me.” The 10 women who started the program didn’t know each other, but they knew about the national organization headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina and shared the common goal of starting an organization like it in Columbia. They fundraised through garage and bake sales to generate the $7,500 startup fee. “We just want to make sure that we’re carrying on their mission,” Slayton says. “Our primary goal is to make sure that we’re growing the program to serve as many girls in the program as we can and just make sure that we’re providing the best possible service to the girls.” Unterschutz became executive director in 2015 and has a background in fitness, education, and nonprofit work. She was personally drawn to the program’s focus on bullying and body image. “Our girls are inundated with so much negative stuff these days,” she says. “It’s hard for them to be able to discern what’s right and what’s wrong — what’s healthy and what’s not — and our program addresses that.” Cantin says her daughter enjoyed learning about herself and about what certain marketers are trying to sell. Slayton says that, since its start, the program has “expanded exponentially.” The organization offers programs in Hannibal, Macon, Southern Boone, and Boonville and will offer the program in Jefferson City next fall. They hope to expand to Fulton soon. “My goal is to reach more communities, especially smaller, rural communities that would benefit from the programming, and to grow our staff so that we can support more girls,” Unterschutz says.
COMMUNITY CONNECTION Girls on the Run also needs volunteers. The twice-yearly 5K recently moved from A.L. Gus-
Slayton
tin Golf Course to Bear Creek Trail due to an increase in turnout. Girls on the Run served more than 200 girls last year, and more than 100 volunteers were needed at the 5K. The board is also looking for a consistent team to plan the 5K from year to year. Those looking to volunteer more regularly can become coaches; the program needs approximately 60 or 70 coaches per season. Coaches lead practice two times a week; each team has anywhere from two to six coaches. Unterschutz says many coaches are teachers and college students. She would love to see more businesswomen and men involved. (Yes, men can be coaches, board members, and running partners too.) “The community connection is huge,” Unterschutz says. Girls on the Run partners with the Boys and Girls Club of Columbia; students in the organization can participate in Girls on the Run for free. About 38 percent of girls in the program participate for free or at a scholarship rate. They also work with Columbia Parks and Recreation, the ARC, Moving Ahead, and Great Circle. Each season, the girls on each team give back to their community by organizing a service project. Past projects include visiting nursing home residents, making blankets and donating to the humane society, and baking treats for teachers. The mission of Girls on the Run is to inspire girls to activate their potential and pursue their dreams. Unterschutz hopes, in Columbia and elsewhere, Girls on the Run will someday become as much of a household name as the Girl Scouts and be able to reach more girls like Elizabeth. CBT
Heart of Missouri Girls on the Run heartofmissourigirlsontherun.org christina.torbet@girlsontherun.org 573.246.0884 COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 27
From left: Dr. Scott Foster, Dr. Sarah Newey, Dr. Terry Sanders
1986
1987
2005
Dr. Scott Foster opens Columbia Podiatry LLC in the Stephens Building, located at Cherry and Hitt streets.
Foster moves the practice to a larger suite near Boone Hospital.
Foster opens the Surgery Center of Columbia with several Boone Hospital doctors and moves Columbia Podiatry to its current location above the center on Keene Street.
28 JULY 2017
BUSINE SS • P EO P L E • IM P R OV EM EN T • F YI
C ELEBRAT I ON S
Foot Notes Columbia Podiatry celebrates 30 years.
BY JENNIFER TR UESDA L E | P HOTOG R A P HY BY K E I TH B O R G M E Y E R
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, OUR FEET take a lot of abuse day to day. If you’ve ever suffered from foot pain —an ingrown toe nail, a corn or callus, or something more serious, like nerve pain — you know that painful feet can really slow you down. The doctors and staff at Columbia Podiatry know this all too well. The clinic, which recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, treats between 10,000 and 12,000 patients each year. Services include sports medicine, diabetic foot care, wound treatment, and foot surgery — all to help patients put their best foot forward.
STEP BY STEP Dr. Scott Foster is an accomplished runner. At 60, he has completed some 30 marathons. In 1983, he and his mother ran the Boston Marathon together, becoming the first mother-son pair to do so. With his impressive track record (pun somewhat intended), Foster is no stranger to foot pain. Running introduced him to podiatry and ultimately led him to a career in the field. “My interest in podiatry started while running track and cross country in high school and college,” says Foster. “I developed foot and leg injuries that were treated by a podiatrist. I spent some time in his office and realized that podiatry does a lot of sports medicine involving the lower extremity.” Foster completed his doctorate in 1984 at what is now the Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine in Chicago, followed by a two-year residency at Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke’s Hospital, also in Chicago. Foster’s sister, a physical therapist, moved to Columbia while he was completing his residency. After
coming to visit her, Foster says he liked the area and decided to make the move. “At that time there was only one podiatrist in town, so there was a need,” he says. He opened Columbia Podiatry in July 1986. Foster first practiced out of an office with a single treatment room in the Stephens Building at Cherry and Hitt streets downtown. After a year, Foster outgrew the office and moved to the doctor’s building near Boone Hospital. In 2005, Foster joined several Boone Hospital doctors in opening the Surgery Center of Columbia, located on Keene Street, and moved Columbia Podiatry to the suite above the center. While the 30th anniversary of the clinic was in July 2016, Columbia Podiatry celebrated this milestone in April following a complete remodel of the office, which provides more treatment space for three doctors and nine staff members.
SOLE MEDICINE Drs. Terry Sanders and Sarah Newey also practice at the clinic alongside Foster. Together, the three doctors have 55 years of podiatric experience. Newey joined Columbia Podiatry in August 2015, after moving from the Chicago area; she practices part-time so she can enjoy more time at home with her two young children. Sanders moved to Columbia and joined the clinic in 2007 after practicing in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Following his service in the Air Force, Sanders began considering medical school. Like Newey, he was attracted to the family-friendly nature of the field, and its variety. “With podiatry, you get to be home every night, and with kids, they need a dad at home
every night,” he says. “That was a big reason, but it was also the versatility of the practice.” At Columbia Podiatry, that versatility means treating bunions, plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, tendonitis, flat feet, hammer toes, deformities, sports injuries, and issues related to diabetes and obesity. The clinic offers custom-fit orthotics and a laser treatment for toenail fungus. “We strive to stay on the leading edge of treatments and technology to provide the best services for our patients,” says Sanders. Foster says their approach centers around conservative treatment measures. When treatment requires surgery, the doctors use the Surgery Center of Columbia — just downstairs — and coordinate care with other doctors. “We have a strong working relationship with Boone Hospital and local physicians to network with other specialists when needed,” Foster says. Looking forward, Columbia Podiatry expects the need for podiatric medicine to increase as Baby Boomers age and as diabetes and obesity continue to present foot care issues. He and his team are confident that the practice is positioned to meet the need. “As Columbia has grown over the past 30 years, we’ve grown to try to keep up with the demands,” Foster says. “We will continue to grow and change over the next 10 years as the medical climate continues to change and grow.” CBT
Columbia Podiatry 305 N. Keene St., Ste. 209 columbiapodiatryllc.com 573-443-2015
2007
2015
2016
2017
Dr. Terry Sanders joins the clinic after practicing in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Dr. Sarah Newey joins the clinic parttime after practicing in the Chicago area.
Columbia Podiatry officially hits the three-decade mark; they celebrate with a renovation.
Columbia Podiatry completes a remodel of its clinic and holds a 30-year anniversary open house and Chamber ribbon cutting. COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 29
30 JULY 2017
B U SINESS • PEOP LE • IM P R OV EM EN T • F YI
M OVER S & SH AKER S
Movers & Shakers JULY 2017 ROBERTS
JJ Musgrove
Crockett Engineering
Columbia Public Schools
Musgrove has been promoted to the City of Columbia’s deputy city manager. He had directed the city’s Office of Cultural Affairs since 2013 and follows former deputy city manager Tony St. Romaine, who retired in 2016. He was chosen from 104 candidates in a nationwide search.
Three of Crockett Engineering and Crockett Geotechnical’s employees have passed the Professional Engineering Exam: Jared Verslues and Zack Clark, in the structural engineering department, and Shane Steinman, from the materials testing department.
Dave Roberts
University of Missouri
Columbia Public Schools named Anna Munson the next chief financial officer. She’ll replace Linda Quinley, who retired at the end of the school year. Munson has been the CFO at Riverview Gardens School District in the St. Louis area since 2014. She has more than 14 years of business and financial management experience in education. She holds a master’s degree in business administration from Stephens College. Also, Carla London has been selected as CPS’ chief equity officer. London has served as supervisor of student and family advocacy and is currently the director of student services. She’s been a home-school communicator and coordinated the Aspiring Scholars program in CPS secondary schools from 2002 through 2006.
Columbia College named Roberts the new dean for student affairs following a national search. Roberts had been serving as interim dean for student affairs since January 2017, assuming the job after Faye Burchard retired. Roberts joined Columbia College in 2011 to work as assistant dean of student affairs and was promoted to associate dean in 2014. In his permanent role, Roberts will supervise nine full-time staff members and serve as chief student conduct officer for the more than 25,000 Columbia College students across the country.
True Media Candice Rotter has been promoted to senior vice president of media operations. She’ll be responsible for all media operations in the U.S., oversight of U.S. digital services, and nationwide media buying. Candice joined True Media in 2007 as a media buyer. She is an alumna of CBT’s 20 Under 40. Also, Michele Cropp has joined True Media as associate media director. Her duties will include managing a portion of the account service team while developing and implementing media strategy for clients.
UM System president Mun Choi has named Dr. Alexander Cartwright MU chancellor. Cartwright will start August 1. He comes from State University of New York, where he served as provost and executive vice chancellor. Christopher R. Daubert has been named vice chancellor and dean of the MU College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources, beginning August 1. Daubert comes to MU from North Carolina State Unviersity, where he was professor and department head of Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition Sciences.
Professional Contractors & Engineers Inc. PC&E has added two new shareholders and made shifts in company leadership. Ryan McCullem and Steven Stepanovich are joining PCE’s shareholders group. Both have worked as project managers and estimators within the company for several years. They will become the ninth and tenth shareholders in company history. This addition will allow chairman Craig Simon to lessen his day-to-day involvement and begin his transition into retirement.
ROTTER
CROPP
CARTWRIGHT
Robert J. Buckley Buckley has been elected to The Bar Plan Mutual Insurance Company board of directors. He is a partner in the law firm of Oliver Walker Wilson LLC in Columbia, specializing in personal injury, insurance defense, medical malpractice, and premises liability. The Bar Plan writes professional liability insurance in Missouri, Kansas, New Mexico, Indiana, and Tennessee.
Eduard Shamkhalov Shamkhalov was named regional champion of LongHorn Steakhouse’s Steak Master Series, a culinary competition among the 59 top-performing chefs in the chain. Shamkhalov has been working at the LongHorn at 31 Conley Rd. for more than two years. CBT
DAUBERT
LONDON
BUCKLEY
Are you or your employees making waves in the Columbia business community? Send us your news at Editor@BusinessTimesCompany.com COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 31
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B U SINESS • PEOP LE • IM P R OV EM EN T • F YI
P E R S ON YO U SH OU LD KN OW
JAN BECKETT
B O O N E H O S P I TA L T R U S T E E | R E T I R E D | AG E : R E A L LY ? Job description: A hospital trustee is a steward of the hospital. The three primary functions of a trustee are to provide oversight on the financial health and stability of the hospital, help to select the senior administrative leaders, and provide the equipment and facilities required for the delivery of safe and high quality care. Years lived in Columbia: 44 years — since college, except for 8 years in Northern California when my husband was in the Navy. Original hometown: St. Louis. Education: Bachelor’s degree in nursing from MU. Favorite volunteer/community activity: Hard to choose! My primary is my trustee position at Boone Hospital. I also love my work with the Chamber Ambassadors, Metro Rotary, and PIE reading program, as well as the Boone Hospital Foundation and the Assistance League of Mid-Missouri. Professional background: Pediatric nursing at St. Louis Children's Hospital and intensive care nursing at MU, in Oakland, California, and at Boone Hospital. Also being the medical office manager for my husband's orthopedic practice. A favorite recent project: Along with my fellow trustees, it’s building and opening the BHC Nifong Medical Building. It is a beautiful, state-of-the-art medical building. Columbia businessperson you admire and why: This was a hard one! There are many whom I admire, but I think I would say Karen Miller because she does such a wonderful job of connecting people so that both benefit from knowing each other, and, therefore, our whole community benefits.
Photography by Anthony Jinson
COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 33
B U SINESS • PEOP LE • IM P R OV EM EN T • F YI
P E R S ON YO U SH OU LD KN OW
"Health care is important to all of us. My entire professional life, I’ve worked to provide quality health care for all." Why I'm passionate about my job: Health care is important to all of us. My entire professional life, I’ve worked to provide quality health care for all — at the bedside, as an office manager, and now as a trustee. Why I'm passionate about my company: Just walk into Boone Hospital and you’ll understand what we call the Boone Touch. It’s so much more than bricks and mortar; It’s our employees and physicians, our culture, our way of being. I am absolutely honored to be a Boone Hospital Trustee. If I weren't doing this for a living: I'm retired — I receive no pay as a volunteer trustee, so I’m doing exactly what I want to do! What people should know about this profession: A trustee's job involves many things: opening bed towers, medical office buildings, and ceremonies in the Healing Garden are a very small part of what we do. As elected trustees, we have a fiduciary responsibility to monitor our hospital finances and operations. Biggest lesson learned in business: It's business — don't take it personally. I'm still working on this! 34 JULY 2017
My next professional goal: To complete our lease negotiations for Boone. The next challenge facing my industry: Health care is rapidly changing at the federal, state, and local level. We need to be flexible to meet the changing health care landscape to remain a strong, viable organization. How would you like to impact the Columbia community: I want to do my best to keep high quality health care available to all citizens of Columbia for many years to come. Greatest strength: I listen to people. Greatest weakness: Sometimes I take things too personally. Also chocolate, but is that really a weakness? What I do for fun: Spend time with my beautiful grandchildren!
Family: My husband, Dr. Wilson Beckett, a retired orthopedic surgeon. Two adult children: Sarah Ference, CPA, risk control consulting director at CNA Insurance in Chicago; and Nathan Beckett, fourth year medical student in the integrated pediatric program at MU School of Medicine. We also have four beautiful grandchildren: Alice, 8, and John, 4, in Chicago and Ella, 10, and Henry, 1, in Columbia. Favorite place in Columbia: Having an adult beverage with my husband in our backyard by the "Creek to Nowhere" in the train yard. Accomplishment I'm most proud of: That's easy — my children! Most people don't know that: I was made an honorary Kewpie for my volunteer work at Hickman High School in 1996. CBT
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B U SINESS • PEOP LE • IM P R OV EM EN T • F YI
The Future of Boone Hospital BY A L GERMON D
THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF AREA PRIDE during the 95-year existence of what was once known as the Boone County Hospital. Until the late 1980s, the county owned and operated the facility and hired an administrator to manage it. As administrator from 1964 to ’77, James L. Dack oversaw major expansion, modernization, and financial solvency for the county hospital. There’ve been rough spots over the years as the hospital struggled to keep up with growth while new procedures and technology flooded the realm of medicine. There were frustrations after Dack arrived as voters rejected a string of bond issues to finance projects for construction matters as mundane and necessary today as air conditioning. While overcrowding pushed patients into hallways and other areas, a group of local doctors organized and built the Boone Clinic and Columbia Regional Hospital, which opened in 1974.
Things got better, of course, because the constitutionally-mandated percentage required to pass bond issues in elections was lowered while voters acknowledged the need to expand the facility. Yet, overwhelmed by the challenges of rendering high-quality medical care in our rapidly growing area, Boone County’s commissioners wisely decided to lease to an outside group — Christian Health Services, of St. Louis — and the facility was repackaged as Boone Hospital Center. Through several mergers since, the present group is an amalgam of three well-known St. Louis area hospitals — Barnes, Jewish, and Christian. But now the lease is up for renewal, and the hospital board of trustees and the county commissioners want to survey the entire field of options available to operate the sprawling county-owned facility. Insurance is the key issue now in providing medical care. Physicians and the facili-
OPI N I ON
ties they practice in are tangling with matters ranging from the Affordable Care Act (and attempts to revise it) to Medicare expansion, which thus far has been spurned by Missouri but adopted in Illinois. But our neighbor to the east is financially wobbly and virtually bankrupt, and Illinois bonds are considered junk, so there are solvency issues to consider there. At the same time, we hear statements to the effect that the other outside groups being considered — there are two, not counting MU Health — would probably not represent a deal much better for us than the present arrangement with BJC, which by most standards has provided superior medical care over the years, including its tie with Washington University and the WU School of Medicine. Of course it would be folly for Boone County to even think about taking over the hospital and operating it as they did until 1988. The other extreme would be to pair up with MU Health. Some residents could be expected to bitterly oppose this, perhaps spurring an initiative petition drive or — horror of horrors — moves to recall one or more of the county commissioners. And yet, maybe it’s time to seriously consider this. Under this scenario, MU would lease the BHC campus to utilize it as a specialized adjunct to University Hospital, similar to the arrangement it has with what used to be Columbia Regional Hospital, now MU Women’s and Children’s Hospital. That would make the most sense to promote Columbia as a major medical destination — "University of Missouri Hospital and Clinics" being a unifying moniker. This would streamline marketing and identification with specialized care, including the exclusivity we enjoy with nuclear medicine. A single brand for medicine and health care looking forward might lead us to a scenario like what brought the three St. Louis-area hospitals together years ago, now operating in unison as BJC HealthCare. CBT Al Germond is the host of the Columbia Business Times Sunday Morning Roundtable at 8:15 a.m. Sundays on KFRU. COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 37
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OF THE If you’re reading CBT, then we probably share a similar belief: Good businesses are the backbone of a good community. The third annual Top of the Town awards recognize those businesses and business people who make Columbia go. Thanks to our partner, Columbia Regional Airport, for supporting these awards each year. So meet the first and second place winners in 35 categories. You made your voices heard. Let’s meet our winners!
BY KEN N EDY ROBIN SON
COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 39
TOP OF T H E TOWN
TOP PLACE TO WORK 1-25 EMPLOYEES First Place: Columbia Eye Consultants Optometry 500 N. Keene St., Ste. 103, 573-874-2030
Columbia Eye Consultants strives to provide its patients with the highest level of comprehensive eye care. The company currently has five doctors, six opticians, and an office manager. For over 40 years, the doctors have provided quality eye care with services including comprehensive eye examinations, low vision consultations, 24-hour emergency care, and more. The company has two Columbia locations — one on Keene and the other on Nifong. Second Place: Caledon Virtual 1906 Corona Rd., Ste. 200, 573-446-7777
The full-service digital marketing firm was founded in 2007. The staff, which includes one canine, utilizes a balanced mix of tradition and technology to create marketing and advertising strategies. The company wants to be more than a creative agency; it wants to be your partner with web design, strategy, and digital marketing services.
TOP PLACE TO WORK 26-50 EMPLOYEES First Place: Woodruff 501 Fay St., 573-875-7917
Providing services such as social media, public relations, brand strategy, and market research, Woodruff wants to meet all its clients' needs. The full-service marketing and communications company is headquartered in Columbia. The company has a creative-thinking, team approach that the staff brings to their clients. Woodruff has worked with a diverse group of clients, but specializes in agriculture, animal health, pet care, financial services, sports marketing, and health care. Second Place: Century 21 Advantage 3200 Penn Ter., Ste. 113, 573-777-5099
Century 21 Advantage is an expansive resource for finding and selling homes in the Columbia area. The team includes a large group of experienced realtors that handle the details, preparation, pricing, and negotiation in a buying or selling process. The agents have a wide variety of experience and base of knowledge to provide customers with the highest level of customer service.
TOP PLACE TO WORK 51+ EMPLOYEES First Place: Veterans United Home Loans 1400 Veterans United Dr., 800-884-5560
Veterans United Home Loans uses a multidimensional approach to offering the best customer service. The company knows the greatest impact starts with a great group of people who come together for a common goal. Fortune magazine ranked VU as No. 27 on the 100 Best Companies to Work For list, and the company did $10.3 billion in loans financed in 2016. Second Place: Central Bank of Boone County 720 E. Broadway, 573-874-8100
For more information, see Top Bank on page 44. 40 JULY 2017
2017 The Fresh Ideas office.
TOP OFFICE DIGS First Place: Fresh Ideas Food Service Management 1000 W. Nifong Blvd., Bldg. 3, Ste. 220, 573-445-4321
Since 2000, food service management company Fresh Ideas has used technology, creative culinary ideas, and a love of food to continually change and meet the needs of its clients. With over 35 locations, the company provides excellence in dining services for colleges, universities, and businesses. Fresh Ideas is not only committed to its clients, but also to its employees. It believes in fostering an atmosphere where clients develop lasting relationships with the Fresh Ideas employees who nurture them every day. Second Place: Missouri Employers Mutual 101 N. Keene St., 800-442-0593
Since opening 22 years ago, Missouri Employers Mutual has been Missouri’s No. 1 provider of worker’s compensation insurance. MEM’s values include safety, service, caring, respect, integrity, innovation, and accountability. The company, which is headquartered in Columbia, has three branches located in Kansas City, Springfield, and St. Louis.
COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 41
TOP OF T H E TOWN
TOP SEASONED PRO First Place: Eric Morrison, Providence Bank 3855 Forum Blvd., 573-449-2800
Columbia market president Eric Morrison is an integral part of the Columbia business community. His greatest achievement is demonstrating honesty and trust consistently enough that clients, colleagues, and friends seek Providence out for involvement in their life decisions. “We are a progressive organization that seeks input from all sources, including bank employees, in creating best practices for our clients and communities,” Morrison says. He’s involved with the Job Point Board of Directors, the Chamber of Commerce, the United Way, Boys & Girls Club, and other organizations. Second Place: Gina Gervino, Columbia Insurance Group 2102 Whitegate Dr., 573-474-6193
Gina Gervino was promoted to senior vice president of CIG in March after nine years of service, and she continues her duties as general counsel and secretary. She oversees corporate legal and compliance matters, as well as product development, customer service, and marketing and communications teams.
42 JULY 2017
Photo by Anthony Jinson
2017 TOP CEO First Place: Steve Erdel, Central Bank of Boone County 720 E. Broadway, 573-874-8100
As the leader of Columbia’s largest bank, Erdel oversees his company’s consistently successful performance as well as its stellar company culture. Since starting his time as CEO in 2006, Erdel has fostered successful growth and guided the bank through some choppy economic times to its position today, and he oversaw the company’s name change in 2015 from Boone County National Bank to Central Bank of Boone County. Second Place: Gary Thompson, Columbia Insurance Group 2102 Whitegate Dr., 573-474-6193
Thompson joined CIG in 1989 as a 29-year-old vice president, the youngest in the company’s history. Nearly 30 years and a couple promotions later, his style of servant leadership has come to define the culture of one of Missouri’s oldest insurers.
TOP SALESPERSON First Place: Brooke Berkey, Central Bank of Boone County 720 E. Broadway, 573-874-8100
As assistant vice president and relationship manager, Brooke Berkey loves meeting new people and learning about their banking needs. She’s a self-motivated person and uses her customer service skills to stand out. “I’m passionate about people and want to make sure they’re taken care of,” says Berkey, who’s been with Central Bank for two years. She’s involved with the American Heart Association, Chamber of Commerce, and Women’s Network. Second Place: Danny Gingerich, Joe Machens Toyota Scion 1180 Vandiver Dr., 573-445-4450
Gingerich is a sales consultant with
Joe Machens Toyota Scion and has been with the company 23 years. He’s been salesman of the year many times, but his biggest accomplishment is that his customers return and refer friends and family.
TOP EMERGING PROFESSIONAL First Place: Amanda Quick, The Hatchery 206 Corporate Lake Dr., 573-356-9567
Quick has quickly made a name for herself with The Hatchery, a new co-working space. The site offers multiple membership options to fit client needs, including access to open work stations, private meeting rooms, networking events, and on-site child care. The mission is to provide clients with the space, tools, and team to keep them empowered and focused. The Hatchery will open soon. “Saying ‘Yes’ has proven to be humbling, exciting and energizing,” Quick says. Second Place: Brandon Banks, Modern Media Concepts 3211 S. Providence Ste. 103., 573-875-4000
Brandon is an account executive who generates creative solutions for business owners. He’s been with Modern Media Concepts since January 2016. He also facilitates a summer camp for young entrepreneurs at the University of Central Missouri.
TOP COMMERCIAL LENDER First Place: Chris Widmer, Landmark Bank 801 E. Broadway, 800-618-5503
Chris Widmer has been a commercial lender since he started at Landmark Bank over 10 years ago. Originally from Salisbury, Widmer attended MU and has been a part of Columbia banking since 1993. He enjoys Landmark’s community
atmosphere and is proud that the bank is a staple in Columbia. When he isn’t working, Widmer explores his adventurous side. For starters, he has been sky diving over the Swiss Alps, biked across the state, met the Dalai Lama, and went to the World Cup dressed as Elvis. Second Place: Chris Rosskopf, Central Bank of Boone County
ERDEL
720 E. Broadway, 573-874-8100
Chris Rosskopf is the vice president of commercial banking at Central Bank of Boone County. Rosskopf provides full-service financial solutions for corporate and personal clients, including cash management and lending solutions.
BERKEY
TOP COMMERCIAL REALTOR First Place: Paul Land, Plaza Commercial Realty 2501 Bernadette Dr., 573-445-1020
Plaza Commercial Realty owner Paul Land is a Columbia institution, with more than 39 years of experience in Mid-Missouri real estate, 30 of those years dedicated to commercial real estate brokerage services. Land is a member of the National Association of Realtors, Missouri Association of Realtors, and Past President of Columbia Board of Realtors. Land is involved in REDI, Columbia Area Jobs Foundation, Columbia Chamber of Commerce, and many other boards and community organizations. Second Place: Gina Rende, Maly Commercial Realty
QUICK
WIDMER
213 N. Stadium Blvd., Ste. 203, 573-443-3200
Broker–salesperson Gina Rende puts her clients’ needs above her own. With a background in title insurance and mortgage banking, Gina provides expertise in lease and contract negotiation, site location, demographic analysis, and creative marketing. Maly Commercial Realty was founded in 1993.
LAND
COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 43
TOP OF T H E TOWN TOP HR FIRM First Place: Moresource, Inc. 401 Vandiver Dr., 573-443-1234
Moresource provides payroll, human resources, benefits administration, time and attendance, recruiting, insurance, IT, and bookkeeping services to businesses. Kat Cunningham founded Moresource in 1994 with the belief that business owners should delegate those hassles to someone else, allowing the small business owner to focus on what they do best. Moresource partners with more than 200 companies, managing complex employee-related matters. Second Place: Accounting Plus 1604B Business Loop 70 W., 573-445-3805
Established in 1992, Accounting Plus is a full-service accounting and tax firm offering friendly, affordable and professional services to individuals and businesses in the Columbia area. Soon, Accounting Plus, in collaboration with a local insurance agency and a local investment firm, will be offering more commercial insurance and financial products.
Second Place: Kelly Services 1000 W. Nifong Blvd., Bldg. 8, 573-875-0605
Kelly Services Inc. is a global leader in providing workforce solutions. Founded in 1946, the company offers a broad selection of outsourcing and consulting services. It also provides staffing on a temporary, temporary to hire, and direct hire basis.
TOP JANITORIAL SERVICES First Place: Atkins Inc. 1123 Wilkes Blvd., Ste. 450, 573-397-7016
The family-owned commercial cleaning company offers services that emphasize care and quality. The business offers commercial cleaning, pest management, and a bevy of other services. After being in business for almost a century, Atkins Inc. employs almost 500 people in Missouri. To give back to our community, the Atkins family contributes volunteer services that range from coaching children’s sports to membership on boards of universities and civic organizations. Second Place: Safi Sana
TOP STAFFING COMPANY First Place: JobFinders Employment Services 1729 W. Broadway, #4, 573-446-4250
With locations in Columbia, Jeff City, Sedalia, and Mexico, JobFinders Employment Services matches the right people to the right jobs. The company provides cost-effective staffing solutions whether it’s temporary, contract to hire, health care, or professional direct hiring. JobFinders can help throughout the hiring process, including discovery, screening, recruiting, and placing. Founded in 1986, the company was named to Inc. magazine’s top 5,000 fastest growing privately held companies in America in 2015. 44 JULY 2017
9030 Lake Meadows Way, 573-814-1170
Jen Wheeler started City of Refuge Safi Sana in 2010 as a residential and commercial cleaning company in an effort to find jobs for her many refugee friends. The company has employed more than 40 refugees and provides them with a place to learn English and earn income. The staff cleans homes, offices, and apartments daily.
TOP BANK First Place: Central Bank of Boone County 720 E. Broadway, 573-874-8100
With over 175 years of business, Central Bank of Boone County is a staple in our community. Formerly known as Boone County National
Bank, the company transitioned to the Central Bank of Boone County name in 2015. The bank has years of practice serving our community with customer service, financial expertise, and exceptional products. Central Bank of Boone County currently has 10 locations in Columbia. The bank is also committed to improving the community, investing more than a quarter million dollars each year into 150 nonprofits. Second Place: Landmark Bank 801 E. Broadway, 800-618-5503
Big city banking with hometown attitude — that’s what Landmark bank delivers. The family-operated Landrum Company held three separate banks in Missouri, Texas and Oklahoma before combining them in 2009 to form Landmark Bank. The company handles personal and business accounts and practices “conservative, traditional banking,” according to their website. The Landrum family currently banks in 28 communities across three states.
TOP COMMERCIAL BUILDER First Place: Coil Construction 209 E. Broadway, 573-874-1444
A well-managed construction process from beginning to end is what Coil Construction believes is its core competency. Started more than 35 years ago by Randy Coil, the business has grown into a large commercial construction company. While the list of clients grew, Coil’s values remained unchanged. The company offers services in design–build as well as construction management for professional, retail, industrial, institutional, Greek housing, and health care construction. Second Place: Little Dixie Construction
The company’s skills include general contracting services, design– build projects, construction management, facilities management, and more. The company’s customer-centered approach drives its performance. It has completed projects in Columbia such as the 60,000-square-foot Shelter Office Plaza and the 41,290-square-foot Beta Theta Pi house.
TOP REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER First Place: Mike Tompkins, Tompkins Homes & Development 6000 S. Hwy KK, 573-881-6316
Tompkins Homes & Development specializes in affordable, upscale residential development catering to a variety of lifestyles, including growing families; individuals looking for elegant, modern homes; or empty-nesters building their dream home. Tompkins has been building in the Columbia area since 1986. Projects include more than 400 custom homes, each tailored to the needs of the customer, in neighborhoods like The Gates, Rokes Bend, The Vineyards, and Barcus Ridge. Second Place: Jay Lindner, Forum Development Group 1400 Forum Blvd., 573-446-5500
Forum Development provides commercial properties at Forum Shopping Center, Nifong Shopping Center, Broadway Shops, and Broadway Bluffs. Lindner joined the family company in 1995 and has overseen all leasing efforts since 1999. Today, he’s the president.
TOP BUSINESS INSURANCE First Place: Stephanie Wilmsmeyer, State Farm 2609 E. Broadway, Ste. 214,
3316 LeMone Industrial Blvd.,
573-445-5774
573-449-7200
As agent and owner, Stephanie Wilmsmeyer is passionate about
Little Dixie Construction has serviced its Midwest clients since 1964.
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2017
TOP CHAMBER VOLUNTEER First Place: Tom Trabue, McClure Engineering Co. 1901 Pennsylvania Dr., 573-814-1568
Over more than two decades in the industry, client representative Tom Trabue has received praise from clients for his ability to “break down and communicate complex engineering and turn it into English.” Trabue is instrumental to MEC’s vision of building strong communities. In addition to the Chamber, Trabue is involved in the Rotary Club of Columbia, the American Consulting Engineers Council, the American Public Works Association, and the Construction Specifications Institute. Second Place: Sherry Major, Columbia EDP 1816 Vandiver Dr., 573-474-8431
After seven years at Columbia EDP, Business Development Specialist Sherry Major’s positivity keeps her successful. Major brought in 90 new clients to her company in 2016, which provides expert and dependable payroll to all types of businesses. Major is the current Ambassador chair and serves on the Small Business Committee for the Chamber of Commerce.
Photo by Keith Borgmeyer COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 45
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TOP WEB DEVELOPER First Place: Hoot Design Co. 1023 E. Walnut, 573-484-6174
The web design, branding, and marketing agency can help any business create an amazing website, advertising campaign, or marketing strategy. The woman-founded and -owned company thrives on being different, being creative, and sharing its expertise with its clients. Hoot Design Co.’s services include logo design and branding, website design and development, content marketing, social media marketing, and video production. The small company’s Midwestern values guide the commitment it holds to a job well done. Second Place: Delta Systems Group 204 Corporate Lake Dr., 573-442-9855
Award-winning computer consulting company Delta Systems Group custom-builds websites and applications that are intuitive and powerful. Projects include web design and development projects, e-commerce, mobile app development, database development, web hosting, and more. Delta’s mission is to use technical expertise to enhance, optimize, and grow businesses using the internet.
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The Hoot Design Co. office.
2017
helping families manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams by providing auto, home, renter’s, and life insurance. She opened her own agency in 2007 and has worked with State Farm since 2000. In 2015, she was named to the State Farm Chairman’s Circle, an honor given to the top five percent of 18,000 State Farm agents in the country. Second Place: Columbia Insurance Group 2102 Whitegate Dr., 573-474-6193
For over 140 years, Columbia Insurance Group has been in Columbia providing quality commercial business insurance. Founded in 1874, it now serves locations across the Midwest and Southeast. With over 300 employees, the company wants to build enduring relationships with its customers by providing value and exceptional service in fulfilling its promises.
TOP COMMERCIAL VIDEOGRAPHER First Place: The Evoke Group 505 Fay St., Ste. 204, 573-304-4520
The digital creative agency employs a positive and uplifting company culture with a creative family made up of millennial media connoisseurs. Each has a variety of expertise in motion graphics, animation, web development, print material design, brand identity development,
video production, internal content planning, and digital advertising. Second Place: Cosmic Sauce 500 E. Walnut St., Ste. 102, 573-823-7474
Founded in 2016, Cosmic Sauce creates compelling video content that drives results. The company believes in using a cohesive mix of strategy and creativity to produce great content. Cosmic Sauce helps its clients with the ability to provide video marketing campaigns, content, and video production.
TOP COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHER First Place: LG Patterson 47 E. Broadway, 573-445-6985
For more than 35 years, LG Patterson has been a photographer with a national reach. Some of his clients include the Associated Press, MLB, New York Times, and USA Today. The president of Recess Inc. helps clients illustrate the message they want to convey through photography. He’ll be photographing the MLB All-Star Game in Miami for the fifth time this year. The project he’s most proud of is collaborating with graphic artists to produce posters for Mizzou Athletics. Second Place: Casey Buckman 4802 Shale Oaks Ave., 573-881-1050
Casey Buckman attended MU and was educated in photojournalism. He appreciates and practices
a wide array of photography including weddings, senior photos, family or professional portraits, personal or corporate events, interiors, etc. He offers in-studio or on-location sessions.
TOP IT COMPANY First Place: Midwest Computech 311 Bernadette Dr., Ste. A, 573-397-5706
Midwest Computech is an IT support specialist firm that furnishes its clients with professional IT help. The company’s solutions and tech teams work closely with businesses to develop inventive strategies and solutions for every industry. The company offers technology consulting, infrastructure, and wireless and remotely managed IT services to businesses, governments, and educational entities. Initially founded in 1982 as a small typewriter company, the company has evolved with technology to assist clients. Second Place: EasyPC IT & Computer Repair 401 S. Providence Rd., Ste. 103, 573-777-3972
After working with businesses that were growing unhappy with their current IT support, Jessie Yankee started EasyPC in 2011. The company’s goal is to provide small businesses the professionalism and friendliness they crave. Not only will EasyPC fix PCs and Macs, the company delivers IT business solutions for numerous industries.
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TOP ACCOUNTING SERVICE First Place: Williams-Keepers LLC 2005 W. Broadway, Ste. 100, 573-442-6171
With a history dating back to 1923, Williams-Keepers has offices in Columbia and Jeff City. W-K offers traditional audit, accounting, and tax services and also provides extra services such as estate planning, employee benefit consulting, litigation support, cost segregation studies, and more. W-K is a member of the American institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Missouri Society of Certified Public Accountants, and Allinial Global. Second Place: Accounting Plus 1604B Business Loop 70 W., 573-445-3805
For more information, see Top HR Firm, page 44.
TOP ENGINEER First Place: Crockett Engineering Consultants 1000 W. Nifong Blvd., Bldg. 1, 573-447-0292
Since 1985, Crockett Engineering has provided engineering consulting for civil, structural, and geotechnical engineering as well as surveying and construction materials testing. The firm has placed a high value in its ability to communicate, make things easy, deliver results, and remove uncertainties. Crockett, which won the 2012 Columbia Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year, is led by Tim Crockett, Nathan Eckhoff, and Greg Linneman. Crockett is licensed in 26 states and has active projects in 12. Second Place: McClure Engineering Co. 1901 Pennsylvania Dr., 573-814-1568
Since 1956, McClure Engineering’s mission has been to build relationships that help its clients be successful. MEC has offices across Iowa and Missouri and has worked on projects including the MU Brewer Fieldhouse and Natatorium. It offers services like mechanical engineering, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, and more.
TOP ARCHITECT
fulfill each individual client’s needs. In 2016, the company was a Small Business of the Year Finalist. SOA designed Missouri Employers Mutual’s headquarters in Columbia.
services and advanced technology services. GFI has won numerous awards for service excellence and top dealer performance, including the Sharp Platinum Level Service Provider Award in 2017.
Second Place: PWArchitects
Second Place: CoMo Connection Exchange
2120 Forum Blvd., Ste. 101, 573-449-2683
Since its founding in 1978, PWArchitects has offered services throughout the country to a wide mixture of education, corporate, health care, government, and private clients. In addition to providing architecture design, the company also does master planning, programming, construction administration, and LEED coordination as well as interior, landscape, and sustainable design.
TOP ADVERTISING AGENCY First Place: True Media 500 Business Loop 70 W., 573-443-8783
True Media is a global media strategy and communications company. The company supplies objective, fact-based analysis and strategies for traditional and digital media. By using the latest technologies, the best software, and consumer research, True Media hopes to gain insight into how its B2B and B2C clients’ consumers feel. Every year since 2009, Inc. magazine has listed True Media as one of the 5,000 fastest growing companies in America. True Media has offices in Missouri, Minnesota, and Alberta, Canada. Second Place: Visionworks Marketing Group 204 Peach Way, Ste. H, 573-449-8567
Visionworks Marketing Group provides a combination of strategy and art to help build brands and execute objectives. The team of eight will help any company build brand loyalty, outmaneuver competitors, and master social media with production of all graphics, audio, video, and digital elements needed for a successful ad campaign.
204 Peach Way, Ste. D, 573-312-0628
A professional welcoming and networking service, Connection Exchange brings gifts and information to new businesses in Columbia. Owners Cara Owings and Jennifer Schenck connect established businesses with new Columbia business owners to the benefit of both. The company now offers services in other parts of Missouri and is free for all new businesses in the community.
TOP COFFEE MEETING LOCATION First Place: Kaldi’s Coffee 29 S. 9th St., 573-874-2566
The original Kaldi’s opened in 1994 in the DeMun neighborhood of St. Louis. Since then, the company has grown to include 18 locations, the vast majority located in Missouri. Kaldi’s Coffee is dedicated to creating a memorable coffee experience for its customers and guests, committing to sustainable business practices, providing educational opportunities, and supporting the communities that it serves. In Columbia, the company has donated scholarships at MU. Second Place: The Grind Coffee House 4603 John Garry Dr., Ste. 1, 573-447-3333
Opened in 2016, the coffee house is committed to providing high quality coffee, pastries, sandwiches, and service. The shop’s coffees are sourced to ensure the highest quality and variety. The Grind’s signature drink, “The Aucky,” is named after the founder and owner, Aucky El-Tayash. The drink is a hybrid between a latte and cappuccino.
TOP B2B PRODUCT OR SERVICE
TOP PLACE FOR BUSINESS LUNCH
First Place: GFI Digital
First Place: Addison’s
First Place: Simon Oswald Architecture
4210 Phillips Farm Rd., Ste. 101,
709 Cherry St., 573-256-1995
2801 Woodward Dr., Ste. 103, 573-443-1407
573-874-5600
SOA enhances how communities live, learn, heal, work, and play through creative architectural and interior design solutions. SOA offers many services, including evaluating potential property, remodeling a portion of an existing building, or designing something new. The business, with 12 employees, focuses on tailoring its approach to
Founded in 1999, GFI Digital is a full-service provider of office technology. From Sharp and Ricoh multi-function printers to IT expertise, they make and keep technology simple for businesses. GFI is a single vendor solution to create efficiencies in every aspect of office technology, offering office equipment, managed print services, managed network
Addison’s is an American grill that first opened to the public in October 1999. The restaurant was started by four friends who craved the addition of a new eatery to Columbia, so they opened a full-service restaurant and bar serving appetizers, pizza, pasta, salads, sandwiches, steak, and seafood. The Nachos Bianco are a favorite,
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2017
TOP CATERER First Place: Bleu Events 1000 W. Nifong Blvd., Bldg. 3, Ste. 220B, 573-442-8220
Bleu Events is a full-service event planning and catering company that takes clients through every step of the planning process while providing them an innovative full-service catering experience. The 50-employee company handles every detail of an event, from conception, coordination, and setup to food presentation and bar service. Bleu Events is the result of a partnership between Bleu Restaurant and Fresh Ideas Food Services. The company will soon be expanding into the St. Louis market. Second Place: Hoss’s Market 1010A Club Village Dr., 573-815-9711
Hoss’s Market was founded in 2002 and is owned by Jim “Hoss” and Trish Koetting. The restaurant specializes in home-cooked meals for dine-in or take-home and is known for quality food with fresh ingredients. The full-service gourmet market believes in the high quality of its food and caters for every occasion. COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 49
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TOP NATIONAL PRESENCE First Place: True/False Film Fest 5 N. Ninth St., 573-442-8783
With films showing all over downtown Columbia, True/False Film Fest hosts a weekend long celebration of film, music, and art. The festival takes place during the first weekend in March and has been a staple in Columbia since 2004. The four-day festival is packed with new nonfiction films, concerts, art installations, and parties with a mission to forge a supportive, celebratory refuge for filmmakers and film lovers. Recently, the organization surpassed its sustainability goals for 2017 and was presented the Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement Award for 2017 Innovative Best Practices. Second Place: Veterans United Home Loans 1400 Veterans United Dr., 800-884-5560
For more information, see Top Place to Work, 51+ employees, page 40.
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Photos from this year’s True/False Film Fest.
2017
and with the kitchen open late and a full service bar, the restaurant is a staple of Columbia eateries. Second Place: D. Rowe’s 1005 Club Village Dr., 573-443-8004
D. Rowe’s is an American and barbecue restaurant. The laid-back, casual restaurant was started in 2002 by former MU football player David Rowe and has a reputation for big portions of all-American food. (Try the smoked wings.) D. Rowe’s provides catering services for all types of events and offers in-house banquet space for 50 people.
TOP EVENT LOCATION First Place: Logboat Brewing Co. 504 Fay St., 573-397-6786
For more information, see Top Happy Hour, below. Second Place: Stoney Creek Hotel & Conference Center 2601 S. Providence Rd., 573-442-6400
The Stoney Creek event staff will make planning easy and stress-free. From show-stopping social events to successful business meetings and memorable seminars, the staff will allow you take your meeting or event to the next level. The Columbia hotel has 181 guest rooms and both large and small meeting spaces.
indoor and outdoor seating areas, perfect for any type of weather.
TOP PLACE TO CLOSE A DEAL First Place: 44 Stone 3910 Peachtree Dr., 573-443-2726
44 Stone is a restaurant and bar complete with a menu inspired by English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh public house food. The warm and upscale restaurant atmosphere will leave guests with an experience that feels like you’re in a British Isle pub. With an extensive beer list, bold whiskies, and appealing wines plus catering and Sunday brunch, 44 Stone is a must-do Mid-Missouri dining experience. Second Place: Boone-Central Title Co. 601 E. Broadway, Ste. 102, 573-442-0139
Founded in 1898, Boone-Central Title provides title insurance to Mid-Missouri. The team works with lenders to make real estate transactions efficient and conforming to regulations. The company also provides closing and escrow services, title searches, and property profiles, and they have a state-of-the-art database with a Boone County property index.
TOP HAPPY HOUR
TOP LOCAL TEAM-BUILDING EXPERIENCE
First Place: Logboat Brewing Co.
First Place: Breakout CoMo
504 Fay St., 573-397-6786
218 N. Eighth St., 573-340-5625
Founded in 2014, Logboat’s mission is to cultivate consumer loyalty and trust through the production and distribution of craft beer. Logboat serves four “core” beers yearround, which have received national recognition. Logboat will release at least 20 different beers in 2017, and this summer, the facility will include a private indoor party space. Named the Columbia Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year in 2016, Logboat provides great beer and a laid-back outdoor experience.
The goal at Breakout CoMo is simple — your team has 60 minutes to find clues, solve puzzles, and breakout from one of the many escape rooms. This entertainment is perfect for game aficionados, parties, events, corporate team building, and friends and family gatherings. Equally fun and challenging, Breakout CoMo has several room themes: Y2K, Mark Twain Museum, Room 13, and Missouri State Stock Exchange. Their escape rooms are designed and built here in Missouri.
Second Place: The Roof
Second Place: Escape Plan
1111 E. Broadway, 573-875-7000
314 Nebraska Ave., 573-489-2890
The Roof is a unique entertainment venue to connect with friends and relax, listen to a local music, or dance the night away. Located at the top of The Broadway hotel, The Roof has a great view of downtown Columbia with both
Escape Plan is the ideal place for employees to build teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills. The three rooms are Harley’s Ride, Meat Locker, and Double Agent. CBT COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 51
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Ground GETTING OFF THE
How Columbia’s revenue guarantees saved air travel in Mid-Missouri and built a model for the rest of the country. BY MATT PATSTON
IN EARLY JUNE, AMY SCHNEIDER, director of the Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau, was at the Ameristar Casino in St. Charles for the annual conference of the Missouri Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus. She got to chatting with one of the guest speakers, who asked where she was from. “Columbia, I told him,” she says. The speaker was intrigued. “Oh really,” he said. “You know, I flew in to some little airport there about 15 years ago. Where would I fly in now?” “I told him he’d still fly into the same airport, but it’s a lot different now,” Schneider says. “I told him about the terminal project and the new airlines — he was very excited.” These are indeed exciting times for air travel in Columbia — in August, the city will begin offering direct flights to Denver through United Airlines, finally reaching a long-sought third major hub after securing direct flights to Dallas–Fort Worth and Chicago in 2013. The airport itself, while continuing to fill flights and increase passenger counts, is improving and lengthening its runways, making way for bigger planes coming in more often. And the City continues to collect money to build a new terminal, thanks to a lodging tax increase passed handily by voters last summer. In 2002, the year Schneider’s guest speaker last flew into Columbia, he would have had to fly to St. Louis first before hopping to COU on a Jetstream 41 (a fairly small plane). There were a little over 23,000 enplanements at COU that year. In 2016, there were nearly three times that many — 64,231, by the airport’s count. With additional service to a western hub, it seems certain that COU will rack up several thousand more than that; it’s not totally unrealistic to think that, once the new terminal gets built (which probably won’t be until the early 2020s), 100,000 people might be flying out of Columbia each year. But just 10 years ago, barely 9,000 did. The airport was dead. It was hard to sell an airline on having any sort of significant presence in Mid-Missouri. So what happened?
HOLLOWING OUT The record for annual enplanements out of COU still stands at 67,588. That was in 1978, the last year of the “Golden Age of Air Travel,” in which the government regulated which places airlines would be flying COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 53
CHANGING THE GAME A revenue guarantee, in and of itself, isn’t really a new recruitment tactic; what was new is how Columbia funded it. A revenue guarantee is a form of public-private partnership — an easy example to illustrate would be a toll road. Say a town needs to build an 54 JULY 2017
ENP LA N E M E N TS AT COU
and how much they would be charging, leaving the carriers to compete mostly on luxury amenities. For those flying from, say, Los Angeles, that often meant mid-air piano lounges and champagne, but for many in the middle of the country, flying at all was luxury enough to drive 67,000 people on board in a year. But 1978 was also the year the Airline Deregulation Act passed through the U.S. Congress, and in 1979, air travel became a more or less free-market industry. It opened up air travel to the less wealthy people, but it didn’t have a great effect for COU and other regional airports like it. Enplanements fell off by 10,000 in the first year and were nearly halved by 1982. Following a brief rally in the mid-’80s, the downward slide continued, slowed mildly by the Essential Air Service federal subsidy program, until the lowpoint of 9,090 in 2007. In 2008, Northwest Airlink began offering short flights to Memphis out of COU, which wouldn’t have mattered much except that Northwest was bought shortly after by Delta Airlines, one of the few remaining “legacy carriers” in the industry (American and United among the others). Under Delta, COU began offering flights to Atlanta, one of the busiest airports in the world. Ridership numbers shot up to the high 30,000s; at the same time, students were pouring into MU from out of state, and Columbia’s population crossed the 100,000 threshold in the 2010 census and kept climbing. Setting up in Columbia began to seem like a better and better option for airlines, and the city knew it. “It’s very enticing to companies that they can get basically anywhere in the world from Columbia,” says Matt McCormick, president of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce. “The people going back and forth — from vendors to customers to employees — are saving a huge amount of time.” The city made air access a centerpiece of its economic development strategy, and community leaders began talking with businesses around town about the positive impact that increased air travel could have on the local economy as a whole. In 2012, they put their money where their collective mouth was.
1978
67,588 1980
46,092 1985
56,481 1990
41,042 1995
34,349 2000
33,986 2007
9,090 2010
35,428 2015
64,707
expensive road, but they don’t quite have the means to do it alone. They reach out to Private Company X to help build the road in exchange for the revenues from tolls that Private Company X installs. Private Company X is interested, but not sold. What if no one drives on the road and, thus, no one pays the toll? The city could issue a revenue guarantee of, say, $500,000 — that would mean that if drivers don’t generate $500,000 in revenue by driving on the road, the city will pay the difference. If drivers only pay $400,000 in tolls, the city pays Private Company X $100,000. Easy enough. In 2012, Private Company X was American Airlines, but the city wasn’t technically Columbia; it was the Central Missouri Air Service Fund, a group comprised of the governments of Columbia, Jefferson City, Boone County, Cole County, MU, and a group of more than 40 private businesses. The fund offered American Airlines a revenue guarantee of $3 million for air service to Chicago and Dallas–Fort Worth. Columbia offered $1.2 million; the rest of the fund was covered by partners in different proportions based on size and their potential return on investment. The Central Missouri Air Fund was largely assembled by REDI, who brokered the deal with American, and the Chamber, which recruited the private partners. Private contributors to a revenue guarantee aren’t unheard of, but they are rare, and they’re exceedingly rare for an airline. “During the first [Chamber leadership] visit to Knoxville, we had a meeting with their airport people,” McCormick says. This visit was in 2014. “They said, ‘You know, we credit y’all — you changed the game. When you started bringing private business in to help fund the revenue guarantees for airlines, you changed the game and airlines have really responded to that.’” Of course, it makes sense for non-government entities to want to play a part in bringing in air service that’s going to help them. The most obvious beneficiary of airline service to Chicago and Dallas was MU, who recruits students heavily from those cities. That’s not mentioning another jewel in the city’s economic development crown: the MU Research Reactor, which can turn out delicate medical isotopes that rely on air travel to get around the country in time to be used. “University researchers and entrepreneurs are served greatly by a strong airport,”
"It’s really a conversation between many people, but it’s asking, ‘Is this good for the community, and can we make it successful?’"
— Amy Schneider, Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau
MU spokesman Christian Basi says. “Investors and companies of all sizes and types, including startups, rely heavily on the ability to receive and send materials with reliable transportation alternatives.” American Airlines loved the deal, and it’s been successful for all parties involved; since having to cover $22,562 after the first few weeks of service with American, the fund hasn’t been touched, accruing more than that in interest in the two years it was in effect. For a brief window of time, it seemed like Columbia was going to have service to Chicago, Dallas, and Atlanta — COU would have three major international hubs, only a few years removed from federal life support. But alas. Delta was irked that a competitor had gotten incentives to enter their existing market, and they announced that they would stop service from Columbia shortly after American started. Delta said they were losing money on COU; the city offered them the same revenue guarantee they’d given American, but Delta turned it down. So the
City didn’t get the three hubs it craved. It had, however, arrived at a pretty effective way of finding another one.
BUILDING THE FUTURE “Personally, for me, I feel like I’m on a lot better footing this time because I understand the process a lot better than when we went after American,” Schneider says. “I was about as green as you could be when we first started that.” As part of the agreement with United, the Columbia CVB is doing $250,000 worth of marketing for the Denver flight. Denver, Schneider says, is a particularly good market for Columbia. It has a big MU alumni base and many of the same demographic interests as Columbia — when we spoke, Schneider was talking to a craft beer magazine in Denver called Thirst about marketing Columbia’s own beer scene to Denverites. The incentive package for United’s Denver flights (they’re also adding two Chicago flights, which aren’t covered in the package) is smaller than what the city put COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 55
together for American in 2012. In addition to the marketing, the City is waving up to $125,000 in facility fees and, thanks to the re-establishment of the Central Missouri Air Service Fund, has a $600,000 revenue guarantee in place. “This round was — well, I don’t want to say it was easier, but what we did have was the success of American Airlines and the success of the airport over the last four years and how they’ve been able to increase the size of the planes,” McCormick says. “These companies have experienced that success. They’ve seen it. They’ve flown it.” (McCormick declined to say specifically which companies have contributed to the fund, saying it’s “a number of businesses, large, small, and medium-sized, who have put a diverse range of money in and taken a look at what it means for them.”) Indeed, despite losing Delta and access to a third major hub along with it, COU’s last few years have been its most successful in decades — maybe ever. Enplanements increased by 66 percent between 2012 and 2016. Ridership numbers are the highest they’ve been since deregulation, and with the added flights to Denver, it’s nearly certain that the airport will break its 1978 enplanements record either this year or next. And there will be even more space for more planes when the new terminal is built. All this for an airport that was dying a decade ago. The mobilization of Central Missouri Air Services Fund has, in effect, created a new ecosystem for air travel in Missouri out of nothing. There’s enthusiastic support for the system of revenue guarantees the city has built — the only limits now are how much air travel Columbia needs. “It’s really just a conversation between many people,” Schneider says, “but it’s about asking ‘Is this good for the community, and can we make it successful?’” CBT 56 JULY 2017
come experience columbia’s only craft distillery locally made spirits well crafted cocktails
open tuesday - saturday 4:00 pm - 10:00 pm te D 210 St. James Street, Sui Columbia, MO 65201 (573) 777-6768
LEADERSHIP BUILT FROM SERVICE
Our employees are the backbone of our company. We couldn’t succeed without their continued hard work and dedication to making the workplace a positive one. We recognize that by building a culture of commitment to our employees, we build up the hard-working individuals that make Septagon Construction.
DEREK JAMES, President Septagon Construction - Columbia
573-442-6187 | Septagon.com
COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 57
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INDISPENSABLE Travel agent. Project manager. Organizational hub. Problem solver. Executive assistants can play any role the job calls for. Meet three professionals who are the key to getting things done.
BY DAVID MORRISON | PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANTHONY JINSON
COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 59
Education: Columbia College Strongest skill: “Skill, I’d say organization. Strength, I’d say empathy.” Little-known fact: “I have a long-term goal to write and illustrate a children's book called “The Literary Adventures of Bosco the Bookworm.” So stay tuned for that. Although it might be 10 years from now.”
HEATHER COLE City Manager’s Office, City of Columbia
Absence made Heather Cole’s heart for public service grow fonder. After working in the city clerk’s office for the City of Columbia for a little less than two years, Cole started another job in the private sector. But she still found herself enthralled with city government during her free time, to the point where she would block off time to watch the telecasts of city council meetings. “I was like, ‘What am I doing here?’” Cole says. “I didn’t realize until I wasn’t working here how much I wanted to work [for the City].” Cole started a temporary job back with the City, and it was only a couple of months before new city manager Mike Matthes hired her to be his executive assistant in September 2011. “Indispensable,” Matthes says to describe Cole. “I truly don’t know how I would manage without her. She’s one of the best people I’ve met in the business.” 60 JULY 2017
Now, she gets all the city council action she could possibly desire. And so much more. Cole finds it difficult to offer a tidy breakdown of her duties, since they are so many and so varied. She supervises two fellow assistants who are each assigned to three city council members, so that entails prep work for meetings, following up after meetings, logging the minutes, and arranging work sessions and retreats. Cole is also the keeper of Matthes' calendar, which means juggling the more than 1,100 projects the city manager’s office currently has on its docket. That, in turn, leads to an avalanche of emails. When Cole isn’t in meetings, she has her and Matthes’ email inboxes open side by side, and she’s constantly sorting. “She can tell instantly if I need to see that email, or if it’s something we can archive or delete. She’s never made a mistake in that,” Matthes says. “Of all the people in the city, she’s probably got the most information about what’s going on at any given time.” Matthes’ level of trust in Cole extends to the latitude she has to undertake projects that pique her interest and utilize her skill sets. Shortly after the two started working together, Matthes came to
Cole with an offbeat idea: Would she be interested in installing a “fairy door” at Stephens Lake Park? Cole found a tree with a hole in the base, installed the door and hand-painted an Altoids tin to set inside the door as the a sort of fairy inbox. “I left a note in there saying, ‘I’m Willow. I’m a tree fairy. I just moved to the park and I’m looking to meet some new people. Leave me a message or ask me a question,’” Cole says. “I left it in there with a little pencil, and I went back maybe two or three weeks later, and there were messages. It was so fun. Probably over two or three months, I went back and would respond back to their questions, and there would be new messages to respond to.” Recently, Cole also took the lead on the city’s “Vision Zero” project, which seeks to eliminate all traffic deaths and serious injuries in Columbia by 2030. Cole serves as the project manager for the initiative, which presented its first three-year action plan to the city council in May. “She has a profound sense of responsibility,” Matthes says. “When she takes on something, I know I can stop thinking about it, because it’s going to be done at the highest level.” Vision Zero has placed Cole into an unfamiliar context. After a career of working behind the scenes, she’s stepping into the spotlight and being a public spokeswoman for the campaign in media interviews and at city council meetings. Cole says it has taken some getting used to, but it definitely beats watching the meetings on television and pining. “It’s a project I really believe firmly in,” Cole says. “That’s one of the things I appreciate about my job, is I’m able to pick projects that are of interest to me. It definitely puts me out of my comfort zone to do on-camera interviews with people. I’m so excited about the program that I don’t mind doing it, but it’s not my normal cup of tea.”
LATISHA MAYES
Missouri Men’s Basketball Team Over the past six years, Latisha Mayes’ family and friends have learned to respect her space when it comes to pumping her for details about the Missouri men’s basketball team, for which she serves as executive staff assistant. Sometimes, though, it gets a little more difficult to refrain. Say, for instance, when the program has a new coaching staff that’s pulling in one of the most highly decorated recruiting classes in team history, as coach Cuonzo Martin and his staff have been for the past two months. “Everyone’s like, ‘What’s going on?!’ I’m like, ‘I can’t talk about that,’” Mayes says. “They know to follow social media and, when things come out, then we can talk about it. I can’t really discuss confidential things, and they understand that.” Martin and his staff are the third group of coaches with which Mayes has worked since taking over as the team’s executive assistant during the 2011-12 season. She has been working at the university for the past 11 years, spending time with the Olympic sports and with the Tigers’ Total Person Program before moving to men’s basketball. During the transition from former coach Kim Anderson to Martin, Mayes’ daily duties have mirrored the hectic lives of the new coaching staff. When they go out on recruiting trips, she handles the travel arrangements and expense reports. As they look for new places for their families to settle in Columbia, she does her best to be a real estate go-between. “It’s very intense and stressful, but not in a bad way,” Mayes says. “When the coaches get here, they hit the ground running. You get to know them very quick, feeling out what they like, what they don’t like, their needs. It can be kind of interesting when we’ve got four coaches out in four different places. Travel agent is part of my job, I guess.” Things fall into more of a pattern when the season starts and there are regular schedules of practices, games, and meetings to follow. It’s busy, but at least there’s a method. The offseason is less structured. It’s also prime time for organizations to request the head coach’s time at speaking engagements. Martin, being the new guy in town, is in especially heavy demand. Mayes has to be his gatekeeper. “Everybody wants him everywhere,” Mayes says. “That’s the tough part, because everyone wants him and he just can’t do everything. I’m the
first face and voice when people call or come into our office. I enjoy that, because I’ve heard I have a contagious smile. And filtering a lot of phone calls, happy and unhappy, is a big part of my job.” Mayes enjoys the close relationships she is able to cultivate with the coaches and their families, with all the time they spend together both in and out of the office. She also values the rapport she is able to build with the players, serving as a surrogate mother for them when they’re away from their families. Well, maybe not mother. More like a “big sister.” “I don’t like to think I’m old enough to be any of their mothers,” Mayes says, with a laugh. “When they’re having a down day or are stressed about finals, just kind of being that encouragement they need. I play a small part in the program, but it is a big part to me.” Through her job, Mayes gets to interact with the community and prominent members of the Missouri athletic department. The first time she met former football coach Gary Pinkel, she was almost too nervous to approach him. Now, he knows her name when she sees him around town. She gets tokens of thanks from the coaches for her hard work — Chipotle gift cards are espe-
cially appreciated — and text messages on her birthday from coaches and players, even though it’s over winter break. She wasn’t a huge basketball fan six years ago, but has learned much more about the sport since then. It’s part of her job. “My (14-year-old) son loves it. He just is in heaven right now with it,” Mayes says. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime type opportunity. I didn’t envision that when I came to Columbia, and I’m so thankful that my skills have brought me here.”
Education: Columbia College Strongest skill: “Patience, attention to detail, and my organizational skills. My people skills, also — I’m always greeting people, smiling, asking how things are going, what I can do to help.” Accomplishment you’re most proud of: “Continuing positive relationships. I love Mizzou. I didn’t graduate there, but I feel like it is my school.”
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TAMI ENSOR MFA Oil For 44 years, Beverly Twellman worked at MFA Oil Company serving tenures in many roles, including assistant to the president and corporate secretary. She was an MFA Oil institution. In March 2015, Tami Ensor began learning what it takes to follow an institution. “Someone who has that much experience and has done it for such a long time and did such a great job — you just hope you can fill those shoes,” Ensor says. “She knew all of the ins and outs.”
Education: Hannibal-LaGrange University Strongest skill: “Detail-oriented.” Little-known fact: “I commute an hour one-way to work each day (from Holliday, Missouri). Because I enjoy my job and the people I work with, I look forward to coming to work every day, which makes the commute much easier!”
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But Ensor’s task extended beyond replacing Twellman. She also added duties. Beyond being the corporate secretary and handling the logistics surrounding MFA Oil’s eight-member board of directors, she also serves as executive assistant to president and chief executive officer Mark Fenner, chief financial officer Robert Condron and chief human resources officer Janice Serpico, and she serves as the secretary and treasurer of the MFA Oil Foundation, which provides grants to nonprofit organizations in the communities in which the company has significant numbers of members and employees. Ensor’s main responsibility is to assist Fenner, but, as the only executive assistant at MFA Oil, a large portion of the scheduling, travel arrangements, event planning and other day-today minutiae of the entire management team falls under Ensor’s purview. “She is extremely detail-oriented, and I’m not,” Fenner says with a laugh. “Sometimes I’ll accidentally double-book a meeting or something like that. She finds it before I do. She started to do things that we said, ‘Wow, we hadn’t even thought of that.’ We don’t need your old-school secretary. We need someone more about helping us coordinate and organize.” It’s all in a day’s work at what Ensor calls her dream job.
Ensor served as administrative assistant to the plant manager at Cerro Flow Products, a copper tube manufacturing company in Shelbina, Missouri, for nearly 19 years before working for the president of Hannibal-LaGrange University for a year and a half. She was looking to return to a job in a corporate setting, and she and her husband were already members of the cooperative of 40,000 farmers that owns MFA Oil. When the job came open, she jumped at it. “Although my job is often done behind the scenes, I can be the first impression someone may have of the company and a direct reflection of those I work for,” Ensor says. “I make a conscious effort to be thorough and concise and conduct all communications in a professional, positive manner on a daily basis. My job also offers the opportunity to meet people from all over the community and around the country.” With so many different balls in the air, Ensor admits that her typical work day is “not always my own.” She can survey the calendars of MFA’s executive team when she arrives in the morning to get a loose framework for how the day may go, but she also realizes that any number of things can change throughout the course of eight hours: All of a sudden, the tasks at the top of the pile when the day started get pushed to the backburner. “I would say that there are almost no two days that are alike, because I have so many different facets to the job and so many people that I’m reporting to,” Ensor says. “Although I come into the day with a pre-thought plan, it almost never happens that way. On every level, it’s prioritizing. I have to figure out what the most important things are in my day, then try to squeeze my projects in around theirs.” In the last two years, Ensor has learned the rhythms and predilections of Fenner, Condron and Serpico, her three main assignments. She has learned how their personalities interact with each other and how to give each the best chance to shine. In short, she has made the job her own. “We’re kind of opposites. I’m kind of gregarious and she keeps to herself for the most part and those things work together,” Fenner says. “If we were alike, we’d probably be butting heads all the time. She’s not afraid to pipe up and say, ‘Have you thought about this or that?’ I’ve got so much on my plate that I need help like that. She’s been a rock star ever since she got here.” CBT
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Local businesses prep for the once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse bringing thousands to Columbia in August. BY M AYA M c DOW E L L A N D N I N A H E B R A N K | P H OTO G R A P H Y BY K E IT H B O RGM EY ER
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MONDAY, AUGUST 21 WILL BE much like any other Monday in Columbia — until 1:12 p.m. At 1:12 p.m., for about two minutes and 30 seconds, the city will witness a celestial event some call “once in a lifetime”: a total solar eclipse. The moon will pass between the sun and Earth and block the sun for up to three hours, from beginning to end, as viewed from Mid-Missouri. Columbia happens to be in the path of totality — where the sun will be totally blocked — for the first total solar eclipse Missouri has seen since 1869. Being in the path of totality for this eclipse means two things, according to Angela Speck, a professor of astrophysics and director of astronomy at MU. One, the city will experience “full-moon darkness” for those two minutes and 30 seconds, and two, there will be a lot of people coming to Columbia. “Think about how many people come to town when it’s Homecoming or True/False, and then put it in perspective of being a really unique thing,” Speck says. “There are so many people coming to town.”
Speck, who also serves on a national planning task force for the eclipse, predicts that Columbia’s population will double for the eclipse. People will flock here from all parts of the country to get somewhere that sits on the path of totality. “Geographically, it is such a tiny, tiny sliver of the United States that actually gets the total eclipse,” says Mike Szydlowski, science coordinator for Columbia Public Schools. “It lets us do something that, for most people, they never get to do in their lifetimes.” Here’s how Speck says the eclipse is going to go down. At 12:30 p.m. or so, the sky will start darkening, comparable to when there’s a storm coming. When the sun is about 80 percent covered, enough light will be gone that the sky will go a bit darker, like it looks just after sunset. And then it will get darker. And darker. The sky will continue to get darker for the next 30 minutes, until the sun is 99 percent covered. “It takes about three hours for the moon to do the full transit from not in front of the sun at all to completely off, but we’ve 66 JULY 2017
Is your business planning any eclipserelated marketing or activities? Email us and tell us what you’re planning. editor@businesstimescompany.com
only got two and a half minutes where it’s completely blocking,” Speck says. In those two and a half minutes, Columbia will go completely dark. Aside from the unique experience the eclipse presents for the residents of Columbia, it also offers an excellent opportunity for businesses to capitalize on. “This is definitely one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences for us, and so it’s a really concentrated opportunity for tourism,” says Megan McConachie, strategic communications manager for the Columbia Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. “Tourists who come in, of course, spend the night in our hotels, they eat in our restaurants, they shop in our stores, they fill up with gas at our gas stations, and so that’s obviously a direct economic impact that they can have on businesses in a really short amount of time.” McConachie says she hopes businesses in town will embrace the excitement and “eclipse-ify” themselves for the event. That could mean anything from throwing up some moon-themed decorations to hosting an event about the eclipse — the point is that businesses won’t get a marketing opportunity like this for a long, long time to come.
Columbia Public Schools is ready — they have purchased over 30,000 eclipse safety glasses for all students and staff, plus some extra pairs for fundraising purposes. “On eclipse
day, we’ve told the teachers every student will be outside for a minimum of 45 minutes surrounding the totality of the eclipse,” Szydlowski says. “The schedules will be altered that day so they can see it.” Szydlowski is planning eclipse-based lessons for the day before and the day of the eclipse for all students from kindergarten through high school. “Eclipses are part of our science standards, and there are so many misconceptions about them, so it’s giving us a very rare chance to teach about eclipses and then let them actually see an eclipse,” Szydlowski says. The lesson plans for CPS students go beyond just science, Szydlowski says — the plans include the history of the eclipse (did you know the first photograph of a solar eclipse was taken in 1851?) and eclipse-related math problems. Even lunch will have a solar flair; CPS nutrition services plans to make sack lunches with Sun Chips and Capri Sun, among other things. Students will also have the opportunity to participate in research projects pertaining to the eclipse. “We’ve partnered with a professor of biology at MU, and 18 of our fifth grade classes are going to test the theory people have that when you have a total eclipse, the animals and insects kind of get quiet and ready for bed,” Szydlowski says. There will be similar research opportunities for elementary students regarding temperature during the eclipse.
Diana Moxon, executive director of the Columbia Art League, says the CAL Member’s Summer Show, “Eclipsed,” is loosely eclipse-based. “It’s usually the member’s open show,” Moxon says, “but because of the eclipse, I decided we would give it a theme this year.” CAL’s website states: “In the CAL Members Summer Show, Eclipsed artists are invited to explore shadow and light, sun and moon, from dappled to darkness and from bosky to bright. How do light and dark color our world? What is revealed and what is obscured by light and shadows cast by objects seen or unseen, real or imagined?” Current CAL members submitted one two-dimensional or three-dimensional pieces of work from any medium for the show. The show runs from June 27 through August 23. St. Joseph, west of Columbia, also has several artistic and entertainment-driven eclipse events to offer. The eclipse happens to fall on the same weekend as the city’s largest event of the year, the Trails West! Festival. “We are celebrating our 25th year of Trails West!, and that brings nationally-known performing artists,” says Beth Carmichael, director of project development for the St. Joseph Visitor’s Bureau and the community facilitator for the eclipse. “They do fine arts and crafts and have vendors. It’s a whole weekend, and it’s really, really affordable.” COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 67
Even local nonprofits have gotten involved in planning events for the eclipse. Serve It Up CoMo, a new nonprofit fundraising campaign, has organized the Foodstock Solar Eclipse Festival at Corporate Lake, in south Columbia. Serve It Up CoMo brings top Columbia chefs to compete against each other to fundraise for six nonprofit organizations. They hope to capitalize on Columbia’s passion for food and for community involvement to help generate support for good causes. Foodstock will be a free food and music festival celebrating the once-in-a-lifetime experience. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and there will be food trucks, live music, shopping vendors, a beer garden, inflatables, and hot air balloons. The event with conclude with a fireworks show at 8 p.m. “We decided to have Foodstock during the solar eclipse because of the rarity of the event,” said Molly McMillan, co-chair of Serve It Up Columbia. “Since so many extra people are coming into town, we’re making sure that we take advantage of the additional opportunity for visibility that gives to our nonprofits.” McConachie says the eclipse is an excellent opportunity for businesses of all stripes to gain publicity with many visitors in Columbia. “We think there’s going to be a lot of people who are driving in that day from the Mid-Missouri area, so we’re going to be promoting all sorts of eclipse specials and events,” she says. “This is a really fantastic opportunity to get in front of a lot of people in our area who are going to be here to experience something they probably are never going to get to see again, so having your business name kind of top of mind as a part of that experience is a really fantastic opportunity.” CBT 68 JULY 2017
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OR G A N I ZAT I ON AL H EALT H
you then need to be the kind of coach who encourages the usage of it. You want your people to always focus, direct, or slightly pull back — you don’t want someone you have to push forward all the time. When your employee takes initiative, make sure you encourage that. The key here is to clearly communicate where initiative is appreciated, rather than leaving them to figure it out on their own.
3. Express confidence in their ability to perform. ORGA N I Z AT IONAL H E ALTH
5 Best Practices To Coach Your Team Members BY TON Y RICHA R DS | Fou n de r of C le ar Visio n Deve l o p m e n t G ro u p
Coaching has become part method, part technique, and part buzzword when people are describing the process of developing employees. The idea that not only does everyone have the ability to coach, but that it’s now a necessity for effective managers is a leading force in successful organizations. But coaching is not holding a weekend seminar for magical transformation, although many wish this was true. People do not get better by attending one-off events; they get better through a process, and coaching is not a getskills-quick proposition. Nor is coaching just about getting results; it’s about getting results for and through others. You can't do a great job coaching by just believing in yourself — you must believe steadfastly in the potential development of those you lead. Being a good coach means you’re someone who truly cares about people. You can encourage them to take charge of their own careers and take actions that maximize their potential. You must be searching for the keys to unlocking the potential in those you lead in order to fuel their growth.
Here are five ways you can do that:
1. Identify areas of development. Taking into consideration that you’ve clearly identified the behaviors and skills the job requires, you probably realize no person is going to come in perfectly matched for a role. This creates a question: Do they need skill development or do they need coaching or do they need both? Let’s say an employee has enough desirable skill for you to hire them for the job, but they’re missing one or two essential skills. This requires skill development. If they have all the skills needed, but they need honing and sharpening, then the answer is coaching. In most situations I’ve been involved with, both skills development and coaching are required.
2. Encourage initiative and improvement. You can’t create initiative and energy. You have to make sure they’re present when you make the hire. Assuming you’ve done that,
This goes hand in hand with hiring people with initiative — the same applies with confidence. You want to make sure your team members have an adequate level of confidence and a healthy self-esteem. When team members lack these things, you spend more time building up their confidence and soothing over paranoia and hurt feelings than you do working toward improved performance.
4. Provide opportunities for development. You need to be looking down the road at least a year or two for each of your team members. As you’re visioning a path forward for them, you need to clarify with yourself what your expectations for them are. What do they need to work on? In what areas do they need to be better? You need to make sure these things are clear to you so you can clearly communicate with them. You don’t have to give them the whole plan, although you can if you want. I prefer to lay out a year down the road then proceed quarter by quarter and add to the development little by little as improvement is demonstrated.
5. Acknowledge improvements. One of the biggest causes of employee disengagement is when employees don’t feel that people in charge know who they are or what they do. In smaller teams, this is not as big of an issue as it is in bigger organizations, but the same principles apply. When you acknowledge improvements in your team members’ performance, it creates enthusiasm. Everyone — at least those with a healthy self-esteem — loves acknowledgment and praise for a job well done. CBT COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 69
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DI VER SI T Y
ing from different perspectives will be critical in ensuring you put the right activities and opportunities in place. CONVENE BOOK CLUBS Start a book club to create room for respectful dialogue. Employees may choose to participate or they may not, but they’ll at least be aware that your organization is open to and supportive of these conversations in the workplace. Here are some great titles to start you off. •
Inclusion: Diversity, The New Workplace & The Will To Change by Jennifer Brown
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What if? Short Stories to Spark Diversity Dialogue by Steve Robbins
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People by Mahzarin Banaji and
DI VERSI T Y
Where Do We Start? BY NIKKI McGRUDER | Regional Manager of Diversity Awareness Partnership
CONGRATULATIONS! YOUR EMPLOYER has confirmed a commitment to diversity and inclusion initiatives and has named the individual within the organization who will manage those efforts . . . YOU! So where do we start? We must understand that the first hurdle — the acknowledgment that a commitment is necessary — has been jumped. Many, however, need to stay there for a bit to unpack what that commitment truly means. There has to be an understanding that the commitment is more than a statement, more than words on paper. There has to be action and intention backing it up. Therefore, your first directive should be a conversation with leadership to make sure there’s a clear understanding of what this process will require of your organization. More often than not, companies have been conditioned to avoid conversations about diversity, including discussions about race, sex, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, abilities, etc. Over time, however, that’s changing. Demographics are shifting, and these are areas of diversity that can no longer be avoided. A vital point to address when you work toward inclusion is that diversity exists and is
Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good
continuing to grow. For that reason, opportunities to have dialogue around areas we have not addressed in the past will continue to grow. The best way to handle this, you ask? Head on, without dancing around key and important issues. Remember that our commitment has intentional action behind it. There are several ways to begin creating the inclusive environment you want in your workplace. Employees will engage with different opportunities across a variety of mediums and comfort levels. Each opportunity, however, should communicate the same themes and values, and you should let people know the importance of being OK with discomfort as you move forward. That’s part of the process it takes to get to important change. Here are a few suggestions to get started: CREATE A COMMITTEE The first step in creating a diverse and inclusive work environment is to create a diverse and inclusive group of individuals dedicated to the goal. This isn’t something you should tackle alone. Having a diverse team work-
Anthony Greenwald •
Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg
ASK FOR FEEDBACK Veterans United Home Loans, a champion of diversity and inclusion in Columbia business, uses a tool called “stay interviews” that they find helpful in assessing what their employees need and what areas they need to address. We’ve all heard of or completed exit interviews when leaving an organization, which are typically administered either in person with the HR department or via survey. In those interviews, a departing employee is asked specific questions about why they’re choosing to leave the organization. If you’ve ever been in one, you know they’re not fun. Stay interviews can be considered the preventive measure for the dreaded exit interview. Exit interviews absolve the company of a responsibility to talk about how they can improve; stay interviews make sure those conversations happen. Think about enacting a similar policy in your company, and adjust for what fits with your employees. It’s time to get started! How will you assemble your diversity and inclusion committee? What questions will you ask to ensure you have the right people around the table to take on this important initiative? DAP – Columbia can always offer help if you need it. CBT COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 71
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M AR KET I N G
your company information in your Google My Business listing. While social media isn’t a BandAid for poor SEO practices, it plays a part in the big picture of your company’s online health. Meet Your Target Market Where They Are
MA RKET I NG
Do You Need Social Media? BY MON ICA P ITTS | C h ie f C re at ive D ire ctor o f M aye C re ate D e s i g n
IT’S PRETTY CLEAR SOCIAL MEDIA ISN’T just a fad. It’s not just for college students or the tech-savvy. Social media is a staple in our everyday lives. There are over 3 billion internet users — and over 2 billion of them have active social media accounts, transforming what was once a hobby into a line item in business marketing plans.
IS SOCIAL MEDIA PART OF YOUR MARKETING PLAN? SHOULD IT BE? If your target audience is on social media and you plan to keep up with posting or pay someone to do it for you then, yes, adding it to your marketing plan is a good idea. However, if you’re going to set up your social profile, post for one month, and abandon ship, then no, skip it altogether. You don’t have to post like a teenage pop star, but you do have to make a commitment to make your mark in a social space. You don’t want visitors thinking you went out of business because your last post was three years ago. That’s defeating the purpose altogether.
WHY ADD SOCIAL MEDIA TO YOUR MARKETING MIX? Keep Up with the Joneses
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left behind. If your biggest competitor, or even your marginal competition, is crushing social media, that’s a key indicator to seriously consider adding it to your marketing mix. Drive Traffic Back to Your Website
Updating your website with valuable content is a time-consuming task. Visitors won’t just wander back on their own. Remind them, brag about your updates on social media, and send them back to the site for more goodness. Be Part of the Conversation
According to 2016 Nielsen study, 67 percent of Americans say they’re at least a little more likely to purchase a product after a family member or friend shared it via social media. Social media is a soap box for the good, the bad, and the ugly. Like it or not, people may talk about your business on social media, and if you want to know what they’re saying or participate in the conversation, you know what to do. Make Search Engine Optimization a Priority
Seventy-four percent of companies surveyed by Econsultancy claimed social media is either somewhat or highly integrated into their SEO strategy. Google takes your social media front and center, placing your Facebook web reviews below
Pew Research Center reports that seven in 10 internet-using American adults use social media. The question may not be if you should be on social media, but which social network you should choose. In 2016, Facebook was the social media giant, holding a far bigger share of users (79 percent) than Instagram (32 percent), Pinterest (31 percent), LinkedIn (29 percent), or Twitter (24 percent). Each social media platform is frequented by its own flavor of users. Choose one that connects best with your market. The Pew Research Center report breaks down each individually. • Millennials: Millennials can be found in abundance on each social network. Overall, the networks show a good mix of all age groups, with the exception of Instagram. Over half of Instagram's users are 18 to 29. • Affluent: LinkedIn has a far higher ratio of college grads and persons making over $75,000 than the other networks, followed closely by Twitter. • Over the Age of 50: Facebook captures 61% of internet users age 50 to 64, followed by Pinterest (24 percent) and LinkedIn (21 percent). • Women: Women outnumber men on Pinterest 2.5 to 1. Instagram, while catering to a younger crowd, also reports a slightly higher number of female users, with a 1.4 to 1 female to male ratio. • If in Doubt, Try Facebook: Facebook is the most-widely used of the major social media platforms, and some claim its user base is most broadly representative of the population as a whole.
IF YOU DON’T PLAN ON KEEPING UP WITH IT, JUST DON’T BOTHER. It’s easy to get swept away with the idea of social media. Before you start, keep in mind that social media is social, and if you don’t plan on going to the party and making new friends, you may just want to stay home. CBT
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POLI CY
• $80 million to improve multimodal transportation options • $170 million to improve road and bridge conditions • $275 million to invest in projects that increase economic growth and improve safety • $300 million to reconstruct major interstates
P OL IC Y
Paving the Way Forward BY JERRY DOWELL | Director of Government Affairs, Columbia Chamber of Commerce
“WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT OUR roads and bridges?” I've heard it from Missourians across the state since long before I got involved with politics. The Missouri General Assembly just concluded a highly contentious session with no answers for our infrastructure (but another task force to further study the issue). It’s been 25 years since the state gradually increased the gasoline tax, bringing Missouri’s to 17 cents per gallon. That proposal was even supported by John Ashcroft, Missouri’s conservative, anti-tax increase former governor. There have been many efforts since 1992 to increase funding for our crumbling roads and bridges. In 2000, legislation was passed allowing MoDOT to issue bond financing to accelerate highway improvements. In 2002, Proposition B was placed on the ballot, which would have increased the motor fuel tax by four cents per gallon and the general sales tax by a half-percent — that was soundly defeated by voters, who rejected it with a three to one margin. In 2004, Missouri voters approved Constitutional Amendment 3, which required all revenues collected from the sale of motor vehicles to go to MoDOT instead of general revenue. In 2014, another attempt of raising additional revenue for highway construction, Constitu-
tional Amendment 7, was again swatted down by the voters. Voters have been wary of any increase in funding in the form of additional gasoline tax, sales tax, or user fees. Raising taxes is considered the third rail in Missouri politics. But by holding onto a no-tax pledge, Missouri legislators are compromising the safety of drivers and hindering economic development and job creation. So where does this leave us? The creation of the 21st Century Missouri Transportation System Task Force. We had another group just five years ago, called the Blue Ribbon Citizens Committee, that was expected to deliver the answer. Transportation was just as vital, and just as broken, as it is now. It was also made up of individuals committed to finding solutions to address Missouri’s transportation needs. This task force will be comprised of individuals from the legislature, Governor’s office, and cabinet officials who can advance a real solution forward. But, no matter how you get there, the only viable solution for our transportation system is increased funding for our roads and bridges. Currently there are more than $825 million worth of high-priority unfunded annual transportation needs. Let’s break it down.
Missouri has the seventh largest transportation system in the U.S. but is 47th nationally in revenue spent per mile. MoDOT maintains more road miles than all but three states. We have nearly 34,000 miles of state roads; there’s only enough money to maintain 8,000 of them. Our current 17 cent per gallon gasoline tax does not have the buying power it had in 1992. With inflation averaging nearly 2.25 percent per year since 1992, the 17-cent gasoline tax has only a 9.8 cent buying power in 2017 dollars. With the federal government imposing stricter corporate average fuel economy, or CAFE, regulations, the average vehicle’s fuel efficiency has risen from 20.2 miles per gallon in 1992 to nearly 35 miles per gallon in 2016. And while it’s worthwhile to use less fuel, this also reduces the amount of gasoline purchased, which in turn lowers the amount of money available to spend on our roads and bridges. So again — where do we go from here? We need to reframe this issue into what it should have been all along. We as Missourians need to view raising gasoline taxes, and the commensurate infrastructure spending, as an investment in our future. A 2016 study by American Society of Civil Engineers concluded that “deteriorating infrastructure has a cascading impact on our nation’s economy, impacting business productivity, gross domestic product, employment, personal income, and international comparativeness.” The study further details that with no action by 2025, businesses across the country will lose $7 trillion in sales and the average family could lose more than $3,400 in disposable income per year. In the last five years, 25 states have made various efforts to raise revenue for improved transportation funding, including raising the state gasoline tax, indexing the current gasoline tax to bonding, tolling, and public–private partnerships. As evidenced by the last few ballot issues and the inaction by the General Assembly, we need to build the momentum for change at the local level, starting today. Better roads and bridges will improve the economy and create jobs. Let’s make that investment in our future. CBT COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 77
BU SINESS • P EOP L E • IM PROVE M E N T • F YI
ASK AN N E
Q Dear Anne, I’m an office manager in a mid-size local company. It’s very difficult to get one-onone time with the partners, but when I do, it’s priceless. I have learned to calendar my time with them, but I want to know how I can make the most of the few minutes I have.
A SK A N N E
Quality Boss Time BY A N N E W ILLIAM S | P re side n t of JobF in der s E m p l oy m e n t S e r vi ce s
It’s a common problem in offices: Bosses don’t take enough time with people, especially when everything is running well. A couple of ideas that you might try would be: • Sending out a very brief itinerary of the items you would like to discuss with them. Don’t make it too formal, or else they’ll think the meeting is going to take forever. • Creating a whiteboard calendar
Q Dear Readers, It’s Top of the Town month, which brings to mind all kinds of different awards. A friend who lives out of state posed this question to me the other day: What makes a company Top of the Town? What do people think of when they vote for your firm?
No one really knows what others think when they vote, but when I vote, I think about the company’s overall excellence — I consider their marketing, their culture, the work they do, their community support, the employee base, and what I know about their employees’ happiness at work, as well as the financial stability and longevity of the company. I hope it’s not just a popularity thing. The public may not have much information about businesses in the contest, especially if they’re not involved in business organizations. They 78 JULY 2017
might get a good feeling about the company culture, community support, and employee morale just by walking through their doors. The overall reputation of the business is what many friends said they considered when voting for Top of the Town. I relate Top of the Town to an Employee of the Month award. To find an Employee of the Month, employees are evaluated based on specific criteria and ranked. The top few then make the list to be voted upon. One obvious difference between the two contests is that the management of a company is usually instrumental in choosing the winner of Employee of the Month, whereas the public chooses Top of the Town winners. But here’s my last thought: Whether you’re seeking to become the Employee of the Month or the Top of the Town, people are always watching and listening. People are always evaluating you personally and professionally, and they are assessing you and your company. They are watching how your front office staff treats the people who walk through the door and watching how you and your staff treat your customers and potential clients. So remember, do unto others . . .
with everything that’s happening in the office, including staff time off, upcoming meetings, projects, and tasks that need to be completed. • Setting your meetings early, perhaps when the partners first arrive to the office. You may need to come in early to prepare, especially if they come in early themselves, but you’ll have more opportunity to solve problems if they’re not already bogged down in work of the day.
Remember, be respectful of the partners’ time, get to the point quickly, and be precise. My biggest piece of advice: If you bring a problem to the table, have a couple of suggestions for possible solutions. The problems you bring to the partners are probably ones you are most familiar with; therefore, you are best qualified to have answers. Good Luck! CBT Anne Williams is not an attorney. All content in this column is not guaranteed for accuracy and legality and is not to be construed as legal advice.
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80 JULY 2017
B U SINESS • P EOP L E • IM PROVE M E N T • F YI
B U SI N ESS SM AR TS
complaint may be an issue that actually needs your attention. A customer’s rudeness does not make them wrong. Show empathy. Putting yourself in the other
person’s shoes can help you find a solution and can also help customers know they are being heard. Tell unhappy customers you understand and want to help. Ask questions and make a genuine effort to see things from their perspective. Follow up. Be sure to follow up with your customers even after you’ve resolved their concerns. Use e-mail, a phone call, or even a hand-written note to confirm that the problem has been resolved and to see if you can be of further assistance. It may seem unnecessary, but the fact that you cared enough to follow up can leave your customers with a positive impression. Educate your customers. Customers typ-
B U SI N ESS S MARTS
Working with Unhappy Customers BY SEAN SP ENCE | Re gion al D ire ctor of Be tte r B u s i n e ss B u re a u Co l u m b i a
ONE OF THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU’S most important functions is providing a bridge between customers and businesses when the customer is unhappy and files a complaint. Excellent customer service can often solve problems long before they reach that point, but now and then every business encounters an unhappy customer, and employees need to be trained to deal with them. A key to this is acting quickly — focusing on finding solutions to the problems presented, or at least addressing the issue to a reasonable extent. Failing to do this can not only lose you a customer; you also run the risk of them telling everyone they know about their negative experience with you. It’s pivotal to be proactive in addressing the concerns of unhappy customers, and to do that effectively, do these things and do them quickly. Listen. Even if you don’t like what you’re hearing, really listening can give you valuable
insight that might help you address the issue. Be careful not to interrupt, argue, or try to assign blame. Reacting with anger or defensiveness can escalate the situation, so it’s important to remain calm and in control. Apologize. Sometimes customers just want an apology. Give it to them and you may defuse aggressive behavior, allowing for open and honest communication leading to a resolution that works for everyone. Lower your voice. If the customer gets louder, you should speak more slowly and in a lower tone. A calm demeanor can help settle an unhappy customer. Don’t take it personally. Usually, a custom-
er’s behavior has nothing to do with you. Look at the situation objectively, setting aside your personal feelings — they can get in the way of seeing what’s really going on. Beneath the
ically don’t have enough information to truly understand and appreciate the value of your products and services. If you’re thorough in educating and informing customers, you will often be better positioned to resolve — or even avoid — complaints. You might teach and show them why your prices are higher than competitors, why certain features are or are not included, and why your products surpass your competitor's in quality and value. By taking time to educate an unhappy customer, you help them better understand your perspective — you can make them empathize with you, so to speak. If they continue to be unhappy, you might even show them the impact their demands would have on your operation, staffing, and bottom line. Remember your happy customers. Many
businesses find themselves spending so much time managing their unhappy customers that they have little left to attend to the happy ones. Don’t take these valuable customers for granted. They deserve and need your attention too. It’s important to see the value of all customers, regardless of their attitudes. Creating trusting customer relationships is the most important activity of any successful business. It beats marketing, advertising, daily operations, and public relations. Successful businesses make their customers happy and put them first, even when they’re not easy to please. CBT COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 81
BU SI N ESS • P EO P L E • IM P R OV EM EN T • FY I
DEEDS OF T R U ST
Deeds of Trust WORTH MORE THAN $520,000
$11,400,000
$2,000,000
$1,000,000
$623,020
Columbia II LLC RH Montgomery Properties Inc. STR 34-48-13 //SE SUR BK/PG: 4354/40 AC 9.87 FF Tract 2
P1316 LLC Landmark Bank STR 33-48-12 //SW SUR BK/ PG: 3607/109 AC 40.32 FF TRACT 2
Smiley Lane LLC Central Bank of Boone County LT 1 Arcadia Plat 9
L Kemper Properties LLC Hawthorn Bank LT 109 Cobblestone Cottages
$1,000,000
$609,150
Keene LLC Central Bank of Boone County Lt 2 BL 4 Keene Estates LT 5
Marroquin, Rafael & Torres, Vanessa Landmark Bank Lt 1418 Highlands Plat 14-B The
$7,930,000
East 280 LLC Hawthorn Bank LT 280 PT Columbia $7,575,000
Residences at Old Hawthorne LLC Landmark Bank LT C1 Residences at Old Hawthorne Plat 2 The $7,300,845
TERC LLC First Midwest Bank of Poplar Bluff LT 402 Perry Automotive Plat 4 $5,910,000
Kappa Kappa Gamma House Corporation of Columbia Missouri Central Bank of Boone County LT 5 La Grange Place
$1,900,000
Shy Rentals LLC Landmark Bank LT 1B1A Concorde Office & Industrial Plaza 1B1 $1,300,000
Rocky Fork Fellowship First State Community Bank STR 27-50-12 /N/NE SUR BK/PG: 2616/132 AC 28.82 FF TRACT 1 $1,180,000
Coyle, Kristen L Revocable Living Trust The Landmark Bank STR 22-47-13 //SE
MISBB LLC Landmark Bank LT 1 Model Bakery Subdivision
Columbia Development Group LLC The Central Bank of Boone County STR 6-47-13
IBN Kali LLC The Central Trust Bank LT 3 Bergen’s Add
6th & Elm LLC Landmark Bank LT 16 PT Columbia PT Lots 16-18 $1,000,000
$2,280,000
Cal’s Storage LLC Hawthorn Bank LT 8 Christiansen Deline Subdivision Plat 1 82 JULY 2017
$850,000
Fred Overton Development Inc. Central Bank of Boone County LT 23 Creek Ridge Plat 1 $825,000
BBB Homes LLC Central Bank of Boone County Lt 133A Copperstone Plat 7 $747,680
Naydyhor, Justin E & Shelley L Landmark Bank Lt 12126A Highlands Plat 12-C The
$1,016,800
$1,000,000 $2,500,000
Award II LLC Jefferson Bank of Missouri LT 4H KEENE ESTATES REPLAT LT4E,LT4C,LT4 PLAT 2 FF & ESMT
$1,125,400
$4,740,000
Award II LLC Jefferson Bank of Missouri LT 4H Keene Estates Replat LT4E,LT4C,LT4 PLAT 2 FF W/ ESMT
$900,000
Odle, Bruce J & Elizabeth Central Bank of Boone County LT 1 Arcadia Plat 9
$709,457
$604,100
Nelson, Christopher S & Sarah Central Bank of Boone County STR 28-48-13 //SE AC 3.105 FF TRACTS 1 & 2 BOONE COUNTY SUR #8016 $600,000
Overton Student Housing LLC The Bank of Missouri LT 92 Seven Oaks Plat 2 $575,000
Columbia Independent School Inc. Landmark Bank LT 1 Scheulen Acres $557,200
Billings, Joshua & Holly Central Bank of Boone County Lt 143 Copperstone Plat 1
Fifth Street Properties LLC Hawthorn Bank LT D Lake Broadway Condominiums Lot 4A
$520,000
$700,000
$520,000
French, Donald B & Kimberly S Integrity First Bank LT 204 Gates at Old Hawthorne Plat No 2 The
Lemone Family L.P. & Smith, Thomas R Royal Banks of Missouri LT 29A Concorde Office & Industrial Plaza Plat 14-B CBT
$690,000
TBS Investments LLC Citizens Community Bank LT 1B Keene Estates Plat 2-C
Bach, Christopher C & Tracy M Landmark Bank LT 244 Copperstone Plat 2
764 deeds of trust were issued between 4/24 and 5/26
BU SINESS • P EOP L E • IM P R OV EM EN T • FY I
Economic Index LABOR
Value of commercial additions:
(not seasonally adjusted)
$2,692,894
April 2017 – Columbia, Missouri
Labor Force: 67,105
HOUSING April 2017
Employment: 65,380
Single-family home sales: 220
Unemployment: 1,725
Existing single-family home
Rate: 2.6 percent
sales per month: 186 New construction single-
April 2017 – Boone County
family home sales per month: 34
Labor Force: 98,479
Single-family active listings on
Employment: 95,998
market: 605
Unemployment: 2,481
Single-family home average
Rate: 2.5 percent
sold price: $206,030
April 2017 – Missouri
Single-family home median sold price: $192,000
Labor Force: 3,064,806
Single-family home average
Employment: 2,950,399
days on market: 56
Unemployment: 114,407
Single-family pending listings
Rate: 3.7 percent
on market: 254
April 2017 – United States
Labor Force: 159,817,000 Employment: 153,262,000
UTILITIES Water
Unemployment: 6,555,000
May 2017: 48,843
Rate: 4.1 percent
May 2016: 48,571 Change #: 272
CONSTRUCTION
Change %: .56% Number of customers
May 2017
receiving service on June 1,
Residential building
2017: 48,910
permits: 71 Value of residential building
Electric
permits: $7,264,302
May 2017: 49,688
Commercial building
May 2016: 49,036
permits: 20
Change #: 652
Value of commercial building
Change %: 1.330 %
permits: $3,596,009
Number of customers
Commercial additions and
receiving service on June 1,
alterations: 15
2017: 49,755 CBT
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COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 83
STEAK • BRATWURST HAMBURGERS • RIBS CHICKEN WINGS
SNACK STICKS FRESH HAND CUT STEAKS RIBS • JERKY
125 E. Broadway St. New Franklin, MO 65274 JenningsPremiumMeats.com 660-848-2229
84 JULY 2017
BU SI N ESS • P EOPL E • IM P R OV EM EN T • FY I
N E W BUSI N ESS LI C EN SES
New Business Licenses JULY 2017
Met-Fitness
Messenger Home Improvement
Cintas Corporation
4115 S. Providence Rd. 573-639-2441 Fitness trainer
573-228-8776 General contractor
513-754-3650 Retail uniforms
Bodyworks By Massage
Straight Forward General Contracting
1034 E. Walnut St. 573-881-1242 Massage therapist
4605 Orchard Ln. 573-823-1186 General contractor
Fastenal Company
CVS Pharmacy #16067
2101 Pennsylvania Dr. 507-454-5374 Wholesale and retail of fasteners and industry supplies
2400 Bernadette Dr. 573-445-9545 Sales of prescription drugs only (see next page)
Z’s Auto Body Express
722 W. Sexton Rd. 660-621-1193 Auto body express repair SSE
210 Park Ave. 573-499-1944 Civil and structural engineering
COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 85
NE W BU S IN E SS LICE N SE S
Absolute Vintage
917 E. Broadway 573-268-7582 Vintage clothing
For your windows... Call us for your free consultation & measure!
AA Adams Excavating
573-303-2196 Dirt remover, retaining walls, sidewalks Teddygrams Tot Towers
5107 Hatteras Dr. 660-998-0162 Wooden children’s furniture True Craft Custom Homes
573-445-5105 General contractor Tiger Services
5303 Chamois Dr. 573-356-1403 Exterior cleaning
Intelligent shades that simplify your life.
105 Business Loop 70 E. | 573-449-0081 | carpet1columbia.com
Del A Koch
1010 Sycamore Ln. 573-443-6134 Consulting services Cleaneo
4305 W. Mesa Dr. 573-529-7799 Commercial and residential cleaning Pinnacle Projects
573-303-6244 Residential construction and remodeling Columbia South Hokulia Shaved Ice
205 E. Nifong Blvd. 573-999-2634 Shaved ice Path Finder 4 You LLC
5900 Webster Grove Rd. 573-303-2015 Life coach CBT
86 JULY 2017
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BU SI N ESS • P EOPL E • IM P R OV EM EN T • FY I
BY T H E N U M BER S
MOST FIRST-PLACE WINS Central Bank of Boone County
3 MOST SECOND-PLACE WINS Columbia Insurance Group
3 MOST TOTAL WINS
35
CATEGORIES
151
FINALISTS
3 YEARS How long Columbia Regional Airport has sponsored Top of the Town
Central Bank of Boone County
5
450 Tickets sold to last year's Top of the Town party
200 Bag chairs our supporting sponsor, Socket, gave away at the 2017 party COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 87
olumbia Region al A by C irp red or we o t P
TOP
CBT’s
OF THE
TOWN 2017
TOP PLACE TO WORK – 1-25 EMPLOYEES
TOP BANK
TOP JANITORIAL SERVICES
TOP WEB DEVELOPER
1st Place: Columbia Eye Consultants 2nd Place: Caledon Virtual
1st Place: Central Bank of Boone County 2nd Place: Landmark Bank
1st Place: Atkins, Inc. 2nd Place: Safi Sana
1st Place: Hoot Design Co. 2nd Place: Delta Systems
TOP REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER
TOP COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHER
TOP PLACE TO WORK - 26-50 EMPLOYEES 1st Place: Woodruff 2nd Place: Century 21 Advantage
TOP PLACE TO WORK - 51+ EMPLOYEES 1st Place: Veterans United Home Loans 2nd Place: Central Bank of Boone County
TOP HR FIRM 1st Place: Moresource, Inc. 2nd Place: Accounting Plus 1604 Business Loop 70 W. B, Columbia 573-445-3805, accountingplusinc.com
TOP CHAMBER VOLUNTEER
TOP STAFFING COMPANY
1st Place: Tom Trabue, McClure Engineering Co. 2nd Place: Sherry Major, Columbia EDP
1st Place: JobFinders Employment Services 1729 W. Broadway #4, Columbia, 573-446-4250, jobfindersusa.com
1st Place: Mike Tompkins, Tompkins Homes & Development 2nd Place: Jay Lindner, Forum Development Group
TOP BUSINESS INSURANCE 1st Place: Stephanie Wilmsmeyer, State Farm 2609 E. Broadway, Columbia 573-445-5774, insurecomo.com
1st Place: LG Patterson 2nd Place: Casey Buckman
TOP COMMERCIAL VIDEOGRAPHER 1st Place: The Evoke Group 2nd Place: Cosmic Sauce
TOP B2B PRODUCT OR SERVICE 1st Place: GFI Digital 2nd Place: CoMo Connection Exchange
TOP COFFEE MEETING LOCATION 2nd Place: Columbia Insurance Group
1st Place: Kaldi’s Coffee 2nd Place: The Grind Coffee House
TOP EMERGING PROFESSIONAL
TOP ENGINEER
1st Place: Amanda Quick, The Hatchery 2nd Place: Brandon Banks, Modern Media Concepts
1st Place: Crockett Engineering 2nd Place: McClure Engineering Co.
TOP PLACE FOR BUSINESS LUNCH
TOP SEASONED PRO 1st Place: Eric Morrison, Providence Bank 2nd Place: Gina Gervino, Columbia Insurance Group
TOP COMMERCIAL REALTOR 1st Place: Paul Land, Plaza Commercial Realty 2501 Bernadette Dr, Columbia 573-445-1020, paulland.com
2nd Place: Kelly Services
TOP COMMERCIAL BUILDER 1st Place: Coil Construction 2nd Place: Little Dixie Construction
TOP OFFICE DIGS 1st Place: Fresh Ideas Food Service Management 2nd Place: Missouri Employers Mutual
TOP ARCHITECT 1st Place: Simon Oswald Architecture 2nd Place: PWArchitects
TOP ACCOUNTING SERVICE 1st Place: Williams-Keepers LLC 2005 W. Broadway, Columbia 573-442-6171, williamskeepers.com
TOP CEO 1st Place: Steve Erdel, Central Bank of Boone County 2nd Place: Gary Thompson, Columbia Insurance Group 88 JULY 2017
TOP HAPPY HOUR 1st Place: Logboat Brewing Co. 2nd Place: The Roof
TOP CATERER 1st Place: Bleu Events 2nd Place: Hoss’s Market 1010 Club Village Dr., Columbia 573-815-9711, hosssmarket.com
TOP SALESPERSON 1st Place: Brooke Berkey, Central Bank of Boone County 2nd Place: Danny Gingerich, Joe Machens Toyota-Scion
2nd Place: Accounting Plus 1604 Business Loop 70 W. B, Columbia 573-445-3805, accountingplusinc.com
TOP PLACE TO CLOSE A DEAL
TOP IT COMPANY
TOP EVENT LOCATION
TOP COMMERCIAL LENDER 2nd Place: Gina Rende, Maly Commercial Realty
1st Place: Addison’s 2nd Place: D. Rowe’s
1st Place: Chris Widmer, Landmark Bank 2nd Place: Chris Rosskopf, Central Bank of Boone County
TOP ADVERTISING AGENCY 1st Place: True Media 2nd Place: Visionworks Marketing Group
1st Place: 44 Stone 2nd Place: Boone-Central Title Co.
1st Place: Midwest Computech 2nd Place: EasyPC IT & Computer Repair
1st Place: Logboat Brewing Co. 2nd Place: Stoney Creek Hotel & Conference Center
TOP NATIONAL PRESENCE
TOP LOCAL TEAM-BUILDING EXPERIENCE
1st Place: True/False Film Fest 2nd Place: Veterans United Home Loans
1st Place: Breakout CoMo 2nd Place: Escape Plan
ADVERTISER INDEX ACCOUNTING PLUS............................................................................................91 ACHIEVE BALANCE...........................................................................................36 ANTHONY JINSON PHOTOGRAPHY............................................................. 3 ARTISAN BUILDERS OF COLUMBIA........................................................... 80 BLEU EVENTS.......................................................................................................76 BUSINESS TIMES INTERACTIVE....................................................................35 CARPET ONE........................................................................................................ 86 CENTRAL BANK OF BOONE COUNTY......................................................... 7 CENTRAL TRUST COMPANY......................................................................... 80 CENTURY 21 ADVANTAGE...............................................................................38 CITY OF COLUMBIA WATER & LIGHT..........................................................12 COIL CONSTRUCTION...................................................................................... 70 COLUMBIA EDP................................................................................................... 86 CROCKETT ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS............................................. 68 DOGMASTER DISTILLERY...............................................................................56 FIRST STATE COMMUNITY BANK................................................................ 84 FRESH IDEAS FOOD............................................................................................11 GFI DIGITAL............................................................................................................. 6 HAWTHORN BANK.............................................................................................92 HEART OF MISSOURI UNITED WAY...................................................... 8 & 9 HOME PERFORMANCE EXPERTS...................................................................4 JENNING'S PREMIUM MEATS........................................................................ 84 JOBFINDERS......................................................................................................... 10 JOE MACHENS DEALERSHIPS........................................................................18 JOHNSTON PAINT & DECORATING DIRECT......................................73-75
LANDMARK BANK................................................................................................ 2 MAHER COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE.........................................................36 MEDIACOM..............................................................................................................14 MISSOURI EMPLOYERS MUTUAL..................................................................76 NATHAN JONES LAW........................................................................................32 NAUGHT NAUGHT INSURANCE AGENCY................................................ 68 PERSONAL TOUCH CLEANING SERVICE..................................................79 PROVIDENCE BANK............................................................................................16 RESTORATION EYECARE................................................................................22 ROOM 38.................................................................................................................38 SEPTAGON CONSTRUCTION..........................................................................57 SOCKET...................................................................................................................85 SPARK PROMOTIONS........................................................................................57 STANGE LAW FIRM.............................................................................................89 STATE FARM INSURANCE - STEPHANIE WILMSMEYER.....................63 STONEY CREEK INN...........................................................................................56 SUPERIOR GARDEN CENTER/ROST LANDSCAPE...............................36 SW. PRODUCTIONS............................................................................................83 THE BROADWAY HOTEL.................................................................................... 5 THE DISTRICT.......................................................................................................22 UNIVERSITY CLUB..............................................................................................32 VETERANS UNITED HOME LOANS............................................................. 70 VISIONWORKS.................................................................................................... 84 WILLIAMS KEEPERS.......................................................................................... 30 WOODRUFF...........................................................................................................63
COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 89
B U SINESS • P EOP L E • IM P R OV EM EN T • FY I
FLASH BAC K
300 N. Tenth STORY A N D P HOTOG R A P HY BY R AC HEL T H O M AS
TUCKED WITHIN THE NORTH VILLAGE Art District sits one of Columbia’s many Quonset-style buildings, a steel semi-circle that’s newly renovated. Previously home to the Koonse Glass Company, it now houses the Root Cellar, a popular independent grocery store that sells and promotes products from local Missouri farmers. The two-story building was constructed in 1951 and originally served as the hub for Mid-Missouri farmers to collect their fertilizer and seed. Trains would arrive on the north side of building, at nearby Wabash Station, to drop off bags of fertilizer and seed onto the second level. The bags would then be lowered through a large opening between the building’s floors into farmers’ trucks, which were sitting at street level. In 1967, the Koonse Glass Company opened on the building’s first level underneath a carpet installation store run by local firemen. Koonse Glass found quick success that year and soon
expanded its lease to the entire building, using it to house both its retail and manufacturing services. For almost 50 years, Koonse Glass called the steel structure home. But they eventually outgrew the facility and moved to a new location further along the railroad tracks, at 4153 Paris Rd., in August 2016. John Ott, owner of Alley A Realty and the building at 300 N. Tenth, was contacted by the Root Cellar, who needed a new space, after the building became available. Ott said the building was the perfect fit for the Root Cellar because the business would remain a pivotal part of the North Village Arts District, its original home. Renovation was approved by the city and started in November 2016. The building still has its classic dome shape and curved windows, but the entrances were expanded and the inside revamped to house The Root Cellar and two additional businesses.
“The whole idea is to have businesses that relate to one another, where you can walk freely between them and get the benefit of all of them,” Ott says. The Root Cellar celebrated its grand opening at its new location in April. Ott says the new location enables the business to keep its loyal customers but attract plenty of new customers exploring The District. Though the two other spaces in the building are still available for rent, Ott hopes to find a farm-to-table restaurant that promotes Missouri farmers and a tea room to complement the existing tenant in the new space. CBT
Root Cellar 300 N. Tenth rootcellarmo.com Alley A: columbiamo.com
We love Columbia business history. If you have any interesting photos and stories, please send them to Editor@BusinessTimesCompany.com 90 JULY 2017
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STEVEN VOSS, owner, Voss Landscape & Tree Service, LLC
Leave it all to us! 573.445.3805 | www.AccountingPlusInc.com Come see us for your Business Accounting & Tax needs! 1604B Business Loop 70W | Columbia, MO Right across from Cosmo Park! COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 91
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“Hawthorn Bank was the difference between growing my business and shutting it down.” – Joe Marshall Joe Marshall Woodworks
“I started the business in my garage, but I got to the point where I had to either invest in more tools and more space or close it down. Hawthorn Bank took the time to learn about my business, and where I wanted to take it. “It feels like a real relationship.”
Call Todd Hoien at 573-449-3051.
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